Returning Home

In the far north of the White Mountains continent, in a coastal village known as the Green Hill Village, a strange boy with white hair wandered through its alleys, and his appearance caught people's attention. Eventually, one of the men approached him, asking in his hoarse voice,

"Young man, can I help you?"

"Oh, I'm not sure. Do you know of a blind woman with white hair like mine who lost her son and lives in this village, named..."

"Ereen, are you Ereen's son?"

"Yes"

The man pressed hard on the young man's shoulders and shook him, disbelieving what he heard, and started shouting to those around him.

Three years ago, a war broke out between humans and the race of the Oris, ending with thousands of deaths and dozens of prisoners and missing persons. Jin disappeared two years ago and was considered one of the missing.

After a while, the ceasefire was announced, and an agreement was reached to exchange prisoners. Despite several weeks passing since the agreement, many prisoners have not returned to their families and their fate remains unknown. Therefore, Jin's appearance in the village caused all the commotion.

" Son, is it really you, my son? Have you returned to your mother?"

A sweet and sad voice called out to him. As soon as the crowd heard the woman's voice, they dispersed to make way for the grieving mother. The mother raised her hand and began to feel around her, and despite the effects of sleeplessness, exhaustion, and sorrow brought on by the miserable years, her beauty didn't fade, and an aura of nobility radiated from her even in a moment like this.

Her hand, which was moving through the air, finally touched the boy's face. Overjoyed, she dropped her stick from her hand to examine his face, and tears began to flow from her eyes as she hugged him tightly with all her might, as if he would disappear again if she loosened her arms even a little.

" Jin, my little child, you have become a young man. My son, I missed you so much, you can't imagine my happiness for your return"

Amidst this emotional scene, Jin embraced his mother just as tightly.

" I missed you too, Mom. You can relax your hand, I don't plan on going anywhere."

His mother smiled at her son's words, and even though she stopped hugging him, she held his gentle and warm hand tightly. The beautiful feeling on Jin's palm made him think that every move this woman makes shows great compassion and affection.

'Why do I feel guilty? Because I'm not her real son? No, since the moment I inhabited this body, Tai Jin's family became my family.'

The original Jin wasn't a prisoner, he just didn't want to return to a life of poverty, so he abandoned his mother and sister and lived the life of a thief, but the orphan who came from the future longed to have a family.

The sound around him and their laughter brought him back to consciousness, before the man with the hoarse voice started shouting again.

"Are you planning to stay here all day? Go back to your work. And Lady Ereen, won't you take the boy to see his sister and have a good meal? He looks like he's going to fall from hunger."

Lady Ereen nodded her head in the direction of the voice and bent down to feel the ground searching for her stick. Her son's hand reached out and placed the stick in her hand, helping her to stand. A smile appeared on her face as she felt his grip.

"Oh, you have grown up indeed. You have a strong grip just like your father."

'Yes, he resembles his father more than you imagine, and he is even more despicable than him'

Ereen concealed the truth about Jin's deceased father and tried as much as possible to portray him as the ideal person, but Jin knew the truth about his father all too well.

Jin took his blind mother's hand and led her towards their home. Despite being visually impaired, Lady Ereen was not helpless, and even though she came from noble roots, she was skilled in cooking, sewing, and performing all her daily duties as a housewife and more.

"I was injured and it took me a long time to recover and collect enough money to travel from the Ancestors Island to here."

Jin spoke in an attempt to explain the reason for his absence, but his mother didn't care about the details, as many were missing due to the war.

"We searched for you for a long time, but without success. The important thing is that you have found your way back. You mentioned that you were injured, did the Oris hurt you?"

"It wasn't serious..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he glimpsed someone running towards him. A fat man reached them, panting heavily, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"My lady, Noble Monroe wants to meet you immediately. The payment deadline is approaching."

Ereen's expression changed after hearing the fat man's voice, but she forced a smile and nodded in agreement. Despite pretending to be calm, Jin felt the tremor that swept through her body, and he intervened immediately.

"Tell the noble that the lady is busy. Her missing son has returned home after years of absence. As for the payment matter, I will visit him tonight."

The two left the place, leaving a look of bewilderment on the fat man's face.

"Mr. Monroe won't like this, he definitely won't like this."

The mother and son arrived at their home, or rather their small hut located on the outskirts of the village. The hut was ruined, small, and cold, hardly suitable for even a chicken coop.

* Cough cough cough *

A coughing sound came from inside the hut, causing the mother to rush inside, overwhelmed with worry.

"Oh my, during my happiness, I forgot about the medicine schedule."

The mother went to look for the box in the corner, before feeling her son's hand on her shoulder.

"She's asleep now, let me take care of the medicine, and shouldn't you feed me ?"

The mother sighed, as the hut contained only some wilted vegetables and a plate of noodles. They didn't even have enough to eat for the day.

"Son, you see what our situation has come to. I borrowed some money from one of the nobles, but..."

"Mother, you don't have to worry about anything. Your son has become a man and he will take care of you and his sister."

Jin examined the medicine and brought it closer to his nose to smell it, his expression changed.

"Mother, what exactly is wrong with my sister?"

"The doctor said it's a fever that affects children her age. It's been months and her condition hasn't improved, even though I followed all of his instructions."

'Of course, she won't get better if she's taking this shit.'

"Mother, I will visit the doctor. It seems we need to postpone the meal for later."

The mother wanted to stop him from leaving, as he had only been home for a minute, but her daughter's groans silenced her. How could he enjoy his meal when little Mei was sick?

After some time had passed, his mother was surprised by the sound of someone knocking on the door with force. Before she could ask who it was, she heard a familiar voice asking to come in.

"Madam, I am the village doctor. I have received a new medicine that works like magic. Within a few hours, you will notice the difference."

The mother opened the door, not believing what she was hearing. He was describing a spiritual medicine which wasn't available for the public, so how could it be used for her daughter ?

For the second time, before she could ask what was going on, the doctor burst into the hut and lifted the girl's head to give her the elixir.

"This place won't help her heal. You must come to my house. I mean, you can stay at my second house, which is currently vacant, at least until the little girl is completely healed."

The mother was surprised by the doctor's actions. They had been in front of him for months, and he had never helped her, even with the cost of the medicine. So what was the secret behind this sudden generosity?

Before she could ask what was happening, her son spoke up, saying,

"Oh, doctor, how generous you are. My mother and I accepted your invitation with pleasure."

The doctor swallowed hard, and his face became pale with fear.

Of course, the blind woman could not see the doctor's terrified face as he stared at her son, as if he had seen a devil in front of him. Jin raised his finger to his lips and gestured for him to be quiet.