"Why are you having food again? Don't you care that mom is trying to save money for her medicine?" A woman spoke to her child who was hidden near the fridge and eating from a half empty bowl of oats.
The thin and bony child slowly raised his head to look at his mother, with his eyes full of fear he saw a maniacal wide-eyed smile on his mother's face.
"Tell me? Do you hate mommy that much? If you didn't eat today's dinner wouldn't momma have bought some more of her medicines from the money she would have saved?" The woman told her child slowly advancing towards him with a glint of madness in her eyes.
The child trembled as he saw his mother slowly approaching him like a lunatic. As he trembled a bit the bowl of oats in his hands contained shook and spilled few drops of milk on the floor.
The woman paused for a bit as though noticing the pitiful reaction her child was having and the terror that was in his eyes. She looked at him for a few moments with dull eyes.
Then the same madness returned to her eyes along with a flame of fury, "HOW DARE YOU SPILL IT!! FOOLISH CHILD NOT ONLY ARE YOU A BURDEN TO ME BUT YOU EVEN SPILLED THE PRECIOUS FOOD YOUR MOTHER BOUGHT FROM CUTTING OF HER MEDICINE EXPENSES!!"
"So-s-sor-sorry maa please forgive me" The child wailed as the woman slapped him thrice, but he held onto the bowl covering it with his body and slowly keeping it away from himself because he knew if he let it fall for just being slapped, he will suffer even more.
He got up from the corner praying to whatever god was there to save him from his drug addicted mother who called them as medicine for her health.
But naturally what came as a response from the god was another slap from his mother.
"What are you crying for huh? You dare to live under my roof and dare to steal food?" His mother screamed at him as she slapped him again making another mark appear on his face which was already graced with several handprints already.
"Stop crying! I said." The woman ordered her child.
The child quickly Wiped his tears and stood with his jaws clenched stopping his tears somehow.
"Good, now apologize to mommy for being a thief" The woman told her child with a smile.
Although the only reason child took the food from fridge because he didn't eat dinner since last few weeks he still knew if he didn't do as the woman said he will undergo much worse.
"I am sorry maa for being a thief" The child said while sniffing.
"Smile, I told you to smile" the woman said as she held the child's face with her thumbs digging into his face.
The child winced in pain but still he forced a smile on his face with tears in his eyes.
"Good now keep smiling. Aren't you happy that mom stopped you from doing something bad today?" the woman asked with a smile.
The Boy nodded hurriedly with the same smile plastered on his face.
"Now be a good boy and let maa go So I can buy some medicine" The woman said as she left the boy alone and turned around to go off, but as soon as she turned around, she heard a clanking noise and watched as the boy was looking at her with renewed terror in his eyes and near his knees, on which he had probably fallen due to having no strength and accidentally knocked over the bowl.
As he shook in fear again, he saw the woman lunging at him.
------
Zephyr woke-up with a scream as his dream was abruptly broken by his own voice.
"It's alright my dumpling You are okay! Mommy is right here" Grace hugged him as soon as she woke up from his screaming.
"It's- It was just a dream I am fine" Zephyr spoke as looked around to see his sisters sleeping soundly meanwhile his father wake up for a moment to see two of them hugging each other, Knowing that it was nothing serious he went back to sleep.
"Oh? A nightmare?" Grace said while pulling back a little bit to see her son's face," What kind of nightmare was it?"
Zephyr hesitated for a bit and then said, "A monster was attacking me for trying to eat food in its territory."
Grace gave a mesmerizing smile and then inquired, "Was it that scary?"
Zephyr nodded, sighing internally at the fact that she bought his lie, He would prefer not to share his previous life with anyone.
"Don't be scared my cute dumpling." Grace added as she kissed his nose, "Mama will always protect you from all kinds of monsters no matter what. Now go back to sleeping mommy will watch over your dreams."
"Yes. I will do just that." Zephyr said with a smile.
Grace giggled and said, "Oh by the way Happy birthday my cutest baby boy."
'It's that time already? I have already spent 4 years in this world. I have grown closer to my family compared to how distant I was earlier... Although I decided not to get close... I don't have the will to do it anymore. I just hope, these moments last forever....' Zephyr thought slowly thinking of how complacent and comfortable he had grown here.
"Thank you, mother," Zephyr thanked his mother putting the unnecessary thoughts aside.
"Mhm" Grace nodded with a hum and then added with another hug from her," Now sleep. Good night."
"Good night mother" Zephyr nodded back with a yawn and lied on bed again to sleep.
The next morning...
"Oooff" Zephyr woke up with a sharp pain of ava landing on his stomach.
"Happy birthday! Get up, little brother," Ava shouted as she rose from his stomach.
"Happy birthday dumpling of mother's" Isabella Said as she was watching him from behind ava who was untangling herself from the sheets in which she was stuck as she landed on Zephyr.
"Thank you both of you, And I will Appreciate it if you would rather not wake me up like that in future, sisters dearest." Zephyr spoke with a grimace as he looked at Ava who untangled herself from the sheet.
"What are you talking about? We are learning using sword from today. Aren't you excited about that" Ava said looking at Zephyr with a Merry-go-happy smile on her face.
Zephyr shook his head at her blatant ignoring of his request.
"Wash yourself, brush and come to the breakfast Your father seems to be excited about your training too Dumpling." Grace said poking her head from the door.
Zephyr got up and stretched for a while as he watched his sisters' retreating backs into the kitchen and thought of how strong he will get after learning sword, 'after that, I shall go and hunt for food so i won't be hungry'
With those though he walked into the kitchen and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash himself.
After having A nice breakfast prepared by his mother who included some extra ingredients because it was his birthday, The trio of siblings went with their father to the same clearing and they started warming up.
Today their father brought a wrapped bundle along with him, in which they obviously knew what was. Wooden swords that he carved during their last month of body training.
"Okay children, from today we shall be training with swords. We will be using wooden swords for now and not iron swords for obvious safety measures." Leif said while unwrapping the bundle and taking out three swords carved out of wood.
""Yay!"" Bella and Ava high-fived each other as they saw the swords with shining eyes while Zephyr nodded in approval.
"Now, now, no need to get all excited from now only. The previous story was just a prelude to the show, so get ready to train to the bones" Leif said knocking them down a peg.
"Moving forward when we say we will train with sword. What I mean is you three will focus on handling a sword so you three don't cut your selves or others around you after that you will learn the basic slashes first then multiple other steps. So that by the time you all get the ability to use magic you will be able to eventually-" Leif said as he took one of the wooden swords from the bundle moved towards a small rock, "-do this." Leif finished his sentence as he used the seemingly normal looking wooden sword to crack the rock into pieces.
The three of them gave Leif a round of applause, With their mouths in comical 'O' shapes.
Leif smiled at his three children and barked orders, "Now what are you three waiting for take a sword each and start swinging them before I hang you all upside down the tree there."
"" Yes sir!!"", the three of them straightened their backs and shouted in unison.
And thus, Began the sword training of the three kids as they swung the swords in a sync often being corrected by Leif for their posture or force of each swing.