The Mage’s Path of Dreams

Coming back to the real world, Lorentz saw a pair of purple eyes staring at him with curiosity. 

He shook his head and said, "Yeah, I still have no clue what that was. And I genuinely can't tell what you're trying to teach me."

The witch lady barely ever spoke. She was adept at giving proper direction to Lorentz, and being a smart child, he too was adept at understanding everything and implementing them in one go. 

However, there were times when nothing worked out for both parties. When such cases arose, the two would simply forget them and continue on with their day.

Today though, it seemed like this matter couldn't be forgotten as Lorentz seemed to be bent on getting an explanation. 

The witch smiled and shook her head. Her child was being more demanding as he grew up. Was he perhaps entering his rebellious phase? She could not tell.

She tapped on her lap again, gesturing to him to be on her lap for the explanation. 

Lorentz got back down, and the first thing she did was raise his arm up.

The underside of Lorentz's forearm now had the same raven sigil the witch possessed a while ago.

"Huh?" Lorentz was in disbelief and got up, only to get pushed down and locked in the resting position by his mother. 

"W-what is this? I have a sigil just like that!?!" Lorentz couldn't help but question. 

These Sigils were no ordinary things. They were treasures that could only be obtained in a place called the 'Tower of Transcendence' after shedding a lot of blood and sweat.

His mother gave it to him just like that? Not to mention, she didn't even think before doing it!

"Surprised?" The witch asked in her soothing voice. 

"…"

'Surprised?'

'SURPRISED!?!'

'I am here SHOCKED. Shocked out of my wits!!!'

Lorentz cried out internally. 

Not only did this lady give him a precious sigil, she even talked!

Did the sun rise from the west today?

What was happening?

Noticing her son's agape mouth and completely quiet expression, the witch let out a soft chuckle. 

This was another new emotion Lorentz was looking at. His mother could even laugh like that!?!

"What's happening to you today?" He has to ask. He really needed to know what was with the sudden changes. 

The woman caressed his hair to calm him down, and slowly said, "There's no harm in speaking now."

"Harm?"

"Yes," her tone turned gentler. "You are my child now, completely and properly, sharing a bond much stronger than blood."

"Huh?" This was the third huh of the day for Lorentz. "Does this mean I wasn't your child before? What!?"

Being smart had its perks, but there were disadvantages too. One such situation was now when Lorentz caught onto the small things and began questioning his mother. 

The witch wasn't flustered by her son's questioning. She expected such a question to occur as she had purposely articulated her words in such a manner. 

"Yes and no," she said, confusing him further. Before he could ask something else, she put a finger on his lips, gesturing to him to be quiet for a while and just listen. 

"The day you first called me mom… from that special day… I was your mother."

The witch's tone softened as she remembered that fine day. 

"…however, we did not share a physical bond. For this reason, I could not talk to you. Without any bond, if you had heard my voice for a prolonged period, your mind would've been corrupted. And there's another important reason, but let's leave that aside for now."

Lorentz had a hard time absorbing all the information, but he did it nevertheless. 

His face was completely serious now as he asked, "So you're saying… we did not share a physical bond up until now?"

"Yes."

"Why?" The corner of Lorentz's lips curved down. 

Why did she only form a bond now and not sooner? Did she ever realize how hard it was on him to not hear her voice? Did she ever realize how much he longed for her to call him by his name?

Feeling his unstable emotions, the witch felt her chest tighten. 

This was a hard conversation to have, but she had to have it. 

The witch cupped his face gently, her voice soft yet firm. "You were just a child, my dear. You matured far too soon, never truly living your childhood or youth. Look back—those years passed without a single moment of innocence, without you doing what others your age should have. Had I given you the sigil then, you would have lost yourself entirely. You would not be the Lorentz Volhard I know today."

Lorentz had no rebuttal to this statement. He just laid there, quietly, trying to hold back his tears. 

The lady's purple eyes then peered into Lorentz's blazing red ones.

"…and, had I formed a bond with you, we would've not been able to spend so much time together. I would be long gone and you would be all alone."

"Huh!?" The tear-filled Lorentz immediately sobered up. 

Something felt amiss. Something felt seriously wrong with this comment. 

He got up from his mother's lap and looked into her eyes as he held her shoulders.

"What do you mean?" He knitted his brows and asked. 

The witch smiled ruefully as she held her son's face. "My dear… at times I truly wish you weren't as smart. Why must you catch onto things quickly and give your mother a hard time?"

"Mom…" Lorentz brows furrowed further. "…that is not the answer to my question."

He was firm this time, not leaving room for any other discussion.

The witch did not answer him. Instead, she stood up and helped him get up as well.

"I'll make you some stew," she said as she began walking away.

"Mom, no!" Lorentz ran behind her and held her wrist, not letting her go. "I need an answer, now! I don't want anything else!"

An ominous feeling was starting to take over Lorentz's heart as his mother was acting all strange all of a sudden. 

The lady turned around and instead of reprimanding Lorentz for his outburst, went ahead and hugged him.

Rubbing his back, she said softly, "I'll answer all your questions, dear. I won't go anywhere without doing that."

"Mom…" Lorentz felt a lump in his throat and was unable to speak. 

He hugged his mother firmly, as if afraid that she'll leave him, and said, "…I… I don't want stew…"

Even if that was his favorite dish, that was the last thing he wanted now.

"…I… I only want you, mom. Please don't go…"

No matter how much he had matured, no matter how many wars he had fought, in front of his mother… a child was always a child. 

The tall witch wrapped her arms around her son's shoulders and kissed the top of his head, not showing him the expression she possessed.

Tears were threatening to leak from her eyes and she was in far more pain than what Lorentz could even imagine. 

She did not want this either. She did not want the reality that was about to descend on them to descend. 

But… she knew there was no other way. 

The two stayed hugging in the middle of the living for quite some time, not saying a word. 

"…my dear…" The witch broke the silence. "…can you please let mother make you the stew?"

Lorentz really wanted to refute again. But his mother's tone… it was full of pain and sadness, one he had never experienced before. 

Even if he wanted to, he could not refuse her.

Lorentz broke the hug and nodded, not looking her in the eyes. 

He wiped his face with the back of sleeves and tried not to show his pathetic self to his mother. 

The two walked outside the house and Lorentz sat down on the porch while the witch lit up an open fire to make the stew.

She used the rabbits Lorentz had caught earlier to make the stew. 

While stirring the giant pot, she smiled and asked, "My dear… do you know… you've never asked me my name. Aren't you curious to learn your mother's name?"

Lorentz looked up at her with a dumbfounded expression. 

Now that she mentioned that… he never really bothered to ask her name. I mean, why would he?

To him, she was mom, and that's all that mattered. 

The witch chuckled, as if reading what was going on in Lorentz's mind. 

"Anastasia. Your mother's name is Anastasia." The witch said it straight.

She then smirked and continued, "Nobody except you knows of my name. Make sure to cherish it, okay?"

Lorentz was taken aback yet again. 

He could do nothing but nod in agreement. 

Anastasia's mood was starting to improve as she conversed with her son. 

Eventually, she brought up the topic they had dropped, asking: 

"…now, do you want me to state what our current predicament is?"

"Yes."

"Alright, so…"