Ysne’s burning stare rested on him for a while, and her eyes seemed as though they might fall out of their sockets as Kai’s silver hair reflected in her pupils. “Miss Ysne… can I help you?” his weak, fatigued voice entered her round ears, and she jumped up slightly as her pupils regained focus.

“Ah? Yes! Lady Orphelia said the bath is empty right now so you can go ahead and use it.” She squeaked as her gaze turned towards the hardwood floor.

“A-alright.” Kai nodded, his voice breaking up as the words left his mouth. Cold sweat ran down his back, and his heart felt as though it might jump out of his chest. His shoulders shook as fear and anxiety took over his body.

He turned his head a few degrees, just enough to see Ysne standing in the door out of the corner of his eye. “Is there anything else?” He asked, his voice trembling with uncertainty.

“No…” she said, whispering “but you don’t seem well, did you actually catch a cold?” she continued, the wood creaking under her weight as she approached him.

“I’m fine…don’t worry.”

Ysne kept slowly approaching Kai, her lips parted as she asked in a worried voice “Are you sure? I could ask for someone-”

However, Kai’s loud voice rang in her ears before she could finish her sentence. “Stay away!” Her body jolted in surprise and she stopped in place, looking at his panicked figure.

Her small ears lowered sideways as she apologized in a low voice “Ah, right. Sorry for intruding.” She gently closed the door and her footsteps slowly faded.

Kai took a deep breath as a heavy sigh of relief escaped his lips. His pulse, along with his breathing returned to normal and he let out a small chuckle after he calmed down. Why am I so jumpy?

He sat on the bed and took a better look at his attire, which wasn't in any better state than the cloak lying on the floor. Multiple holes and claw-shaped cuts covered his clothes, and dried blood turned his once-clean shirt a deep shade of red.

He sniffed himself, his eyes teared up slightly as a heavy stench of iron mixed with dirt and grass bombarded his nostrils. “I really should take a bath… and change my clothes.”

He picked up his heavy backpack from the floor and placed it on the bed before he started rummaging through it. “I should have some spare clothes…” the backpack rustled as he emptied its contents.

The first thing he took out was his wand, he rubbed its rough texture as he took a closer look at it, and sighed before he gently placed it on the bed. Then, a dozen glass vials of different colors appeared on the sheets: five red, three blue, two green, one purple, and one white.

“Grandpa said these are potions, not that surprising. There are different grades of potions based on different factors, can’t remember what though…” He scratched his head trying to remember, and two leaves fell out of his hair as he did so. His face broke into a smile as he contemplated this lamentable situation.

Next, he took out the maps and the notebook, arranging them next to each other before he continued. The bed rapidly got covered in all sorts of miscellaneous items such as an empty bag that once held their dried rations, several flasks of water, a few berry-like fruits, and the useless sleeping bag that took most of the space. “I’ll just leave it here, I doubt I will need it anymore.”

It didn’t take long for a new set of clothes to appear as well: A gray shirt and brown pants, as well as a pair of linen shorts and chemise. As Kai looked at the ‘underwear’, a silent thought popped up in his mind before it quickly vanished. “Disgusting…” he said as his body shivered “If only I could open my spatial ring…”

He was ready to throw the backpack back on the floor when he felt a sudden weight that made him hesitate. “This is…?” He peered inside and his eyes widened as they landed on the object that lay at the bottom.

A violet sphere tied to a silver chain stood alone, it let out a faint glow as it moved about. Kai’s hand jolted as he picked it up, an intense, icy feeling spread out from its shiny surface.

“This necklace, my last gift…” He whispered in a trembling voice as his fingers walked across the sphere’s exterior. Water droplets appeared on his palm and eventually his face as he brought it closer, the hazy cubic shape still present inside the dark void.

“To think I’d forget about it…” His heart swelled with joy and sorrow, and a wave of anger coursed through him. He gritted his teeth, feeling a sharp ache in his jaw as he clutched the necklace tightly. The grinding sound of his teeth echoed in the quiet room, and he winced as the sharp pain in his jaw intensified.

Scraping noises rang in his ears as his nails scratched against the violet crystal. Once again, countless images flashed in his mind. Vivid pictures of his parents as they taught him magic, their clear voices echoed in his head, and a sudden pain spread from his chest towards the crystal.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Residual amounts of mana ran through his mana veins, causing them to tremble and crack, and the necklace stuck to Kai’s palm as it sucked all the magic from his body.

The unbearable pain nearly made him faint, and he closed his eyes as he took deep breaths in an attempt to clear his mind. “Calm down, I have to calm down.” Like a sword hanging from a thin rope, he felt a fate worse than death loom over his head. This thing is forcing every bit of mana from my body, but there’s no telling how much it will take!

