Injured

After a burst of light engulfed us all, I saw beams of light materialize behind Leo.

"Behold the power of Odin," exclaimed Leo.

Due to his lack of mana, he spat blood.

"Tsk, seems like I need more mana," he muttered, grabbing the hands of the two twins.

The amulet glowed again, and more swords of light appeared.

"Now you're screwed," Leo said with anticipation.

A total of 12 swords were heading towards us.

Most of them dissolved in the air, leaving only a couple.

The swords were swinging vertically, aiming for deadly cuts.

My friends and I couldn't do anything, and the swords caused several cuts on us.

Just as I realized Anna was about to receive a deep cut from the largest sword, I threw myself towards her to prevent her from getting a severe injury.

Just as I pushed her away, I saw the sword heading towards me. "Shit," I thought before losing consciousness.

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An enormous explosion occurred on the outskirts of the town, catching the attention of the patrolling authorities

As the officers approached the scene, they found six children lying on the ground.

Three of them were unconscious, while the other three had multiple cuts all over their bodies.

"Looks like these kids got into a brawl," exclaimed one police officer.

Another officer approached Leo and picked up a medallion that was lying on the ground.

"This child apparently used an enchanted object to harm the other children. We need to take them to a healer to treat the wounds inflicted by the mana," said the other officer.

As they gathered the children, one officer noticed a particular boy with black hair who was in the worst condition.

"Damn, it's the chief's son. We need to get him to safety quickly."

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I woke up startled on a stretcher in what appeared to be a hospital.

"What was that?" I thought to myself.

"Child, you should rest. You received a direct mana attack and lost a lot of blood"

I turned and found Merida, the only healer in the town, and the elderly woman who was present when I was born. I tried to move, but felt a sharp pain in my side.

"It's a miracle that you're still alive, kid" the old woman said indifferently.

"Where are my friends?" I asked her.

"Since they only had superficial wounds, they went home. They wanted to stay with you, but you need to rest."

Just then, my parents, Silvia and Joseph, entered through the door.

My parents hugged me, tears streaming down their faces.

"I'm so sorry, Liam. I couldn't do anything," my mother sobbed.

"Calm down, Mom. I'm still alive," I said.

My parents looked at me, and my father, with a trembling hand, handed me a mirror.

As I looked at my face, I was horrified.

I had a long scar running from my eye to my nose.

"You're very lucky, kid. You could have lost the sight in that eye. The mana penetrated deeply into your face, and there was nothing I could do," exclaimed Merida.

Seeing my once-beautiful face, a deep rage flooded over me.

"I'm going to kill that bastard, I'm going to tear Leo apart," I whispered.

"It's not worth it, son. I've already called the authorities in Lotus and initiated a thorough investigation to incarcerate Leo and the priest for illegal possession of enchanted objects. I won't rest until I see those bastards behind bars," my father said resentfully.

"Let's go home, son," said my mother, embracing me.

As I left the hospital, I found my friends waiting on a bench.

Just as they were about to approach me, they froze in their tracks. Peter stared at me in shock, while Anna covered her mouth.

I suppose they noticed the somber expression on my face because they took a step back.

Upon reaching my room, I lay down on my bed and began to cry.

"Why do these things always have to happen to me?

" "What?! You mean there's nothing that can be done?!" I heard my father shouting.

"You're saying that since my son started the conflict, they can't penalize the child?! And the priest, being part of the Church, has permission to carry enchanted objects?! Damn useless people in Lotus, look at what they've done to my son, leaving him with a permanent scar, and all they can do is impose a fine!" I heard my father curse.

After learning this information and realizing that the culprits behind "this" wouldn't face any consequences, I spiraled into a self-pitying state for about an hour.

"No, there's no use in wallowing. It's just a scar, so what? The world goes on. If I can't get justice now, I'll achieve it myself when I'm strong enough," I vowed to myself.

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"Paf!" "You damn idiot!" exclaimed a man.

"I'm sorry, father, I... I didn't mean to do it," exclaimed a chubby boy.

This was Leo, and his father, César, the parish priest.

"Ignorant child, do you know how this can affect me? If it weren't for my connections up above, I could be behind bars."

Leo trembled and remained silent.

"Well, Leo, since you screwed up, you'll need an appropriate punishment."

The priest pulled out a whip and ordered.

"Take off your shirt and turn around."

Leo, fear in his eyes, obeyed and removed his shirt.

"This is for humiliating you."

"Paf!" resounded in the room.

"This is for tarnishing my honor.

"Paf!" Another strike echoed.

"And this... this is for not killing that demon when you had the chance."

"Paf!" It struck harder.

"Get out," the father told his dying son.

The priest sighed and directed his gaze towards a statue.

The statue depicted an old man with a kind of scepter and a crow perched on his right shoulder.

What stood out the most about the statue were the two large protruding horns on its head.

The priest took a vial from his pocket containing a yellowish liquid that resembled pus.

He proceeded to anoint the statue with it, and a golden aura began to emanate from the insidious sculpture.

"Oh, Lord Odin, if you have any commands for me, please speak," the priest pleaded.

Suddenly, meaningless scribbles began to appear at the feet of the statue on the floor.

"It seems that he won't contact me today either," I thought.