Manny could see the turmoil playing out in Goneth's eyes, Without hesitation, he walked over and gently wrapped his arms around the boy's smaller frame, pulling him into a firm embrace. His hand moved to caress Goneth's hair.
After a moment, Manny knelt down, bringing himself to eye level. He gazed directly into Goneth's sharp, red eyes. He should have anticipated this moment, he realized. Someone as clever as Goneth, forced by circumstance to understand the nature of people far earlier than he should have, was bound to see through the cracks in Manny's plans. But even knowing that, he wouldn't have done anything differently.
Manny could feel it. Danger was closing in, the walls around them tightening with every passing moment. If he were alone, without anyone to care for or protect, he wouldn't feel this way. He would welcome the risk, face it head-on without fear.
But he wasn't alone. He couldn't abandon these kids to save himself, not when their lives had become his responsibility. Manny sighed inwardly, steeling his resolve.
"Look, Goneth, it's not what you think. I'm not leaving permanently," Manny began, his tone softer now. "I'm just taking a risk. A very big one. That's why I said I'm not sure if I'll ever come back."
"Risk?" Goneth echoed, his voice tight with concern.
"Yes," Manny replied with a weary sigh. "I've made a huge mistake... and I've Found things I never should have. It's only a matter of time before bad people come to the slums looking for me."
Manny couldn't bring himself to tell Goneth the full truth; that he had killed someone for their sake. It was a weight he didn't want the boy, or any of the kids, to carry. Whether his silence was born of guilt, shame, or something else entirely, he wasn't ready to confront it. The incident had been a storm of uncontrollable anger and self-blame, emotions he couldn't begin to untangle now.
"I'll be honest with you, Goneth," Manny continued, his voice firm. "This is going to be more dangerous than anything I've ever done. That's why I need you to take the kids and hide for a while. If I don't make it back, use the money to keep afloat until you can leave this island."
Goneth's eyes trembled, his composure cracking as he fought to hold back tears. "Why can't you come with us? We could run away together, start over somewhere new!"
"Don't be stupid!" Manny snapped, unable to keep his voice from rising. "If I go with you, we'll all be caught, or worse, killed. I'm not taking that chance!"
The sharpness of his tone made Goneth flinch, but after a moment, the younger boy nodded reluctantly, his shoulders slumping.
Manny smirked, with a wink he said. "You have known me for long enough to tell now, i am as unkillable as a thousand cockroaches, so I'll come back in one piece."
Manny's attempt to lift the mood wasn't much, but it was enough to brighten the boy's spirits, even if only a little.
—----------------
The sun rose over the slums of Starfallen City, casting pale light on the narrow alleys and crumbling rooftops. Goneth stirred awake, forcing himself into motion as if the events of the previous night had never happened. He slipped quietly into the kitchen, beginning to prepare breakfast for his younger siblings. As he moved about, he tried his best to mask his unease, to act like everything was as normal as any other morning.
But Goneth knew it was only a matter of time before Lily and Leneth caught on. They always did. As he worked, he rehearsed in his mind how to explain their abrupt change of plans for the day. Normally, he would walk them to school, where they spent most of their day until noon, while he stayed home to tend to chores or run out for supplies.
The thought of school tugged at an old memory, one of the many arguments he had with Manny. Manny had always insisted that Goneth should attend school, just like the younger two, while Goneth firmly refused. He felt his place was at home, helping with the housework and looking after Lily and Leneth. It was an argument that neither of them had fully won, and one that still flared up from time to time.
Unlike private orphanages, which Goneth deeply distrusted, schools were different. The ruler of the land had decreed that education was to remain untouched by the old feud between the elves and six-eared people.
That didn't erase the systemic racism that lingered in subtle ways, but it made school one of the few spaces where clashes were less common, if not entirely absent.
Despite the challenges, Manny saw education as a lifeline. In a city where opportunities were scarce, school offered a foothold, a way for children from the slums to build lives of dignity, even if it didn't compare to the elite status of alchemists. That belief was why Manny refused to give up on the idea of Goneth attending school one day. For Manny, it was more than an ideal, it was a way out.
Breakfast was simple—eggs, a loaf of bread smothered with a strange green paste, and a glass of milk accompanying each plate. Goneth placed the three plates on the table before heading into his younger siblings' room. Watching them snore peacefully, he let out a quiet sigh, then shook them awake. The two stirred reluctantly but eventually rose, groggy and slow-moving, to get ready for the day.
When they finally sat at the table, the absence of Manny didn't surprise either of them. It was common for him to leave early, so they thought little of it as they began eating.
"So, how's school?" Goneth asked, gesturing with his fork as he broke the silence.
"It's not so bad," Leneth replied casually before glancing up with a sly grin. "When are you going to start? You're not that much older than us, you know."
Goneth flinched at the question, caught off guard. Before his awkwardness could linger, Lily chimed in with a smirk on her face.
"Heh, don't let him fool you, Gon. He actually gets bullied."
"By who?" Goneth asked, his composure quickly returning as his curiosity piqued.
"It's these two elf kids," Lily replied matter-of-factly. "I've seen it happen a lot."
Leneth practically jumped in his seat, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Quit lying, you brat! It's just kids playing around. Plus, I've never lost a fight to those two."
Lily rolled her eyes, her smirk turning into a full grin. "Who are you kidding? If it weren't for the money being paid to the school, you would've quit already."
Leneth glared, clearly flustered, but Goneth could only chuckle at the exchange.
"Well, good thing you won't have to worry about that for a while," Goneth said calmly.
"What?!" both Leneth and Lily exclaimed in unison.
"We have to 'move' again," Goneth explained as he finished his plate. "It won't be for long. We'll just be away from this house for a little while."
Moving wasn't a foreign concept to any of them. Back when it had been just the three of them, small, scrappy kids,they had drifted from house to house, hoping to find somewhere that would accept their meager savings. More often than not, luck wasn't on their side, and they had learned to live out of whatever temporary shelter they could scrape together.
"What are you saying?" Leneth asked,"We haven't done that in ages. Surely it's not because of money, right?"
"No, it's not that," Goneth replied smoothly, keeping his tone steady. "It's just... we're looking to move out of the slums for good. While we look for a proper house, we need to stay away from this neighborhood in case of... accidents."
It was a flimsy excuse, one he knew wouldn't hold for long, but it was enough to keep their curiosity at bay for now. Manny had been explicit, they needed to move first thing in the morning. Goneth didn't have the luxury of overthinking.
Despite their protests and lingering questions, he told Leneth and Lily to change their clothes and wait outside while he gathered the stash of money Manny had left him. As he rummaged through the hiding spot inside the house, the siblings waited in front of the shabby structure.
Unbeknownst to them, a hooded figure approached.
The stranger's frame was tall but lanky, their movements haggered as they drew closer to the house….