“Hey, mister. What story are you gonna tell me today?”

The boy asked full of anticipation as he sat beside me on the river bank, although to me, it was pretty obvious he was skipping out on his responsibilities. This was more or less a daily routine for us.

Fishing of course takes a while, so the more fishermen, the more likely one is to catch one earlier. Hence, “Alright, but you’ll have to help me catch dinner,” I tell him again like any other day. Since we’ll be waiting a while anyway, there’s no harm in passing the time with a story. But I really would like to eat as fast as possible.

“Aw man! You’re always making me catch your dinner!” he pouts like a little child. Nevertheless, he grabs the spare rod and accompanies me.

“You’re complaining, but I somewhat envy the peaceful life you’re leading right now.”

Yes, it’s true. Things weren’t always as nonchalant as they are right now. I was planning on telling him about this another day, but I somehow feel now would be a good time.

“The story I’m about to tell you this time won’t be anything like the ones you’ve heard before. It’s hard to believe all that really happened.”

“It really happened?”

“Well, that’s up to you to believe.” After all, there isn’t a single trace left of that world.

The boy’s anticipation grew as he looked at me with wide open eyes. His face reflecting the immense curiosity of experiencing a new adventure before him.

“Hehe, you remind me of a friend of mine.”

“A friend like me? As old as you?”

“Hahaha! No, he’s already passed away. Although, he wasn’t always my friend. But who knows? Maybe he continues to live on, much closer than we think he is…”

“Eh? You’re not making any sense, mister.”

Yeah, of course he wouldn’t get it. What was I expecting, silly me. “Nevermind. Enough small talk. Let’s begin, shall we? It all started on a winter, long ago…

It was a new year. Cold. Yet not snowing. Derdalf City normally had warmer climates, so snowfall rarely occurred. The ship had just landed to port, and there on the deck, stood a young man in a black, full-sleeve, laced up shirt, a pair of blue, slightly baggy jeans, and brown sandal shoes. His moderately long, spiky, brushed forward, silver gradient hair fluttered under the sea breeze as he gazed aimlessly at the city with his bright blue eyes.

“So this is Derdalf City…I’ve finally returned…” he thought as he held onto the pendant hung around his neck, “Although I don’t really remember anything.”

His name was Diavolo Signore.

*tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap* “Huuuuwaarghhh!”

With no warning at all, came another young man running from within the cabins and vomited into the sea. He had a nice build, tall stature, and freely hanging, straight black hair with bangs just about reaching his deep black eyes. A figure which really didn’t match the sorry state he was in right now. He wore a fitting black t-shirt and a blue linen shirt over it, a pair of brown baggy pants and sandals.

Following him, came a boy with long spiky hair with some of it drooping down over the right side of his forehead. They were brown and so were his large eyes that fit his cheerful face. He wore a vest covered by a cream colored sweater, a pair of blue, thick, three quarters and sandals.

“You can do it, Shin! Fight it! This is the last touchdown!” yelled the boy, what looked like cheering on his friend who’s suffering and hurling up.

“So we’ve *pant* finally *pant* reached the damn place, right? *pant*” he said, trying very hard to regain his composure.

This was Shin Yen Ron, Diavolo’s best friend and rival. He unfortunately discovered his seasickness on their way.

“That’s right! We’re here! Take a look! One of the richest cities in the world! We’re here at last!” the boy said pointing at it.

Yukio Hitoshi, a very close friend of both Diavolo and Shin. While not technically best friends, he is treated as such as he follows the two around on any occasion. They’re probably the closest people he has.

“Kuuu~! I can’t wait to look around!” Yukio said cheerfully, “Come on, Diavolo! Let’s go!”

“You trying to kill me? Give me a few minutes. We just arrived. What’s the rush?” begged the groggy Shin as he stood leaning on the railing with his head dropped down.

“It’s a huge city and we need as much time as we can get to look around and find a place to stay. I agree with Yukio,” he said and started to walk away.

