The crackling of firewood filled the space, and the calm warmth gave a sense of life.
"Is he human?"
asked the little girl as she stared at Adrian's face.
"Of course he is, Lily,"
the older boy answered restlessly.
"Is he dead?"
the youngest child asked with curiosity.
"He's alive, Bill,"
Lily replied with a smile.
Suddenly, Adrian shot upright, gasping in panic.
"Kyaaa! You scared us, stranger!"
Lily screamed in fright as she pulled Bill into her arms.
"Is he really human? I'm scared, Lilyyy!"
Bill cried as he clung to her, bursting into tears.
Adrian looked around, trying to make sense of the situation, and held his head with one hand, struggling to suppress the headache.
The older boy, Leo, approached and said:
"Seems like you had a nasty nightmare. In any case, you need to rest a bit. You have a high fever."
Adrian looked at Leo and asked in a broken voice:
"Where… am I?"
Leo answered:
"You're in our home now. I found you unconscious near our house while returning from the market, so I brought you inside."
Adrian spoke with difficulty:
"I see… thank you anyway."
The little girl, Lily, asked gently and curiously:
"What's your name, handsome stranger?"
Bill asked with curiosity and amazement:
"And why are your eyes different in color?"
Adrian thought he shouldn't give his real name, so he answered in a low voice:
"Ah, I'm called Ray… and as for my eyes, I took a heavy hit, so they turned red. But they were originally blue."
Bill replied:
"Heh, I see then."
Lily cried out in annoyance:
"Bill, he's teasing you, do you believe him?"
Adrian smiled wearily as he watched the children's commotion, then asked:
"And what about you all?"
Lily spoke:
"I'm Lily, I'm 10 years old, and this is my little brother Bill, he's 6, and this is my older brother Leo, he's 17."
Adrian nodded and asked:
"And do you live alone? What about your parents?"
Leo answered coldly and mockingly:
"We're not blood siblings, and we have no parents. So family, for us, is being together."
Lily added with a smile:
"That's right, we are a family and we live happily together."
Bill echoed with a smile:
"We are a family! Yes!"
Adrian patted Bill on the head, smiling.
Lily stood up and said:
"Ray, you must be hungry. Let's eat together, okay?"
Bill stood up too and repeated after Lily:
"Let's eat the food!"
Adrian got up slowly and said:
"I'll help if…"
Leo interrupted:
"Then put the plates on the table."
Adrian replied:
"Alright…"
Adrian placed the plates on the table while Lily distributed the bread, and Leo took care of pouring the food onto the plates.
They all sat down and began to eat.
Bill grabbed the spoon, took a bite, and smiled with pure joy.
"This is so delicious! Brother, thank you!"
Leo simply smiled quietly as he watched Bill enjoy the food.
Lily smiled and asked Leo:
"Where did you get the ingredients this time?"
Leo replied while eating bread:
"They fell off one of the carts."
Adrian's eyes widened slightly. He set the spoon aside and looked at Leo, questioning:
"Does that mean they were stolen?"
Leo answered in a steady tone:
"Yes. What's the problem with that?"
Adrian clenched his hand and spoke in a slightly sharp tone:
"You say 'what's the problem'? Do you think stealing is normal?"
Everyone stopped eating.
Lily smiled nervously, trying to ease the tension:
"Haha… it's okay. The cart dropped them on the road, so I don't think that counts as stealing… right?"
Adrian sighed, frowning:
"Alright… it doesn't matter. I'll be leaving anyway."
He stood up and said:
"Leo, Lily, and Bill… thank you for helping me. I wish you a happy life."
Lily stood up quickly, worried:
"R-Ray! You're still sick, so—"
Adrian interrupted her calmly:
"I have work I need to do. Thank you for your concern, Lily."
At that moment… there was a loud knock at the door.
Everyone's eyes turned toward the door.
Leo said firmly:
"It's fine, I'll open it."
Leo stood up and opened the door—
revealing a man in his twenties, speaking loudly, his voice filled with panic:
"Leo!! I came to tell you that the plague has already reached this area! Be careful with food, wash it thoroughly… I heard the plague spreads through food!"
