The tree landed on Nathan's body, and his small frame and weak physique at the age of 5 years old, made him scream in pain and cry. Nathan felt his body was about to be crushed by the pain from the tree that had fallen on him.
His mother instinctively ran towards him and tried to lift the tree that was pinning Nathan down. Her face showed great concern and panic, and she screamed and cried loudly as she saw her son trapped under the tree, all while the earthquake continued to shake.
"M-mom..." Nathan whispered weakly.
"Hold on, Nathan! Mom's here! I'll get this tree off you right away!" his mother screamed loudly, her tears streaming down her face even harder.
As her mother was about to remove the tree with her magic, a black winged creature suddenly appeared and stabbed her in the stomach with a spear.
His mother lay weak on the ground, her stomach bleeding continuously. Nathan, unable to do anything, just sat silently and cried softly—he couldn't do anything with his body being so weak now.
The creature was a demon—its face was terrifying, with a long tail, black wings, fearsome horns, and sharp fangs. The demon approached Nathan with its deadly spear.
"P-please... D-don't go near my son!" his mother said, her voice weak and trembling. She could no longer scream because of her bleeding stomach. Tears streamed down her face as she cried harder, becoming hysterical.
The demon grabbed Nathan's hand. Frozen in fear, Nathan couldn't do anything and kept repeating his mother's name. With a violent pull, the demon ripped off his right arm, causing a torrent of blood to gush from the wound.
"Arghhhhh!!" Nathan screamed in pain, crying even harder as his right arm was torn off.
"NATHAN! NO!!" his mother screamed and cried out in agony, coughing up blood as her stomach continued to bleed.
The demon dropped Nathan's severed arm on the ground, then flew away to rejoin its horde as they continued their invasion across various places.
His mother dragged her broken body toward Nathan, who lay weak and helpless—still pinned beneath the fallen tree, his arm severed. With the little strength she had left, she summoned a weak flame spell and cauterized Nathan's wound, burning the severed area to stop the bleeding.
Nathan could only scream in pain as the flames seared his arm, but in the end, all he could do was lie there, weak and helpless, pinned beneath the fallen tree, surrendering to the agony and despair.
"It's okay, my dear… Mom always be with you, by your side forever, Nathan," his mother whispered, crying softly as she lay dying.
"Mom... loves you... Nathan," she whispered weakly.
His mother was no longer moving, her hand tightly gripping Nathan's left hand. Weak and resigned, Nathan slowly closed his eyes. All he had ever wanted was a happy life with his mother—he loved her more than anything. And now, this was how it all ended for the two of them.
----
The earthquake had stopped, and smoke from the fires billowed everywhere. Nathan still lay limp with his eyes closed, vaguely hearing the sound of horse hooves approaching him.
"Hey, you three... Help me out!" a strange man's voice came from close to Nathan.
Nathan's body started to feel lighter, and he opened his eyes to see four people helping him. Judging by their attire, they seemed to be Sorcerers from Dasmond Kingdom who had survived.
"Hey! This little kid is still alive," one of the men said.
"Hey, are you okay? It looks like your right arm is gone… and that hand on the ground—it must be yours," said one of the women as she approached and helped him sit up.
One of the women picked up his severed arm and handed it to the woman beside her. The other woman then drew a dagger and began heating it with fire magic.
"This might hurt a little, but please hang in there," said the woman as she held the glowing hot dagger in her hand.
The woman sliced into Nathan's cauterized wound, causing it to bleed again. Overwhelmed by the sudden surge of pain, Nathan screamed loudly and burst into tears.
She then pressed Nathan's severed arm back into place and began healing it with a mid-level healing spell. Slowly, the magic began to reconnect his right arm, mending tissue and bone. Nathan blinked in disbelief, then wiggled his fingers as he realized his arm was whole again.
----
Nathan looked over at his mother lying motionless on the ground, still clutching his left hand. He wrapped his arms tightly around her lifeless body, holding her close as tears streamed down his face, falling harder than ever.
He loved his mother deeply and had once promised to make her happy in this life. But now, he couldn't keep that promise. Seeing her like this shattered him completely—her death hurt far more than the moments he was mutilated.
The pain and trauma of his mother's death made him cry louder than he ever had in his life. For the first time, he let out all the agony in a scream of pure sorrow. He swore to himself that he would wipe out those disgusting demons—no matter how many millions of them there were, not a single one could ever be worth even one life of his mother.
The four sorcerers who watched Nathan crying and holding his mother tightly could only remain silent. They understood the pain he was going through, but there was little time—they had to move quickly and evacuate to the Kaeis Kingdom.
The four of them mounted their horses once more, and one of the male sorcerers quickly lifted Nathan, placing him behind him on his horse. Without wasting another second, he urged the horse forward, galloping at full speed.
Meanwhile, one of the female sorcerers carefully carried his mother's body, intending to give her a proper burial in the Kaeis Kingdom. The remaining three quickly followed after their companion who was carrying Nathan, riding fast to catch up.
On the journey to the Kaeis Kingdom, Nathan didn't say a single word—he remained completely silent, like a statue. The trauma and grief from his mother's death had struck him so deeply that he no longer cared about anything else.
He clutched his pendant tightly—it was still perfectly intact, without a scratch. Soft tears fell from Nathan's eyes as memories of happier times flooded back—moments spent with his mother, laughing and playing together in the gardens of Dasmond Kingdom. He had felt truly happy back then… and now, that happiness had been stolen from him.
The man riding with Nathan had tried asking him a few questions earlier, but Nathan remained silent. Realizing this, the man could only fall quiet himself. He knew Nathan was deeply traumatized—especially for someone so young, even if Nathan wasn't entirely a child anymore.
The sky remained dark, the forests still burning, and several demons even began to approach them. But the four sorcerers fought them off with skill and determination, quickly dispatching the threat before urging their horses onward, never slowing down.
Nathan remained silent, as if he had already resigned himself to everything that had happened. But deep inside, a fire had begun to burn—he was determined that when he grew up, he would destroy every last demon that had ruined the happiness he once shared with his mother.
They had been traveling for hours without rest—nearly three straight hours of nonstop riding. Even as the horses grew exhausted, the sorcerers pushed them forward, using enhancement magic to keep them running despite their fatigue.
----
Not far ahead of them stood a kingdom that had remained strong and unshaken, even after being attacked by thousands of demons. In front of its gates, countless demon corpses lay piled and scattered across the battlefield—proof that they had chosen the wrong enemy to challenge.
That was the Kaeis Kingdom—a mighty stronghold and home to one of the legendary Hero's weapons: the Kaeis Longsword. The kingdom itself was named after that very blade, "Kaeis," a symbol of strength, legacy, and unshakable resistance against darkness.
In front of the Kaeis Kingdom gates, the four sorcerers were quickly surrounded by several guards and knights. Without hesitation, they each presented their identification cards. After a moment of verification, they were granted permission to enter—along with Nathan and his mother's lifeless body.
Nathan, who had been silent the entire time, finally lifted his head and looked up at the kingdom before him. It was bustling with knights, soldiers, and adventurers. The kingdom stood tall and magnificent, untouched by the chaos that had ravaged the lands. It was clear that this kingdom was far stronger than the Dasmond Kingdom—whose fate Nathan no longer even knew.
Nathan finally spoke, though his voice was barely audible. His eyes, however, told a different story—filled with rage and a lingering vengeance that burned deeply within him, a scar left behind by the death of his mother.
"Kaeis... Kingdom..."
. . .