It was a cold morning. The sun had not yet risen.
Nivar woke up, washed his face, and was very hungry, since he hadn't had a proper meal in a long time. He had been surviving on pieces of dry bread from trash bins.
He went outside to find something to eat. As he walked through the streets, people whispered,
"Hey, that's the demon child,"
and laughed at him. But Nivar didn't care and kept walking—
Until he saw a few familiar faces...
Three young boys, dressed in bright clothes and bearing noble insignias, blocked his path.
They were from the third-tier families of the "Lant" house, the "Ran" house, and the "Mirikal" house.
One of them sneered and said,
"Happy birthday, Sparkless."
Another added, "You're still alive?"
Nivar just looked at them. No anger. No fear.
Only a heavy silence in his gaze.
The first one said,
"What, are you mute? Looks like I'll have to kill you myself,"
and charged at him.
A quick but sloppy strike.
Nivar dodged. And in that moment, with a simple move, knocked him to the ground.
The second boy screamed and rushed forward—
But his scream turned into a wheeze as Nivar struck him hard with his elbow, knocking the wind out of him.
The third one stepped back. His eyes trembled.
"Y-You... what happened to you?"
Nivar stepped forward. Just one step.
But that one step was enough—
The third boy collapsed to the ground. Out of fear, not pain.
And Nivar simply walked past.
No smile. No words. Just passed through.
His mind was still focused on one thing:
"A piece of bread..."
Just as he tried to get away from them, the city guards arrived.
"Hey! You brat... How dare you strike young noblemen? Arrest him now!"
Nivar quickly ran. After an hour of chase through narrow alleys, he hid inside an old shop.
When the guards finally gave up and left, he came out and muttered,
"All that running made me even hungrier..."
His stomach growled loudly.
Just then, an old man in the shop noticed him. He approached, and Nivar took a defensive stance, startled.
But the old man smiled warmly and handed him some bread.
"Hey there, you look hungry."
Then, he kindly asked Nivar to come with him—
So he could give him more food.
End of Chapter Two