Chapter 2 - Mother!

A mysterious voice gently stirred the sleeping boy. Several wolves had gathered around the woman who had saved him, eyeing him curiously.

"Diva, what is this? A human infant?" spoke one of the wolves, a large creature with a coat of midnight black.

"Indeed, I discovered him in the woods. It seems someone abandoned him here," she replied calmly.

"But why would you want to raise him? That's quite a responsibility, especially for us," the black-furred wolf questioned, his concern evident.

"I intend to do just that. Raising a child is easy for me," Diva said with a warm smile.

The black fur wolf gazed at the boy and then back at Diva. "But how do you plan to train him? Surely you don't expect him to live as we do."

Diva looked into the eyes of the black wolf, known as Fenrir, and spoke with conviction. "You know I'm a heavenly beast. It's within my power to give this child a proper human upbringing. If you have any doubts, I can leave the village, but I cannot abandon him. The Life God sent him to me as a gift because of the curse that prevents me from bearing my own offspring."

The wolves exchanged glances before bowing their heads in respect.

"You are the village leader. If you truly wish to raise him, then we support your decision," Fenrir said, moving closer to the child and gently sniffing him. "If you wish to make him your son...our son, I am more than happy to accept him."

The boy felt a surge of happiness at finding a new family, even if they were of the Fenrir species.

As night fell, Diva fed Sun milk and cleaned him up. Adolph, the black fur wolf who had become his new father, tentatively entered the room. He was hesitant to approach the child, fearing he might be scared.

"Don't worry," Diva reassured him. "Let him get to know you."

She held the baby out to Adolph, who took the little hand and smiled back.

One evening, as Diva dressed the child in a new outfit, she noticed an unusual mark on his back, resembling the sun.

"Adolph, come see!" she called out, pointing to the symbol.

Adolph examined the mark and nodded. "Ah, yes, the sun."

Intrigued, Sun tried to get a glimpse of it, but it was out of his reach.

"You like it? Then from this moment on, you are Sun," Diva declared, naming the boy after the celestial body.

From that day forth, Diva dedicated herself to raising Sun. Despite her duties as village chief, she never left him alone. Adolph stepped in to help whenever she was away, and she always remained in her human form around the child. Her love and care transformed her into a true mother figure.

Months later, Sun began to move clumsily. One day, while Diva instructed the villagers, he toppled over. Adolph saw this and rushed to his aid, lifting him up. Sun felt a twinge of pain but held back his tears. Later, when Diva was feeding him, she noticed a bruise on his forehead and scolded Adolph.

Feeling guilty for his father, Sun spoke up for the first time. "Ma... mama."

Diva's face lit up with joy. "Oh, my baby, you said 'mama'!" She embraced him, showering him with kisses.

Adolph chuckled, "You should say 'dada' too!"

Sun, still new to speaking, only managed a few sounds.

As the years passed, Sun grew to understand the complexities of his world. He learned the language of the wolves and of his mother's curse. At two years old, he had regained most of his human abilities and understood much about the Fenrir way of life.

Now, he was eager to use his newfound skills to help, especially to break the curse that burdened his mother.

The little boy reached his second birthday, and something extraordinary happened. Overnight, he was bestowed with every power imaginable. However, he was clueless about how to harness these newfound abilities. In fact, he didn't even fully comprehend the extent of the skills he had been granted by the divine.

The boy, named Sun, decided to explore his new capabilities one by one. It took an entire night for him to grasp the basics of his incredible skillset. His top five abilities, which were particularly noteworthy, were: 1. Wisdom (Mastery of the Word of the World), 2. Mastery of all Skills, 3. Re-Creator (the power to form new skills by combining existing ones), 4. Universal Detect (the ability to sense everything), and 5. Appraisal (the power to evaluate anything). In total, Sun had over a hundred unique skills at his disposal. It was as if God had made him an all-powerful being.

But with great power comes great responsibility, and Sun had no idea how to control his new abilities. Thus, he began his journey of learning, utilizing the Wisdom-skill as a starting point. This skill allowed him to manipulate all elements and even wield both holy and dark magic. Every single morning, without fail, Sun ventured into the forest to practice and understand the depths of his powers. As the months turned into years, Sun grew from a toddler to a young child of five years old, all the while keeping his newfound gifts a secret from the villagers.

"You're going again today?" Diva, Sun's mother, asked with a hint of concern.

"Yes, Mom, I'm learning," Sun replied simply.

