A bright and fiery orb rose up into the heavens and peered down on a young blue and green ball of mass, staring at it like a strict father. A small movement caught the orb’s attention and it glared at it disapprovingly.

 

Now, normally, there were plenty of small movements happening on the blue and green ball and the fiery orb would just ignore them. But, for some reason, today was different. The small movement seemed to have a powerful drawing ability, grabbing its attention immediately and refusing to let go.

 

Out of anger and a slight defiant spirit, the fiery orb stared at the small figure who was attracting his full attention. To its surprise, the figure lifted up his head and stared straight back. Startled, the fiery orb embarrassingly turned its attention elsewhere as if it had been caught in the act of something sinful. Unfortunately for it, the fiery orb did not see the small figure rolling about in pain.

 

“ARRGGHH!!” A middle-aged man rolled about on the ground in pain.

 

His eyes were closed as his palms rubbed furiously against them. After rubbing away the stinging pain, he opened his blurry eyes and looked about. The man sat up and patted his back and arms. He raised his hand up and slowly patted his forehead with a sigh.

 

“Thought someone was glaring at me. Turned out to be the fucking sun.” The middle-aged man grumbled as he rubbed his left eye for clearer vision. “Why did I even stare at it for so long? Damn it!”

 

The man wore a ragged white robe over a comfortably fitted leather armor. Equipped at his side was a small dagger while he carried over his shoulders a medium-sized cloth bag. The man had hair like the color of mature wheat and eyes filled with fiery life.

 

He had a very sheltered life. It had been many years since he last ventured out into the world. So much had changed as he marveled at the differences. When traveling to the nearest town, he decided to cut into the mountains for some sightseeing. It was a…good choice on his part.

 

Oh, for fuck’s sake, what was he thinking! He wasn’t here to sightsee. He’s just running around in circles and it has been hours. He couldn’t bring himself to admit it but anyone could see…he was lost.

 

The middle-aged man stood up and took a swig from his water pouch. Swishing the cool water around in his mouth, he gazed towards the horizons at the beautiful view of flowers and majestic mountains.

 

Suddenly, a slight movement at the corner of his eyes caught his attention. He turned his neck towards the source of the movement and saw a young boy with buzzcut hair dangling over a small cliff. The boy was trying to scale the small cliff barehanded.

 

Sensing an ominous danger coming from the boy, the middle-aged man hurried over to get a closer look. Just as the man arrived at the foot of the cliff, the boy seemed to have lost all energy in his arms. With a cry for help, the boy gave way and fell.

 

The man reached out with his hand and a wave of power swept out from his body. The wave bombarded the young boy and acted as a counter, efficiently slowing down his fall. The boy had his eyes closed as he yelped for his life, so he did not notice this happening to him.

 

The boy landed in the man’s arms with a gentle plop. The man checked to see if the boy had any other injuries. Aside from the scratches on his hands, the boy was relatively fine. The man supported the boy as he placed him on his feet.

 

“There, there now. You’re okay now.” The man comforted the young boy.

 

The boy opened his eyes and looked around. “Is this heaven? Did I die?”

 

The man chuckled and corrected the boy. “No, you did not die.”

 

“D-Did you save me?” The boy looked at the man shyly.

 

“Yes.” The man nodded.

 

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” The boy bowed continuously as his eyes teared slightly with gratitude.

 

“Why were you climbing this barehanded like that?” The man asked as he pointed at the cliff.

 

“I’m trying to get that.” The boy replied as he turned his attention towards a small flower deeply rooted on the side of the cliff.

 

The flower had white and pink petals with lush green leaves and a smooth stem. The shape of the flower closely resembled that of a lily. The middle-aged man peered towards the flower and couldn’t help but whistle in surprise.

 

“Oh ho, isn’t that a soul lily?” The man exclaimed as he studied the boy a bit more carefully.

 

Just who was this boy? The soul lily, for normal people, would seem nothing more than a pretty flower. However, for the trained eye, this lily contains miraculous healing capabilities. Did the boy know about the soul lily’s intrinsic characteristics or was he only picking it because it looked nice?

 

The boy turned towards the man in surprise when he heard him mutter its name. “Y-You know of it?”

