A little girl, of about four of five was lying on the ground. Her body was curled up and was cold. The once lively pink complexion of her skin turned into deathly pale white. No one would believe if they were told that this was the same girl who was so bouncy and lively just half a year ago. She looked just like a person who was bedridden all her life.
She was in deep pain but she didn’t cry or scream in pain. Only some sounds of groans escaped her tiny pale lips as she thought of her brother. She didn’t want the brother that was so important to her to worry about her. She loved his kind smile that’s why she didn’t want to see any more of his worried or helpless face. Her brother tried his best to hide these from her but she knew. She knew her brother was, like her, also in pain. That’s why whenever her brother comes back tired from a job, she would always try her best to display the best smile in the world. And she hated herself for being unable to do so these past weeks.
“Bro...ther...”
The pain she was feeling at the moment couldn’t be compared to the previous ones. It was as if the control she had over her body was slipping away from her. Her consciousness was also beginning to get blurry and fade little by little. She was mustering all of her strength just to stay awake. The dripping rain from the broken roof wasn’t helping her at all.
She didn’t know how long had passed but her brother and the kind old doctor was now in front of her. Her brother brought her in his arms as he hugged her tightly. But it pained her that she couldn’t feel anymore of her brother’s warm hug. He looked at her and was saying something as he made a big smile. She couldn’t understand what he was saying but she could somehow understand with how clumsy the smile of her big brother was. Ah, was it time; was what she thought.
The end was near for her so she wanted to give her brother one last present from her. She had no material things to give him but she still had something that made her brother smile every time.
Yes, she could still manage to give him one last smile. The best smile out of all the best smiles that she gave him. She really loved her brother so she wanted this last gift of hers to make him smile, just like how they did so in the past. She wanted her brother’s honest and happy smile to be etched as her final memory.
That was why she...
------------------------------------------------------------------
The third prince was following the two men as they reached a rundown house. They entered with him following behind as he scanned the place. Rain was leaking from the broken roof which dripped on various places. There were signs that the place was kept clean but dust still accumulated due to the broken and cracked walls. The furniture inside were all old but one look at them could tell that they were somehow properly maintained. Aside from the costly roof and walls, everything inside was well-maintained.
The two men did not pay him any attention as they rushed inside the house and crouched down on the floor. A little girl of about his age was lying there, with skin as pale as snow. He could tell how deep in pain she was but he was surprised to see her trying her best to not show it. Even though it was obvious that the pain could make anyone easily cry or scream.
He closed his eyes as he heard the young man comforting the little girl. He was telling her sweet words, promising her beautiful things, and saying how much he loves her. The third prince could also the silent weeping of the old man next to the young man.
The third prince never cared for people he did not know. If one wasn’t his family or friend, then he could care less. He just wasn’t one who could help someone out of nothing and for nothing.
But is he to blame? In all his lives, there was not a single time when he was showered with kindness or love. How could he know something he did not know? Certainly, he valued his family and friends but the feeling he had for them couldn’t clearly be described as love. It was something entirely different. It wasn’t something as beautiful as love. There was one time when he almost learned what love and happiness was but, alas, it never came to be.
That’s why he just closed his eyes. No, even if there was this stubborn intention of wanting to help the little girl, he could do nothing. The girl was obviously already in her death’s bed and he didn’t know any healing magic. There was nothing he could do. He couldn’t notice the blood dripping from his tightly clenched fists.
The third prince opened his eyes and narrowed them down as he stared at the little girl being held in the young man’s arms. His purple eyes then turned to the girl’s face and saw the girl’s smile.
‘Will this lead me to the thing I wanted to find?’
Seeing the girl’s smile, his purple eyes continuously flashed as he stared at the girl’s body. He knew that doing that would change nothing as he could do nothing to heal her but he was thankful that he did. It was because he saw a thin white thread connecting the girl’s body and something on the wall.
“Hey! Quick! Hit that part of the wall! If you still want to save your sister”
The third prince shouted loudly which reverberated throughout the small house. The third prince pointed towards a certain direction as he stared intently on the young man who turned his head in surprise. The young man quickly put down the little girl and punched the part of the wall the third prince was pointing at. He did not know why he should listen to the young child but the gaze of the child was so serious. There were also the words ‘if you still want to save your sister’ so he abandoned all hesitation and crossed the distance between himself and the wall in the blink of an eye. Earlier, he had no hope at all but now, even if it was only the tiniest of hope, he would desperately cling on it. Now, he had something he could do!
