Laguna continued to seduce Julia, their laughter echoing in the small town. Julia, trying hard to maintain a firm attitude, had a small smile that appeared every now and then. But their cheerful atmosphere came to a halt as they approached a shop that Laguna was heading to.
The store looked worn and dirty, with its signboard almost falling off. As soon as they stepped inside, the scene was extremely chaotic. The shelves were in disarray, and items were scattered on the floor as if a robbery had just taken place.
In the corner of the room lay a dwarf who was covered in wounds and blood. He is Rocky, the owner of this shop.
"Rocky!" shouted Laguna, rushing forward to help him. But before he could get to Rocky's place, a Magic Missile suddenly slammed into Laguna right in his chest. An explosion of energy threw Laguna far back. It smashed the shop door and sent him into the street outside.
Someone emerged from the room that was inside the shop, stepping out towards the light. He is Aaron Ashford, Laguna's First Brother and the next head of the Ashford family.
"It's a shame," Aaron said, his voice full of contempt. "No wonder you're always wasting money on creating something useless. It turns out that you were taken advantage of by this dwarf," he said, referring to Rocky.
Julia ran out and immediately helped Laguna, who was in pain, her face full of worry.
"Julia!" said Aaron, in a threatening tone, "As the Ashfords' servant, you should have saluted me first. I'm the future head of the family, not their trash!"
Julia remained silent and helped Laguna until he managed to stand up. "Stop it! She is my personal maid! Why are you doing all this?"
Aaron walked closer to Laguna. "This small town is in my territory; it's up to me to do anything in my territory, right? And Dad told me to take you back to Ashford's main residence."
"I refuse!" shouted Laguna excitedly.
"Refusing, huh? I just had enough to take you by force," Aaron replied. He cast lightning magic that was directed at Laguna and Julia.
Laguna quickly activated his Aegis Disk; a barrier appeared in front of them. The barrier held the lightning magic for a moment. But Aaron's Lightning Magic was too strong. The lightning shattered the barrier and hit Laguna and Julia.
They were both electrocuted by pain. Julia fainted because she couldn't bear the overwhelming pain.
Seeing Julia, who was fainting, Laguna began to go crazy. He ran toward Aaron like a mad dog, pulling out the Edge Hilt from his pocket.
Before Laguna could get close to Aaron, a Magic Missile hit him in the stomach. It sent him crashing into the wall.
Aaron picked up the fallen Edge Hilt and said, "So this is your tool?" while touching the knife-like energy. The tip of Aaron's index finger was bleeding when he touched it. "Wow, pretty sharp. But it's useless," he said as he gripped the item firmly and smashed it.
"You know, Laguna, there is a tool called a knife and a sword. Why did you have to spend ten years making a thing that already existed before? How much money have you wasted during these ten years? Just to create a barrier whose strength is only equal to that of a third-rate magician and a knife?"
While Aaron was talking to Laguna, Rocky began to stand behind Aaron while holding an axe. He threw his axe right at Aaron's head.
Aaron noticed it. He dodged by turning his body slightly. Then, he shot crescent-shaped wind magic at Rocky's head.
With Rocky's head cut off, Laguna went even crazier. He forced himself to get up, trying to get close to Aaron and blasting a punch toward his face. This time, Aaron didn't use his magic.
Aaron quickly dodged Laguna's punches. Then, he landed a counterpunch to Laguna's face. Laguna was thrown and fell to the ground violently. Blood was pouring down from his nose. He tried to get back up, but Aaron didn't give him a chance. With a hard kick, Aaron hit Laguna's stomach, making him moan in pain.
"You know, Laguna," Aaron said, mocking. "The Ashfords call you trash not just because you can't use magic. You can't even beat me, a mage, in a physical fight. If you can make use of your ten years of time to train your body, you can at least become a swordsman or a martial artist. But what? You only locked yourself in the laboratory for ten years. Wasting the family's money just to create knives and shields?"
Laguna tried to get back on his feet, even though every move was painful. He staggered, walking wildly from side to side. With his last bit of strength, he threw a weak punch at Aaron's chest.
