Marcon breathed heavily, barely clinging to consciousness as the dust settled. His vision focused on the blue-haired youth standing calmly before him.
"Who...are you?" Marcon rasped.
The youth turned, his expression unreadable. "Names are but labels. More important - How are you feeling?."
Marcon assessed his wounds. Broken bones, blood loss. But his comrades needed aid. "I can try...but my mana's spent. My friends..."
The youth nodded. Kneeling, he examined the others efficiently. "Alive, but injuries require haste. Can you walk if I lend aid?"
Marcon struggled up, leaning on the youth. Together they made their way through the wrecked forest.
The village came into view, people gathering at the edge, worried murmurs carrying on the breeze. The youth whistled sharply, catching their attention.
"We require healers! Please make haste for the sake of their lives!" His voice carried an authority that spurred them into motion.
Marcon faded in and out as healers tended his group. The last thing he saw was the youth's departing figure, a shadow slipping away as quietly as he'd come.
When Marcon awoke, his wounds were mending. But the youth had vanished without a trace. His arrival and aid remained a mystery....one Marcon hoped someday to solve. For now, rest. New tales would unfold on the morrow.
Later on in the day when the sun's rays dimmed and the sky above turned obscure, the clouds faded slowly making way for the unsettling light cast by the awakening moon.
The usual bustle of the main village decreased steadily and the streets which were usually polluted with noise during the day slowly enjoyed the uprising calm although the same was not to be said on Gonzo's part as the presence of the moonlight served as an alarm for the more bussling species of wildlife enjoying the shadowy terrain.
"Hooowwwllll..."echoed from one direction in the distance "Hoot...Hoot...Hoot" echoed from right outside the window "roof....roof.....roof..." Though those were the sounds he was only familiar with out of the many varieties of calls and sounds.
Despite that the outside wasn't the only spot where unbearable noices kept reoccurring as within the home they lived an even worse sound was being played. it came from non other than his mother who's snores rung at it's highest volume echoing even louder across the house walls as she slept comfortably on her soft mattress. Meanwhile Gonzo...
"What the hell bro...."sleeping right beside her his eyes remained wide awake almost resembling the colour of apples, sweat raced down his face in a large sum, His mouth was folded shut for some reason...
"This always happens every night that's why I can't even get a decent amount of sleep" His eyes began wondering aimlessly "Back in my past life this would have been a breeze for me but now I've been so used to doing things without much effort my mental strength must have dwindled, curse this new age and their gadgets!"
Raising his back slightly above the mattress he stealthily rolled his body away from his sleeping post nearly evading his mothers relentlessly turning body "phew...that was close, she might have even woken up" He whispered underneath his breath.
"It's Time to implement plan B" He tip toed across the the room "In other words running away. Which I agree sounds immature and very one dimensional it's important I leave for the sake of my own plot progression"
Maintaining his theif like attitude he carefully crept down the stairs and crawled through the floors till he nearly approached a corner of the houses wall which seemingly looked as lackluster as the rest of the house walls but the confidence he displayed as he continued to crawl said otherwise.
Finally he stopped at the dead and rose from where he stood to a length of about half his height and implied a calculated amount of force on the door until it first made a loud but breif "clank!" Before it tottered and jiggled until finally it detached from the wall built with it exposing the existence of a carved path outside the house.
On the other side was the same as the first. Ever since the first day his mother rejected his wish of freedom Gonzo had been working on his plan B in secret whenever he was oppurtuned. His face lit up a grin stretching widely across his face, his usually dull eyes lit up with his heart racing faster, the throbbing was like that of a roaring car engine.
"I'm not gonna use this just yet since I haven't prepared anything but it's best to do a quick inspection of the place to avoid any unnecessary problems" He spoke while crawling towards the narrow passages concluding end.
"Bang!"
He struck the door with the same calculated force yet it didn't budge and inch from where it stood. Gonzo's face froze up in horror with a drop of sweat hanging on his forehead.
"It's stuck....? No it's been fixed back to the WALL" His eyes sighted an odd glimmer amidst the dark and cramped passage, quickly grabbing it with his hands only to discover a small piece of paper that had been written on.
