The sun filtered through the pale cyan leaves of a white-barked tree, the golden light warming the short grass where David stood.

  The large plant was a saving grace for him, as the coiling ivy never inched close to it. And today he wasn’t in the mood to weave around it and waste time.

  After all, today was the day when almost a month of his extreme training bore first fruit. At the cost of regularly being covered in bruises, he was getting the hang of moving mana around his body during movement. His breath was steady, his mind sharp, the words of Aura’s teachings echoing in his head.

  He pushed at the mystical force, inducing it to move, a steady hum that made his muscles twitch with unnatural strength. He placed his hands on the rough bark of a thin, low hanging branch of the Goel tree, as it was called. The harsh texture bit into his skin but provided excellent grip.

  He tensed, pulling himself up. His fragile arms trembled under the strain, and his muscles screamed at him to stop.

  Slowly, he brought his chest up to the branch, but he didn’t stop. As the mana moved and freed up space, he kept siphoning more, going into controlled overload. He stabilized his elbows outwards, clenched his teeth and pushed himself over the branch until his pelvis touched it.

  One.

  He slowly lowered himself down.

  The mana and the pain coursed through his body in unison, but after just a second, he pulled himself back up.

  Two.

  It hurt like his muscles were going to tear.

  Up again, and… Three.

  He lowered himself and hung for a moment, stabilizing the flow before finding an outlet for it.

  Celebrating before finishing that process was a mistake he wouldn’t make twice.

  Three full, mana augmented muscle-ups… And his arms didn’t even explode like all the previous attempts - the amount of accumulated effort that led to this moment filled him with pride.

  It hurt incredibly bad, but he was used to it. Mana was clearly a sadistic force... Or at the very least it disagreed with his methods.

  He was too focused to notice a group of curious children approaching his location. A girl with pink hair, whose name he kept forgetting, walked up right next to him. “Marco! What’re you doing?” Her tiny voice called from below.

  David’s control was heavily strained, balancing on the edge of overload. One mistake, and it could get –

  Small hands latched onto his calves, shaking him as a girl giggled. “Are you playing goblin?”

  The unexpected contact sent a wild surge through his body.

  A loud snap split the air as a weak shockwave burst outward, throwing the girl backward onto her butt and into the grass.

  David crashed to the ground - Pain shot through his arms and legs like fire, and he screamed, clutching at his trembling limbs.

  The girl hit the ground with a startled yelp, dazed and wide-eyed. “Ow!” Her breath was hitching. “What was that?”

  David’s mind was eclipsed by blinding pain and as he rolled around, he screamed at her “Why did you grab me!? You ruined it!”

  The girl’s lower lip trembled, and the other children, who had been watching from the edge of the clearing, started to cry. “You’re weird!” one of them yelled before they all turned and ran back toward the village, their wails fading into the distance.

  David lay on the ground; his body numb and unresponsive.

  The buzzing hum of mana faded, leaving only an ache in its place.

  He stared up at the giant planet peeking through the canopy, his chest rising and falling with shallow, ragged breaths.

  A single tear flowed from his eye.

  He didn’t care about the kids and whatever they thought about him.

  He never did. Not now, not back in that place. His chest hurt the most, with the way it tightened. He curled his fingers, but they barely twitched.

  Eventually, the numbness receded. It always did.

  David picked himself up and shook his head. He had to be more careful.

  The pained muscles would heal, the bruises would fade… But with Marie gone, who would calm his soul?

  In silence, he made his way back home, his triumphs forgotten, if only briefly.

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  When David pushed open the door, he found Aura and Bert waiting for him. Aura’s arms were crossed, her face a mix of worry and anger. Bert stood behind her, his hands resting on the back of a chair, his jaw tight.

  “Marco,” Aura began, her tone sharp, “Sally came to us, said you’ve attacked her.”

  David’s eyes darted between them. “I… no, I didn’t…” he stammered, his voice wavering.

  Aura was disappointed, more than angry. “Were you using Mana alone?”

  “N-no…” He sniffled, trying to look pitiful, hoping to placate her.

  “Don’t lie to me!” she snapped, stepping closer. “You promised me you wouldn’t do anything without me watching.” He had crossed a line and, more importantly, got caught doing it.

  David’s shoulders sagged, and his tears returned, genuine this time. “I just wanted to practice a little,” he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. “Just a bit.”

  Aura’s face softened slightly, but her words remained sharp “What would you do if someone got hurt!?” David could only stare at his feet, the pain still coursing through his muscles. Was it really that reckless?

  The awkward silence lingered until Bert interjected. “He’s a child, Aura. You can’t expect responsibility from him.” His stern eyes turned to her. “But you… weren’t supposed to train him at all. This is on you.”

  Aura’s fingers tightened around her sides, her knuckles white.