 

This time it was the man’s turn to look at the boy in surprise. “You know what this is too?”

 

“Yea. This is a soul lily.” The boy blushed slightly as he hadn’t expected his question to be returned so quickly.

 

The middle-aged man studied the young boy thoughtfully. This boy was about six or seven years old and despite his dusty appearance, his eyes were bright and his face was full of vigor. The scraggly brownish green hair fluttered about gently with the flow of the summer breeze.

 

“Even if you knew what it was, you shouldn’t have tried to pick it just because it looked pretty. You could have died!” The man scolded.

 

“I didn’t!” The boy stamped his foot in retaliation. “I was trying to get it because of its healing properties! I want to use it to heal my mother!”

 

“Oh?” The man cocked his head and gave the boy another glance. “Who taught you about herbs?”

 

“I learned it from my father. He’s a local herbalist.” The boy responded.

 

“If your father is a herbalist, why didn’t he go pick this flower?” The man asked.

 

The boy bowed his head with a depressed look. “He can’t. Ever since that day, he lost his right arm.”

 

“What do you mean?” The man asked curiously. “I don’t mean to pry but….”

 

“It’s no secret.” The boy replied. “A little more than a year ago, the local governor’s son fell ill and the governor ordered my father to cure his son. However, my father wasn’t able to and the governor was angry because of it. In response, he had my father’s right arm cut off.”

 

“I’m sorry.” The man apologized, feeling a bit pity for the young child. “Here, how about I help you collect that flower?”

 

“Really? Thank you so much!” The boy beamed in delight.

 

“No problem at all.” The man replied as he rolled up his sleeves and murmured something unintelligibly to himself.

 

With a shimmering wave of energy, he leaped onto the side of the cliff and started scaling up with relative ease. Before long, the man had reached near the top of the cliff where the flower was rooted in a small crevice.

 

After checking to see if there were no snakes or poisonous weeds lying about near the flower, the man reached over and plucked it, roots and all. He carefully stuffed the flower into his side pocket, not wanting to damage the flower and destroy some of its value. Once he had secured the flower, the man quickly descended.

 

When the man gave the soul lily to the boy, he jumped about excitedly and thanked the man. “Thank you, sir! Thank you so much! With this, my mother will be saved!”

 

“No problem. How about I come with you to check on your mother’s condition? I may not look like it, but I’m a healer by trade.” The man suggested.

 

“Really? That’d be great! Come, follow me! I’ll take you to town.” The boy smiled happily as he gestured for the man to follow him. “By the way, how should I address you?”

 

“Felix. Just call me Gr-Uncle Felix.” The man followed the polite young boy.

 

“Uncle Felix? Okay!” The boy chattered about his village’s local delicacies and tourist attractions as he led Felix to his house.

 

***

 

The journey didn’t last an hour when the duo reached a small stone and wood house. Inside, Felix could hear sounds of humming while the scent of cooked pasta lingered near the windows. When the young boy pushed open the front door, he and Felix were greeted by a middle-aged man with graying hair and beard. The man had only one arm and carried a ladle in his left hand.

 

“Son, you’re just in time for dinner. Who’s this?” The father of the young boy spoke in a baritone voice.

 

“Dad, this is Uncle Felix. He saved me when I fell off the cliff searching for the soul lily!” The boy explained honestly as he scratched the back of his head timidly, as if just realizing that he had done something dangerous.

 

And dangerous it was as his father knocked on his head sharply and scolded. “Why did you go and do something so dangerous? If it weren’t for this kind sir here, you would have died! Don’t do something this stupid ever again, you hear me?”

 

“Y-Yessir, I h-hear you.” The boy winced in pain as he rubbed his forehead.

 

After seeing his son’s eyes welling up with tears, the father sighed and wiped away the tears. “I’m sorry for hitting you son. I’m worried about you. Did you hurt yourself anywhere?”

 

As the boy shook his head, Felix chirped in. “Rest assured sir, your son didn’t hurt himself. I’m a healer.”

 

“Is that so? Thank you so much!” The father shook Felix’s hand and expressed his gratitude. “Come, join us for dinner and stay here for the night. It’s the least we can do.”

