When Samuel opened his eyes, his own room ceiling greeted him.

His memory felt fuzzy and head splitting headache was making him dizzy.

Looking at his room he found no one.

Looking at window, pervading sunlight which filled his room told him that it was before the noon.

In other words that day had passed.

As he rose his upper body, He rubbed his forehead to dispel the headache.

When he take a look at himself, he saw his left leg being covered in a beautiful and calm, pale white light.

Looking at his leg strange state, he tried to get up but found himself unable to.

It was because of a bestowment that his bed had.

It was fixating effect, its use was mostly for infants, it stopped from falling from bed.

If Samuel's wasn't injured, he would have relinquish this effect, and gotten up.

But his feeble body that had weakened by wicked surprise attack and was under a constant active healing magic, was basically paralyzed. 

At this point the fog in his memory began clearing up and he remembers what had transpired.

As those invidious, unpleasant scene replayed in his mind, his body give slight tremors.

He hugged his own shoulders to stop the shaking but it changed nothing.

He felt something stuck in his throat, suffocating him from within. 

He had many different emotion towards what had befallen on him at day, each worse than next.

He detested Allan act of dragging him in that situation, humiliated over contemptuous side glances noble kids throw at him and lastly, he felt a pitch black lump of hate towards the boy who maliciously struck him.

This heavy torrent of dark emotions threatened to crush his fragile spirit.

Sound of door being opened jolted him out of his self-reflection which had tinge of self-loathing.

As person who entered the room and cut off his introspection moved in, walking towards the bed, her affectionate motherly voice filled the room.

“…you've finally woken up Samuel, I'm relieved.” 

Her two black eye had a little dark circles underneath them, showing sleepless time she had.

Sitting right beside him, she looked at him, her visage didn't show tiredness, it was an expression overflowing with love and concern.

“are you fine? Does it hurts anywhere?” voicing out her worries she asked about his condition.

In response to her Samuel went silence and dropped his head.

His resentment toward himself surged up, her mother sadness and pain was caused by him.

It is my fault. That was what he thought.

If it wasn't for me being useless, brother wouldn't be easily defeated, if I wasn't like this mother wouldn't suffer, my fault…

Although from one view his word seemed true as everything that happened had connection with him but it wasn't his fault.

No one decides their birth condition so his weakness wasn't his fault, him being targeted wasn't his fault either as this political struggle would have happened regardless of his presence.

But a child couldn't think that throughly, he saw the surface and he found himself as guilty.

His long silence caused a big wave of fear in heart of woman besides him.

So she move herself closer and began inspecting him.

Checking his body temperature, his breathing, his eyes.

A simple medical knowledge she had. It was superficial but it was what she capable of.

Even if it wasn't much use it was way better just wallowing in worry and be incapable of anything.

His mother sudden action caught him off guard.

“are you sure you are fine? Should I call the healer?”

When she backed away to bring healer, Samuel hands moved and grabbed her hand.

Samuel didn't do that consciously, it was his body moving on its own.

Emma stopped herself too, Samuel didn't know why he did that but same didn't apply to her.

She could see it clearly, it was fear, a traumatic fear over what he had experienced.

She had seen it before, on warrior who had suffered gruesome defeat when fighting monsters.

Seeing comrades die before their eyes, getting face to face with death and similar happenstance would break their will. They wouldn't be able to continue with their profession most times and would change it or in few case they'll return by help of other.

Samuel wasn't that urgent and dangerous case but in the end, fear was fear, no matter of what intensity.

So she decided to break this heavy sense that was taking a hold over him, to shatter his hesitations and bring him to talk.

So she moved, embracing him gently.

“are you scared?” she asked him.

Most times when child were scared, they would rather not bring it up, their parents wouldn't press much on it either, so that their pride and self-esteem wouldn't be hurt.

But negligence wasn't best solution, at beginning it might be calming, they might wish for other to give them space so they'll solve it on their own.

But if they couldn't clear it, they'll pretend like it is solved while they bury it in their heart.

