Nevan sat on his bed, unable to sleep. It had been over a week since he burned his family, and his wounds had begun to heal. He stared out of the window of his bed-chamber as the sun rose to shine in the dark sky. He heard a knock on his door as Bastian opened it.

“Unable to sleep again, Master Prima?” Bastian asked, pouring water from the water jug into the empty glass by Nevan’s bedside table. Bastian had called Nevan by his family name ever since the funeral.

Nevan nodded at Bastian’s question. “I’m leaving,” he said.

“To where?”

“To the capital. She’s a knight of Ronan, and I’ll find her there.”

Bastian sighed at the statement. He had also felt the loss of Nevan’s parents and Nalia. He stared at the Master of house Prima, not knowing what to say. Nevan had been obsessed with the thief, wanting to leave right after the funeral. Only the urging and insistence of Bastian and the rest of Nevan’s men had convinced him to at least wait until he was fully healed.

“I can’t stay here,” Nevan said, clutching the sigil left by the thief.

“You’re the last scion of your house, Master Prima. You have to stay.” The butler of house Prima pleaded.

Nevan looked at his butler painfully. He was conflicted, unsure how to respond.

“He’s right, my Lord,” said Brada from behind the door. Brada pushed open the door, revealing all seven men and women Nevan had recruited.

“I can’t. This place, this house, holds too many memories—painful ones.” Nevan stated.

“Then let us go with you,” Rina, the youngest of his men, spoke. She was an ex-mercenary and was captured by the guard of the city of Rala years ago. She was drunk and killed a noblewoman who boasted about how she enjoyed the company of ‘young boys.’ At first, Nevan was hesitant to recruit Rina due to her crime of murder, but her skills persuaded him to at least talk to her. She told him that she did not want to be a mercenary, but there was not much of an option with only having combat skills and being a lowborn. Nevan believed her and bribed the guards to release her under his care. Being the most skilled in combat of all his men, she taught him the basics of sword fighting. Sadly, Nevan had never had a knack for sword handling.

“You gave us a second chance for a better life, and you were there when we were at our lowest point. So let us return the same favor.” Rina said. Nods and agreements by the rest followed her statement.

Nevan stared at Rina, and his gaze shifted to meet the eyes of the rest of the thieves, infidels, and misfits he had gathered. Most of the responsibility of house Prima had fallen onto him ever since his parents had been struck with an illness that made them forget things easily. He was a young boy forced to grow up quickly due to shifting circumstances. He had tried his best to allow Nalia to grow up as normally as possible and unburden his parents' stress. But, in the end, none of it mattered.

After a while, Nevan finally opened his mouth to speak. “I miss them,” he quivered.

Nevan had always been a leader to them, but just for this moment, he was a boy that had just lost his family. His men grouped around his bed and embraced him, reminding Nevan that he was not alone.

Three days later, Bastian stood in a chancery with a document. All of Nevan’s men received one. A letter accompanied each of the papers given. Bastian read the letter addressed to him to bolster his resolve.

To my dear Bastian,

I am sorry for leaving without telling you. But, unfortunately, I cannot allow any of you to come with me. Do you remember when we first met eight years ago? You were shackled inside a filthy dungeon full of rat droppings awaiting your death. And for what? For stealing a loaf of bread. When I told you that I could free you, you insulted me. I guess you weren’t wrong. I was just a rich child spending my parent’s money. You thought I was making a fool of you and swore to all the Gods that you would serve me with absolute loyalty if I freed you. You idiot. I wish you could see your face when I did.

Nonetheless, you have served me well, better than I could have ever imagined. I am proud to call you a friend, someone who has supported me throughout my struggles. I love you, my friend. And for this reason, I could not allow you to waste the second chance you had earned.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

I have left you a document. You are now the owner of the summer estate you are standing in as you read this letter. Move-in, build a family, please do whatever you want with it. I know you are quite close to the owner of the nearby bakery.

Please do not attempt to find me, as doing so may jeopardize my plans. My final order for you, my dear Bastian, is to live freely and not waste this second chance. I wish our path did not end here. However, we all have our own journey to follow. I hope yours will be pleasant.

I do not think we will ever see each other again. Nonetheless, I’ll see you when I see you.

Your’s truly,

Nevan Prima

Bastian laughed, and tears were threatening to flow. “There’s a reason why I was the one who always dealt with these things,” Bastian chuckled.