 

“Thank you.” Felix smiled as he helped the two set up the table.

 

The three had a scrumptious meal consisted of spaghetti and meatballs, rye bread, and fresh salad of lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes. For a family living in a village in the countryside, they were well off.

 

While the boy cleared the table and washed the dishes, the father poured a mug of fresh milk for Felix and asked him what his plans were. Felix told him that he was a wandering healer looking to explore the countryside while garnering any inspiration for his work.

 

“If you want, with my many years of research and experience, I may be able to find a way to help treat your wife. Will you let me examine her?” Felix offered.

 

“Will you? Thank you so much!” The father thanked Felix as he led him to a closed room. “Please.”

 

Felix entered the room and immediately wrinkled his nose in slight disgust. The smell inside the room, though barely noticeable when the door was closed, had revealed itself upon opening the door. It was the smell of rot.

 

Felix looked around him and saw that the smell was barely covered by the scent of fresh flowers. The healer glanced over at the sick woman. At first glance, he could discern that this was no ordinary sickness. In fact, upon closer inspection, this woman was poisoned!

 

Felix checked the woman’s face, neck, and arms but found no cause. After acquiring the husband’s permission, Felix checked the woman’s legs as well. There it was! Felix had found the cause of the woman’s state of mind. It was a rash that had transformed through constant scratching from that of an insect’s bite.

 

But what insect could have done this? Felix pondered a bit while observing the woman’s physical condition. The woman had purplish yellow swellings around her eyes and lips. Her eyebrows arched in pain and with every breath she took, a scratchy wheeze came out.

 

When Felix discussed her other symptoms with the husband, he was told that the woman suffered extreme vertigo and lethargy a few days before she went into her coma. Felix counted the symptoms and with each symptom added, a couple of candidates were mentally marked off.

 

Could it be the chimera fly? Felix thought as he lifted up the woman’s eyelids to check the eyes. There were no movement from the eyes and a golden tinge could be seen from the surface of the irises. The symptoms all match. This is a serious problem. Normal people would have died already. Luckily for this woman, her husband was an herbalist and knew at least some basic knowledge in dealing with such occurrences.

 

Felix took a deep breath and left the room. The father anxiously asked him how his wife was. Felix looked at the caring husband and responded to his question. “You wife isn’t ill. She was poisoned.”

 

“P-Poisoned? How’s that possible? She’s a kind person. She doesn’t have any enemies. Aside from local governor, our family has been treated well by the neighbors.” The father retorted disbelievingly.

 

“Not that kind of poison. She was poisoned by an insect. The chimera fly to be exact.” Felix reassured the middle-aged man.

 

“Chimera fly? I’ve never heard of that.” The father pondered as he stroked his beard in thought.

 

Felix chuckled and explained. “Of course you haven’t heard of it. The chances of meeting one is one in a million. I don’t even know whether to call your wife lucky or not.”

 

“Can you cure it?” The husband got straight to the point.

 

“The bite of a chimera fly – fierce as a tiger, stubborn as a goat, and venomous as a viper. Something like a soul lily may suppress the effects temporarily, but it will not cure it.” Felix remarked.

 

Sensing that Felix knew more than he had let on, the father probed a bit deeper. “So…what should we do?”

 

“I can first create a suppressant with the soul lily. It’ll at least decrease the pain and give your wife some breathing room. But for the cure…you don’t have the main ingredient.” Felix sighed.

 

Before the father could ask, the young boy chirped in. “What’s the main ingredient? Where can I find it?”

 

Felix looked at the boy in slight surprise. The father may have not noticed it, but Felix definitely did. The boy had said ‘I’ and not ‘we’ or ‘my father’. Did this boy want to look for the ingredient himself? What happened to his earlier promise to not do anything dangerous?

 

But, when Felix saw the determination in the young boy’s eyes, he couldn’t help but answer. “There’s stories of a magical herb growing somewhere deep in the forest within a forgotten temple. The herb was guarded by an evil ghost with powerful fear-inducing abilities. If you are courageous enough to get the herb, you will definitely heal her.”

 

“But those are just stories. Can we believe it?” The father frowned, some doubt floating in his mind. Was it wrong of him to trust this wandering healer with a viable solution?

