The following day.
It was an ordinary day—
well, ordinary for the children who had talents.
For Seth, it was just the same cycle he had lived for years.
Wake up before everyone else.
Eat whatever was left in the pot.
Get bullied a little in the halls.
Eat again, quietly and alone.
Get beaten up behind the orphanage shed for existing in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Then sit through that familiar moment of tight-chested nervousness as potential parents arrived to adopt children.
And like every other day, Seth already knew the outcome.
He wouldn't be adopted.
Parents who came to this place never looked at kids like him—ordinary, untalented and invisible.
They came hunting for prodigies. Children blessed with talent, power and lineage, or some rare spark that promised a bright future.
Seth?
He wasn't even worth a glance.
While the talented stood proudly in the courtyard—displaying their talents like trophies—Seth stood in the back, hands in his pockets, pretending he didn't care. Pretending it didn't bother him anymore.
But it did.
Every rejection carved something into him.
Something silent and something very dark and cold.
Today would be no different… or so he thought.
A man stepped into the orphanage courtyard, drawing every pair of eyes without a word.
He wore a dark crimson suit—sharp, and completely out of place among the faded walls and worn-out floors. A red umbrella rested over his shoulder, tilted just enough to cast a shadow over the upper half of his face. Only his mouth was visible… a faint and unreadable curve.
He looked less like someone searching for a child, and more like a character who had walked straight out of a mafia film—carrying an aura that made the air feel heavier.
The talented kids straightened instantly.
The untalented one froze.
Even the staff glanced at each other, unsure.
Sophie, the head caretaker, hurried toward the man with her usual bright professionalism, though even she couldn't hide the nervous flicker in her eyes.
"H-Hello, sir," she said, bowing slightly. "How may I assist you today? If you tell me what you're looking for in a child, we can recommend someone who will surely meet your expectations."
Her voice was polite and steady… but her hands trembled at her sides.
This man wasn't ordinary and everyone could feel it.
Seth, who was standing at the back, felt a chill crawl down his spine.
The man in crimson didn't answer immediately.
He simply tapped the end of his umbrella on the ground—tok, tok—and lifted his chin just enough for the light to catch the line of his jaw.
"I'm not here for recommendations," he said at last.
His voice was low… smooth… and carried a weight that silenced the courtyard.
"I already know who I'm taking."
He glanced toward Seth—
a single and brief look that felt like the edge of a blade tracing his throat.
Seth stiffened, looking like he might scream, run, or faint. Maybe all three.
Then—without a sound.
Without so much as a shift of air.
The man was suddenly standing right in front of him.
One moment he was across the courtyard—
the next, his crimson blazer swept past Seth as if carried by a gust of wind that hadn't existed a heartbeat earlier.
Gasps rippled through the room.
Even Sophie froze.
The man lifted Seth's chin with two fingers, gentle yet absolute.
Seth had no choice but to look up.
"This fine young man will do."
Only then did Seth finally see his features clearly.
Dark red eyes—deep and heavy, carrying an emotion Seth couldn't name.
Hair the same shade, falling slightly over his brow.
A face too striking and too dangerous to belong to someone ordinary.
"Hello, boy," the man said, lips curving just slightly.
"My name is Leo Ragnar. I am the Vice Head of the Ragnar family."
The words struck harder than any punch Seth had ever taken.
The Ragnar family.
The most feared household in the country.
Whispers of monsters.
Rumors of power.
A name that made even the strong speak carefully.
Sophie's eyes widened.
The other kids stopped breathing.
And Seth—
the untalented boy who no one wanted—
could only stare up at the man holding his chin, wondering why the Vice Head of such a terrifying family was looking at him.
"A–ah… are you sure, sir?" Sophie asked, her voice cracking as though Leo might suddenly reveal he was joking.
But Leo Ragnar didn't joke.
"I'm as serious as I can be," he said, a grin curling up one side of his mouth—sharp, cold, and carrying the faint weight of killing intent. Sophie flinched as if she felt it physically.
"R–right. Please… follow me this way, sir."
She bowed quickly and hurried ahead, almost tripping over her own feet as she guided him toward her office.
Leo followed, the crimson of his blazer trailing behind him like something alive.
And just like that, they were gone.
Leaving Seth behind—frozen, trembling, and very aware of the warm wet patch spreading down his leg.
He'd pissed himself.
Wonderful.
All that was left now was for his body to betray him further, and he'd complete the humiliation.
The other children stared at him with a mixture of confusion and fear. Seth didn't meet their eyes. His heart hammered in his chest as he replayed the man's voice, his touch, those red eyes.
Why him?
Why out of everyone?
Why pick the kid with no talent, no future and nothing to offer?
He wasn't happy and he wasn't relieved either.
He was terrified.
Yet beneath the terror, buried deep where even he barely noticed it… was a whisper.
A small, fragile thought.
I can escape. I can finally leave this place.
Escape the beatings.
Escape the mockery.
Escape the people who bullied him even though they were just like him—orphans grasping for anything to make themselves feel superior.
Escape the life that had always been decided for him.
But why would a man like that want him?
Seth had no answer.
Only fear.
And a sliver of hope he didn't trust.
<[End Of Chapter 2]>