There were two children around Diana—about ten years old, dressed in grimy, filthy clothes, wearing cruel smiles on their faces. They were circling her, pulling her hair, mocking her overweight body. The street echoed with their laughter.

  But then… it was as if he had leapt out of the shadows. A scrawny seven-year-old child suddenly appeared. Like a knife slicing through the silence. Without a moment of hesitation, he jumped onto the neck of one of the boys mocking Diana. With his tiny hands, he brought down the child, who was larger than him, and began to punch him. The blows came one after another; each one was full of rage, helplessness, and savagery. There was something dark in his eyes, something that did not belong to a child. He was like a stray animal; an animal trying to claw back everything it had lost.

  The other boy had just made a move to intervene when… another child stepped forward. He was taller, calm, and confident. In his eyes, too, there was something that shouldn't belong to a child.

  “That’s enough. You shouldn’t make fun of people.” he said in a calm but firm tone.

  Then he gently grabbed the punching child by the nape of his neck and lifted him up.

  “It’s over, Raven. Let it go. Breathe.”

  Raven was panting, his eyes glowing with fury. His fists were still trembling.

  “If we don’t teach those bastards a proper lesson, they’ll be back! Always are, and you damn well know it!” he growled.

  Rex leaned in and whispered something in his ear. Diana could not hear the words, but Raven’s shoulders loosened, and his breathing slowed. Then Rex turned to Diana, who was still trembling. He held out his hand to her, with a fatherly warmth in his eyes.

  “You are safe now. There is nothing to be afraid of.”

  Diana wiped her tears with the back of her hand and took Rex’s hand.

  “Shall we take you home?”

  Diana gripped Rex’s hand tightly and nodded with determination. They started walking in silence. Raven followed behind, hands in his pockets. He looked like a vagabond trapped in the body of a seven-year-old. His anger had not fully subsided, but it was now under control.

  Before long, under the pale glow of neon lights, a rusty sign came into view: Bottle Bottom Bar.

  When they opened the bar’s door, only two people were inside. A woman stood behind the counter, and across from her sat an old man. The atmosphere was dim; the only light in the bar came from a faint lamp spinning slowly in the center of the ceiling.

  The woman heard the door open and screamed when she saw Diana. She rushed from behind the counter and ran toward her.

  “Diana! My girl, are you all right?”

  Diana let go of Rex’s hand and ran to the woman. They embraced—warmly, full of longing. The woman’s hands moved across her daughter’s face, then her eyes turned to the two boys. Diana was saying something in a soft voice. She pointed at Raven and Rex.

  The woman first turned to Rex with a grateful smile, then to Raven. There was both gratitude and curiosity in her eyes.

  “You helped my daughter. How can I ever thank you, boys?”

  She reached out her hand toward Raven’s head, but Raven flinched. He instinctively pulled back and pushed her hand away firmly. His eyes were those of a wild animal sizing up its prey.

  “If you can give us a bit of food or a few credits… that would be enough ma'am.” Rex said with a smile. But it was not the smile of a carefree child—it was the weary smile of someone who knew too much about survival.

  The woman was surprised by these words.

  “Come. We were just about to eat. Join us.”

  Raven waited for Rex’s approval before moving. He studied the woman for a moment. He did not sense any threat. He nodded.

  Soon they were gathered in a small dining room upstairs in the bar. The table was made of steel, cracked and heavily scratched. There was a simple meal on the plate: watery soup, a few pieces of stale bread, perhaps a bit of potato. Or something like potato.

  Raven attacked the food in front of him like a wolf. He was not chewing, only swallowing. Rex was calmer. He took measured bites, observing everyone out of the corner of his eye.

  “Which side of Delta-6 are you from, boys?” the woman asked, as she added another ladleful to Raven’s bowl.

  “We came from Delta-1.” said Rex, winking at Raven.

  The woman frowned, and the old man froze. His eyes were still fixed on his bowl, but his attention had sharpened.

  “You have come a long way. Where is your family?” the man finally asked.

  Rex answered with a smile.

  “We are traveling on our own.”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “And where is the journey headed?”

  “We’re off to Delta-15. Our father is there!” said Raven, without lifting his head from his bowl.

  “You should not go there… I've heard that the war there is quite intense... The Circlebreakers are about to take the city...” said the woman, her voice uneasy.

  “Our father will protect us. He is the strongest merc–” Raven could not say more. Rex placed a hand on Raven’s shoulder and took over the sentence.

  “Our father is waiting for us there, ma’am. We have nowhere else to go since our mother died.” he said calmly.

  Then he stood up and gently patted Raven on the shoulder. After taking one last spoonful, Raven stood up too.

  “Now if you’ll excuse us… we gotta go. Thanks for the food. We need to find a place to stay and some work before it gets too late. I have to earn some money to keep this little goblin fed.”

  At that moment, Diana came running around the table. Her eyes were shining.

  “Work here! My grandfather makes lots of money. He will give you some, I promise! And we have a spare room, too!”

  Rex’s gaze slowly turned toward the old man, Wilhelm. The man was still eating his soup. He had not even lifted his head.

  “If the younger one promises to eat a little less… you can both work here. For a while.”