 

Felix smiled and shook his head. “The stories are ninety percent true. I’ve done my research and there really existed such an herb in the temple. If you don’t trust my research, I can stake my title as a healer that the temple resonated with pure and vital magic.”

 

“I-I trust you. But, a ghost? How could I even possibly fend off against that?” The father murmured dejectedly. “Should I hire some adventurers? No, that’s too expensive and unreliable. Sir, will you help us?”

 

“Me?” Felix arched his eyebrows slightly in disappointment. “I’m only a healer. I can’t.”

 

“Oh.” The husband sighed once more as he looked dearly at his bedridden wife. “I guess that’s fate.”

 

Felix looked at the middle-aged man with half disappointment and half understanding. It was disappointing to see him act without confidence. Did he not want to risk his all for his beloved wife? Where was his manly spirit?

 

But then again, Felix understood that because of the man’s right arm, the man was limited in the actions he could take. If he had gone and lost his life, then what will happen to his son and ailing wife? That was mortality. There were just too many choices in life. One must sacrifice some in order to gain others. In the man’s case, he had to sacrifice curing his wife in order to support his son.

 

However, Felix wasn’t disappointed in the family as a whole. In fact, he was attracted to something that completely balanced with his disappointment of the father. The son…the boy still had a look of determination despite knowing what he would have to face.

 

While the father entered his office room to concoct some simple medicine to be sold the next day, the boy pulled Felix aside to inquire about the forgotten temple. Felix eyed the young boy and asked if he really wanted to go.

 

“Yes!” The boy replied. “If it’s for my mother, I’ll do anything!”

 

“Okay.” Felix nodded, satisfied with the answer. “Take this map, it leads to the temple.”

 

The boy received the map and looked over it before folding it up and stuffing it into one of his pockets. “Don’t tell my father. I don’t want him to worry.”

 

“When will you go?” Felix asked.

 

“Tomorrow morning.” The boy strategized. “I need to get some rest first and make preparations.”

***

 

The next day, the young boy left the house early before the rooster heralded the coming sun. Little did he know, Felix had woken up and secretly tailed him a few hundred meters from behind.

 

The boy followed the markings on the map and made his way deep into the forest. After trekking for what seemed like hours, he finally found the ruined temple. The rundown appearance of the temple, coupled with the darkness of the forest, gave the temple a creepy and haunted vibe.

 

Upon seeing the temple, the boy nearly wet himself with fear. However, he courageously steeled his nerves and entered the building. Immediately, he felt a shivering coldness run down his back. His eyes began to blur and he could feel the temperature around him drop a few degrees.

 

A slight fluttering movement caused him to turn towards the source. But he did not see anything out of the ordinary. The place was quiet…too quiet. Not a single sound could be heard. No insects or birds chirping, not even the floorboards creaked as the boy walked over them.

 

The boy looked around him as he struggled to make out the objects in the dark room. Suddenly, he saw something that shook him from head to toe. There, before him, stood a bloodied looking figure with a scowling face. The figure locked eyes with the boy and smiled a toothy grin. That was when the boy noticed that the figure was floating above ground.

 

“G-G-Ghost!” The boy cried in panic and turned around towards the exit.

 

But when he reached there, the door was missing! He wasn’t just locked in, he was trapped! The boy turned towards the ghost who fluttered about at the other side of the large room. The ghost edged closer and moved farther as if toying with the young child’s mental state.

 

As the boy’s fears stacked, the ghost suddenly appeared before him and brought its gruesome face close. The sight of a half-rotten face frightened the boy so badly, that he fainted a few seconds later. The ghost stared at the collapsed young boy and smiled once more. Slowly, the ghost reached its hand towards the boy’s face.

 

***

 

“WAH!” The boy woke up with a start.

 

He cringed back in fear as he looked around him. “Eh? Where am I? Isn’t this the forest?”

 

The boy pulled out his map and looked around. According to the map, the area he was standing on should be where the temple was located on. But where was the temple? Could he have been tricked?

