Crash! Boom!

The sound of thunder reverberated through the area as the children stared up at the stormy, dark sky with fearful eyes. A priest approached them, smiling warmly. "An old mage is on his way to adopt one of you. Guess who the lucky person will be?"

"Me!" A cheerful girl named Lily raised her hand, her face lighting up with a smile so radiant it seemed almost inhumanly beautiful.

"Shut up, Lily," a young boy named Sen snapped, shoving her aside as he raised his own hand. "It's obviously me. I'm the most proficient magic user here."

"No fair," Lily pouted, her lips trembling as she looked at him with a mock-grieving expression.

The other children quickly joined in, raising their hands with excitement, each one brimming with confidence that they would be the chosen one. After all, being adopted by a revered mage meant a secure and glorious future.

The priest chuckled at the lively scene, his smile warm and kind. "Now, now, calm down. You wouldn't want to upset the revered mage with such unruly behavior, would you?"

"Yeah!" the children shouted in unison, their voices loud and enthusiastic—except for one small boy sitting silently in the corner.

The priest's smile faltered as he noticed the boy. His frown deepened when he realized he didn't know the child's name. In truth, the boy had only arrived at the church the day before. Rumors said he was an orphan who had lost his parents to the war. He had been shuffled between orphanages and names, each one casting him out for being too gloomy and a "bad influence" on the other children.

The priest cleared his throat. "Hey, uh…" His voice trailed off awkwardly, unable to address the boy by name.

The nameless boy stared back at the priest with cold, emotionless eyes before silently walking out of the room.

The priest's brows furrowed at the blatant disrespect, but he held back his irritation, aware that the other children were watching. He decided he'd deal with the boy later.

Turning back to the group, the priest forced a smile. "It seems the old mage will take some time to get here. The typhoon is truly strong today. Perhaps he'll arrive tomorrow."

Lily glanced at the door the nameless boy had disappeared through before looking back at the priest. "Father Fred, why is he so gloomy?"

The priest, now identified as Father Fred, let out a soft sigh. "Don't mind him. He's just shy. Sooner or later, he'll become part of the family."

"Hmmm," Lily murmured, nodding softly before quickly turning her attention back to the other children. "Let's play hide and seek!"

"Alright, you're It!" Sen shouted, spinning around. "Run and hide, everyone!"

"Wahhh!" The children squealed in delight, scattering across the room.

Father Fred laughed heartily as he watched them run, leaving Lily grieving over her assigned role. "Be careful not to get hurt, kids!" he called out after them.

---

The gloomy young boy sat by the main door, peering through the window. He noticed the storm was beginning to weaken. Ten minutes later, the rain had stopped, and the sky was slowly returning to its normal blue hue.

Pushing open the small door beside the main entrance, he let the fresh air sweep inside as he stepped out. His bare feet sank into a puddle on the muddy ground, small pebbles and rocks pressing against his skin. He barely noticed, walking steadily toward the towering tree in front of the church. He settled onto one of its massive roots, staring blankly at his surroundings.

"You're not uncomfortable?"

The boy shivered at the sudden voice. Turning around, he saw an old man dressed in a scholarly blue robe, holding a massive staff. The man stood atop another root, gazing at him.

The boy said nothing, returning his gaze to the empty space before him.

The old man curled his lips in mild amusement before stepping off the root and walking toward him. "For a young boy, you're awfully disrespectful."

The boy didn't respond, letting the old man's words hang in the air. There wasn't anything worth saying. His attention drifted to the church, where the laughter and cries of children his age spilled out into the open.

The old man smiled at the sight. "I'm Kalli. What's your name?"

The boy didn't answer. He'd heard that question too many times before. If he said he didn't have a name, they'd just give him one—and eventually take it back when they grew tired of him, shipping him off to yet another orphanage.

Kalli sat beside the boy, feeling the cold dampness seep into his robes. His face twisted in mild discomfort. How could this kid sit here so indifferently, letting the wetness soak through? It was revolting, like taking a bath with socks on or washing your hands without rolling up your sleeves.

"You know, kid," Kalli began suddenly, "I didn't originally belong to this place. Heck, I'm not even a mage." He leaned in closer, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "I actually came from another world. A distant, blue planet called Earth. God, I miss that place. No magic, but the technology there? Incredible. Even ordinary people can achieve amazing things!"

The boy turned to him, his expression puzzled. What was this old man talking about? Earth? Technology? He didn't understand any of it. Shrugging, he decided it wasn't worth thinking about and shoved the thought to the back of his mind.

Kalli chuckled at the boy's reaction, shaking his head. "I guess it doesn't mean much to people here." His eyes suddenly lit up as though he'd thought of something groundbreaking. "Hey, what do you think about me adopting you?"

"What…?" For the first time, the boy spoke, his voice hoarse and uncertain. He couldn't remember the last time he'd spoken voluntarily. Even the single word surprised him.

"Oh, so you can talk," Kalli said, grinning. "Well, what do you think? It's a pretty good deal, huh? Stick with me, and you'll be famous."

The boy closed his eyes and said nothing.

Undeterred, Kalli reached for his wrist. "I'll take that as a yes. From now on, you're my son. Come on, let's go."

The boy recoiled, jerking his hand away. He stared at Kalli with thinly veiled disgust. This old man was too strange, too peculiar. He felt like following him would only lead to trouble.

Feigning a deeply hurt expression, Kalli sighed. "Fine, fine. If you don't want me as your father, how about you accompany me for a while? Travel with me. See the world. Broaden your horizons."

"I… I don't have a magical core," the boy muttered gloomily.

"Oh?" Kalli's face turned thoughtful. After a moment, he shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I don't care about that. So, what do you say? Better than spending your whole life being ordinary, don't you think?"

The boy hesitated, his eyes narrowing as he thought it over. Finally, he whispered, "I'll do it."

Kalli's eyes widened, and a broad grin spread across his face. "Good, good! Let's go, then!"

"W-where…?" the boy stammered, confused.

"To my humble abode, of course!" Kalli said with a casual shrug.

The boy was stunned. Shouldn't there be some sort of process to transfer an orphan? Looking at Kalli, he felt more confused than ever.

Kalli simply chuckled, his grin mischievous. "No need for all that. Bureaucracy's for fools. Besides, that priest's a bastard anyway. Let's go!" He extended his hand toward the boy.

The boy hesitated for a moment, staring at the old man's wrinkled hand. Slowly, something flickered within him—something like hope. A rare fire of determination lit up in his otherwise blank eyes as he reached out and clasped Kalli's hand.

As they started walking, Kalli suddenly stopped and turned back to the boy. "Oh, by the way," he said, "you don't have a name, do you?"

The boy nodded silently.

Kalli smiled. "Well, I respect your bravery for being so disrespectful to me earlier. From now on, your name shall be… Valiance!"

The boy, now named Valiance, repeated the name silently in his mind. It felt strange, unique, unlike the names of other people. Yet something stirred within him. Maybe—just maybe—his life would finally have meaning.