18 Desire for Revenge 

After staying for a few days in the previous city, Vicente and Lauren had finally awakened from their comatose states.

Lauren was the first one to regain her consciousness and, unfortunately, also the one who was the most affected.

Finding out that she would no longer be able to see ever again, the girl had locked herself in the bedroom in the house which their father had rented in the town. She barely touched the food her father would bring for her, and always remained very sad.

Even sleeping at night was not easy for her. Amid her nightmares, she would be jolted awake, reminded of the hopeless darkness that now characterized her current life, something that was challenging to get used to.

Her father had already informed Lauren that her mother and the baby in Kate's womb were no longer with them, doubling the girl's suffering twice as much.

Previously, she lamented the fact that she was going to be engaged to a man she didn't like, but now she couldn't help but realize how foolish her prior complaints were.

She didn't have any problems before and her life could be considered as perfect nonetheless, still, she complained about it to her parents so many times...

Now, however, all she wanted was to return to her former 'problems'!

If only she could trade her lost sight, bring her mother and brother back, and undo all the events that had befallen on her family for the cost of a marriage...

She wouldn't even care if she had to marry a disgusting old man and would have gladly accepted it!

But the reality was heartless, and her thoughts would not alter any of their circumstances. She was now blind, no longer had her mother, and would possibly leave her previous favorable social position and forever stay single even if she didn't want to.

While Lauren was living her depressing situation, Vicente also woke up this morning!

Although he had not completely recovered his hearing upon waking up, he still understood perfectly when his father relayed to him the tragic news regarding his mother, Nina, and Lauren.

Vicente had witnessed when a piece of bone had crushed his mother that day. However, he still listened to his old man's words with tears welling in his eyes.

During the past few days, he had been constantly plagued by nightmares about his mother's death, and when he woke up, he couldn't help but pray for the heavens that they were just a bad dream.

But upon hearing Andrew's painful account, any semblance of hope in Vicente's heart was irreparably shattered!

...

Once his father finished explaining to him the details of what had happened, as well as the condition of his sisters and where they were, Vicente found himself alone in the room.

With some difficulty, he made his way to the bathroom, turned on the shower, and let the frigid water run over his body while his tears flowed from his eyes, unabated.

All he could think about was the sweet and gentle voice of his mother, recalling the last moments when he was beside his mother.

However, the realization that he would never be able to see her again, nor could he even say a proper goodbye to her, left a profound emptiness in his heart and an indescribable lump in his throat.

He longed to unleash a scream and make the whole world feel the agony he now endured, but he couldn't.

Or rather, he didn't have the ability to do so.

Not even having his abilities awakened, Vicente was not any more than an insect compared to the level of strength he needed if he wanted to alter this course of reality.

Unfortunately, he was powerless...

Knowing this made him feel twice his initial despair.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" He was suddenly overwhelmed by a surge of anger and struck the wall before him, ignoring the pain in his fists.

"Damn you, Dax, Malik!" he shouted, recollecting the names he had heard during that battle. "One day! No matter the cost or how long it takes, one day I will find you!

I won't rest until I return to you what happened to my mother!" He continued punching the wall until wounds in his fists opened up, and blood trickled from his hands.

When he beheld the dark red drops dripping from his hands, Vicente stopped and glanced at his fists, feeling a unique sensation coursing through his body.

Unbeknownst to him, he had made an oath to his own blood to avenge his mother's murder!

"Either I will seek vengeance or perish trying!"

After uttering these words with conviction, Vicente finished taking his shower and quickly dressed, curling his fingers to hide what he had just done.

Leaving his room, Vice headed directly to the chamber where his father had mentioned Lauren was.

He knew that his sister, Lauren, had endured more suffering than him. Without bothering to knock, he entered the room.

"Lauren, it's me, Vice," he softly said as he approached the bed where his sister was cuddled in a pillow.

"Vice? Are you awake?" Lauren inquired, looking up in a different direction from where Vicente stood.

Observing that his sister had not yet gotten used to recognizing the position of people by the sound, Vicente was once again overcome with a surge of anger in his heart.

"I'm sorry, big sister," he said with difficulty. "I understand I am weak now, but I promise you, one day I will avenge our mother."

Lauren didn't hold the belief that her brother could one day be able to avenge their mother or for what had befallen her and Nina. However, she knew her brother well enough to know that he wasn't kidding.

Tears flowed down her eyes once again as she responded, "Vicente, don't worry about it. I'll miss Mother, but that's the way life is. There's nothing we can do. Those people were Sovereigns."

"Even if they were Paragons or Archmages, it doesn't matter. I will do everything to reach them!" Vice declared with conviction. "Just have faith in me, sister. One day, I will bring peace to our mother!"

Lauren felt her heart tighten but remained silent. Nothing could deter him from continuing with his purpose once he had set his mind to do something.

'Vicente...' Amidst the abyss of despair, Lauren felt her heart beating harder, bearing witness to her family's terrible fate.

...

A few more days elapsed as the Fuller family group continued to linger in that town.

During this time, Vicente and Lauren continued their treatment with Doctor Marcus. Meanwhile, Nina had finally regained consciousness after undergoing the complicated procedure.

From what Doctor Marcus had informed Andrew, Nina's condition was delicate, and he would need to accompany his youngest daughter to the doctor every month for the next six months.

For the time being, the little girl didn't seem to have any sequelae other than her deafness. But the marks of the operation which she had to undergo could appear at any time.

If she displayed any worrisome symptoms, Andrew was instructed to seek aid from better-ranked doctors, ideally Mages!

Due to the scarcity of professionals of such caliber in most of Scott Province, Andrew had decided to leave for Saltstar City once Nina woke up a day before.

Previously, they were bound to go to the city for business. However, he was no longer certain if he still wanted to do that and thought that perhaps staying in the town and devoting himself to caring for his children was the best course of action for him.

However, upon learning about Nina's medical needs, he revised his decision and chose to set out for Saltstar City last night with his family.

So, at the present moment, Andrew and his family were on the road once again, venturing out as they traveled in the direction of the largest city in the province.

This time, however, the interior of their carriage carried a somber silence, with each family member coping with their losses in their own way.

This journey would not last that long, and in about another three weeks, they would reach their destination, where their immediate future awaited!