As my core completed I let the vortex fall apart. Keeping it up had been taxing and strenuous. During the whole process it felt like my mind would burst at any moment. If not for me having the mind of an adult i doubt i'd ever accomplish something like this. 

However, the moment my core completed a refreshing and exhilerating feeling washed over me, both in body and mind. I couldn't help but bath in this pleasent and nearly addicting feeling. It wasn't just the feeling of growing stronger and more powerful, but it's as if a part of my body had been missing since birth, and only now was it complete.

I savored this feeling, and could sense that I've grown stronger, but most important of all I could feel a connection to the atmosphere around me, or more particularly the mana.

The connection wasn't neccesarly strong, but compared to before where it was nonexistent the difference was as clear as night and day. 

What used to be imperceptible, now felt like a foreign extension of my body. Nevertheless, I knew that as I progessed as a mage this foreign feeling would begone as my connection and affinity with mana grew. Utilizing and manipulating mana would soon be no differernt than moving my limbs.

"Aah yes, this feeling of growing stronger... No matter how many times i experience this I can't seem to get tired of it."

I wanted to relish in this feeling more, but this wasn't the time and place to stall.

My eyellids slowly opened, but what met my eyes was devestating.

*Sigh*

"This... How am I gonna explain this...?"

*** Catherine Nixon POV ***

"K-kayn... Please be okey..."

I kept whispering and praying. Hoping that my boy would be okey. 

I had already nearly lost him once and that's something I never want to experiene again, but what could i do?

This isn't like last time. This is something far beyond my reach. At least with these d*amned seals weakning me...

As I kept reminiscing I couldn't help but feel my blood boil. Two years went by since that "accident", but my heart would never settle. I was angry, and furious, but I could do nothing but grit my teeth and bear with it.

"Those f*cking Mercers..."

As i thought about that day i completely forgot the situation at hand.

Two years ago when Kayn was 3 he was caught up in an unfortunate 'accident', however he doesn't seem to remember. In fact he doesn't remember anything up until that day. In other words his three years on Eacerus was completely erased. 

At first i was devestated. How could i not? My own son forgot everything during his 3 years og life. His experiences, his small amount of knowledge and even his ability to speak and move. He stumbled and fell constantly as if he wasn't in tune with his body properly. 

However, what made my heart hurt the most was that he forgot me, his own mother. He looked at me with a nearly foreign look, and I could tell that he found me unfamiliar. Everytime I tried to interact with him my heart would ache.

Of course I had him looked up at healers and doctors, but they would all say the same.

- "He's fine, I can't find anything wrong with his health"

- "It's most likey Amnesia"

- "Ma'am, I'm sorry to say, but theres nothing i can do."

No matter what it seemed like his first 3 years of memories was doomed to vanish as if they've never existed.

However, I decided to be patient. No matter what I would never give up on him. Even if he didn't know who I was, even if he grew up not to like me, I would alwasy love him.

And so time went by. As expected he seemed like a totally different person in some aspects such as his taste in food, behaviour, demanour, attitude and interests. 

For better or worse those aspects of Kayn seemed to have a 180 degree change and I couldn't help but be astonished.

He never cried or complained, nor did he cling to my side like he used to. Instead he liked to venture off on his own in the estate and he would alway come back with a gleeful face, or at least those times he didn't run into the Mercers, rather he seemed to be scowling...? I pitited him, and of course I was worried, but that frowning look on his childish face always looked so adorably funny.

Nonetheless, what amazed me the most was his learning capabillities. After just two years his speaking skills had improveved tremendously! That may seem normal considering his age. However, Kayn had to start from zero and in the span of two years he was already way beyond his peers. Additonally, he just started learning to read and write as well and his progress there is nothing short in comparison. 

Also, his curiosity seemed to reach new heights to the point where it got annoying. The moment he learned to speak he would constantly ask questions. Sometimes it even got too annyoing and I wanted to answer that I didn't know, but his adorably cute face and eyes filled with curiosity always won me over and I ended up anwsering until he was satisfied. 

His question ranged from many different topics, but most particularly magic and beast biology. I gave him multiple beast encyclopedias and he would always have me read for him while he looked at the pictures with great interest, he also enjoyed tales and legends of great magicians and smiled with eyes wide as I told him the stories.