“That’s right! That’s right! Shin, you’re so weak! And yet you still consider yourself his rival?! Boo~!” and he followed Diavolo away.

“Gimme a break! I had no idea I had seasickness! You guys are so cruel~!” and he reluctantly staggered towards them.

They toured the city and saw all kinds of stuff they wouldn’t find in their home village in Cosmic Island. One could easily understand at a single glance how well developed this city was. Everybody was swift in their work, spoke in a proper manner and public cleanliness was well maintained. The city mostly had tall residential and commercial buildings in the central region with occasional small stores and what not, and slowly transitioned to smaller buildings in the outskirts and shore regions.

Derdalf city existed in a small peninsula that turned into light hilly areas as one went further inland. However, almost all of the city resided within the peninsula with valleys used mostly as trade routes having two or three remote residences here and there.

The trio continued to walk around with seemingly no sign of stopping. Diavolo, although happy about seeing his friends enjoying themselves, deemed it necessary to finally point it out.

“You know, the sun’s gonna set soon. Unless you guys want to sleep on the streets, I really think we should look for a place to stay right now.”

“Ah! Sorry, lost track of time, hehe! Yu, lend me the map will ya?”

“Yup, here you go!”

“Now let’s see…where exactly are we…”

“Please don’t tell me we’re lost,” said the troubled Yukio, who noticed that all so familiar look on Shin’s face. That forced composure was definitely a sign that he had no leads, yet still pretended he’ll be able to solve the issue.

“We’re not lost! We just…don’t know exactly where we are at the moment!”

“That’s exactly what being lost is, stupid! Wait, let me ask someone.”

“No, no, no! I can handle this! Just gimme a minute!”

“Ugh…” Diavolo grunted and sighed at the hopeless situation. As he was about to observe the map with them, he felt a stare being directed at him. He faced towards the source, a clothing store, but the observer quickly went further inside. He was only able to make out a vague silhouette and the color of the long hair that fluttered as she(?) dashed back in. It was a very light color. Probably light blonde or silver?

Anyways, even if he would normally not think much of it, his developed doubtful nature made him think twice. “Do I know her?” he thought as he was about to ransack his entire mental library to find possible culprits. But suddenly…

“HEY KID, LOOK OUT!” he was interrupted by a cry of alarm.

Turning back, he found the source to be Shin, who had impulsively leapt into the middle of the road to save a boy on a skateboard, about to be hit by a truck.

Landing on the other side of the road, Shin held onto the boy until he was sure they were safe.

“Shin, you alright?!” asked Diavolo as the two ran towards him.

“HEEEEYY! MARVIIIIN!!” yelled a young girl of short stature as she ran towards their direction. She had large golden eyes and long, deep crimson hair with thin braids behind her ears. Wearing a full-sleeve frock, that fluttered as she ran, she gave off an overall well-off appearance.

“Huh? What are you doing here, sis?! I told you I’ll be fine on my own!” the boy exclaimed standing up.

“You idiot!” and she punched him on his temple, “How many times do I have to tell you not to pull stunts like that?!”

“Ow! Relax! It’s not like anything happened, right? This guy shoved me away before I could even do anything! Although nothing was going to happen even if he didn’t show up. Now my board’s all smashed.”

“Mind your manners, Marvin!” she said as she turned towards the panting Shin, “You’re okay, right? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

“Nah, I’m fine. Just a little tired that’s all,” he replied, sitting upright.

“Heh, look at you! Acting all cool on the first day we get here,” Diavolo said rhetorically.

“Ehehehe…hehe…*plop*” Shin fainted as his weak giggle lost volume. Immediately, all the other four people present were astonished and confused.

“Hey, Shin! Get up!” Diavolo yelled as he shook him vigorously, “Don’t tell me, you actually got hit by the truck, did you?”

“Quick! Let’s get him to the hospital!” the girl said.

