The travelers were nearing the capital of the Belmon Empire, a sprawling city called Kenza.
The boy and Hector stood with Professor Stoker, saying their goodbyes before parting ways.

"Listen carefully, boy," Stoker said. "You'll go with Hector. He'll take you somewhere that will make you a recognized citizen of Belmon. We'll meet again once you reach the university."

The boy nodded once, then turned and followed Hector heading away from the road that led to the capital.
As they walked, Hector glanced at him. "So, kid, why do you want to join the tournament?"

The boy stayed silent, eyes forward.

"Fame? The prize money?" Hector asked again.

They stopped. The boy finally looked at him and said, "Experience. I want to learn from fighting others."

A smile tugged at Hector's lips. "I see. Then tell me—what powers do you have?"

The boy gave a faint smile. "None."

Hector's face twisted like he'd bitten into a lemon. "None?! Every single competitor is a SIN user! How do you plan to fight them?"

The boy's grin turned unsettling. "I'm fast."

"Oh really?" Hector smirked. "Let's put that to the test, Mr. I'm fast. From here to our destination we start running—no breaks. Keep up if you can." Without another word, Hector dashed ahead.

The boy chuckled. "Challenge accepted." He sprinted after him.


An hour later, they arrived at a small, cozy house tucked away in the woods.
Children played in the yard filled with different kinds of flowers, laughing and shouting.

"Well, I'll admit it," Hector said. "You can run."
"What do you mean?" the boy asked between breaths. "We got here at the same time. But… what is this place?"

Hector replied. "It's an orphanage."

The boy frowned. "And how will this place make me a citizen of Belmon?"

Hector flicked him on the forehead. The boy winced, clutching his forehead.

"Think, boy, think." Hector said with a grin. "We register you as an orphan, adjust the records a little, and—boom—you're officially a resident."

Still rubbing his forehead, the boy muttered, "Smart plan… but did you really have to flick me?"

"Had to check if you were actually fast or just talk." Hector replied with a smile. "Anyway, let's go."

As they stepped into the yard, the children noticed Hector. Their faces lit up, and they all rushed toward him, shouting his name.

"Hector's back! Hector's back!"

Laughing, he scooped up two kids at once. "Did you miss me?"
The children nodded eagerly.

"Say hello to my friend," Hector told them.

In perfect unison, the kids chorused, "Hello, mister! Nice to meet you!"

The boy gave an awkward wave. "They seem really close to you," he said.

"Of course," Hector replied warmly. "This is where I grew up."

"So… you're an orphan too."

"Yep." He set the kids down and patted their hair. "These are all my little brothers and sisters. One big family."

Then Hector gave the boy a sly smirk.

The boy stiffened. "What are you looking at me like that?"

"You know what this means, right?" Hector grinned.
"…No."

"It means you're about to become my little brother too!" Hector lunged at him with open arms.

The boy sidestepped and hector tripped, rolled across the dirt, and landed face-first near the porch.

When he looked up, he saw a child sitting in the corner, long hair covering his eyes. "Hey there, kiddo. How are you holding up?"

The child gave him a thumbs up.

Hector stood up and patted his head.
"This one's mute. We tried everything, but he only answers with thumbs up or down. We call him Gini."

The boy nodded toward Gini, who nodded back.

"Well, since you were able to dodge that Mr. I'm fast. I'll go inside to meet the boss of this place and sort things out. You stay here."

"Sure thing, Mr. I'm-not-short." The boy stuck out his tongue with a silly face.
Hector laughed and walked through the front door.

While walking in the hallway, the smell of food drifted from the kitchen.
Mom is cooking… I'll surprise her, he thought and sneaked closer.

He crept forward—only for an arrow to whistle past his face and embed itself in the wall.
He froze.

An older woman in simple clothes that was standing in the kitchen turned at the noise.

"Oh.. Hello Hector, welcome home. You're right on time because dinner's almost ready." She turned her head and shouted. "Elaine!"

A girl with sharp brown eyes and black hair tied in a ponytail entered the room with a bow in hand.

"Mom, he tried to scare you again," she said, glaring at Hector.

"Hello to you too, surprise-ruiner," Hector muttered.

The woman sighed. "What is it with you two? Always flirting since you were kids."

Both Hector and Elaine turned away, exhaling loudly at the same time.
They followed the woman into the living room and sat down.

"So," Elaine asked, "why are you here today?"

"I met a boy while on my mission," Hector said. "And Professor Stoker wants his help."

"You're going to register him here?" the woman asked.

"It's the only way he can attend the university. He's actually from outside the empire."

The room fell silent.

Elaine slammed her hand against the living room table. "That's dangerous! If anyone finds out—"

"Elaine," the woman interrupted gently, "trust Hector. If he brought the boy here, he must've seen something in him."

Both turned and looked at Hector. He was picking his nose and with a goofy grin he said. "Nope. Kid's useless."

Elaine grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him violently.

Dizzy Hector said, "Professor needs him! I owe him too much to say no!"

Elaine finally let go with a sigh. "Fine. If the professor trusts him, then so should we."

The old woman asked, "What's the boy's name?"

Hector froze. "…Uh. I forgot to ask."

Elaine burst out laughing. "You always forget the important things." She turned to her mother. "So what do you think?"

The woman nodded.

Hector jumped to his feet. "Great! Let's call him in and get him registered."


He walked through the hallway, but as he reached for the door, he paused. 

Voices—strange gibberish ones—echoed faintly from outside. His instincts flared, and he rushed out.

The door swung open and he looked around for the source where the voices came from. But he saw the children were still playing in the yard and on the porch, the boy sat alone.

He walked toward the boy. "Who were you talking to?" Hector asked.

"No one, why?" the boy said calmly.

Hector frowned. "I heard a strange voice from inside… actually more than one."

The boy shrugged. "Don't know. There's no one here. Did you get hit on your head by the boss or something"

"…Weird." Hector scanned the yard again. "Where's Gini?"

"The mute kid? Another child took him for a walk," the boy said.

Hector sighed. "All the kids here are special and dear to us, including that kid even though he has a disability. We think he had a rough past that traumatised him and maybe that led to him being mute. 

The boy kept silent and listened to Hector.

"That makes him hard to read. Sometimes he disappears, and we have to search for him. But as long as someone's with him, it's fine."

The boy gave a small nod.

"By the way," Hector said while tilting his head, "I never asked. What's your name?"

The boy met his eyes with a dull expression. "Axel."
"Axel huh… that's a name you don't hear in Belmon." Hector grinned. "Well then, Axel—welcome to the family. Come on, let's get you inside."

As they walked toward the door, Axel cast one last glance over his shoulder, staring at the spot where he had been sitting—almost as if someone else had been there. Then he turned back and followed Hector inside to begin his registration.