— Yawn

  Waking up early in the morning, I had no desire to leave the embrace of my bed—let alone go to school.

  Rolling around several times in frustration, I eventually calmed down while staring at the ceiling. No matter how many times I looked at it, it soothed me; after all, it never changed—always the same, in a way both poetic and physical.

  Sighing, I thought back on the past few years. A lot had happened. For one, I had moved from Unys to SpeedWagon, now living alone, far from my family.

  — I bit off more than I could chew.

  No sooner had the words left my mouth than memories flooded my mind. It was back when I was in elementary school… I was one of the best in Unys—if not the best. Me, just a normal kid, managing to stand toe to toe with the geniuses from awakened families. I wanted to use that talent to forge my future, so I decided to challenge and defeat those geniuses—and I even succeeded, starting from nothing. With nothing but my talent and perseverance, I managed to win the Unys tournament as the grand champion, the greatest genius Unys had ever known…

  Those were the good days—except I was too greedy. I wanted to become better, to not stop at that small town. I wanted to stand at the very top…

  So I decided to come here, to SpeedWagon—the city where all the talents of the country of Yggdrasil gathered. And not just anywhere: the best high school in the country, where I had the chance to receive a martial art from one of the greatest geniuses Yggdrasil had ever known. And guess what? I lost miserably…

  Yet I didn’t give up. On the contrary, I kept pushing myself all the way until today… but I kept losing all the same. After all, just yesterday, Jack was chosen as his disciple and is currently beginning his training to inherit that art.

  — Was all of this for nothing?

  Lost in my thoughts, the alarm clock eventually rang, reminding me that I was supposed to go to class… Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be happening today.

  Getting out of bed and changing clothes, I went out for a walk in the morning cold. It helped clear my head and cool my thoughts.

  The sun, as usual in this cold season, was still sleeping in, and the city streets were eerily silent.

  The city, plunged into complete darkness, frightened most people—but I enjoyed exploring it at night, even if I had been scared at first too.

  Seeing that a few shops were open, I treated myself by buying beef skewers that I planned to devour at home. As I headed toward the shop, I saw in the distance two filthy children, covered in dust and grime, fighting a dog over a trash bag filled with rotten meat.

  Watching them, I thought they were pitiful. Their only merit was that they hadn’t given up and were fighting to survive.

  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  When they lost the battle for the food, the two fled from the vicious dog and hid beneath their makeshift shacks made from scraps of cardboard pulled out of dumpsters. The dog charged in and destroyed them, as if to show that they shouldn’t try to play tough on his territory again.

  Enraged, it even attacked them despite its victory, biting the boy who was shielding his friend. The grayish eyes of that boy shone with a piercing intensity—the look of seasoned warriors who had survived the battlefield of life itself. That gaze made me smile as I went ahead and bought my skewers, along with a large green scarf and a green hat adorned with a red feather.

  Life truly wasn’t kind to me. Fighting with all my strength against the furious dog biting into my arm, I did everything I could to protect my little sister, Liam, from that mangy mutt. To think it had even destroyed our home with winter approaching—on top of stealing our food…

  Suddenly, I saw the dog get sent flying through the air by the force of a violent kick. It was someone wearing a tracksuit, a large green scarf covering half his face, while a hat from another era hid the upper part of it. A red feather stuck out from the side.

  — Bad dog! We don’t bite children!

  In a calm voice, he scolded the dog as I took the chance to observe him. He was tall—almost as tall as most adults. But judging by his voice, he was young, and sharp red eyes gleamed in the shadows beneath his hat…

  — Are you kids okay?

  He asked as he lowered himself to our level. He was… kind?

  Yet I couldn’t help but be wary, because in this world, kindness often meant hidden intentions.

  — Leave us alone, or we’ll call the police!

  I shouted, hoping to draw a crowd and scare him off—but instead, he laughed, strangely melodious.

  — You kids are funny. Especially you, little guy. What’s your name? Me, I’m Peter Pan.

  Eyeing the person in front of me with suspicion, I wondered what kind of weirdo I was dealing with.

  — Leave us alone!

  I yelled again, shielding my sister.

  To think this kid is so distrustful of his savior… He’s exasperating—but at least he seems worth it.

  Looking at them more closely, they were both adorable, and above all, their golden eyes were truly mesmerizing.

  — I will—if you tell me your names!

  I laughed at him, but he took it seriously and answered instantly.

  — Liam and Lia! Now go away.

  Sighing at the boy’s aggressive response, I could only observe them carefully. The older one, Liam, looked about six or seven years old, while his little sister seemed around three.

  — You’re no fun.

  I said, tossing him my bag of skewers, nearly knocking him over as his sister helped him stay on his feet.

  I then took the opportunity to rebuild their little house—this time sturdier and bigger.

  — What are you doing to our house?!

  He yelled at me just as I finished.

  — Show some respect for your elders, kid.

  I scolded him, turning toward their two adorable faces.

  — Who the hell are you, anyway?!

  The kid was really on edge—it looked like he could kill me at any moment. Wanting to give them a bit of hope, I figured I might as well commit to the act.

  — Me? I’m Peter Pan—the one who makes all children’s dreams come true!

  No sooner had I finished speaking than I leapt with all my strength, using the perpetual cycle, sending myself soaring more than five meters above the ground. Using the alley walls, I bounced quickly up onto the roof of one of the buildings. I wanted to look stylish and give the impression that I was flying—even if it seemed they were more scared than anything.

  — From now on, you’re members of the Lost Children. I’ll take care of you starting today.

  With that, I left the scene. That day, I finally went to class—and in a good mood, no less.

  That’s how I met Lia and Liam…

  And how I led them straight into hell.