The Past: Lament and Sorrow

The heartwarming sun came to greet the villagers who were sweeping the yard, planting crops, washing clothes in the lake, and doing other activities. The morning dew brings cold, cool air blows. This is the most peaceful morning ever.

Fenrius walked happily on the outskirts of the village while searching for life. The peace of this village all depended on what he planted. What has happened, cannot be returned, regret is left behind, and improvements are made, as long as there is still time to do. Hopefully, today is much better than yesterday, he hoped.

"Good morning!" greeted an old lady sweeping the yard. “Fenry, thanks to the medicine you gave me. It really healed me, please accept this in return.”

“Just keep the money, Grandma, you need it much more than I do. I'm so glad I could help."

“The Divine always bless you, son.”

Fenrius continued his journey around the village.

"Hey, it's Fenry!" said one farmer, surprising the others.

“Fenry! Thank you for the food and money you gave us!”

Many villagers greeted and thanked him for his presence. He is highly respected like a child who brings blessings. Unlike most children's tiny hands, Fenrius' hands were calloused long ago. He knows the suffering of the rice-seeking farmers. If the harvest fails, then there is no food or money, that's what makes the village starve to death. However, he still has the heart of a beggar who is not arrogant. Never flaunt shiny things. Stand up for those who can't stand. Humble like a saint, fierce like a dragon, that's his life guide when he grows up.

"Fenrius!" shouted a boy from a distance.

While Fenrius was engrossed in a comfortable, safe, and peaceful conversation, a boy pushed his way through the crowd towards him. His friend, Dale, came suddenly with a pale white face, his eyes intense as if they had seen horror. His body shivered uncontrollably. He expected Fenrius to feel what he felt just now.

"What's wrong, Dale?"

"Come here! Follow me!"

Fenrius narrowed his eyes, starting to feel the same strangeness when Dale looked at him seriously like that, unlike usual. They went somewhere outside the village, up the highlands of Gronoa which could see the entire village of Nightville and its streets. On the plateau, Fenrius saw the corpse of a dead elf, the corpse of his own friend, Yaevin.

Fenrius felt Yaevin's wound. Yaevin's head was lumpy here and there until it doubled in size. There are scars all over his body. His warm soul had disappeared, now all that was left was his body which had stiffened and hardened like stone. A beautiful day turned into tragedy. Fenrius' hands, heart, and eyeballs trembled.

“This can't be… Yaevin,” Fenrius muttered feeling devastated to see his friend die in front of him. "Dale! Tell me, what happened to Yaevin!”

“I don't know, at that time I was still in the village, then I found Yaevin's body in the forest. It seems the Atria soldiers yesterday did it!”

Fenrius cursed angrily, he had a face like thunder upon hearing it, and was about to have the soldiers’ blood on Yaevin’s head. He took a deep breath for a moment to hold himself back. Dale who didn't dare to speak knew Fenrius was crying in his heart. It was possible that at the bar last night something was going on between Fenrius and the Atria soldiers.

“Dale… Call the others, we gather as usual.”

Dale ran back towards the village following Fenrius' orders.

*

A few hours later, through a narrow alley of slums to a dead end, there was a secret passage leading to an underground well. It was the place where the gang of orphans was usually held and led by Fenrius. After they heard the bad news, they were in a fog for a moment. Fenrius along with his other five friends discussed serious things about Yaevin's death.

"First of all, do any of you know where Yaevin last went?" Fenrius asked the others.

A girl with red hair, and clear eyes, raised her trembling hand.

"Kagari," said Fenrius in a low tone while looking at the girl's radiant face.

“Mmmm...,” Kagari was stunned for a long time. Her heart pounding, she stammered, "L-last time I saw Yaevin when he wanted to head to the forest to snoop."

“To be honest, I can't believe someone as strong as Yaevin could just die like that,” wailed Dale. “Judging by his scars, he seems to have been ganged up. Could it be that they already know our identity, Fenrius?”

Fenrius explained, "It's true that our children’s gang has been famous in various cities and regions, but this is the first time something like this has happened since we have been operating for two years."

