Harem Stealer: Reborn with the God-Tier Sharing System Chapter 445 - Maryam

Upon Noah mentioning his desire for a private conversation with his mother, Maryam responded instantly, manifesting a boundless expanse of mist.

The transformation didn't stop there.

Before his very eyes, the swirling fog shifted into solid earth and stretched upward to form a firmament. As it expanded, air filled the newly birthed tangible space.

With a single exhale from Maryam, thousands of souls surged forth. These spiritual essences morphed into a vast garden of grey blossoms, illuminated by a peaceful sun that hung like a pale white disc against the ashen sky.

Turning toward her son, the Soul Ruler offered her hand to Noah.

Noah allowed a smile to grace his lips as he reached out to meet her gesture.

They strolled in silence through the sprawling floral sanctuary, passing by aerial rivers flowing through invisible channels while birds chirped and squirrels scurried nearby.

Neither spoke a word at first.

Yet, both carried a thousand things they longed to express to one another.

Maryam yearned to understand how her son had fared after her passing. She wondered about his reincarnation through the Son of Emptiness and whether the process had been agonizing.

She contemplated asking if Selene had served as a good mother, though she quickly realized the question was redundant. The depth of her son's affection for Selene made the answer painfully clear.

The thought stung her.

She craved his stories and wished to hear of the journey that had brought him to this moment. Maryam desired to truly know the man her son had grown to be.

To achieve that, she wanted to grasp every detail of his existence. Everything.

Her grip on his hand tightened as she fought back the tidal wave of emotion threatening to overwhelm her senses.

The restraint was incredibly difficult to maintain.

Nevertheless, she succeeded.

What she failed to realize—distracted as she was by her own inner turmoil—was that Noah was experiencing the exact same struggle.

The sudden revelations and the situation regarding Selene had left him in a daze, unable to process his feelings. Now that they were alone, his raw emotions were finally coming to the surface.

He took a soft breath and tilted his head back toward the sky.

Their strides were perfectly synchronized, mindlessly crushing the flowers beneath their feet as they carved a path through the garden.

His mind drifted, diving deep into the recesses of his memory to pull forth images of his past.

He remembered his life on Earth with his mother.

He recalled her tenderness and her self-sacrificing nature.

She had always prioritized his needs over her own, doing her level best to raise him within the cold, indifferent atmosphere of Paris, where everyone was consumed by their own hardships.

Maryam had raised him with profound respect and warmth. Even though his birth had brought her immense sorrow and pain... the devoted mother was never so unfair as to resent him for it.

Her love transcended those grievances.

Even after death claimed her and she entered the Spirit World, her devotion remained unshaken.

She had struck a bargain with a mysterious entity, sacrificing a vital portion of her soul and risking her existence among countless enemies, all so he could be reborn with a protector by his side.

Selene Weaverheart.

She was a clone of Maryam, yet one who had developed her own genuine feelings and love for him.

Through her, Noah had felt cherished. Now, he understood the true source of that affection.

Slowly turning his gaze toward Maryam, he found her already watching him with a complex expression.

It seemed as though she still found it hard to believe that Noah was truly there, walking beside her and holding her hand.

Her fingers clenched tighter, as if she feared this was merely another of the countless dreams she had endured throughout her immortal life.

Noah came to a halt. Maryam stopped with him.

He turned his body to face her fully, closing the distance between them in a single step before pulling her into a powerful, warm embrace.

Maryam went rigid, her pupils dilating. Stunned, her arms hung uselessly at her sides.

“I have missed you, mother,” Noah whispered, his voice heavy with suppressed longing. “I truly did.”

Maryam’s eyes brimmed with tears that threatened to fall onto the flowers below. She bit her lip, struggling to keep them at bay.

“Did you really?” she asked with a raspy voice, slowly beginning to return the hug. “Did you not forget about me?”

“How could I?” Noah replied gently. “You are my mother.”

“You have another mother,” she countered. “One whose hand you were ready to take. One who caused you to pull away when I first embraced you. One who made you fret over her safety instead of focusing on our reunion.”

