Do you enjoy watching your mother suffer, boy?

I do my best to ignore the harsh words slinking into my mind as my eyes sweep over Mama's quavering body.

That hex is my finest. It saps her energy slowly and tortures her while her energy gets sent to me. You should be proud your mother is its first target, boy.

I clench my fist with my right hand and clench the side of the bed with the other. I do my best to hold my emotions away. I do not want them seeping out of me. I do not want anyone to see them. I do not want to make Pa worry even more.

I do not want to harm anyone with my anger.

Anger is good, boy. You should use it more. It makes you stronger.

I stifle back a scream. I push away the energy within that just tried to escape me. I step away from Pa to protect him from my thoughts. I look away from Ma squirming in the bed to keep the tears as bay. I start to make my way over to the window. I am hopeless now. What was all that training for if I could not save Ma when she needed me? What if I cannot save Pa or my brother either?

Sounds of someone running into the room echoes through my ears. I slowly turn my head and find my brother rushing up to Pa. His face holds concern and confusion as he approaches the side of the bed while he studies Pa anxiously standing next to her.

"Papa?"

Pa spins around the way he did with me and he looks shocked to see Lance approaching him. Then sadness fades into his gaze as Lance reaches him at the bedside. I know you did not wish for us to see Ma like this Pa, but it was inevitable. The worst part is I know everything about it and I cannot do anything about it at all. The worst part isn't really that. The worst part is actually that I am too weak to do anything about it. I am still not strong enough. I slide my gaze down back to Ma's quivering body as the dark magic slowly saps her energy away.

Ma.

Why did you always tell me I am stronger than you when I am not? You fought against the demon all your life and when I come against him once, he defeats me before a fight even starts. I don't understand...

Ma...

I wish I knew more. I wish I knew everything so this would never happen. I wish I could spend more time with you. I wish I was so strong that nothing can stop me from protecting you.

I break my gaze away from them and focus out the window, blocking any sound from entering my ears. I see a dark purple cloud hovering in the distance. Is he off torturing other parts of the kingdom? Is that what he meant? He plans to torture Ma as long as possible, so that is why he does not end it all now?

So that is it then. It's literally impossible for me to do anything now. All I can do is sit here and watch it all happen? There has to be something I can do. Maybe I can defeat him. Maybe if I train even more, then maybe I can defeat him.

But I don't wish to leave Ma's side.

No. I will not leave. I will not have her need me while I am away.

Sounds of movement behind me snap me from my thoughts as I slide my gaze away from the window. I focus on Pa and Lance to find them turning to leave the room. I watch them for a moment as neither one looks back all the way to the door. I study the door for a moment before slowly sliding my gaze back to the window.

The soft uncomfortable sounds coming from Ma behind me fill my ears and I have to force them away once again. I cannot stand listening to her suffer while I stand around doing nothing. She has not once opened her eyes or even looked at me while I have been in here. She acts as she knows nothing of what is happening around her at all. Is she even consciously there? Or is she trapped inside of her mind where the demon lord is torturing her? And this is why she is softly groaning?

I feel my fists clench up at my sides once again as I focus on the courtyard below me. From this window I have a view of the side of the courtyard the balcony does not show. Pa and Lance appear down there a moment later. Pa must have decided he should focus on their training even though Ma is in this state. There is little either of us can do.

I cannot stop the thoughts that the demon pushed into my mind. I now know the words that will haunt me, knowing what is wrong with Ma and knowing nothing can save her. Knowing that she will be this way for a long time is even worse. The demon lord will not have me any peace of mind through this time of success. Why would he?

He has already won. Much before I even knew anything of his existence. I am useless.

I hear a familiar chuckle pierce through my thoughts as a sharp migraine shatters my skull, almost forcing me to drop to the floor right then and there.

Heh... heh. That is right, boy. You are much smarter than I gave you credit for. There is nothing you can do so I am glad to see you have realized this already. And here I thought you would try something so rash and try to stop me. Muaha...haha!

As his chuckling fades away, the room spins for a moment as dizziness clutches my conscious. I reach for the windowsill and steady myself for a moment, waiting out the dizzy spell. As it slowly fades away, the soft sounds of Ma's groans reach my ears once again and I feel warm tears sliding down my face.

I have started crying without realizing.

Let's cut to the chase, boy.

Without letting me recover from his previous outburst in my mind, he charges in once again, and this time I do fall forward against the windowsill as his harsh words clatter through my mind.

I will force you to watch as I slowly take over your kingdom and slowly make my way to the castle. Once there, you shall have the finest front row seat to the spectacular spectacle I shall perform for you. The death of your mother! Heh heh!

Soon the dizziness shows too much as I feel myself slide down to the floor, leaning against the wall. I hide my face from view and push into my arms as I pull my knees up to my face. I try to ignore the dizziness and wait for the migraine to pass. I give up and listen to Ma's crying as it fills the room. It takes too much to block it out at this point. I do not wish to ignore her, no matter how much it hurts to hear her suffering.

What if he is right? What if I do try and protect her from him and he then turns on me? Will he also attack me too if I stand in his way? What if he then chooses to torture me and force me to watch him torture Pa and Lance too?

The tears flow freely as I fail to stop the negative emotions and thoughts from tormenting my mind. I join Ma's subtle crying and cry myself into a state of unconscious where nightmares roam about, freely through my dreams, morphing them into dark and twisted forms of torture that were conjured up from these agonizing thoughts I fail to control.

The demon lord is indirectly torturing me. This must be his intentions for telling me his plans so soon, much before he plans to execute them.

To torture me while he watches.

You don't think Merric is planning on doing something crazy, do you?