Chapter 242: Mama… your hands…

Chapter 242: Chapter 242: Mama... your hands...

Content Warning: violence, blood, injury, and children in danger.

Kairo grabbed Miko’s hand.

Nilo whispered:

"Mama?"

Swanly looked at her children.

Then the damaged environment.

"Construction."

The System blinked.

"What?"

"Emergency construction menu."

Golden lines appeared.

Swanly pointed at the tree.

"Can we make something up there?"

YES. NOT INSTANTLY. MATERIAL REQUIRED.

"Obviously."

STORAGE CANNOT ACCEPT LIVING ORGANISMS. SPATIAL EXTRACTION IS ALSO BLOCKED BY TERRITORIAL INTERFERENCE AND MULTIPLE LIVING SIGNATURES BENEATH THE COLLAPSE.

Swanly looked toward the rubble.

People.

Pinned below.

So the System could not simply disassemble the whole section either.

If it destabilized load-bearing stone, survivors died.

If it triggered some emergency blast to clear the path, survivors died.

If Swanly ran?

The children died.

Good choices everywhere.

"Then we build."

She ran.

The boys ran with her.

"Kairo, that beam."

"I can..."

"Drag it!"

He obeyed.

"Nilo, rope."

Nilo sprinted.

"Miko, hides."

"I can fight."

"No!"

"But Mama..."

Swanly spun.

"Your job is keeping your sisters alive."

Miko stopped.

Everything silly vanished from his face.

He looked toward Eira.

Then Sira.

Then nodded.

"Okay."

They built.

Not magically.

Not cleanly.

Swanly dragged one beam until her palms split.

Blood slicked the wood.

She wiped it against her clothes and kept pulling.

Blood ran freely down her wrists now.

The beam tore the skin open further every time it shifted.

Her palms burned like they were being skinned alive.

She bit down on a scream and kept dragging.

Kairo saw the blood.

His face crumpled.

"Mama... your hands..."

"I’m fine."

She wasn’t.

Her shoulder felt like it was tearing from the socket. Sweat and blood mixed on her arms. Dust stuck to the open wounds and stung like fire.

Sweat ran between her breasts and down her spine.

The System threw glowing measurements across her vision.

LEFT SUPPORT HIGHER.

Swanly kicked it.

"Now?"

TWO FINGERS.

"I hate you."

ONE FINGER.

Swanly kicked it again.

"Now?"

ACCEPTABLE.

"Beautiful."

Kairo shoved against the support with both hands.

His little arms shook.

"Mama..."

"You’re doing good."

That gave him another burst of strength.

Nilo appeared with rope.

"This one?"

"Yes."

He watched the knot once.

Then copied it on the opposite side without being told.

Swanly stared.

"Nilo."

He looked up nervously.

"Wrong?"

"No."

She kissed his forehead quickly.

"Perfect."

His ears lifted.

Miko came dragging the hide basket.

It was nearly bigger than him.

He fell once.

Got up.

Dragged again.

"I got it!"

"You did."

Swanly kissed him too.

Sira reached from the ground.

"Mama!"

Eira beside her:

"Mama."

"I know."

Swanly’s voice cracked.

She grabbed both babies.

Held them against her chest for one second.

Two little hearts.

Two warm bodies.

Her daughters smelled like milk, smoke, and fear.

Sira was shaking so hard her tiny teeth clicked.

Eira’s silver eyes were wide and wet. Her little tail had wrapped around Swanly’s wrist like she was trying to fuse herself to her mother.

"Mama," Sira sobbed. "No go. No go."

Eira just made a broken little sound and pressed her face into Swanly’s neck.

Swanly’s eyes burned.

"I need you to be brave."

Eira stared at her.

Sira shook her head.

"No."

Swanly almost broke.

"I know, baby. I know. Mama has to."

She kissed both their faces.

"I’m scared too."

Kairo came closer.

His eyes were wet.

"Give me Eira."

Swanly looked at him.

He held out his arms.

"I’ll hold her."

Her throat tightened.

"Kairo..."

"I’ll keep her safe."

Swanly gave him Eira.

The baby immediately clutched Kairo’s clothing.

"Ka..."

"I have you."

Nilo lifted his arms.

"I’ll take Sira."

Sira reached desperately for Swanly.

"Mama!"

Swanly kissed her tiny palm.

"Mama is right here."

Then handed her to Nilo.

When she handed them over, both girls screamed.

Not the usual baby cry.

The kind of scream that said they understood something was very, very wrong.

Nilo’s face was soaked with tears as he held Sira.

Kairo’s arms trembled around Eira.

Miko stood in front of both of them like a tiny shield, ears flat, eyes huge.

Nilo hugged her.

"Don’t cry."

He was crying too.

"Please."

Miko climbed onto the platform last.

Swanly checked every tie.

Every support.

Railings.

Anchor to tree.

Anchor to stone.

Rear brace.

High enough to buy time.

Not enough to make them safe.

Nothing was safe tonight.

She touched each child.

Kairo.

Nilo.

Miko.

Eira.

Sira.

Five.

"Do not come down."

Kairo’s voice cracked.

"What if you get hurt?"

Swanly forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

"I won’t."

Kairo stared at her.

He was too smart.

He already knew she was lying.

Above them, Sira’s cries turned into desperate little hiccups.

Eira had gone silent in the worst way — the kind of silence that meant a baby was too terrified to even make noise.

Kairo looked at the weapons appearing from System storage.

His face crumpled.

But he nodded anyway.

Swanly climbed down.

The first Hollowmaw appeared through the smoke.

Survivor Swanly took over.

Bow.

Arrow.

Breathe.

Closest target first.

TWANG.

Arrow through the mouth.

The Hollowmaw dropped.

Swanly waited.

It twitched.

Second arrow.

Still.

Dead.

"Two arrows," she muttered.

Second Hollowmaw.

She poured bitter resin across the narrowest remaining path.

Struck fire.

WHOOM.

The creature screamed.

Another pushed behind it.

Bottleneck.

Perfect.

Swanly shot the second through the open mouth.

The first crawled through flames anyway.

Half its face blackened.

Still coming.

Swanly stared.

"Oh, fuck you."

Above her, Miko whispered:

"Mama said bad word."

Kairo snapped:

"Not now!"

Swanly stepped sideways.

Blade.

Cut rear joint.

The creature crashed.

Another ran into it.

Blocked.

She stabbed upward into the exposed underside.

Black blood splashed her arms.

Nilo counted from above.

"Two left!"

Swanly looked.

"One by the tree!"

She saw it.

"Another behind you!"

Swanly turned.

Shot.

Missed the mouth.

Arrow shattered against armor.

"Fuck."

"MAMA!"

"I KNOW!"

Miko grabbed the railing.

"I can help!"

Kairo hooked an arm around his waist.

"No."

"I can throw something!"

"No!"

"I can bite!"

"You will lose your face!"

Miko stopped.

That was persuasive.

The Hollowmaw below climbed.

Not toward Swanly.

Toward the platform.

Toward the children.