I woke up in an unfamiliar room. To my right, there is a boy with blonde hair who is sitting and reading a book.

I tried to get up, but the weight of my head pulled me back to lie down.

The boy diverted his attention from the book. He looked at me with his green eyes that looked unfocused.

"Are you awake? Wait, I'll call my brother." He got up from his seat and went out quickly.

Meanwhile, I looked around the room which looked spacious, neat, and luxurious. Very different from my small house.

I thought about so many things that I didn't realize the boy was back with a teenage guy who looked similar.

The guy approached me with the strange tools he was carrying. "Hello! Have you just woken up? Does something hurt?" He asked while smiling harmlessly.

I just stared at the guy who looked like a good person. Then stared at the strange tools that he had brought.

He, who seemed to be aware of the meaning of my gaze, showed the tools in front of me.

"Did you know this? This is a tool to check whether you are injured or not." He explained while sitting next to me.

"Can I check your body? Don't worry, this won't feel at all. I'll just check the condition of your body and wounds."

With a little hesitation, I nodded, looking at the guy and the little boy alternately. The boy just stared at the guy's face blankly.

"Oh, by the way, my name is Neo Gregory. What's yours?" The guy, named Neo, was busy with his tools while occasionally looking at me.

I could only remain silent, shaking my head slowly.

"Huh? What's wrong? Do you not remember your name?" asked the guy again.

I opened my mouth, saying my condition slowly and without a sound.

"Why are you silent? Are you mute?" The boy blinked his eyes, which looked like they were looking at my nose(?).

"Rey, you can ask using more polite words." Neo looked at the boy named Rey intently, then looked at me with an awkward smile. "You said you lost your voice, right?"

I nodded.

"Since when?"

I talked again without a sound. But it seemed like reading my mouth was difficult, so the boy gave me a book and pen.

"You can write, right? It would be very troublesome if you couldn't." The boy muttered at the end of his sentence, which resulted in a smack on his head.

"I told you to change your attitude. With behavior like that, it will be difficult for many people to like you."

The boy held his head while wrenching. "I don't need to be liked by lots of people whose faces I won't remember. I don't like your behavior towards me either, you should change." the boy grumbled.

"I will change if you change your attitude." Neo sighed tiredly while packing up his tools.

I could only remain silent, watching their interaction until the boy looked(?) back at me.

"You haven't answered yet. Can you write?" The boy asked, which I answered with a nod.

"Write what you want to say," he said, so I looked at the plain little book that looked nice. It looks like it's made of expensive material. The magic scroll made by Father looks much different from this...

I realized something and then looked to my right and left.

When I couldn't find what I was looking for, I wrote it on the paper, then showed the writing 'Where is my father?'.

They were silent for a moment, then Neo explained the chronology of events.

Two days ago, precisely at noon, Neo and the boy were on their way home. They accidentally saw me sitting unconscious in a small alley.

Because they saw many wounds all over my body, they decided to take me. And when I was lifted, a piece of paper fell from my hand.

"Hm... It's better if you read it yourself. The bottom part seems important." Neo said.

So he gave me the paper to read. The paper is the kind of paper that my father usually uses. And the writing inside is my father's signature handwriting.

I began to read it in my head.

'To the person who finds this child. I'm-'

Before I finished reading, suddenly the writing on it faded and was replaced by new writing.

I was confused, thinking that this was the effect of me after waking up. But Neo's expression said that what I saw was not just a hallucination, while the boy hadn't paid attention and chose to read a book.

I continue to read the letter.

' -To Father's precious son

Darius, you still hold the book that Father gave you, right?

'

The first sentence of this letter made me stop reading and check my surroundings.

I took the book the boy was reading, thinking it was mine.

"How rude." The boy looked at me displeased.

After checking that it wasn't my book, I returned it and looked at Neo.

He looked at me in confusion. "What is it?"

I showed my letter and pointed to the first sentence in the letter.

Neo frowned and looked at the letter strangely.

"What are you doing?" said the boy. "Why are you pointing at the blank paper?"

Surprised, I looked back at the letter in my father's handwriting, then looked at the two of them in disbelief.

I took the book they gave me and wrote 'Where is my book?'.

"Book? Oh, maybe they're in your bag. Wait a minute, let me get them." Neo reached into the cupboard at the end of the room and then returned with Father's backpack.

Inside the bag were my father's magic book and the tools for making potions.

I went back to reading the continuation of the letter.

'If so, learn everything in there. Seeing how quickly you mastered the magic that I taught you, I'm sure that you will master it all in no time.

I'm sure the magic will help you get through your daily life without this Father of yours.

I don't have much time to write a long letter, so I'll keep it short.

Father put everything that you need in my bag, including money.

I will send you to random places because I didn't master teleportation magic completely. And my magic power is not that much, just enough to teleport you intact.

So, wherever you are, Father hope the best for you. Sorry, that I can't accompany you now, and maybe in the future.

