Black String of Fate

Chapter 23: Fateless (2)

"Big brother Xavier, what are you doing here?"

Out of the shadows emerged a boy of about 9 years, having the same features as Xavier's current body. His clothes also looked ragged, and his body was also emancipated, but it was not as bad as Xavier's.

'A child? Did this child just call me big brother? Is he the younger sibling of this body?'

Xavier was lost in his thoughts as the child approached him. He looked visibly concerned, as Xavier was looking at him with a confused gaze.

"Are you okay, big brother? Those thugs must've hit you in the head, you should take it easy for today. Come on, let's go home." The child said with concern, and Xavier could do nothing but nod.

'Let's just go along with what's happening, but I must keep my guard up in this damn trial at all times.'

The child exited the alley with Xavier tagging alongside him. He was silent the whole way, which made the atmosphere awkward. Xavier knew it would be better to clear a few suspicions, so he started the conversation.

"My memory is all jumbled up right now, they did hit pretty hard... It'll take me a few days to be normal, but right now, I don't remember anything."

The child looked back with concern as he asked,

"That's pretty bad, do you remember who I am?"

"Nope. I don't. I feel like I should but I don't."

The child sighed and said,

"I'm Luke, your younger brother. You have another younger sibling named Ava. You went out to get us some food, but instead, you got yourself in this trouble."

"Okay then, Luke, where are we?" Xavier asked his apparent younger brother, ignoring the slight cheeky remark he just made.

"In the slums of Windacre city, run by the Windacre viscount. You really got hit hard in the head, huh?"

"More of those cheeky remarks and you'll be the one asking for names, Luke." Xavier replied in an annoyed voice, which just brought out a laugh from the child. Xavier wryly smiled and continued walking along.

Soon, they reached the place where Xavier and his siblings supposedly stayed. It was exactly as Xavier had expected. A dingy, dirty box in the corner of the slums, offering them a roof made of metal trash somehow delicately balanced together. A really bad weather would be all it would take to blow this hut away.

The child went inside as Xavier followed suit. There wasn't much to see inside, except the smell and rat tunnels in the corners.

'This... really is abject poverty. They're living like animals, there's no semblance of a humane life. Why, though? Why is this child's family in such bad conditions despite having working hands and feet? Was he lazy?'

As Xavier was looking around, he found one corner far cleaner and well-maintained than others. There was a ragged carpet over there as a floor, and cotton bedsheets stacked upon each other. A window nearby gave sunlight, with a dirty cloth acting as a curtain. It was the only neat and somewhat livable area in the hut.

On the bedsheets lay a small sickly girl asleep with hardly any hair on her head. She looked somehow even more emancipated than Xavier, there were dark spots on her skin which indicated a deadly disease. Xavier, despite her looking like that, felt no repulsion, just pity. From what he put together, it was this body's sister.

"Ava, we're back." Luke greeted the young girl, who in response turned her head and woke up.

"Oh, big bro Luke, big bro Xavier, welcome back." Ava smiled as she welcomed them home with her raspy but warm voice. Xavier smiled back, though his inner thoughts were bittersweet.

'I feel kinda guilty to be receiving this treatment, I don't even know these children...'

Xavier was looking around the house when suddenly, Ava asked a question that sent the whole room into silence.

"So, big brother Xavier, those thugs stole the fruits today too, huh? Those bastards..."

Hearing that, Xavier stopped in his tracks and went dead silent. Those fruits that were just lying around when he woke up, he finally connected the dots.

"Hey, Ava, I told you not to bring that up..." Luke was interjecting but stopped when he saw Xavier's ghastly face. It looked like he was caught red-handed doing a shameful crime.

'Fuck... Those fruits were for these children. This guy had starved himself to feed his younger siblings. What... What have I done? I ate the fruits he risked his life for, meant for his dying sister...

Damn, what a fucking idiot am I?!'

"I-I'm sorry. I felt hungry so I ate those fruits. I'm really sorry." Xavier could only utter the truth when he felt the weight of his actions. He knew that he had starved a sick, dying child and wasted the hard work of a selfless older brother. He wasn't good when confronted in such a way.

'I'm sorry, other Xavier. It's no surprise if they'll hate me after this. Familial bonds do not last in the slums, even if she doesn't say anything, this will create a rift in their pure bond... Just because of me, just because of another one of my careless fuck up... I did it again, I messed everything up again... I hate this...'

"Big brother Xavier." Ava called out to Xavier, but he couldn't look up. How could he now look at her eyes? He wasn't sure if he could bear the look she would give.

"..."

"Big bro."

Ava called out once again, with a certain compelling tone that made Xavier make eye contact. When he saw those eyes, he felt like he had been hit deep and true.

Those eyes held no anger, no regret. There was only forgiveness and relief in those eyes.

"Thank god at least you ate those fruits. I've been worried sick by the way you've been starving yourself since this drought came about. I'm relieved that you are starting to care a little more about yourself."

"I-I..." Xavier was stunned silent, his words not forming and coming out of his mouth. This was not what he expected at all.

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything. It's okay to be a little selfish. Moreover, it's just one day! You don't eat for many days, why can't we abstain for one day?" Ava said this to Xavier with a bittersweet smile, as if understanding the internal struggle Xavier was going through.

'H-How is this possible? You are not like the hero... You don't have any comfort in your life to be able to speak from a point of empathy. You are just a starving, sick child in the slums who can die any day. I would not blame you if you resent me but... how can you be so altruistic?'

Xavier was overwhelmed by the way Ava had reacted. He had seen charitable and altruistic people, the hero was one of them, but they lived in the comfort of being able to afford to care about others. This was a child who grew up in the darkness of the world, it was unbelievable for Xavier to see someone capable of such a heart.

"Big bro, come here." Ava gently said, and Xavier absent-mindedly walked up to her. He bent down to be face-to-face with the sickly child, and he saw nothing but love and care.

Ava smiled and embraced Xavier, patting his head with her bony hands. They were rough and cold, but Xavier felt their warmth.

"I'm telling you, it's okay. You already do so much. I'm already happy that you still feed a dying girl like me..." Ava said this, and hearing that, something broke inside Xavier. He never knew he could feel such emotions, but it was painful. Far more painful than any wound he had suffered.

A tear had fallen from the eyes of the great Demon King, after a long, long time.