4 years later.

  The crimson fa?ade of the sunset dazzled with a faint lustre as it gradually deepened behind the horizon. The mountains that lay like myriad specks of dust along the boundless sky extended their shadows, casting the darkness of their unfathomable silhouettes over the vast region.

  Far to the southwest, a solitary village glowed with the fluorescence of vermillion. A sudden burst of gale swept over a certain region within the village, scattering the detritus of the autumn vegetation along a dimly lit field; they floated in tranquillity before their momentum died out in front of a human silhouette who stood atop a slightly sloped hill. His light grey hair, which had a tinge of blue, flowed smoothly in the breeze and occasionally brushed over his small face, which seemed no older than ten years in age. His dull, violet pupils gave off a sense of precocious intelligence, yet they displayed emptiness overplayed with a sense of melancholy.

  He wore a cheap grey top and plain black trousers; a humble attire, but it seemed to fit him perfectly. His gaze pierced deep into the horizon and testified to the faint red outline of the moon, deep in contemplation.

  In a world where strength determined everything, the weak were destined to be looked down upon, bullied and were generally a laughingstock. The strong had power and wealth, and the weak were poor.

  The weak worked a lot harder than the rich by expending blood, sweat and tears just to afford the basic compulsions of daily life, unlike the strong, who merely needed to voice their thoughts to get whatever they desired in front of them. The poor were merely the foundation of the economy and power, a stepping stone for those above.

  As the flow of time lapsed, the boy continued to gaze at the fiery orb imprinted on the horizon until the sentiment in his eyes slowly closed, as though he had just finished collecting all his thoughts

  He finally stood up and turned in the direction of the village, not very far from the field he was currently in. As soon as he took one step, he heard several footsteps from behind him.

  "Hey, you!"

  That's right…

  Several kids, around twelve to fourteen years in age, all dressed in different coloured rags and holding wooden sticks, surrounded him. Their freckled faces showed contempt and disgust, as if the boy were a mere parasite who didn't deserve the blessing of life.

  The boy's face darkened as he voiced in a low tone, "The hell do you want?"

  Despite the fact that he was surrounded by a group of kids who were clearly expressing their ill intent, the boy's face showed no signs of panic or agitation.

  To his monotonous remark, the kids burst out laughing, but the laughter was suffused with fury and irritation: 'This little bastard has just learnt how to walk, and he's disrespecting his elders like this.'

  They then closed in on him, and as they did, the more they taunted him with their heights. One of them added, "Maybe we should teach him a lesson. It goes as they say. Discipline through actions is much more effective than words."

  "I see he's got a pretty nice-looking necklace on him, too." One of them stepped next to him and grabbed a hold of his crescent-shaped pendant and ran his fingers through it.

  "I heard he doesn't even live inside the village, but instead lives somewhere in the woods." One of them guffawed, "Why don't we give him a little visit..."

  The kid suddenly stopped talking. It wasn't because the boy had acted up, but he clearly felt a sudden heavy atmosphere. In response to his welfare being brought up in this conversation, his pupils suddenly displayed a glint of bloodlust and hellbent rage. The kids slightly trembled under his intense gaze, as cold and as profound as an implacable sheet of ice.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The kid smiled awkwardly and took a step backwards, "W-what are you..."

  That's right... The nature of most people is very simple. They are innately selfish and greedy, seeking validation yet lacking care for others. The moment they see an opportunity to glorify themselves, their primary instinct would be to take it, even at the cost of others’ well-being or dignity. And this instinct amplifies when they have allies by their side.

  The boy was out of breath, kneeling with what felt like sweat trickling down his face. His lips were slightly bloodied, and his dishevelled hair covered a fraction of his face, damp with perspiration. His chest undulated rhythmically as he finally staggered to his feet.

  Below him lay a group of knocked out kids, either bruised severely on their jaw or winded out cold.

  The ringleader groaned, lying on top of all of his fallen friends. It was clear the boy had saved him for last. With blood running down his nose, he inched away, "Y-you monster...!"

