New_Leaf

Special Thanks to WhisperofDevil for helping me out in chapter 16

Chapter 17: Secret Ability

When they arrived in a town, Mary immediately bought a whole tavern to use her secret ability there.

She first started to mark the whole area as she chanted to create a barrier that no one can get inside or peek into. Unless she allowed them.

It took her about hours to finish it.

Meanwhile, Valentina and the rest went to another pub to rest. Valentina was too exhausted to look for Alfonso at that moment because her mana was drained. Even though she wanted to see how is Alfonso.

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. Tap! Tap! Tap!

Mary who was clasping her hand after she was done,

—Kwang!—

Quickly cast her ability to create a huge barrier.

The whole area of the tavern she bought was then devoured by her black barrier of magic. Inside the barrier, the only source of light was mana but the surroundings can't be seen because it's covered black. No other but her, and the two knights healing Alfonso were inside.

"Get out."

Mary then ordered the two knights while she swayed her hand to make a door for them from her cast barrier.

"Ye-yes!" "Y-Es!"

Mary didn't want anyone to witness her ability but Alfonso, she trusts him enough to do this to him now. But that's not only the reason, but it's also because of her selfishness and to make amends for what happened three years ago.

And to add up, the reason why she never shows her secret ability to someone is that her ability was what the norms would call cursed.

A witch's power. There once was a woman who existed, similar to her powers, however, that woman was called a witch because of her deeds and her black mist that looked like came from hell itself. Everyone also assumed she was insane when she ruthlessly slaughtered anybody who crossed her path, some people who survived her were able to tell a story that the witch frequently hears voices that other people were unable to hear.

Just by her name, if uttered, everyone's face would be filled with terror.

That's why if ever someone knew of her abilities, Mary would be deemed a witch and be killed instantly, by a priest or anyone! She will have to fight the whole world.

With those thoughts aside, she then looked at the boy who was lying in the bed breathing heavily, his bones are almost healed now, but the beast's claws on his back has yet to heal because of how deep it is.

So far, what Mary noticed on Alfonso's body is that it quickly heals, she was curious whether because he inherited it through his father, however, she soon shook those thoughts away.

To make sure that Alfonso will not be crippled, she has to do this...

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Mary has been thinking about it... What could had she done better?

While she was fighting the beast earlier, should she had ran and taken Alfonso? But the beast could track her immediately through her smell, and no, even if Mary tried to get away she could never outrun a lion beast. One's specialty of that creature was chasing its prey.

Once you turn your back on it, expect a horrifying death. How can you save someone if you are already dead?

Another reason they kept their distance from the beast was that it has a passive property that causes lower ranks to instantly become frozen in its presence and, in the worst-case scenario, could cause them to perish from the pressure it emits.

And that's why Mary immediately dashed toward the beast before it could even get near.

She knows that they are all in danger and Alfonso would greatly hate her even more if she tried running away with him.

However, she would have saved him first if she could only see the situation of Alfonso at that moment. Or see the future.

Earlier, while fighting the beast, since they were far away, she could only hear bits of sounds coming from them. She couldn't actually see what is going on but could only tell Alfonso's movement, she only speculated what was going on through her hearing. The fact that she was speculating while fighting the beast at the same time was already a feat. Most of her speculations are correct because she has been always using her ability to predict things around her area her whole life.

Mary didn't also expect Alfonso would risk her life to save a maid! she knows that he is changing but to this extent?

No, it was foolish of her to question it that way. After she saw what efforts Alfonso went through.

Rather, she didn't worry that much because Alfonso has a father that would not make them touch him.

Mary even considered if she should have just used her secret ability at that time to kill the beast even though it would cost her her life for it.

"..."

Shrugging those thoughts, black mist coming from Mary's body soon radiated,

Fwoosh!

Her ability then approached Alfonso's body,

"I'll heal you now my lord..."

For Alfonso to not get crippled, Mary decided to use her ability to fix the mana flow inside Alfonso.

