good.”

After the first night’s beating, the father had made sure that his son wouldn’t even dare to think about the word ‘magic’. Every hour he would ask his son what his choice will be and any hesitation was punished by a beating.

And soon enough, Evin’s default answer became ‘No’. Like a dog, Evin would repeat his response without question and emotion. Just as his father wanted, there was no hesitation left in Evin’s mind. Indeed, he did not want to be a mage. Indeed, he cannot allow the Voice in his head to grow stronger. So naturally, when Leanne asks for his choice, Evin would say ‘No!’. He’d rather stay with his father and help with the blacksmithing!

Even animals would be able to tell that there was something wrong with Evin. Babies would try to crawl away from the boy and cry for their parents. 

But seeing such a state of him… Edmund felt different. He was proud of his son. He felt it was perfect.

‘What a disgusting man…’

Thankfully, Endra wasn’t so helpless inside Evin’s mind.

After a decade spent inside the boy’s brain, Endra had learned to affect the boy’s psyche. He could dampen certain emotions, hide unwanted memories, and even affect the speed and quality of Evin’s thoughts. That meant Evin could be smarter or slower, if Endra was willing to interfere.

Right now, Evin was very slow. It was the main reason for why the boy was so obedient.

But… the boy’s suffering was about to end soon. Today, the boy would finally break free from his father’s influence.

Edmund spoke of grand things, and a part of him truly believed what he was saying. Evin, with only his father in this world to call family, will never leave his side even after every atrocity he suffers under his care. It was the tragedy of being a monster’s spawn.

There was no escape. And even if there was, more often than not, you would return to your parent willingly.

Evin… would do exactly that. So bereft of love, he cannot bear to cut ties with his father cleanly.

‘So… I have to make sure you two stay separate,’ Endra sighed and looked up.

They were at their destination.

Endra’s goal was in sight, but he couldn’t really feel happy.

Was he feeling guilt for the boy? It was illogical. It wasn’t like he was ruining the kid’s life. What Evin was doing was absolutely the correct choice.

‘But no doubt it would be ugly.’

A minute later, they were waiting for Leanne to appear in the fancy mural room that they visited previously. Edmund would occasionally throw a glance at his son, sending a silent reminder for the latter. Eventually, Endra saw the woman appear from behind the same door, a distinctly noticeable half-smile on her face. A planned… practiced smile. 

Leanne noticed Evin and Edmund standing together, the boy looking like some drug addict on withdrawal, with his hollow eyes and crazed gaze. Her signature smile immediately faltered at the sight, as a look of guilt and regret appeared on her expression.

‘I suppose she didn’t expect things to go this far…’ Endra guessed.

The mage definitely could’ve helped Evin earlier, but for whatever reasons, she decided not to. Of course, the one to pay for her decision was not Leanne herself, but Evin.

“Have you come to… enroll in the Academy?” Leanne murmured, still in shock at the sight of Evin.

“No, I don’t think he will,” Edmund replied, a sense of finality in his voice, “I will not allow him to become part of your mage caste. He is better off as a simple blacksmith under my guidance.”

“Evin?” Leanne asked.

At that point, Endra’s will pressed down on Evin’s mind, forcing him to sleep. It didn’t take much effort for the desired effect to occur. A second later, Evin lost his consciousness and collapsed onto the floor.

“Evin?!”

Leanne rushed into help. She quickly checked his pulse and, in the process, revealed Evin’s bruised wrist.

“What are you doing?” Edmund quickly tried to intervene. “Take your hands off my son!”

“O, Immortal Serpent bestow upon this lowly woman Strength!” Leanne chanted and a pink hue appeared over her body.

With the chant, she was strong enough to push away Edmund, who was more than twice her size.

One by one, she revealed Evin’s limbs, revealing the horrors that were hidden beneath.

“Stop it!” Edmund screamed.

“What the hell is this?!” Leanne screeched. “What the hell do you do to your child?!”

“This is to make him understand!”

“Understand what!”

“It’s for him!”

“Storms! Shut this man’s mouth!”

Edmund really did go silent.

Endra couldn’t help but chuckle at the woman’s spell, but her next chant garnered his attention more.

“O, Omniscient Dragon of Origin, grant this lowly woman the hands to heal one’s weary mind.”

The words themselves were simple ones, but there was such a powerful intent and yearning behind it, that Endra couldn’t help but feel awed and enthralled upon hearing it.

After the chant was finished, Leanne’s hands took on a silver hue, and she used it to stroke Evin’s messy hair.

The hands seemed to pervade inside Evin’s mind, as Endra could actually see the giant hand over the waters. Wherever it touched, the murky waters would take on a livelier color and the ripples of thought would become more active.

