"We found information about Dan, the bandit leader."

Joe dropped the letter onto his bed, feeling a weight settle in his chest. His mind racing, Joe headed to the bathroom. To clear his head, he filled a bowl with water and poured it over himself without a second thought. The cold shock sent a shiver down his spine, but it helped clear away the lingering fog of drunkenness. Dripping and breathless, he returned to his bed, with water droplets trailing behind him.

He picked up the letter once more, his fingers trembling slightly. As he read the words again and again. Then, he sat on the edge of the bed, and thoughts of Beatrice, his loving mother, came rushing back. Her kind eyes, her gentle smile—he could almost see her there, standing in front of him. The thought brought a bittersweet smile to his lips.

Joe glanced to his right and noticed Kaelen, completely engrossed in a book about potions, sitting quietly in a chair. The sight of Kaelen's quiet concentration provided a strange comfort amidst the chaos of his thoughts. Feeling a surge of gratitude, Joe bowed his head slightly toward Kaelen. With a deep breath, he stood up, feeling the weight of the letter and his memories pressing down on him.

Joe looked at the letter again and noticed the 900 gold coins he was tasked with delivering—a sum far larger than he’d ever held in one purse

Pacing in circles while thinking, Joe realized that taking big debts from other merchants is hard and that no merchant would be able to spare this amount of coins on short notice, regardless of who asked for them.

Joe then remembered Evangeline's golden rings and necklaces from when she married Jeffrey, not to mention what Jeffrey bought here every year as a gift. Joe thought to himself, "If I tell him, he will send some men, and Dan will catch wind of this and disappear again, I can't allow that; I need to end this by myself. I...."

Joe gazed out the window, a memory surfacing of a younger Evangeline smiling at him, "Hello, my name is Evangeline. It's nice to meet you!"

Joe bowed his head and replied, "Nice to meet you too, Mother Evangeline. I hope we can live happily together."

Evangeline smiled as she patted Joe's head and said, "No need to be formal. Call me Evangeline or anything you're comfortable with, alright, son?"

Joe smiled and nodded. Evangeline then said, "Want to go shopping with me? Agatha, my maid, is away and the guards are boring to walk with. Will you be my date?"

Joe had smiled, taking Evangeline's hand as they walked together. That first meeting left him with a cherished memory—now a painful reminder as darker thoughts took hold.

Joe muttered, "If I steal from them, there’s no going back. I’ll be a criminal, an outcast."

He recalled the scorn of the nobles and the foreign elf, Toran, who had belittled him on his first day at the noble school. It was something Joe never realized had left a wound on him, even for something as trivial and petty as bullying, yet it kept returning to him.

Then there was the prisoner who commented on Joe's luck in escaping prison. Unlike the other nobles, Joe had worked hard for his money and did everything to make Gostave's name known for the right reasons. Yet, those words lingered in his mind: did Joe ever truly belong to either side?

Joe then sat on his bed, surveying the empty wine bottles scattered around, the disarray of his room, and his own dishevelled state. He murmured to himself, "Why did I become like this? Mother—Mother wouldn't be happy to see me like this. I... I disappointed her! I disappointed him, yes, I did, and Evangeline too, even Agatha and Urien, and poor Ebe! Brother Jogo was hurt to see me like this. I... I..."

Joe sat in silence for a moment, overwhelmed by feelings of drunkenness, sadness, disappointment, and rage as he sought answers. Joe closed his eyes, thinking, "Was it worth it? Is it worth it? No matter what you choose, you lose. Just... pick your poison."

Joe lifted his head and looked at the image of his mother, Beatrice, smiling. A tear fell as he spoke in a pained voice, "I’m sorry, Mother. I can’t let go. Please watch over your son, because he still loves you."

Joe got up and began preparing for his journey. He gathered his clothes, collected some coins he had found lying around, and took some leftover food from the kitchen. Then he left the mansion and made his way to the carriages.

