Rimo

(Rimo's POV)

I woke up to the sound of rustling leaves and the sharp scent of damp earth. My body ached all over, as if I had been crushed and put back together in the wrong order. My arms, my legs—everything hurt. Something warm and sticky clung to my skin. Blood. My blood.

Where… am I?

The sky above was a dull gray, choked by thick clouds. My breathing was shallow, my head heavy. I forced myself to sit up, and a sharp pain shot through my ribs. I winced but didn't cry out. Something told me that making noise would be dangerous.

I tried to remember. Anything.

But all I got was… nothing. No memories. No faces. No voices. Just emptiness.

Except—

"Rimo."

A name. My name.

That was all. Nothing else.

I looked around. I was in a forest, but it didn't feel safe. The trees were too still. No wind, no birds, no insects—just silence. My instincts screamed at me. Danger.

I touched my arms, my legs. I was covered in bruises and scratches, but nothing felt broken. I could move. That was good. But the dull throbbing in my head made it hard to think.

Then, a sound—soft footsteps crunching against leaves.

I tensed, my senses sharpening instantly. My ears picked up the faint rhythm of breathing, the light scrape of fabric moving. Someone was approaching.

I stayed still. Watched. Waited.

And then I saw her.

An older woman, wrapped in a thick, tattered cloak, her hood barely shielding her from the cold drizzle falling from the sky. She had a kind face, lined with age, but her brown eyes were sharp, scanning the area like she was searching for something.

Her gaze fell on me.

"Oh, child…" she whispered.

She rushed forward, kneeling beside me. I flinched, my body moving on instinct, but she didn't react. No hostility. Just warmth. She carefully reached out, her hands hovering, unsure where to touch.

"You poor thing…" she muttered. "What happened to you?"

I opened my mouth to speak. Nothing came out. My throat was dry, my voice missing.

Her brows furrowed. "Can you talk?"

I swallowed, forced out a hoarse whisper. "…Rimo."

Her eyes softened. "Rimo? Is that your name?"

I nodded slowly.

"That's good. That's good," she murmured, as if reassuring herself. "You're hurt. I need to take you somewhere safe."

She touched my arm gently. My muscles tensed. My body was telling me not to trust her. To run. But something in her voice, in her presence, felt… safe. Safer than this place.

She must have noticed my hesitation because she sighed. "I don't know what happened to you, child, but I won't leave you here. You'll freeze."

I looked at her again. Really looked. Her cloak was patched up, her fingers rough with work, but her eyes were steady. Strong.

And for some reason… I believed her.

I let her help me up, biting back the pain as I stood on shaking legs. The world tilted, and she caught me before I could fall.

"You're strong," she said, supporting me. "Come. I'll take you home."

The Kinderheim

The place she took me to was a large stone building with tall wooden doors, standing alone on the outskirts of a town I didn't recognize. The air smelled of damp wood, burning fire, and something faintly sweet—bread, maybe.

The woman—Aunt Mary, she told me to call her—guided me inside. Warmth hit me immediately. A fireplace crackled in the main hall, and the scent of food grew stronger.

Children. There were children everywhere. Some ran past, laughing. Others sat at a long wooden table, eating and talking. A few stared at me with wide eyes, whispering.

I stiffened. My senses screamed at me to stay alert. Too many people. Too many unknowns.

Aunt Mary squeezed my shoulder. "It's alright," she said. "This is Kinderheim. A home for children like you."

Like me?

She must have seen the question in my eyes because she sighed. "Children with nowhere else to go."

Nowhere else…

I swallowed hard. I really didn't have anywhere, did I?

She guided me further inside, toward a smaller room with a simple bed. "You can rest here," she said. "I'll bring you something to eat."

I hesitated before stepping in. It was small, but… safe. Safer than the forest. Safer than the silence.

I sat on the bed, my body still aching, my mind spinning.

Magic. That's when I noticed it.

I saw it in the way the candle on the table flickered unnaturally, dancing in a way that defied logic. I heard it in the whispers of the children, talking about spells and mana like they were everyday things.

Magic.

It existed.

But… how?

I didn't remember anything about it. Didn't know how it worked. And yet, something in me—something deep, instinctive—told me I had almost none of it.

Like a sense I was supposed to have, but it had been taken from me.

My head throbbed. Pieces of something. Memories? No. Just fragments. Feelings.