 

Disappointed and feeling betrayed, the young child returned home. The sun rose in the skies while the region shone brightly with warmth. The child followed the usual path towards his house. However, along the way, he couldn’t help but glance over at the neighbors who seemed to be gossiping and pointing at him. He could barely make out words and phrases like ‘poor child’ and ‘pitiful’.

 

Not taking these idle gossips to heart, the young boy hastened towards home. Upon arrival, he noticed that something seemed different…off about the place. It was eerily quiet. Usually, at this time, his father would be cooking breakfast by the front window. But now, the windows were closed shut and the curtains were drawn over them.

 

Did father sleep in? What about Uncle Felix? The boy thought as he reached out to push the door open. But, the door was locked. That’s strange. The house was located in a relatively safe area, there was little to no need for locking the doors.

 

Luckily, the boy was prepared for such situations as he lifted a nearby pot and pulled out a spare key. The boy unlocked the front door with the spare key and walked inside. The house was dark and quiet. The child walked up to a window and intended on pulling apart the covers when he heard a rustle from behind.

 

Having been spooked earlier by the ghost…nightmare? The young boy froze and slowly turned around. With a scream of courage, he lifted his arms up to defend himself, even though he knew it was a foolish move considering the opposition was a ghost.

 

However, there was no ghost. The young boy was able to make out the haggard appearance of his father. “Dad, why are the curtains closed? Did you just wake up? How was your sleep? Where’s Uncle Felix? Is he still asleep? Should I wake him up? Should I help prepare some breakfast?”

 

The young boy chattered away with questions for his father, but he did not receive a single answer. Curious, he looked up and saw that his father was facing the wall. The young boy approached his father and tugged on his sleeve.

 

“Father! Wake up! Are you sleepwalking?” The boy called out as he continued tugging on the sleeve.

 

Suddenly, the fatherly figure turned towards the boy, exposing his disfigured and rotting face. The boy tried to scream in terror, but no sound came out of his voice. He tried to pull away, but the figure had grabbed his arm.

 

“W-Who are you? What have you done with my dad?” The boy cried out as a stream of yellow stench trickled down his pants and stained the wooden floor.

 

“What’s the matter boy? Don’t you recognize your own father?” The figure smiled as tens of maggots swarmed about in the monster’s face and mouth.

 

“Y-You’re not my father! My father is alive! You-You’re dead! You’re not real!” The boy roared as he struggled to free himself.

 

But the monstrosity held on tightly. “Oh, but I am your father. You made me like this. You killed me!”

 

“No! No! No! You’re lying! You’re lying! You’re lying!” The boy repeated fervently, refusing to believe what the monster was saying.

 

“Why? Son, why? Son, why? Son, WHY?! Why did you leave us? Why did you disappear? WHY?!” The monster shook the boy and pushed him back. “Oh, your poor mother. She woke up and wanted to see you. But you weren’t HERE! Oh, your poor mother! She died right then and there! You killed her! You killed your mother! YOU!”

 

“No! No! NO! You’re lying!” The boy scrambled to his feet and pushed the monster back with a burst of momentary courage.

 

The monstrosity fell back, but it did not have a look of surprise. Instead, its face distorted painfully into something both familiar and unfamiliar. “And now, you’ve killed me, son. You killed ME! You KILLED me! YOU killed me! YOU KILLED ME!! HAHAHAHAHA!”

 

Instead of landing on the ground, the undead-like figure twisted its body and stretched out its neck. The head flew towards the boy and smashed into him, knocking foreheads. The boy jerked his head back as tears welled up in his eyes. A sensation of blurriness flooded over him as he fainted. Who knew how long he had been knocked out? The monster reached its clawed hands towards the boy’s head.

 

***

 

“WAH!” The boy woke up with a start, his back shivering in the cold morning.

 

He just had a terrible nightmare! The boy squinted his eyes as he stared groggily at his surroundings. Wasn’t that his house? Why was he sleeping outside in the backyard? Wasn’t he going to the forest today? Did he sleepwalk into the backyard?

 

All these questions started piling up in his head that it took him a few shakes to dump them all into the back of his mind. There was no more time to waste. He needed to go to the forest before his father started to worry.

