"So, where''s that fool?"


    At his father''s question, the child quietly rolled his eyes and looked at a man with a lean yet somewhat muscular build standing in the shade, gesturing fiercely with his hands to convey various messages.


    "Ah, he is right behind father!" the child said with a smug grin, pointing to the shade.


    When Aaragona—the man sporting a topknot, or the little boy''s father—turned to his left to chide his friend, his irritation quickly turned into confusion when he noticed nothing in the shadows.


    "Oh, my butler. Well done finding what I asked for," said a man with an artificially high pitched voice who appeared to Aaragona''s right, forcing him to take another sharp left.


    Aaragona began, "Stop using my son for your ridiculous role-playing games!" and kicked his friend Dan, who deftly dodged each kick, "And how can you keep losing him!" as he continued shouting.


    "Oh, butler... We''ll handle the shopping on our next outing. For now, carry this luggage and follow me," Dan said, ignoring his friend''s concerns while casually dropping a dried mackerel into the child''s hands.


    "Ahh, I was a fool to let you handle him..."


    "Don''t fret, man. Things like this have to happen for a child to grow."


    "Aren''t you just admitting your fault?!"


    Aaragona''s anger subsided after he landed one last kick to Dan''s groin, causing him to fall forward. The child, leaving the dried mackerel in front of Dan''s head, climbed up the makeshift Dan-ramp to reach his father''s luggage and ultimately settled on top of his head.


    The child bursts into laughter at the scene... A laugh that is not just in keeping with the mood, but rather the one that unmistakably conveys his happiness for being with them.


    As they walked away from the slumped Dan, the parent and the child stroll past an unappreciated blackened, dried wood that seemed to watch them closely.


    "I''ll tell your mother about this... If you don''t tell me that you like Papa more," Aaragona teased in a playful, childlike voice.


    "Ehh, but I like Mama more..." the child replied blithely, his voice laced with concern.


    "Huh? You like Papa more?"


    "Well..."


    The boy stuffed his mouth with the bread his mother had just served him in an attempt to dodge the routine question, while accepting the scenery once again, ignoring the glimmer of the blue-green gleam.


    A small, dimly lit room, where shadows dance as an oil lamp suspends from the straw ceiling, and the soft glow of the evening sun intrudes through the partially open door.


    Even though the room was small enough to see everything without effort, the jagged creature crammed in the corner went completely unnoticed by both the parent and the child.


    Rosé, the woman crouched with her chin resting on her hand, added another piece of bread to the plate of the child sitting cross-legged.


    Even after noticing the boy''s obvious tactics, she continued, not for any particular reason, but simply to engage in conversation, eager to hear more of her child''s voice.


    "So, is there anything that could change your answer?"


    "Wal, is shu chei... (Well, if you say...)"


    "Slow down, you can continue after you swallow."


    The boy gave a thumbs up in response to his mother''s comment while chewing on the soggy bread.


    "But the answer better change, because... Mama is angry about your rowdiness..." Rosé uttered, her sweet voice gradually turning stern.


    The boy knew that his actions were not as harsh as her remark, yet he found himself standing up involuntarily as he swallowed the half-chewed meal.


    "Huh? Where are you going? Better not to Jerome..." she asked the child, who was about to leave the house.


    "Ah, aa, t-to-to old man Glenn," he replied, waving the last bit of his bread.


    "Thank you again for your modesty, dear Apple."


    The old man expressed his gratitude to the child, who was diligently scrubbing the gravestone nestled at the base of a massive tree that seemed to lean lightly against it.


    "That''s not my name, though..." the child remarked as he slowly rose to his feet, wiping the sweat from his brow bestowed by the brilliant midday light.


    Glenn, the old man, remained silent but tapped on the huge root he was sitting on. The boy knew his silence wasn''t due to the old man''s forgetfulness or the tree''s creaking, but he didn''t know the true reason.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    As the child did the old man''s bidding, "What a sinful man I am... Making a child to clean my son''s grave..." Glenn muttered while glancing at the unstained yet damaged gravestone, basking in the sunlight filtering through the foliage of the creaking tree.


    "Hehe, I like to do it, even if you didn''t ask me to. So, it doesn''t bother me. Big Brother and I were born the same year... No, was it the same day but a different year?"


    "Is that so... Then Big Brother must be smiling down at you right now..."


    The old man lifted his gaze to the heavens, hoping to show his son the face of contentment. The child too glanced above, only to spot a peculiar black and gray creature hanging upside down from the creaking tree, slowly reaching out to him.