Everyone waited in the hallway while Shin was being checked up. Once done, the doctor came out and everybody stood up.

“Is he okay, doc?” the girl asked.

“It’s fine, Ms. Rose. I don’t really see any abnormalities. It was probably more or less something like exhaustion. Hasn’t he eaten anything for a long while?” the doctor asked the patient’s two friends.

“Ah!” was the only thing that came out of their mouths as they realized what the cause of all this was. Only a series of images popped up in their heads.

Shin puking in the basin. Shin puking in the sink. Shin puking in the toilet. Shin puking outside. Shin puking in the corner of a room since there was nothing he could use nearby.

“Would you like me to do a blood test for any confirmation?”

“Ah, no, no. It’s okay. Leave him to us,” the two said, comically waving their hands with heavy eyes.

“If you say so. I shall take my leave now, Ms. Rose.”

“Yeah, thanks doc!” she said as the doctor walked away.

They entered the room and looked at the unconscious Shin. “I wonder how long he’ll be out cold,” wondered Yukio.

“Nah, he’ll be fine. He’s strong. This is just something that wasn’t within his control. He’ll be up in no time!”

“Yeah, you’re right…”

“Ahem! While we’re still here, I think I remember you saying that it’s your first day here. I take it you’re not from Derdalf or anywhere near. Tourists?” asked the crimson haired girl after confirming that the tension was gone.

“Something like that. We were on our way to find a hotel to stay in, but as you can see, this is where we’ve ended up,” replied Diavolo.

“Well consider yourself lucky. If it’s a place to stay you’re looking for, my house has more than enough space for the three of you!” she smiled.

“Ah! Really?! You’ll let us stay?!” said the delighted Yukio.

“Is it really okay? I mean, you only met us. Do you just readily allow people to come in like that?”

“It’s fine! It’s fine! Consider this a repayment for saving Marvin back then.”

“Like I said, I didn’t need any help!”

“And besides, I feel like it’s somewhat my responsibility to help out tourists!”

“You’re ignoring me?!”

“Of course I can’t lend a hand to every tourist that comes by, but you guys seem to be around the same age as me. Plus, we’ve already had a significant encounter, so I thought, why not?”

“In that case, it saves us a lot of trouble. We'll be in your care, then. Thanks!” Diavolo smiled.

“Yay! We found a place to stay! No sleeping on the streets!”

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Hannah. Hannah C. Rose. Pleased to meet you! This is my cousin, Marvin.”

“Marvin S. Rose,” the youth introduced. He had somewhat messy black hair, brown eyes and a moderately strong build for his age. He wore a green hoodie, brown trousers and black sport shoes.

“Yukio Hitoshi is the name~!” he announced cheerfully.

“Diavolo Signore. The oh so great savior over there is Shin. Shin Yen Ron.”

“Ugh! Like I sai—”

“Ah, that’s right! Since it’s already getting late, you guys can go on ahead and unpack. Our car should be here by now. Leave Shin to me. I’ll return once he’s awake!”

“Woohoo! Let’s go!”

“We’ll take you up on that offer. Thanks again.”

“Ufun,” she shook her head lightly, “I should be saying that. Marvin, accompany them.”

“*Sigh* Fine…” he finally gave up and followed the two guests, who had already left the room. But right before closing the door behind him, he turned back and, “I don’t think you’ve realized something yet, sis. These three…are boys~!” said so with an evil grin on his face.

Hannah shuddered in her seat.

“I pray them good luck when Gramps sees them. Hehehehehe~!” with a sparkle in his eyes.

“U-uh…oh my, w-what are you saying now? Nothing’s going to happen, little bro…ehehehe…” she stammered.

“Whatever floats your boat,” and he closed the door behind him.

“Master William, Master Marvin just called. He and Mistress Hannah will be arriving shortly. I’ve already sent another car since he said they’ll be bringing guests,” said a man in a suit. He was well built, tall and handsome with a clean face. He wore spectacles, had straight, deep black hair with two bangs on his forehead.

