As Theodore lay in his casket, he couldn't help but recall that fateful event that changed the trajectory of his life.

********************** 8 years Ago *************************

A young boy, who looked six or seven years old, was running in the middle of a crowded street. The street filled with small vendors selling their merchandise from makeshift wooden shops and by hawkers shouting and touting their shoddy goods as if it was something taken out straight from the legends. But people were still huddling on each side, surrounding the hawkers and shopkeepers, some enquiring about the price of various goods, while others engaged in a drawn-out haggling contest with them.

The boy kept darting through the crowd, looking at either side as if he was a predator in search of the perfect prey. The boy shared a remarkable resemblance to Theodore, especially his brownish-black eyes. It must have been his lucky day because he was able to spot the perfect 'prey' right at the beginning of the day.

While running at full speed, the boy seemed to suddenly trip and was about to fall face-first on the ground. He reached out his hand and was barely able to find some balance by latching on to the cloth of a gentleman who was standing nearby. Unlike other well-dressed people who avoid contact with the young boy as if he was the plague incarnate, the gentleman used his hands to hold the boy and prevent him from falling.

The boy looked dumbfounded for a second, giving the gentleman a weird look. He quickly regained his balance and started scurrying away again. Before getting too far away, he turned back to get a second look at the gentleman and whispered a thank you before vanishing out of sight. The gentleman smiled, but that smile froze when he positioned his hand over the pocket in which he keeps his wallet. His smile soon turned wry, and couldn't help but lightly shake his head and sigh instead.

After taking a couple of turns, the boy finally made it to an empty alleyway. He looked around to make sure that no one was there beside him. He put his hand underneath his cloth and fished out a wallet. The boy was very satisfied with his performance as he was able to find such an easy target. He eagerly opened the wallet only to find it empty. All his excitement and satisfaction deflated in a moment. He couldn't help but grumble to himself 'A man who dresses up so well does not have a single copper coin in his wallet. I should probably introduce that man to my begging circle, so that he may get a copper or two. At the least, he could sell his clothes and get some money for it.'

The boy had always been proud of his ethics. Although he usually pickpockets wealthy people, he only takes away five copper coins, before sneakily returning the rest of the money to the owner along with the wallet. Besides, he also keeps a handwritten note detailing how to avoid pickpocketing. However, the boy did not know how to read or write. He just copied the contents of a poster that were available at public places, which warned about the dangers of pickpocketing and how to avoid it.

The return of the wallet was not just due to pure altruism. For one, the boy was very selective and would only pick people who seemed both wealthy and amicable at the same time. Once he sneakily returned the wallet to such a person, and the person realizes that only five copper coins are missing, it was unlikely that the person would look for trouble with the child. Also, quite a lot of people found it funny and amusing when they notice the warning note against pickpocketing and the poor penmanship belonging to a young child.

His little face looked as if he would break out into a cry at any moment. Suddenly, his ears picked up faint footsteps that were coming from a distance. He did not know who it was, but his first instinct was to find a spot and hide as fast as possible. He found a pile of old clothes that had been abandoned by someone lying in a corner. He dived straight into it and made sure to cover up all parts of his body so that he doesn't get exposed. He made a small opening in the direction of the footsteps so that he could see the person that was coming in his direction.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

As the tapping sound of the footsteps became clearer, he was able to see the outline of a man entering the alleyway. As the man progressed along the alleyway, the boy recognized that this was the same person from whom he had stolen the wallet. The action of the man caused the boy to panic internally, as he had no idea that the man would come looking for him into an abandoned alleyway.

The boy thought to himself 'Why did this guy chase after me? There is nothing of value inside his stupid wallet. Or maybe there might be some sentimental value attached to this wallet. Yes, that should be it. Why did I have to run into this situation? Should I gracefully approach him and return the wallet and apologize, or should I just stuff it inside his pocket and make run for it? Apologizing is too risky if this wallet does hold a great deal of sentimental value for him. So its decided, stuff and run it is.'

The man was looking intently at every corner to see if there are any traces of the boy. He did look at the bundle of old clothes under which the boy hid for a second, but soon took his eyes off it and looked at the rest of the surrounding. Soon he made his way past the boy. The boy knew that it was now or never. Once the man's back was exposed, the boy quickly sprinted towards the man aiming to stuff the wallet into his pocket.

As if having eyes on the back of his head, the man suddenly turned and caught his wrist. He turned around finally got a good look at the young boy who managed to sneak off with his wallet. The boy was also examining the man at the same time. The man had a gentlemanly air around him, with his well-trimmed mustache, his suit, and the stylish cane in his hand. He still had a friendly smile on his face as if it wasn't his wallet that had got stolen.

Even before the man had the chance to question him, the boy said "Mister, I think your wallet somehow ended up with me when I crashed into you earlier. I was just trying to put this back into your pocket. Please have it back."

The man did find that the wallet held by the boy in his hands. He took the wallet from him, but still did not loosen his grip on the wrist. He opened the wallet to check out of habit. The boy took the opportunity to add "Mister, I saw that your wallet was empty and I put five copper coins in it. I know it is not a lot, but it should be sufficient to get you through the day. I can survive the day with just two copper coins. With five copper coins, I could even have some delicious food from the stalls!"

The man was could barely control the twitch on his face on hearing the kid say that. Initially, he wanted to get mad at the boy for stealing his wallet, but it seems that the boy had prepared everything beforehand.

Noticing that the man was still not talking, the boy carried forward the talk "I was just about to go look for you to return the wallet, but surprisingly you found me first. Can you please tell me that I would be in the alleyway?"

The man finally replied "If I were to steal something, I would go look for a quite alleyway close by to peak at the loot. I just asked around where the nearest empty alleyway. And before you ask, people did stare at me as if I were crazy. But it is understandable since people do not usually go around asking for the location of empty alleyways this time of the day." and gave a small chuckle towards the end.

The man continued "You are very interesting. You looked into my eye and lied to me with such great confidence. I must say, I admire your nerve. I will make you an offer you cannot resist. I want to take you as my disciple. You could be out of the streets in no time, and you could start living the life you always wanted. What do you say?"

The was an unmistakable twinkle in the boy's eyes. He thought to himself 'Could he be a Noble by any chance. Maybe he might be one of those wandering mages, looking for a suitable successor to pass on their legacy. He might have noticed something in me. It is not like I have anything to lose.' The boy immediately went down to his knee and said: "Please take me as your disciple master."

This time the man failed to control the twitch of his eye seeing how quickly the boy changed his colors. The man said "Then it is a deal. You are my disciple henceforth and are to help me in my day to day activities. I will pass on all the skills and knowledge that I have acquired throughout my life to you."

The man sounded very sincere when he said that he wanted to pass on his knowledge and skills. But noticed the sincerity in the man's voice and couldn't help but beam. The boy thought to himself 'I take it back, deciding to borrow this gentleman's wallet is the best decision I have ever made.'

Taking a couple of seconds to get over the euphoria, the boy couldn't help but ask "Mater, what do you actually do for a living?"

The smile crept into the face of the man, and he said without a hint of hesitation or embarrassment on face "I am a professional conman."

What the boy perceived to be the smile of an angel started to look like the grin of the devil instead.