  David flinched at Bert’s words, the weight of guilt crushing him.

  “How careless can you get?” Bert continued, his tone shifting to bitter disappointment.

  Before Aura could respond, David jumped in front of her, screaming back at Bert “It’s not Mom’s fault! I asked her to!” His voice cracked, but he stood his ground, tears streaming down his cheeks. It wouldn’t do for Aura to get the heat for his ambitions.

  Both adults turned to him, eyes wide. Bert’s face darkened, but Aura regained some of her vigor. She shot Bert a look, her voice sharp. “You never trust me, Bert!” She took a slow breath. “Marco is talented, I can’t waste that. We will be spending some time under knight’s protection, so I can devote myself to keeping him safe.”

  David found himself nodding along to her, but Bert’s eyes just stared blankly ahead, his hands clenching into fists. “Oh, the knights will protect us.” he spat and looked into her eyes. “You’re not a lady anymore, Aura – just a peasant like the rest of us.”

  Aura, confused, opened her mouth to retort, but Bert didn’t give her the chance. "I am not watching them take away anyone ever again.“

  Aura's face went claret with shame.

  There was so much history between the two of them; David could infer nothing concrete. But could he steer the conversation?

  He hunched his shoulders, stared into the ground as if wrestling with himself. “If it’s not safe anymore… why not leave?” He whispered.

  Before David’s words fully left his mouth, Bert already shot back. “And go where!?”

  He had no answer to that.

  After a moment, David felt his head being caressed. He turned to look at Aura. Her eyes weren’t on him, and she seemed… apologetic? “My family might still be looking for me, Marco. Leaving would be only a last resort.”

  “Exactly.” Bert added. “You keep forgetting, that this village saved us. Why don’t you put in more effort to repay that? Are you so above us?”

  “Is that what you really think!?” For the first time, Aura was getting seriously angry. “I toil all day trying to bring something of note to this village!”

  Bert’s face was adopting the color of boraks. “For goddess’s sake, Aura! Grainwick needs medicine today, not promises of a brighter future in ten years!” He screamed.

  That struck a dangerous note. Aura’s tone was completely defiant now. “And I am supposed to just slave my life away? Then why did I leave home in the first place?”

  “That’s how people survive! How can you be so sheltered!?” Bert shot back.

  “That’s not the only way! You’re so scared of anything beyond your anvil that you wouldn’t recognize opportunity if it slapped you in the face!”

  Bert’s anger boiled over. His face turned white, his voice trembling with raw frustration. “Opportunity?” he barked. “Yeah, because killing yourself with misplaced confidence is the greatest opportunity!”

  Bert exhaled sharply, his grip loosening on the chair. His next words came quieter “Do as you will,”

  A silence stretched between them.

  Aura’s mouth opened, then closed.

  Something broke within Bert. “Teach him all you want. Continue your rituals with reckless abandon."

  He walked away without looking back.

  He yanked the door open, his voice echoing as he left. "Don’t come crying to me when one of you dies.”

  The door slammed shut behind him.

  The house fell into silence, save for the sound of David’s muffled sniffles. Genuine, for once. Aura sank into a chair, her head in her hands, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed.

  David hesitated, then stepped forward, his small hand tugging at her sleeve.

  “I’m sorry, Mommy” he said, his voice trembling. “I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”

  Aura pulled him close, her fingers trembling against his head. “It's not your fault, Marco” she murmured. “I just…” Her breath hitched and she shook her head, unable to finish.

  David clung to her, guilt weighing heavily on his small shoulders.

  He could feel the suppressed sobs echoing through her chest.

  She was trying so, so hard to hide her pain… for him. But I caused all this.

  Enveloped in her tight embrace, he mulled over the contents of the conversation again and again but could understand only one thing of note. He had no clue how to approach familial relations.

  Had Aura been a strict, perfectionist woman, it would have been easier.

  Had Bert been a jaded, uncaring man, it would have been simpler.

  Had he been a normal child, none of this would have happened.

  But it did happen. And they had to live with it.

  David pulled away from Aura. Slightly.

  The whole situation drained them both. They soon settled in for the night.

  Bert didn’t come back until a day later, smelling of strong spirits. No one commented on that.

  Life continued - Aura prepared food and potions, David helped with chores and Bert spent most of his time in the smithy - The household found its rhythm again, but the tension remained.

  Of course, lessons with Aura didn’t stop. David kept learning to decipher the ancient language and manipulate mana. His secret training sessions, while much more carefully hidden, continued too.

  Both Aura and Bert had their own agendas, their own visions on how to best live, and the rifts between them deepened.

  Would any of it matter? David didn’t know. But with the monsters coming? He knew he was on the right path. The only path.

  you think was right?

  Should they have focused on the immediate needs of survival?

  Or is reaching for something greater the only way to truly win?