Hismond POV:

Asrem had become like a son to me, and seeing him in such a state always brought a surge of pain. Despite the numerous hardships he faced in his childhood, none matched the gravity of this situation. While there were no severe injuries, the brush with death was uncomfortably close. It seemed unjust for a young boy to endure such trials. Although I was grateful for anticipating this danger, I knew that a mere few seconds of delay on my side could have sentenced him to death by the jaws of those pests.

"Stop dwelling on it. He isn't Hismond. Just bring him home, you old fool." I scolded myself.

Approaching him, I noticed a body nearby. The young night stalker lay lifeless, bearing a significant wound in its chest, likely inflicted by a knife.

'How peculiar. I never anticipated witnessing a child taking down a night stalker,' I thought to myself, genuinely surprised.

Despite its youth, it rivaled an adult in strength. Young stalker behavior, characterized by ferocity and unpredictability, made this feat truly impressive. A faint smile crossed my face, filled with pride at raising him into a formidable warrior. Lifting Asrem onto my shoulder, the thought of leaving the stalker's corpse crossed my mind. We had plenty of food thanks to my hunts, and transporting it would only deplete some of my mana for no reason.

'But this marks his first successful purification of a monster. He deserves something like a trophy to remember the achievement,' I pondered. So, I approached the stalker's body, bowed down, and grabbed its paw. The creature's sturdy claws could serve as daggers. Considering the state of his worn-out old dagger, perhaps it was time for an upgrade anyway.

"We'll decide after the storm subsides."

Storing the claw in my bag, I scanned the surroundings for our remaining time before the storm hit. The wind mana fluctuated wildly, indicating that the storm would most likely come sooner than expected. Not wasting time by turning around toward the forest, I channeled my mana, enhancing my legs. As the effects took hold, I activated wind step. Leaves danced around me like confetti as I traversed the distance, reaching our modest hideout in less than 15 minutes.

Upon entering, I carried Asrem to his room, laying him on his bed. While I could shield us from the wind, the cold was beyond my magical capabilities. Pulling out makeshift blankets from all around the house, I enveloped Asrem like a present to keep him warm.

With the assurance of his safety, I settled into a wooden chair beside his bed. A sigh of relief escaped me, having attended to everything. I allowed myself to relax.

"The storm won't subside for a few days, and there's little I can do either. The barrier should endure for at least two weeks and give me some time to rest," I contemplated, justifying my moment of comfort. Allowing my mind to wander, I shifted my gaze to Asrem, who looked cozy and peaceful, even snoring softly.

A chuckle escaped my lips.

"I never foresaw that the formidable right-hand man of Frederick Beck would find himself caring for an orphaned child in some forsaken forest," I mused, looking up at the ceiling.

'Well, for another three years, at least,' is the thought that came immediately after.

My time with Asrem was dwindling. I had often explicitly stated to him that my responsibility for taking care of him would stop once he reached 18. Until then, I'd ensure that he had food, shelter, and education, aspiring for him to find his place in a city rather than the wilderness. However, while I did want him to have that future, I also had to deal with the inner conflict of not wanting him to depart. Throughout raising him, I grew fond of him. He may have been a bit rough around the edges, with occasional slip-ups in behavior, but I know that he's a good, intelligent kid. Above all, he was akin to a son to me.

When I was still living in the Capitol of Evyne as the guard for Mr. Beck, a nobleman, I did have a family. My wife and my son were the treasures, the jewels of my life. However, unbeknownst to me, Mr. Beck had planned to backstab me. Because I was an influential official knight of the kingdom, I had the potential to rise to the spot of general in the army of the kingdom; that, however, was something Beck didn't want for some reason. Then he did something I couldn't forget even if I had multiple lifetimes. He ruined my family's reputation, isolated us from the kingdom, and even tried to hunt me down. I never really understood his betrayal and I also never achieved any kind of revenge I had hoped for. For many years, I even considered him a close friend, and I continued to do so until that day.

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"The day he..."

