December 17, 1878
In the dark of night, Alfeus, a forsaken child whose fate seemed cursed by the world, sat in contemplation under the warmth of a tree. He lamented why he alone could never experience happiness in life. His mother had died giving birth to him, and his father was murdered by the wrathful villagers.
The wind that enveloped him brought anxiety under the sacred tree, and his disjointed thoughts pushed his body toward death.
But deep in his heart, Alfeus still wanted to live. He believed that there must be a villager who didn't hate him.
"Hey, you forsaken child, go home to the place you live… Ah, I forgot, you have nothing!" shouted one of the villagers who saw Alfeus.
"Why are you saying that? I'm just sitting here... Please forgive me if I seem dangerous in your eyes," Alfeus responded with dignity.
One of the villagers, hearing Alfeus speak like that, threw a stone at him.
"Smack…"
The stone struck Alfeus on the forehead, and blood flowed from the wound. As he lost consciousness, Alfeus found himself outside his own body.
He thought he had died at that moment, but a voice from within the sacred tree muttered and released a dark energy from the tree.
The energy gathered above the tree and formed the silhouette of a human. The silhouette charged toward Alfeus' body and pierced through his soul. Alfeus, regaining consciousness, felt intense pain throughout his body.
Even though he screamed, who would care about a forsaken child like him? The unfortunate Alfeus endured the torment in his body, but the villagers who heard his screams assumed he was mad with suffering.
The excruciating pain eventually caused him to lose consciousness again.
---
Alfeus awoke the next morning after feeling that overwhelming pain. He forced himself to rise once more, but the pain returned, tormenting him again. He pushed his body to move despite the searing agony.
Through sheer determination, miraculously, the pain disappeared instantly. His body felt lighter than usual, but there was no reason for him to continue living. In the afternoon, while scavenging for scraps, two people seemed to be following him as he searched for food.
Eventually, Alfeus found himself in a narrow spot where he came face-to-face with the two people. As expected, they approached Alfeus and asked,
"I've been watching you pick up trash for a while, where's your mother, friend?" said one of them.
"Sorry, but I don't have any parents... Every day, I just search for food and pick up trash," Alfeus replied.
Could they be the ones who want to accept me?... Oh God!... Grant me a miracle!
Alfeus thought to himself.
"Ah... Sorry if I was impolite, would you like to join us for breakfast? I'm sure you haven't eaten yet!"
they said.
The two mysterious people introduced themselves. Sedane, who had been watching Alfeus with concern, and Safiri, who suggested following him.
Alfeus followed them, and they arrived at a place to eat, but there was something strange about this place...
"I ordered two peanut butter sandwiches for you, you can call me Sedane," said Sedane.
"Sedane... That's a nice name, you can call me Alfeus. I don't understand why anyone would want to approach me," Alfeus replied.
"Relax, Alfeus... We sympathize with your condition, you can find me if you need help, I'm Safiri," Safiri said.
They had a warm conversation over the dining table until the peanut butter sandwiches were ready. Alfeus enjoyed the meal and was very grateful to both of them.
However, Alfeus felt off-balance after eating the peanut butter sandwich. His head throbbed with intense pain, and his body weakened. Slowly, he became weaker and eventually collapsed...