(Timeline: The morning after the mountain encounter)
I woke up with the Mithril Button under my pillow. Sunlight was streaming through the window, dust motes dancing in the air. It felt peaceful. My first thought was: 'I am rich. I am powerful. I am the shadow ruler of this world.'
My second thought was interrupted by the gentle creak of the door.
"Dante, dear?"
My mother peeked in. She looked soft in the morning light, her hair tied back loosely, smelling of fresh bread. She smiled that warm, patient smile she gave me in the dream yesterday.
"It's almost noon," she said softly. "The chickens need feeding, and breakfast is getting cold. Time to get up, sweetheart."
I groaned, burying my face deeper into the pillow, clutching my secret treasure. "Five more minutes, Mom," I mumbled. "I'm... planning our future. I'm busy."
"Planning?" She chuckled softly. "Okay, plan away. But do it standing up."
"No..." I whined, pulling the blanket over my head like a brat. "I'm tired. Leave me alone."
Silence. For three seconds, there was absolute silence. Then, the air pressure in the room changed.
FWAP!
A cold, wet cloth slapped directly onto my exposed ear with sniper-like precision.
"AH!" I yelped, bolting upright.
My mother was standing at the foot of the bed. The gentle smile was gone. Her hands were on her hips, and her eyes were flashing with that terrifying, sudden fire.
"Don't you 'leave me alone' me, young man!" she scolded, her voice rising an octave. "I asked nicely! Now get your lazy butt out of bed before I bring the bucket of water!"
I peeled the wet rag off my face. "Okay! Okay! I'm up!"
She immediately softened again, as if the demon hadn't just possessed her. She smiled sweetly. "Good. Wash your face. You look like a ghost."
I sighed. Here I was, a man who had stared down a cosmic horror yesterday, terrified of a woman who was barely five feet tall.
[The Kitchen: The Coin]
I trudged to the kitchen. She was moving between the stove and the table, humming that tune again. She placed a plate of eggs in front of me.
"Eat," she said, running a hand through my messy hair. "You've been looking so gloomy lately, Dante. Is something wrong?"
I picked up my fork. I looked at her. She wasn't a warrior. She wasn't a mage. She was just a mom who got mad when I slept in and hummed when she cooked. But she was the anchor of my reality.
"Mom," I said, feeling the weight of the secret button in my pocket.
She stopped wiping the table. She turned to me, her expression shifting instantly to pure concern. She put her hand on my forehead.
"What is it?" she asked, her voice gentle again. "Are you sick? Do you have a fever?"
"No," I said. "I just... I want to make sure you're happy. That we're okay."
She stared at me. Her eyes softened, welling up with a bit of emotion. "Oh, my silly boy..."
She wrapped her arms around my head, pulling me into her apron. It was a warm, suffocating hug that smelled of flour and safety.
"You think too much," she whispered, kissing the top of my head. "You don't need to worry about making us 'okay.' That's my job. Your job is to eat, play with your friends, and maybe wake up on time for once."
She pulled back, wiping her hands on her apron. Then, she reached into her pocket.
"Here," she said, grabbing my hand and placing something cool in it.
I looked down. It was a Copper Coin. Dented, old, worth nothing compared to the fortune I had hidden upstairs.
"I saved this from the market," she whispered with a conspiratorial wink. "Don't tell Elena. Next time you go to the city, buy yourself one of those honey candies you like. You need some sweetness in that big brain of yours."
I stared at the copper coin. I had 1,000 Gold Coins worth of metal upstairs. I could buy the candy factory. But I clenched that copper coin tighter than anything I had ever held.
"Thanks, Mom," I said, my voice thick.
She patted my cheek. "You're welcome. Now go! And tell Arthur's dad I need my hammer back before I go over there and take his gate off the hinges!"
She pushed me out the door, laughing.
I stood on the porch, holding the copper coin. 'She's calm... until she's not,' I thought, smiling. 'She's perfect.'
I looked at the horizon.
'And if anyone tries to take this away... I will erase them.'
[Transition]
The morning passed in a blur of chores (and avoiding my mother's sudden bursts of "cleaning rage"). Later that afternoon, the atmosphere shifted from the chaotic warmth of my house to the stoic discipline of the yard next door.
Arthur's father was outside. It was time for the Warrior's Lesson.