The Daughter of Cursed Steel Chapter 5: Chapter 5: The Suffering That Leads to Madness

Read chapter 5 of The Daughter of Cursed Steel by Ashfell on NovelPedia.

Chapter 5: The Suffering That Leads to Madness Time passed, and the forest surrounding Yggdrasil shifted through seasons while Rina endured the agonizing months of her pregnancy. When the day finally came, elven midwives rushed through the dimly lit halls of the underground sanctuary, whispering prayers and lighting candles as if trying to ward off a curse they could not see. Rina screamed through the pain, gripping the sheets until her knuckles turned white, the scent of sweat and herbal incense hanging thick in the air. Beside her, a wheelchair sat close to the bed. Sophie remained there, her frail body trembling slightly with each movement. Her arms rested forward, one hand shakily reaching out until her fingers found Rina’s. She held on as best as she could, her grip uneven and unsteady, but determined. Her wings were gone, reduced to small, broken stubs along her back. One eye stared lifelessly ahead, dull and unmoving, while the other struggled to focus, lagging behind everything it tried to see. Her lips parted, but when she tried to speak, the words came slow and fractured. "R... Ri... na..." "Y... yo... u... a... re... al... mo... st... th... th... ere... k... k... keep... pu... shing..." Her voice shook, each syllable dragged out with effort, but she did not let go of Rina’s hand. Then, at last, the wail of a newborn filled the chamber. Relief washed through Rina’s chest. Her daughter was here. Her Rachel. Sophie’s fingers twitched, tightening weakly as she listened to the cry, her head turning slightly toward the sound, as if trying to see the child she could not fully focus on. But the relief did not last. Sophie’s grip faltered slightly, her hand trembling harder now, as if something about the cry unsettled her. The baby would not stop crying. Not the frightened wail of a newborn, but a raw, piercing scream that clawed at the heart. When they placed her in Rina’s arms, she froze. Rachel’s tiny body was covered in black and blue marks, as if every touch bruised her. Tears rolled down the infant’s face. Rina reached forward with trembling fingers to wipe them away. The moment her skin brushed her daughter’s cheek, a new bruise blossomed beneath her touch. Rachel screamed even louder. Rina’s breath shattered. She clutched the child close without touching her skin directly, her voice breaking. "Why… why would a goddess do this to her? She is innocent. She is just a baby." Days later. Rina had not slept. Rachel’s cries had become a constant, echoing through the chamber without pause. No matter what she tried, the screaming never truly stopped. Every attempt to soothe her only brought more bruises, more pain. Rina had learned to wrap her daughter carefully, to hold her without direct contact, to move slowly, to breathe slowly, to exist around her child instead of touching her. Still, it was never enough. The marks spread across Rachel’s tiny body, black and blue blooming like rot beneath her skin. Rina watched them form again and again, helpless to stop it. She told herself it would pass, that this was temporary, that whatever the goddess had done could be undone. She had to believe that. That night, their home was quiet. Rina sat beside Sophie, exhaustion weighing heavily on her body. The candles burned low, their light soft and unsteady against the stone walls. Sophie held Rachel in her arms. Her movements were slow and uncoordinated, her hands trembling as she tried to support the fragile infant. Yet despite it all, she held her gently, carefully, as if she understood exactly how delicate Rachel had become. Rachel had finally fallen asleep. For the first time in days, there was silence. Sophie looked down at her, her one functioning eye struggling to focus on the small face resting against her. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came. Her expression barely moved, the damage to her face making it difficult to show emotion, yet something in the way she held Rachel said everything. Her grip tightened, just a little.