Morning light broke through the wooden window, casting golden lines on the floor. Alice slowly opened her eyes—her body still felt heavy from yesterday's exhaustion. She stretched her stiff muscles, then turned to the side.
Rina's bed was empty.
Alice sat up quickly, her heart pounding—but then she saw a small figure standing near the window. Rina was observing the front yard, her shadow appearing small and fragile in the morning light.
"Rina."
Rina turned. Her eyes that were usually cheerful looked deeper today, as if there was a burden she was hiding.
"Sister Alice... you're awake."
Alice got down from the bed and approached Rina. Her feet felt cold touching the wooden floor. She knelt beside the little sister, leveling their eyes.
"How are you, Rina? Are you okay?"
"Hmm, yes." Rina nodded slightly. "I've slept enough and my arm has healed too."
Alice gently stroked Rina's head, smiling. But her smile didn't reach her eyes—worry was still clearly visible there.
Rina realized that. She knew that wasn't what Alice was really asking.
She looked out the window again, toward the street still quiet in the morning.
"Brother... must be at the market now. Like before."
Her voice was soft, but there was deep longing there.
Alice hugged Rina from behind. Her embrace was warm, protective—trying to give comfort she herself needed.
"Rina..."
"Just like that time," Rina began telling, her voice like a whisper carried by the wind. "At our house, when I woke up in the morning... Brother wasn't home."
Memories flashed back several years ago
Rina opened her eyes. The same morning light, but in a different place—a small warm house with a fireplace in the corner.
She sat up and looked around. Empty.
"Brother?" she called softly. No answer.
She got down from bed, her small feet running on the creaking wooden floor.
"Brother... brother, where are you?"
She checked every corner. Kitchen—empty. Living room—empty. Bathroom—empty.
Her heart began pounding. Her hands trembled slightly.
But then—
Creeak.
The front door opened. Han entered with a basket in his hands—full of vegetables, fruits, and bread.
"Rina?" Han saw the worried expression on his sister's face. "Why do you look worried? What happened?"
Relief turned into small anger.
Pat! Pat!
Rina hit Han's arm with her small hands—not hard, but enough to show frustration.
"Where did you go, Brother? Why... why didn't you wake me? Hmph!"
She pouted, her cheeks puffing up.
Han smiled—a gentle smile he showed his sister. "You looked like you were sleeping soundly earlier."
"But you could still wake me up," Rina protested.
"Alright then, now help me cook."
Rina's expression immediately changed.
"Let's go, Brother!" Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
"A peaceful atmosphere every day," Rina continued, her smile fading. "But when the monster disaster came... our house was destroyed."
Her voice trembled slightly—a memory still painful.
"Brother blocked all the monsters attacking from various directions. Saved me many times."
Alice was surprised. "Wait, your brother can fight?"
Rina smiled—this time there was pride there. "Yes, I already told you my brother is strong, right?"
Her eyes sparkled remembering that moment.
"When a monster attacked me, brother slashed that monster with a sword like ice that appeared from nowhere. Then all the monsters... fell."
She made a slashing motion with her hand—imitating what she saw.
"Brother decided to leave that place and look for a safe place. From there we moved from city to city, until we reached the village."
Alice looked at Rina with eyes full of empathy. "Didn't you feel tired? Not having a definite place to live?"
Rina paused, considering the question.
"Uhm, at first I was confused about where we would live. But after several journeys, I realized."
She turned to Alice, her smile sincere and warm.
"Home is wherever we're together. My brother is my place to return to."
Alice felt something grip her chest—a combination of admiration and sadness. A child this small already understood something even adults don't always understand.
"We moved from one place to another," Rina continued. "Until in a certain city, we saw a young man being robbed by market bandits."
Rina closed her eyes briefly, her memory drifting to a day at the city market...
Market hustle—merchants shouting their wares, buyers haggling prices. But in a slightly quiet corner, three large men surrounded a young man.
"Hand over your money, young man," one bandit hissed.
The young man—Eiran—held his sewing bag tightly. His face was pale, but there was firmness in his eyes.
"This... this is money for my family..."
WHAM.
One bandit pushed him, making him stumble.
"You think we care?"
People around looked, but no one moved. They looked down, pretended not to see, and continued their way.
But then—
"Release him."
A calm voice but with weight that made the bandits turn.
Han stood there, with Rina hiding behind him. His expression was flat, but there was something in his eyes—something dangerous.
The bandits laughed.
"Heh? Want to be a hero, kid?"
Han didn't answer. He just stepped forward.
What happened next happened fast—too fast. Han moved with trained efficiency. No excessive movements, no dramatics. Just precision movements.
Three bandits lay on the ground, holding their stomachs and faces.
Eiran stared with wide eyes—shocked and grateful.
"T-thank you..."
Han extended his hand, helping Eiran stand.
"It's okay. Are you alright?"
"Y-yes." Eiran nodded quickly. "My name is Eiran. Thank you very much. If you don't mind... may I invite you to my house?"
Eiran's house was simple but comfortable. Well-maintained wood, nice and warm decorations.
"Please drink," Eiran said while pouring tea. "I'll get food."
"No need to trouble yourself, thank you," Han raised his hand politely.
"This isn't trouble at all!" Eiran returned with a tray full of food—bread, fruit, and some cookies. "Please."
Han and Rina nodded and began eating.
"Eiran," Han asked while chewing slowly, "do you live alone here?"
"No, I live with my parents. They're working now, so I'm alone for now." Eiran sat with a cup in his hands. "Earlier I was shopping while delivering clothing sewing orders to the store. Until those stupid people wanted to steal from me."
He smiled—grateful but also bitter there.
"Fortunately you came at the right time. I'm very grateful."
