Nuclear Warlock

Artus ate his breakfast which consisted of a mouthful of bread and a few spoons of porridge, he then held the cup in his hands staring at the milk intensely. 

"Why are you staring at the milk? drink it"

A gentle voice tickled his ears.

His mother, Milla, looked at him as drank the milk in one gulp, her gentle looks could not mask the deep-hidden worries in her heart. 

Artus was lost in his world, obvious to the thoughts of his mother, he was wondering how his mother managed to acquire such a drink.

He always knew that their family of three was considered poor even in this small village, his father worked as a guard for the village chief.

He knew how to use simple weapons, he was also quite good with the bow, if he had free time he would hunt small animals in the nearby forest.

They would occasionally cook them for a delicious meal, or sometimes his father would sell them for a few coins to buy essentials, clothes, etc.

Even though he did not know what type of potion this was, he could tell that it was very expensive.

When taking into consideration their circumstances then even if they had enough money to buy it, they would not do it, such a huge amount of money should be spent on more important things, the roof is still damaged from last year's storm, winter is around the corner, if they did not fix the roof, their rain would drip into their house.

He even heard that this year winter may be much harsher, so their house could even flood with water.

 Artus had so many thoughts, but he kept them to himself, he knew his partners very well, they were not the kind of people who would waste hard-earned money.

He knew they had something on their mind, he did not want to waste their goodwill so did not say anything.

 ***********************************

Artus has always been sick since he was born, his body was weak, he had difficulty moving around, his growth was slow so even though he was now 7 years old, he looked no older than 5 years at most.

His development pace was somewhat delayed when compared to his peers, he took more time to say his first words, more time to stand up on his own, and even more time to start walking.

Fortunately, there seems to be nothing wrong with his mind, it can even be said that he was smart and mature for his age.

She had a difficult labor, her body was weak to begin with, it was unknown if she could have another child.

He was everything they had, she could not forget how when he was born, how small and weak he was.

She could not forget how his father, Gabell, left the village looking for an apothecary.

He went to great lengths, traveled for a long 3 months, spent his lifetime saving just to buy a small vitality-improving potion.

3 months may not seem a long time, but to leave his newborn son and his wife who have yet to recover from childbirth was a cruel decision that he had to make.

As he heard the weak cry of his baby, his heart started to bleed but he kept moving forward. He was afraid if he looked back at his baby, he would not be able to leave.

He knew if he did not leave then his child may die soon, or at best his development will be hindered and he will be disabled for life.

3 months later a knock was heard on their wooden door.

"Grandma did bring veget-"

when Milla opened the door she saw a man with a disheveled face, his clothes were tattered and dirty, it looked like he had not slept for days.

"Gabell!"

 He collapsed in her arms directly.

A while later he woke up, Milla hurriedly hugged him.

"Thank god!"

"Why did you leave so suddenly? I missed you so much"

"I need you …. Artus needs you"

Her sobs filled the house, her tears soaked his clothes.

"Don't worry honey… I will never leave you again"

He comforted her patiently, his hand gently patting her back. His heart was filled with warmth, even though the wounds did not fully close, they were no longer bleeding.

*Waaaaa*

*Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa* *waaaaaaa*

A sudden loud cry filled the house, waking them from their daydreams.

Milla directly left Gabell's embrace, heading for the small wooden cradle.

"Artus!"

"Hush" "Hush"

She gently carried the small baby in her hands, soothing him to calm down. The baby returned to sleep.

Gabell stood up slowly, he took a small dirty bottle from his pocket, the glass had many scratch marks and dirt over it, but it could not hide the blue lustrous color of the fluid inside.

 No one knew how much sweat, tears, and blood he had paid for this small bottle.

"For the next few days, feed him this potion, one spoon per day"

"His health should improve; his life will not be in danger anymore"

Milla put Artus back in the cradle, she hugged Gabell excitedly.

"Thank you! Thank you"

"Artus! My baby will be finally saved!"

"He will be free from the cursed disease!"

"He will be able to live normally"

Milla was so excited that she did not notice that Gabell's reaction was somewhat dull.

If she were to pay attention, she would see the dejected look in his eyes coupled with the bitter smile on his face.

He had obtained this small elixir with great difficulty, yet he knew it was far from enough, it is true after consuming this elixir Artus's life would no longer be in danger, but for him to live a normal life…. that was far from enough.

He swallowed his words… he could not bear to tell Milla…he could not bear to destroy her dreams…. the light in his eyes slightly dimmed. His wounds that are yet to fully heal re-opened gain, blood was spewing from his heart but this time at a much faster pace.