Ren looked at the boy in front of him, then gently took the small hand and guided him to sit on an empty wooden barrel lying in the corner of the narrow alley. The air was filled with dampness and a thin layer of dust, but the boy seemed indifferent. His eyes still carried tension and guilt.
"Listen, kid," Ren began in a calm but firm tone, "no matter the reason, stealing is still not the right thing to do. Even if your intention is to help someone else."
The boy bit his lip, then looked down in silence. "... But my brother really needed that bread," he mumbled, barely audible.
Ren stared at the boy’s thin frame, noting how the oversized shirt hung loosely on his shoulders, revealing sharp shoulder blades. At that moment, his stomach let out a quiet growl—proof he hadn’t eaten in a while either.
"If you ask me..." Ren leaned in and spoke more gently, "the person who needs a piece of bread the most right now... is you."
The boy clenched his fists. "You don’t know anything..."
Ren raised an eyebrow, not offended in the slightest. "Okay, you’re right. I don’t know anything about your situation. But I can see. And what I see is a starving, skinny kid trying to save someone... while ignoring himself."
He stood slowly, then extended his hand. "So, why don’t you start by telling me? Who knows, maybe I can do something to help."
The boy stayed silent, staring at the hand for a moment. But eventually, he nodded slowly and accepted Ren’s offer.
"Alright," said Ren with a faint smile. "If you’re not ready to talk yet, that’s fine. But at the very least, let me give you a decent meal first."
They walked out of the narrow alley and headed toward the market district of Eks. Though the city was notorious for being harsh and discriminatory toward minority races, the market remained the most neutral place—because money talked there. Ren bought various food items: bread, dried meat, some fresh vegetables, and clean water. He also slipped two shiny red apples into his bag.
About fifteen minutes later, they walked back toward the original alley. Ren glanced over his shoulder to make sure the boy was still following him. The child looked confused, as if he still couldn’t believe kindness could come without a catch.
Ren stopped, then crouched to meet the boy’s gaze.
"Now, can you tell me... where’s your brother?"
The boy bit his lip again, but this time it wasn’t out of anger or fear—but from an overwhelming emotion he could barely hold back.
"...Follow me. I’ll show you."
Ren followed the boy through rows of rundown houses packed tightly together, their dull walls patched with burlap sacks and rusty tin roofs creaking in the wind. Even in harsh Eks, this area was known as the forgotten district. The damp air and wet earth mixed with the scent of old iron and charcoal—forming a bleak atmosphere that weighed on the heart.
The boy stopped in front of a dilapidated shack that looked ready to collapse. Without a word, he pushed open a wooden door barely hanging on one hinge. Ren ducked to step inside, squeezing through the low doorway.
Sunlight filtered in dimly through a hole in the roof. In one corner lay a young woman, disheveled and pale. She had only one arm—her other was severed at the elbow, wrapped in a grimy cloth. She looked drained, her skin ashen, and her eyes reflected deep, inner exhaustion—as if she’d surrendered to the world.
"Hey, wait..." Ren shot a look at the boy. "You didn’t mention your ’brother’ is actually... a sister?"
The boy shrugged. "Yes?"
Ren sighed deeply. "Never mind. It’s not important." He had no intention of debating gender titles, especially now.
The woman tried to sit up on the ragged straw mattress, stifling a cough with her only hand. "Ace... who have you brought here?" her voice hoarse but warm.
Ren bowed slightly. "Sorry to intrude, Miss. Your sibling had a small issue outside, so I helped him bring someone in."
"That’s okay, Brother Rumi..." said the boy, whose name was Ace. "He’s a good person."
Rumi gazed Ren up and down. Though her headscarf hid part of her face and beastman-like ears, her eyes were sharp, then she said flatly, "Hmm... you are human, right?"
Ren blinked slightly, but covered it with a faint smile. He hadn’t expected to be recognized so quickly, despite the scarf and ear disguise. In Eks, that should have been enough to mislead anyone.
"Your eyes are perceptive," Ren replied, half impressed, half wary.
