A Simple Mistake

"Zadie...?"

Zadie turned to the stable's entrance and saw Liv standing there, frozen in place, gripping a hay-filled cart, her face pale with shock. Then she looked down at the bloodied dagger in her own hand, to the bastard writhing in pain at her feet, and then back to the woman who now stared at her as if she'd just witnessed the most terrifying monster imaginable.

How much had she seen? Well, judging by her expression — enough. Enough to spark a terrifying doubt, one that whispered relentlessly: Who is this person I've been calling my friend?

Zadie had let her guard down. She hadn't noticed Liv's approach, probably because she'd been too focused, too furious, too caught up in squeezing answers out of the man she'd captured.

That wasn't like her. No matter how rusty she might be, she couldn't afford to make mistakes like that. What if it had been the royal guard instead of Liv?

Maybe that's why she hadn't noticed the stranger watching her family.

In any case, there was no fixing it now. The only thing she could do was contain the damage, but only after she finished what she'd started. She didn't have the luxury of losing focus again. Not when more people could show up at any moment.

She sighed.

"Leave, Liv. And don't tell anyone what you saw. Understand?"

Her friend's expression only grew more distressed, which was understandable. There was no easy way to explain what was happening here.

Terrified, Liv simply dropped the cart and ran. If Zadie could still call her a friend, that title was hanging by a thread.

Once she was sure Liv's shadow had vanished from her senses, Zadie returned her attention to the hateful task in front of her. She couldn't afford to think about friendships now.

First, she tied the stranger up with a rope lying near the saddles. Then, she paused to think.

Where to begin? Something simple, like fingers, teeth, or nails? Or skip straight to something more devastating, like a hand or foot?

In the end, she settled on the eye. It was small, easy to ruin, and everyone feared losing their vision, their ability to see the beauty of the world. Tearing out one of his eyes would be quick, and she could easily claim the damage was a consequence of their struggle if questioned by the guards.

With that in mind, she pulled back the man's hood, revealing the face beneath.

To be honest, it was nothing special — ugly even. A long nose, plain brown hair, and two nasty scars — one on his cheek, the other on his chin. But his eyes… his eyes were something else. Two white orbs, like pools of milk, or twin mounds of snow. And for some reason, Zadie felt drawn to those irises, as if they commanded, demanded her attention.

The moment she looked into them, it felt like she was falling, drowning in some bottomless ocean with no hope of surfacing. Then, a voice echoed through her mind like a drumbeat:

"Finally."

And just like that, she snapped back, shaking her head.

Why the hell did I do that?

Didn't she know better than to look directly into the eyes of an unknown Germinated?

At least it didn't feel like she was being controlled by any kind of psionic power… for now. But still, why had she looked? Why? Why?

She turned her back to him, hand on her chin, deep in thought. Oddly enough, she wasn't even worried about lowering her guard. Maybe because he was tied up. Or maybe… maybe she was just being an idiot.

Was she an idiot?

What is going on?

Her eyes widened.

She turned around immediately, but too late.

Even though he was tied up, the man's foot slammed into her stomach like a hammer. Zadie flew across the stable, crashing into a startled horse that reared and let out a deafening whinny. She heard her spine crack and felt searing pain shoot through her back, so intense it left her nearly paralyzed.

It took her a long time just to get to her knees. But when she finally did, the man was already standing over her. He struck her in the head with the pommel of his sword.

Zadie saw stars. And then, nothing.

***

She didn't dream. She just woke up.

When her consciousness finally returned, she didn't open her eyes. She couldn't. The pain in her head was so overwhelming, so sharp, it felt like someone was beating her brain with a stick.

How the hell did this happen? How out of practice had she gotten to let someone like him get the jump on her?

It made no sense.

A cold shiver ran down her spine. Something was wrong.

Grinding her teeth, Zadie forced herself to stay calm. It was never worth dwelling on the past. She had to focus on the present, on whatever the hell was happening now.

She forced her eyes open, pushing through the unbearable pain she felt.

And when she finally saw where she was, a deep terror ignited in her chest.

Home. She was home.

She was tied to one of the chairs of her own kitchen, in her living room.

And that was horrifying. Because this was where her son lived. Where he studied, ate, slept, existed.

She glanced at the window behind and saw the moon shining in the sky, casting its silver light over the East. A cold, dreadful chill ran down her spine.

Tav would be home right now.

She struggled against the ropes, tried to break free, but she was too weak. Her veins pulsed with something heavy. She was drugged. Someone had injected mana suppressors into her vein, she could feel it.

Still, that wasn't the priority.

Where was he?

"TAV! TAAAAAV!"

She screamed until her throat ached. But no one answered.

"Where are you?!"

She kept calling, panicked and desperate. For her, nothing else mattered now. Just him. Just Tav.

A moment passed. Then another.

She then heard it a sharp, dragging sound, something heavy being dragged across the floor. But she didn't hear footsteps. Whoever was moving it was too quiet.

Still, moments later, she did hear them, calm and slow, as if the person wasn't in any hurry to answer her cries.

It wasn't Tav walking.

But he was there.

Tied to a chair like her, being dragged by the same bastard who'd knocked her out. The same one whose knee she'd shattered, whose eye she nearly gouged out.

But something was off.

His injuries… were gone. His knee was fine, so were the cuts she'd made during their fight.

He could've seen a healer, sure, but that didn't explain the perfect state of his clothes.

Damn it, why does that matter?

He's with my son.

