"Noah, are you in there?" Von asked loudly.
Someone appeared to be running towards Von's position when his loud voice echoed throughout the entire wooden house.
"Brother Von, welcome back!" The young boy's unexpected appearance made Von sigh with relief.
He had been on a mission for about a week and had only completed it today. Von had always been concerned about this little fellow whom he had left alone in this house, but now he could see him healthy and energetic, which made him feel relieved.
"Did you go to the organization today?" he asked the young boy, who appeared to be only a 12-year-old boy but was sometimes mistaken as a 10-year-old due to his petite physique and small stature.
Von then patted the boy on the head with his left hand while the other touched the boy's face, which had dirt on it. It appeared to be caused by the charcoal they used for cooking.
Noah, the boy, is 140 centimeters tall and weighs 35 kilograms, which is less than the average for a 12-year-old boy.
Von once helped Noah, a young boy, when he saw him dying at the corner of the street. Von assumed that this boy would not survive the night because of his malnourished and bone-like body.
Von believes that it is a common occurrence in this poor city, and that helping one person makes no difference, so he abandons the idea of helping.
But when he walked down the street where he last saw the boy two days later, he saw the same scene. He doesn't appear to have moved from this position. Von began to wonder if he had even planned to move there.
Yes, you read that correctly, a normal human cannot survive overnight, but this young boy, who is only ten years old, manages to do so. Von even believes that this boy drank a potion that helped him deal with his situation.
But when Von looks closely at the young boy, he notices his pale complexion. The boy is sleeping while suffering from hunger, his teeth greeting each other while hugging his tiny petite legs, barely surviving the cold airflow.
And Von realized that the boy's situation appears to be the same when he was living in the alleyway, sleeping on the cold side floor of the street, enduring the coldness and loneliness he is feeling.
And years flow by just like the cold wind. During these years he experience many things such as stealing someone's food, fighting other orphaned in the streets for food and territory, and forcefully joined a small group of people that made him their slaves that always follow and do their bidding. He do this to just barely survive.
He survived those years by doing things that a normal human of his age would never think of doing. The young Von begged the people he met, but the people in this place seemed unconcerned about such a pitiful scene, avoiding and ignoring his pleas.
Von kneels beside the young boy and leaves a piece of baguette bread that he purchased at a nearby store for three inferior energy stones per piece.
When the young boy noticed Von's action, he slowly opened his small eyes. He adjusted his blurry vision to see a young man in his teens.
"Who a-are you...?" the young boy's voice croaks, he appears wary of the new person he sees. He sat up from his sleep and looked at the young man.
Von did not bother answering his question because he believes it is a waste of his time. He slowly stood up and prepared to walk away from the young boy.
"W-wait, please..." the young boy exclaimed with his remaining strength and energy. He appears to be speaking to Von.
Von walked steadily in the direction of his house, not pausing or turning around to respond to the boy. Von believes that this is a minor interaction, and that he is only doing what his consciousness desires. He was only trying to alleviate his dark memories by making a small gesture to help the boy.
That small gesture is ordinary for Von, but it represents a lifetime of gratitude for the boy, which he must remember and repay in some way.
Von and Noah's first meeting occurred two years ago, and their relationship appears to have formed a strange bond during those two long years.
Noah looked at his brother, "Yes, I did, and I even talked to sister Maggie," the boy said, trying to get Von's large hands out of his face.
Von responded with a chuckle.
"Then why didn't you go straight to the store? You should be able to walk there in a few minutes. Did Maggie not tell you to?"
"Brother! It's not sister Maggie's fault!" exclaimed the young man, his face flushed.
Von could tell what his younger brother was thinking by the expression on his face.
"Then why didn't you follow my instruction? If you didn't want to go to Elder Liam Antique Store, you should have simply waited for me in front of the organization so I could check on you."
"Because that old man is strange," Noah responded.
"What do you mean? You're just making some terrible excuse," Von said, "now tell me what the real reason is."
"No! that old man is really strange," Noah said with a fearful expression. "When I always go there, I often feel like there's a pair of eyes staring at me in all directions. I feel suffocated by that and made my nape hair stand, really!" he said, trying to persuade his older brother.
But Von simply ignored these words. "We should just say you're correct."
"But brother, there's really something going on in that store," Noah insisted, but it appeared that his words were lost on his brother.
It's not as if Von didn't suspect something was wrong with the old man. Elder Liam always assists him when he is in need, and Von believes that the old man has a hidden agenda.
But it didn't seem to matter to Von. Whatever the old man had planned, he didn't care because they only used each other for their own benefit.
"Anyway, why do you look so shit?"
"What do you mean, brother?" Noah yelled at Von, his angry expression making him appear cute.
Von pointed to "that thing in your face," and asked, "Did you put that on your face?" Haha"
"It's because I cook; it must be the residue of the charcoal," he explained, wiping the black substance from his face with his simple gray t-shirt.
When they finished eating, it was already past two o'clock in the afternoon, and the heat of the sun light passed through the small window in their small kitchen.
Von cleans the kitchen and after that he first takes a light shower before going to his room, which has only a wooden rectangular bed that can only be used by one person and a damage cabinet where he keeps all of his clothes.
He's dressed in a fitted white shirt and ragged pants. This was the best clothing Von had in his closet. He then went into the living room, where he saw Noah with a worried expression on his face.
"Do you really need to participate in that quest, Brother?" It appeared to be dangerous."
Von overheard Noah say something while arranging his hair and looking in the bronze mirror, but he didn't turn because he was preoccupied at the time.
He wears the silver necklace that the old man gave him in his right hand before hiding it inside his t-shirt so that it is not visible to others. Von claims it could be drawn in by an unwanted attraction.
His red eyes gazes at Noah, "You know me, Noah, I will do anything in my power to get what I want, and that opportunity is now right in front of me," he said solemnly to his younger brother
"But what happens if the trial fails? I don't want to be left behind."
"What are you saying? The experiment has a high chance of success; there's nothing to be afraid of," Von said, patting Noah's trembling body. He appears to be about to cry.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he reassured the young boy, "but if something bad happens to me, please don't cry because you know I did it for my lifelong wish, and I won't regret it even if I die."
Noah tried to keep his emotions in check, believing that his brother was correct. Growing up, he was always reliant on his brother and took his words to heart.
But the young boy can't help but be concerned because he has a strange feeling in his heart. He had no idea what it was, but it made his heart beat faster and louder.
"Noah, I should go now; remember what I said to you, and cheer up! before you know it, the quest will be over, and I will return as a new person, with enough power to back me up," Von cheerfully told the young boy. He patted his brother's head and walked out of their home.
'I hope nothing bad happens...' Noah thought quietly as he looked at Von's departing figure.
Von had no idea that this would be their last chance to see each other, and he had become reliant on things that did not appear to have value. Von will face a tragedy he did not anticipate.