Seth venturing deep into the forest's heart, heard the noise in the distance, he knew who the cry belonged to. So he didn't waste time, and ran toward the noise. When arrived he saw the frog based beast, already charged toward Olivia, he didn't hesitate to go forward.
With all his might, he charged at the beast, holding his sword firmly, when near enough he jumped and with one clean struck the skull which ended the fight.
" This wasn't what I expected!" Seth muttered to himself, watching the beast's giant body collapsing onto the ground.
He never knew he could take down a real beast with a single strike. He had ideas though – perhaps it was due to his relentless training. Still, he had assumed the beast might be weak.
" Seth!" Olivia cried, interrupting Seth's thoughts. Turning around Seth found the one he was looking for the whole time.
"' Olivia, are you okay?' he asked, stepping next to her and examining her from head to toe.
"Yeah, I'm fine. These are shallow wounds, but Jace!' she explained, and as if on cue, Jace jolted up. Seeing the one he never expected to see confused him, even more so than the fallen beast.
"How did you know we were here?" Jace asked, finally on his feet. "' I didn't know, I was just lucky,' Seth said, looking at Jace. He then noticed a small hole below his chest.
Jace, the moment he stepped forward, realized his strength was drained. His legs wobbled even after just one or two steps. They gave up before he could stumble to the ground, Seth rushed to his side, lifting him off the ground.
" Come on, Olivia. We gotta go, right now." Seth said, turning toward the way he came from.
"Wait, what about Luke?" sha said, pointing toward the body that was no longer getting up.
"'He's dead; we can't do anything about him. Besides, I can carry one person at a time," Seth said, his expression careless. " Now, Olivia, we should go now or the scent of blood will attract more beasts." He warned, snapping Olivia from her daze.
Olivia complied, even though she was hesitant to move. She knew that if they didn't get out of the forest soon, there was a possibility they wouldn't all make it back alive.
A crowd of people was gathered at the gate of the village, all looking at the distance where the forest began.
" Remember that cursed boy from the Orin family?' a woman whispered, nudging her neighbour. " I saw him heading straight into the forest earlier."
" He's the one, they say has something to do with the missing children, isn't he?' the other villagers replied, her voice a low tremor of fear.
" I won't be surprised; after all, that cursed boy can do anything." Another villager chimed in. All the chatter had turned to a single person, to the extent that some forgot the real reason for their primary concern.
" Look, there are two individuals coming," a man pointed toward the forest.
"Oh thank God!"
"Wait, it doesn't look like them," another interupted.
After running for a solid twenty minutes, the trio finally arrived near the gate. Seth let go of the limped body he had carried for a long time, and then collapsed himself.
"Arghh," he cried out. The distance was a great one, and he hadn't noticed it but running it had completely drained him, burning through all the adrenaline in his body.
The villagers rushed toward the trio. Olivia's mother seeing her two children alright, had her eyes fill with tears. She rushed her, hugging her tightly. Then her eyes fell on his dear boy, who was becoming conscious, her eyes fixed on the wound.
" Jace is injured! Quickly call a physician," she cried in urgency.
"Wait, where is Luke? A woman asked, she expected to see her son instead of Seth, but all she could see were her fellow neighbour's kids, and the Orin's cursed child.
She knew her son was often with Jace, so upon seeing only Jace and Olivia, her heart sank. She fell on the ground, gasping for air, the burden of her son overwhelming. She lifted her head, her gaze falling on someone who had yet to recover. She rushed toward him, desperately.
" You ! Please... tell me where my child is!' she sobbed, the words choked with desperate fury. Her cry was not just loud, it was heart-wrenching sound, echoing through the distance.
Her face streaked with tears and contorted in rage, was a mask of grief. The woman, with a thick stick in her trembling hands, began to beat Seth's limp body. Each strike wasn't an act of violence but a desperate, sorrow-fueled demand for her son's location.
"No, don't harm him!" Olivia tried to protest but her voice was a mere whisper.
She was too drained from running so far, and the sound barely reached her own ears.
Other villagers joined her, bringing their own sticks. They beat Seth, until he couldn't even open his mouth properly. His body full of wounds, crimson liquid oozed from his skin.
" So this is how I will die once more," he thought. At that moment, his life flashed before his eyes. With his eyes partially open, he looked at the woman killing him." You bitch. I will kill you."
Seth was now certain that his life would end here and now. But then he heard footsteps aproaching. Standing in front of him was the back of a familiar person.
"What are you doing, boy? Move aside! Can't you see he killed Luke.' one shouted, angry at interuption.
Jace raised his wooden sword, his grip firm.
"No, he did nothing wrong. He saved us, if not for him, we would be dead where we lay!" His voice usually small, now rang out with fierce conviction. He pointed the tip of his blade toward the furious villagers. " If you try to harm him, then I will fight you myself, just as he fought for us." A newfound certainty settled within Jace. Before he believed the nonsense tail of the villagers about him, but after what he saw, his whole perspective about Seth changed. This boy wasn't a curse, he was their savior. Jace was alive because of him, and in that moment, he knew it was not just right, but his sacred duty to protect him in return.
