It hurts. It’s like I am being thrown off a volcano full of burning lava. I can’t move my entire body. Even though the burning fire stopped at my throat and in my arms, it still hurts. Help, father and mother.

Suddenly, his mother and father arrived, they looked at Alejandro. “This… Raphael did this?!” shouted his father.

Ah, father and mother. They must be so worried about me. I want to yell for help but I am unable to speak…

“This is amazing! Raphael’s magic power must be so powerful even though he is still a mere child!” the mother amazingly looked at Alejandro’s burned body.

Wait, what? Mother, what do you mean this is amazing? I am suffering from a burning pain here and you think it’s amazing? Please help me.

John started to carry Alejandro, “Alright, let’s bring this worthless child to a healer.”

Worthless child? Me? Do you really think of me that way, father? Even though I nearly won the match against brother Raphael?

Suddenly, Alejandro’s eyes closed. He was then brought to a healer in the village. Elizabeth is the most talented healer in the village of Holm. Despite knowing how to cure and heal any diseases such as fever, disfiguration and bleeding, she could not heal Alejandro’s body.

“Sir John, I apologize but I cannot do anything to heal your son. Where did he get this burn scar, anyway? I could have healed this burn scar of his if it was just a mere fire type of magic.”

“The burn scar he has now is a battle scar against my other son. He explained what all happened to my wife and I at the bar. True, that burn scar is not a mere ordinary burn scar as it was not burned by a fire type but rather a sun burning type of magic.”

“What?!” Elizabeth shouted as she learned about the truth about the origin of the burn scar. However, she could not believe that it was burned by a sun type of magic. A sun magic type is a rare form of magic that one could not simply learn nor be blessed with.

“That is a shame, it looks like he will wear this battle scar for his entire life. Is there any way for you to heal his arms, Madame Elizabeth?”

“Yes, I may not be able to heal his burn scar, but I could heal his arms. Although, after I am done with the healing process, it will take days for him to move it again.”

“It is alright. How much will it be, Madame?”

“5 silver coins, Sir John.”

John sighed and gave Elizabeth 5 silver coins. Elizabeth then started to heal Alejandro’s arms, casting a magic spell that is only for healing. As she is healing Alejandro, a green aura can be seen around Elizabeth, giving John a sign that she truly is a powerful healer.

“All done, Sir John. Please take care of your son next time.”

“Yes I will, Madame Elizabeth. I will.” John smirks as he carries Alejandro outside Elizabeth’s house.

“Poor boy, having to suffer something like that in a very early age of his life. I wonder what he will be like when he grows up?”

It’s dark. All I can see is pitch black. I cannot move yet I could hear my own thoughts. Did I already die due to the burning pain? If so, then this is the afterlife. A lonely yet peaceful paradise.

I cannot believe I lost to brother Raphael. I really thought I already won the moment my knee was about to hit his jaw. It seems I underestimated brother Raphael. Maybe everyone is right, maybe learning magic isn’t so bad after all. Too bad I am dead, but I guess it is okay since I can’t feel the burning pain anymore, hehe.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Wait, is that light? It’s shining! Oh, I guess this is not the afterlife paradise! Am I going to be teleported to the real paradise? Where there are delicious foods and drinks? I can’t wait!

Alejandro’s eyes start to open up, seeing the bright sun in the sky. He wakes up and stands up, his surroundings were all trees.

“Where on the earth am I? Is this the real afterlife paradise?”

Alejandro looked at his hands. It’s all burned up. It’s already dry but it is still a burn scar. A burn scar that covers his entire body.

“Oh no… What is this? Am I not in the afterlife? I’m still alive?!”

Alejandro is shaking as he remembers the day of the match and how his body burned so painfully.

“What is happening? Why am I trembling? It does not hurt anymore yet I could still remember all of the details of the burning pain. Father, mother, brother Raphael, where are you?!”

The boy is all alone in a place where only trees can be seen. However, he sees a piece of folded paper in the grass by his foot.

He opened the paper and read its content.

“Alejandro, we have decided to let you go. You will now be free, none will distract you. Please do not ever come back here, if you manage to find a way to go back to the Holm village in the future. We have decided to give you a parting gift, one gold coin, five silver coins and five bronze coins. If you want to live, search a way out of the forest, you will then see a river with a bridge leading to a new village, where it will be your new home. Farewell.”

The boy starts to realize that his parents abandoned him and left him in this forest alone. He was just still a child, a boy his age would cry if their parents would abandon them. Thus, Alejandro started to cry after reading the message within the paper.

The boy knelt down as he crumpled the paper with his hands. His eyes were full of tears, falling down on the grass. The boy was crying non stop but he slowly stopped as he saw another folded paper in the grass that was covered with the coins that his parents gave him.

He first picked the coins and put them inside his pockets, then he picked up the paper and opened it. He read the content that is written in the paper.

“Dear brother, I made this letter without father and mother knowing about it. Father told me that you will wake up in a few days according to the healer. I just want to say brother, that I planned this from the very beginning. I knew you were a fool, that’s why I poked and insulted you every time we had a conversation with each other. Leading you to think to have a duel against me. I could have been the one to challenge you, but mother and father would not think highly of me if I were the one that challenged you. I am glad you fell for my trap. However, the outcome was different than I planned. I admit I was nearly defeated, I was afraid my plan would not work when your knee was about to hit my jaw. However, the outcome matters the most, and it did go as I planned.”

Alejandro flips the paper as there is still content in the back side of the paper.

“With you gone, I can now fully nourish my magic storage with all of father and mother’s salary from the bar. I can finally now live a luxurious life without an annoying brat like you! It seems like mother and father gave you a parting gift, some coins for you to continue living on. However, do not be sad, brother. For I also have a parting gift only for you! A dagger! If you want to die because you think you suffered enough, please use my dagger. I will be delighted. Farewell, brother.”

This… is cruel. This is just so cruel! Brother Raphael planned this all along?! And I fell from his trap? He even gave me a dagger to kill myself?! He is just so cruel and cunning!

Brother Raphael! I swear… I swear I will kill you with my own hands! I will make you suffer just as you made me suffer! I will cut you down into pieces and grind you down in the very core of the Earth! I will not be satisfied until I find you again and kill you! Just you wait brother, you will regret that you made me a string puppet in your own game!

Alejandro’s eyes were burning like a fire, he grabs the dagger and stabs the paper multiple times as he continues to swear that he will kill his own brother. His face was like a demon that is very furious and a weird aura that just gives anyone a sign that if he sees them, whether your distance is far, he would sprint into you holding the dagger and would immediately slit your throat. His body was burning from his heated rage, thus enabling it to emit hot smoke out of his body.

Even though Alejandro is still a child, anyone that would see his state right now would not think that he is a child. The boy was very angry, he gritted his teeth, slammed his arms up and down in the grass, banging his very own head in the grass, and even eating the grass out of the dirt.

A mysterious figure was watching the boy from a far distance as he mumbled to himself “It is not time yet. I will wait for another time.”