“Nothing less expected from you, Stanley,” *crack* “About time. They’ve got some serious explaining to do once they get back,” said an old man as he pinned his bamboo sword to the ground. He was also tall; wrinkled and lean, but seemed quite fit despite his age. He had small pupils, straight, neck-length hair which was back-brushed and white in color, expressing his age. Adorning his face was a full, bushy mustache. He wore a deep blue robe and wooden sandals.

“I did guess you guys were wealthy, but didn’t think you’d be limousine-level wealthy,” remarked Yukio leaning down as much as he could on the extremely comfy seats.

“Hehe. We need to get used to this when it comes to traveling long distances,” Marvin explained as he sighed, “It’s such a drag sometimes, you know. Because of this, I can’t travel at my own pace and make stops at interesting places. Most of all, I can’t move my body around much to get rid of the grogginess. At this rate, I might even get wrinkled before Gramps dies,” he continued rhetorically.

“Don’t say that, Master Marvin. Master William simply cares for you, that’s all,” said the chauffeur.

“Now don’t go taking his side, Remcon! There is such a thing called caring too much! The last thing I want is an old fart who still treats us like kids even if we’re all grown up while he’s in a wheelchair!”

“Hehe! I doubt such a high spirited man like him would lose footing that easily.”

And in this way, the two continued to ramble on, displaying how familiar they were with each other.

However, despite the lively atmosphere, Diavolo pondered the thought of anybody he could’ve possibly known who could be living here. He knew that he was born here in Derdalf, but moved to the island after spending a small portion of his childhood here. After a certain incident, he had mostly forgotten about his early life. With his elbow resting on the armrest and his chin resting on his knuckles, he stared aimlessly out the window.

“Is anything bothering you, Diavolo?” Yukio asked placing his hand on his shoulder.

“Nah, it’s nothing. Was just wondering how the people back home were doing. Other than that, are we there yet?”

“It won’t take very long now. We’re close,” answered Marvin.

“But doesn’t this lead out of the city?”

“Well, not really. The Rose household, although not within the city, is still part of Derdalf. The border is much farther away… See that? It’s right at the base of the hill over there,” he pointed out the window.

Moments later, as the three stood in front of the main gate of the Rose household, Marvin announced, “This is it.”

As stated previously, Derdalf city existed in a small peninsula that turned into light hilly areas as one went further inland. However, almost all of the city resided within the peninsula with the valleys used mostly as trade routes having two or three remote residences here and there.

And among those residences, this one was definitely the most prominent by far. It would be ridiculous if nobody noticed it if they ever passed by. After all, this was not just a mere house.

Diavolo and Yukio stood there dumbfounded as their jaws dropped to which was basically a mansion! In a moderately isolated space, away from the bustling city, there actually stood a gigantic mansion, as if announcing to anybody that saw it ‘Yes, we claim this entire area!’

“Oi, you’ll get flies in your mouth,” Marvin said comically, breaking the brief period of silence.

“Master Marvin, you have returned,” greeted a man in spectacles and wearing a suit.

“Ah, Stanley! Uh, sorry to break it to you right away, but…I kinda broke another board,” the boy replied in a completely unapologetic manner while giggling and scratching his head.

“Fufufu! Why am I not surprised?” he casually replied.

“So then, where is—”

“MARVIIIIIN!!!” shouted an old man running towards them.

“Oh, there you were, gramps! I thought you were dead!” he nonchalantly said.

“Nonsense! I’m still in my young 60s!” he played along puffing his chest with pride.

“Stop fooling yourself. Everybody knows you’re over 80, gramps…”

“I haven’t reached 80 yet! And didn’t I tell you not to address me as ‘gramps’ but ‘grandpa’ or ‘grandfather’? That manner of speech isn’t suitable for a Rose!”

“No way! I already told you, unless you decide on training me, you’re just gramps! Although I don’t mind using ‘old fart’ if u keep pressing it…” he teased again.