Upon arrival, two guards eyed Joe, and one said, "Joe? Your father ordered us not to give you a carriage, and you already know why, after that accident."

Joe nodded. "Of course, but I'm taking one anyway. If you have a problem with that, you can speak to my father in the morning."

The two guards exchanged glances and then walked away. Whether they confronted him or let him go, they could simply report him to Jeffrey in the morning.

Joe took a carriage with two horses, loaded his belongings, and sat in the driver’s seat. He took a deep breath, determined to see it through.

Joe then exited the mansion walls and positioned the carriage near the entrance. The two guards stationed there exchanged confused looks, noticing the carriage was pulled by only one horse. One asked the other, "Didn't Noble Jeffrey forbid Joe from using a carriage after that accident?"

The other guard replied, pointing at the lone horse, "Yes, and he lost a horse on top of that. But let’s not get involved. We’ll just report Joe in the morning, saying we tried to stop him but he resisted, alright?"

The first guard scratched his head and said, "I'm new here, so I’m counting on you, sir."

Joe then reentered the mansion, scanning his surroundings, counting the guards, and planning his escape route in case something went wrong.

Suddenly, Ebe appeared, wiping her eyes as she headed toward the kitchen. Spotting Joe, she looked at him and asked, "At this hour and not drunk? Did something happen, Joe?"

Joe forced a smile and said, "No, Ebe, I'm fine. Go back to sleep; you always work so hard."

Ebe looked at Joe and replied, "And you always seem troubled but never let anyone help you."

Joe lowered his head and said, "I wanted to end this myself, but I've only ended up sinking deeper. I'm sorry for worrying you, Ebe. You’re like a sister to me."

Ebe smiled as she drank water and then said, "Would you like me to prepare a small meal? I'm not tired."

Joe noticed Ebe’s tired eyes, messy hair, and nearly closed eyelids. He shook his head and said, "Go to your room and sleep. You deserve every moment."

Ebe smiled, gave Joe’s shoulder a playful tap, and then went to her room. She closed the door and immediately fell onto her bed, falling asleep.

Joe sighed as he walked to the second floor. Moving quietly, he looked up when he heard someone coming down the stairs and saw Urien.

Urien stopped and avoided Joe's gaze, lowering his head. Noting this, Joe looked away and continued walking in silence.

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"You’re not drunk, huh? That’s good," Urien remarked before continuing down the stairs.

Joe nodded and continued on his way to his father's office. At this hour, Jeffrey was still working, with Evangeline helping him as usual. Joe peered through the keyhole and couldn’t help but smile. It was a good family, one he had never fully appreciated before. Everyone was wonderful—except for one problem, and that problem’s name was Joe.

Joe then made his way to Jeffrey and Evangeline’s chamber. He opened the door slowly, entered, and quickly moved to the closet where Evangeline kept her jewellery collection.

Joe opened several boxes, finding some of them empty. He was puzzled for a moment but then remembered that Agatha and Ebe had received gifts from Evangeline, as had the other maids in the mansion. Evangeline was known for her generosity on various occasions.

Joe began pocketing diamonds and gold rings. Then, he spotted a long box. Inside, he found a large golden necklace encrusted with diamonds. As he examined it, he murmured, "Where have I seen this before? I remember that..."

His thoughts were interrupted by Ilana’s crying. Startled, Joe quickly picked her up and whispered, "Ilana, my little sister, did you have a nightmare?"

Ilana hugged Joe, tears in her eyes, and cried, "Jo! Jo!"

Joe held her tightly and patted her back, reassuring her, "You’re safe with me, as always."

After a few minutes, Ilana fell asleep again. Joe gently returned the necklace to the box and took it with him.

As he was heading to the door, Evangeline opened it. She looked at Joe, who was frozen in surprise, unable to move a muscle, and simply stared at her.

Evangeline met Joe's frightened gaze as he whispered, "I’m sorry, I..."

Without another word, Evangeline nodded and quickly closed the door. Outside, Agatha asked, "Evangeline? Is something wrong?"

