As Yang cried his pain away, Ember kept gently stroking his back and head as she gave him small kisses on his forehead. In between the kisses, she also told him how everything would get better, that he was a good boy and that he was so strong for sharing his pain.Eventually, he had no tears left to shed and only hiccupped occasionally. He felt much better, but still didn"t want to let go of his mother. Thus they sat there in silence as they enjoyed each others embrace.
Finally, Ember decided to break the silence.
"So... who broke your heart, baby?" She softly inquired.
"Was it the Ice G.o.d Yin?"
"How did you know?" Yang hoa.r.s.ely asked as turned his head to look at his mother.
"A mother knows her children the best, Yang Yang." A gentle smile appeared on Ember"s face as she cradled him.
"I have since long known of your infatuation in that girl. Maybe you didn"t even realized it yourself, but every time you spoke of Yin and how you wanted to beat the c.r.a.p out of her, your eyes would always shine up brighter than the sun."
"Really?" He grinned.
"Yeah, and during the times when I happened to be present during your duels, I could always see that the looks she received from you were different from the looks you would give any other girl."
"Aren"t I observant, Yang Yang?" Ember took a grip around his cheek and pulled it lightly.
"Of course, nothing can ever escape the gaze of the Mother Demon" He teased.
"Who are you calling a demon?" She increased the force of her pull, which caused his face to distort in discomfort.
"Ouch, ouch! Mercy! Please have mercy!" He shouted as he tried to escape her grip.
"I treat you so well and you consider me a demon?" She asked sternly.
"No! Ouch! I was wrong. Please spare me, mum!" His hands tried to pry off his mother"s fingers, but her grip didn"t falter.
"Then what am I?" She could barely keep up her stern expression when she saw the sorry state of her son.
"A saint! Mum is the Holy Saint and the saviour of the Fire Realm!"
"That sounds better." She said in delight before finally released him, which caused him to immediately rise his hand to caress his abused cheek.
"Does it still hurt?" Ember asked with guilty feeling when she saw how red the skin had become.
"Mm." Yang nodded with a grieved look and removed his hand to better display the redness.
"I am so sorry, baby. Here, let me caress it for you." The soft gestures that Ember performed had a soothing effect on his cheek, which allowed him to relax.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked after a while.