Pain. Screams. Darkness.

I clutched my head. No. No, no, no. I couldn't remember. And that scared me more than anything.

I looked down at my hands. They were steady. My body was weak now, but… something told me I was strong. That I had fought before. That I had survived something terrible.

But why didn't I remember?

And what was this feeling—this nagging, gnawing feeling—that I was missing something important?

A soft knock on the door.

I snapped my head up, instincts flaring.

It was Aunt Mary. She held a small wooden tray with a bowl of soup and bread. "Eat," she said softly. "You'll feel better."

I hesitated, but my stomach growled, betraying me. Slowly, I reached for the bread, taking a small bite. Warm. Soft. Safe.

She watched me, her face unreadable. "You don't have to talk about it yet," she said. "Whatever it is, whatever you've lost… take your time."

I looked at her.

Something about her words made my chest ache.

I didn't know who I was. I didn't know where I came from. But for now…

I was here.

I was Rimo.

And I was going to find out the truth.

Chapter 2: The World I Don't Know

(Rimo's POV)

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside the window. Soft morning light filtered through the cracks in the wooden shutters, casting golden streaks across the small room. My body still ached, but it was dull now, no longer sharp and unbearable.

For a moment, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling. My mind was blank. Empty.

Then it hit me again.

I don't remember anything.

Not just my past. Not just who I was before I woke up in that forest.

I don't remember the world.

I clenched my fists, frustration rising in my chest. How could someone forget everything?

A soft knock at the door made me jolt upright. Before I could answer, Aunt Mary stepped inside, carrying a small wooden cup. She smiled gently. "Morning, Rimo. How are you feeling?"

I hesitated. "…Better," I muttered, my voice still hoarse.

"Good," she said, setting the cup on the small table beside my bed. "Drink this. It'll help."

I picked it up. The liquid inside was warm, slightly sweet, with a faint herbal smell. I took a small sip, feeling the warmth spread through my chest.

She watched me carefully. "Do you remember anything?"

The question made my grip tighten around the cup.

I shook my head.

Aunt Mary sighed but didn't look surprised. She sat down on the edge of the bed, folding her hands in her lap. "Alright," she said. "Then I suppose we have a lot to talk about."

She was right.

Because the moment she started explaining, I realized just how little I knew.

The World as It Is

"This land is called Orbis," Aunt Mary began. "It is a vast world, filled with magic, creatures, and ancient history."

Magic. I still couldn't wrap my head around it. I had seen the candle flicker unnaturally last night, had heard the kids whispering about mana like it was normal—but I didn't understand it.

She continued, "There are many kingdoms, each with their own rulers, beliefs, and ways of life. Some are ruled by humans, others by elves, dwarves, or even beastfolk."

I frowned. "Beastfolk?"

She nodded. "Humanoid creatures with animal traits. Some have wolf ears and tails, others have scales like dragons. They live in tribes, mostly in the southern regions."

That sounded… impossible. And yet, something in me wasn't surprised. Like a part of me already knew this, even if I couldn't remember.

Aunt Mary went on, "There are also dungeons scattered throughout the world—ancient places filled with treasure, traps, and monsters. Adventurers seek them out for riches, but they are dangerous. Many never return."

Monsters. My fingers twitched at the word.

Something about it felt familiar.

I swallowed hard. "And magic?"

Her eyes darkened slightly, as if she had been expecting that question. "Magic is the foundation of this world, Rimo. Almost everyone has some degree of mana, though the amount and control vary from person to person."

Mana. The word itself felt foreign on my tongue.

She sighed. "Some people are born with great magical talent and can use powerful spells. Others have very little. And then… there are those who have almost none."

Something about the way she looked at me made my stomach twist.

I licked my dry lips. "And me?"

She hesitated, then spoke carefully. "I don't know yet. But last night, when you entered the Kinderheim, I didn't sense any mana from you."

A strange emptiness settled in my chest. I wasn't sure why.

A world filled with magic… and I had almost none?

Aunt Mary must have noticed my expression because she quickly added, "But that doesn't mean you're weak, Rimo. Magic is powerful, yes, but it is not the only thing that matters. There are many paths to strength."

I looked down at my hands. They were small, thin, covered in faint scars I didn't remember getting.

I clenched them into fists.

If I didn't have magic… then what did I have?