Han furrowed his brow. "Hmm... I was also surprised earlier. The situation looked crowded with people, but those bandits dared to rob in the crowd. And also not a single person helped you."
Eiran's smile faded. "They're just afraid. And minding their own business, don't want to get involved in that problem. Bandits, robbers, or people like that seem to have power on the streets."
"Is there no law here?"
"The leader of this city, Loid the Wind Hero..." Eiran's voice dropped to a whisper. "He doesn't care about small problems like that. Even rumors about him have been circulating recently—it's become an open secret."
He turned, making sure no one was listening.
"During the monster chaos, he finished off all the monsters... and the citizens."
Rina was shocked, her hand stopped mid-reach for bread. "Why did he do that?"
"Monster cleaning operation, he said. Citizens who died were a sacrifice for greater victory..." Eiran quoted cynically. "Big problems require sacrifices for victory, that's what he said."
"That's... So cruel." Rina's voice trembled.
"Right?" Eiran nodded bitterly. "That action made robbers here bolder in committing crimes. They know no one will stop them. Loid also often goes to Parli's kingdom which is far away, so here it feels like there's no supervision."
Han fell silent, processing that information. There was something in his expression—restrained anger, mixed with deep disgust.
"Thank you very much for the hospitality, Eiran. We'll buy some fruit here then leave."
"Eh, no need to buy!" Eiran immediately stood up, taking a basket of fruit. "I have fruit here. Hope it's enough for your journey."
Han smiled—a sincere smile. "You're really a good person. Thank you."
"Thank you so much, Brother!" Rina added with sparkling eyes.
Eiran smiled and waved from the door. "Be careful on the road!"
They walked away from Eiran's house, toward the city outskirts. But on a quiet street, there was a figure blocking.
A tall man with a fluttering green robe. Behind him, there were several soldiers.
Loid—the Wind Hero.
"Heh?!" His voice arrogant, echoing. "What do we have here? Two people lost on the street?"
Rina was scared, immediately hid behind Han. Han felt his sister's trembling body and placed a protective hand on her shoulder.
"We just stopped by here to buy fruit. And we've gotten it."
Loid narrowed his eyes, observing Han from top to bottom. There was a flash of aura—subtle but unmistakable.
"So you think you can enter and leave this city as you please?"
"Forgive us." Han's voice remained calm, controlled. "We don't want any commotion."
"You're quite interesting." Loid grinned—like a predator finding a new toy. "Come with me, then the little girl can go."
"NO!" Rina screamed, gripping Han's clothes tighter.
"That's impossible. We'll both leave here."
Loid's smile became cynical. "Maybe you don't understand yet. You don't have a choice here."
He snapped his fingers. "Soldiers, catch that man."
Three soldiers advanced—trained soldiers with spears and shields.
Han moved Rina to a safe side, then faced them.
The fight was brief.
Han dodged the first spear thrust with minimal movement. His counterattack was precise—a hard blow to the stomach that made the first soldier fall.
The second soldier attacked from the side. Han grabbed his spear, spun it, then used the soldier's momentum to throw him toward the third soldier.
In one minute, all three soldiers were already on the ground.
However—
"Brother!"
Rina's scream made Han turn in horror.
Loid was already behind Rina, his hand gripping her shoulder. How could he move that fast...?
"Do you want to see your sister hurt?!" Loid's voice sounded threatening.
Anger. Pure, blazing, uncontrolled, burned in Han's eyes.
"Don't you dare touch her!"
An ice sword appeared in his hand—beautiful, deadly, gleaming with cold light.
Han moved—faster than before.
Loid's eyes widened—almost too late to avoid the slash aimed right at his neck.
In that confusion, Rina broke free and ran back to Han's side.
"I knew it..." Loid smiled—but there was wariness behind his gaze. "You are indeed a very interesting person."
Han didn't answer. He raised his hand...
CRASH.
An ice wall appeared between them and Loid, tall and thick.
"Destroy it!" Loid shouted at his soldiers.
But when the ice wall began to break by itself—
No one was there.
Only footprints in the dust leading to the forest.
"Tch..." Loid spat. "You're good at running away."
"We ran to another faraway place," Rina continued her story, her voice softer now. "Day by day, month by month, for several years... we often moved places."
Alice listened with a heavy heart, imagining a child as small as Rina having to live like that.
"One time we arrived at a village. And that village..." Rina's voice trembled. "Looked terrible. There were no people at all. Only blood, and scattered monster ashes. That place was like a massacre field."
Her eyes welled up remembering that incident.
"We rushed away from there, entered the forest to calm down. But when night came..."
Rina took a deep breath.
"Someone attacked us fiercely."
That memory returned—Night in the forest.
Small fire from their camp gave dancing orange light. Han was cooking, Rina sat beside him with a blanket.
Then...
WHOOSH.
A sword slashed from the darkness... moving directly toward Han's neck.
Clang!
Han barely blocked the attack with an ice sword he created instantly.
A man appeared from behind the shadows—wild eyes, desperate, body covered in blood and dirt. His attacks were brutal, filled with pure rage.
"Are you from the kingdom?!" the man shouted with pitiful anger. "YOU... YOU WILL END HERE!"
Han parried all attacks, completely defending without retaliating.
"We're not from the kingdom!" Han shouted back. "Calm down! We..."
"LIAR! YOU'RE ALL LIARS!"
His attacks became more brutal, more desperate.
And behind Han, Rina sat trembling, eyes wide with fear—but not sensing evil aura from that person.
Alice hugged Rina tighter, feeling the small body trembling faintly in her embrace.
Outside the window, the sun had risen high—yet the warmth of its rays couldn't erase the cold from the story just told.
TO BE CONTINUED...