1184  Borrowed Time

“What do you think?” Kana whispered to Nia, who was sitting next to her.

 “I am not sure. I have never heard of anyone living out in these woods before.” Nia was also confused as to who this old woman was. “Well, for now, we will just eat. The food is harmless.” With Kana’s words, everyone dug in. After eating, which Kana ate the most and was now patting her protruding belly, the old woman walked over and sat down. “Rin, come here.”

Rin walked over and sat down next to the old lady with a smile on her face. She even leaned into the old woman and rubbed her head affectionately against her. Now, this would be fine if it was how a human would do it, but this girl did not seem to be human at all since she was purring in the process of rubbing her head on the old lady.

“As you can see, Rin is not normal. Rin, show them your eyes.” The old woman ordered. Rin hesitated for a moment before doing as she was told. The little girl took off her eye covering, revealing not just one but two sets of eyes. Each one with multiple pupils. When Kana saw this, she finally understood what was going on. “She is a beast who has evolved into a human body? Or a human born between a beast and a human.”

“You are correct. Her mother was someone who had been used in a dark ritual. The people who took her mother did many unspeakable things to her, and Rin was born. By the time I found her, her mother had already passed, and little Rin had been left all alone in lying next to her. I regret not making it in time and have raised Rin here for the past five thousand years.” The old woman’s expression became gloomy. “As you can see, Rin is still only a child after so many years. She grew to this big in the first couple of years, but since then, she has not grown anymore. I have tried many things, but no matter what I try to do, nothing seems to work.”

“Hmmm… May I take a look at her?” Kana stood up at the old lady’s nod and walked over to Rin. She knelt down next to the girl and touched her wrist. After a few minutes, Kana’s brow raised in surprise. “This little girl she is…. She is not even a beast or a human. She is pure energy….”

“That is the case. She is something that does not belong, so this world is trying to tear her apart. Her body was mortal when I found her, but as she grew, I noticed slight changes. As if her body was breaking down, but it quickly reforged itself and became energy instead of flesh and blood. I do not know what they did to create this girl, but from the research papers, I found they were trying to make an ultimate being. One that could fight against the first.” The old woman explained. “But their plans were destroyed when I showed up. She is probably what can be considered an unfinished product.” The old woman let out a sigh. “I understand all of this, but I think you should also answer a few of my questions, like how you knew I would come here. And what exactly do you want from me and my family? I mean, you have not even given us your name this entire time.” Kana had many questions, but these were the most important.

“My name is long lost. I have long forgotten it. Rin calls me grandmother. You can call me as you please. I do not care. As to how I knew you would be here…. That is quite simple. I am a time seer. I can see into the future. I have used this method many times to see the future of Little Rin. I have vowed to keep her safe since the day I found her. But looking into the future does not come without a cost.” The old woman began.

“You are aging beyond your years.” Kana instantly understood what she meant.

“Yes, I am on borrowed time. The last time I checked the future, I did not just check a single future but pushed myself too hard and looked at multiple futures in different situations. That is when I saw you arrive. In one of those possible futures, you would find little Rin as she was on the run and save her. You even took her in and cared for her as if she was family. I calculated the time it would take for you to arrive and have been waiting for here ever since. And now you have come.” The old woman bowed her head. “Please, take Little Rin under your care. She is a good and sweet girl. But she is also someone who will one day be sought after and killed. I know this is asking a lot, but I hope you can hear my plea…”

“I don’t mind.” Kana did not even need to think about it. She had always been one to protect those who were in need. Little Rin was also cute and obedient so she did not need to think much about it.

“Thank you…” The old woman’s lips curled up into a smile. But then her entire body seemed to burst into fine dust as a gust of wind swept through the area.

“Grandmother!?” Rin eyes went wide and tears began to form. She was told this day was going to come, but it was just too sudden.

Kana sighed, pulled the young girl into her arms, and hugged her tightly. “Everything will be okay. I will watch over you from now on and protect you. But before that, we should send your grandmother off with a smile. And allow her to rest in peace.” Kana did not know how long the old woman had held on for but one thing was for sure. That old woman had used up her entire life and even borrowed time and endured all this time until she had arrived. Since that was the case, she would make sure Rin lived a happy life.