Months flew by, and the hungrily awaited day finally arrived for the little one. It had felt like an eternity, but now he was finally placed on the ground, his tiny feet touching the floor as he took his first tentative steps. He was relieved to graduate from his pastel-blue blanket that had cradled him for six months. It wasn't that he disliked the blanket. It may have been a bit early for a baby to walk, but he couldn't contain his impatience anymore. He just had this feeling that he could do it. Asselin, as his caretaker, wasn't against the idea either. Watching the little one try and struggle to get out of the swaddling blanket he was wrapped in convinced her to accept this decision. She had seen her fair share of babies, and while most couldn't even crawl at this age, it didn't seem outrageous, especially for someone as experienced as her. She entertained the idea without much thought, until the little sunshine started taking those first tentative steps, bypassing the c
Sensing the shift in his demeanor, Asselin calmly asked, "Would you like to open your presents now?" Her composure mirrored her understanding of Yon's temperament, neither surprised nor disappointed by his reaction. It had long been an intriguing observation that Yon, since the day his mother passed, had been slightly off, but after meeting his siblings he was awfully silent and... lost. Even at the tender age of one, when most babies would throw tantrums out of nowhere, especially at night, seemingly to purposefully rob their families of a good night's sleep and peace... ...these miseries! "Eek!" The one-year-old toddler, with twinkling eyes and rosy cheeks, squealed in surprise. Clutching the parchment he had just swiped from the ground, he looked around, realizing he had been caught red-handed by his nana. The look on his face was priceless, as if he had been caught stealing candy. His sudden reaction seemed to have given him away as his caretaker approached him. "My,
Tapping inside his reservoir, he drew out his magical energy amd poured into the jewel-like black crystals. "..." The lids were indeed too tight! There was no sign of them loosening, even though he was pouring his Magical energy into the box. Once again, Yon found himself stuck. Nothing seems to happen despite his efforts. Frustration and confusion mounted as he paused to contemplate his situation, searching for any overlooked detail. Suddenly, inspiration struck like lightning, and he could hardly contain his excitement. Without hesitation, he put his new solution into action, confident that this time he would be successful. With his small hands trembling slightly, the mischievous little rascal gently touched the four matte black jewel-like crystals positioned at each cardinal direction, readying himself to inject them with magical energy once again. However, this time, there was a noticeable difference. He wasn't tapping into his own reservoir. Instead, he was drawing fro
'Don't judge a book by its cover, Nana. Just because you happened to guess right doesn't mean you have the full picture,' he admonished, a gentle chiding in his tone. 'I know you don't have the best impression of him, but to think that even you would be blinded by such petty judgements.' Taking a deep, steadying breath, he reached out to grasp the mysterious book. 'I'm not excited, just curious.' He insisted, though the light in his eyes told a different story. He held the book gingerly in his hands, examining its external appearance. On the surface, it seemed unremarkable - a plain yellow cover, devoid of any title or markings. 'Don't judge. The surface is but a surface. Besides... what an interesting choice of color. Let's take a look at it.' Shaking off the prickles of disappointment and unreasonable expectations, he carefully flipped open the cover, to catch a glimpse of what it might hold. Flip. Blank! The first page was completely empty, not a single word or illustratio
A young child with hair like spun silver and skin as flawless as porcelain lay peacefully slumbering on a plush bed, clad in an adorable baby blue romper adorned with shimmering silver patterns. Twitch-twitch. Twitch-twitch. Without warning, the little boy began to thrash and cry out. "Waaaaaaah!" Asselin was taken aback by the sudden outburst. Furrowing her brow, she swiftly scooped the child into her arms, gently rocking him back and forth. "Shhh, Little Ely, don't cry, don't cry. There, there. Nana's right here, Nana's here. Shhh, it's okay, it's okay." Gradually, the little boy's cries subsided. 'What the hell?!' Continuing to soothe him, Asselin murmured, "You worried me so much, little Ely. This is the first time you've cried this hard, and without any warning whatsoever. One moment, you were peacefully opening your gift, and now you start crying out of the blue?" She held the child at eye level, a scolding tone in her voice. "You're becoming quite the naughty one, lit
"... Wake up, sleepyhead." 'No, I don't want to! Uhm, I don't want to go to school...uhmmm...so cozy...I don't want to...' "I guess you're not feeling hungry, eh?" Sighing loudly she added, "And to think I cooked all those delicious meals. A pity... a real pity. I guess I have no choice but to give these away and bring you some porridge..." ?! The mention of the loathsome thing, immediately woke him up with a scowl. 'No! No porridge... anything but that! Huh?' Looking at his surroundings with droopy eyes, the little boy drifted back to sleep. 'Oh, it's just a nightmare... by the damned gods! For a moment, I thought...' "Ah. So you were awake, little El. I was just about to leave. I thought you wouldn't want my cooking anymore and would prefer the cook's good ol' porridge. Well it can't be helped, I'll let the cook know." Yon was confused... when did his Nana start playing dangerous games like this. 'Did I do something to upset her... No, no. I'm sure I was on my best behavio
