MCAV Chapter 03

Chapter 003

The child still bore the marks of that terrible night. His worn clothes were still dirty with dirt, and the scars on his exposed skin were visible.

Adele clenched her teeth and managed to sit up. The intense pain caused her head to throb, but she knew it wasn’t the time to focus on that.

“Come here, come to me.”

She stretched out her arms and gently called the boy’s name. After a moment of hesitation, the child slowly approached her, though his steps were uncertain and filled with doubt.

 Adele waited patiently.

When Ronschka finally reached her and touched her hand, a wave of overwhelming emotion swept through her.

“Ronschka, my son.”

Adele carefully embraced him. There were so many things she wanted to say and do, but for now, she could only manage say one thing.

“I’m so glad you’re safe.”

Hearing that, Ronschka looked up at Adele. Despite all the harsh treatment he had endured from his mother in the past, his gaze held no hatred—only pure affection.

“I’m sorry, my dear.”

Adele’s eyes welled with tears. She held back her sobs and hugged him tighter. For once, she didn’t feel the pain in her back; all her attention was on the boy in her arms.

“It’s okay. I’m just a monster anyway.”

To her surprise, Ronschka called himself a monster. Adele’s heart ached at his words. No, he wasn’t a monster. He was just a special child born with powers that were hard to control.

“No, Ronschka, you’re not a monster,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion. She bit her lip to hold back tears. 

She couldn’t bear to cry when the child wasn’t crying. She held the tears back desperately.

“You’re just… special.”

“Special?” he asked cautiously.

“Yes, special.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you’re different from others in a way that makes you lovable.”

“Lovable?”

Ronschka tried to smile but could barely manage it. His scars and the years of hardship had made it difficult for him to express joy.

Seeing his struggle, Adele smiled softly, realizing that she needed to show him how to smile again. She forced herself to smile brightly, even though her head spun and her body ached.

At that moment, Adele noticed the door was slightly open, and a tall man stood there. His silver hair and deep purple eyes immediately caught her attention.

“Who are you?” she asked, her voice weak.

The man stepped forward, his strides confident and purposeful. Instinctively, Adele pulled Ronschka closer to her.

The man gently but firmly separated Ronschka from her and placed him aside.

“Lie down,” he said in a low, calm voice.

“What?”

“You need to lie down. Your wound has reopened. I’ll call for a physician.”

Adele hesitated but realized he meant no harm. She laid down on the bed as instructed, and the man left the room. Moments later, Ronschka rushed back to her side, clinging to her hand.

Adele noticed his injuries, too. 

Why hadn’t the physician treated him earlier? Was it because of the scars on his face? The thought made her head throb with guilt.

The burn scars on his face were a result of the fire created by the fire spirit. It was a day Adele would never forget—a day when she had failed him.

She had seen him frozen in fear amidst the flames but had run away, leaving him behind. By some miracle, he had escaped, but not without injuries. His scars were a painful reminder of her failure.

She hadn’t been able to get proper treatment for him afterward, so the scars had become much worse.

Adele reached out to touch Ronshuka’s face, but stopped herself, unsure whether it was okay.

‘Should I even touch him?’

Would he let her be? After all, she had been so cruel to him in the past.

***

Ronschka watched her hand paused in mid-air. His heart ached. 

Why wouldn’t she touch him?

His mother had been kind since waking up, which made him happy. But now she seemed to hesitate to touch him.

Does she hate me? He pressed his hand to his chest, trying to push away the pain. Then he took a deep breath and reached out first.

‘Get lost, you monster!’

The harsh words his mother had once said echoed in his mind.

His vision blurred, and his body began to tremble, but he gathered his courage and stretched out his trembling hand. He placed it on the large hand resting on the bed.

His mother, who had been frozen for a moment, smiled gently.

It wasn’t the same terrifying smile he had seen before. It was a beautiful smile.

Then, she slowly withdrew her hand. His heart sank as he watched her hand fall away.

Had he done something wrong? Was his mother upset that he had touched her when she hadn’t said it was okay?

He closed his eyes tightly, expecting her to yell at him.

But the expected sharp voice never came. Instead, a warm feeling came from their hands.

“Is it okay for me to touch you?”

Her soft voice asked.

“Y-yes!” Ronshuka answered loudly, too loudly. 

He answered loudly, fearing his mother wouldn’t hear. She smiled again and seemed relieved.

“That’s a relief.”

He didn’t know what was a relief, but he smiled with her.

He was happy that his mother smiled at him. He was thrilled that she still wanted to touch him.

He grinned and covered his face with his free hand, embarrassed about how he must look.

Then he remembered his untreated wounds. He hadn’t shown them to his mother yet. Perhaps she hadn’t noticed them because he was hiding his face.

He squirmed his feet, thinking he would show her his wounds later.

‘Maybe I can show her the scars a little later.’

As he thought about that, his heart fluttered with excitement.

It was the happiest moment of his life. He wished this time would last forever.

But soon, the door opened again, and the man, Lucas, entered with the healer.

“Oh dear.”

The old healer sighed and approached Adele. He was about to check her back when she spoke first.

“I’m fine. Please check my son’s wounds first.”

The healer glanced at the mother and child holding hands, surprised. He had expected that the mother might have mistreated the child, but seeing them like this, he realized that wasn’t the case.

He almost made a mistake, but then he leaned towards Adeel.

“Your wounds are worse, but since you’re the child’s mother, we’ll treat him first.”

The healer examined Adel’s wounds and carefully cleaned and bandaged them. Once finished, she seemed more at ease.

Now, it was Ronshuka’s turn to be treated. The healer hadn’t had time to attend to him earlier, and his condition was still serious.