  Raven froze. His eyes widened. Then he glanced back at Rex over his shoulder. Rex just smiled.

  The metal floor of the Bottle Bottom Bar bore witness to Raven’s early morning battle. The tiny, stubborn child wielded his mop like a sword, as if he were conquering the floor rather than cleaning it. He pushed it back and forth with all his might, each stroke a blow against some invisible enemy.

  Behind him, Diana waddled unsteadily, trying to keep up with her own mop in hand. She was slower and clearly struggling. Her curls stuck to her sweaty forehead as she gasped:

  “Raven! Slow down! You’re gonna slip!”

  Her warning came true almost instantly. Raven’s foot slid across a wet patch, and he tumbled into one of the tables with a loud clatter. For a moment, everything was still. But instead of pain, it was his pride that stung. He shot up quickly, scowling at the floor like it had insulted him.

  “I will defeat you… super-robotic… mutant… terrifying… monster floor!” he shouted, raising his mop like a battle axe and diving back into the fray.

  From the other end of the bar, old Wilhelm—face weathered by years and drink—watched the chaos unfold with a bottle in hand. As he poured himself a glass, he muttered:

  “That kid’s got a whole lotta nothing between his ears. And it’s growing, I swear.”

  Keira chuckled at her father’s comment as she dried a glass behind the bar. Watching Raven with a small smile, she said:

  “C’mon, Dad. He’s just seven.”

  Wilhelm snorted, tilting his head.

  “Didn’t look seven when he was going at those grown-ass men yesterday. And his brother’s like some old soul stuck in a kid’s body…”

  Keira rolled her eyes.

  It had been months since Raven and Rex started working at the bar. And with every passing day, they felt more and more like part of the place. Raven, especially, had a knack for trouble—last night’s scuffle was his twentieth incident by Keira’s count. But no matter how messy things got, Rex always managed to fix them. Calm, sharp, and far too responsible for someone his age.

  Just then, the bar’s front door creaked open. Rex slipped in silently, shrugging off his worn jacket. He looked exhausted—dark circles under his eyes, knuckles scraped and raw. But he still wore that same quiet smile.

  “Sorry I’m late.” he said softly, grabbing a rag and starting to wipe down the counter. His hands trembled slightly as he worked, and Keira noticed the fresh cuts on his fingers.

  Before long, the day’s first customers wandered in. Same tired faces, same cheap drinks. Raven and Diana disappeared upstairs into the living quarters. Rex stayed behind the bar with Keira, serving with practiced ease. Wilhelm took his usual seat in the corner, silent, his rusted old rifle resting across his lap like a loyal pet.

  Up on the rooftop, a different kind of battle was playing out.

  Raven moved through the neon-tinted shadows with quick punches and sharp kicks. His feet struck the ground with purpose—jump, spin, land, repeat. His breath was loud and ragged, sweat dripping down his temple as he fought invisible enemies only he could see.

  Sitting nearby, Diana watched in awe, eyes wide with admiration. She had been copying his “shadow fight” sessions for a while now. So far, she could only manage a clumsy punch or a wobbly kick, but her determination burned bright.

  “That was so cool, Raven!” she yelled after he landed a spinning kick.

  She paused, then asked with wide-eyed curiosity:

  “Where’d you learn all those moves?”

  Raven threw a punch at the glowing skyline, eyes narrowed as the city lights bathed his face.

  “My brother taught me! And our dad taught him!”

  Diana nodded solemnly at the answer. She then raised a foot, trying to mimic the spin kick—only to nearly topple over.

  “No way a chunky thing like you can pull off my killer ninja moves, D!” Raven teased, basking in his moment of glory. He leapt and fired off another powerful kick.

  Just as he raised his fist to the sky for a finishing blow, Diana crept up behind him and gave him a small but solid smack on the back.

  “OW!” Raven yelped, rubbing his back. He muttered to himself:

  “This girl’s gotta be… some kinda super bionic monster…”

  Diana burst into giggles, delighted by the expression on his face. Then she offered him a can of lemonade. Her mom never let her drink it—said it wasn’t good for her weight—but Raven had been stealing cans for her from the corner store.

  Little Goblin Raven // BODYCHECK

  → Left pocket:

  ? A rusty toy soldier. (Missing its right arm, but Raven swears it has secret powers.)

  ? A crumpled piece of paper titled “TOP SECRET PLAN”. (When unfolded, it just says “DUMBASS”. Raven bribed Diana with lemonade to write it for her.)

  ? A messy piece of homework with crooked letters. (Keira gave it to Raven to practice reading. Still untouched.)

  → Right pocket:

  ? A small rusty pocketknife. (Only Rex knows it exists.)

  ? A tiny bar of soap from Keira. (Never used—Raven just likes to sniff it. For ‘reasons’.)

  ? A dead bug. (A big dead bug. YES, Raven absolutely plans to scare Diana with it.)

  Data logged. No escape. If you made it this far, Grimhaven either chewed you up or you’re just as stubborn as Raven. Comments, ratings, support… all sacrifices to the algorithm god. See you next chapter.

  Or not—depends on whether Raven survives.