The moment he punched the wall with all his might, the young man felt something hit his fist. He put more force on his fist as black blood began to cover his fist. He did not even mind this strange thing as he continued to put more pressure on the something that he hit.
Ten seconds passed as the something showed itself. Drivk took a step back as he was shocked at seeing what he just hit. That something dropped lifelessly on the ground, covered in black blood, the same blood that covered his right fist.
“What...is this?”
He stepped closer to see what the something was. It looked like a spider but at the same time it was not. Compared to a house spider’s size, it was a lot bigger but not to as big as a monster spider. Also, instead of having eight legs, it only had four legs that were very sharp. He was glad that the legs did not hit him as those legs effortlessly dug down on the ground even if the thing was already dead as it fell down. The other noticeable difference too, was that the thing lacked a head. It was only composed of the legs, a black body, and a small opening on that body.
“I do not know too. I haven’t seen that in all the books I’ve read. Probably a variation or an unrecorded one.”
It wasn’t exactly an answer, but the one who answered him was the third prince. Drivk did not pay attention earlier but now he was full of questions on as to why the child was here, why he knew that there was something on the wall, and what good would ridding it would do to his sister. There were many questions in his head but the most important thing for him was his sister. He rushed up to her but someone already beat him.
The third prince knelt down and examined the body of the little girl. Finding nothing of concern, he breathed a sigh of relief as the old doctor and the young man came towards him and the still unconscious little girl. The third prince distanced himself a little bit to give way to the two. The old doctor then began to look attentively at the little girl.
“This... Don’t tell me?”
“What is it, doctor?”
“Although her body is still weak, it seems her life is no longer in danger... But how? Why?”
“I do not know what that creature is but it was sucking the life force from that little girl. Luckily, we had severed the connection between them before all of her life was drained. Just give her time to rest and she’ll be fine afterwards.”
It was the childish voice of the third prince who answered the old doctor’s questions. The old doctor raised his eyebrows in surprise at the knowledge of the young child but he had his priorities first. He would first give some instructions to the little girl’s brother before satisfying his curiosity.
Drivk, too, was curious about the young child but he decided not to pursue it so eagerly. He did not want to be rude to the person who just saved the most important person in his life, be he a child or not. The fact that he was the one he was most indebted to would never change. He was very thankful to this young child that he knew no amount of words of thanks or material things would suffice.
While the old doctor was giving instructions to Drivk, the third prince silently made his leave. There’s the reason that he did not want to intrude any more, but there was a greater reason. His heart was in turmoil. Just what is this? He asked himself. He was confused on what the feelings forming inside him were. Feeling suspicious and wary of it, he dismissed these budding feelings immediately before it could do any harm to him. He automatically and naturally perceived it as a threat that needed to be immediately removed. Feeling as if he lost something important, he shook his head as he continued his tour of the small city.
Not one of them realised how the rain had already stopped falling, replaced by the kind and warm rays of the sun.
Minutes had passed as he left the slums. Luckily, no other attacks happened as he calmly walked down the streets and narrow alleyways. He found himself surrounded by lots of people who carried weapons and were wearing armours. Most were walking throughout the streets while a number were entering a particular house that had two floors. The house was wider than the other he had seen earlier so as to satisfy his curiosity, he walked towards it.
What greeted him was the so called adventurer’s guild. According to what he read, in this world, there exists people who did various jobs that rewarded them with either money, items, or reputation and honour. These people were commonly referred to as adventurers and the ones that manage the jobs provided for these people was the adventurer’s guild. The adventurer’s guild was a very large entity that it had branches in almost all cities that housed the human population. There were also branches in non-human cities but they only number a few and the number wouldn’t even exceed the fingers of both your hands combined.
The third prince pushed through the wooden door and was already drowned in noise which made his ears ring a little. Although the smell of alcohol and beer was not present, the place was filled with the scent of various food, mostly of meat. Tables and chairs were placed all around the place with people sitting on them. Most were noisily chatting, laughing, and telling jokes. There were some who were just talking in moderation while a little number were keeping to themselves in a dark corner.