Aunt Mary reached out, resting a hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to figure everything out now. You just woke up to a world you don't recognize. It's alright to take your time."

I wanted to believe her.

But something deep inside me was whispering that I didn't have time.

Meeting Dipps

After breakfast, Aunt Mary told me she wanted me to meet the other children.

I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

The Kinderheim was filled with kids of all ages. Some played outside in the small courtyard, others sat inside reading, eating, or doing chores. The moment I stepped out of my room, a few turned to look at me.

I didn't like it. Their eyes. Their whispers.

But before I could say anything, someone stepped in front of me.

A boy.

Slightly taller than me, with dark brown eyes and messy black hair. He crossed his arms, studying me with an unreadable expression.

I tensed.

Then—

"Man, you look like you got stomped on by a troll," he said with a grin.

I blinked.

The boy chuckled. "What? You don't talk?"

I frowned. "I talk."

"Then why do you look like you just saw a ghost?"

I wasn't sure how to answer that.

The boy smirked. "I'm Dipps."

Dipps.

A weird name. But something about him felt… different.

He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "Aunt Mary told me you don't remember anything. That true?"

I hesitated, then nodded.

Instead of pity, he just hummed. "Must be weird."

That was an understatement.

Dipps suddenly grinned. "Well, since you don't remember anything, let me tell you one important rule about this place."

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

He pointed at himself. "I'm the best at magic here."

I stared at him.

Dipps laughed. "I'm serious! I'm a genius, you know? A once-in-a-century talent!"

I didn't know why, but something about his confidence made me want to roll my eyes.

He smirked. "What? Don't believe me?"

I shrugged. "I don't know enough to believe or not."

Dipps blinked, then laughed. "You're funny. I like you."

I frowned. "You just met me."

"Exactly! And I already decided we're friends."

I stared at him.

Was that how friendship worked?

Dipps didn't seem to care about my confusion. He threw an arm around my shoulder like we had known each other forever. "Don't worry, Rimo. If you don't remember anything, I'll just have to teach you everything."

I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

But for the first time since waking up, the crushing emptiness in my chest didn't feel as heavy.

Maybe… just maybe… I wasn't alone in this.

Chapter 3: A Place Among Them

(Rimo's POV)

Dipps dragged me through the Kinderheim like he had known me forever.

"This is Rimo," he announced loudly as we entered the common hall, where kids sat at long wooden tables eating or doing chores. "He's staying here now. Try not to scare him away."

The room went quiet. Dozens of eyes turned to me.

I tensed instinctively. My senses sharpened. The way they looked at me, the way they whispered—I didn't like it. It made my skin crawl.

One kid, a scrawny boy with dirt-streaked cheeks, squinted. "Where'd he come from?"

A girl with short red hair scoffed. "He looks weak."

Weak.

The word stuck to me like a splinter.

Dipps snorted. "Weak? You guys can barely lift a bucket of water. Besides, Aunt Mary said he can stay, so don't act like you have a say in it."

The red-haired girl huffed but didn't argue.

Dipps turned to me, grinning. "See? They love you already."

I gave him a blank stare. "I think that's the opposite of what just happened."

He laughed, slapping my back. "You'll get used to them."

Would I?

I wasn't sure.

Sharing a Room with Dipps

Aunt Mary had decided that I would share a room with Dipps.

The room was small but not cramped. Two beds, a wooden table, a small window overlooking the courtyard. Simple, but enough.

Dipps plopped down on his bed with a satisfied sigh. "Welcome to my kingdom," he said dramatically. "Or, I guess, our kingdom now."

I sat on my own bed, still stiff. It felt strange. Unfamiliar. Like I didn't belong here.

Dipps watched me for a moment before his grin softened. "You alright?"

I didn't know how to answer that.

I was here. I was safe. But my mind… my mind felt like a puzzle with missing pieces.

"I don't know," I admitted.

Dipps hummed. "Well, you don't have to figure everything out today."

Then he grinned again. "Besides, you got me. I'll make sure you don't die of boredom."

I sighed. "That's not exactly comforting."

He just laughed.

Testing My Magic

The next morning, Dipps insisted on testing my magic.

He led me outside to a small training area behind the Kinderheim. It was just an open patch of dirt with a few wooden dummies and old practice weapons.

Dipps held out his hand, and instantly, fire flickered to life in his palm.