"...Wake up, sleepyhead." 'No, I don't want to! Uhm, I don't want to go to school...uhmmm...it's so cozy...I don't want to...' "I suppose you're not feeling hungry, huh?" she sighed, adding, "And to think I cooked all those delicious meals. What a shame... What a real shame. I guess I have no choice but to give them away and make some porridge for you..." ?! 'No! Not porridge... anything but that! Huh?' Blink Blink Shut 'Oh, it was just a nightmare... By the damned gods! For a moment, I thought...' "Ah, so you're awake, little Ely. I was just about to leave. I thought you wouldn't want my cooking anymore and would prefer the cook's good old porridge." Snap! 'What! What nonsense! Wait, wait, wait. Ah! Damnation, I forgot I can't speak. Curse this baby tongue... At this rate, Mom will really leave and replace my outrageously delicious breakfast with that darn porridge. Not on my watch!' wait... mom?! "Alright, alright. Don't cry, don't cry. Mommy was just joking..." she wore
"Mother...?" I asked. "Yes, Mother," she affirmed. "You... you can't be my mother. My real mother passed away the day I was born," I spat out, my voice shaking with a mix of anger and wariness. To my anguish, the entity wearing my mother's form laughed. However sweet its laughter was, it didn't please me at all. I felt anger welling up inside me, directed both at the impostor before me and, in a bizarre twist, at myself. Exasperated, I demanded, "Enough! Tell me who you really are and where we are!" In response to my request, she offered a soft smile. "We were here, we were there, we were everywhere." I was left utterly bewildered by her mystifying words. "W-What are you playing at?" She looked at me with a gaze that mirrored the way my real mother used to look at me, as if I were the most precious thing in the world. With that same soft smile, she replied, "Why? I am not playing games. And please, one question at a time. As for the question of who I am, I believe I alread
"W-what now, damn it?!"A curse slipped past my bloody lips, the taste of desperation mingling with the metallic tang of blood as darkness swallowed the wisp's feeble glow. Scrambling quickly, I pulled myself further into the rubble.Whatever it was, it was giving me the creeps. All of my senses were on high alert, screaming at me that I was in imminent danger.My hands trembled as they fumbled and scraped against the jagged edges of debris as I desperately sought a more defensible position. ...But even then I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched, every single movement monitored. It was dreadful and suffocating. Unease gripped me tightly, its icy fingers constricting my chest, as I struggled to steady my ragged breaths. The tumultuous events had placed an immense strain on my body. Surprisingly, my mana core was holding up well, but even so, I had to rely on it to sustain my weary and battered form. As a result, I could feel my strength gradually diminishing, bit by
The approaching vermins seemed countless as they swarmed down the rubble towards Yon. But he still had strength even in his wounded form, and an immense amount of mana to fuel his spell. Rising, flames licked the ground, conjured by both hands in an all-consuming inferno.Points of ignition flared up around him in a circle. Creating the foundation, he connected these points, channeling his mana through them. The flames rose, forming a continuous ring of fire. He extended his arms, palms open, and began to twist his wrists, shaping the flames into a spiraling vortex.The air around him heated up rapidly as the vortex gained momentum, the flames licking higher into the sky.The searing vortex encircled his body, growing ever more intense. The front-runners of the vermin tide met the vortex head-on their tiny bodies igniting like kindling. Screams rent the air as they were immolated where they climbed, the flames tearing through their ranks.Yon concentrated harder, weaving the vortex
I tumbled through the darkness, panic rising in my throat as rubble rained down. Each passing moment felt like an eternity, as if time itself had slowed down in sync with my racing thoughts.The air was thick with dust, invading my nostrils and choking my breath. My vision was obscured, reduced to mere glimpses of fragmented shapes. The sensation of weightlessness and lack of solid ground messed with my senses, disorienting chaos all around me, utterly helpless and vulnerable.A sickening eternity passed before my fall abruptly halted with a bone-jarring crunch. Pain shot through my limbs. I laid there, stunned, the impact searing into my consciousness.Darkness unlike anything I had ever experienced engulfed me. It was a darkness that went beyond the absence of light, it was a consuming void that seemed to swallow everything, even the concept of darkness itself. It was disorienting and disconcerting, as if the very essence of my surroundings had been erased.In that blackness, my s
