Nether Doom

Coste yawns and rubs his belly under his shirt as he walks down the spiral staircase on their home; he had just awoken and couldn't find a trace of his beloved wife or Sebastian which wasn't rare since the boy often woke up early to "train".

He frowned and mumbled, "What should I make? Pancakes?" before heading downstairs, where he heard movement coming from the kitchen.

He peered through the kitchen doorway, curious, only to see his beloved wife already making breakfast and Sebastian sitting on a chair, his head resting on top of the dinner table, panting heavily like he just run a marathon.

"What happened to Az Az?" Coste inquired, walking towards Sebastian and poking his head. "We went to the market earlier, then when we were about to leave, he told me he could carry the groceries for me and he won't take no for an answer," Silvia explained without taking her gaze away from the stove while stirring whatever she was frying.

Coste simply began laughing lightly tapping his son's back, "That's hilarious! Wish I could have seen that, but don't push yourself, you're sick after all," he informed, earning a groan from his son, who leaned back against the chair still panting heavily.

"I w-wouldn't let a.. any woman carry heavy stuff for me even if I'm sick," Sebastian stated between breaths, prompting Coste to look at him before laughing and slamming his hands on the table. "That's my son! But don't keep looking down on your mother, she used to throw me with ease," Coste smirked, eliciting a chuckle from Silvia.

"By the way, Papa. Mikko mentioned that I have "Nether Doom" earlier, may I ask what that is?" Sebastian inquired, thinking that now was the appropriate time to ask because he couldn't read books to learn about it.

"How do I explain this? Ah, you remember how every creature in this world has a core called "Nether"? Its position varies by race, but for us humans, our Nether is near our side," Coste explained, while pointing to his own side.

"Nether determines almost everything about someone like their mana, magic type, physical strength and so on; if your Nether energy reaches around 100, you are able to perform the most basic magic; teleportation, but most humans only have around 50, and if they are lucky, they can go up to 80," Coste continues as he takes a large bite of bread from the basket nearby.

"And the reason for your weak body is because of a rare disease called "Nether Doom," a disease in which your Nether have been shattered into thousand of pieces, rendering it completely useless," Coste concluded.

"Huh," Sebastian muttered, surprised by himself for not realizing that "Nether Doom" was such a serious illness, I mean it has a "Doom" on its name , but everything are finally connected, and it explains why he felt tired whenever he did something and why his side always tingling, it was due to his Nether's weakened state.

"So I really need to work on my endurance and strength," Sebastian sighed, his gaze falling to the ground as he considered the future. He could hear Coste clearing his throat, drawing his attention, and when his gaze met his, Coste simply show a reassuring smile.

"You could try, but you'll fail anyway- ouch," Coste yelped as Silvia smacked him across the head while placing the food on the table. "Can't you phrase that more nicely?" Silvia stated angrily as she glared at her husband, who gulped and nervously scratched his neck while smiling.

She then turned to smile at Sebastian, who was sitting beside them, and gently grabbed his face. "You've always been a hard worker ever since you were younger, Sebastian. And I'm glad to grew up to be a nice child" Silvia complimented.

"But what your Father is trying to say is that, because our Nether dictates most of our strength, you'll keep getting hurt if you try to train endlessly and the results aren't even guaranteed" Silvia explained as she cupped Sebastian's cheek.

"Don't worry, I'm not telling you to stop as your parents we're also willing to help you, just don't forget to take care of yourself as well," she added reassuringly before kissing both Sebastian's cheeks.

"Can I get a kiss too-" Coste began, only to be cut off.

"No," Silvia simply replied, causing Coste to look down in defeat. Sebastian, on the other hand, remained silent, staring blankly at the table, as if there was a heavy weight placed above his heads that he didn't know how to lift.

However, it appears that the most obvious answer suddenly appears to Sebastian, the only thing he always relies on whenever he needs to know something, and it is most likely not Google, but books! Becoming strong doesn't only mean physically after all.

He knew he couldn't read, but he already had someone in mind who could assist him, someone who could teach him the fundamentals of reading. Sebastian had a big grin on his face, which confused Coste.

"Darling, I think your kiss broke Sebastian...I want to be broken by your kiss-"

"No," Silvia simply replied, making Coste frown. Sebastian stood up in his seat, taking his breakfast and looking up at Silvia. "Mama, I'll eat my breakfast in my room," Sebastian informed, making Silvia raise her eyebrows but nevertheless she nod in agreement.

"But make sure you eat your salad as well," Silvia says as she hands Sebastian a bowl full of various vegetables, which he gladly accepts with a smile and begins walking away.

"..That's odd, he hates salad," Silvia muttered as Coste finished his bread. 

"Perhaps because of the kiss-"

"No"

ーーーー

Sebastian placed the plate on the table next to his bed and walked toward his closet, opening it and tossing out all of his dark long sleeves on the floor. "The sleeves will get in the way of my training," Sebastian muttered as he took a bite of his breakfast.

He then took out the sewing kit he had brought earlier from the marketplace  before pulling up his sleeves. "Let's get sewing!" Sebastian exclaimed as he began cutting off all of his clothes' sleeves.

He expresses gratitude to himself in the past for taking a sewing lesson out of pure boredom..

ーーーー

It was already evening and Sebastian hadn't returned from his room; Silvia was sitting alone in the living room after Coste had been summoned because he was one of the hunters in their small town.

She then decided that having a vegetable soup as a side for dinner would help with Sebastian's 'training,' so she stood up on her seat and went out into their backyard to pick some vegetables she had planted.

Sebastian, on the other hand, finished his sewing mission while standing in front of the mirror wearing one of his long sleeves that he transformed into a tank top.

The tank top was a little too big for him, and while wearing it, Sebastian noticed how thin his arms were and how pale he looked; despite the fact that he can't shake the feeling of discomfort, he doesn't feel bad at all.

"SEBASTIAN!" A loud voice exclaimed, causing Sebastian to jump slightly out of surprise. He exited his room and as soon as he reached the last step on the stairs, he was greeted by his mother Silvia, her arms crossed in her chest as she tap her foot on the ground, her expression telling Sebastian she didn't call him to praise him.

"What happened to my plants beside the fence?" she inquired, her tone indicating her displeasure with whoever ruined her hard work, as Sebastian sweated and felt a little afraid after recalling what his Father had told him about his mother throwing him with ease.

"Sebastian, I came to play!" Mikko exclaimed as he slammed the door open. He had always gone into Sebastian's home after his studies in "Skarlax" Hall to play around with Sebastian, so he's pretty much welcome to just walk in at any time.

"Mikko did it," Sebastian stated flatly, pointing his finger at Mikko he felt bad putting the blame at Mikko after he helped him earlier but he rather not get thrown away by his mother just like what his father mentioned earlier, Mikko just stood there perplexed before noticing Silvia's annoyed expression, which turned him pale.