The place was so boisterous as if the various voices were trying to drown out each other. It was a lively place that made one feel comfortable a warm inside. The third prince were still scanning the place when a female in her twenties approached him. Unlike most females inside the place who were dressed in armours, she was dressed in clothes made of silk and cotton. There was a trace of make up on her face while a necklace hung on her neck and two earrings adorned her ears. The female knelt down so that her eye was level with the third prince.
“What brings you here, child?”
“I’m just a little curious.”
“Curious about what, young one?”
“About you.”
“Me?!”
The female was surprised at the unexpected answer the young child gave her. Normally, children who wander inside were asking questions about adventurers and their various adventures. As someone who worked in the adventurer’s guild for years, she already amassed countless tales to tell the children. But the one in front of her right now was different. Now she was curious on why the child was curious about her.
“Hey, Prinda, you got yourself another admirer huh? Hahaha!!!”
“Shut it, pointlessly big man!”
“And a child one at that!”
“Shoo, shoo! Those big muscles of yours are going to scare the young child!”
“Hahaha!!! Alright, alright! Hahaha!!!”
“Sheesh! He’s usually keeping to himself but when someone approaches me, he would always interrupt like that. Just what’s with him? Anyway, young child, why are you curious about me?”
Oblivious of the feelings of the earlier man, the female asked the young child. She stared at him and found his purple eyes beautiful. Judging from the clothes the young child was wearing, she knew that the child was either a noble or a son of a very rich merchant.
“Why are you so different from the others here?”
“Different? Oh, you mean my clothes?”
The young child shook his head before turning his gaze on her eyes. Something swirled in the child’s purple eyes which made her wonder if what she saw was real or was just a trick of her eyes. The child then smiled childishly towards her, making the child look somewhat cute and irresistible for her.
“I mean, aren’t you a mons—“
Before the child could even complete his sentence, the female already hat placed her hand on his mouth to prevent him from talking any further. Surprisingly to her, the child did not struggle but only continued looking at her.
“Come with me.”
Noticing that the child would not speak any further from his eyes, she removed her hand from his mouth. He was still smiling childishly in front of her but instead of the earlier adoration she felt earlier, what she felt right now was fear and anxiousness. She hastily led the young child to a room behind the counter of the adventurer’s guild. She then proceeded to close the door and locked it tightly.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“You... How did you know? Did someone send you here so that you can tell me that? No, that surely is the case...”
The female, Prinda, remembered the figures of those that continued to chase her down endlessly. She finally was able to lie low for a few tens of years donning a human form but she knew that she wouldn’t be able to run away forever. The group that was chasing her would use various underhanded methods to capture her, and now she berated them even more for sending a young child like this to act as a messenger for them. How despicable!, she thought.
But before any of that, she first needed to find a way to escape from their grasp. She hadn’t done anything that would warrant anyone chasing after her, nor had she done any bad deeds. She was only being chased for being a bit different from the usual monsters that had been plaguing the land for countless of years. They were planning to experiment on her but there was no way she would let them do that to her. She enjoyed living with the ones around her so she would never agree to that.
“No. I’m not sent here by anyone.”
“Huh? Then how did you—“
“It’s just that your mana is different from the people here. Theirs was white while yours were black.”
“What? You can see the colour of mana?!”
“Yes.”
The purple eyes of the young child flashed as if in response to Prinda’s question. It was something very unbelievable for her but for the young child to figure out that she was different just from looking proved otherwise. She had to believe the power of the young child’s eyes.
“So that’s it. Mine is black, huh...”
Even though Prinda’s mind was just like a human’s caused by some variation, she was still basically a monster. The appearance she had now was due to a magic she learned during the years of escaping from her pursuers. But, still, she never let her instincts take over mind. She never attacked anyone, nor did a bad thing to anyone. She tried to act as humanely as possible so that she could spend her every day with the people around her. She just loves others that much. There was a little hope in her heart that she too, would someday be considered as one of them. But in the end, a monster was a monster. This was further proven by the colour of her mana.
Prinda’s heart was in pain as she did not notice how sad her expression turned out. This caused some form of irritation to the third prince. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason, or any reason, but he felt he should say something here. Sadly, the third prince didn’t know how to console others with sweet talking so he only did what he knew; to say what was on his mind as is. He went towards the door, holding the knob as he spoke with his back towards Prinda.
“I find that pure black mana of your more beautiful than those corrupted and dirty white mana by most people though.”
