Years after the incident, Euris' house stood amongst the Western Region, City of Starling Crest.

Seyric, his son was already five years old.

His father has been out of the the city for a few days now.

He was summoned to fulfill his duties as he is required to visit the heart of the Kingdom.

Inside their residents, Ikaria washed the dishes from the sink carefully and slowly.

Clank.

She hummed a harmonic tone and placed the plates in the cabinet. She continued to scrub the leftovers and wash the soap away.

After she completed her business, she turned off the faucet and walked away from the sink.

It was all tidied up, and the dishes were now neatly stocked inside the cabinets.

She moved out of the kitchen and entered the living room. Her eyes scanned the couch, and the carpet in the middle of the room.

Her brows furrowed as she found no sign of her son around.

Before Ikaria could even clean up the dishes, Seyric was seat on the carpet in the living room. Now, he is nowhere to be found.

Both of her hands massage her temples for a while.

Moments later, she decided to take off the apron around her waist and throw it on the couch.

She left the room and headed towards the hallway towards the bedroom, rushed to open the door to Seyric's room... only to find it empty.

It was an enclosed room with a single bed and a study table near the window.

The bed sheets were a mess, and the windows were left open as the curtains danced together with the breeze.

Her eyebrows furrowed, 'Where did he go?'

Ikaria carefully tucked the covers around the bed and sighed heavily. She took a final look inside the room before she left and shut the door behind her.

Little Seyric, however, was alone in his father's private library.

Footsteps echoed under his feet as he ran around, clutched dozens of books that his tiny round body could not handle.

The books thud as he dropped them on the floor, piling together in one spot.

He was around three when he had the potential to read, also pronounce letters he heard and saw.

Little Seyric eyes scanned the books and the tall shelves across the room.

He carefully took a few books from the bookshelves that he could reach on his tiptoes, all relatively related in the realm of magic, creatures, or even animals.

He picked up a few books from the pile, and his eyes lit up when he saw the title.

"Magic!"

A burst of excitement escaped his lips as he anticipated the book.

"Spell Casting?" His eyes squinted as he scratched the back of his head and proceeded.

A moment, while he turned pages by pages until something caught his attention, he leaned his body as his finger touched the paper.

"Elemental Mana Core. There are seven elemental mana cores..." Seyric's eyes scan the figure. Each elemental mana core is represented.

The fire is portrayed as the sun. The wind is shown as a leaf. The earth of which is represented as a mountain. The water represented an ocean.

Seyric carefully eyed the following portrait of the elemental core while the description written under the drawings, "and there are three special element—"

Seyric was interrupted by a soft voice.

"Seyric... Honey, where are you?"

Thump. He stopped and immediately flipped over the book before he glanced at the door.

It was the gentle voice of his mother calling out to him from the hallway.

Ikaria took her pace along the hallway and halted before the library door, glancing around the hall, "Seyric...?"

As he ran towards the shelves, Seyric picked up the books from his pile and shoved them.

"Honey?" His mom's voice echoed again, but he only replied silently, so Ikaria finally decided to walk away from the library door.

While Seyric rashly moved the books back and forth until only a few books were left on the floor.

He smiled widely as he picked them all up. As he hurriedly paced, his feet crossed together, causing him to stumble.

THUD. The books he carried slipped through his hands and scattered across the tiled floor.

The floor vibrated as Ikaria halted her feet and glanced at the library's door. She stared at it for a moment. "Seyric?"

She walked towards the door and opened the handle, pushing the door aside. She was greeted by a boy whose face lay flat on the floor.

"Oh, honey!"

Ikaria hurried up to him and picked him up. His reddish forehead caught his mother's attention as she gasped and bit her lips.

"My poor, sweet Seyric... Look at you!"

Seyric's vision became blurry as the water cascaded from his eyes, followed by sobs and an itch of pain in the red spot on his forehead.

Ikaria's eyes squinted at her son as her brows furrowed together.

She scanned his face in worry, sighed, and dusted his clothes. "Hush, honey..."

Her arms wrapped around his tiny body and caressed his back as Seyric cried.

"Oh..." Ikaria leaned away she stared at her son, "hush, my Seyric... I'll heal you." Her face was plastered with a smile as she leaned closer to him.

The cold blow that escaped her lips comforted him.

The water from his eyes died down slightly, easing his pain, and a warm comfort engulfed his face.

"There, there, mom's healing it."

Ikaria's gaze turned to her son's face as she placed her hands across his cheeks and carefully wiped his tears.

He sniffed as he watched his mother's gentle face. It was pleasant. As her warm hands caressed his soft chubby cheeks, his heart pounded.

"See? Your all good." Ikaria kissed his forehead.

He flinched a little bit as the lip touched his reddish spot.

His mom's eyes widened, "Oh! Sorry, honey..."

Several minutes later, a bowl of water seated on to the table next to a linen of cotton. She faced Seyric, perched on the couch as she scanned his face.

Seyric's eyes darted into the face of his mother, and he blinked briefly.

His eyes followed the movements of his mom's hand as she grabbed the cotton from the table.

She spun the cotton as excess water streamed down from the water bowl and held Seyric's chin, while her other hand lightly tapped the cotton on his forehead.

She glanced briefly at her son's face every time she moved her hand. "Does it hurt, honey?" as she kept her gaze on his forehead.

Seyric immediately shook his head. "No..."

"You know, you shouldn't run off like that—worst things could have happened."

Seyric's eyes lowered as he gazed down into his lap and dilated.

"Your father wouldn't be happy to know that you sneaked into his private study."

As he played with his hands, he peeked at his mother occasionally until she caught his gaze, and he immediately dodged it.

Ikaria sighed. "What should I do with you?"

Ikaria suddenly fell silent as she stopped glancing at his face.

After a long pause of silence, minutes went by, Ikaria put the cotton back in the bowl, and picked it up. "Wait here, honey."

Her hand patted his head, and she smiled at him before she stood on her knees and headed toward the kitchen.

In a second, splashes of water echoed from the kitchen as Seyric's eyes fixed on the arch of the door.

Before Ikaria returned empty-handed, she walked inside the room and sat beside Seyric. She pinched the bridge of his nose. "You, naughty one."

She shook her head and grabbed brand-new cotton from the table—"It's after lunch, I'm pretty sure he'll be here soon."

Seyric widened his eyes and blinked for a moment. "Who's coming, Mother?"

Ikaria squinted her eyes as she crossed her arms. "Your tutor."

She then wrapped the cotton around Seyric's forehead and tied them up before moving her hands away. "Now, get yourself ready."

"Okay, mother."

End of Chapter

Volume 1 - Chapter 3