I know that being alone in a strange place is not easy. But I also know that Father and Mother's precious child are very smart and reliable.

I hope you can survive until we can meet again.

I'm sorry for making your life difficult. Understand that Father has no other choice.

Be careful and take care of yourself. I love you very much, Darius.

-father who always loves you '

I closed the letter with mixed feelings. Then I checked all the items in the bag. My attention was drawn to the money bag there.

Inside it contained a lot of coins which I'm sure was all the money that my father brought.

...What about Father? Does Father have the money and equipment to survive?

Neo cleared his throat. "So, do you have a place to stay?"

I shook my head.

"Then, do you want to stay here for a while?"

I thought for a moment, then wrote 'What should I do in exchange?'

"You don't need to do anything. Just stay here until you grow up."

I wrote again with curiosity. 'What's in it for you?'

Neo smiled. "This house going to be more lively?"

This statement(?) received protests from the boy. "I'm enough to liven up this house. Besides, you're rarely at home, so your behavior adds to the activities for me."

Neo smacked the boy's head. "You should be happy to make new friends."

The boy snorted in displeasure. And the debate went on for a long time.

I wrote something and stood up, then showed them the book.

'I'm grateful for the offer, but it's not necessary. Thank you too for taking care of me. How much should I pay?'

Neo frowned in displeasure after reading my writing.

"Hey kid, you think we brought you here because we want your money?" The boy snorted in annoyance.

I was silent, looking at him who called me a kid as if he wasn't a kid.

Neo flicked the boy's forehead. "This personality is what keeps you from making friends."

"Well, I'm sorry for being born with a personality like this." The boy rubbed his forehead in annoyance.

Neo just sighed and then looked at me with a small smile. "We intend to help you pure out of humanity."

I nodded in understanding. 'Still, I know supporting one person is a very big and heavy responsibility. I just don't want to be a burden.'

"...I'm impressed with you. Look, Rey. You should learn from him."

"What? Why me?"

Neo didn't pay attention. He squatted down to match our height. "Then, what would you do?"

'Maybe I'll go to an orphanage for a while. Can you show me where the nearest orphanage is?'

"Orphanage? Ah, I happen to volunteer at one of the orphanages housed in the church."

'Can you show me the way?'

"Sure, I'll take you. But we have to wait until sunrise."

I nodded, and then Neo lifted me to lie back on the bed.

"For now, you sleep first. I'll wake you up tomorrow."

I nodded again, then closed my eyes to fall asleep again.

The next day, the woman dressed in black and white woke me up and got me ready.

After that, I was taken to the dining room where Neo and the boy were sitting.

I sat next to the boy, and we started eating.

The food served was very different from the food I usually eat. In a better way of course.

Neo took my hand and led me to the carriage waiting outside after we finished breakfast. The gate guard bowed as soon as he saw us.

Not long after, we arrived at a church that looked clean and well-maintained.

We entered and were greeted by several nuns.

One of the nuns asked, "Oh my, what's the reason Mr. Gregory came here early in the morning?"

"Where is grandma?" he asked back with a smile.

"She's in the prayer room. As usual, she's praying. Maybe she'll finish soon. You can wait in her room."

"Alright, thank you."

Then we walk deeper. Along the way, Neo was greeted by many people

After entering and sitting in a room belonging to the 'grandma' discussed earlier, a woman in her 70s came. He greets Neo with a hug.

They talked about my plans to stay here. After they discussed a lot of things, which I didn't really catch because I was busy with my thoughts, they agreed for me to stay here today.

"Then I'll take my leave, please give guidance to this child." Neo bowed slightly.

"Don't worry, I will take care of him like the other child."

Neo smiled in relief and looked at me. "Be good here. If you have anything or need anything, you can tell Grandma. Do you understand?"

I nodded.

After that, Neo went back to his home, and my grandmother introduced me to the other children. There were around 20 children there.

The days passed normally at first. But that changed when one day I accidentally used magic.

As I was walking down the street, my foot suddenly slipped. Without thinking, I subconsciously activated my levitation magic to prevent myself from falling.

Unfortunately, a child who happened to witness the incident ran off and spread the word to other children in the area.

When the incident spread, the grandmother who took good care of me died.

As the story passed from one child to another, it became embellished and exaggerated.

Before I knew it, I was blamed for causing my grandmother to die.

And before long, they would move away from me when I approached.

Except for a few kids. They taunted me openly in front of me.

Those boys started physically attacking me when I didn't respond with the taunts.

And so we return to the story where I was thrown at pebbles in front of the church.

After they were satisfied with mocking and throwing things at me, they went inside and played with the others as if nothing had happened.

Little pranks like that don't bother me much, since they're just kids.

Moreover, the small wounds I got could be healed with the potion I made in secret.

At that time, I was about to enter the church, but I stopped when I saw a girl and a boy who looked almost the same. They were carried by a beautiful woman with white hair and a man with purple hair who was the same as me.

I don't know if it's a coincidence or what, the man's face is almost the same as mine, only his eyes are different.

