Injuries

I can't help but wonder if I've done anything worthwhile, have I made a difference? Or has it been all pointless? These types of questions always tend to haunt my mind at times like this. Maybe the people around me aren't entirely bad, maybe they care deep down even though they show it differently. "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO MY BOY!" My father cried out and started sprinting towards him. My dad slammed Gaius straight down on the ground. With one hand my dad began to crush his wind pipe, causing him to gag and choke on his own tongue.

I blacked out.

The next time I awoke was when I saw my mother's face and she cried at me to open up my eyes. "Is that you Mom? Is he still alive!?" My mom nodded rapidly while clutching on to her chest with a trembling hand. It must've taken all of my strength to open them, though thankfully it didn't hurt like before, maybe because there is no pain when unconscious. She cupped my cheeks in her warm palms and wiped away all the dirt from around my face, drying any tears and making sure everything was clear for me. It felt good being cradled, however the pain was intense.

Father was speaking with a man, and had a stern look on his face, unlike anything I have ever seen on him before. I saw many doctors tending to his wounds while some others checked my vitals. Everything was moving way too slowly, and there's only one thing on my mind. "Dad... what... happened... to Gaius?" I panted weakly as a nurse brushed away some sweat droplets on my forehead and brushed hair back behind my ear. He was probably scared from hearing all sorts of rumors and gossips flying around, or maybe he thought someone was after him. Whatever it was, it scared me to bits; I shivered from fear while speaking to him about my suspicions about Gaius. He looked as though he was pondering whether or not he wanted me to worry. "That bastard got away before I could do anything to him. The next time I see him, he's going to fucking die." he spat at the ground furiously and stared into my eyes intently as if trying to drill an idea into my brain: "No one hurts my son, I am going to rip him limb from limb for hurting you so." He then ran off somewhere to search for information that might lead him in the direction of Gaius, leaving my mother to comfort and care for me. She gave one last sigh before coming back in a chair beside the bedside and wrapped an arm around my body in a motherly hug. My arms reached up in front of me, gently wrapping around hers.

"Sora? Can you hear me? You need to rest. We can talk later..." she soothed.

"...okay, mama." my voice trembled slightly.

Her voice dropped low, and with great sympathy asked, "Do you know who did this to you?"

The answer seemed quite easy for me, I was almost positive that it was Gaius. "A man, I didn't recognize his face but he did tell me his name." I whispered to my mother softly, before pausing a little to think. "His name was Gaius... he threatened my life if I told anyone what I knew about him..." My words trailed off after my throat became dry.

Her brows knitted together as she studied the expressions on my face; searching my features and my skin tone. That's when the best nurse in the Verdant Expanse entered the room and was able to heal my injuries fully. With my wounds gone I could tell my mother was still very concerned about Gaius.

My mom frowned slightly. "The bastard actually did do this." Her hands clenched at her sides angrily. "I will destroy him with my bare hands the next time I see him!"

"Mother, don't worry about him anymore. I promise you, only I will need to deal with him." I reassured her while placing my hands over hers, trying to make her relax and breathe easier. "If this makes you uncomfortable or nervous then please forget about him and we'll never speak of him again!" I continued on explaining to my mom how I would handle things from now onwards, and hopefully put her mind at ease.

She stood up straight and pulled back. "All right Sora, I will trust you to take care of the matter; however should anything go wrong or seem suspicious at all, promise you'll run to me and I will handle things from there." She kissed me and left, but not without looking back at me a few times, making sure her eyes met mine once last time, reassuring that she believed me completely.

"One more thing Cyrus, why do you speak to me like a child for one second and then speak to me in such a mature manner the next? I mean you are six years old and you want to take on a man like this alone?"

I gazed at her perplexedly and shook my head a bit as if confused. "I don't understand what you mean by that question..."

Mother was probably one of the most stubborn people I knew. Sometimes I'm glad she didn't know my inner struggles and other times, I feel terrible that she doesn't. She didn't press me about what exactly my concerns were; rather, she simply said that I was her baby boy and no one could stop her from worrying about me.

The days following the incident, Gaius wasn't around for 3 whole weeks; most likely, he had enough and left, or possibly dead, but we won't know for sure. With my Aether, I can still sense his energy flowing through him, and he's somewhere in Willowmere. It makes it difficult for me to track him down, especially without letting Father and Mother know that I was tracking down Gaius. But, whenever I find him, I will put him six feet under.

I decided that now would be the time to tell my parents about my ability to use Aether, it seems i've been keeping it from them for far too long. We were currently at home, sitting down in the living room, talking. In the process of revealing my hidden secret I thought up a plan. I was planning on telling them both about my past life, well not all of it, only a good majority of it. Though there are some things that are too painful to share and other things that should never be shared. "Mother, Father I'm so sorry. But I need to tell you something very important."

"Cyrus, please just tell me and get on with it." Mother said impatiently. "I don't want you to be embarrassed or upset by what happened in the past. Trust me, we can handle this together and I can guarantee that we are stronger than you believe, in more ways than you think."

Father just kept staring blankly ahead; his hands were placed neatly together with a look of content. "Tell us what, Cyrus? Speak to us." Father commanded with a strong voice and spoke like a king, never a stammer nor an interruption from his tone.

I let out an annoyed huff before sighing deeply in order to regain my composure and proceed. "It's going to be rather complicated, you see Father, Mother... I... can use magic. Not in the way that you are thinking, I have the ability to use Aether which is an ancient form of magic." My confession sounded like I was admitting a crime or being guilty of committing a felony of sorts, however in actuality I'm trying to inform them of an extraordinary ability I have. "So don't try blaming me or saying that there's no way, because it's definitely real... I know for a fact that you have to accept the fact, since I can prove it to both of you... if you let me?" I blurted out quickly in my embarrassment and began blushing bright red.

"Okay..." They replied hesitantly. "Can you do a spell for us then? If so show us how you're going to do it then"

The fire was burning bright; its heat warming the room in the otherwise cool summer night air. As I tried casting the first spell I've used, a blue circle surrounded me with runes inscribed within. "Watch closely!"