The Laughing Swordsman

Chapter 313 – ‘Love’

Apollo had been through some things. Most of which wasn't the most pleasant. Looking at things logically, it wasn't even worth it to stay alive.

The suffering far outweighed anything else.

But…

When Apollo thought of how Ivy held onto him and brushed his hair, he couldn't do it. At the end of the day, it was a rather small thing. Compared to everything else he went to, that could hardly matter.

Yet, as small as it was, that was enough for Apollo to want to cling to life. It was enough for him to want to stay within all the hate.

But it was still hard.

Apollo slowly lowered the knife, but still looked out the window with the full moon. The glow seemed gentle, almost like it was reassuring him.

Eventually, he walked over to his mom's bedroom, with the knife behind him. Without hesitation, he opened it up then walked up to the bed, where his mom was sleeping.

He faintly called out.

"Mother?"

Other than faint breathing sounds, there was no response.

Apollo called out, but with more volume.

"Mother?"

His mother grumbled, but didn't so much more than that. This time, Apollo used his normal tone, repeating the same thing like a broken record.

"Mother?"

She woke up.

"Hm… what, what, what?"

Apollo's mother held the side of her head, then looked up to him with a frown.

"Do you know how late it is? Are you seriously not sleeping? This is why you never have energy for anything!"

Apollo's expression did not change.

"There is something on the roof."

His mother furrowed her brows.

"What? Go deal with it yourself, then! Are you that incompetent?"

Apollo nodded.

"Yes. Yes, I am."

His mother clicked her tongue.

"Fuck… alright, fine. I guess you'll just be useless when you grow up."

Apollo nodded.

With that, his mother got up, still in a white gown. Then, she led the way towards the rooftop.

It was a rather windy day and the flat stone roof didn't make that much better.

Upon reaching there, his mother furrowed her brows and hugged herself from the chill.

"What the hell is it? I don't see anything."

Apollo hummed to himself.

"Are you sure? Look a little closer."

His mother took a few steps forward and scanned the area. She frowned deeply.

"There clearly isn't anything here!"

Apollo hummed.

"But there is something."

Then pulled the knife out from behind his back. Before his mother realized what was going on, he stabbed it straight through her hand.

"See? There is blood."

His mother immediately screamed at the top of her lungs and backed away. She held onto her hand tightly, trembling slightly.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!"

Apollo tilted his head to the side.

"You seem to know. Why don't you tell me?"

He was standing tall, holding the knife casually. His expression was blank, almost like nothing could perturb him.

On the other hand, his mother had a nasty frown. She hunched over, gasping for air from the pain. Though she held onto her hand tight, it couldn't stop the bleeding.

"Piece of shit, get out of the way!"

She ran towards the doorway to the roof, but Apollo simply stood in the way.

"No."

His mother's eyes widened.

"You…"

And quickly became bloodshot.

"Do you have no gratitude for all the work I've put into you? Where would you be if it wasn't for me? Nothing!"

Apollo nodded.

"That's why I have decided to show my gratitude. Going down the stairs right now isn't healthy for you."

His mother's face twitched.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

A small smile crept up Apollo's face.

"Just trust me. I have the best intentions for you."

His mother grit her teeth.

"Get the fuck out of my way!"

She kept her eyes on the knife and tried to shove Apollo out of the way. However, it was kind of stupid to try and do when someone had a knife.

Apollo used that opportunity to slice into his mother's uninjured fingers, causing blood to spill everywhere. Along with another scream, his mother stumbled backwards. Her fingers trembled as they leaked out its warm contents.

At this point, tears began falling from her face. Apollo's mother was losing her vision. Her knees trembled violently, until they gave out altogether. She landed on her rear and her bottom lip began to tremble.

"Why… Why are you doing this?"

Apollo took a deep breath, still with a rather calm smile on his face.

"I am just doing what's best for you, can't you see?"

In response, his mother screamed.

"How the fuck is this the best for me?!"

Apollo's voice softened strangely.

"But you were the one that taught me! Don't you remember? Broken hands are better. They will help you so much!"

His mother's breathing got worse.

"What? I never said that! You sick fuck!"

Apollo let out a soft sigh.

"Don't worry! You will understand soon! When you grow older you will understand everything!"

His mother used her feet to slide herself backwards.

"Get… away from me."

Apollo's eyes widened slightly.

"Don't worry, I remember you taught me this too! If you love them, never listen to anything they say! Always do the opposite!"

With that, he walked a little closer, all the while raising his knife and letting the blood trickle down onto his arm.

His mother freaked out.

"Get away! Fuck off! Just leave!"

Apollo's body tensed up, bringing his limbs in closer to himself, almost like a girl that was shy.

"Don't worry, mother! I will show my gratitude by going faster!"

Suddenly, his walk burst into a full on run. His mother screamed.

"No, no!"

She tried to scramble away, pushing hard with her feet. But how was someone supposed to go fast when they were rubbing against the ground?

Once Apollo reached her, he grabbed onto one of her hands and began cutting at the wrist, sawing it off.

Bloody screams filled the air.

Apollo's eyes widened further.

"I will show you even more love!"