"He's right," Olivia said, moving toward Jace, and facing the villagers. Her face was crimson, not just from anger at their treatment of Seth, but from foolishness of their actions.They didn't even bothered to ask what had happened. They had simply seized the opportunity to get rid of him without a moment's hesitation.
"Seth, saved us. Back in the forest, we came across a higher tier beast- the one that killed Luke, not him." Her knuckles clenched as she spoke, her breathing heavy with protest.
Just then, a woman stepped forward, her arms wide open, standing in front of the villagers to defend her children.
" I don't know whether the boy is cursed or not, but I do know he saved my children's lives. I owe him for that, at least this much." Her expression was solid and determined, causing the villagers to hesitate.
Luke's mothers was defeated once more. Lost and umsure of what to do, where to go or who to ask, she listened to Jace. The way he spoke about her son, as if there was no coming back for him, only deepened her despair.
The other villagers, however, still believed Seth was responsible for Luke not ruturning. But without a clear reason to press the matter further, they fell silent.
Thank you, mom." Jace said slowly. The wound was wearing him down, his legs shaking constantly.Despite his weakened state, he didn't go to his mother's embrace. Instead he turned to the figure still on the ground.
Looking at Seth's state, he couldn't help but curse himself. This man was in this state because of his foolish idea, venturing into the forest, hunting beasts. He felt guilty for whatever he did in the past, all his wrongdoings were now flashing before his eyes, as if tormenting him for what he did.
He knelt beside him, locking eyes with his partially open eyes. "Seth," he said softly." Thank you, thank you for everything, and...sorry for what i did back then." Jace at this moment overwhelmed by emotions, his tears flowed down his face, dropping on Seth's body.
Seth, however didn't know what to say, or maybe he simply lacked the strength. His confusion was etched plainly on his face.
" Why is he... tearing up for me?" he wondered.
" Didn't he want me to stay away from them, he called me cursed, so why defend me? Why protect me from those monsters?"
Having lived a long life as a dragon, Seth had only had seen such a geniune regret in his own kind. To see it now in a human, shedding tears for his state, was deeply confusing-more than he had ever anticipated.
Villagers long gone,abandoning even Jace and his family. At this point, Jace's mother was certain she had made the right choice. She now saw the other side of the people her family had lived for alongside for a ligetime.
"Those monsters. They truly are monsters."she said, looking helplessly as their backs disappeared into their houses.
Just then, a tall woman, her hairs long pitch black, was seen running toward them. Jace and Olivia looking at this individual knew instantly who was coming. They didn't know whether to be afraid of what might happen after she discovered what the villagers were attempting to do with her son, or happy because they had now a person to rely on.
Flora strolling the market, purchasing some groceries, unintentionally heard the commotion about a boy being punished by the villagers, the moment she heard the story, the description of what the ladies in the market were telling about the boy, matched perfectly with the description of her son. Upon hearing, her heart sank, without thinking twice, she ran toward the the village exit.
As she approached, she preyed it wasn't her son–but her worst fears came true. Her son lay on the ground, blood oozing from his skin, and covering a wide range of his body. His face utterly different from what she recalled from the morning.
"Seth!"she shouted, as she knelt beside him. Jace didn't know what to say, how to calm down Seth's mother. Olivia and her mother ashamed of what happened to Seth and unable to prevent it, lowered their heads, not wanting to lock eyes.
Flora said little after examining his physique. Her eyes glinted with determination.
" Can you give me some space," she asked gently, turning to Jace who still knelt beside Seth.
Of course! he thought, a crucial detail dawning on him. Seth's mother was
a mage-not just any mage, but one with an affinity for light magic, a magic known for its healing properties.
Hopeful now, he moved aside, watching Seth's mother focus.
Flora closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating on her magic. When she opened them, a faint, pristine white glow emanated from her palms. She placed her hands on Seth's body, and they watched as the wounds began to dissapear, gradually closing until no injuries remained.
Seth noticed the white glow and the better feeling that was taking over him. He thought he might be dead, but when he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see his mother kneeling before him, her eyes filled with tears.
"Mother!" he said softly, standing on his feet.
Flora hugged him so tightly he couldn't breath. He gently tapped her hand, a subtle signal to let him go.
" I didn't know you were a light mage!' he said surprised.
" That's because there wasn't a situation for it to come up." She answered, her tone filled with joy.
Seth knew light magic was rare. He knew dragons who had healing magic, and even among them such a gift was uncommon.
To see a human with it was shocking enough, but to discover his own mother possessed it was staggering. He felt foolish now, for never asking what her magical affinity was.
At that moment, Sena, Jace's mother knelt before Flora. Her eyes were watery, her face a mess of emotion. She held her hands together looking directly into Flora's eyes.
"Please.. Flora. Please save my child too,"she begged, her voice thick with desperation.
Now looking at her sorrounding, Flora saw the state of Jace. Even though his wound wasn't deep.For an almost ten years old boy, it was enough to gradually weaken him and lead to death eventually. Sena seeing how helpful Flora's magic was, she didn't care about her pride anymore, she just wanted for her son to be better.
Flora took her hands, helping her up from the ground. " You don't have to plead. We are mothers and I know your feeling,' Flora said with a smile. She then went to Jace, kneeling beside him. It wasn't long before Jace's wound closed up, leaving him as new as he was.
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