His bloodshot eyes snapped open, and he forced a wide smile as his muscles twitched from the pain. “If it is mana you want, then fine!” His free hand reached towards the wand, its familiar feeling giving him some comfort in this dire situation. He flicked it toward the dark sphere and forced every available mana toward his wand.

The tiny, dark crystal at the tip of Kai's wand emitted a feeble glow, struggling against the necklace for the last dregs of mana within him. Waves of searing pain coursed through his feeble mana veins, which trembled and cracked, threatening to rupture under the strain.

He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain rushing through his body as the wand grew brighter, drawing mana from the environment which Kai then fed to the necklace. He felt the pressure on his veins gradually decrease, and a muffled grunt escaped his lips as a hot sensation climbed up his throat.

His mouth turned crimson as he spit out a mouthful of blood. The chilling sound of fresh blood dripping on the floor rang in his ears, sending shivers down his spine. His pupils constricted as he tightened the grip on his wand, and he forced even more mana to enter the necklace, causing his veins to crack even faster.

A stinging pain appeared in his eyes as tears ran down his cheeks. “Noooo!” He let out a painful, primordial scream and blood dripped down his chin as he gritted his teeth. "I won't die, not again! Not until I kill that bastard!"

Kai's wand vibrated slightly in his hand, and it let out a sharp screech as if responding to his cries. The tiny, dark crystal on its tip glowed even brighter and cracks rapidly covered its surface as it rumbled on the verge of exploding.

The sound of shattering glass echoed loudly in the room as the crystal cracked, sending high amounts of mana straight toward the necklace. The dark sphere started glowing with a violet hue and it gradually grew brighter as it greedily absorbed all the mana coming towards it.

The necklace absorbed the unrefined mana like a hungry beast that hadn’t eaten in weeks; its violet shine grew fiercer as Kai squinted his eyes against the blinding light that filled the entire room.

A loud thud resounded in the chamber as the necklace fell on the hardwood floor; its hazy interior shook slightly before it returned to normal. The piercing light gradually faded away as it revealed the empty room and the dark sphere rolling in the pool of blood.

…

The bloodied figure of a young boy gradually materialized inside a silent, empty world. The dark, starry sky watched over the barren space like a guardian. He lay motionless on his back, his chest heaved up and down as light coughs escaped his lips.

His small eyes opened slowly, and the faint light of the stars reflected in their crimson hue. Kai blinked rapidly as his eyes adapted to the new environment, and his pupils widened as he stared into the dark void. Groans of pain escaped his mouth as long silver hair brushed against his body while he got up.

“Where am I?” He asked, his voice disappearing into the void without a single echo. Sweat ran down his face as he felt his heart kicking against his ribcage, his breathing hastened as his mind jumped to conclusions.

“I can’t be dead, not again!” He hastily turned his head in every direction, looking for a single sign of life, an escape to break out from his mental prison. He stopped, staring straight ahead he squinted his eyes and his face lit up.

The star’s faint light rained upon a cube-shaped building far into the distance, and a warm light emitted from the sides as it stood unmoving. Kai dashed towards the cube and he gritted his teeth as he ignored the searing pain of his nearly shattered mana veins.

The cube grew closer and closer as Kai ran madly toward it, and the distance between them seemed non-existent as he appeared in front of it almost instantly. His eyes rested on the barely visible structure, the warm light bouncing off his body and onto the cracked, vine-covered walls.

His hand ran along the cold stone wall, his fingers meeting a series of grooves as he made his way to the other side. A faint warmth greeted his palm at the end, and he winced in pain as a small splinter pierced his thumb.

He placed his arm on the chilly iron handle and the door unlocked with a click, groaning as it slowly opened. A faint smile manifested on Kai’s face and he let out a chuckle as he said in a soft voice “So this was their gift?”

He closed the door behind him with a gentle slam. His eyes inspected the familiar room full of books and candles. The sound of his unrhythmic footsteps bounced off the bookshelves as he made his way deeper into the library.

As he left the jungle of books his eyes fixated on a small, round table surrounded by three chairs in the middle of the room. Under it stood a brand new chest made out of dark wood with golden corners, and on top of it a single, transparent crystal.

He walked closer to the table and sat down on the middle chair, his gaze swapped between the two other chairs before landing on the crystal. His right hand trembled as he curiously reached for it, and his heart got stuck in his throat upon touch.

Kai’s eyes snapped shut as it emitted a brief flash, falling backward from the shock. Slowly opening his eyes, the after-effects of the light still blinded him slightly. His lips started shaking uncontrollably and his eyes widened as his pupils trembled. Soft gasps escaped his mouth while he stared at two figures standing at the opposite end of the table.

“Hello, son.” Their harmonious and melodic voices rang in his twitching ears at the same time; their love-filled smiles reflected in his crimson eyes as two gut-wrenching words escaped his lips: “Mom… Dad!”