Good morning, Captain. Are we going to talk to Helena today? Jon was a bit impatient.

"Yes." answered the Captain. Except for handling some 'trash' after dinner, the rest of the night was uneventful. The room was surprisingly comfortable, and the boy had a good night's sleep. After breakfast and his standard training and meditation, he exited the Inn.

Today he would visit the boarding school to talk to Helena. At the Inn, she didn't have time to speak, and there were many eyes around. He had to sneak into the school and find an opportunity to talk to her alone. She needed to make up her mind if she would join him or stay at the capital. In the latter case, he would give her enough money to stop working and focus on her studies. However, she would be in danger no matter what decision made.

He bought a used male school uniform and changed in secret behind a hedge. As soon as the guards made their rounds, he jumped over the fence and hid on the school grounds. The school had a somewhat gothic architecture with a total lack of color. It seemed more like a prison rather than a school. Based on Helena's letters, she had a break around 10:00, and she would go walking at the back of the school. Other students would go for breakfast at the school canteen, but she didn't have any money. She would eat some bread while walking.

"Hey, boy. Shouldn't you be in class right now?" the voice of an older lady was heard behind him.

"Yes. I'm heading there right now," he said, walking quickly to put distance between them.

He waited hidden until the break and saw Helena moving towards the school's rear, where a small park was located. As soon as she passed a group of 10-12year old girls, a giggle was heard.

"What? The famous lady of house Thanatos will feast alone today again?" the girls snickered and looked at Helena with contempt. She ignored them and kept walking.

"Hey, idiot. I'm talking to you! I'll break your nose if you ignore me again!" said one of the girls, but the rest of her friends pulled her towards the school canteen.

"It's not worth it! My father said she's going to end up at a brothel soon! You'll just dirty your hands!" said the oldest of the girls.

Hey, Captain. They are just children, you know., said Jon trying to calm the boy that was currently clenching his fists.

The boy put on his hood and followed Helena to the park. At some point, he lost her tracks. She knew the grounds much better than him.

"Why are you following me?" a trembling voice was heard behind him.

"What do you want from me? Did my uncle send you? I have nothing left. Leave me alone! Leave!" tears were coming down her cheeks, and she was holding her sack tightly.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." said the boy and slowly lowered the hood to reveal his face.

A range of emotions could be seen on Helena's face. Surprise, shock, joy, concern.

"Daniel?" she said, and her knees folded.

Before she could fall on the floor, her brother caught her. She quickly hugged him and settled her face in his chest.

"I tried to be strong, Daniel... I promise... Mother... Father... I didn't know if you..." Helena was trying to say something between the sobbing and bursts of tears.

"Shh. It's OK. I'm here now. Nobody will hurt you again." said the boy embracing her for a long time.

The girl cried for more than half an hour and then fell asleep in her brother's arms. Her sleep was calm and serene -- the first time she was calm since her parents died.

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She woke up an hour later in his arms. A familiar face smiled at her. It wasn't a dream. It was her big brother.

"Daniel, how? They said you would never wake up again." mumbled the girl.

The boy explained everything that had happened since he woke up, skipping the most gruesome parts.

"So, you don't remember anything? Me? Our parents?" the girl had tears in her eyes again.

"No. But the feelings are there. You are my sister; I'll be by your side. And you'll be there for me. Anything I forgot, you'll remind me." said the boy in a reassuring tone and smiled.

"So, what do we do now?" asked the girl while still hugging her brother.

He was planning to give her the choice of staying in the Capital. But the little he saw, this was not an option. The girl was physically and emotionally scarred. Her environment was not appropriate to heal.

"Let's go back to your room and pack. You'll come with me to my room at the Inn. In 3 days, we leave for home—time to clean the trash and take back our territory." said the boy with determination.

Helena nodded and quickly dashed away with Daniel right behind her. She didn't know where they would stay or what they would do. But she was not alone anymore.

"Hey, girl. Where do you think you are going?" she heard the dormitory guard's harsh voice as soon as she stepped into the corridor.