From what she heard from Christine, the flow of mana should have destroyed the inside of Alfonso because of the overwhelming mana that was poured inside him.

However, when Mary tried checking the flow of Alfonso's mana earlier, she could not see anything wrong with it.

Heck! It was so pure and the flow of his mana was smooth. But Alfonso's condition from breaking his bones was so bad that she decided to heal them and strengthen them this time.

The knights that used healing magic on him knew that it was not enough to make Alfonso recover because of how destroyed his bones are.

They even thought that even though he is healed, he won't be able to move anymore because his bones would easily break as, a result of overly using it. But they didn't know that Alfonso has the system so that happening was bleak.

However, they wouldn't know that, and that's why Mary is going as far as to do this for Alfonso, by strengthening Alfonso's bones like steel so when he wakes up, he'll still be able to move the way he likes.

With that in thought, the body of the boy was slowly being devoured by black mist as they went inside his body to strengthen Alfonso's bones.

However, there was a strange occurrence that Mary noticed,

"What the..."

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………

(Alfonso's dream)

"Blake!"

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"Blake!"

A familiar mature voice kept calling for my name. Or to be exact my past life's name.

"Blake my sweety"

Only then did I remember that it was my mother's voice from my past life.

Upon closer inspection, in a dark abyss, a clip of my past was rolling in front of me.

Soon, I realized that I was watching the events of my past unfolding in front of me—And this was the day my shitty father left us.

"Since your father is not here, you'll have to be the man of our house from now on."

Said the gorgeous woman toward the child, or to be precise, my mother talking to a kid version of me.

"Um..."

The boy then nodded.

After that, the rolling clip suddenly quickened.

Creating a sound of a movie being fast-forwarded,

Meanwhile, I could not take my eyes off of my beautiful mother as I was watching... Her youthful face, which I realized I wouldn't be able to see again. However, as the clip forwarded I could see the process of my mother going to work and starting her own business.
In the process, her hands began to have calluses, I even sometimes saw the skin on her hands peeling just to keep the smile of his son through working and to give him what he wants.

Even though she was having it hard, she always had that smile on her face. For that small kid to be happy, she kept smiling even after my father left her.

Life had ups and downs, but... Misfortune fell on us.

My face then grimaced as I understood what would happen next.

Cluck!

The sound of the clip halting resonated through my ears while the scene in front went back to its normal speed.

Inside a dashing car, a woman and a boy are inside.

The woman was visible that she is in a rush because she was late for her work.

Broom!

The speed of her car quickened and tremored.

However, watching the scene in front, my eyes then widened in dread, followed by a growing shout in my mouth.

"Don't!!!"

But my voice was not heard, soon, The woman who was in a rush turned her wheels but in that instant

—Bam!!!—

A crashing sound of metal resonated in every direction, I could see how fragments of glass went straight into my mother's eyes. While the boy at the back couldn't do anything but watch.

After that, the car rolled from the impact, and echoes of cars beeping filled the area.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

A boy with a deep wound on his left forehead marked, groaned as blood gushed out. He could feel a metallic taste on his lips from the blood that's been dripping.

While the woman had her eyes bleeding. And injury all over her body.

She tried to look for her son if he is okay but, to her demise, she couldn't even see anymore.

"B-Blake!!!

Sweety! Are you okay????"

The woman cried but all she could hear was her son's howl.

"It hurts ma... It hurts!"

Blake continuously wailed.

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Watching the scene in front, I turned silent.

I asked inside my mind,

‹What if this never happened, would have I lived a better life?›

Maybe I would have... Maybe not... But it's all in the past now... It's now not of my concern.

My eyes that contained dread soon turned cold and bottomless when I pondered that there is nothing I could do. The following clip, however, kept playing.

After that, inside a room in a hospital, emerged this time,

"I'm afraid that you'll not be able to see any more"

A man in a suit of a doctor spoke toward my mother as the kid version of me watched.

"Is there no way for me to recover from this? I need to work for my son!"

