"Sister!" Sera called out, running forward and throwing her arms around Seraphina in a tight hug. She barely reached the height of Seraphina’s thighs.

"Woah... I’ll fall if you suddenly come at me like that!" Seraphina said, laughing as she tried to balance the plates that wobbled dangerously on both her palms from Sera’s sudden impact.

Then her eyes found me standing there. "Rune!" she said, immediately setting the plates down on the table and crouching before me.

Her expression shifted instantly to worry as she lifted the white apron she wore over her otherwise full black church outfit. She reached out and gently rubbed my cheek with the fabric, trying to clean the dirt off.

"What happened to you?" she asked softly, brushing the dirt off my face.

My twelve-year-old self couldn’t help but grin wide. "I led my team to victory!" I said, my eyes gleaming with pride at the memory of our football game.

"He just doesn’t listen to me!" Sera cut in, pouting as she looked at me furiously, her little hands on her hips.

Seraphina sighed, but I could see the corners of her mouth fighting a smile. "What should I do with you..." her words trailed off as a small, warm smile finally broke through despite herself.

"Scold him! He just doesn’t listen!" Sera complained, tugging at Seraphina’s sleeve.

"Oh, come on! There’s not even a wound on me!" I replied, rolling my eyes upward dramatically.

"That’s reckless!" Seraphina said, her eyes narrowing with mock anger. She almost always took Sera’s side in these arguments.

"Kids should be reckless," a familiar voice came from behind me.

Before I could turn around, something soft, a plastic bag, was plopped right onto my head, blocking my view.

I looked up through the crinkly material. It was Brother Vol.

"Brother Vol!" Sera greeted excitedly, her whole face lighting up.

"Hey there, little Snow White," Vol said warmly, lifting his other arm.

"What did you bring?" I asked eagerly, pulling the bag off both his hand and my head at once. I placed it on the table and immediately hoisted myself up on my toes to peek inside.

My eyes practically glowed when I saw all the snacks he’d brought. Cookies, candies, small cakes, all kinds of treats we rarely got to have.

"Don’t listen to him, Rune," Seraphina said from behind me, though her tone was gentle and amused rather than stern.

I wasn’t listening to anyone in that room anyway. My entire focus was on those snacks.

Sera released Seraphina and moved over to Vol, wrapping her small arms around his legs in a hug. Her hands barely crossed around them as she squeezed tight.

Vol bent down and brushed Sera’s hair gently with his palm, his large hand practically covering the top of her head. Then he turned to look at me, his expression warm.

"Make sure to share it with your friends!" Vol said, grinning knowingly.

"Alright!" I said quickly, already grabbing the bag and starting to move toward the door.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Sera called out, releasing Vol’s legs and trying to run after me.

But then she stumbled, her foot catching on the slight ridge that divided the attached kitchen from the orphanage’s lounge.

My hands moved instinctively, reaching out toward her. But Sera never fell into them.

Vol caught her before she could hit the ground, lifting her up with one hand like she weighed nothing at all, then gently setting her back on her feet on the other side of the ridge.

"Sera, are you alr—" Seraphina started to say, concern flooding her voice.

But Vol spoke over her, his eyes turning to me. "Rune, your reaction speed is slow. She would have fallen before you reached her."

His lips were still smiling, but there was something else in his eyes, a slight serious edge that made me straighten up automatically.

"You can be as reckless as you want with yourself," he continued, trying to make it look like a casual smirk to the others in the room. "But make sure to be attentive toward the ones around you."

Now that I think about it... that tone had a lot of expectation in it. A lot of weight.

"Leave it to me, Brother!" I said, grinning wide as I puffed out my chest proudly. "I’ll take care of Sera, my friends, Sister, and the whole orphanage!"

The words came out so easily. So confidently.

Only for that same kid to commit suicide years later.

Sera immediately looked down at her feet, clutching the edges of her gown tightly in her small fists. Her face turned bright red, all the way to the tips of her ears.

Seraphina laughed softly into her fist, watching the twelve-year-old’s ferocity with obvious amusement.

"Good!" Vol said, laughing along. But then his grin turned playful, almost challenging. "But you can skip Seraphina. I don’t need you to take care of my girl."

His tone carried a mock challenge in it, like he was daring me to argue.

"H-hey!" Seraphina’s voice came from behind Vol, her face turning red as she clutched the edge of his sweater with just her fingertips, trying to hide behind him.

"Your girl...?" I asked innocently, tilting my head in confusion.