The third prince opened the door and exited the room as if nothing happened after speaking. He had no way of seeing what kind of face the female made or hear what kind of words she said in response. His curiosity was already satisfied so the only thing left for him to do was leave the place. And that was exactly what he just did.
Hours had already passed since he began exploring the small city as the sun was about to set. Night would soon come and he should find a place to sleep in. He reached out deep in his pocket but failed to find the familiar sensation of coins inside it. Thankfully though, he was already used to sleeping in various places, too used that he was just a step away to completely master the art of sleeping anywhere.
The sun was about to disappear in the horizon to be replaced by the moon but the city was still full of various noise. Almost every city was the same as the so called “night life” was starting to begin. There were some similarities to the activities done during the day but most of the “night activities” happening during the night were mostly off limits to minors, especially a five or six year old kid. The third prince had an idea on what these activities were although he had not experienced it himself. Words do go around after all.
The third prince was curious to those “activities” but he persuaded himself that a minor like him should not go to places like that. He also didn’t really have any interest in doing those activities himself, just merely curious on what the places looked like and what kind of people existed there.
Abiding by his own words, his feet started to take him towards those places where these “activities” were being done. After all, he was not there to do anything, just taking a brief look. He convinced himself so.
The small city was still large for a young child like him to travel completely so he wasn’t sure where the place he wanted to go was located at. He could only follow the groups of young men and old men who were merrily grinning while talking about this and that. A few minutes to an hour later, he arrived at a place that the groups of men refer to as “red-light district”. The third prince approved of the name as there were red lanterns lighting the place up.
“The streets are full of men. The buildings are full of women.”
That was the conclusion the third prince reached as he looked around him while calmly walking. The men that littered the street were all glad looking and full of enthusiasm. The women who were on the various balconies were wearing lovely dresses and scented perfumes. They were lively calling to the men down on the streets as if they were inviting the men to come and join them in their fun. The place was lively but the only thing that puzzled the third prince was...
“How come the men that exit those buildings are all tired?”
Naturally, no answer came to him as his curiosity peaked. Originally, he was not that thirsty for knowledge but as the days grew boring with nothing much to do, he turned to reading books which gave birth to his deep curiosity. And, as he wanted to satisfy this new curiosity of his, he naturally walked towards one of the establishments with a calm look. He was a little frustrated though as he was immediately turned back or thrown out from the other places he calmly walked into. He couldn’t figure out just why he was rejected from those places as he properly told them he came there to just watch as he knew doing the “activities” were not for minors like him. What the third prince didn’t know was that the knowledge of his pertaining to those “activities” were really not correct. The things he read were obviously toned down so the ideas he had were completely different. It was only at the level of “having fun together with the different sex”.
Frustrated, the third prince leaned on a wall in a dark alleyway and crossed his arms in front of him. He then closed his eyes as he began thinking of what he did wrong and what he could do next to satisfy the growing curiosity of his. Facing these obstacles were beginning to look like a challenge for him which only just fuelled his curiosity even more. It was then that he noticed two figures deep into the other side of the alleyway.
“You runt! Do you still want more beatings?!”
The little girl just stared at him without saying a single word but her face was filled with determination. There was a certain strength and defiance inside her eyes that just made the burly man more irritated.
“Hah! You want some more then!”
A burly man started to punch and kick a dirty looking girl who only wore tattered robes. The girl’s face was already full of bruises and cuts and were bleeding in some places, just like her whole body. But despite that, there was determination in her eyes which only made the burly man wanting to hit her more. The girl was being punched and kicked around that one kick from the burly man sent her flying directly in the ground before the third prince.
The third prince looked at the scene without a single hint of expression on his face. He recalled a certain faint and fleeting memory.
‘Why do you go so far to help others and make them happy? There’s no reason. There are no rewards too.’
‘You see, the moment I see someone smiling or laughing, it somehow makes this chest of mine filled with warmth. And that warmth makes me happy.’
‘I...still don’t understand.’
‘Then I’ll pray that you’ll understand it soon. For now, let me share this warmth with you, okay?’
Without caring for the burly man, the third prince approached the little girl lying on the ground. He wore a smile on his face as he reached out his hand towards the girl. Seeing this made the burly man frown in anger. He thought how dare a little child take away his fun from him. He approached the two children but he was stopped in his tracks by a momentary single glance from the third prince.