 

The boy walked towards the backdoor and was just about to open it when he noticed something at the corner of his eyes. It was something that he had never seen in the backyard before. Because it was still relatively dark with the first rays of sunlight peeking out from the horizon, the boy moved closer to have a better look.

 

As the rays of sunlight pierced through the darkness and shone onto the two dark objects before him, the boy gaped in astonishment and disbelief. These were tombstones! Whose tombstones? Tentatively, the boy reached out and wiped the dust off of one of the tombstones.

 

What he saw, left him feeling very nauseous. This…this was his mother’s tombstone! Then, that meant the other one was his father’s! The young child hoped that he was wrong about it but when he wiped away the dirt, there carved into the stone was his father’s name.

 

“Impossible! This is impossible!” The boy backed away in panic, but his legs gave way. “Wrong! This is wrong! This is all wrong!”

 

The boy slapped himself trying to wake up from this nightmare, but all that’s left for him was a stinging cheek. He did not want to acknowledge his parents’ death. How could this have happened? They were fine just yesterday.

 

Suddenly, the boy recalled that there was another person. “U-Uncle Felix! Where’s uncle Felix?”

 

The boy turned towards the house and struggled towards it; however, for some reason, he couldn’t move his leg. It was as if his leg was caught by something. The boy turned around to look and cried out in fear.

 

Something had indeed caught onto his leg. It was a hand! A zombified hand – half rotted and half sludgy hand with maggots swimming in between the protruding bones! The boy gagged uncontrollably as he tried to kick away the hand, but its grasp on his leg was tight.

 

Why did the hand suddenly pop out of the grave like that? How can it grab onto his leg with such a death grip? Whose hand is this? The boy couldn’t help but wonder about these things as he tried to pry open the grip with his hands.

 

Just as the boy managed to pry apart one finger, the whole hand started moving. The arm extended out as another hand burst through the grave. After much struggling, a head emerged and revealed a face half-eaten by worms and maggots. It was his father’s face!

 

As the boy gaped at the horrific sight, the face inched closer to him as if honing in on his presence. Its mouth gaped open as a terrifying screech blasted out. “YOU! It’s all YOUR FAULT! YOU did this! YOU DID THIS!”

 

“NO! I didn’t do it! Y-You…You’re a liar! You’re a LIAR!” The boy sobbed as he tried to move away from the face.

 

“Why did YOU have to LEAVE? Do you know how much WE worried? Do you not CARE about US? Do you hate us? You HATE us! YOU HATE US! YOU HATE US! YOU HATE US! YOU HATE US!” The zombie roared with increasing volume.

 

The words rang deafeningly in the boy’s ears as he struggled to retort. But, no matter what he said, the zombie won’t let go. The monster dragged the boy close and pulled him into the grave with him. The boy’s last words were muffled as the dirt crumbled over him.

 

***

 

“WAH!” The boy woke up with a start, his mouth dry and his voice hoarse.

 

What a terrible nightmare! The boy squinted his eyes as he stared groggily at his surroundings. The bright sun shone through the windows. Wasn’t this his room? Did he oversleep? The boy quickly pinched his cheek and yelped in pain. He was definitely awake.

 

The boy scrambled out of bed and saw his father, alive and well. His father was preparing to go outside as he reached for his coat. The young child sighed with relief and walked up to his father, wondering where he was about to go this early in the morning.

 

“Dad, where you off to? Where’s Uncle Felix? Is he still sleeping in?” The boy giggled as he faced his father.

 

However, the pained and worried look on the man’s face disturbed the child. Before the boy could ask, the man scowled. “Where has that damned boy went off to? How can he run off at a time like this? HOW?”

 

“D-Dad, I’m r-right here. I’m right here!” The boy tried to get through to his father, but the middle-aged man treated him like air as the man brushed past him.

 

The man stopped next to the door and punched the wall, his shoulders shaking as tears flowed from his eyes. “Why did you leave son? WHY?! Your mother is DEAD! Where are you? WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!”

 

 “What’s wrong with my mother? What do you mean she’s DEAD? Dad? Answer me! DAD?!” The boy tried to grab his father, but the middle-aged man slipped from his fingers.