Darkness cloaked the tunnel as I ran blindly, breath sawing in my lungs. Behind, snarls echoed my panic, drawing ever nearer in the murky depths. Conjuring a small wisp of light, no bigger than a firefly, I concentrated on willing it to glow brighter. I drew deep on reservoir far vaster than my small form implied, pouring more mana into the wisp until it swelled into a puffball hovering above my hand.Though they outnumbered me, I had no shortage of mana to confront the swarm, it was just that they seemed to be everywhere. "Take this!"Light blazed like the midday sun behind, momentarily blinding the swarm snarling at my heels. In that flash I wove bindings of simple darkness spell, ensnaring a few of them long enough to resume my flight.Once again, I drew deeply from my reserves, conjuring more glowing puffballs that exploded in blinding flashes.The tunnel blazed briefly, momentarily blinding pursuers enough for me to sprint ahead, dodging jagged rock formations.'Ugh, this terra
Looking back, I saw a creature with a thin, elongated body. Its proportions seemed somewhat off, with an elongated form that appeared disproportionate. A lengthy, thick tail snaked behind it, coiling and uncoiling sinuously. It was slightly smaller than a coyote, but its body was unusually thin and elongated. I felt a twinge of unease, but compared to those dreaded creatures, what harm could this little one do?"Shoo! Get outta here! Shoo!" I shouted, attempting to scare it away.The small creature tilted its head from side to side, wearing a curious expression as if assessing me.I picked up a small rock from the ground, preparing to shoo it once more, but then it lowered its head. I found its appearance and actions oddly endearing."Ah... By any chance, are you lost or something? I don't have any food on me, but... um... you can stay here. We can share this place," I stumbled over my words, feeling a bit flustered initially. However, as I calmed down, I slowly pushed myself up fro
The beast was no simple animal - its biology and resilience were far beyond the normal limits.Yon's heart raced, fear and worry turning to a desperate need to survive. The exhaustion of his reckless gamble was setting in. There was only one way out of this - he had to kill.The realization hit him hard, his breath catching in his throat."Guh!"He'd taken many lives before, but not like this. "Huff... huff... huff..."Faced with the unstoppable forces of nature bearing down on him, his survival instinct took over. Kill or be killed. His fears, worry and exhaustion were turning into desperation. The desperate will to kill.His breaths came in short, frantic gasps."Hah... hah... hah..."The only way he'd escape this alive was to kill. There was no other choice.Slowly, agonizingly, Yon felt the bear's frenzied struggles beginning to weaken as his mana disrupted its raging vital functions bit by bit. But the relentless avalanche was taking its toll - even his enhanced lungs burned an
Running with every screaming fiber of his, he manuevered between the towering trees, taunting the bear towards the spot where it had smashed its massive paws into the snowy earth. The ground was now pockmarked with deep furrows, and from these churned-up gouges, massive icicles still jutted upwards – jagged, frozen spears."Come here you nasty ball of furs! You are nothing but a dirtbag!"The giant bear appeared to register Yon's shout, as it barreled forward, disregarding the injured tiger it had deemed too difficult to catch.The little critter, on the other hand, wasn't fast, but it didn't look too appetizing either. It just wanted to shut up that annoying buzzing and go for the real meal.As the bear reared up, slamming its massive paws down onto the icy ground, the impact shattered the icicles, sending razor-sharp shards flying every which way.The tiger, already on the giant bear's tail, sensed its chance and swiped at the beast, letting out a fierce growl to distract it. 'Did
Yon gripped the sturdy tree trunk with white-knuckled intensity as the imposing bear reared up on its hind legs, smashing its massive paws down with earth-shaking force. "Argh!" He cried out, his heart pounding in his chest.This was the ruler of the snowy mountains, a creature possessing brute strength beyond all reason. Its sheer presence was utterly dreadful, and it was now fixated on a prey that would likely only smear one of its razor-sharp claws with blood.As the bear drew back, preparing to charge, Yon locked eyes once more with the tiger that had led him to this perilous confrontation. The big cat's gaze was unwavering, as if daring him to make a move.Then, without any warning, the tiger suddenly bolted, drawing the bear's wrathful charge. But at the last possible moment, the feline veered aside with its terrifying reflexes.Snarling in frustrated rage, the Great bear, unable to halt its momentum, careened headlong towards the very tree that Yon clung to for dear life."No
With no respite for its prey, the mountain's ruler slashed at them with its fearsome claws.Yon rolled to the side, narrowly evading the powerful swipe, his smaller size proving advantageous for survival.The young tiger, however, did not fare as well. It was grazed by the bear's formidable claws, drawing fresh blood. Though the wound was shallow, in such dire circumstances, even small injuries could mean the difference between life and death. A trickle of blood began to flow from the tiger's side. The scent of fresh blood reached the hungry nostrils of the mountain ruler, igniting its instinct to demand more. Drool and foam dripped from its muzzle as its massive body begged to be satiated. The sight of its prey bleeding only fueled the beast's insatiable hunger, craving for more... more blood, more meat.The young tiger let out a pained snarl as its injury slowed its movements. It knew one wrong step now could mean becoming the ruthless bear's next meal. Yon, a lean but wiry hum