"Go and sleep! p.s I love baby" He read out in a shaky tone as he was overcome by disbelief, his grin vanished and his skin ran pale on the verge of passing out where he was even the gentle breeze stung his body on contact.
"She..... actually....I don't.....gahhh... I was right about her since I was a kid she's a witch isn't she and a scary one at that I mean come on....." seeping with rage but kept his composure unshaken
"Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to carry it out in the light of day but I doubt she wouldn't have planned for that as well"
retracing his steps he returned the detached wall and items blocking it before returning to the room but this time abandoning the mission impossible charade he was putting on earlier unable to bear his own body weight anymore he dragged himself up the stairs and throwing himself on the mattress.
Once again the sun rose from it's slumber and shone a new ray of hope upon the possibilities of the new day stretching far and wide however, Gonzo was untouched by it's pleasant radiance except for a bitter feeling remaining stagnant in within him. His mother on the other hand was bright and cheerful like every morning.
"Hope you had a good night's rest Gonzo?"
"....."
"Did a bed bug bite you or something like that?"
"..."
"You know if you continue to stare at me like that I'll feel bad"
"Haaaaah" He let out briefly "Good Morning mom, hope you had a good night?"
His mothers usual morning glee dimmed slightly as she stood face to face with Gonzo.
"I heard about what you did yesterday....And how you saved some men who were attacked in the forest"
"How are they now?" He responded in a calm tone.
"They're doing well actually, not to mention since they were attacked in the villages forest they're receiving plenty of food and treatment...."
Raising his body slightly from the mattress he stretched a small smirk at the corner of his face as a sign of relief.
"Well time to get ready for today's..."He uttered before getting cut off breifly by his mothers opposing voice.
"Do you truly wish to leave...Gonzo?"
"Indeed I've always wanted to be set free from the shakles that prevent me from following my dreams and ambitions" His tone was soft lacking the confidence it usually held when he spoke.
Tears welled up his mothers eyes at the sight. Her eyes and nose slowly turned bright red , her heart ached as though it were peared with a blade with every second hurting more than the last . Despite the pain she maintained her steady demeanor.
"Who am I to stop you then. The main reason I kept you here is to keep you safe although it seems I've been doing the exact opposite and oppressing you, And for that I'm sorry"
Gonzo's eyes widened with shock as he stood frozen in his position, his every attention focused on his mothers words with a large drop of sweat hanging at the corner of his face.
"If you wish to venture into the unknown with the aim of shedding light on the darkness that lie's within then it would be hypocritical to stop you"
"However, please do promise me that in the path to being successful you don't loose yourself in the darkness and loose the light you once held as you embarked on your journey"
"I'll let you go as long as you promise me that you'll be back and you return you'd have changed for the better and the better alone"
His mothers words placed him in a state of self reflection for an instant, her words were like bricks which weighed heavily on his mind but despite all the uncertainties he was sure of his decision from before.
"I promise to you, that the next time you see me... you'll see a better Gonzo than the one you look at now". His voice had a stern confidence that sent chills down his mothers spine.
Unable to contain the nagging pain in her heart she told him "pack all your belongings and go before I change my mind. Becareful not to let anyone spot and move with haste, when you leave I will plea on your behalf to pappy" before speeding to the next room slamming the door viciously"bang!"
Locking herself in the room she felt burdened by her decision with her instincts scolding her relentlessly. Losing her balance she slipped and hit the ground with a "Thud!"
"I just hope i made the right decision" she murmured in a shaky tone, her body laid on the floor which she fell.
Gonzo wasted no time in packing his belongings in a backpack before zooming off on his bicycle. His heart still stung with his mothers words playing on repeat in his mind but suppressed it within.
(I can't let anything stop me now that I'm this close to breaking the bondage that's held you down for years. I'm sorry mom but I promise I'll find a away to be successful and show you..... Nevermind, don't wanna jinx it)
After peddling for a breif period he arrived at the 3 feet rusty gate which served as the villages border between in an out, guarded by skilled sword weilders.
Abandoning his bicycle near a tree Gonzo sneaked through the unaware guards at the gate. His face gleamed with determination showing no fear of the risk which his decision would inflict on his life.
Though the future is shrouded and unclear the hope to better himself shines through.