I watched the interaction between the four of them intently, especially that woman. And not long after, it seemed like the woman felt my gaze so she looked at me.

I was surprised. I quickly ran into the church and closed the door.

I don't know why I reacted like this.

My whole body responded loudly.

My blood felt like it was rising to my head.

My hands and feet were shaking.

And my throat feels tight.

I opened my mouth and took a deep breath.

"Aah..?"

...

I was stunned.

My voice was heard, even though it was small.

In disbelief, I tried to speak again.

"Aa... Fa-ther." my voice was very small, a little strangled, and couldn't get any louder or faster than that.

I'm confused...

What's wrong with me? How did I get my voice back out of nowhere?

...

...could it be because of that woman who looks a little like my mother?

I was silent, hearing my heartbeat pounding loudly in my ears.

At that moment I thought, is it true that my voice came back because of that woman?

The only way to prove it is to approach the woman.

But... how?

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock.

"Excuse me? Is there anyone?" The woman's soft voice could be heard behind the door.

I looked around and there was no one there.

Ah... what should I do?

Should I open it?

Then what?

What should I do next?

The knocking could be heard again. "Excuse me?"

I took a deep breath and opened the door while looking down.

"Oh? Hello!" The woman's voice seemed cheerful, making me a little nervous.

Suddenly the little girl's voice interrupted. "mommy, look."

Not long after, the woman gasped in surprise. "What happened? Why are your hands and feet bruised?" She bent her knees slightly and held my hand which was on the doorknob.

I withdrew my hand, hiding it behind my body.

I shook my head as if saying it was nothing. "What... do you need..." I said as smoothly as possible.

"Uhm... I'm just curious. Do you live here?"

I nodded, still looking down while slightly closing my eyes.

"I see... May I know your name?"

I was silent for a moment. Taking a deep breath so that my voice can be heard. "Da-rius."

"What are you doing?" The man approached the woman. His feet stopped when he stood next to the woman.

"Oh, Ari. Look at this kid, he looks like you."

Suddenly the little boy chirped with his cute voice. "Dad is cheating?"

The woman laughed. "Oh my, where did you learn that word darling?"

"Uh- Lania taught me."

Meanwhile, the little girl's sweet voice was heard. "What is cheating?"

The man sighed. "You shouldn't push the blame on your sister."

The woman laughed again. "It looks like I have to limit Valius' reading books. And he's not wrong, Ari. You admitted it yourself at that time."

"B- but I didn't mean to." the man sounded nervous.

"Well, it's still the same. By the way, look at this child. Maybe he's yours?"

"Wait, we have the same hair, but he looks bigger than he should."

"Hm... You said your name was Darius, right? How old are you?"

I was silent, digesting their conversation earlier.

Do they think I'm that man's son?

...is this my chance? Should I tag along?

"Darius..? Child? Are you okay?" asked the woman when I didn't answer for a long time.

I steadied myself and changed my eyes to black, like that man. I also changed some of my facial features slightly to resemble him.

I raised my head and looked at the four people in front of me. "7... years.."

"Oh my... Ari, you saw that, right?"

I clenched my fists, a little nervous.

Please, go according to my thoughts...

"Yes, I see it well."

"Well, I don't know if he's your blood or not, but he definitely looks a lot like you. I don't want to let him stay here and get beat up like that."

The man looked at the woman with a complicated expression.

The woman put down the girl she was carrying and then squatted down. "Darius, would you like to stay with us? I promise we'll treat you well. You will get warm foods, comfy bed, big room, and many things."

That question made my heart beat fast again.

With a heavy heart and a little hesitant, I nodded, making the woman smiling happily.

And that's how I first became part of the Alfaret family.

Since then my voice has returned little by little. And soon, I could speak fluently, without faltering.

Although it is very unfortunate that in the middle of the process, the woman died.

I started to think that the rumors about me being the cause of the deaths of women around me and bringing bad things to my father were true.

And so... I tried to stay away from them after that woman died.

The situation at this house was not the same as before.

Even so, the boy who looked very devastated by his mother's death began to behave more maturely.

With great effort, he tries to unite this family so that it doesn't split up like strangers.

He tried so hard that I don't know when I got carried away with his plot.

It's the same case for the head of the Alfaret family. Although still a little stricter than usual with his two children.

Meanwhile, the boy's twin girl behaves oppositely and is very childish.

Sometimes that girl annoys me with her little tantrums. She even touched something that belonged to my father and played with it until it almost broke.

But I let it loose when I knew she would sneak out in the middle of the night and apologize in front of my room.

It's cute...

Though I didn't just let her go with that. Sometimes I'd play little pranks on her too. Her reaction was cute and funny, although I would never admit it.

And that is my relationship in the Alfaret family to this day. This family is a little chaotic, and a little funny.

On the bright side, it's not boring here.

Ah... about me being recruited by the crown prince is another story.

And I still haven't given up on meeting my father and hearing the answer to my question.