— — — — — —
Renzo knew just talking things out wouldn't solve anything. So, he looked at the two of them and said, "Master! Ultear! I have a kind of magic that can guide you both into an illusionary world—where you'll be able to see each other's memories."
"That way, you'll get to feel what the other has really been through over the years—clear as day."
"And at the same time, you'll both see the truth of what happened back then."
"Only by doing this can we clear up the misunderstandings. Are you both willing to try it?"
He didn't know how to use Tsukuyomi like Itachi, but as a Uchiha, Uchiha Renzo had mastered a ton of illusion techniques—and even created a few of his own.
So with the Eternal Mangekyō and powerful mental energy, as long as Ur didn't resist, he was confident he could use something similar to Tsukuyomi.
"I'm in," Ur said without hesitation. She looked at the silent Ultear, gently reached out to stroke her head, and said with pain in her voice, "I want to know what really happened back then... Why did that damn magic institute lie to me? What did they do to my little girl...?"
As soon as she brought up the institute, a rare flicker of deep hatred passed through Ur's eyes.
She swore that once she uncovered the full truth, those bastards who played with her and her daughter's lives would pay a heavy price.
That was the vow of a mother. A mother strong enough to stand at the level of saints.
"And you, Ultear?"
Renzo turned toward her.
Ur also shifted her gaze to her daughter.
Ultear stayed quiet for a long moment... then slowly nodded. "I'll see this 'truth' you're talking about."
She clearly still didn't fully believe them.
But that didn't matter. Once the truth was revealed, she'd understand everything.
Renzo nodded, then said seriously, "Alright, look into my eyes. Don't resist."
The next second, he entered Sage Mode—and activated his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Ultear's eyes widened in shock—it was her first time seeing such a powerful dojutsu up close.
Even Ur was taken aback by the sight of those spinning tomoe. She'd never seen eyes like these before either.
"Illusion Technique: Memory Corridor!!!"
In the blink of an eye, a flash lit up in Renzo's eyes, and both Ur and Ultear were pulled into a surreal, dreamlike world of memories.
Inside that space, the three of them stood suspended in a void. Renzo turned to them and said, "Let's start with Ur's memories. Ultear, you okay with that?"
As he spoke, he glanced at her.
Ultear shook her head. "Go ahead."
Renzo nodded and waved his hand.
Instantly, the space around them shifted, and they were surrounded by images—scenes from long ago. Ur was holding a baby Ultear, pleading with the people at the Bureau of Magical Development for help.
Then... the memories began playing, one after another.
From desperately seeking treatment...To being told the devastating news by the institute—that Ultear hadn't made it, that her body couldn't withstand the magical backlash and she had died...
"That's not true... that's not how it happened...!"
Ultear murmured to herself as she watched, trembling slightly—but she forced herself to keep going.
The images continued.
Ur broke down, begged them for answers... but no one helped her.
She didn't even get to see her daughter's body.
After that, it was as if her soul had left her. She walked away like a broken shell of a person—heart shattered, spirit crushed.
For a long time, she was lost in grief.
Until the day Renzo showed up, asking to be her student.
With his help and companionship, she finally started to recover, little by little.
Seeing that, Ultear shot a sharp glare at Renzo—then quickly turned back to keep watching.
At this point, she could already tell... This was nothing like what she'd been told.
But she bit her tongue and kept quiet.
Later in the memories, Ur took in Lyon and Gray as students. Then came the battle with Deliora—where she nearly lost her life...
"This is completely different from what I was told," Ultear finally said out loud.
"Exactly," Renzo nodded. "It's clear now—the people at that magic institute lied to both of you. Memories don't lie. And if you still have doubts, we can find the ones who were there that day and forcefully read their memories one by one."
"What do you think, Ultear?"
As he said that, Renzo looked straight into her eyes.
"I... I..." Ultear faltered, unable to find the words.
In truth, she already believed everything she'd seen. She now understood—her mother never abandoned her.
It was all lies—crafted by the bastards at that magic institute who tore them apart.
Even worse, they subjected her to those horrific magical experiments over and over again.