“Grr, that’s strike two, young man…! So? Who are these odd young men?”

“Ah, these two are—” Marvin stopped because he noticed the two were still standing all dazed.

The old man approached them, waved his hands over their faces and snapped his fingers but got no reaction. “Hey, are you sure they aren’t the ones dead in my stead?” and then he flicked their foreheads.

“Hey…we’re…we’re alive, right? Please tell me we’re not dreaming…” Yukio fumbled with his words.

“Yeah, I guess not…after all, that flick did kinda hurt…” replied Diavolo who was equally as stunned.

“But, it’s a mansion…”

“That’s right a mansion is in front of our eyes…” and the two stare back at each for a moment, before,

“WHOA! THIS AWESOME! THIS IS SERIOUSLY AWESOME!!”

“YEAH! A REAL MANSION RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES! CAN’T BELIEVE IT, RIGHT?!”

“YEAH, YEAH! THAT’S RIGHT! WHOOAAA!! IT’S JUST LIKE IN THE BOOKS WE READ!!”

The two celebrated amongst themselves in having seen such a wealthy abode for the first time in their lives. After all, people from a remote and isolated region within such a vast world can only depend on media and imagination when it came to such things. Such a response was expected, especially from a bunch who spent most of their days playing in the forests, rivers and mountains.

“Huh? What’s with that reaction? Didn’t you guys already know that we were of high status?” asked a surprised Marvin.

“Yeah, but, we didn’t expect you to be THIS rich! A car is a car, but this…this place can easily fit half the village, right, Diavolo?”

“Yeah, from the looks of it.”

“Hehe, it’s not just this patch of land. It’s the entire city,” Marvin answered grinning. Diavolo and Yukio were left confused.

“You guys are so dense. *ahem* The Rose household, meaning the place you are right now, is the leading power of Derdalf city. And also, is a major partaker in matters governing the country!”

After a few seconds, those words finally hit them. “They……they were such big shots??!!” was what the two thought.

“And as such,” the old man spoke out, “being brought as guests to this household, I must ask what you’re relationship to my family is. I’ve never seen you two before.”

“They’re just tourists, gramps. A bunch of stuff happened, and sis decided to allow them to stay over.”

“I see…Hannah, huh…I’m sorry, but I can’t let you stay here.”

“Geehee~! Here it comes!” Marvin thought.

“What~?! No way! Come on, grandpa~!” nagged Yukio flooding with disappointment.

“Okay, first of all, you don’t call me ‘grandpa’, alright? And secondly…” he grabbed his bamboo sword from his waist, “if you want to stay that badly…THEN BLOCK THIS!!!” and he swung it right at Yukio’s head.

*woosh* *clap* and the person in the receiving end was not Yukio. With his forearm ahead of his face, Diavolo managed to swiftly act and block the attack in Yukio’s stead. Both Yukio and Marvin stood astonished.

“No way! He managed to react to gramps’ test blow on his first try?! Nobody succeeds in reacting fast enough since it’s always a surprise attack! An attack where the hostility is completely hidden until the strike is made, an attack that is difficult to avoid or block in time because it occurs too suddenly! So basically, he was able to react to an attack, which wasn’t even aimed at him, managed to shove a full sized human behind him and block it on time with the right amount of strength?! This is a joke, right?!”

“Hey, listen ‘gramps’…if you don’t want us to stay, that’s fine. We’ll manage. But don’t just go off attacking people you just met all of a sudden like that, okay? You try to hurt him, you’ll have to go through me first,” Diavolo threatened the old man, filled with hostility in his eyes.

“Heh, that’s what he says, but he should take a look at himself! That’s thrice as much hostility than what my attack had behind it. However…yes. Those eyes…he’s definitely serious! I think it’s probably the second time I’ve seen eyes like that. Regardless of the reason, he’s fully determined to act to prevent any possible mishap. Did he suspect my attack from the very start?”