Evangeline shook her head and said, "Nothing. Let’s go get something to eat."

Agatha eyed Evangeline with suspicion and sneered, "LIKE HELL THERE IS NOTHING!"

She pushed past Evangeline, opened the door, and saw Joe about to jump. Agatha shouted, "YOU DAMN FOOL! STEALING FROM US!"

Joe jumped to a tree near the window and descended quickly to the ground. Agatha shouted, "GUARDS! CATCH JOE!!!!!!!!!!"

Urien, on the first floor, heard Agatha’s shouting, and Jeffrey emerged from his office. All the maids woke up—except for Ebe, who slept like a bear.

Joe sprinted toward the entrance, muttering to himself, "Why is this mansion so big?"

A guard spotted Joe and swung his weapon, shouting, "Joe! By Agat—"

Joe slammed his head into the guard’s face, dropping him to the ground, before racing onward. Despite the headache, Joe pressed on, determined to escape.

Urien and Jeffrey arrived at the carriages and waited. Jeffrey, enraged, said, "Stealing from us? What on earth am I going to do with that kid!"

Urien remained silent, scanning the area. Joe had to leave the city by carriage if he stole from the noble house, yet he hadn't arrived. Urien thought, "Did the guards catch him?"

At the entrance, the guards seized the carriage Joe had left and more guards closed off the entrance, leaving no escape route.

After a few minutes, Urien's eyes widened as he realized something. He looked at Jeffrey and said, "The kid has left!"

Jeffrey’s face twisted in confusion as Urien barked, "Search the walls! Every inch of them."

After a thorough search, they discovered a tree with broken branches and fallen papers on the western part of the walls.

Urien examined the tree and said, "He jumped from it to get outside the walls."

The guards, Jeffrey, Evangeline, and Agatha looked into the distance, shocked. Agatha said, "He’s not a monster or an animal, and that’s a long way from the tree to the outside!"

Urien then turned to a guard who came running up. The guard stopped and said, "Sir! Some magic scrolls have been stolen from the mansion."

Jeffrey looked at the guard and asked, "Which ones?"

The guard replied, "Two wind scrolls, three fire scrolls, and one earth scroll."

Jeffrey sighed and turned to see Urien and Evangeline near the walls, examining something.

Jeffrey asked, "What did you find?"

Evangeline, with a worried expression, replied, "Blood, Jeffrey, and some of my golden rings and diamonds."

Jeffrey paused, thinking, before saying, "The jump wasn’t entirely successful."

Urien nodded. "Joe had cut himself, not deeply, but enough to slow him down."

He then shouted, "GUARDS! SEARCH THE OTHER SIDE!"

Two guards returned with more rings and diamonds and reported, "Sir, there wasn’t much blood, but we found these. How much did he steal?"

Agatha, angry, replied, "We’ll ask him when we find him. Search everywhere! He couldn’t have left the city on foot—search every alley and find him!"

Urien then added, "He didn’t leave on foot."

Agatha looked at Urien and said, "But the guards caught the carriage that he left outside..."

"It was a distraction," Urien said, interrupting Agatha. "He also took a horse. When he left the carriage near the entrance, it had only one horse. The guards didn’t want to confront him, so they decided to blame the lost horse on Joe in the morning. Joe kept the other horse near the walls."

Jeffrey added, "He knew he wouldn’t leave that easily, that damn kid!"

Evangeline grabbed Jeffrey’s arm, pulling him close. She whispered, "Don’t send the knights. Let him go. He won’t come back."

Jeffrey, puzzled, looked at her and said, "That was your mother’s necklace—a family heirloom she left you after her death. That kid will just spend it on women and alcohol. I’d rather die than see that happen."

“Jeffrey, please!” Evangeline’s voice was loud, drawing everyone’s attention. She looked at him and said, "It’s just a necklace—just a thing. Things aren’t people. Let him have it and let go... please."

