UNIFIED W

Chapter 52: Blood, Bread, Winter

Only two months remained before the end of 1807 B.W.

Winter had begun to settle over Buur City.

The first few snowflakes drifted from the grey morning sky as a cold wind swept through the streets.

Vin got up as usual and made his way toward the bathroom to wash up. But this morning was different.

As he stepped into the hallway, he suddenly froze. His mother lay unconscious on the cold floor.

"Mom...?"

Vin rushed toward her and dropped to his knees.

"Mom?"

He grabbed her shoulders and desperately tried to wake her. As he lifted her upper body, her head tilted forward, revealing a dark bloodstain on her clothes and blood on the floor beneath her.

Vin's heart dropped.

"Mom...? Mom! Mom! MOM!"

Only a few seconds passed, but to Vin, they felt like hours.

Tears filled his eyes as he held her tightly against him, desperately trying to wake her.

Then, suddenly, her body moved, and her eyes slowly opened.

"My... baby boy. Don't cry. It's alright."

"Mom..."

Vin wrapped his arms tightly around her as she gently rubbed the back of his head, trying to calm him down.

"I'm sorry I worried you. I was just tired from work. I must have fallen on my way to bed."

Vin looked up at her.

She was paler than usual, and her face looked even weaker than it had the night before.

Deep down, Vin knew she wasn't telling him the truth.

They remained on the floor for a few moments before Vin helped his mother back onto her feet and guided her to bed so she could rest properly.

As Vin left his mother's room, he encountered his father in the hallway. His father glanced toward the bedroom, visibly irritated.

"Is that damn woman still sleeping? Where's breakfast?"

Vin stared at him in disbelief. Tears still lingered in his eyes, but now fear was slowly turning into anger.

"There's something wrong with Mom."

His father kissed his teeth. Without saying another word, he walked past Vin and left the house.

Before leaving himself, Vin prepared some food and water and placed them on the small table beside his mother's bed.

As he walked toward the inner city, one image kept replaying in his mind.

His mother's pale face, the blood on her clothes, and the blood on the floor.

***

In the inner city, Vin could clearly see people stepping aside as a large group of soldiers marched through the city alongside the river.

The half-melted snow had turned the streets into slush.

Every breath the soldiers took created a heavy cloud around them, and their rows seemed endless, stretching from the front all the way to the back.

The people of Buur City watched with worried expressions. The rumors that had been spreading for the past couple of months were beginning to seem real.

Vin, however, was amazed by the large number of soldiers and how they all moved in sync, one foot after the other.

For a moment, he almost forgot about his mother and what had happened to her earlier.

After the soldiers had passed, Vin crossed the bridge over the river and continued toward the gate leading outside the city and deeper into the mountain chain surrounding Buur City.

As he walked, Vin began kicking a small stone along the street. He kicked it a little too hard.

The stone flew through the air and struck the window of a nearby bakery, leaving a small crack in the glass.

Vin immediately froze.

He thought about running away, but before he could move, the bakery door opened and a middle-aged man stepped outside.

The man scratched his head as he inspected the cracked window. Then he noticed Vin standing nearby and quickly realized what had happened.

Instead of getting angry, he waved at Vin with a warm smile.

"Don't worry, young man. This window has seen better days."

Vin slowly nodded before bowing his head apologetically.

"How about you come inside? I have some warm bread."

Vin hesitated at first. Then he realized he hadn't eaten anything all day. He decided to follow the man inside.

The moment Vin entered the bakery, the delicious smell of freshly baked bread filled his nose.

The warmth from the open-flame oven was completely different from the cold outside, and it didn't take long before Vin began to warm up.

The bakery owner quietly hummed to himself as he prepared a plate of warm bread and butter, along with a glass of milk.

He placed them in front of Vin.

Vin's eyes widened as he looked at the food, then at the man, and back at the food again.

He immediately began cutting into the bread, spreading butter across it before taking a large bite.

"Hahaha, slow down. The food isn't going anywhere."

"This is delicious..."

"Miller. My name is Miller, and I'm glad you like it."

Vin continued eating until he was full.

Then he suddenly realized something. He hadn't paid for any of it.

"I'm sorry. I forgot to pay. I promise I'll bring the money when my mom gets better."

Miller looked at him curiously.

"What's your name, young man?"

"Vin."

Miller walked over to the oven, took out a few pieces of fresh bread, and placed them inside a small container before handing it to Vin.

"I want you to give this to your mother so she can taste the bread you liked so much."

"But..."

"No, no. Don't worry about paying. This one's on the house."

A smile spread across Vin's face. He was so happy that he jumped out of his chair.

"Thank you... Thank you so much, sir."

"Just Miller is fine. And I hope your mother gets better soon."

Vin ran out of the bakery and headed straight home, wanting to give his mother the warm bread before it got cold.

But when he opened the door to her bedroom, she wasn't there. The food he had left beside her bed was barely touched.

She had eaten only a few bites.

Vin looked around the room and noticed that her work clothes were gone. She had gone back to the mines.

Vin felt a knot form in his stomach as that uneasy feeling from earlier returned, along with the image of his mother's pale face.