At that time, the look on Diavolo’s face was completely different from both the casually bored attitude in the beginning and the jolly attitude a minute ago. A complete 180 to full alert mode. He was simply waiting for a sign before he made his next move.

Placing his bamboo sword back where it was, the old man stated, “Nice reaction. I am the previous generation ruler of the Rose household, William V. Rose! Boy, state your name!”

With a cautious look on his face, Diavolo answered, “Diavolo Signore.”

“And you?”

“It’s Yukio Hitoshi,” he answered, still a little surprised from the assault.

“They’re nice names. Where are you from?” he asked again, but this time with a calm voice.

“Cosmic Island,” by now Diavolo’s caution mostly died down. He already got the sign he needed.

An “Uh” escaped from Stanley’s mouth for a moment there. Marvin asked “Hm, what’s wrong?” to which he simply brushed it off as “No, it’s nothing.”

“Hmm, small island. But I hear the night sky is most beautiful there, away from the urban city lights,” William said as he turned around, “Tell me all about it inside…”

“Wait, does that mean—!” Yukio asked, startled.

“Yes, now get your bags inside before I change my mind!”

To such a stern command, Diavolo and Yukio could only react by immediately grabbing their luggage as told.

“No, no. Let me do it,” Stanley gently insisted.

“Hey, Marvin, where’s Hannah? Wasn’t she supposed to come with you?” William asked finally noticing her absence.

“Oh, she’s attending to their friend back at the clinic. Will probably get back soon.” “Hehe, now what’s gonna be your reaction, gramps?”

“WHAAAAAAT?!” he shouted with his eyes wide open. “My little Hannah? Outside?! This late?! Alone?! With a boy?! Attending to?! At night?! THIS…CAN’T…BEEEEEE!!!!”

He then fell on all fours and began crying, “I’m sorry, my son. I’ve failed you. I’ve failed to take care of my only granddaughter before her marriage. I’m a failure as her grandfather. I deserve to crawl into a hole and rot…”

“Hey, is he gonna be alright?” Diavolo just had to ask seeing such a pitiful state, to which Marvin could only say “Uh……..”

Around half an hour later, Hannah and Shin arrived and similarly, Shin too was left speechless, “THIS is your HOUSE?!”

“Yeah, what of it? I did say it was more than enough to accommodate you guys.”

“Yeah, but…this is just ridiculous…”

“Ridiculous? Are you saying our house isn’t good enough for you?”

“Uh, no. That is definitely not what I’m saying.”

“HANNAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!” shouted an old man frantically running towards the two with his arms stretched up.

“Grandpa!”

Stopping right in front of Hannah, “You’re okay, right? You’re not hurt anywhere are you?” William asked, comically jolting around her to check for any signs of misdeeds.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine! Hehe, you can see for yourself, right? No need to worry!” she giggled.

“Welcome back, Mistress,” greeted a man in a suit, bowing with his hand on his chest.

“Been well, Stanley?”

“As always.”

“And you!” William directed a glare at Shin. Before he could react any further than a “Huh?” he was grabbed by the collar and threatened, “You better not have done anything funny to my granddaughter while you were alone!”

“No, sir! You have the wrong idea!” he realized what he was being accused of, “I was unconscious the whole time! It wasn’t possible for me to have done anything!”

“That’s enough, grandpa! Let him go! He’s our guest!”

“Hmm? Well fine, whatever,” he said, reluctantly releasing his collar, “Come on in. But remember…”

“Yes?” he timidly asked.

“I’m watching you…” the final glare sent shivers down his spine.

“OOIII SHIIIIN!” called out a familiar voice from a distance. Looking towards that direction, Shin saw them, Yukio and Diavolo, walking towards him. Yukio happily waving like he usually does, and Diavolo casually following along. “Oh, you guys!”

Greeting each other with an exchange of high fives and fist bumps, Diavolo asked, “So, had fun?”

