Chapter 3: Not your fault
"Ezra, are you really, okay?" She asked, she dropped him and held onto his face, checking it.
Ezra didn't know why, but he felt happy inside him, seeing the care of this woman. He may have been 25 when he died, but he was entirely new to this thing called family.
'No, no time to get overcome with feelings, remember that it was people you cared about that killed you.' He to himself.
"I am fine, I woke up and was feeling a lot better." He cooked up a lie on the spot.
'This family, they have lost their son, but they don't know because I am here. If I tell them, it will break them, and I would be taken as some evil or something. I have never had a family, I could just be their son, I could be their Ezra, but if I suspect them even the slightest, I'll end them all.'
"Good, your dad went out to find a healer, but it seems that won't be necessary, I am so happy. I was scared that I would lose you forever." She said with teary eyes.
"But you didn't, so stop crying." He spoke.
"Huh? You would normally cry when you see me crying, have you grown more mature because of the curse?" his mother asked.
'Shit I forgot, they will be differences in our behaviors, there is no way I could replicate their Ezra completely. I have to make up an effective excuse that will cover all other related issues."
"I have cried enough mum, look, I was hit by a curse, and I became a vegetable. I have to get strong and protect the family from people like that." He spoke with conviction.
His mum pinched his cheeks and pulled it, "What do you mean? You and I know that you have a low affinity for magic, and you dislike hard work and exercise." She spoke.
"Don't worry mum, I will learn to fight and get stronger, as for the magic, I'll make a way. The end goal is that I must get stronger." Ezra said.
"Hmm, I see, I will cheer you along the way." She said with a smile.
*Rumble* Ezra's stomach spoke in the ancient language that translated to hunger, his mum smiled when she heard it, while Ezra had an embarrassed look on his face.
"Don't worry, I'll go get something ready for you, you just stay and rest." She said with a smile and left.
Immediately she left, his look changed to a serious one, he walked to his bed and sat down.
"Explain the last notification you sent."
[A mission can be given at any time under certain circumstances, if you pass, you gain rewards, if you fail, you gain equivalent punishment]
"I see, how much time do I exactly have now?" he asked.
[6 days—23hours—10minutes—3seconds]
"I have to train my physical body in that time and get it to ten vitality, then kill a magical beast or something and absorb their shadow energy to awaken. I don't know the difficulty of this, but it has to be doable."
Later on that day, his mum came back with some porridge and forcefully fed him, he tried to resist, but she pinned him down on the bed.
The sun had taken its bow and given way for the moon to grace the stage, his father had come back, he was a tall and fit man with black hair and sea-blue eyes, he was downcast as he returned. He told his wife that wasn't able to get the healer no matter how he tried.
His guilt was killing him, he was the one that had an issue with that dark mage, but his son took the blow. The dark mage had also left town, so there was no way he could get him to heal his son.
When Ezra's mum told him of Ezra's situation, he froze. "Ann, is what you are saying true?" He asked.
"Why are you calling me by my name suddenly, Robert.' She called him by his name as well in a provocative manner, she had gotten used to all the cute and lovey-dovey names he called her.
"I am sorry, but is what you said true?" he asked.
"Yes, it is." She responded.
He wanted to run upstairs to Ezra's room, but she stopped him. "You will see him at dinner, you should clean up first."
He was reluctant, but ultimately agreed to it.
At dinner, Ezra had come out of his room for the first time in a while. He could see how uncomfortable his dad was when they were all seated under the lights of candles.
"It wasn't your fault," Ezra said.
"Huh?" his dad responded.
"I said it wasn't your fault, the persons at fault here are the mage and me. The mage is at fault for cursing me, and I am at fault because I was weak." Ezra said and returned to his food.
"Still, son I am sorry, I'll make it up to you." His father said.
"Training resources, make it up to me with all the training resources you can get, all of them," Ezra said, taking his father by surprise.
"My magic aptitude is not as good as Lisa's, but I will get strong in martial arts, if I manage to awaken a mana core then it is a double win, but the aim is that I will not remain weak." His voice sounded resolute.
"I understand son, tomorrow, I'll get all I can get my hands on." His father said.
"Thank you," Ezra said and continued eating. The air became lighter, they began having small talks, Ezra only chimed in once in a while, he simply watched and observed them. He was trying to see what a family exactly was.
'As long as they don't turn against me, I'll destroy anything that tries to hurt even a hair on them.'
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone