ENOUGH!
Kai Ren exploded like a nuclear bomb.
A great and gothic black energy tore out from his body, mixed with streaks of violent rays, tearing the hold his father had on him as it sped through the room and hit his father with brutal force, one that sent him off the ground and smashed him hard against the wall, causing the wall to crack and shaking the entire chamber. Dust and fragments rained down.
Kai Ren now free, landed on one knee, his fist pressed to the ground. Dark smoke coiled from his frame, and his eyes burned an ominous, pitch-black hue that made the air itself tremble.
A sharp gasp left the mouths of everyone there who was lucky enough to be watching. They knew what it implied to be in that form Kai Ren was in, but they were more astonished by what Kai Ren had just done and also because, he was about to bloom.
...
Blooming always comes with a sign, a clear and undeniable one. When the eyes of a bearer of the Spirit Spell Mark begin to glow, it means they are about to bloom and enter the Woeplane. Every bearer has a distinct eye color tied to the mark they carry.
The eyes of those marked with Fear glow green.
The eyes of those marked with Agony glow blue.
The eyes of those marked with Rage glow red.
The eyes of those marked with Nightmare glow yellow.
But the Untamed are different. Their eyes do not glow, they burn black.
...
The King looked up at him, totally astounded. "No," he gasped. "No way!" he cried, more at the person he was seeing than at the hit he had received.
"GUARDS!" he yelled. "Seize him! He is an Untamed… a Spirit Untamed! Do not let him bloom!"
At once, dozens of guards rushed forward, spears and swords raised, the metallic echo of their movement filling the chamber. Among them, one carried a Bloom Inhibitor Chain, its dark links humming with spiritual suppression. If they bound Kai Ren with it, his bloom, the transformation into the Woeplane, would be sealed forever.
Kai Ren's mind raced. He had no idea what to do. He wasn't strong enough to face them all, and though he had been receiving secret training, it wasn't enough to stand against a full royal battalion.
"No!" Star's mother screamed. She stumbled to her feet, her silver hair cascading over her shoulders as she fought to move faster. Tears blurred her vision, but she didn't stop. By now, the guards had already surrounded Kai Ren in a practiced formation, tightening the circle, chains ready, weapons aimed.
It had happened so fast. Immediately, the guards made the rush move to bind him up with the chain, a blinding light burst into the room, washing over Kai Ren like a storm of purity. His vision went white, forcing his eyes shut.
When the light dimmed, Kai Ren's eyes opened. He was lying on the floor, and when he sat up, everything was paused, the world frozen.
The guards were still mid-motion, their faces twisted in focus, weapons frozen inches from him. Even the air hung motionless, the dust, the fluttering curtains, the flickering torches, all suspended in time. Not even a fly moved. Silence filled the world, an eerie, heavy silence that pressed into his ears.
Only his heart beat could be heard.
He looked around and noticed he was surrounded by a white light, glowing, transparent force field with streaks of blue light flowing through it like ocean tides. It was beautiful, serene, yet impossibly powerful.
And standing beside him was the last person he expected to see accomplish such a thing. It was...
"Mom…" he gasped, astonished.
His mother's eyes were glowing bright blue, and she was the one who had paused the time. She stood in the force field with him, arms spread. How she had gotten close enough to stand inside the force field with him was something Kai Ren couldn't explain.
She stood that way until she balanced herself with the power she was exerting, and then the toll of the effect it would have on nature.
Slowly, she lowered her arm, and the blue light in her eyes dimmed, returning to normal. The effort had clearly taken its toll.
Kai Ren looked around. He made to talk, but he couldn't find the right words. His mother was a normie, a normal human being. How could she have just paused time and made only the two of them to be moving?
His mom noticed the surprised look on his face and just smiled back. Tears were still in her eyes, so that smile was more of a heartbreaker to Kai than a heartwarmer.
Slowly, she walked up to Kai, bent beside him, and placed her hand on his stomach. A faint bright glow shone from her hand, and like a ripple, it spread through Kai Ren's body.
Kai Ren felt it. It was like a burning sensation, the kind that felt like a cold fire ran through his whole system. His body quivered under the sensation, but then he slowly placed his palm on top of hers, tears drifting from his eyes as well.
"I'm sorry," he whispered hoarsely, sniffling hard.
It was a very tense moment filled with silent, heart-sickening emotion. Tears streamed more from his mother's eyes, her voice soft and trembling.
"You don't have to be sorry, Star… No matter what happens, you will keep being my Star, and I will always love you."
Star smiled. For the first time in a while, he felt really loved, and it was by this woman, his mother. Somehow, the thick pain he felt in his ribs and heart was reduced drastically, and that led him to ask,
"What did you do to me?"
His mom smiled. It was a fair question. She tried hard to subdue her tears, but they kept flowing anyway.
"I…" she began, "I slowed down your bloom for a while.... just long enough to prepare you for it"
Kai Ren's eyes widened.
"What? Why, Mom?... No, You should have let them take me!"
"Stop," his mom said, but Kai kept going.
"No, Mom! No! I'm an Untamed… I'm evil…"
"Stop."
"I might be consumed out there by the negative energies, and who knows what I would become..."
"Stop, Star! Just stop!" his mom bellowed, her voice cracked, trembling with anguish. She placed both hands on his cheeks. "Oh God, stop!" she cried, more tears streaming down her eyes. She brought Star's face forward until their foreheads met.
"Stop, please," she said again, sniffling.
Kai Ren stopped. He didn't like the way she shed tears for him or worried so much for him, yet he couldn't help it.
"Mom," he said, "I'm scared. Many Untamed have been consumed and turned into dark things."
At that, his mom lifted her head from his and, in a gentle, loving way, stroked his chin.