Jeffrey lowered his head, then looked up at Evangeline, his face reflecting a need for answers to a question he’d long held. “Why?” he asked. “Why for a kid who isn’t yours? Why for a failure in a hardworking family? Why, Evangeline?”

Evangeline lowered her head, unsure of what to say. Evangeline smiled faintly, recalling a child in ragged pants and a thin shirt, shivering in the cold. The child had looked at her and bowed his head.

Evangeline had given him some food and smiled. “Wait here,” she had said. “I’ll bring more children and come back for you. Alright? Let's go into that inn and wait for me, away from this cold.”

Evangeline paid for the child’s room and sprinted into the streets. Six children had died from the cold, two despite the healer’s efforts, and many were ill. Breathless from running all night with her maid, Agatha, Evangeline, still young and determined, returned to the inn.

When she arrived, she froze in place. A crowd had gathered near the entrance. Her heart pounded as she pushed through, but everything seemed distant, muffled. There, on the ground, was the child she had helped earlier, his small body stiff and lifeless, frozen to death. The sight stole her breath away, she never felt this numb and hollow inside.

She didn’t scream, get angry, throw up, or even flinch. She simply stared at his lifeless body.

Then the inn owner emerged, shouting, “Get out of my inn! Pay up or leave! You—”

Noticing Evangeline, he smiled and said, “Miss Evangeline? Good to see you. That little shit tried to steal dinner, but I stopped him. Then he tried to snatch a bit of potato, so I kicked him out. You’re a kind woman, but you helped a worthless piece of trash.”

Evangeline, emotionless, looked at the inn owner and said, “I... paid for him.”

The inn owner smiled and replied, “But you didn’t pay for the dinner. So what could I have—”

Before he could finish, Evangeline grabbed him by his coat and pulled him close, choking him. Shouting in anger, she said, “YOU DAMN—”

Evangeline’s eyes snapped open, meeting Jeffrey’s expectant gaze. She laughed mockingly and said, “Helping children to a better future, where kind souls won’t die from starvation, cold, or illness; where kids can live happily…”

She looked at Jeffrey, gently rubbing his cheek as she smiled and said, “For my own sanity and peace, I need to help people. Let him have it. If the future is harsh and I didn’t have money, I’d sell it to feed one child if that’s what it takes to keep my heart at peace.”

Jeffrey took her hand and nodded. “If that will give you peace, then have it your way.”

Evangeline smiled as Jeffrey instructed the guards, “Let the damn kid go. Cease the search, but if he returns, bring him to me—I’ll break his legs myself!”

After a month of cautious travelling, Joe finally reached Cerulea City. Even at night, he wasted no time and headed directly to the Adventurers’ Guild.

In another tale, in the small city of Brunnenheim, a large bearded man helped two kids into the orphanage. He waved goodbye to them before heading to an inn.

He sat down and ordered food and drinks, stretching his arms after the long journey of finding orphaned children and bringing them to the orphanage run by Rod, a white-haired, kind man who helps kids and people in general. Rod was a generous soul with a humble appearance and attire.

“Kollam!” the bearded man turned to see the female ghoul calling out. “Let’s hear another story of yours! We’re young adventurers and we want an epic tale!”

Kollam smiled and stood up, beginning to recount one of the many tales from his journeys. The listeners enjoyed his storytelling, captivated by the way he spoke of his adventures.

When Kollam returned to his seat, people began drinking and dancing, while he settled in to enjoy his dinner.

After finishing his meal, he went to the owner to settle his bill. At that moment, his attention was drawn to a fire spreading from a house near the inn.

People stopped singing and sprinted to extinguish the fire and help the homeowners. A dozen people threw water on the flames, while two others rushed into the house to rescue anyone inside.

The female ghoul noticed Kollam, his eyes wide, locked on the fire, memories of Goven village flooding back from that dark day.

The shout that had once tormented him only in his dreams now chased him into the waking world, relentless and inescapable.

“DAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!”