Sylven remained frozen inside his own body. He could not fight, could not move. The guilt surrounded him from every direction and weighed on him until he felt completely powerless.
His mind kept replaying the voices of the plants and his mother's accusations while sorrow, anger, and helplessness pressed down on him until he could barely think.
He felt completely alone now. There was no one he could rely on and no familiar voice that could reach through the darkness in his mind.
He kept his head lowered because he could not bring himself to look at his mother again. He did not want to see her face or meet her eyes. He was afraid that another look would only bring more pain.
But his mother decided to act.
The first thing Sylven felt was a pair of cold hands touching his cheeks.
His body was completely still as those hands gently lifted his face and forced him to look at her.