Leanne’s breathing started to become more ragged, as fine beads of sweat started appearing on her forehead.

‘Ah… it’s the same as that time.’

Prior to coming to this world and getting stuck in Evin’s head, Endra had received a similar treatment from the stormy-eyed woman who sent him here. Back then, she had also helped him calm down using a silver hand.

A euphoric sense was taking over Evin’s mind, as the lake started taking on a vibrant and colorful hue. All of Evin’s worries seemed to dissipate gradually, as the boy’s tense body finally loosened up. His sore jaws became unclenched, and his forever sharp eyes took on a softer look for once.

No more worries of his father drinking back home, no more fears of the man becoming violent all of a sudden, no more confusion regarding the voice’s existence…

Endra saw as Evin’s mind finally falling into bliss, a state he desperately needed to be in through all these years as a simple 10-year-old boy… It was as if the boy had fallen into a beautiful dream, one where he could do anything he ever wanted to.

Eventually, the giant silver hand neared Endra himself.

Endra wondered what would happen if he were to make contact with it. Would he be erased? Classified as a mental illness by the mind-healing silver hand? There would definitely be a joke in there somewhere…

Or would something else happen?

‘Fuck it,’ he thought and reached out towards the hand.

But the moment they touched… the giant hands recoiled in fright and shock, as Leanne in the real world fell down to the ground with a thud. Her hand could not stop shivering and soon, tears streamed down her eyes.

Seeing such a reaction, Endra couldn’t help but wonder what the hell just happened.

‘Shit… That’s probably bad.’

“What…” Leanne muttered, wiping the tears off her eyes with her shaking hands. “What… the hell… do you do to your child?”

Her voice cracked at the end, and she sniffled with tears.

Edmund snapped out of his stupor, as he looked between Evin and Leanne with his mouth half open from shock.

“What did you to do my boy? Stop it! You’re hurting him!” he suddenly started shouting, trying to pull Evin out of Leanne’s grasp once more.

Leanne forcefully shoved the imposing man away from herself, her body emitting a pinkish steam all over. Her sorrow had transformed into rage, as she pushed Edmund away.

“This- is the state you’ve forced him to be in! Broken and traumatized! Frightened beyond belief! Do you think I don’t see him flinching with fear every time you make a move? Do you think I don’t see his eyes getting filled with terror every time he steals a glance at your figure?! I asked you. What! The hell! Do you do to your child?!”

“No, I didn’t do anything! I did what’s best for him! You’re the one who’s fucking him up! Stop it! What are you doing to my boy!?”

“Explain to me why, then! Explain! Why your son’s, no, why this 10-year-old’s brain is worse than the suicidal mind of a fucking war invalid?! A man who had his legs eaten alive by a colony of ants?!”

Evin’s father looked back with confusion, as if he was trying to understand the woman’s words.

“No… It’s the voice in his head… it must be that! He always hears a voice in his head!  It tells the boy to leave me… to kill me! I’m telling you the truth! I tried to get it fixed but it just didn’t work! The gurus, the doctors, the fucking shamans, they’re all fucking useless! Only I can help him! None of you understand anything!!!”

Leanne laughed coldly at Edmund’s words.

“Of course he’d a have a fucking voice in his head! In fact, I’d be more surprised if he didn’t have any voices in his head!” Leanne shouted back, before she picked up Evin and held him tight in her arms.

“Who are you anyway? A fucking stranger! You just want to use him, don’t you!” Edmund said and tried to wrestle Evin out of Leanne’s hug once again, “We will be leaving now. Let go of him this instant!”

As this was happening, the building’s guards busted into the room.

“What’s happening here? I heard shouts-” one of them was saying, before he looked at Leanne’s horrible state and paused with genuine shock and confusion.

“Guards! Take him out of this building. Get him away!”

“Y-yes, my lady!” the guards were still shocked by the sight, but they still acted quickly under the mage’s orders. The screaming Edmund was dragged away by the guards, leaving only Leanne and Evin inside the room.

Endra, who witnessed everything unfold before his eyes, sighed softly.

‘Well, it was ugly... as I'd feared.’

He then looked at Leanne, who was tightly hugging Evin in her arms. The stream of blackened tears coming from her eyes, her ruined hair and makeup, and her incessantly shaking hands. But the least of all, her eyes filled to the brim with regret and remorse.

“I’m so sorry…” she chanted under her breath, “By the Empress’ grace, I didn’t know… Forgive me for not helping you even a day sooner…”

Endra sighed again.

‘I suppose it’s finally over at least.’

‘…Wait, isn’t she like that because of me?’ he realized. ‘What did she say again? Worse than a war invalid who was eaten alive?’

Somehow, Endra felt more offended than sad.

‘I’m not that fucking bad… …Am I?’