"Taranis… is it really you?" Mother asked in a low voice, her gaze fixed on my face.
"Yes, Mother," I whispered, touching her hand against my cheek. "F-forgive me… I'm… I'm late."
"T-Taranis, my son," Mother murmured, tears forming in her eyes.
She slowly leaned forward in her chair and pulled me into her embrace, both her hands moving across my face in a trembling motion.
"My son… my son… my son," she repeatedly murmured, sobbing heavily.
I gently wrapped my arms around her, my face resting against her chest as a tear rolled down from the corner of my eye.
"F-forgive me, Mother. I have not been a filial son," I whispered in a low voice.
For the next five minutes, unstoppable tears surged from her eyes, trailing down her cheeks as she wept, holding me with whatever strength her weakened body could muster.
---
"Wh-what in the heavens is going on?" Lily mumbled, utterly shocked and confused by the situation.
