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Knock, knock, knock!

「Is anyone in there?! Jolf?!」

Knock, knock, knock!

「Jolf?! Kids?! Are any o' ya still there?!」

Thonvir had no energy to answer the door. He simply huddled under his sheets and waited for the voice to leave.

「Mm... I'm comin' in! Excuse th' intrusion!」

Bam!

Busting down the door was a mysterious figure, accompanied by two hooded men. A stagnant air wafted out from the inside, causing them both to recoil in disgust.

The mysterious figure however, braved the dreadful stench and approached the two children lying on the ground. They had covered themselves with a large blanket to stave off the biting night wind.

He knelt down and felt their pulses. Blood was barely pumping through their veins.

Appearance-wise they were pale, wasted and disease-ridden—half-dead would be an apt term to use.

He then directed his attention to the ceiling whence the foul odor seeped from.

A swarm of flies came from the stairwell, leaving the man with a tragic premonition.

「Leave these two t' me. Investigate th' second floor and report yer findin's.」

The pair of hooded men nodded and made their way upstairs.

「Looks like th' law caught up t' Jolf and his crimes. And judgin' by th' smell o' this place...」

He held his tongue and removed his top hat. A handlebar moustache lined his friendly old face.

「Mm... apologies. From th' records... ya must be Thonvir..? And th' lil' lass over 'ere must be... Ysolva..?」

Thonvir reacted to his little sister's name and shakily turned to the man.

「...on't... touch 'er...」

「Don't overexert yourself. Ya've got th' Beggar's Scourge. It's been devastatin' th' slum dweller population 'ere lately, and I've been sent t' exterminate it. Orders from th' Ashen Thief.」

「Don't touch... 'er...」

He went against the boy's wishes and placed his hands on both of the children. Within minutes, their complexions rejuvenated and their ailments were no more.

Thonvir quickly sat up and checked up on his little sister.

「Mm! That should do it. Ya should be cured and immune t' th' disease now.」

「W-who are you..?」

Interrupting the boy's question were the hooded men who came dashing down the steps.

Thonvir recognized them as members of the Sentinels by the sight of their black leather regimentals.

「Maksa, sir!」

「Mm... Is it as I feared?」

The two men kept their heads down and nodded.

「The body count? And how much remains o' 'em..?」

「Two, sir. We could... barely discern their appendages... Well past stage five.」

「Vel almighty...」

Maksa fixed his hat atop his head and stood up with his hands slightly clenched.

Thonvir and Ysolva watched as the man took out a small notepad from his jacket pocket and began writing.

He then ripped out the page and handed it to one of the hooded men.

「Naramal, call an ani user that specialize in insects over. And Klon, we need two specialized supply bags for these kids, th' details are in th' note. The cart'll be 'ere in a few minutes, so make haste!」

「Yes sir!」

The two hooded men sprinted out of the house, providing the boy with ample opportunity to properly thank Maksa.

Thonvir nervously stepped forward and expressed his gratitude.

「T-thank ya fer savin' me sister, Maksa. And me.」

「Ye're very welcome. Ya've certainly grown since I last saw you.」

「"Last"?」

The man deeply sighed and invited the children outside. From there, he revealed his history with them and their now-defunct group.

「Ye're Jolf's healer friend?!」

「Mm. I recall when he first came runnin' t' me fer help. He went on 'bout this beautiful baby girl and her older brother on death's door. I naturally came rushin' in t' save ya.」

「Th-then..!」

Thonvir genuflected and bowed deeply.

「I owe you a debt I could never possibly repay!」

「There's no need t' thank me, I was only doin' me job.」

「But—!」

「If ya insist on recompensin' me efforts however, I do have a job fer ya.」

「A job?」

「Mm. Well, it's more o' a life motto t' stick by than a job.」

Ysolva hid behind her older brother and observed the tall man. He was significantly more imposing than the round and jubilant Jolf.

Thonvir patted her head, dispelling any uneasiness in her heart.

「When ya chance upon a new friend, do all ya can t' help 'em out. Stay by their side and never leave 'em. Friends are a rarity in this world, never forget that. Live by those principles and I'll consider yer debt repaid.」

The boy solemnly nodded and went up to ascertain the nature of the man's ministration.

「Since ye're here... does that mean Rysef's finally come back t' supply us?!」

Maksa froze.

In actuality, the purpose of this widescale succor was to quell the threat of the Beggar's Scourge.

Once the pandemic was solved, the Lakua District Sentinels would return to the village and again forsake the city slum dwellers.

Maksa had no say in this matter. He only had orders from the Ashen Thief. And orders were absolute.

Filled with an unimaginable sorrow, man fell to his knees and hugged the boy.

「I'm sorry...」

The ecstatic smile on the boy's pudgy face dissipated.

「Huh..?」

「We've already deserted our base o' operations closest t' th' city. As soon as we're done 'ere, ya'll be on yer own again. I'm sorry I can't help ya more... Rysef's instructions are absolute.」

「Then what was th' point...」

Thonvir tried pushing himself away from the man.

「What was th' point o' all those deaths?! What was th' point in prolongin' our own sufferin'?! What is the point in goin' on?!」

Tears spilled from his eyes as he frantically begged for answers. Ysolva, seeing her older brother reduced to a weeping mess, also started crying.

「Jolf, Ralif, Serdur, that nameless baby... Why does misfortune await us in every corner?! Because we were born with a lil' less coin in our pockets?!」

All Maksa could do, was hold the boy tighter and provide him with the warmth he had never received growing up.

「I don't have th' answer t' those questions, Thonvir. Only you can answer 'em. And you can only answer 'em if ya keep on livin'. So please... hold fast t' yer will t' survive...」

Maksa got off his knees and wiped the boy's tears.

After the Sentinels returned and supplied the siblings with a sack of food and water, Thonvir and Ysolva found themselves on the streets once more.

The siblings were advised to vacate their home due to health concerns.

As the Sentinels transported the last of their friends onto a cart, Thonvir looked at the hessian bag beside him and violently kicked it over and over again.

His pain had turned into bitter resentment.

And he pivoted on his heel to the road ahead of him, and glared at the heavens. The evening sky smoldered a vibrant red, mirroring the boy's inner rage.

Rysef. The Ashen Thief.

Their supposed hero had inadvertently caused the death of hundreds. With an object of blame he could set his sights on, Thonvir pressed on with a newfound resolve.

Ysolva, clueless to his indignation, happily walked alongside him.

In time, they'd be forced into labor by a sketchy group of individuals. Individuals who operated in the underground.

And these thugs would eventually become the subject of the emergency meeting I aimed to hijack.

The rest was history. It all led up to the present.

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