I felt it.

Not just the heat, but something deeper. His mana. It was heavy, like standing near a storm. It pulsed around him, controlled, overwhelming.

I swallowed. "How do you do that?"

Dipps tilted his head. "You just feel the mana inside you and pull it out."

I tried.

I closed my eyes, searched for something inside me—some kind of warmth, some kind of power.

There was almost nothing.

A tiny flicker. A dim spark.

Dipps frowned. "That's it?"

I grit my teeth and focused harder.

The candle on the table in front of me flickered.

Barely.

Dipps stared.

Silence.

Then—

"PFFFT—" He burst out laughing.

I glared at him. "Shut up."

"I—I'm sorry, I just—" He clutched his stomach, wheezing. "That's the weakest flame I've ever seen!"

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "I know."

Dipps grinned. "Guess you're not gonna be the next great mage, huh?"

Something about his teasing should have annoyed me, but it didn't. Maybe because he wasn't mocking me to be cruel—just stating a fact.

I wasn't good at magic.

But then—

"Hey, Rimo."

I looked up.

Dipps' expression was different now. Less playful. More… curious.

"I can feel everyone in the Kinderheim," he said. "Their mana. It's like a heartbeat. But you…" His brows furrowed. "When you're behind me, I can't sense you at all."

I stiffened.

I hadn't noticed before, but now that he said it…

That was strange, wasn't it?

Dipps leaned forward. "That's not normal, you know. Even if you have almost no mana, I should still be able to sense something."

I had no answer for him.

But something inside me told me this was important.

A Forgotten Talent

That night, I couldn't sleep.

Dipps was snoring softly in the bed beside mine, but I lay awake, staring at the ceiling.

His words echoed in my mind.

"I can't sense you when you're behind me."

Why?

Why did I feel so… different?

Frustrated, I got up and slipped outside. The Kinderheim was quiet, the halls dark. I walked to the training yard, my bare feet silent against the ground.

A wooden training sword leaned against one of the dummies.

I reached for it.

The moment my fingers curled around the hilt—

Something clicked.

My grip adjusted instinctively. My stance shifted. My body knew.

A cold chill ran down my spine.

I stepped forward. The movement was natural, too natural. My feet landed perfectly, my posture steady.

I swung.

The wooden sword sliced through the air in a perfect arc.

It felt right.

Like I had done this a thousand times before.

My breathing was steady. My senses sharpened. I wasn't thinking anymore—just moving. My body remembered something my mind didn't.

I moved through the motions, cutting, stepping, striking. Each movement precise, efficient.

I wasn't just swinging randomly.

I was fighting.

I stopped, my chest rising and falling.

What… was this?

I dropped the wooden sword, my hands shaking.

I didn't know why, but my heart was racing. Not with fear, but with something else.

Recognition.

Like I had just touched a piece of a life I had long forgotten.

Who was I?

And why did it feel like I had lived through battles before?

The wind whispered around me, carrying a faint scent of iron.

A memory?

Chapter 4: Whispers in the Dark

(Rimo's POV)

That night, I tried to sleep.

I really did.

But the moment I closed my eyes, I was somewhere else.

Darkness.

Cold.

The feeling of something pressing down on my chest.

I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe.

I wasn't in the Kinderheim anymore.

The air was thick with something metallic—something sharp. The scent burned the back of my throat. I wanted to cough, but my body wouldn't listen.

Drip.

A faint sound. Slow. Rhythmic.

I strained to hear, but something was off. Everything felt… muffled. Like I was underwater.

Then—

Voices.

Low. Murmuring. Indistinct.

I couldn't make out the words, but I could feel them. Cold. Detached. Discussing something.

Something important.

Something about me.

My heartbeat pounded in my ears.

I wanted to move. To speak. To ask—who am I? What is this place?

But my body refused to listen.

And then—

Pain.

Not a sharp pain. Not like a wound or a cut.

Something deeper.

Like my very being was being torn apart and put back together. Over and over.

My breathing hitched. No, no, no—I don't want to remember this.

But I couldn't wake up.

The whispers grew louder. Faster. Urgent.

Then, suddenly—

Silence.

A pause.

A shiver crawled up my spine. I couldn't see them, but I could feel them.

Watching me.

Waiting.

Then, one voice cut through the silence.

Clear. Precise.

Cold.

"He survived."

