As Brun made his way back home, he regretted joining the special class. He thought that this would be a good opportunity to interact with fewer people and focus on himself, but he didn't expect this torture of a class. Brun was an introvert and didn't like people, but it seemed that people didn't like him either. They were jealous of his talent and believed that he did not deserve to be at the academy. Brun believed that his talent shouldn't be ignored as just a lucky attribute he was born with as everyone is born with something special. Some were good at cooking, at writing, at draw and he was just good at fighting. However, there was no way he could tell anyone that. His whole life he stooped low and he was fine with that, but when the academy suddenly recruited him, he had no choice but to attend as his family implored him.

He made a turn into a shadowy alley and passed by a few open trashcans as well as a large garbage container. While the stench was reeking, he was used to the smell, and it smelled like home.He thought that this may be another reason people don't really like him. His family was poor and barely had any connections with those at the school. They had to scrap everything together just to buy him school supplies.

Even in this supposedly fortunate situation, he was still miserable. No friends, and no money and now he had a teacher who worked him to his bones. All he looked forward to in a day was a good night's sleep.

Abruptly, a hooded figure fell from the sky and landed directly in the large garbage container behind him with a loud thud. Brun turned around and carefully approached the green container. Since the lid was open, the garbage must've broken its fall. When he looked inside it, he found a beautiful young man in a cloak, knocked unconscious. He decided that he couldn't just leave him here, and brought the stranger into his own home.

He wondered why he fell from the sky. From the looks of it, he was probably pushed here after a battle as he had a large wound around his body. When he reached his shabby home, his sisters helped him treat the young man's wounds. While it was unclear if it was safe for him to leave the stranger with his five sisters here, he decided to take the risk, perhaps bewitched by the stranger's fair form. He handed his older sisters some small knives from his belt just in case they needed to protect themselves and he left for his part-time job at the construction site.

...

When Alcaeus emerged from his deep slumber, he was surprised to see himself surrounded by young humans, clearly curious. He checked his body and it seemed that these little humans had treated his wounds.

"Th-thank you... But I must leave right away"

When he tried to leave, a small hand grabbed his shirt and pulled on him.

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"Wait, stay. Big brother's going to come home soon"

"Please, have some tea," said an older sister

"...I guess I could spare some time"

He was served tea which looked like they grew it in their garden. He checked his surroundings and he detected no malice around him. They were safe, other than the house that looked like it could collapse at any moment that is. This would be a good place to rest for a bit, but he had to leave soon to let the others know of the terrifying hero he met. She wielded a golden axe with a long handle like a spear and double-edged on both ends. Each edge was not circular, but square, making it wear down faster, but it seemed to regenerate itself quickly. Her behaviour was strange as well. Even though he completely concealed his identity and aura, she still attacked him out of nowhere. She acted not like a living being, but a golem of some sort, moving right through walls and attacking relentlessly as if it could not feel pain.

Soon, Brun came back from his part-time job. It was around 9 PM already.

"Oh, so you've woken up"

"...Are you the one who saved me?"

"I guess I am"

"Thanks"

"No problem, but could you tell me a bit about yourself? It seemed like you were in a real pickle back there"

"I was running away from a... monster"

"A monster? This deep into the city?"

"Yes, a big one, but I think it's gone now"

Alcaeus rose from the mat and looked outside through the door made of ropes hanging from a door frame. This was a real zombie of a house. He could see that the sun was close to setting.

"I thank you again for your hospitality, but I must go now. My friends await me"

"Could I at least get your name, stranger?"

"...It's Alcaeus. I hope we meet again"

With that Alcaeus left the door and disappeared into the night. Brun had no idea who he was or what he was doing but he still felt that he did the right thing. Perhaps he had been focusing on what others thought of him too much, deriving his self-worth and happiness from them. What really mattered was what he thought of himself. Perhaps he would be happier that way.

"Big brother, what are we having for dinner?"

"Oh yeah, I got some noodles from the convenience store, could someone get the water boiling?"

"Yay! Noodles!"

The smile on his sisters' faces made him glad that they could depend on him. His mother was still away at her job, so he'd leave some to be cooked later for her.

He reflected on the lesson he received from his new teacher, Reginn. He was someone who was truly strong, and he said that all of us here had the potential to become something greater than ourselves. People often called him unmotivated, and they were probably right. He resolved that night to use this opportunity given to him and become the best version of himself possible, not just for himself, but for his family.

...

Alcaeus was back at the tomb, but no one else could be found.

"I thought they said they would wait here..."

Atop the center tomb, he found a note left by fellow demon lords. It read:

'Yo Alcaeus, you took way too long so we'll be waiting for you at the demon lord's castle! We'll be walking there so you don't have to rush or anything. Meet you there!'

Alcaeus scrunched the note in his hand in frustration. The only reason he took so long was because the land had changed so much since his time, making it difficult for him to navigate and he kept getting lost. With a sigh, he made his way to the demon lord's kingdom.