Vol only laughed harder.

"R-Rune," Seraphina stammered, clearly flustered now. "I’ll prepare hot water, go wait in the bath."

She tried to rush past us toward the back, but Vol caught her hand gently, stopping her in her tracks.

"Let me do it," he said, his voice softer now. "You prepare dinner."

"You sure...?" Seraphina asked hesitantly. She always hesitated when someone offered to help with her work.

"Yes, leave the heavy tasks to me," Vol said, rolling up his sleeves confidently and flexing his arms a little for show.

Then he turned back to me with that same grin. "Rune, go share those snacks with your friends. Your brother will bathe you today!"

"No way! You’re rough!" I protested immediately, already backing toward the door.

"Wha! this brat!" Vol laughed and started running after me.

I bolted, Sera giggling as she followed behind me.

"Oh! Vol, will you stay for dinner?" Seraphina called from behind us.

Vol stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her.

"What do you think I should do?" he asked, his eyes glinting playfully as he looked at Seraphina.

She looked down at the table, avoiding his gaze. Her cheeks flushed a soft pink color that spread across her face.

"You should... stay..." she said quietly, her eyes glancing sideways rather than meeting his directly.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO HER!"

I opened my eyes to that sound. Sera had the fifty-year-old caremother pinned against the wall, her hands gripping the woman’s collar as she shouted the question into her face.

I was still sitting in the same spot, my back pressed against the wall outside. I hadn’t moved. Couldn’t move, really.

Merin was standing before me, her expression bored, as if nothing happening here was relevant to her. As if this was all beneath her notice.

"Did you do it?" I asked, my back and head still leaning against the rough wooden wall.

"No," she replied simply, her tone as flat and uninterested as her expression.

Inside, I could hear the caretaker’s voice, shaking and squeaking under Sera’s grip. "I-I don’t know much about the details... I was told the previous caretaker died from suicide in her room."

"Don’t bullshit me!" Sera’s voice exploded with pure malice. A sound I’d never heard from her before, raw, unfiltered rage mixed with something deeper. Something broken.

"Where is she?" Sera demanded, her voice cracking slightly.

"I heard the orphanage is on the list of inquiry," Merin said from beside me. She sat down on the ground in front of me, crossing her legs casually like we were discussing the weather.

I stood up slowly. Blood Raven’s chain suspended from the hilt, swaying slightly in the still air, as I held it.

I walked forward and turned toward the entrance.

The scene inside made me pause for just a moment.

Sera’s frost mana had leaked out, completely uncontrolled. Ice covered the entirety of the lounge and had spread halfway through the kitchen. Everything was frozen. The furniture, the walls, even the air seemed colder, harder to breathe.

Lydia stood off to the side, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She was trying to hide it, but I could see the sadness in her expression. The way her jaw was set, the slight downturn of her eyes.

I walked past them both. The frost cleared away beneath my feet with each step I took, melting instantly.

I didn’t stop. Didn’t look at either of them.

I walked straight to the stairs that led upward, to the kids’ rooms on the first floor and the study on the second.

My boots thudded heavily against the wooden steps as I climbed. Each one screeched under my weight, the old wood groaning in protest.

I passed the first floor without stopping.

Behind me, I could hear the kids, their small feet rushing downward toward the commotion below. Their voices were confused, scared, asking what was happening.

I didn’t look back. I just kept walking upward as they ran down past me.

Finally, I reached the second floor.

I stood before the study door for a moment. Then I pushed it open and walked inside.

The room was quiet. Peaceful, even.

Before me sat a child, barely ten to twelve years old, with a book in his hand. He was seated at the edge of the window, his small frame silhouetted against the morning light that poured in from outside.

The light illuminated the entire room, soft and golden.

He turned toward me slowly. His crimson eyes locked with my golden ones.

His hair, golden, almost glowing, shone brilliantly against the light behind him. His features were partially blurred by the brightness streaming in from the window, making him look almost unreal.

"Brother Rune," he said.

His voice was normal. Nonchalant. Completely calm.

His expression was unreadable, his face blank and still. But his eyes... his eyes had dark, wrinkled bags under them, an odd, unsettling look on such a pale, young face. Like he hadn’t slept in days. Or weeks.

"Have you come to check how many are left to sacrifice?" he asked.

The words hung in the air between us.

He put his book down carefully on the windowsill. Then he stood and began walking toward me, his footsteps silent on the wooden floor.