Her voice cracked, her breathing becoming shallow and ragged as her chest heaved and her hands trembled.

Noah set his jaw and pulled her even closer.

But Maryam wasn't finished.

“I waited for you, Brandon,” she choked out. “I waited for an eternity, with doubt gnawing at my mind. I wasn't certain you would ever come, and I died many times over with those poisonous thoughts inside me.”

“But I continued to wait.”

Noah felt a pang of guilt in his chest. He wished she would stop, yet he lacked the heart to silence her.

She needed to release her pain, her bitterness, and everything she had kept bottled up.

It cut him deeply. He felt ashamed for worrying about Selene before celebrating her return. Yet, deep down, Noah knew that if the moment repeated itself, he would likely act the same way again.

He cursed his own nature and braced himself to endure her words.

His heart was easily pierced by her honesty.

“I waited, Brandon. I waited through the pain, through the enemies, through the uncertainty and the frustration...”

She trailed off, gasping for air. In this moment, she bore no resemblance to a ruthless monarch.

She was simply a mother who had waited endlessly for her son’s return, only to find him preoccupied with someone else.

The fact that it was a fragment of herself made it no easier; ironically, it felt even worse.

Maryam was filled with anger and hurt.

Yet, her love outweighed it all.

It was a devotion that had endured across lifetimes. It was the very love that had given life to Selene herself.

It was peerless.

Such was the nature of a mother's love.

So, despite her grievances, she held her son with affection. She fell silent, having finally unburdened her soul.

Noah remained quiet for a long time, fighting the urge to shrink away in shame.

Eventually, he eased the embrace to look at Maryam. Their faces were inches apart, close enough to catch each other's scent. They lingered there, drifting closer until their bodies were pressed together.

A flush of heat spread through Maryam’s body. She shook slightly, but she refused to look away from Noah’s captivating eyes.

“I am sorry,” Noah said softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Her ears were elegant and pointed, like those of an elf. “I am sorry for letting you down, after everything you sacrificed for me.”

“I did those things because I chose to,” Maryam replied with a small smile. “I did them because I am a mother and you are my son. It is my responsibility to look after you, even if it requires giving up a part of myself.”

Noah’s muscles tensed at her admission. Maryam reached up, cradling his face in her palms.

“But that does not mean your actions didn't wound me.”

“I know they did,” Noah nodded, his voice thick with emotion. “And I am so sorry.”

That was the extent of what he could offer.

I am sorry.

Simple words, yet often they are the only ones a person can manage to speak.

His mother witnessed the genuine remorse in his eyes, and it was sufficient for her.

“I forgive you,” she said, her smile widening. “I always have. Did you forget that?”

Noah managed a faint grin. “Yes,” he exhaled. “You always do.”

The sight of his smile sent a jolt of heat through Maryam’s veins.

She licked her lips. Noah noticed the movement, suppressing a swallow of nervous anticipation.

The air between them suddenly crackled with an electric, forbidden tension.

However, before things crossed that line, Noah smiled and pressed a gentle, loving kiss to Maryam’s forehead, channeling all his affection and apologies into the touch.

When he pulled away, his grin was broader.

“I love you, mother,” he declared. “Without you, I wouldn't exist, nor would I be the man I am today.”

Maryam seemed dazed, but a slow smile began to form.

“Selene is also my mother,” Noah went on. “She is distinct from you, regardless of your similarities. I care for her, and my wives love her as well. Because of that, mother, I am asking you not to absorb her.”

Maryam nodded, stroking his cheek tenderly. “I will not, if that is your wish.”

She would simply have to live with the void inside her. She would endure it for Brandon. For her son.

“You won't have to feel incomplete,” Noah said with a smile. He took Maryam’s hand and kissed it.

“Mother,”

The Soul Ruler beamed at the gesture, nodding eagerly. “Yes, my baby!”

“Will you bind your soul to mine?”

Her smile grew radiant as she felt a sudden surge of authority surrounding her at his request.

She gazed deep into his violet eyes, and then spoke softly.

“Everything.”

She took a breath.

“Take all of me and bind me to you.”

So that they would never have to be apart again.

-End of Chapter 445-