Rumi raised one eyebrow and offered a faint smile back. "I used to be quite skilled at reading people."
"Ha. And apparently still am," Ren responded lightly.
She chuckled briefly, then a dry cough escaped—proof of her fragile condition. Seeing that, Ren pulled items from his grocery bag and placed them on a rickety wooden table beside the bed.
"I brought this," he said simply. "Fresh food. It should last you a week."
Rumi looked at the bag, then at Ren with eyes hard to read—curiosity, suspicion, and a timid spark of hope all mixed together.
"Why?" she asked softly.
Ren shrugged. "Why, you ask... Maybe because I believe someone can run faster when their stomach is full."
His answer made Ace frown in confusion. Rumi also stared at him, not fully grasping the deeper meaning behind that statement. And for Ren, that was fine. He didn’t want them to sense the worry he carried.
A few minutes later, the three of them sat around a simple meal cooked quickly: meat stew, warm whole wheat bread, and herbal tea from the local market. Though modest, the warmth from the food felt comforting to the heart.
After eating, Ren leaned against the wall and broke the silence. "By the way, I’m curious about one thing. Is it true... you once challenged Trek in a duel?"
The hut suddenly felt frozen. Rumi’s face stiffened, and Ace looked down with a pale expression.
Ren raised a hand gently. "I’m sorry... I know that might have been painful to bring up."
Rumi exhaled slowly. "No need to apologize. It was my choice. And every choice comes with consequences."
Ren bowed respectfully. "You were strong enough to admit it."
Silence lingered for a moment before Ren asked again. "I heard you were once a traveler. So... what places did you explore?"
Rumi’s eyes drifted to the battered ceiling overhead, as if retrieving a memory from long ago. "That’s an old story... But yes, I wasn’t traveling alone. We traveled in a group. Seven of us."
"A group?" Ren asked, intrigued.
Ace chimed in proudly. "Sister Rumi’s group was pretty famous, you know? They ventured as far as the Black Mountains and even into ancient ruins in the west."
Rumi nodded slowly, her eyes gazing far into the past, as memories began to surface from the fog of time. "We explored places no one wanted to touch. Dangerous lands, ruins filled with riddles, cursed territories... all for the sake of bringing change."
She took a short breath, then continued in a voice that was almost a whisper, "Because our hometown... Eks, is too isolated. Too stubborn. Our culture is hard for the outside world to accept, and that’s what left us behind."
Ren listened intently, absorbing every word with genuine seriousness. His gaze toward Rumi deepened, filled with respect and sincere interest. Within him, a growing realization took root—this woman was no ordinary person. There was a fire of idealism within her, even if her body had grown frail, worn down by time and wounds.
"Our group’s leader," Rumi continued, "once had a dream. When we returned, he wanted to open up Eks. To officially connect this city and cooperate with other regions—even foreign kingdoms. He believed openness was the only way for this city to grow, not just survive."
Ren nodded. "I can understand why... But I can also guess who stood against it."
"Yes," Rumi replied, her eyes darkening for a moment. "Trek. The Champion himself strongly opposed it. He said this land didn’t need alliances, didn’t need outside help, and refused to entrust our fate to outsiders. But I know... it wasn’t about politics. It was about the past."
"The past?" Ren repeated, trying to draw out more.
Rumi smiled bitterly. "Long ago, Eks was attacked by a human kingdom from beyond. They were enticed by the natural resources surrounding us. The forests and southern mountains held rare minerals and natural wealth they couldn’t find anywhere else. From the outside, this place looked like a gold mine."
She turned to the small window, its cracks forming a spiderweb pattern. "Back then... the world thought we would just surrender. But the opposite happened. From farmers to warriors, from children to the elderly—everyone chose to take up arms. They’d rather die with their heads held high than live in submission."
Rumi looked at Ren, her smile both bitter and proud. "They called us a nation of madmen from that day on. But we call it honor."
Ren said nothing for a moment, letting her words sink in. In his mind, he pictured hundreds of people from this small city fighting to the bitter end for the land they loved.