"Many, Star… many, but not all," she said softly, sniffling again. "I knew, I always knew that this day would come, and I've dreaded it for so long now."
"What do you mean, Mom?" Kai Ren asked, his curiosity mixing with dread.
His mom smiled, a bittersweet smile that only deepened her tears, and with that smile, more tears rolled out of her beautiful emerald eyes.
"You only have a limited time before you bloom," she replied, "and I promised that no matter what happens, you will not turn out to be like me or take the path I took, but rather take the right path—which is blooming and becoming a Spirit Warrior."
Kai Ren swallowed hard. Now it made sense.
"You're also an Untamed, aren't you? That was how you were able to do this," Kai said smartly. "But how? How, Mom? We thought you were a normie. And even if you're not a normie, how come you're not a Spirit Warrior?"
His mother sniffled, wiping off the tears from her eyes.
"Star, sweetie, we don't have much time, and this moment is about you, not me and my past. So, therefore, you should make the most of it."
Kai Ren couldn't help but see through her words, and try to piece it together. Her not being a Spirit Warrior while marked with the Spirit Spell meant that she subdued it. He had read about subduing Spirit Spells, and also knew it had grave consequences, especially when one is marked with the Untamed Spirit Spell.
His thoughts were shattered by his mom's next words.
"Star, you need to focus on the journey beyond now, and you have to face it. It will be hard, harder than anything you've faced... but I do believe in you. I always have, and I know you'll turn out just fine."
Her words steadied him, but he still felt doubt, a doubt imposed by fear.
He forced a smile, though his voice cracked.
"What makes you think I would be among the few Spirit Untamed that ever made it?" he asked. He could feel the pain imposed on him by his father bubbling to the surface again, which meant whatever his mother had done was wearing off gradually.
"Because, Star," his mother began, cupping his cheek again, "you are very special and unique. You are the very first noble of royal blood to be marked with an Untamed Spirit, the very first to become a Relapsed. And very soon, you will be among the few that have made a difference. You were chosen for a reason, Star. Work with that, and trust me, you will turn out great."
Kai Ren forced a smile. Her speech was heartwarming, but he didn't remember how being the first person to have bad things makes him unique and special.
"You think so?" he simply asked, pushing aside all the doubts in him.
"I know so," his mom replied strongly. "I never had a doubt."
Kai Ren smiled. His heart swelled. Her faith in him lit a fire deep within his chest. He wanted to make her proud. No scratch that. He 'needed' to make her proud.
"Urgh," he groaned suddenly. The pain was returning more and more, and his mother's effect was wearing off. Once that effect wore off, he would bloom.
His mother, hearing his groan, knew time was no longer on their side.
"Listen to me, son," she said, tears forming around her eyes again. "The Woeplane is a very deceitful place. I've heard different things from different people, but all I can say is that you should trust no one there."
A tear fell from her eye, but she continued, making sure her voice didn't waver.
"Put your own needs first. I know it's bad to say you should be selfish and shouldn't care about your neighbor, but as far as the Woeplane is concerned, you should be very selfish and look after yourself. Anything that makes your safety unsafe, you should kill it without hesitation."
Kai Ren gritted his teeth as the pain his father caused him flared stronger. His mother's magic was breaking down fast.
"As an Untamed," his mother went on, "you need to keep your mind clear and your emotions smooth. Don't work with your fear, agony, rage, or delusion... neither should you let it rule you... rather, conquer them and embrace them." She sniffled hard and placed her hand gently on Kai Ren's chest as she continued.
Kai Ren only listened to her at this point. He knew he needed every bit of information he could get since he hadn't been exposed to much, thanks to his father.
"Star, generally it's going to be overwhelmingly hard," she said. "And as for the situation you're in, the tools should be at your disposal, and the Woes you will have to face should be within your rank and range of abilities. After all, the Woeplane is just a trial made by the Spell."
She wiped her green, wet eyes and locked them with Kai Ren's still-burning black ones as she continued,
"If you're lucky enough, son, you might have the aspect of combat and swordsmanship. But even if you don't, sorcery and other aspects are still good too. Whatever your aspect is, you should never, even for a single second, look down on yourself. Rather, make the most of it."
Kai Ren couldn't hold it anymore. Tears flowed freely.. He did his best to hold back, but he couldn't. He was going to miss her, and as much as he tried to be a man, he failed.
Just then, he realized why; Nothing was more painful, affectionate or more sacred, than a mother's love.
"What about you, Mom?" he asked, looking around at the guards and his father, who were still paused.
His mother calmly wiped off his tears. "It's okay, my boy," she said, tears flooding her own eyes. Then, she pulled him into a tight embrace. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I can handle your father."
Her embrace was warm, and Kai Ren felt very assured and safe. More tears spilled from his eyes. He was still worried, though. He had seen how his father hit her earlier, and he didn't want that to ever happen again, not to her.
A bright light began to radiate from Kai Ren's heart, spreading through his body. Still within his mother's embrace, he began to fade, his form dissolving into the air as her power finally ran out.
His mother held him tight. She didn't want to let go. "I have never been more proud of you, son, proud of the man you've become and how brave you are."
Kai Ren smiled, a real and lovely smile.
"I love you, Mom," Kai Ren echoed as he faded. Leaving her mom embraced to nothing but air.
…
Immediately after Kai Ren faded out, time regained its flow, and the guards who had been lunging forward crashed into each other, their weapons clattering. Gasps and shouts filled the air as chaos returned.
The king lifted his head, eyes wide. Kai Ren was gone.
"NOOOOOO!" he yelled as he looked around. He could sense that something fishy had taken place, but how could he prove it? He looked back at the place where the Queen had landed when he hit her, and magically, she was still there.
The Queen noticed the frustrated look on his face and smiled despite herself. Then, in a very low tone, she muttered,
"I love you too, son."