A few years ago.
A 17 years old male with deep blue hair smiled at a young kid with the same hair color.
Patting his head, he put on the warmest smile and said, "Listen up, Theo. Big Bro needs to do something and I can't return for a few years. I know that my Theo is strong and can do everything by himself. Big bro is enjoying your food, you know. That's why I know that Theo will grow up just fine."
The little Theo's face turned pale as he grabbed his brother's sleeve and asked. "Are you going to leave me, big brother? You won't come back like mother and father? Then, won't Theo become alone from now on? No! I don't want to be alone anymore."
He couldn't help but cling to his hand, not wanting to let it go.
"Listen to me, Theo. Your big brother needs to go. I need to fight against bad monsters that will endanger my precious Theo. You are smart, but if you find someone more important than your life, you won't mind doing anything for them. You are the most important thing in my life, so big brother isn't afraid to fight out there for a few years.
"Then, I can follow you. Theo can fight too! Big brother is the most important thing to Theo, so I want to protect you."
"Ahaha, thank you for the thought but hear me out, Theo. You can't go with me this time. Although it will take a bit too long, please believe in your big brother. I will certainly go home. You must take care of yourself, okay?" He smiled. "When I come home, I want you to welcome me with a big party. Can you do that?"
"Un." Theo wanted to cry but held back his tears, using all his energy to nod a few times.
"Good. If you find yourself in trouble that you can do nothing about, take this with you to meet someone." He took out a pocket watch and handed it to Theo. "Remember. Don't open this pocket watch unless you find yourself in a situation with no way out. You will know what to do and where to go as soon as you open this. Of course, don't use this to find your brother because you won't be able to find me."
"Un, Theo will treasure this."
"That's my Theo." He patted his head a few more times before rising to his feet. "I will be going now. Take care, okay?"
"Yes, big brother. Theo will always be waiting for you."
Theo looked at his brother's back until he couldn't see him anymore before locking himself up in the house and crying.
Crick, Crick, Crick.
Crick, Crick, Crick.
In a small dark room, Theo was sleeping on a broken bed. Next to the bed, on the table, was the same cylindrical device Theo took out yesterday.
He gradually opened his eyes and grabbed his device with sleepy eyes.
"Ugh, my head," Theo mumbled and opened his device to watch the morning news while preparing himself.
As soon as he found his usual channel, the device projected it on the air as if there was a television on the table.
"Eilric Group President Hans Eilric entered the fifth rank or the one we know as Supreme Rank in the age of 45. He is known as the father figure of the Eilric Group, but it seems he has been working hard not only to build the foundation of our economy but also the strength of our country. This is something to be rejoiced for."
"However, he himself said that his talent is nothing compared to his daughter, Alea Eilric. According to our information, she almost reached Champion Rank. We don't know about her current level, but we can safely assume she is above 130, only twenty levels short of becoming a Champion Rank."
"Many are saying that her strength is as strong as any prodigies all over the world. This is something that we should be proud of because big countries will begin to look our way and brighten the future of our country."
"It's true. Everyone holds high expectations of her. I can't wait to see what will happen in the next ten years or twenty or even thirty years from now."
Theo stayed silent when he heard the news before sighing. "She is lucky to have a wealthy family."
Theo let out another long sigh before walking toward the table, holding the neatly framed picture and putting it on the table. It was the picture of four people, all smiling.
"I don't know why I would dream about you again, big brother. But you haven't fulfilled your promise…Well, I can't say anything because I don't have enough money to create a big party for you, but I will be able to do it shortly. Since you haven't come home for years, I will try to find you. Father and Mother in Heaven must want to see our family reunite again. Don't worry. I finally have the chance." He smiled.
With a newly found determination, he looked at the long black coat next to his bed and put it on. He fixed his hair and tried his new mask, making sure that his hair couldn't be seen as long as he put on the hood.
After having breakfast, he left the room.
His apartment was inside a small and dark alley since the rent was cheap. Even with the money his brother left him, it wasn't enough for him to last until graduation, so he needed to keep living like this and used all the money to pay for his tuition.
When he reached outside, the only thing he found was filled trash bins. The rotting and disgusting smell filled his nose, but he only ignored it as though he had grown accustomed to it. He simply thought there was no different than having a monster corpse in the front door.
He glanced to the right, looking at the bustling city road. The plans should be perfect, but Theo took another few deep breaths before walking, visibly nervous from the thought of him failing the disguise.
He would surely be noticeable when he went there, but they would most likely think he was just someone who hunted monsters on the other side of the world. With that thought in mind, he finally stepped on the main road.
The floating cars and loud people's noises reverberated in his ears. The clean building and traffic filled his vision. He only shook his head and headed straight to the bus station where he could have a free ride, considering it was public transportation.
The stop was the same magic circle he went through yesterday. At first, he wanted to go to another city's magic circle, but he had no money to go there. Of course, there was an option where he could sell it on this side, but unlike the other side, the security was strict. The other side didn't have cameras covering the whole city and business, so his identity was safer if he did his business there.
Arriving at a similar white platform like the other side, he immediately climbed the stairs and headed straight toward the magic circle, ignoring the lake scenery that happened to be next to the platform.
He blinked his eyes, and the next thing he realized was that the scenery had changed to what he remembered about the other side.
There was no time to waste for him, so he began walking straight to the weapon shop he planned to visit. This weapon shop was not his usual one, so no one would know it was him.
After several precautions, Theo believed there wouldn't be a problem.
Even though it took him half an hour to walk there, everything felt worth it. He raised his vision, looking at a slightly better-looking building than his apartment building before entering without much thought about it.
As long as he knew that this shop had the credibility to pay what people sold and sell what people wanted to buy, he had no qualms about its appearance no matter how deserted it looked.
However, Theo found himself tongue-tied when he entered the building. Unlike his earlier expectations, the inside looked neat and clean. The white floor and wall had no dirt or dust on them, the weapons and armors presented themselves—hanging on the wall and not too crowded places indirectly told him this was the best place to sell something.
He searched for the shopkeeper and found him on the corner of the store, specifically on the opposite of the door, making one wonder why someone made this kind of arrangement since people could hide the weapon and leave without paying.
'Did the owner not think there is a possibility of the customers stealing his items?" Theo furrowed his eyebrows before shaking his head. 'No, I don't have time to worry about the others. I need to finish my objective as soon as possible.'
He walked straight to the counter. The shopkeeper was a bald old man, including the beard. Even though Theo considered him an old man, it wasn't like he had too many wrinkles on his face. In fact, he appeared like someone barely in his fifties.
"Welcome, young man. How can I help you?" He fixed his shirt and rose from his seat, greeting Theo with his warmest smile.
Since the other party acted this polite, Theo chose to remain as polite as possible to an old man like him. "Hello, Sir. I would like to sell something."
"Of course. We will buy everything as long as it's in our means." He nodded, feeling a bit happy with how polite Theo was even though he couldn't see his hair or face. However, he still managed to take a glimpse of the sparkling light blue eyes hidden by the mask.
"I would like to sell a Pure Stone Card." Theo took the card out of his pocket and handed it to the shopkeeper.
When he received the card, he furrowed his eyebrows and glanced back and forth between him and the card as if he didn't believe Theo.
"Is there something wrong, Sir?"
"No. I will process this immediately. Please wait for three minutes." He shook his head mysteriously before pushing the door behind him and entering the room.