“Shut up! I can’t believe you left me behind like that!”

“What can I say? You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn’t want to wake you up. Be careful though.”

“Huh? About what?”

“That old man can give you quite the trouble when you least expect it. You’ll never know when he’ll switch modes and give you a surprise attack.”

“Hehe! Yeah, ri—” *wam!*

“Told ya.”

It was a one hit K.O.! William struck Shin’s head and knocked him unconscious…again!

“HAH! I knew it! Weak! Too weak! I don’t approve of this!”

“Grandpa, seriously, stop this!” Hannah begged tugging on William’s arm.

“What do you mean ‘stop’?! Have you actually fallen for this wimp! He couldn’t even stop a bare hand chop from an old man! How is he supposed to protect my precious granddaughter?! I already told you my grandson-in-law must be strong enough to par with me, didn’t I? As things are now, I’d rather give you the gray haired boy!”

“That’s not it, grandpa! I’m telling you to stop hitting every boy that comes to our house! You did the same for Stanley and Remcon! You even suspected Marvin back when mom, dad and I first brought him here! Why do you have to think such unnecessary stuff?!”

“Unnecessary? Oh, so it’s my fault I care about my granddaughter’s wellbeing? Listen here, missy! I’m your grandfather! When your parents aren’t home, it’s my responsibility to keep you safe! Now, I decide who—” and they continue their meaningless bickering.

“Yukio…I’m reconsidering my decision in staying here…”

“Haha! I think it’s nice that they get along so well!” he replied in a carefree manner.

“Gah! Somebody please stop spinning the world~!” mumbled Shin, who comically lay on the ground, half conscious.

Later, after dinner, the boys returned to their room to unpack for the end of the day. The three shared the same room, which was around 7 meters long and 5 meters broad. The room had three single beds separated by bedside tables, a large closet and a study table. It was a well-lit room which also allowed enough sunlight to enter through its two moderately sized windows. Entering the door, the beds were on the further end of the room, across the 5 meter walls.

The room also included its own washroom, which was 5 meters long and 2 meters wide, the entrance to which was on the left side, after one entered the room. It had a shower, a bathtub, a separate changing room, and an adequately large cupboard for all of one’s necessary and unnecessary products beside the basin.

The room, being in the corner of the mansion, was such that if one looked out the window, could see a large portion of the land, facing away from the city. There were some smaller buildings here and there on the hill slope which were probably designated to specific tasks or roles.

It truly was a spacious room, with more than half of its area left to be occupied.

Yukio sat cross-legged on his bed and was reading a comic book while eating jellybeans he got from Marvin. Since both of them had this childlike attitude, the two seemed to get along.

“I know you’re a sweet tooth, but make sure you brush before you fall asleep, Yu,” Shin said, undressing.

“Hm? Yeah, *munch* yeah, sure…*munch*” he impulsively responded.

“You’re not listening are you?” he said with a look of indifference.

Then, somebody knocked on the door. “Guys, could you get that? I’m kinda busy,” asked Diavolo while brushing his teeth.

“Shin, could you get that? I’m just about to reach the climax.”

“What, so you were listening after all!” he complained as he approached the door and opened it, “Oh, Hannah! Needed to say something?”

No reply. How could she? After witnessing a half-naked Shin, who was oblivious to the fact, she was embarrassed and shocked stiff…until finally, “KYAAA!! *dhoom*” she shrieked and sent Shin flying to the other side of the room with a straight kick, right on his abdomen.

“What?! What happened?!” Diavolo shouted, dashing out of the washroom, his brush in his hand and mouth white with toothpaste foam.

After a brief period of awkward silence and observing the almost unconscious Shin on the ground again, Diavolo spoke out, “Man, it’s just not your day, is it?”

“I-idiot! Don’t you have any decency?! You can’t come out like that in front of a girl! P-put some clothes on!” Hannah stuttered, flushed red.

