The bright rays of the morning sun cast a warm glow through the window, illuminating the room where a woman with long black hair and eyes as deep as the ocean stood before an easel with brush in hand.
The painting slowly came alive as the brush in her hand danced gracefully across the canvas.
It was a scene of a serene lake surrounded by vibrant trees. By the shores of the lake, the vague silhouettes of a family of four could be seen, enjoying the peace and quiet by the lake.
The woman smiled dotingly as she gazed at the four figures on the canvas. Her mind was completely absorbed in the art, everything else turning to noise, slowly fading away.
She didn't even realize when Viktor and Adam had entered the room and stood by the door.
When Adam's eyes landed on this woman, he was pleasantly surprised. His lips curled up into a happy smile as he thought to himself, Looks like she's recovered quite alright.
The youth's gaze then landed on the painting and suddenly his eyes lit up, recalling one of the memories of the expert that he had just absorbed.
"Dear, there's someone here to meet you," Viktor suddenly called out to the woman who was completely entranced in her art.
It was none other than Edward's mother, Elia Turner.
"Oh, Viktor." Elia placed the paintbrush down and turned around. "Who's here so early in the—"
But the words got stuck in her throat when she saw the tall youth with raven hair standing beside her husband. Although this was the first time she had met him, she immediately realized who it was.
After all, both her husband and son wouldn't stop talking about him.
Adam smiled brightly, "Hello, Aunty. My name is—ack!"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Before he could even greet her properly, Elia had already rushed in his direction and embraced him in a warm hug.
"My sweet child, thank you… thank you so much!" Tears streamed down Elia's face as she thanked the youth repeatedly.
To say that Elia owed Adam her life would be a major understatement.
She was deemed a lost cause by countless Herbalists from the Southern Federation and even the Empire who had come to cure her. Toward the end, Elia herself lost the will to live.
Every day, she struggled to breathe. She wanted to end it all and leave this life. But at the same time, she didn't want to leave her family behind. Her family was her everything.
At her most desperate time, when she had completely lost all hope, a young boy arrived at her doorstep and did what countless famed Herbalists of the Empire hadn't managed to.
She was immensely grateful to Adam, not because she escaped the clutches of death and could finally live her life because of him, but because she wouldn't have to leave her family behind.
Adam was first greatly taken aback, but when he heard Elia call him 'my sweet child', a memory buried deep inside his mind resurfaced.
It was that of a woman whose face he couldn't recall calling him the same words and cradling him to sleep.
Motherly love.
He had forgotten what it felt like.
But today he finally remembered it.
Adam's eyes turned teary as he gently hugged Elia back. "…Thank you."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Seeing the youth turn emotional, Viktor realized why. He placed a hand on Adam's shoulder and comforted him. "This place will always be your home, kiddo."
Adam turned to look at him and nodded as he sniffled. "Mm."
After the three shared a heartwarming moment, Elia separated from Adam as she wiped her tears away. She looked at the youth and squeezed his cheeks in concern. "Have you not been eating? Look how thin you look."
Thin? Me? Adam's lips twitched. He replied with a chuckle, "No, I've been eating quite—"
However, Elia interrupted her while constantly shaking her head. "No, no, no, this won't do. Come, let's get you fed."
Without even waiting for Adam's reply, she had already grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out of the room.
Viktor could only helplessly sigh and follow after them.
…
Inside the spacious dining room, Adam found himself sitting at the table and struggling to breathe because he had eaten so much. He glanced at his bloated stomach and sighed, How did things come to this?
When Elia had dragged him to the dining room to have lunch, she ordered the maids and servants in the manor to keep bringing food; then she kept glaring at Adam to finish everything on his plate.
Under such pressure, Adam could only cave in and stuff all the food on his plate in his mouth. It was only after he had reached the extreme limits did he finally stop eating.
"How was the food, child?" Elia, who was sitting across from him, asked with a warm smile. "I feel like you should still eat some more."
"N-No! Please, no more!" Adam hurriedly waved his hand, nervousness lingering in his eyes.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Elia chuckled and then glanced at the chonky gray kitten lying down on the table. "What about you, little one?"
"Myuuu…" Valerian hesitated for a long time before finally shaking his head.
He had eaten too much. Way too much.
Seeing this, both Viktor and Elia couldn't help but laugh. They found this little cat very adorable.
"Aunty," Adam suddenly called out. "Do you paint often?"
"Yes, painting has always been my fondest of hobbies," Elia replied with a smile. "It's something that I picked up as a kid. Alas, I wasn't able to paint much for all those years I had been bedridden, but thanks to you I was able to get back to it."
"I see." Adam nodded with a smile. He then asked curiously, "Have you ever tried painting with… mana?"
"Painting with mana?" Elia was taken aback. "Is that even possible?"
Viktor shook his head. "I haven't heard of anyone painting with mana. Besides, it's not possible to control mana to that degree."
"Why do you ask?" Elia asked curiously.
Adam shook his head with a faint smile, "Just a passing thought."
Except it wasn't.
There was a very fascinating technique related to painting that Adam had seen in one of the memories of that expert. However, it wasn't a technique related to attack or defense.
It was a technique that gave one extraordinary control over mana!
