“No… the chief sold our freedom…”

Kalo realized the horror that had just taken place.

The people were now in a pickle. No one knew what to do. They had to go back to work again from tomorrow. Working under these wolves once again. Luck and the rest of the citizens gathered in the middle of the village. The villagers were pissed, as rightfully so. Their freedom was gone by the sign of a simple paperwork. If food meant the cost of such a thing, then they wouldn't have ever gone through with that. But more than the others, it was Luck who couldn't believe it. He was sure that he read the document. He didn't care about what he had to go through, but how he was going to answer to the villagers. Luck couldn’t find the strength within himself to lift his head up. Halo tried to control the already angry crowd.

“Everyone, I think we should all calm down.” he uttered

“Calm down? How do you expect us to calm down when our freedom is gone?!”

“If I knew this was the price for some food, then I wouldn't have rather starved to death!”

“How could the chief do that? We even have kids!”

“There is no way in hell Luck would do that! You of all people should know this!” Halo said.

“That won't change the issue!”

“What are we supposed to do now?”

Kalo stomped his foot on the ground as a huge shock-wave formed, diverting everyone’s attention from the conflict. Unlike the rest, Kalo was one who had mastered the art of meto and could freely use it, despite showing it rarely. He let out a sigh and said,

“Bickering won’t change anything. The only thing we can do now is to get out of this mess.”

“And how do you expect us to do that?” one folk shouted back.

Kalo himself didn't know the answer. But Luck had remembered.

“There is a way.”

That was first few words that came out of Luck after so long which grabbed everyone's attention.

“The officer. The government official. He was there as a witness when I signed the contract. And I'm sure that it was 3 months. If I can meet up with him again, we can get the help from the government and prove the tampering of the document”

It was a farfetched idea. Not one everyone would want to bet on. But at that desperate time, there weren't any more options. With little hope of the officer returning, they continued to work under Kuro as the slaves they signed up for. But this time it felt like that heart-warming hand in hand work would not be present as the wolves had shown their true nature. Day by day, it was becoming difficult to live as the oppression of these new foreign species got more and more strong. The once happy and mundane life became a burden few would want to carry. The children were unaware of the suffering their family was facing, but they could see the distress in their parents' eyes. Luck was also sent deep into the mines, working to death to dig for an uncertain cause. Kalo was an old person. But he had a tough exterior. He kept on working and working without stopping, without rest. Even the surrounding others feared of his wellbeing. But Kalo didn't care. Because, to him, something wasn't adding up. Why would these people be so hellbent on trying to take over this small village? This village only functioned because of hearthstones. Despite its high value, hearthstones could be found in almost every corner of the universe. And here on this planet called Poluto, it was not only induced labour but also not worth the money trying to dig it up. He had concluded that these wolves were after something else. Something perhaps related to the map on Lucks room. Which meant only one thing. Luck was still hiding something that the villagers and his father, Kalo himself, didn't know. What was going through Luck's head? He wondered. But after so many years, he didn't question it. He knew whatever his son was doing was for the right cause. And it seemed fortune favored them as not long after, approximately 2 months later, the government official came to visit. Hearing the news, Luck immediately got ready to head out of his home in the middle of the night. Kalo stood by as he watched Luck get ready. The situation wasn’t getting better. Suddenly Luck looked at Kalo and said,

“Follow me, father.” He strolled to his room, opening a secret cabinet below the floor. A small black chest with a red ribbon wrapped around it.

“What's that?” Kalo asked.

“Something I want you to open when the time you feel is right.”

“Whats that supposed to mean?”

“I dont know if my meet with the official will bring about any fruit or not. I do not even know if I will come back.”

”Luck…”

“The things I left in that box are things that will not help our current situation. But when the time is right, I want you to entrust this information to someone you deemed to be worthy enough to save our village and its people”

He stood up and looked at Kalo directly in the eyes.

“Can I trust you with that, father?”

Kalo saw how serious his son was. He could only nod back. A sudden creak of the floor caught them by surprise.

“Dad, why are you getting ready in the middle of the night” Lola said, rubbing her eyes, trying desperately to not fall asleep.

“Lola, why are you up at this time of the night, sweetie?”

Luck patted her head, checking her body with a concerned expression, as if something had happened to her. Lola smiled and said,

“I made something for you”

She pulled a small badge in front of him. The badge had a golden color to it made by hearthstone scraps,

‘World’s best dad’ embedded on the badge. Seeing the badge, small drops of tears formed in Luck’s eyes. He hugged Lola tightly.

“Thank you Lola.”

“Don’t just thank me. Brother did a lot too.”

“Huh?”

“He just didn't wanna give it to you cause he was too embarrassed.”

Luck noticed Liam’s foot standing out in front the bedroom door. He could not help but put on a huge smile.

“Thank you both. I’m glad I could be your father.”

“Where are you going, dad?”

Lola asked.

“Just a minor task. I’ll be back before you know it. Go to sleep with your brother, Alright?”

“OK,” Lola replied with a heartwarming voice. Kalo watched from behind. A bittersweet feeling lingered in the back of his mind. Luck put on his clothes and took a few things in his coat.

“Well dad. I guess this is it. Take care of the kids. And say hello to uncle Halo too, ok?”

“Sure,”

“I'm off”, saying that he left the premise. Days and months had gone by without notice. Lola would stand outside of the house waiting for her father to return, but to no avail. Crying beside the well, waiting for the person she adored the most to come back. No one knew what happened, and no one dared to find out.

Which brought us back to today. Kalo was crying as he told the story. He still regretted to this day letting his son go alone that day.. A feeling he could not hold back. The tears, the years of sadness, pent up in him. Ken had carefully listened to each of his words. Akane herself felt shocked by such a story. The desperation of the people had reached her heart. Ken stood up, hearing their story.

“What are you doing Ken?” Akane asked.

“What does it look like? I’m gonna kick that Kuro bastard off this planet!” he declared loudly.