A Half Step Towards Victory

❝Wake up❞

Chapter 0 prologue

The Sun has gone to rest finally after a long and lively day. The moon took over with it's stunning beauty up in the wide calm space, with its gleaming light reflected on the surface of the land, the beautiful breeze of a pleasant wind began to move freely, roaming around the earth calmly as it would cause the bushes and the leaflets of the nearby trees to dance along, releasing a smooth rustle sound that can be so satisfying to one's ears.
On that random day, begins the tale. Around a calm village surrounded with many cultivated lands and green areas, a sign of farmers existing in such place, the fruit of their hard work are these green fields which contained various types of vegetables and fruits which yet to be harvested.
The plans would move along in a wavy motion due to the calm force of the wind, which makes the plans move and rhythm visually.
Old Chinese houses were located across the village in various spots and nearby the green fields where farmers usually worked, those houses were made of bricks, wood, bamboo, along with thick straw on top of these houses to give them extra protection to their roofs. These poor materials were what the villagers could afford during that time.
The active movements in the morning vanished and not a single person can be spotted outside, only the sound of the roaring wind and the rustling of the leaflets.

"Mother...? Are you awake?"

A tiny voice that sounded like it belonged to a child due to his low young pitch, it was clear, however it still did not echo around the area.
he slowly enters the room as he approaches a bedridden woman, she was having a hard time breathing so her breathing was a little heavy and hard for her. In addition to her sweating that was abnormally unusual for someone to sweat that much, and that is all due to her invasive sickness.

"Here, I brought you the herbs"

The boy then gently placed his palm behind his mother's head trying to help her to have a suitable position to drink some sort of water mixed with herbs. All added in a wooden bowl that looked pretty old and semi shattered.

The boy's mother finally managed to drink the whole liquid within the wooden bowl. And within a few seconds after drinking the medical water. Her breathing seemed to be at ease and her grinning face turned into a slightly relieved expression.

"better, right?"

Said the boy in a disturbed tone. His throat sounded a little weakened, his clothes looked pretty old and dirty. Many torn parts could be seen on his clothing just from his appearance, he looked very stressed out.

"Z. . .Zu. . ."

The mother spoke quietly that her voice was quite difficult to be heard, she seemed to be calling for someone's name, but her sickness deemed to be preventing her from using her voice properly, her sentence was shattered.

"Eehk?!, please do not stress yourself, mother..."
Said the boy with a worried expression engraved on his face.

"Thank you, dear. .i-"
The mother's speech gets vexed suddenly by her coughs followed heavily, one after another.

*coughing*

"Crap. ., I already told you rest!"

The mother's coughing has gotten heavier which lead her to cough out blood as she covered her mouth with her palm.

"No.. .!"

The boy panicked while seeing his mother coughing violently, with the droplets of blood fall on the worn blanket she was covered with.
Suddenly and without hesitation, the boy reached out a small berry-like fruit, which is supposed to have a medical effect on his mother's current critical condition. He squeezed the juice of the fruit in the wooden bowl with some water added to it.