《Sin》


 Chapter 1: The boy named Sin

    The fire was raging. The surrounding forest was illuminated by the red glow, trees and shrubbery set ablaze. The fiery light came into stark contrast with the surrounding dark forest shrouded in moonlight, the silvery overlay dominated by the red glow. Within the center of the inferno lay a boy, scorch marks riddling his body. He had a pained expression on his face, sweat covering his body.


    The boy had only a sliver of consciousness remaining, but this too was rapidly dispersing. The boy listened to the crackling fire as his consciousness faded. As he entered a state of slumber, he heard a hurried voice sound nearby, followed by footsteps rushing towards him.


    His consciousness finally faded completely.


    When he woke up, as he opened his eyes, he saw a simple wooden ceiling. Turning his head to survey the rest of the room, he suddenly felt a sharp pain running down his neck, forcing him once more into a state of stillness. Staring at the ceiling the boy recounted the happenings before he fell unconscious. Shards of memories came flooding into his mind. Scenes of a raging inferno, followed by the excruciating burning sensation and the smell of burning flesh. Finally he remembered the voice he heard before he entered a state of comatose.


    ¡®It seems I was saved.¡¯


    The boy had a contemplative expression for a moment before finally closing his eyes once more. After a short while he heard the door open, followed by light footsteps nearing his bed and eventually coming to a stop by his side.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    As he gazed over to the side, he saw what looked to be a middle aged woman, bearing a mature manner. She had brown hair with streaks of grey sporadically intermingled at the side of her temples. Her delicate face and kind eyes suggested she was quite the beauty in her earlier days.


    ¡°Can you speak, child?¡±said the woman in a soft and gentle voice.


    ¡°Yes.¡±the boy said in a faint voice, seemingly struggling to utter the sounds.


    ¡°Good. Do you have a name, child?¡±


    The boy paused for a minute, a deep frown on his face as he seemingly struggled to remember his name, before finally replying with a pained expression while looking the woman in the eye, ¡°Sin.¡±


    ¡°Sin? Quite an odd name to give to a child. Do you remember where you came from, SIn?¡± the woman asked as she patiently stood by the side.


    Thinking back, the boy felt a jolt of pain as he tried to recollect what happened before the fire, shaking his head with a regretful look on his face.


    The woman nodded saying to the boy, ¡°Very well. I will take my leave. Rest well, your injuries were critical, burns covering most of you body. I managed to treat your injuries in time, preventing any lasting damage but you should still take time to recover fully.¡±


    As the boy watched the woman turn towards the door he suddenly blurted out in a weak voice, ¡°Please wait. May I know your name?¡±


    The woman halted her footsteps before turning and giving the boy a kind smile, ¡°You can call me Mother Morri.¡±


    Sin watched Mother Morri leave the room with a look of gratitude plastered on his face, his sincere gaze halting on the door for a while longer before he closed his eyes once more.


    ¡®Mother Morri, huh.¡¯, thought the boy.

 Chapter 2: The power to heal

    The next morning Mother Morri came to treat Sin¡¯s wounds once more. Seeing his tired eyes Mother Morri asked concernedly, ¡°Sin? Did you sleep last night?¡±


    ¡°Mother Morri.¡± Sin gave mother Morri an apologetic smile, saying, ¡°No. Everytime I close my eyes the pain comes stabbing back, and when I do finally succumb to the lethargy the nightmares shock me back into a state of consciousness.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fret, Sin. Your wounds will soon be healed, as for the nightmares¡­ those I can do nothing about.¡±, said Mother Morri as she gracefully sat down on the edge of the bed besides Sin. She then proceeded to gently lift Sin¡¯s hand, placing it on her lap and she saw Sin flinch momentarily, and gave him an apologetic look.


    ¡°Bear with it, Sin. This might hurt a bit.¡±


    A green radiance faintly started to emanate from her hands, covering the wounds on Sin¡¯s hand.


    Sin gave a pained expression before giving Mother Morri an astonished look, the pain from his hand greatly lessened, he asked, ¡°Mother Morri¡­ this is magic?¡±


    Mother Morri said to Sin in a playful manner, giving him a smile, ¡°It is. Interested?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Argh, that hurts.¡±


    ¡°Sin, it''s best you keep your voice down. In your case, excitement kills.¡±


    ¡°Mother Morri.¡±


    Seeing Sin¡¯s wronged expression, Mother Morri gave a soft chuckle, after which she attentively treated the wounds on his hand, followed by his arm, eventually she treated all the wounds covering his body, the wounds looking visibly smaller.


    ¡°Rest now, child, I will be back later to bring you food and drink, in the meanwhile, try to get some sleep.¡±


    Mother Morri gently rose, a smile still faintly visible on her face. Standing beside Sin¡¯s bed, she gave him a thoughtful look. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Noticing her expression, Sin grew quite uncomfortable, frowning slightly. Mother Morri seemed as though she could see through him, gazing into his very soul, uncovering all, from the shallowest puddles to the deepest trenches.


    ¡°I''ll be taking my leave. Again, rest well, Sin.¡±


    ¡°Mother Morri, thank you.¡±


    Mother Morri gave Sin a kind smile before leaving the room.


    After she left the room, Sin sat up in his bed with a groan, surveying the room in detail. The radiant glow of the sun came streaming through the window, forming patterns on the wall beside him, where a small wooden chair was placed. A refreshing breeze spreading through the room. The wall was adorned with hanging pots containing various wild flowers, the wooden walls gave off a woody aroma, accentuating the homely atmosphere. The sound of a thunderous waterfall was faintly audible from outside the window.


    ¡°Magic, huh.¡±, muttered Sin, staring at the cascading waterfall, just opposite his cabin window.


    ¡°This power¡­¡±, he thought aloud. Looking down at his hand, Sin undid the white cloth that covered it, examining the wound, ¡°... is truly is wondrous.¡±


    In the evening Mother Morri brought Sin a tray stacked with food. Fruits of various shapes and sizes, perfectly ripe with a sweet smell along with green and yellow vegetables were neatly placed on the tray. On the side was a glass of red juice, a fresh aroma permeating through the air.


    ¡°Fresh fruit ripened to perfection, nutritious vegetables and fresh berry juice, I hope it¡¯s to your liking, Sin.¡±


    She looked expectantly at Sin, sitting on the small wooden chair beside him, waiting for him to start faring into his food.


    Receiving the tray, Sin seemed to be searching for something.


    ¡®Where¡¯s the meat?¡¯, thought Sin, seemingly baffled as he gazed up at the smiling Mother Morri.


    ¡°Uhm, Mother Morri, you wouldn¡¯t perhaps be a vegetarian?¡±


    ¡°All life is sacred, child. We don¡¯t have the right to alter another¡¯s destiny, and taking the life of a living creature, no matter how small, is the ending of that being¡¯s destiny completely. Plants and us form a harmony, both give while also receiving. When a life is taken in order to sustain another, there is ultimately only one party benefiting.¡±


    ¡°Mother Morri is wise. I will contemplate the profoundities of your words, Mother Morri.¡±, said Sin with a solemn expression.


    ¡®I see. So she¡¯s a vegetarian. A simple yes would have sufficed.¡¯


    Making sure to look as though he was in deep thought, Sin started to eat the food on the tray. As he noted the sweet taste of the fruit, he slowed down his rate of eating, savouring every bite.


    ¡°Mother Morri?¡±, said Sin after the tray was empty.


    ¡°Yes, Sin?¡±


    ¡°I think I remember where I came from.¡±