“Sir, is everything alright?” the clerk asked him.

“Yes, everything is fine,” Bastian chuckled again.

“Would you like to go through with it?” the clerk asked.

“Yes, I do. And make it binding,” Bastian pointed out.

“I must repeat that this would mean no changes could be made after this without the discretion of,” the clerk paused to read the new document. “Nevan Prima.”

“I understand.”

The clerk stamped the document and handed it to Bastian to sign. “Alright, everything is done.”

Bastian read the new document. Fortunately, as meticulous as Nevan was, he was not the most competent in legal affairs and had not signed the old document as binding. The new record stated that the summer estate belonged to Bastian and house Prima.

“If you are done, would you move?” Brada said as he placed a hand on Bastian’s shoulder. “You're holding up the line.”

Bastian turned and looked to the rest of Nevan’s entourage. They all smiled at him, and he gave one in return. Each of them was given a part of the Prima family’s lands, estate, or businesses, and they had all come to the same resolve.

No matter what happens, Nevan would always find a home with them.

----------------------------------------

Nevan walked through the forest that bordered the city of Kelapa and the capital, Sutra. It had been a week since he left his summer estate and everything behind. He brought a horse with him but had to abandon it when he realized he did not have the means to take care of it. He had brought a small fortune of coins with him but knew that he needed to spend it wisely. Currently, he was filthy, tired, and hungry. He had not brought enough provisions for his journey in his rush to leave, resorting to hunting small game whenever he could. All he had with him now was his sword, a few articles of clothing, and a near-empty water skin.

Nevan kept walking, anger and lust for revenge the only things fueling him. He used those motions to force himself onwards. His legs buckled from exhaustion, but he continued to crawl. If someone were to see him, they would see a crazed boy seeking something unobtainable. He was alone, but he was determined. He heard sounds of people talking and cattle not far ahead. He crawled on all fours towards the direction of the voices.

“What the?” someone said nearby. “Someone’s here!” they shouted.

Nevan heard the stomp of boots on grass and twigs as footsteps approached him. “Damn, he looks bad,” a voice said.

“Not really,” another voice spoke. “Remember how we found you, Rano? You were stuck on top of a-”

“Alright, alright, I get it,” a man, who must be Rano, cut off the voice. “Let's help him up.”

Nevan felt hands reaching him and lifted him.

“You alright there?” one of the two asks, placing a water skin to Nevan’s mouth.

Nevan tasted the water and instantly drank nonchalantly.

“Wow, wow, slow down, or you’ll send it right back out. We have plenty to spare,” the man who handed him the water said.

Nevan did not listen and continued to drink. As expected, he puked it out not long after. Both Rano and the man chuckled. Nevan wiped his mouth and took a look at the men that had helped him. Rano was a young man with sharp features, while the other was middle-aged and bald with a massive beard.

“Name’s Tora,” the older man said. “This one is Rano,” he pointed to Nevan’s left.

“Nevan,” Nevan replied.

Tora and Rona looked at Nevan with wide eyes and then shifted to a sad smile. They were surprised when they saw how young Nevan was. “You must have been through a lot recently, haven’t you?” Rano asked.

“You have no idea.”

“I think we might,” Tora replied with a sad smile.

As they helped him walk, Nevan quickly realized he was no longer in the forest. What was filled with trees and greeneries before was replaced with beautiful and colorful buildings and ponds. There were men and women everywhere. Some were carrying tubs of water, some were cooking, and others were training in combat. The atmosphere was busy but somewhat calming.

“Where are we?” Nevan asked.

“That is somewhat difficult to answer,” Rona smiled. “Where we are exactly, we don’t know. But we call this place Nirvana.”

----------------------------------------

The thief sat at the porch of her estate, underneath another night sky. She was watching the bright glow of the stars and moon that filled her vision. “Elnor,” a soft voice yawned from behind her.

Elnor turned around to see her little sister rubbing her eyes from behind her. “You should be sleeping right now,” Elnor said gently, lifting the child into her arms.

“I can’t sleep,” Hua said.

Elnor rubbed the girl’s back tenderly, afraid that she might hurt her, and carried her into their house. "You need rest.”

“Are you leaving again?” The child asked.

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Elnor replied. She placed Hua on her bed and covered the child with a blanket.

“I’m not tired,” the child complained, visibly tired.

Elnor picked up one of the books from the shelf. “I’ll read you your favorite book.”

Hua beamed.