They might not feel it but it'll weaken them and one day it might grab their ankle at critical time.

So even if it was tactless, it was way of approach that Emma chose, she decided to face his fear when it was forming not when it had already took root in his heart.

His mother word was right on mark and he recognized his fear.

As his trepidation revealed, it became a dark shadow, scratching countless arms to sink him into abyss.

But warmth that enveloped his body and hand who held him cause him to stop shaking, he wasn't trembling like moments ago. 

“I was…scared, really, really scared,…*sniff*… I thought it was over …for us both…”

He admitted his feeling, amidst sob and sniff as his tear flowed, he let out what he held in his heart. 

“when I was …attacked, I couldn't …even move, I tried … to remove that …thing …but I couldn't…”

“I saw brother …got hurt …because of me … but I …couldn't even call out to him…”

With his broken and tearful voice he voiced his feelings, his hand becoming tighter, he nestled close to not allow her to see her face, staining her clothes wet with warm tear.

She held him back the same, caressing his back as she held her own tear back.

“don't worry, it won't happen again, I won't allow it to take place ever again.”

As she asserted him, his heart grow tranquil, no longer shaking like leaf about to fall.

As time passed slowly, not interrupting sweet moment of the two.

“mom”

Samuel suddenly called out to her.

“hmm? What is it?”

Although he just called her, she felt something unnatural in him, it wasn't concerning, it was just different from sad state he had before.

“when can I move my foot again?”

“Oh, that, according to healer around one month.”

Taking a sigh of relief, she gazed as his face, becoming fully relieved over not seeing any shadow of his fear.

“can you bring me some book? I'll be bored to death if I'm going to remain in bed for entire month.”

“okay, what books do you prefer?”

“all of book about magic, especially those that are specifically for wind and water attribute”

“all right, I'll bring it to you shortly.” As she moved out, she paused before closing the door.

“nearly forgot, there is a certain medicine that healer said you should take daily, and that's your first day's.”

pointing to his side where it was placed, she give him a pitying gaze and a warning. 

“drink it slowly.”

As his mother left, his eyes showed a cold glint, he held his resentment and what he truly thought deep within.

He wasn't a cunning child or a devious mind but he didn't wish for his mother to become aware of what he thought.

So he used all efforts he could, to not allow her to see it.

She told him that she'll protect him and he was certain that she was dead serious. 

But what if she didn't had time to come to his rescue? If he was caught in a dire state, how much time they needed to come to his rescue? 

He had to keep himself safe at least for few seconds for his parents to reach him.

His parents strength gave him impression that they were unshakable tigers, showing might and driving pests away from their domain.

But what about him? His answer was…

“a kitten ”

Although same as them a feline, but difference was undeniable chasm.

But now he reached a new determination for himself.

“even if I'm a weak kitten, I'll not stay down and wait for you to attack me again, if he take a hand I'll take a finger. I'll show this little fang and claw can also deal a good damage.”

So he made up his mind, as he accepted his current weakness and chose to strive for a change.

Two months ago, he wept over what his state was, like an abandoned lamb, he had nothing to rely upon. 

But now he saw it truly meaningless, so what if he couldn't level up? Should he give up and do nothing? Was level up the only way?

He didn't knew definite answer for those questions but he didn't care about it, he would earn power, even if it was just a drop of water in an ocean.

As he steeled his resolve, someone else in mansion was experiencing the same but he was no one wiser as he didn't had much concentration on person who was right beside him, his thoughts no was only dedicated to himself.

With his musings reached an end he looked at medicine bottle, placed on corner of his bed, his mother last expression made him suspicious but faster he healed the better.

Picking it up he decided to gulp it down in one move and that was a mistake, because of…

“it's BITTER, damn it”

It was one most nastiest taste he had ever experienced, and if a big amount is taken instantly the taste would remain on tongue for hours.

Later Emma brought books he asked, and looked at him with pity and said “so you made the same mistake too.” It seems she had tasted it before too when she was wounded in past.

As he took a look at book, a new passion and new plan for his training fromed in his mind, soon to change him into a different boy.