"Your uncle said you are not to go anywhere. I would hate to have to carve that beautiful face of yours," he said laughingly and moved forward towards the girl. The guard was paid by the Uncle to keep an eye on Helena and make her life hard.

"Helena, get into your room and close the door. Now." a boy's voice came behind the guard startling him.

As soon as the door closed, the guard's body fell on the ground dead. He didn't even have the chance to react. A black blade of darkness stroke his throat, reaping his soul from his body without a hint of blood.

"A garbage like you dares to talk to my sister.", the boy whispered. But it was sure these were words of Jon that escaped the boy's mouth.

"Helena, come out and close your eyes for a bit.", the boy guided Helena away from the corpse and then back to the Inn.

He gave her the clothes he bought for her the previous day and waited for her to bathe and change. Tonight, they would enjoy a night out in the city.

= * =

"You never ate ice cream!" the high-pitched voice said loudly.

"Why not? It tastes so nice." replied her brother.

"I know! I always told you that! You said it was too cold and milky!"

The siblings spent the night catching up. They ate at a good restaurant, bought snacks from the market, and walked and talked all night.

"Do you really think we can win, brother?" Helena asked in a more serious tone.

"Yes." replied the boy, "They'll pay for everything ".

Her brother was never a man of few words. He was a bubbly and joyous boy. It seemed now he had changed. He was serious and didn't talk much. She realized that people were avoiding them like a bubble was created around them. A look from her brother was enough I make any scoundrel scatter in fear. It was strange but not unwelcome. She felt safe like she could relax again.

Helena was looking at a vendor's stall when Jon spoke.

Cap, I counted 7.

The boy nodded. They were followed since they left the Inn. It seemed like a group of highly trained agents. They seemed to be at a reconnaissance mission, though. He purposefully left some openings they could have exploited to attack, but they didn't—five individuals and a 'couple' in their late teens. They randomly swapped between them and changed appearances to avoid detection. However, Jon's photographic memory was too much for them.

"I will not engage unless necessary. I am not sure I can defeat them and keep Helena safe at the same time. Let's try talking to them and knock them off balance." the boy whispered.

"Helena, let's walk over there. It's too crowded here," he said to his sister, and he gave her his hand.

The young man saw the target boy walking in their direction. He was an agent of the Royal Knights. For some reason, a group of 7 agents was tasked to monitor this little boy—something to do with an incident at the bank. Their orders were to observe without interfering. He was paired with a female agent, pretending to be a young couple.

"Mmmm, you should try this, honey. It tastes wonderful!" his partner said, eyeing towards the direction of the boy closing in on them. Moving away would cause suspicion, so they stayed there and pretended to chat.

"Helena, look at what the young lady is eating. Do you want some of that?" the boy asked, and the girl nodded enthusiastically.

"Greetings, sir and madam. Would you be able to show us where you got that desert from?" the boy asked the startled couple. They never expected the target to engage them in a discussion.

"Sure. I'll show you, little girl." the female snapped out of it first and took Helena to a vendor a few meters away.

"So, are you out on a date?" asked the male agent, trying to seem inconspicuous.

"No. She is my sister, and I haven't seen her for a year. We are just out enjoying the night." said the boy.

"Oh, a loving brother. How nice. You should be careful around the market, though." the male agent answered.

"Indeed." the boy said and added, "I've counted seven shady characters until now, sneaking around in this area. Some of them even work in couples. Can you imagine that?"

There were seven agents assigned to the target; this couldn't be a coincidence. Did this boy identify all seven agents of the royal knights? Who was this boy? The agent went to high alert. Before he could respond, the two girls joined them.

"Is it nice, sister?" the boy turned to Helena ignoring the sweating agent.

"Yes, brother. You should try it!" she smiled and offered some to the boy.

"We'll take our leave, sir, madam. You should be careful around here. I've heard it's dangerous during the night -- even if you are moving in groups!" the boy said with a smile on his face. But both agents shivered. They understood very well that it was the one and only warning they would receive. They had to return to the Royal Knights base and ask for new orders.