  The boy looked at him briefly before he turned his back on him. "Tell me something I don't know."

  With that, his figure shrank towards the village.

  Midnight. A small peninsula to the north of Grapefruit Village.

  The boy's shadow crept across the passing houses and lodges and continued further into the woods until he reached an isolated cottage, segregated from the rest of the village. It was quite similar to, if not slightly better than, the other houses. The boy stood in front of the door, then hesitated as he placed his hand on the handle before he regained his resolve and opened the door.

  A small dining table made of oak, two oak stools and patches of neatly trimmed vegetation in each corner of the hall. Down the small corridor, there were three doors.

  "Eclipse, you little brat. You've finally returned, huh?" A voice called out to him.

  Subsequently, a figure walked into his sight. A seemingly old man stood tall in front of him, his large muscles visible through his leather vest jacket. He had a small white beard on his chin, and his white hair was pulled back in a pompadour. Despite his age, he didn't look the least bit frail, and there were no signs of wrinkles on his body. His light-blue eyes exuded experience and deep wisdom, evoking a feeling of respect and admiration.

  This man was named Duozian.

  Seeing the boy standing at the doorstep, a look of relief flashed across his face before his complexion turned slightly stern.

  "Where were you all day, and what were you doing?" He asked, even though the bruises on the boy's face made it self-explanatory.

  "Hmph, none of your business." Eclipse dismissed him.

  Duozian sighed, "Listen, kid, when you're angry, stay silent. I know it's those kids that pick fights with you first, but you should never let them get to you."

  "What do you expect me to do? Get pushed around." Eclipse scrunched his eyebrows and growled.

  Just then, a small wolf cub suddenly appeared from one of the rooms and squealed delightfully before running up to Eclipse. It had midnight black fur and beautiful ruby coloured eyes. Despite being a cub, it had a mane and a scar across its left eye, which resembled a claw mark. Eclipse also smiled and knelt, catching the cub in his arms and immediately started ruffling him, "Shadow…"

  Duozian stared at the boy's carefree attitude before letting out a sigh, "Eclipse, just as you cannot see your reflection in boiling water, you cannot see the reality of the matter when you're angry. There will be a day when you understand all these things. Right now, you are just a child who has been adapted to this harsh reality."

  Eclipse sniffled and continued to scratch the cub's neck as it happily opened itself up for him, "There you go again, spouting nonsense that hardly makes sense."

  "You still need discipline, you noisy brat." Duozian laughed as he walked up to the boy and ruffled his unkempt hair, "For now, let's tend your wounds."

  "There's no need, this is nothing anyway." The boy muttered as he swatted the man’s hand away.

  Duozian walked up to a wooden chest at the corner of the room and opened the box. The fragrant smell of various herbs suddenly filled the air.

  "Here's another life lesson, kid: No form of harm exists in this world that should be left uncared for. Injuries can scale from something as insignificant as a bruise to something as fatal as severed limbs, but both of these injuries have something in common - to deteriorate one's health and performance."

  The boy sighed, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Go talk to the wall, old man."

  Duozian chuckled lightly before he went to the table and crushed all the herbs in his hands to a paste with a mortar and pestle, and continued fiddling with the ingredients in his hands for quite a while.

  Duozian, after what seemed like ten minutes, finally got up with a bowl full of green jelly-like substance, then turned around to apply some on Eclipse, but he was already fast asleep with Shadow curled up in his arms. Duozian carefully rubbed the medicine where Eclipse had been bruised. After he finished, he pulled a duvet over the duo. His aged eyes glinted with the crimson light of the moon as he deeply stared at the darkened sky above him through the window.

  He still remembered that night. A starless night just like this once, but the scarlet moonlight had illuminated the blood of a sole boy curled up all on his own in the middle of a forest.

  His gaze drifted back to the boy's sleeping figure as he muttered, “Such a tragic child…”