"Help! Someone help, please!"
Lurking behind a clothing stall, a young boy observed the situation quietly.
Good! Amon has distracted him. It's time for me to swoop in and grab the food, the boy thought as he prepared to leap out.
As soon as the old stall owner disappeared into the sea of people, the young boy rushed out from the shadows with a large sack in hand. Under the sunlight, his snow-white hair shone brightly as it swayed in the wind.
He knelt down next to the meat, which was scattered across the muddy ground. Like a ferocious beast, he stuffed as much meat as possible into the sack, not caring if it was covered in mud and grime.
How could a penniless orphan care about the quality of the meat? Eating dirty meat might cause diarrhea, but it was still ten times better than starving to death!
Quickly! Who knows when the old stall owner will come back, or worse, if another stall owner stops me, the boy thought, pushing himself to move faster.
"Hey! You brat! What do you think you're doing?" a jewelry stall owner next to the food stall shouted.
The young boy glanced to his right slightly but continued grabbing as much food as he could.
"Hey! Stop!" the jewelry stall owner shouted again.
Shit! Just a bit more food! the boy thought, his skinny arms going into overdrive as he threw everything in front of him into the sack.
Only when the jewelry stall owner stepped out of his stall did the boy pick up the now bulging sack and bolt off.
"You!" Seeing this, the jewelry stall owner gave chase.
They ran past other stalls and down dark alleyways, eventually reaching the housing district.
Tsk, I can't keep going like this! Not only is my body malnourished, but the sack of food is weighing me down. I have to do something, the boy thought, scanning his surroundings.
There! he shouted inwardly. Tossing the sack to the side, he accelerated forward, picking up a long object before turning the corner.
"Don't think you can escape! Ice Feet!" the jewelry stall owner yelled. A thin layer of ice formed on the soles of his shoes, allowing him to skate faster.
The gap between them quickly narrowed. The corner the boy had just turned was now right in front of the stall owner.
However, the moment he turned the corner, he was met with a wooden plank to the face. He staggered back, clutching his nose in pain.
"Rank 1 Fireball!" the young boy shouted.
The stall owner, unable to see the boy clearly due to the blow and covering his face, panicked.
Impossible! I don't sense any magic from him. He shouldn't be able to use even the lowest-ranked spell!
In reality, the stall owner was right—the boy couldn't use magic. But that moment of hesitation was all Cain needed. He stepped forward and delivered a decisive kick to the man's groin.
"ARGH!" the stall owner screamed in agony, feeling his precious jewels crunch.
Following up, the boy swung the wooden plank at the stall owner's head, knocking him out cold.
Phew… no matter what world you're in, the fastest way to take down a man is a kick to the balls, the boy thought.
Without hesitation, he ran past the body, retrieved the sack of food, and disappeared into the maze of closely packed houses, moving as fast as possible without attracting attention.
Before long, he arrived at a secluded cathedral on the outskirts of the city. It looked abandoned, surrounded by dense vegetation and a small lake on its right. Vines and moss crawled up its crumbling walls, and broken windows let in shafts of light. The rotting wooden door creaked in the breeze.
This was the young boy's home: Ariana's Cathedral.
He walked up to the rotting door and slowly pushed it open with his left hand, letting a chill breeze sweep into the spacious interior.
Inside, the cathedral was silent. The only light came from golden rays filtering through the shattered windows, casting an eerie yet comforting glow. This was home.
"Guys! I'm home with food!" the boy shouted. His voice echoed through the cathedral before fading away.
After a short while, footsteps echoed from the back. The sound grew louder until a door at the far left swung open.
Five children emerged—two teenagers around thirteen, one boy and one girl, and three younger kids aged ten, nine, and seven.
"Big Brother Cain! You're back!" the nine-year-old girl cried, running toward him with arms wide.
The white-haired boy—Cain—stepped forward and caught her in a warm embrace.
"Cain, where's Amon?" asked the tall, skinny boy at the back.
Cain glanced around before answering.
"He should be coming back soon, Cedric. Don't worry too much," Cain said with a smile.
Cedric's expression eased a little, though worry still lingered in his eyes.
"Let's share the food. Today's haul was the biggest yet!" Cain said excitedly, turning to open the sack.
Meat of all types spilled out—some fatty, some lean, most dirty.
"It… it really is meat," said a young girl with glasses, her eyes welling up.
"Yay! Meat!" the ten- and seven-year-olds shouted.
Cedric looked shocked but visibly moved.
"Come on, I'll hand out the meat. Remember to wipe away as much dirt as you can by the lake," Cain said.
"Okay!" The three youngest grabbed pieces and dashed outside.
Cain's gaze softened as he watched them go.
"You too, Lily. Come pick a piece," he said to the girl with glasses.
"Let's go," Cedric said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Lily looked like she might cry, but nodded. "Okay."
They each took a piece and followed the others out to wash the meat.
I guess it's my turn to pick, Cain thought, rummaging through the sack and pulling out a piece covered in mud.
He stared at it for a long moment before sighing.
To think reality is so cruel, forcing me to live like a scavenger—eating not for enjoyment, but to survive, he lamented silently, slowly standing.
"Oh, Amon, you're back!" Cedric's voice called from outside.
Cain turned around, watching as the cathedral doors creaked open. A black-haired boy stepped inside.
It was none other than his partner in crime—Amon Civic.
"Man... that old man almost got me!" Amon complained, sitting down on one of the pews.
Completely exhausted, he sprawled out, stretching his skinny legs and arms while leaning back.
Cain let out a soft chuckle, smiling at Amon.
"Well, at least it paid off in the end. We've got enough meat to last us at least two weeks—if we ration it well," Cain said.
He then gestured toward the sack of food.
"Sure, we have enough food for now... but what about the future?" Amon asked, staring up at the cathedral roof.
Hearing this, Cain's eyebrows lifted slightly.
"It's not right. I don't understand why we have to be discriminated against just because we can't use magic!" Amon shouted angrily. "How can the world turn a blind eye to the suffering we're going through?"
He slammed his skinny arm down on the pew.
After a moment of silence, Amon spoke again. "We need to move."