My breath caught.

The air around me seemed to shift, the darkness pressing closer. The whispers resumed—faster now, anxious, like they hadn't expected that.

I didn't understand. Survived what?

Then—

The sharp sound of metal.

A slow, dragging noise.

Something heavy. Wet.

And suddenly—

I could move.

My fingers twitched. My arms. My legs.

A deep instinct, something primal, took over.

I had to get out.

I didn't know what was happening. I didn't know who I was, where I was—but I knew one thing.

I had to run.

My body acted before my mind caught up.

A surge of movement—

A hand reaching for me—

A flash of red—

A scream—

Then—

Nothing.

I gasped awake.

My body jerked up, drenched in sweat. My breath came in ragged, uneven gasps.

The room was dark.

Quiet.

Kinderheim.

I was in the Kinderheim.

My hands trembled as I pressed them against my face. My heart was still racing, my skin clammy with sweat.

I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breathing.

What… what was that?

I tried to remember, but the details were slipping away like sand through my fingers.

Just a nightmare.

Just a dream.

Then why did it feel so real?

Why did my body still ache, as if it had been through something terrible?

I clenched the blanket beneath me.

"He survived."

The words echoed in my head.

What did that mean?

I didn't know.

But something told me… I wasn't ready to find out.

Chapter 5: Rivalry and Shadows

(Rimo's POV)

Days turned into weeks.

Life in the Kinderheim became… routine.

Every morning, Aunt Mary made us do chores. Every afternoon, we trained. And every evening, Dipps and I would find something to argue about.

Mostly, it was about magic.

Or rather, my lack of magic.

"Face it, Rimo," Dipps said one day, flipping a small flame between his fingers. "You're never gonna be a mage. I mean, look at you—barely enough mana to light a candle."

I ignored him and picked up a wooden sword.

"Yeah, yeah," Dipps sighed, stretching his arms. "Fine. I'll humor you."

We faced each other in the training yard. The other kids gathered around, already whispering.

I knew what they thought.

That Dipps was going to wipe the floor with me.

After all, he was the strongest magic user in the Kinderheim. Fire, wind, lightning—he could control them all. He was a prodigy.

And me?

I had a wooden sword.

The match started.

Dipps lifted a hand, fire crackling between his fingers. "Don't cry when you lose, Rimo—"

I moved.

Fast.

Too fast.

The fireball barely formed before I was already on him.

Dipps' eyes widened. He tried to jump back, but it was too late.

The wooden sword struck his side.

Hard.

The crowd gasped.

Dipps stumbled, clutching his ribs. His face twisted in shock.

But I wasn't done.

I didn't know why, but the moment the fight began, my body had changed.

Everything was sharper. Clearer.

I could see the way his muscles tensed before he moved. I could hear the faint shift of his feet against the dirt. I could feel the rhythm of the fight—like I had done this a thousand times before.

Dipps launched another fireball. I sidestepped it with ease.

Then I closed the distance again.

Another strike—his wrist this time. He lost focus, his flames vanishing.

A final hit to his stomach—just hard enough to knock him back.

Dipps hit the ground.

Silence.

No one spoke.

I lowered the sword, breathing evenly.

Dipps stared up at me.

For a second, I thought he was going to be angry. That his pride wouldn't let him accept it.

Then—

A grin spread across his face.

"Well, damn," he muttered. "You really aren't normal, huh?"

I blinked.

Then he sat up, laughing. "That was awesome!"

The tension broke. The other kids started whispering excitedly, pointing at me. Some looked surprised. Others… scared.

But Dipps?

He just smirked, dusting himself off.

"I guess that makes us rivals now," he said, grinning.

I frowned. "I thought we were friends."

"Rivals and friends," he corrected. "I'm not losing to you again."

Thieves of the City

After that, Dipps and I started sneaking into the city.

Not for fun.

For business.

Kinderheim wasn't exactly a wealthy place. Food was sometimes scarce. Clothes were old and torn.

And the city?

The city was full of rich merchants, noblemen, and lazy aristocrats who had more money than they knew what to do with.

So we took it.

Dipps was the distraction. He'd start a small fire somewhere—a harmless one, nothing that would actually hurt anyone. Just enough to cause panic.

And me?

I moved unseen.

No one ever noticed me slip into pockets. No one ever felt my fingers take their coins.

And when it was done?