Just thinking about it made Ultear's eyes burn with fury.
She gritted her teeth and hissed, "Those people... they all deserved to die. I already killed a bunch of them back then—what a shame I didn't get them all."
"Ugh… sob…"
Hearing that, Ur's eyes instantly turned red. Tears burst out as she threw her arms around Ultear, sobbing, "… what the hell did they do to you? I'm so sorry… It's all my fault!"
"If Master wants to see… then go ahead and watch!"
Renzo raised his hand again, and the scene shifted once more.
This time, everything was shown from Ultear's perspective.
But what played out was completely different from Ur's memories. It started with the people from the magic research institute deceiving a young Ultear, convincing her that her mother had abandoned her.
Then came the beginning of her tragic time as an experiment.
Ultear's desperate cries… her screams of pain…
Watching it all, Ur nearly snapped on the spot.
Even outside the illusion, her body was reacting. A surge of magic exploded from her, instantly freezing the entire living room. The ice kept spreading.
Dark clouds gathered in the sky above, pressing down with suffocating intensity.
Even the illusion world itself began to shake and distort.
"Master! Please calm down!"
Renzo quickly grabbed Ur's hand, trying to calm her down. At the same time, he activated Takamagahara Domain Projection, wrapping the living room in a divine barrier to stop the freezing from getting worse.
Crack!
The illusion shattered in an instant. Ur couldn't bear to watch anymore.
She collapsed, wrapping her arms tightly around Ultear, blood-tinged tears pouring from her eyes. Her expression twisted with rage, she roared like a demon, "That magic research institute, Bureau of Magical Development! Those fucking monsters…!"
"I'll make them pay in blood!"
At that moment, Ur was completely consumed by hatred for the people from that institute.
How could they have been so heartless? How could they torture her daughter like that?
And how could she have believed their lies?
She regretted it so much — not storming in to rescue Ultear, not tearing the whole place down if that's what it took to find her.
"Ultear! It's all my fault! I should never have believed them… I should've burned that place to the ground to bring you back! I… I… sob…"
Feeling her back getting soaked with her mother's tears, Ultear gently pushed her away, wanting to say something to comfort her.
But then she saw Ur's face — her eyes blood-red, and two dark streaks of blood tears running down her cheeks.
In that moment, all of Ultear's hatred, all her distrust toward Ur… started to collapse and fade away.
"Mom… it's not your fault! It's those bastards… it's all their fault! If it weren't for them…"
As she said that, Ultear's eyes welled up with tears too.
"Waaaahhh…"
And finally, she broke down. She cried out loud, her heart finally finding someone it could lean on — letting out all the pain and misery she'd kept buried for so long.
Ur cupped Ultear's face in her hands, pressed her forehead gently to hers, and sobbed with her.
Upstairs, two sneaky observers who'd been watching this whole time were now frozen, exchanging awkward glances.
It was clear — this was their first time ever seeing Ur cry.
And she was crying this hard.
"…Who the hell hurt Master this badly?"
Lyon and Gray couldn't help thinking the same thing.
At the same time, they silently swore — once they found out who was behind all this, those people would definitely regret it.
Of course, neither of them dared to make a sound. Renzo had already shot them a look earlier — a very clear warning.
And right now, Renzo's intimidation factor was no joke.
Eventually, Ur and Ultear's sobs finally quieted.
Ultear had cried herself to sleep.
Ur, on the other hand, was still wide awake.
Actually, she was more clear-headed now than she had been in years.
Her eyes glinted coldly. She was planning to lay Ultear down gently, then go ask Renzo for more details about everything they'd seen…
But even in her sleep, Ultear clung tightly to her and refused to let go.
As if sensing Ur's intent, she murmured in her sleep, "Mom… don't leave… don't leave me again…"
Hearing that, Ur almost lost control again.
What kind of pain had her daughter gone through for that to become an instinctual fear, even in sleep?
Everything she'd just witnessed in Ultear's memories flashed again in her mind, and her hatred for the people at that research facility grew even more monstrous.
.
.
.