“Fenrius, by the way, you give them too much food and money,” said his friend, Luca. “Are you sure the village will help us if something happens?”

"Necessity knows no law, Luca. I'm sure they'll help us in case we get caught. It could be another arrow in our quiver as a last resort."

"But this time it's different. We weren't caught, but killed in an instant,” replied Luca whose body shivered with fear, imagining it happening to him.

“Hey, Fenrius! I have an idea!” another friend exclaimed.

“Say it, Camus.”

“Let's do an interrogation of Yaevin's death in the next operation,” Camus suggested, surprising everyone.

“Are you crazy Camus? Yaevin is gone, it's clear the next cargo is a trap!” denied Luca.

“I will avenge Yaevin!” Camus shouted fiercely.

“Hey, calm down a little Camus!” shouted Dale adjudicating. “If we act without thinking, it would be tantamount to suicide!”

The atmosphere became silent because of Dale's shout which ended their bickering. Fenrius continued to hold his dizzy head. How many times had he suffered a loss like this? It's all his fault, he looks like he wants to bang his head on the table as hard as he can, he's always like that when he loses his best friend.

Fenrius' thoughts were all over the place. If it is true that the Atria soldiers beat him, it is certain that Yaevin refuses to divulge the identity of The Witching Night Boy. Yaevin must be tormented when no one can help. One of the torches had been extinguished, and there were only a few left, in the midst of the darkness of the Runeverse. Their emotions were carried away by the death of a comrade in arms.

Fenrius finally spoke up, “If we conduct an interrogation, then we must be prepared to kill the other soldiers. This will be very difficult compared to stealing cargo as usual. If stealing cargo only needs to get their attention first, but if interrogating the enemy, we must put all our strength into fighting. This plan is like a double-edged sword if we fail.”

They contemplated together. In this quiet atmosphere, Fenrius looked at Kagari whose body was constantly shaking. Her face looks as white as sheet. She must be very ill. The girl's tears welled up and then rolled down her cheeks. "Kagari? Are you okay?" Fenrius asked the girl who was the center of everyone's attention.

"Fe-Fenrius, when you're not around, it's actually Yaevin who continues to be a swindler," confessed Kagari in the midst of her sobs. “Th-there was one incident that the soldiers glimpsed at Yaevin's face. That's when Yaevin told me to keep it a secret from you guys…”

An immense nervousness shone on Kagari's face which suddenly turned icy pale. The girl sobbed, her hands tugging at her own hair as she said softly, “I don't know… I… feel… something bad will happen to us, soon… sooner or later…”

Fenrius felt guilty. He had just realized that he was an important cog in the machine of the children’s gang. To him, his friends were the apple of his eye. And if one of his friends dies, it’s like another nail in his coffin. Everyone held him accountable for whatever happened, but instead, he abandoned them.

A female Elf with long blonde hair uttered softly, “Friend… I think… I agree with Camus… I really want to avenge Yaevin.”

“Talindra? You too?" mumbled Dale.

“Actually, I still don't know why Yaevin could die like that. It makes me... can't sleep... We used to chase rainbows and laugh together a lot. At least I want to do something for him even if my life is at stake.”

Talindra's words seemed to open the hearts of others to stay together. Fenrius began to lament over something important to him. He remembered when orphans like them always shared food, always treated wounds, always sacrificed when they needed each other, they went through joy and sorrow. Two years ago, Fenrius was just a beggar who gathered them from various remote places. Even though there was no one who wanted to accommodate them, to Fenrius himself, fighting together in a cruel world was beautiful, they were very special.

Fenrius said in a serious tone, “To fight this world, we must stick together. If our friends fall, then we will help them, if our friends are killed, then we must avenge them. That was the reason why this gang was formed. And remember our shared ideals, we will definitely have the adventure to explore this Runeverse world together! That was our promise from the start. However, I failed to save Yaevin in his time of need. I have failed as a leader! Redemption is the only way to pay for it!”

They were reminded of Fenrius' wise words as a leader, then turned to each other, nodding their heads in agreement.

“Alright, Fenrius… What is your order?” Dale asked.

Fenrius put on a serious face and glared at his companions.

"Tonight... We're going to hunt."