My name is Von, I’m, something, something years old, and I belong to something, something race.

Okay now that you know me very well, let me just clear it up that I am not an asshole… on second thought, I am kind of an asshole, but not as much as I used to be.

Though I do not like talking about my past, I think it is necessary to tell you something about what happened seventy years ago. I did already tell you that I’m an asshole anyway.

This story is about a friend.

This friend of mine is very dear to me as we have been through many life and death situations together. She would risk her life for me and I would risk mine for her that kind of friendship — cheesy, yes, but true nonetheless.

But… this friend of mine is no longer of this world.

She died, protecting her greatest creation, a child I named, Xiron.

But, about a year ago, she already foresaw this happening and asked of me about this matter.

[I know I am being a bitch by saying I’ll die, but, as you know, the world doesn’t really like me and I am already passing my prime. It might be hard, but, if anything was to happen to me, raise my child as your own.

P.S. I am not married and I am creating it so get your heads off the cloud thinking I have fallen for someone.]

Like what she said, a child appeared in my doorsteps and I became a father without a spouse.

And I have got to say… I do not know what I need to do.

Xir is, for better or worse a bright child. From what he said, he was not taught anything by Lethias and had to learn everything on his own. He’s about a year old, at least, from what I learned from Lethias’ message.

He opened his eyes about a year ago apparently.

But Xir and I decided to reset that because we’re not exactly sure.

His birthday now would be at the seventh of [Poac], which is the fourth month — it was the date I found him.

So, technically, he’s already a year old, but Xir claims he’s 0 because a child is only a child once it comes out of a vessel.

It had been three weeks since Xir came to my doorsteps and I had been spending a lot of time teaching and feeding him.

“*So* Von, you’re telling me that there are more languages *than one could* count?”

“What did I say, tell you to call me?”

“Is it *really* necessary?”

“If you don’t want to then the door is always wide open.”

“……………………………………………………………………………………...Father.”

Did you see that awkwardness? That silence? I revel in that feeling and sight. Xir always doesn’t really show much emotion and I feel like he’s lacking in understanding such a thing.

Though he is smart, he has troubles understanding others’ emotions… scratch that, he can’t even process his own emotion much less others, he’s completely inept.

I at least want him to learn about some semblance of emotion.

Because of this, I made him start feeling shame. What? Shame is also a kind of emotion, don’t judge me too much.

Though he does not aware of it, he is already feeling shame calling me Father.

At first, he didn’t mind saying it, but after I showed him a smile, he figured something was wrong and from then on, he’s acting really hesitant to say it. It’s honestly funny.

Xir is a very bright child, he’s smarter than anyone I have seen and could even surpass Lethias in terms of understanding. His incessant thirst for knowledge made him able to understand Alvish in a span of three days and began speaking it at the eighth.

His physical growth is also astonishing and because normal milk does not provide enough nutrients to help and supplement his growth, I started using the [Trickquor Method] of the [Blood King Tribe].

I began hunting sufficiently strong Monsters and wrung them out of their Blood Essence that I then refine with fire and mana.

That Blood Essence would then turn to something called [Sângele de Aur Imperial] also known as Imperial Golden Blood. I thought it would be utter bullshit, but Xir likes it so I guess not, apparently.

This is going well, I supposed.

—[Two Months into becoming a Father]—

Xir could now count up to numbers I do not know, and speak Alvish without so much as a stutter. He now also learned almost everything I know.

That good and all but, now, I am stuck in a situation where I am left without an answer.

“What does this mean? What about this? This? That? When? Why?”

His questions are piling up and I have to find a way to teach him else this kid would most likely try and sneak out of this mountain… I can’t have that.

So, I decided to teach him about body fitness.

“Grow stronger? How is that important?”

“Well, you see, in some parts of the world it is ruled by the strong and if you are strong you can go everywhere unimpeded…”

“Even the place known as the library?”

“Yes, even the library. But if you are weak you will be trampled over and you will be bulled so you won’t be able to do much. But take these words with a grain of salt as weaker people also have the privilege to live in a world where death is the last of their problems.”

“Weak? Privilege?”

“Yes, if you are weak, then you are free from fighting. Some people who call themselves wise may say, only by gaining power will you be truly free, but in truth, by gaining more power, the more shackles would bound onto you as more people will come and find you for reasons we can only hope to count. So, do you want to be strong or do you want to live in peace?”

My words left Xir silent for a long while and with him acting like so, I left our home for a day. just like before, when I leave, Von gets left behind.

I am… no Saint, I am merely a beast who finishes the story before it starts.

But I already washed my hands off the blood that I used to have. I chose to stay quiet, and become a no-named being who roams nowhere to become no one.

My past is what makes the present, and what I make of the present would become the future that I would live. I said to Lethias that I would die alone, that I would look into the sunset with darkness of the clinging past blinding me to see the obvious light.

I didn’t want to strengthen the darkness, yet as Light arrived on my doorsteps, I once again saw it.

I wish not to taint myself further, yet for the hope shed light upon this dreary life have a chance of casting the former darkness, I now choose to create a new one.

I live without reason, rules, nor laws, I exist but does not. For me to be able to grab hold onto the light, I must first bath in darkness so that hope of mine grows brighter.

WHIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

The echoing siren reminded me of the past I walked. It was painful and full of blood, but it was the life I lived and nothing could be changed.

No one knows how long a chapter of a life is, but with this, another route would be added.

And as I smile, I find joy in living once more for I now have someone waiting for me to return.

And I would do everything to make him live, this time… Lethias… you have played your cards nicely, my friend.

‘…I think I should erase some parts of the World Cube when I get it…I don’t want Xir knowing where that [Sângele de Aur Imperial] comes from less he becomes a bitchy kid.’