𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝

Final

The road was so muddy, that the dark-cloaked figure barely managed to walk. She was almost thirty now, yet she felt faint. Her shoes, shabby with holes visible in them, were overused after so many years of wearing them. She needed new ones, but considering how hard it was recently to buy even a tiny piece of bread lately, she clearly couldn't afford the luxury. Hell, even her clothes were not only too big for her frail body behind that comfortable cloak she managed to steal on her way here, but she was way too skinny to be considered in a good shape.

And she wasn't. She knew she was going to die, one way or another. Her only wish was that it wouldn't happen so soon.

There was a small bundle of joy tucked inside her wet cloak, which she tried to keep at least a little bit warm in this chilly weather. It was almost winter after all, and she had to find them a shelter for the night. Tightening her hold on the small child in her arms, she felt it whimper a little from the cold.

Her eyes filled with unshed tears. She barely gave birth to the child a month ago, almost dying in the process. But she knew she wouldn't manage to take care of him alone for long. Her husband was dead, killed by burglars the night after their first child was born, leaving them both all alone and helpless.

Without a way to feed them both, the single mother didn't have a choice. She had to choose between traveling back to her parents' village or letting them starve to death. And she believed that she had made the right choice, but she regretted not making it sooner.

If only she hadn't waited for two weeks, if only she had been more careful on the way so they wouldn't get ripped off of their money and food, they wouldn't have had to starve. She felt terrible, yet it wasn't her fault. Her parents' village was close. They were going to reach it by afternoon tomorrow, and she couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

Being so far away from her family, she missed them. She missed her mother's cooking, her small fights with her brother, and her father's gentle embrace, which she hadn't felt since getting married to her late husband. She didn't remember how many years has it been since then, but what she knew was that she would start crying at the sight of them. That is if they were still alive.

Lately, there had been cases of jujutsu sorcerers found murdered around the region, and nobody knew why were they killed or what killed them. Some people had even started to question if the world of jujutsu sorcerers' about to come to its end. It seemed like nobody was brave enough to challenge their murderers.

And that's why she felt so afraid sometimes. Her husband was a former jujutsu sorcerer. He was not disposed of by the same force that killed the others, but what about their child? Nothing guaranteed her that he wouldn't get slayed in the future if he manages to survive starving to death first. Gosh, she was so helpless. She hadn't fed him in two days.

Feeling her hand shaking as the cold air bit her red skin, the woman exhaled softly. She had to stay positive for the sake of her child.

Determined, the exhausted woman searched with her eyes for a possible shelter. The heavy rain made it harder for her, the wind flogging her face with its sharpness, yet she didn't give up.

Finally, she could see the light of a fire flickering in the distance.

Her chest blossomed with hope, and the woman imagined how it would have been nice if the people were friendly samaritans, who would've at least let her stay the night and give her some food to feed herself and her starving son. She was even willing to pay them, even though she didn't have any money.

With each step towards the light, the female felt her cloak getting dirtier. Her clothes were getting wetter, dirtier by the second, but she had to keep going.