The third prince was a originally heartless and cruel person but the fleeting memory of a smiling face was giving its best to thaw his frozen heart. He asked himself, like he always had all these years; ‘Why was I born here?’. He wasn’t a selfless person that would go out of his way to help someone else. In fact, he already knew how deep his selfishness was. He wanted to taste what happiness was. Not something superficial, but a genuine one. But he did not know the methods of attaining genuine happiness so he turned to that certain person that lived her short life in happiness. He would just imitate that person’s actions and words, hoping that even a small piece of happiness would come his way.
The little girl lying on the ground looked at him dumbfounded before reaching out for the third prince’s hand. She forced her body which was aching all over to grab the hand that was outstretched to her. On the instant that their hands touched, she felt an indescribable warmth from the hands she was holding onto. It made her feel secure and safe as she looked at the smiling face of the person in front of her.
At the moment the little girl took his hand, the third prince helped her stand up. As her body suffered from severe fatigue from the continuous pain inflicted upon her, her balance became unstable as she leaned on the third prince’s body. A bit embarrassed, she lowered her head and softly apologised.
Being ignored would anger someone greatly and that was what the burly man was feeling. He scolded himself for getting scared from a young child’s glance. Feeling more anger than shame, some veins of his bald head bulged as if they’re about to pop out. He considered giving the young child the same fate as the girl he was toying around with. After satisfying himself with their screams, he would toss the two children to the abandoned well where he tossed the little girl’s parents, or their cold bodies to be exact. A hint of sadism appeared together with a smile on his rugged face.
He cracked his fists before walking towards the two children. There was no fault on him becoming so confident as his opponents were just two children, one even badly injured by him. He was taking his time as he made his presence more intimidating at every step. But then he was puzzled by the actions of the young child who interrupted his fun.
The third prince crouched on the ground and took something in his hands. It was something that tumbled down as the girl was sent flying his way. A jar full of marbles was hit and now the contents were spilled on a corner of the alleyway. The marbles were round and small in size, about the size of a pebble. The designs painted on it were also the common figures painted on most marbles of the kind. These marbles were usually used by children to play with.
The burly man laughed as he saw what the young child took from the ground. He didn’t know whether the child took it because he would play with it later or he took it to attack him. But if it was the latter, then it was all too laughable! How could a simple toy marble do any kind of damage to his body that was forged through the countless battles he fought in and the large number of dungeons he took part in raiding in. He felt no danger at all even as the young child a few metres away from him raised his arms and threw a single marble. Yes, no danger at all, until the marble was about to accurately hit a very soft part of his body, his eye.
He grumbled at how lucky the child was to be able to luckily aim at his eyes. There was surprise in him but if this was all it took for him to be injured, then he should have already died multiple of times in his life. By tilting his head a little, he managed to dodge the marble. Only to find another marble already almost arriving to his left eye. He bend his body backward a little which made the marble miss and fly to the end of the alleyway.
He shouted as he cursed how darn lucky the young child was. But that was replaced by an anxious face as another marble was going to hit his right eye the moment he pulled his body back to place. It was at this time that he understood that the young child really do have skill with the marble. He went with various parties but not even the best archer he teamed up with could aim so accurately in advance as the child in front of him. He put his body on guard as he could no longer belittle the young child in front of him.
He twisted his body so fast that he was certain he hurt a few of his muscles just to dodge the eye crushing marble. Another marble was surely aimed to where his eyes would be so he immediately put his arms to block his eyes as soon as he dodged the marble. True to his thoughts, a marble hit the part of his arm just in front of his left eye. The marble stung his arms a little but it really did no significant damage to him but it was a different case if it was his eyes that would take a hit. He thought about closing his eyelids but it would not provide an ideal cover for his eyes. Putting his arms in front of his face to block the marble should do the trick. Now, even with his sight covered by his arms, he advanced step by step. The alleyway was narrow to begin with so he should just walk forward and he’ll be able to punish the young child. A sinister smile formed on his face as he thought of how to return the favour to the young child by grinding those marbles into the little eyes.
He already walked eight steps before he realised something. Removing his arms in front of his face, he was filled in fury when he found that the children were no longer in front of him. He was tricked! His face was filled with fury that when he punched a wall, it left cracks on it. Then, he roared furiously.
“You will pay for this, you damn brat!”