Fury like she hadn't felt in years erupted inside her, filling every inch of her being, boiling her blood. Her brow furrowed, her eyes glowing with a purple flame of rage so strong it could shake even the king. And yet, when she spoke, her voice came out cold and calm as always.

"Let him go."

The stranger stopped right in front of her, expressionless, and placed her son sitting across from her. He was unconscious.

After a sigh, they pulled over another chair, and sat down next to them both.

"Let's start from the top, shall we? Name's Yume. And it's a pleasure..."

She interrupted him, calm:

"I don't give a damn who you are. Let him go."

Yume exhaled.

"Straight to it, then."

He crossed his hands over his knees, leaning in, eyes blank.

"Tell me where the Seed is, or your son dies. And don't bother lying. I've already searched your house. Top to bottom."

She clenched her jaw. She didn't want to give it up. The Seed was her ticket to a much better and more dignified life. A chance to provide for her son the way he deserved.

But Tav's life was at risk. There was no point in investing in his future if he wouldn't live to see it.

Still, something felt off.

If Yume had really torn the house apart, why was everything spotless?

Too many things weren't adding up. The tidy house, the intact clothes, the blow he gave even though he was tied up, her own momentary lapses in awareness...

She needed to answer him. Her son's life was on the line. But she couldn't shake the unease, couldn't let go of that creeping doubt.

Then she remembered Yume's eyes, how they pulled at her, took hold of her mind.

He'd done something to her when their eyes met.

But what?

Even knowing how psionic powers often worked through eye contact, she couldn't imagine one that could create so many strange effects.

A world where things weren't how they were supposed to be… Was he altering reality?

No, unlikely. Magic was usually fair in every sense. Sure, those who Germinated for longer were more powerful — due to both experience and mana buildup — but when it came to magic itself, none were inherently stronger, and all had weaknesses. A magic that could alter reality wouldn't fit that logic.

Whatever this was, it had to be personal, something between him and her. Maybe he was planting memories. Or maybe she was trapped inside some dream, a prison where he pulled all the strings.

Whatever it was, Zadie suspected one thing: it wasn't real. None of it. At least, she was almost sure.

But what if she was wrong? What if it was real? She needed proof, something to confirm her theory.

"Well then, since you're not talking, maybe you need a little encouragement."

He drew his dagger. Drove it into Tav's knee, just like she'd done to him.

Her son woke up screaming, a terrible, gut-wrenching howl that made Zadie's skin crawl and her blood boil. He kept screaming, moaning in agony, his face contorted in fear.

It wasn't fake. The scream, the horror on her precious son's face… it was real.

So real.

Real enough to crush any hope that this was a dream. Real enough to make her want to trade every scrap of comfort in her life for one more moment of seeing her boy smile instead of scream.

Why was this happening? Where had she gone wrong? Why was he suffering so much?

She wanted to die. Wanted to stab that dagger through her own throat, just so she wouldn't feel what she was feeling. The despair, the agony of watching her son suffer… it was immeasurable. Cruelly indescribable.

"Please…"

She screamed — raw, guttural, a cry from the soul. A mother's plea that could crack the heart of any being with even a shred of humanity.

"Please, don't do this!"

Yume didn't flinch. His face remained cold, blank. He stabbed Tav again, this time in the shoulder.

Her son's screams were worse this time, so awful, so terrifying, that tears streamed down her face like rivers.

"Stop! Stop it!"

Then, for the first time since waking, Tav looked at her. His face, twisted in pain. His voice, weak and hoarse:

"Mom…?"

"Hey, baby. I'm here. I'm right here. Look at me, sweetheart. You're going to be okay, alright?"

Yume grabbed Tav by the hair, forcing Zadie to see how badly Tav was doing, how much pain he was in. He was drenched in sweat, panting, his mouth open and trembling.

Wait…

Why hadn't she told him where the Seed was yet? Why was she just… watching?

It was like… like she needed to see it. Like she was being forced to witness her worst nightmare.

None of it made sense.

"Mom…"

Tav's voice cracked again, scared and confused, so different from her usual image of him.

"Please… just tell him where the Seed is… please…"

Zadie's eyes widened.

Yume raised the dagger to Tav's throat, letting blood trail down the blade.

"Well? Ready to talk?"

Zadie dropped her gaze, silent, as if defeated, knowing she could no longer hold on to dreams of a better future.

But then… she laughed.

Soft at first, then louder, exaggerated.

It wasn't real. None of it was real. All she needed was one piece of proof, and she had just gotten it.

After savoring the delicious taste of her sudden happiness, Zadie spoke, pleased:

"Idiot…"

She lifted her head, a mischievous smile spreading across her thin lips.

"I never told my son about the Seed."

Yume didn't respond. He spent a long time in silence, just staring at Zadie, the dagger resting against Tav's neck.

Eventually, though, he sighed.

"Very well."

Suddenly, Tav began to dissolve into pale sparks and white mist, fading slowly until he vanished completely. Gone, as if he'd never existed.

Zadie watched it happen with a strange calm.

Yume stood, eyes on the bloodied dagger in his hand, inspecting its edge.

"There are… other ways to make you talk."

A table materialized out of mist and shimmering light. On it lay a collection of tools. Scissors, pliers, hammer, hook, needles, tweezers.

Zadie knew exactly what that meant, of course. And yet, she didn't feel afraid. Her face was serene, even relaxed.

Because now she knew. None of this was real. Her son was safe, and that's all that mattered.

There was nothing left to fear. Not even death.

She exhaled slowly.

"…Let's get this over with."