    "Ah, aren''t you going to finish your bread, dear apple?"


    "I''m not hungry. And I''m saving it for a cheerful bastard who''s salivating for it."


    The child replied as he rubbed his eyes, attempting to wipe away the dark blur that obscured his vision.


    "It''s not good to use words like that... If Dan heard you... He''ll just toss you to the sharks..." Jerome cautioned, reacting to the child''s harsh words.


    When the child finally opened his eyes wide, he noticed a blond boy eagerly digging into a hearty meal, while a chilly breeze ruffled their casual clothes and messy hair.


    Glancing around, he realized they were perched on their favorite spot—the wall of the orphanage, facing one another. His eyes widened as he saw the distant open sea and a colossal circular structure looming above the clouds on the far side of the town.


    "What''s with that silence? Did you get no presents for this festival?"


    "Tha--"


    "Ah, damn! I''m done already! Can''t you just bring more every time?"


    "It''s because you behave like this, they tell me to stay away from you."


    "Ahh... Mother, you think like that about me?"


    "Heeey! Quit that! Quit that before you wreck our home and our reputation!"


    Even after a few shouts and uncomfortable statements, Jerome broke into laughter, forcing the child to burst out laughing too.


    The cold winds may have aroused his suspicions, but all he could think of at the moment was that it was just another day.


    But the child''s loud voices soon fell silent when another faint voice called out to Jerome. And Jerome, being seven years older than the child, quickly understood the situation when he saw the kid in the bob cut.


    He takes a moment to look back at the child before jumping off the 4.3 meter stone wall, landing barefoot on the rough ground with a thud, dirtying his folded trousers once again.


    However, before leaving with the other orphan, he turned and threw a crumpled piece of paper at the child, which hit him on the head and landed in his hands.


    "A present from me! Hope you don''t wet your pants!"


    "How can a present do that! Or rather, it is not a present if it can do that!"


    With a smile on his face, the child nonchalantly opened the paper and chuckled at the first line, which was easily read from the top of the page.


    "Happy Halloween...?"


    But as soon as he opened the paper completely, he saw a rough picture of some kind of jagged creature, sketched with simple charcoal strokes.


    Unprompted, his breaths quickened, his heart fought for space, his ears whistled to warn him, and when his eyes gave life to the image, his body instinctively tried to flee, forgetting the high wall, leading to a huge fall.


    His breaths left no room to let the screams out. His injured hand failed to call for him. His eyes remained fixated on the paper resting precariously on the wall.


    A black hand recklessly shot out, seizing the clattering wall as the devil menacingly emerged from the paper.


    "Just a little more. Hehe..."


    The demonic beast lunged at the child, finally drawing out a terrified scream from him.


    His lungs tried their best to help the child to not faint, but his bleeding hand thought otherwise. His eyelids forced him to sleep while his blurred eyes tried to take stock of the situation.


    "It''s going to be all right. Try, try to say your name. Dad or Mum will be here soon, so don''t be scared. I''ll be here, so ask for anything. Okay? Kid?"


    In a dark, strange place, with few lights that looked almost like will-o''-the-wisps to the bruised eye, a sweet and oddly familiar voice tried to soothe him as she tied a handkerchief to stop the bleeding, but failed to get past his ringing ears.


    When he saw the only person distancing herself for a fraction of a second, his hand involuntarily sought help and reached for the lady. However, before help could arrive, the devil''s hands, already clutching the child''s legs, dragged him down into the sinister darkness.


    "Huh!" came an exclamation out of the blue, quickly followed by a horrendously loud and bloodcurdling scream.


    As a child he is, he began to cry for his parents. His cries for help grew louder with every second he fell, shouting out all the names he knew. Falling into the darkness...


    The screams continued.


    Even as his whole body buckled against the object that had fallen upon him...


    The screams continued.


    Even as his pitiful arm was impaled by an unknown creature''s hard and sturdy limb...


    The screams continued.


    His voice was extinguished after his head struck the collapsing rubble. It remained silent as he was tossed around by various creatures and debris. It remained silent even as he was submerged in unknown fluids.


    It remained silent as long as the unconscious boy violently careened through the chaos, catapulted to an undefined terrain, causing him to tumble and harshly crash into a solid wall.


    "Wake up!"


    With a gasp hard enough to fill his chest beyond capacity, the child leaned forward, eyes wide... only to see a vicious creature slithering and dashing towards him. Involuntarily, his body tried to retreat backwards, making him fall through the stockpile of dried stag hides.