I clenched my fists. Sensing my dangerously high heartbeat and passive mana output, I took a deep breath to calm myself.

"You cannot change your past, old man; calm down," I mentally criticized myself.

Looking at Asrem, I felt a sense of peace. Because I knew that the world had given him even less than me.

"It's unfortunate that your fate was even worse than mine, kid."

I recalled finding him in that wreckage - the corpses of servants, guards, and his family. A surreal red lake of death and tragedy caused by their blood. I hadn't told him that he was a noble of the kingdom and I probably wouldn't. Maybe if I saw him during my escape from Evyne I would've even killed him out of pure rage for his fellow nobles.

"At least you survived to carry on your family's legacy, child," I thought as my eyelids grew heavy.

One last deep breath and I let the darkness envelop me.

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Asrem POV:

I woke up with an intense headache and profuse sweating, unlike any unconscious episode before. Slowly opening my eyes, I saw a wooden ceiling.

"Ah right, grandfather arrived before I passed out from mana depletion," I thought, attempting to use my mana. A tremor surrounded me, making movement impossible. Giving up, I tried to look around, hindered by heavy blankets. I noticed a man on my chair, snoring loudly.

"Well, anyway, I need something to drink. Waking him up would only make him nag again. So I guess..."

Summoning every ounce of strength, I threw the blankets aside, sitting and panting heavily.

"How... are... mere blankets... so heavy?" I mumbled between breaths.

As my breathing calmed, I stood up, stretched, and felt refreshed. Feeling sympathy for the old man, I gently placed him on my bed and wrapped him up. Physically fine, his frown revealed mental distress.

"Even the mighty get tired, I guess. Have a good rest."

Leaving my room, I dimmed the light-projecting artifact, contemplating what to do. Locked inside, meditation seemed the only option. With a water skin, I opened the door to loud winds and pouring rain, protected by the unyielding barrier.

I knew where to start my meditation session. Turning around, I jumped, grabbing the roof's edge. With swift moves, I reached my chosen spot.

"Ah, the deafening sound of wind punching an invisible wall sure is pure joy to my ears," I exclaimed, closing my eyes, ready to train again.

**

After I finished my restoration to some extent, I sighed out loud in relief.

Looking up at the gray sky, occasional lightning flashed, creating a scene like the stories Grandfather used to tell me before bedtime.

"I can't remember anything about my life before meeting him. He can't just kick me out when I'm 18, can he?" I said to no one in particular. The main reason is that Grandfather is like family to me; I don't want to leave him. But even if I did, would I survive? The night stalkers almost killed me. While I struggled to run from them, Grandfather scared them away just by being there. If I need that kind of strength to survive, I just don't have it.

And if I leave, who will I talk to? How could I trust these people who have committed so many monstrosities to me and grandfather? I don't even know what they'd think of me. I've heard from nobles and their missing moral compass from grandfather. If they rule the kingdoms how can one be safe?

'He also said they all have different, unique personalities. Do I have to learn all of them and act accordingly, or just go with general talk like I do with him?'

While continuing to think about my future, I suddenly heard something loud in the distance.

"Was that a scream?"

On occasion, individuals from neighboring kingdoms find their way into this forest, even almost venturing dangerously close to our home. I've never personally seen or talked to them since Grandfather always handled such situations, but he is currently sleeping.

"He won't wake up," I said, trying to go back to my room as fast as I could. But like I had already predicted he was busy sleeping like a log. Sighing in defeat, I knew what I had to do. After having replenished my mana during my three-hour training session, I knew that I had around half of my usual strength recovered. So, I took out the winter clothing Grandfather had brought from the trips he sometimes made to nearby villages and put it on. Just before leaving, I did one last thing. Copying the barrier, I set up a small protective layer around my body to guard me from the biting cold.

hahaha-

'It actually worked!'

Genuinely happy that my idea worked, I focused my mind on keeping it stable. Finishing the refining, I opened the door and sprinted towards the embrace of the storm.