Marcus woke up the next day. He can't feel any pain from his broken left leg, it was totally healed. This could be the work of a sorcerer like Lyra Murray.

He gets off from the bed and went downstairs. "Dad?" Marcus saw his dad in the living room, look depressed. Kraus head resting on his palm. "You okay dad?" he asked him.

"Oh, you awake now. You feel better?" Kraus asked his son.

"Yes. I think aunt Lyra heal me," he said.

"Yes, she did. She is very thankful that you protect her daughter."

"Where's mom, dad?" Marcus saw his dad wince. "Dad?"

"She is in our bedroom. Come," Kraus get up from the couch and walk towards their bedroom.

Marcus follows his dad. Before he opens the door, his dad put his hand around his shoulder, and it feels heavy. Kraus slowly takes his hand and Marcus feels the weight.

Marcus sensed something is wrong the way his dad acted. He rushes into the room and there he saw her mom lying in the bed.

"Mama!" His eyes filled with tears. "What happen to you?"

Marina Johnson, his mom, slowly open her eyes. "Marcus?"

"Am here mom," he reached his mom's right hand.

"Am glad... you are alright."

With a soft voice, his mom said to him. "Am so proud of you."

"Listen now, honey, I want you to protect her. Promise me, that you will never leave Sheira's side. Okay? Follow her and do everything that you could."

His mom already has difficulties to talk but she still tries to left important words to him. He holds his mom's hand tighter.

"Be strong. I want you to complete your training. Your dad and Martin, they could teach you all you need to learn. Both sorcery and physical fight," Marina added.

"Here, take this." Marina grabs the sword on her left side and handed it to Marcus.

"From now on, this is yours."

Marcus takes the sword from his mom's hand. He realized, his mom lost her sight.

"No! Don't leave me! You can't die, Mama!" He cried.

"I love you, honey..." Marina's last words before she turns into like wood.

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Marcus heard his dad sob. Kraus kneel on his feet and hug Marcus from behind.

"Your mom, holding her last breaths to see you for the last time."

Hearing it, Marcus began weeping aloud. His mom is now gone, leaving them forever. He doesn't want to believe it.

"She used all her energy to destroy our enemies."

No! He freaks out inside his head. What she'd done!? His mom did the forbidden ritual? An oration to enter even more than 20 people. It was forbidden because of the outcome to the orator. A witch mercenary has only a limit of 3 to 5 person to attack at once. His mom did more than the limitation.

He went outside and Lyra's face he found in the living room. She stretches her arms, he runs towards her.

"Marcus... oh, am so sorry," Lyra holds him tight.

"Aunt Lyra..." Once more, he cried.

They make a small ceremony before they burn his mom. He cried for the last time but promised on her grave that he will protect Sheira all his life.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

They decided to move again. The families went in North-East mountains. It was a long difficult trip. They arrived at the place and the tribe accepts them happily. He learned, that it was Murray's friends. Murray's seems to have many friends in secret.

The tribe throws a little welcome party for their arrival. They feast in front of a bonfire. A girl comes to him and offers some food. He accepts it. He learned that her name is Moraeh and she'll turn 12 in a couple of months. The girl is a bit talkative so he already learned a lot of things about the tribe and the Murray.

The Murray brothers did often many travels when they were teenagers. North-East mountains are one of the places they often visited. The tribe meets the Murray when a group of ruthless witches attacks them. They help them and there, the friendship began.

They now settled for good. He accepted his mom truly is gone. Though he felt too much sadness, he never cries again.

Kraus and Martin train him harder. He wakes up early in the morning every day to join Martin to travel the woods every morning. Martin is so strong and fights so well. He learns a lot from him.

After breakfast will be served, he then next to join his dad to receive his special training to become a Witch Mercenary. This is his routine every day for 5 years. Now, he is 18 and completed his training. There will be a ceremony to be held for completing the preparation of him being a Witch Mercenary.

Lyra conceived a son named Max. Everything went well for these passing years. During summers, Martin and the others including him went to the city to let the teenagers like him take special classes to finish school. He received basic learning from High School to attend college once completed. This curriculum only works to smart children like him who has above average IQ. His classmates have special cases too. Teenagers who have difficulties to blend into normal school life. He is thankful his classmates are more like nerd people.

Sheira is now 8, grew up very lovely and smart. She was even started showing physical strength. She often joins the other kids in the tribe who's older than her. The kids playing race around and Sheira never get behind.

* * *

"Marcus!" Sheira runs towards him once she has a glimpse of him at the Entrance of the tribe village.

Sheira jump on him. "Am glad you're here!"

Marcus chuckled. "Yep. How are you?" He asked while walking towards the house hand in hand. One thing becomes a normal way of them.

Sheira received comments from her playmates about their holding hands and Sheira will be exclaimed.

"Marcus is my big brother!" Then she will tell the story when Marcus save her, all over again.

"Aunt Lyra..."

"Marcus, welcome back. How was the trip?"

"It is fine Aunt Lyra."

"Am glad. Congratulations by the way..."

"Thank You."

He is 21 now and their situation is difficult to live normally in a city or a town nearby.

He notices Lyra's health is falling. Something must be wrong with her. Since she gave birth to Max, she became ill. The life they have been at the present is far from what they are before.