Diva couldn't help but worry about her son. For the past two years, he had been disappearing into the woods every day. She knew that Sun had been raised among humans, but she was a divine beast, and she thought he might be feeling isolated from the other village children due to his wolf form.

"But honey, you don't like to play with the other children here," Diva said gently.

"No, Mom, it's not like that," Sun insisted. "I'm just practicing my skills."

"Your skills?" Diva questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you want to see?" Sun offered, deciding it was time to share his secret.

Diva was overjoyed and gave him a tight hug. "Really? You'll show me?"

They made their way to Sun's favorite practice spot. Sun knew his mother was aware of his true nature, so he opted to demonstrate some basic, everyday magic such as shooting fireballs and conjuring water walls. He didn't want to alarm her with his more formidable powers.

Diva's eyes widened in amazement, but she had always had an inkling that Sun was special. Being a divine beast herself, she could sense the immense power hidden within him. She decided to keep his secret, respecting his wish for privacy.

"You're so strong," she exclaimed, giving him another hug.

"Thanks, Mom," Sun laughed, feeling slightly embarrassed by the attention.

But Diva had one piece of advice for her talented son. "Sweetie, I know you love learning about your skills, but you should also spend time with the other children in the village. They think you don't like them because you're always off by yourself."

Sun hadn't considered this. He had become so engrossed in his training that he had neglected the social aspect of growing up. With a newfound sense of understanding, he promised to find a balance between his personal growth and his relationships with the village children.

When Diva decided to adopt Sun, some villagers remained skeptical about how a human boy could coexist with a pack of wolves. Despite Diva's constant vigilance and protection, the potential for Sun to be ostracized was a significant concern. Sun was well aware of this issue.

"Yes, Mom, I'm sorry. I just got really absorbed in my practice. I forgot to mingle with the others." Sun said apologetically.

"It's all right as long as you understand, Sweetie. Now, let's head back home. It's time for lunch." Diva replied, gently reminding him of the importance of socializing.

Over the years, Sun had developed the ability to communicate with the other wolves. Initially, the wolf pups found it strange to play with a human child, but they eventually warmed up to him due to his status as the village chief's son. However, Diva was always cautious about his true powers being discovered.

During one of their outings, Sun insisted on joining Diva for a hunt. Although she was hesitant at first, Diva couldn't resist his pleading expression. She allowed him to come along, instructing him to stay close behind her for safety.

As they ventured into the forest, Sun managed to catch a wild rabbit, which earned him praise from Diva. But Sun wasn't satisfied; he had held back from using his true skills. If the villagers discovered his abilities, it would be challenging to justify them.

As the hunt continued, the weather took a sudden turn, and all the small animals began to panic. Diva sensed danger approaching.

"Sun, stay right behind me," she ordered, her voice filled with urgency.

"Everyone, be on your guard. It might be a lion," Diva called out to the other wolves.

Indeed, it was a giant wild lion that had them all on edge. The wolves scattered, but Diva remained unfazed. She had dispatched many foes like this before. With swift and decisive action, she fought off three more lions that had joined the fray. Her bravery and prowess were awe-inspiring, and she had done it all to protect Sun and demonstrate her strength to him.

However, in the midst of the chaos, another lion appeared, lunging at Sun when Diva was preoccupied. Sun had no time to dodge, but before the lion could attack, it was sliced in half. The culprit wasn't Sun; it was Diva's divine form, her silver fur and piercing blue eyes glowing with power.

Diva's curse had activated, and she screamed in pain before losing consciousness. Sun was terrified, not understanding what had happened to his mother.

"Mom? Mom? Are you okay?" Sun cried out, hugging her tightly.

Diva slowly regained consciousness and reassured him, "I'm okay, dear. You didn't do anything wrong. We just let our guard down."

Adolph, another wolf from the village, had arrived after hearing Diva's scream. He tended to her wounds and advised her to rest. Once Adolph was alone with Sun, he revealed the truth about Diva's curse.

"But why didn't you tell me earlier?" Sun asked, his eyes wide with shock.

"I didn't want to worry you, but now that you've seen it, you should know," Adolph explained.

Diva had transformed into her human form, visibly in pain. She embraced Sun, who was still processing the revelation. "I'm okay now, darling. Remember, I'll always do what I have to protect you."

The experience was eye-opening for Sun, highlighting the dangers of the world they lived in and the depth of his mother's love for him. It was a reminder that despite the challenges they faced, their bond was unbreakable.