We'd use the money to buy food, clothes, and supplies for the Kinderheim.

We weren't bad people.

We just took what the world refused to give us.

Dipps called it "redistribution of wealth."

Aunt Mary called it "you two are idiots and I'm going to kill you if you get caught."

But we never got caught.

Because no one could sense me when I didn't want to be found.

And no one could catch Dipps when he set half the street in chaos.

For three months, we ruled the backstreets of the city.

For three months, life felt… normal.

Then, one day—

She arrived.

The girl who would change everything.

Chapter 7: Thirteen

(Rimo's POV)

Four years had passed.

Kinderheim hadn't changed much.

Same cold walls. Same hard floors. Same barely edible food.

But we had changed.

Dipps was taller now. Still an idiot, but a stronger idiot. His magic had gotten sharper, faster. He could do things that even some adult mages struggled with. Lightning, fire, ice—he could wield them all like they were an extension of himself.

I hated to admit it, but… he was scary when he wanted to be.

And me?

I still had almost no mana.

But I had something else.

Speed. Reflexes. Instinct.

It was unnatural—the way my body moved, the way I could predict attacks before they even happened. Dipps still couldn't sense me when I didn't want to be found. He said it was like I "disappeared from the world itself."

The other kids whispered about it.

Some thought I was cursed. Others thought I was gifted.

I didn't know which one was true.

And Hina?

She was still quiet. Still watching.

But she wasn't scared anymore.

She had changed too.

She wasn't strong like Dipps. Wasn't fast like me.

But she was smart.

Scary smart.

She could read people like a book. Predict their next move before they even knew what they were going to do. She had a way of making people talk without saying much herself.

I once saw her convince a merchant to give us food for free—without lying, without threats. Just by talking.

She was dangerous in her own way.

The three of us had become something different.

We weren't just kids in an orphanage anymore.

We were survivors.

And in the streets of the city, that meant something.

"It's Been Four Years."

"You know," Dipps said one evening, flipping a gold coin between his fingers. "It's been four years since you got here, Rimo."

I glanced at him. "Yeah. So?"

"So," he smirked, "aren't you even a little curious?"

I frowned. "About what?"

"Where you came from. Who you were before Kinderheim."

I clenched my jaw.

I didn't answer.

Because the truth was—

I was curious.

But every time I thought about it, I got this feeling in my chest.

A tight, suffocating feeling.

Like something inside me was warning me not to look.

And the dreams…

They hadn't stopped.

I still woke up gasping, drenched in sweat. Still saw flashes of something I couldn't understand. Blood. Metal. Whispers in the dark.

"He survived."

It made my head hurt just thinking about it.

Dipps watched me, then sighed. "Forget it. You'll remember when you're ready, I guess."

I exhaled. "Yeah."

Then, from behind us—

"It doesn't matter."

We turned.

Hina stood in the doorway, arms crossed.

Dipps raised an eyebrow. "What doesn't matter?"

"His past," she said simply. "It won't change anything."

I looked at her.

She stared back, calm and steady.

Hina never asked me about my past.

Not once.

Maybe she knew I wasn't ready.

Maybe she understood something I didn't.

Either way, I was grateful.

Dipps rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. Keep your mysteries."

I smirked. "That's the first smart thing you've said all day."

He threw a piece of bread at me.

I caught it mid-air without thinking.

Dipps groaned. "See? That! That's not normal! How the hell do you move like that?!"

I just shrugged.

Because honestly?

I didn't know either.

The City Belonged to Us

By thirteen, Dipps and I had mastered the streets.

We were ghosts.

When we wanted money, we got it. When we wanted food, we found it.

The guards?

They didn't even know we existed.

But we weren't reckless.

We had rules.

1. Never steal from the poor.

2. Never get greedy.

3. Never get caught.

And most importantly—

4. Never do anything that would bring trouble back to Kinderheim.

Aunt Mary hated that we snuck out.

But she never stopped us.

Maybe because she knew we were careful.

Maybe because she knew we were just trying to survive.

Or maybe…

Because she understood that the world wasn't kind to kids like us.

Something Was Changing

But as much as things stayed the same, something was changing.

The city was getting dangerous.

Guards were patrolling more often. People whispered about missing children, about gangs growing bolder.

Something was happening in the shadows.

And even though we didn't know what it was yet—

We could feel it coming.