It was clear that he showed great interest in being a mage, and his questions was soon less about the mages, but more about the magic. It got to the point where he had me teach him mana theory, but I was reluctant. The more he knew, the stronger his interest grew and I was afraid.

I was a afraid that he would lack talent. That he wouldn't be able to form a mana core. He had parents who both were powerful mages, but yet the chance was still there. And so I decided to only tell him the basics about magic and mana, but I guess I was anxious for no reason...

I soon noticed my strength returning. Mana was slowly seeping into me again clearing my mind and pulling me back to reality. My eyelids were heavy, and my body felt weak, but by mustering up all my strength I was able to half open my eyes with much difficulty.

My vision was blurry, and I could barely see, but slightly above the ground a small figure was hovering as he laughed in delight. Powerful mana was constantly swirling around him, forming a barrier and keeping him afloat. And it was then that I noticed-

WHERE THE F*CK IS THE ROOF!?! WHERE IS THE WALLS!?! WHERE IS THE FLOOR?!?!

What used to be my beautiful room was gone. In fact HALF OF THE guest manor which was where me and Kayn lived in the Gaillon estate was completely gone, but somehow I was still left unscathed standing on a single patch of soil. Eveyrthing around a 100 meter radius had been obliterated to nothingness.

Before I could even get my act together the figure slowly descended from the air as the mana surrounding him dispersed. 

"This... How am i gonna explain this...?"

"Y-You? Is that you Kayn!?"

"What did you do-"

"Wait, how is this possible?!"

"Did you awaken-"

"Now, now, lets calm down mother. I'm just happy you're fine. I'm sorry for hurting you... But yes, I do think I had my awakening, but this isn't the place and time to talk about such matters-"

"Your right, we have to get awa-"

"WHO THE H*LL DARES TO ATTACK THE GAILLON ESTATE!? SHOW YOURSELF IMMEDIATELY OR I*LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!?"

Before I could even finish my sentence a deafening and powerful voice echoed from above. 

My body was screaming for me to run, to hide, to take Kayn and get as far away as possible, but no matter what I did I couldn't move.

An incredible pressure came crashing down on me locking me in place. The force was so strong that small cracks appered on the ground as my body sunk in. 

I gritted my teeth and beared with the pain, but the force immediately intensified causing me to groan in pain.

Blood started leaking from my nose as I began coughing, and every second that went by seemed to worsen my condition.

The meager amount of mana that my body had seemed recovered was obliterated to nothingness as it tried to defend against the force.

'This mana pressure... That f*cking b*stard...'

As I lost my ability too breath and I started suffocating a shadowy figure slowly descended from the air.

The mana surrounding him was fierce and wild. It carried an intense heat that nearly set the surroundnings on fire.

As he closed in on me I could feel my skin stinging as the searing heat of his mana seemed to schorch anything in his vicinity. Even the air itself was affected as heat waves seemed to radiate from him causing the air to feel thick and heated. 

It was a blessing in disguise that I was suffocating. I was even inclined to believe that if anyone breathed in air of that temperature their throat and lungs would char from the heat. 

My vision blurred as I started sweating immensly. The heat and lack of air was rapidly collapsing my body, but it was then that a thick and horse voice spoke out.

"Oh... it's you..."

His sentence carried a sense of annyoance and displeasure, but the pressure and heat slowly dwindled.

However, as I ineptly knelt on my limbs gasping for air between ragged breaths I was caught by the hair.

I groaned as he callously lifted me to his eye level.

I dangled in the air as he looked at me with fierce, but ice cold eyes.

"Tch"

"What happened here, where is the damn enemy Chaterine?"

He clicked his tongue, and nonchalantly asked me with an indifferent tone as he held me dangling by the hair.

"T-There's no enemy-"

*smack*

*thud*

However, before I could even finish he slapped me with the back of his hand causing a loud reverberate smack as he threw me on the ground.

"Damn you... Are you taking me for a fool?! We both know you aren't capable of such a feat, what the f*ck are you hidi-"

"Ugh"

Suddenly he groaned in pain as blood leaked from his mouth. He stared with eyes wide as a small, meager hand covered in blood pierced out of his abdomen all the way from his back.

"Don't touch my mother you old b*stard".