The woman cried but only pity was what she got back.

"I'm sorry, but that'll cost you a lot of money. You can't even afford your bills right now. I'm sorry to say that transplant is what only will suffice because of how deep the injury is in your cornea"

The doctor said as he walked away.

Meanwhile, Blake could feel the sorrow in his mother's crestfallen posture. Even though her eyes are closed at the moment from the wrapped bandages around her head he could tell how sad she is; Maybe she wanted to cry but couldn't.

"Ma... What's wrong?"

Only then a cheerful smile followed when she heard Blake ask. Eradicating the sorrowful presence she had before. "It's okay Blake, mother is just fine, everything is all fine. I'm fine..."

The woman said.

"..."

I then sorrowfully looked at the sight of my mother and the kid version of me.

‹Why am I dreaming of this?›

I whispered inside my head but the clip in front of me didn't stop.

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Time quickly passed and I could only watch my mother suffer from her condition as she pushed herself to work for his beloved son.

With every passing day, I could see the process of how those smiles of hers slowly vanished.

She pushed herself to work even though she couldn't see anymore, but all of her efforts were futile as she was hurt even more.

I wanted to help my mother at this moment, or even talk to my young self. However, I knew that they wouldn't hear me.

Until... A certain scene appeared once again.

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday my dear sweet Blake...

Happy Birthday... to you."

The woman said and soon continued,

"Your ten now, what's your wish?"

She asked, however, the boy only smiled at her and didn't say anything as he thought of his wish and blew out the candle.

At this moment, I knew what that boy was thinking...

He wished for that woman to be happy and he wished that his mother would heal soon.

I also knew that the boy was aware of his mother's condition.

I'm him after all,

Additionally, today was the day I... I longed to be my mother's light. Because when I saw that my mother could no longer see, I understood that the wishes I had would never be fulfilled.

"What did you wish for?"

The beautiful woman asked again, but the boy only kissed her on her cheeks and whispered.

"I love you ma!"

As he hugged her. The mother then hugged him tightly, "I love you too!"

Soon, the scene quickened once again.

But this time, a grim expression followed from my face when the clip halted again,

This was the time when my mother was finally taken... Knowing full well that she could not take care of her son, she chose an option.

"..."

Shortly, I could see my mother being taken to a hospital so that they could take care of her rather than the boy who can't do so.

Soon after, the boy was put in an orphanage too.

The boy cried that he will have to part ways with his mother, but those tears were for naught because he knew it was for the better.

"What's your name?"

The male caretaker asked the boy,

"Blake" the boy responded.

The man then sweetly smiled at him and murmured, "You look cute~"

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The first day he was put in an orphanage, was good, nothing much happened, he was greeted with a warm hand, however,

Blake noticed just how grim and how horrible the kids looked like living in the orphanage.

They looked like they long for love, a hug, and warmth that would make them alive. Their eyes were bottomless and empty.

Yet, Blake didn't pay heed to it after, because he'll be living here from now on. Whether he likes it or not!

However, this was only just the calm before the storm. Because I knew that when he is going to open his eyes in the morning he'll face that shit...

Tak!

The clip quickened once again only to be interrupted by the slight tap of a sound.

Tap!

"Hey!" a male voice sounded, Blake then slowly opened his eyes from the sudden tap. Only to be greeted by a hand caressing his face softly.

"Hey wake up already."

A soft voice followed again while a warm hand surfaced on Blake's face.

Weirded out by the sudden soft brush on his face he then opened his eyes only to see a man oddly smiling at him. It was no other but the caretaker who warmly greeted him the other day.

"Oh~ you're awake!" the man continued, which in response made Blake shiver. Because his hand was touching his body inappropriately.

The man's hand was slowly sliding on his thigh, so Blake immediately tried to do something.

"What is it?"

Blake said as the man's hand stopped near his groin.

However, before he removed his hands, he tried to fondle his groin, and only after did he speak when his hand was removed.

"I have something to do for you"