Aaron just kept silent and received that pitiful blow. "Sad," said Aaron in a cynical tone, staring at Laguna, who had now fallen back to the ground, helpless.
Laguna felt his vision fading even more. Before he fully fainted, one thought flashed: he wouldn't let Aaron and his family defeat him. He had to get up, no matter how difficult it was.
With the last of his energy, Laguna tried to stay awake. But pain and fatigue overpowered him. In the darkness, he heard Julia's voice calling out his name, "Master Laguna! Wake up!" Julia's voice sounded faint, but Laguna couldn't answer.
Laguna began to open his eyes; Julia's beautiful face was right in front of him. With eyes swollen from crying and a smile that felt relieved because her Master had come to his senses.
"Am I already in heaven?" asked Laguna, his voice weak.
"No, Master. You're still alive," Julia replied, her voice full of relief as she wiped away the rest of her tears.
"Then why is there already an angel in front of me?" Laguna continued, trying to joke even though the pain was still felt all over his body.
"With your dying state, how can you still joke, Master?" Julia responded with her beautiful smile, even though her eyes showed concern.
"Please explain what happened, Julia," he asked weakly while settling on Julia's lap.
"Before that, can you sit down, Master? My legs are also sore from carrying you all day," while stroking Laguna's head.
"Let me stay here longer. 'Your lap can heal my pain,' Laguna said. He closed his eyes, enjoying the quiet moment."
Julia sighed, then began to explain to Laguna. "After the incident with Mr. Aaron, his servants tended to our wounds. They then took us to the carriage they had prepared." It seems that your father misses his children and asks Mr. Aaron to make you return by force to the main residence."
"Miss me, huh?" said Laguna in a slow tone. He pondered Julia's words. Then, he fell back to sleep. His tiredness and wounds made him want to sleep.
Laguna dreamed in his sleep. In the dream, he was the Ashford family's beloved child. Their love surrounded him, as did his family's, subordinates', and the people's. His natural talent for magic and his quick learning were a blessing from the Creator. No one in his family hated him; everyone loved him.
He looked at his older brothers and sister, playing with him cheerfully. His father and mother smiled happily, watching their children play. Everything seemed perfect as if nothing could ruin this happiness.
But that happiness turns into a nightmare when Laguna feels a strange sensation in his night. He shivers coldly, his body goes limp, and the world around him begins to spin. In a panic, he sees his mother running toward him, her face full of anxiety.
"Mom!" said Laguna in a tired voice. His mother, full of courage, sucked up the energy inside Laguna's body using her strength. Her hands began to turn black. That's when Laguna realized she was being poisoned. Laguna saw his mother in great pain, her body weak, but she still struggled to save her son.
Laguna's father also came and did not stay silent. He tried to save his wife, but Mother Laguna asked him for help to save Laguna first. His father also did the same thing that Mrs. Laguna did before. Even if he succeeded, he had to pay a heavy price—half of his strength was lost. Laguna survived death, but his beloved mother did not. Her poison was too strong.
The death of his mother brought deep grief to the entire Ashford family. Everyone was very sad and felt lost. His brothers and sister, who had once loved Laguna very much, now turned to hate him. They blamed Laguna for their mother's death.
"Why, Mother? Why aren't you the only one who died?" said her older sister in a tone full of anger and sadness. Those words kept ringing in Laguna's mind, haunting him at all times, even in his sleep.
Laguna woke up with tears streaming down his cheeks, feeling a deep pain in his heart. He wakes up from that nightmare, the past that continues to haunt him to this day. He looked at Julia beside him, his face full of care and affection.
"It's okay, Master. Go on," Julia said softly, trying to provide comfort as she put Laguna's head back on her lap.
Laguna couldn't contain his emotions. He cried on Julia's lap that night, on his way to the main residence. The tears that flowed were an expression of all the pain and loss that she had stored in her heart all along.
Julia stroked Laguna's hair gently, trying to calm her down. "All will be fine, Master. You're not alone. I'm here with you."
Laguna felt the warmth and support of Julia. Though the pain remained, he knew he had someone always by his side. In Julia's arms, he felt a little calmer, ready to face whatever was coming.