Brawl

Tash!

A red print of five fingers was engraved on Sou's soft right cheek. Sou touched his cheek and ran his fingers on his cheek, rubbing it to feel the motherly pain spreading throughout his cheek.

Tash! Tash! Tash!

A barrage of slaps fell on Sou's cheeks. Everyone in the vicinity looked in astonishment and with expectations for a drama in their eyes. Sadistic bastards...

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU TO IMPERSONATE MY DEAD SON?! HOW DARE YOU!!!" Lily snapped and continued to raise her hand against her own son unknowingly.

As soon as she saw Sou's face, she lost it. She went into a rampage and filled Sou cheeks with slaps. Her son, who was gone for almost three years, suddenly appeared in front of her saying "I am back". It was understandable why she was so angry. If Sou had contacted them early, then maybe this situation would not have been raised, but Sou only cared about training and training for this time. In simpler words, it was just a matter of wrong choices.

"Lily! Stop it!" Hellen screamed at her while trying to hold her from the back.

"HOW DARE YOU!" But Lily didn't stop.

"Hey, what's going on there?"

"I don't know. Maybe a fight..."

"But look, she is beating a child."

"Hehe. This is kinda fun to watch."

"Let's watch this until the end"

Some whispered and gossiped while others laughed and smirked in enjoyment at the unfolding scene, but no one stepped forward to stop the ruckus.

While getting slapped, Sou ran his eyes through the unknown smiling faces and gritted his teeth in silence. Isn't it wonderful? No matter how good our conscience is, there is always a part of our mind that laughs and takes pleasure in witnessing others' pain. Perhaps Sou also knew this in his previous life but refused to accept it. No matter how you look at it, it was obvious that he was a fool, going around and rambling about kindness and stuff. It's kinda funny how I am getting creeped out by my own writing.

(I wonder if I will also act like that...)

Sou gracefully took all hits from his mother, without lighting a finger or uttering a single word.

Pant... Pant...

His mother was tired out. She panted heavily and breathed in difficulty. By now, Sou's cheeks have become swollen like a chipmunk and were blood red.

Lily again raised her hand to hit him but the hand stopped mid-air after seeing Hellen draw out her sword and stand her ground. Wind element conjured and swirled around Hellen.

"Move Hellen."

"No! Listen to me at least!"

"What's there to listen?! This boy is someone who has disguised as MY dead son! I cannot let him do as he pleases!" Tears formed in her eyes.

Sou couldn't respond to his mother's words. To be more precise, he didn't even know how to handle this type of situation. The previous kind and foolish Sou might have been able to pull this off but not this one. Just this once, Sou wished to be his previous self. But nothing can change how he is right now. That's why he stayed silent even though he had many things to say, silently grieving in his heart.

The little Lia aggressively continued to pull her mother's skirt, telling her to stop her actions.

"Move!" Lily screamed.

"No!" Hellen retorted.

The surrounding temperature dropped all of a sudden. A mana surge emerged from Lily's body. The ground under Lily started to freeze at a steady rate. Shouts and cries replaced the crowds' smiling faces as soon as they noticed the appearance of mana leaking into the surrounding.

Hellen on the other hand made purple winds engulf her sword. The sword shone brilliantly amidst all the hue and cry.

Both of them steadied their feet and took a stance that dictated that they were about to blast off at each other.

(By the amount of mana they are leaking, both of them will be in danger if they clashed...)

Sou could not let this happen. Not before he had a moment with his parents.

Boom!

Both the women's feet blasted off with a boom, heading towards each other at a scary speed.

(If I interfere then there is no way I can ever talk to them...)

If he interfered, then his family would surely never recognize him as Sou. This was because no one grew as fast as Sou in Melim. And they would not believe in his vague story.

"What can I do dammit?!" Sou closed his eyes.

There were only a few seconds before they crashed into each other.

"Tch..."

Boom!

An explosion shook the town. The crowd which scattered before again gathered at the scene, waiting for the aftermath of the clash to reveal itself.

The smoke started to subside slowly. Some held their breath, expecting something great, and some gasped. Some clenched their hearts and some hid their children's eyes.

...

The smoke subsided completely. The crowd became restless at the sight.

"Damn! Look at that boy!"

"What extraordinary strength!"

"He looks younger than me but he still managed to stop those two!"

"I feel so irritated for some..."

These fools were really expecting to see some bloodshed... I think it is my mind which is similar to them since I made them that way. On second thought, I won't be human if I am not like them. Well, I am not human in this world anyway...

Sou has stopped them from having both of them getting gravely injured. But at a cost- the trust of his family... is what you all thought. Right after he stopped both of them, Sou opened his mouth and shouted at the top of his lungs before Lily could say anything.

"I AM SOU, MOM!! I SURVIVED THAT FALL!! SO PLEASE BELIEVE ME!!"

(Why? Why am I going this for someone I never knew? Is this because of this body or is it my desire to feel familial love once again? But...)

"I... don't want to go through that again! I am done with those! Please..." Sou screamed while tears rolled down his eyes like a silent waterfall, his eyes singing the cries of sorrow and his voice longing for someone to hear. Hearing her son say this

"... don't cry..."

Lia tugged to her mother and Sou's dresses and made a face that clearly said that she won't let go.

"Pfft! Hahaha!! Sou, your sister is even more powerful than you. That face can defeat anyone in this world~." Hellen said, withdrawing her power and sheathing her weapon.

Sou looked at Hellen with calm eyes and directed his eyes to his sister's cute-looking face. Just a piece of advice, imagine the cutest face of a 3-year-old child possible, that's the face of Lia.

"I guess... you are right..."

***