 

The middle-aged man rushed out the door after wrapping his neck with a scarf. The boy tried to follow but as soon as he exited the house, his father was nowhere in sight. Only his voice could be heard. The boy searched everywhere, but no matter how far he went or where he went, his father’s voice always seemed to be right around the corner. Feeling peeved, the boy returned to the house.

 

The boy tried to call out to Felix for help, but the wandering healer was nowhere to be found. “U-Uncle Felix? Uncle Felix! W-Where did y-you go?! W-Why…why is this happening? Why is this happening?!”

 

After walking out of the guest room where Felix slept in last night, the young child turned his attention towards his mother’s room. His father had said his mother was dead. That couldn’t be true! No, it shouldn’t be true.

 

Biting the bullet, the young child pushed open the door to his mother’s room and peered inside. Because the curtains were still shut tight, there were little to no light in the room. It took the boy a few seconds to adjust his sight as he stared at the motionless figure lying on the bed.

 

It’s not true, right? The boy thought as he slowly walked towards the side of the bed. His mother laid motionless on the bed. She looked so relaxed, unlike her usual pained expressions. Was she really dead?

 

The boy reached over slowly and touched his mother’s face. It was cold to the touch! He moved his hand towards her nose…no breath. The boy felt his face stain with tears. An uncontrollable sob escaped from his lips.

 

“Wuuuu…mother, don’t die. Please don’t die. Please wake up, mother. Please!” The boy sobbed as gazed at his mother’s peaceful face. “Don’t die mother! Please wake up! I-I need you! Father needs you! Don’t leave! Mother, don’t leave me! Mother!”

 

Suddenly, while the boy sobbed, the woman opened her eyes wide and looked at the child with blackened eyes. The sight caught the young child by surprise as he shrank back in fear. But, before he could move a step, the woman’s face distorted into an ugly scowl and sat up. Her back twisted in a weird angle as both of her hands reached out to grab the young child’s neck.

 

“Kikikikikikiki…if you miss me, then why don’t you follow me to death!” The demoness cackled as she gradually increased pressure.

 

The child struggled to breath as he flailed his feeble arms against the steel-like pincers on his neck. “L-Let go. Let go! LET go! Let GO! LET GO! LET GO! Let GO!”

 

“Let go? NO! Kikikikikikikikiki! Why should I let go?” The monster cackled as her face twisted even more. “Why should I let go? Huh? It’s your fault I died! Oh, I’m so lonely! It’s so lonely here! Kikikikikikikiki! You should accompany your dear old mother. Let’s be family once more!”

 

“No! *cough* I didn’t mean to leave! *cough* *cough* I only wanted to heal you! I-I *cough*.” The boy tried to explain as he continued choking, the lack of oxygen deluded his mind.

 

“Son, don’t you want to be with me? Kikikikik! Join me, kikiki. Give up on your life and join me!” The monstrosity cackled once more as her distorted face curled up a hideous smirk.

 

*FLASHBACK*

 

A woman of youthful beauty laid in bed. Her face pale from sickness and her body thin from malnutrition. The woman looked towards her left at the young boy crying his eyes out. A hand reached out and grabbed hers, causing the woman to look up.

 

The hand belonged to her husband. The man smiled sadly at the woman while he comforted her with reassuring words. The woman smiled slightly despite the pain and reached her hand out to pat on the boy’s head.

 

The boy looked up at the contact while the woman murmured some words of comfort. “Don’t worry son. Nothing bad will happen to me. Don’t be so sad. Live, my child, live! Grow up and be healthy. Can you do that for me? Son, can you do that for me?”

 

“Uhn!” The boy nodded.

 

“Remember son, no matter what, grow up and live a healthy life. Remember this!” The woman emphasized as she continued to rub her son’s head.

 

“Uhn!” The boy nodded once more as he steeled his nerves and kept his mother’s words to heart.

 

*FLASHBACK*

 

“Live, my child, LIVE!”

 

The voice echoed in the boy’s head as a certain memory resurfaced. The boy’s eyes exerted a moment of clarity as he glanced at the monster before him. “You! You aren’t my mother! You’re a liar! You’re a monster! Let go! LET GO!”