Everyone froze—except Adrian.
Fear was clearly etched on their faces.
Leo said seriously:
"Alright, Max, we'll be careful."
Max nodded vigorously:
"Yes… I'll go now, I have to inform the others."
Before closing the door, Leo said:
"Okay, take care of yourself."
He closed the door and turned toward them.
Lily asked with deep concern, clutching her dress and trembling:
"Brother… will we die too?"
Bill began to cry:
"I don't want to die, Lily…"
Leo shouted tensely:
"Oi! No one is going to die! All we have to do is check the food from now on!"
Adrian spoke anxiously:
"Leo… can you explain to me what's happening?"
Leo returned to his chair and sat down, then began to explain in a calm, cold voice:
"It started when an old woman died in the neighboring district. At first, it seemed like an ordinary case, but after a week, strange symptoms appeared in people. First: a fever lasting a whole day… then strange lines appear on the body… then their eyes turn white and they lose their sight… after that, they die.
And the infected cough up blood the entire time."
Adrian froze, stunned.
"So… why don't they look for a cure?"
Leo laughed with heavy sarcasm:
"A cure? And how would you cure someone who shows a normal pulse?"
Adrian's expression hardened:
"What?"
Leo continued coldly:
"Yes. Every test shows that the body… is perfectly fine. No disease. No disorder.
It's as if… it's a curse."
Leo rested his elbow on the table and said with bitter sarcasm:
"Hah… and there's something else. When the infected die… their body disappears."
Adrian stared at him in shock:
"Disappears? How?!"
Leo answered:
"I don't know exactly… but they say the body glows like a magical light… then scatters like dust… and vanishes completely."
Adrian asked curiously:
"But I don't understand… what does the plague have to do with the old woman? I mean, many people die every day, so why is she the cause?"
Leo replied:
"That's because that old woman practiced forbidden magic. Although she was from Section Zero, she was desperate to learn magic like the nobles. She spent ten years studying forbidden techniques… but she always failed to apply them.
Until one day… a black and red beam emerged from her house. And when it disappeared, people went to see her and found her body."
Suddenly… a strange voice echoed in the room:
"Quite a strange story… and fascinating."
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice, only to find a beautiful girl standing behind them, smiling.
Leo shouted angrily:
"Who are you!? How did you get in here?!"
The girl smiled playfully and waved her hand:
"Don't be afraid, I'm not a thief. I came in before you closed the door earlier."
Leo stood up in extreme anger:
"What are you saying…?!"
The girl stood in front of Adrian and leaned in to look directly into his eyes, whispering softly:
"Very beautiful… you have such beautiful eyes."
Adrian remained frozen, unmoving, murmuring to himself:
This aura… why does it remind me of that demon Asura? It's so strong… yet unlike him, her aura doesn't feel evil.
The girl adjusted her stance and spoke:
"My name is Lucia Bristan, I'm sixteen. And you?"
Adrian stood up slowly and spoke calmly:
"I… am called Ray, and I'm sixteen as well."
Leo stepped forward, annoyed:
"Hey, are you listening to me?"
He looked at Lucia sharply:
"You, thief! Why did you enter our house without permission?"
Lucia smiled broadly:
"I was walking down the street when I noticed a handsome face… I couldn't help but come in. I truly apologize."
Lily asked curiously:
"Miss… are you one of the nobles?"
Lucia held a strand of her hair and answered confidently:
"Yes, I am."
Leo asked sharply:
"If you are… then why have you come to this poor district?"
Lucia replied with a cold expression:
"I'm investigating this strange plague."
Then she turned to Adrian, staring at him intently:
"You're not an ordinary person, red-eyed one… who the hell are you? And why are you lying about your identity?"
Silence fell over the room, and all eyes turned to Adrian.
Leo, Lily, and Bill watched him with concern and confusion, while Lucia stared at him fiercely, waiting for an answer that couldn't evade the truth.
Adrian lowered his gaze for a moment, then slowly lifted his head… his face was so cold that Lily shivered, and Bill hid behind his sister.
His red eye glowed with a dangerous gleam, as if an invisible spark had ignited deep within it.