After all was settled, the four sat down to discuss whatever matters were at hand.

“Now then, I came to ask what you guys are planning to do from here on.”

“As in?” asked Diavolo.

“Like, for example, how long will you be here?”

“We don’t really have a set time. Chief Grum sent us to explore and learn more about the world. But he told us to start with Derdalf first,” replied Yukio.

“If that’s the case, I’d suggest you enroll into our high school. If it’s to learn and you have ample time, that is a good option. It’ll also let you meet new people!”

“Ah yeah, there was that too, right? We already got some enrolment forms from the Chief. ‘In case it came up’ was what he said. The old man had nice perception!” said Shin, “What was the name again? Twistsoul Academy?”

“Twinsoul Academy.”

“Yeah, that!”

“Well that’s an oddly specific prediction,” she furrowed.

“Well, the Chief has the ability to foresee some stuff. Although he has a bad habit of talking in figurative speech a lot. I guess he predicted this outcome too,” explained Shin.

“Wow, grandpa! You were spot on!” thought Hannah.

“He also said stuff like finding our true selves and whatnot. Whatever that means…” he shrugged.

“Find your true selves? Don’t tell me you guys are after the Stone of Eclipse, are you?” she half-jokingly asked.

“The Stone of what?” Yukio asked as her dialogue caught the boys’ attentions.

“The Stone of Eclipse. I assumed you knew already… Well, it’s a stone of ancient legend,” Hannah explained, “Word has it that this stone is so absurdly powerful, it could grant people anything they wanted. Riches, fame, power, reformation, even the creation of a new world! You name it! The one who obtains this stone will earn such dominance.

But such absurdity also has its demerits. After all, it’s just a legend. Who would even believe in the existence of such a miraculous object? Nobody is sure if it’s even an object anymore. Wasn’t it more like an abstract energy that existed within mankind? Or was it some form of celestial body that only appears during an eclipse? Where does it exist? Does it even exist? As such, the legend of this seemingly magical stone entered the stage of being called a mere myth. Anybody stating that their dream was to find the Stone of Eclipse would be branded as a laughing stock.

Regardless, rumor or not, the whole idea of the stone has been deeply rooted into our history. Society, culture, kingdoms, governments, religions, cults – all have some form of group whose works are driven based on the stone.

This is the story behind the Stone of Eclipse. Personally, I’d suggest you forget about it. Your lives will go much smoother if you don’t chase something which you don’t even know exists and focus on things that truly matter. You guys think so too, ri—”

Hannah stopped after seeing the three boys staring at her with eyes wide open, focused and awed.

“That. Is. AWESOME!!” exclaimed Shin, standing up, “To think such a thing existed! I had no idea!”

“No, like I said, nobody knows if it even exists guys.”

“A stone shrouded in such mystery and glory. And people trying their very best to attain it. Sounds really romantic, doesn’t it?” said the awed Yukio, sitting cross-legged.

“That’s right! An adventure through a completely unknown terrain! A reward that is completely worth a lifetime! A man’s romance! I’m getting so excited!” Shin said as he flexed.

“The Stone of Eclipse. Life really would get more interesting if we managed to get it,” acknowledged the amused Diavolo, who rested his head on his right knee and arms crossed.

“Oh boy, what have I done?” sighed Hannah placing her palm on her face.

“Kuu~! I can’t wait! I wanna go find it right away! Yu! Diav! A challenge! Let’s see who finds and attains it first!”

“Okay~!” “Agreed,” they replied.

“Alright, then it’s settled! LET’S FIND IT! THE STONE OF ECLIPSE!”

Hannah, although taking a neutral stance on the existence of the stone and doesn’t approve of them wasting their time, found such young vigor oddly pleasing, “It’s nice to see you have a goal set, but do you guys have any leads on how to start?” she asked, assuming their Chief may have also provided hints about it.

It was then, when all three of them, for the first time in their lives, replied in perfect unison and without a moment of delay…

“Nope!”