 

The boy clenched both fists and slammed them down on the arms, breaking free from the demoness’s grasps. As the boy scrambled to his feet, he heard a voice in his mind. It sounded like Uncle Felix’s voice.

 

The light, boy! The light!

 

Without thinking about where the voice came from or why it sounded like Uncle Felix, the young child turned his attention towards the closed curtains. Dodging the flailing arms of the immobilized evil entity, the boy slid towards the curtains and flung them wide open.

 

Beams of sunlight pierced through the room and dispersed the darkness, destroying the evil within and bringing warmth to the young child. The demoness that was portraying his mother had been banished by the holiness of the sun. Everything turned to normal soon after and the room became peaceful once more.

 

***

 

Felix stared at the boy who was suffering through an arduous mental battle with the ghost. Time and time again, the young child tasted defeat. Every defeat drew the ghost closer to the boy’s heart. And once the last trial ended in failure, a mark would appear in the boy’s heart. A mark large enough for the ghost to enter and take over.

 

With every defeat, the boy’s face paled as he frowned and twitched in fear. Felix had wanted to help out but this was the child’s trial and Felix knew that he shouldn’t interfere until the very end.

 

And as the end approached, Felix couldn’t help but cheer the boy on, praying for him and muttering about the light. He hoped that even in the trance-like state, the young child could at least hear his words of advice.

 

Just as he thought that the boy could not handle it any longer, the child’s face began to relax as his pale face was replaced by a rosy complexion. The boy had succeeded! Felix couldn’t mask his look of surprise and satisfaction. The boy twitched a bit and a frown appeared on his face. He was about to wake up! Felix took this chance to hide from the boy before he woke up.

 

The boy suddenly opened his eyes and unleashed a series of coughs. He had finally released himself from the ordeal. He was alive! The boy looked around the room and found that the ghost had disappeared. In fact, the temple itself looked a bit brighter.

 

With the ghost gone, the boy continued to search for the miracle herb. After delving deeper into the temple’s chambers, he saw a rusted and chipped statue. It was a statue of an unknown god. The god was a man with his facial features enshrouded by a thick hood.

 

As the boy examined the statue, he found that the miracle herb was actually growing in the hands of the statue. The boy was so excited as he bounded towards the statue. But, he did not immediately snatch the herb away. After all, this herb was growing from the statue of the god. In a way, the herb belonged to the god.

 

The boy knelt down before the statue and kowtowed a number of times. “Please god! Please grant me the herb in your hands. I want…no, I need it to cure my mother. Please! I’ll do anything! Though I have nothing to exchange or buy the herb, I am willing to dedicate my life in worshipping you. Please help me! Please grant me the herb!”

 

A shimmer of light glowed on the young boy as he bowed for the hundredth time, his forehead a bit swollen and bleeding from the deep bows. The boy looked up in confusion and saw that the statue had disappeared. In its place was Uncle Felix. The man bent his knees slightly as he handed the miracle herb to the boy.

 

Confused, the boy asked what Felix was doing here and why he had the herb. In response, Felix told the boy the truth. The ruined temple was his. It was something he had created from scratch the night before. The herb was planted by Felix beforehand. As for the ghost, it was no more than a simple illusion spell.

 

“W-What do you mean, Uncle Felix? Why are you doing this?” The boy felt somewhat betrayed. “If you had the herb the whole time, why did I have to go through all this? Is the herb even real?”

 

“Hahaha, I can understand that you feel wronged. However, this was all a test.” Felix explained with a chuckle. “I wanted to see if you have the qualifications to become my disciple. And indeed, you do. Congratulations! You have passed! I’m very satisfied!”

 

“As your disciple? W-Who are you?” The boy asked.

 

“Don’t you know? You kowtowed to me a hundred times.” Felix smiled.

 

“Y-You mean, you’re the – !” The boy gaped in shock.

 

“That’s right.” Felix replied as he waved his arm and revealed his true form. “I am Feil the God of Life.”

 

“The God of Life!” The young child yelped as he kneeled. “D-Disciple greets Master!”

 

“Hahaha! Good! Good! Good!” The god chuckled. “By the way, boy…what is your name?”

 

“My name?” The boy replied. “My name is Moss.”