Ezekiel

[Portia's POV]

He is Ezekiel.

He is the same Ezekiel from my previous life. Memories about Kiel flow fast inside my head. From the first time we met, the days we spent in the slums together, until the last night I saw him before Kiel was found dead the next morning.

There has never been an investigation into Kiel's strange death. The trooper who was in charge of investigating the crime said that Kiel got attacked by some gangsters and died. But, even I, who was almost going insane, could not believe that inconsequent statement. From what I know about him, Kiel almost never provokes a fight with someone else. He was a kindred spirit, just like Diane.

Moreover, Kiel was not a noble or rich merchant. So, what was the point of the gangster attacking him when he did not even have anything to be robbed?

Even though I begged and knelt in front of them—the trooper—to continue the investigation, it was still rejected.

"Look, he's dead! Stop making a fuss, and let him rest in peace! Stop adding useless problems to us. We've been very busy." The chief trooper's words made me realize that they would not bother to help people from a lower class. I even tried to seek help from the underworld guild at that time until an illegal oracle. Still, all of them refused to help me because there were no more details about Kiel's true identity. I just know him as a kind and caring man from the slums. Nothing more.

After six months of struggle without a clear result, I decided to give up and accepted Kiel's death. Even though I knew that everything would never return to normal after his death. Kiel left me right when I was twenty years old, one year before I chose to throw myself into a raging fire because I gave up on everything.

"I said … don't talk bad about mother! You idiot thug!" Ezekiel grasps a wet soil on the ground and throws it into one of the drunkard's clothes. His face turns red from anger, and he moves forward to grab Kiel's hair hard until that poor child unintentionally lifts up from the ground.

"I'll kill you. I'll definitely kill you, son of a bitch."

"No, Ezekiel!" With alacrity, I pick a wooden stick from the dustbin and run toward their place. Both the drunkards and Ezekiel were surprised when see me run with a stick that I pointed forward. Using a few amounts of mana, I turn the stick into a huge sword illusion. "Leave him! Otherwise, I'll hit you with this sword!"

"S-Shit!"

"What's wrong with her!"

Those drunkards regain consciousness and retreat to the wall with frightened expressions. Ezekiel widens his eye and feels stunned.

Ah, that is right. This is the first time he sees me using mana. In my previous life, I never told him about the fact that I have sorcerer blood.

I can do this. I will save Kiel from this place and take good care of him so he will not die in a miserable way like before. At least I will look after him until Kiel can decide his future and live off his own will.

Even though it is not much, this is how I repay him after he is willing to be my only friend and always my comfort place whenever I feel sad.

"Leave this place now or—"

BUGH!

These damned pebbles! Why are you there, and why must you trip me NOW, out of all time?

Thanks to them, I fall to the ground and ruin my mana circle. The sword illusion also fades away. It returns to its normal form, a thin, feeble wooden stick.

"Huh … what the hell is that?"

"Are we imagining things?"

"Hahaha! I knew that we were too drunk, Dude!"

I hammer the ground with an upset expression written all over my face. Shit, it is a disgrace! I can not face Kiel's expression because of this humiliation. He must loathe me now!

"Hoi, hoi, look there. Ekhem, Little Miss, are you lost? Do you need this uncle's help to go out? Kekekeke."

"We can help you to go out from here, of course. You just need to do something for us. It's suuuuper easy, right?"

"Right, right. Kekeke. Just licking a lollipop. My bad, two big lollipops. Are you interested?"

Haha. Look at those shameless drunkards turning into predator wolves when seeing a defenseless little girl in front of them. They even forgot about their inhuman deeds toward Kiel, who is still lying on the ground, and approaching me instead.

"I refuse," I answer and get up immediately. Then I walk through them and approach Kiel, who is coughing blood. He struggles hard to move yet still tries to look up at me. Those sapphire blue eyes start to lose their shine. I do not know how much his suffering until he gives me that disheartening look.

I hold a hand and smile at him, "Hi, are you okay? You look so ugly, you know? Wanna go together and fetch some fresh air?"

These are his words in the past. He said it to me when finds me hiding behind a dustbin alone, and it is also the beginning of our friendship.

Ahhh, how nostalgic. I am quite curious about his reaction this time. Does he also feel the tingling sensation when hearing those words like me?

"Sorry, are you perhaps … crazy?"

"Eh?"

He's calling me crazy, isn't he?

"I'm not insane! Really! Not at all!" I scream with a red face from sudden embarrassment. Ah, shit, those words sound so cool to me. In the past, I responded to his words with sparkling eyes as if he was my saviour. Well, maybe because I did not have friends before, I turned into a freak that craved attention.

"Aaaaah! Whatever! Let's go from here and treat your wounds first." I pull Kiel's right hand and help him to get up. I do not know what kind of expression he has now. Maybe annoyed? Confused? Irritated?

Whichever it is, I will deal with it later on after both of us get out of the slums.

When we turn to leave, I stop because I forget that those shameless and stingy drunkards are still here.

Fuck. If I knew that things would turn this way, I would definitely bring Stenov here as our shield so we could escape.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?"

"Leave that boy here. We still have to play with him."

I hide Kiel behind my back. He is slightly startled by my action but does not refuse or protest. He simply follows my hands and hides there. His docile behaviour makes me feel relieved.

I straighten my back and put a stern look on my face. "You won't take him anywhere. He'll go with me."

"Huuuuh? Who are you? His family?"

"Hahahaha! He's an orphan, Dude! An orphan! It's impossible!"

They burst into laughter, which makes me get more irritated. I turn behind to see Kiel's expression. Is he sad because of their scrubby nonsense?

However, Kiel does not has any sad expression on his face. I only see anger in his look toward those drunkards, giving me chills.

'Kiel, I know that you're a kind and caring person. I don't know that you have a dark past like this."

He realizes my gaze toward him and looks back at me. I bitterly smile as if saying everything will be okay as long as he is with me now. I have promised to save him—even though I do not know how to do it. Well, getting one or two bruises will not be a big problem for me.

I hold his hands even tighter as I move closer to him and whisper, "Listen to me, I will countdown from three to one, and we will escape together after that. If they block us, you just need to push them as hard as possible and run into this alley's end. Understand?"

He opens his mouth as if he wants to say anything, but he has undone it. Kiel nods his head.

"Good."

"Hoiiiii! What are you guys so busy whispering about, huh?"

"Tch." I click my tongue in irritation. Can't they just go from here without making any fuss and let me save my dearest friend? Ah, I hate when my blood tension starts to rise because of fools like them.

"I ask you, what's your relationship with that bitch's son!"

"I'm his big sister, you scum thug! Let's go from here, Kiel!" Without waiting for their reaction, I pull Kiel's hand and run fast, using the gap between those drunkards.

We run through the narrow alleys and dodge the drunkards' pursuit. I hold Kiel's as tight as possible so he will not leave behind. I will not let him suffer again. Not when I am here. I will save him like how Kiel saved me in the past.

A bright light at the end of this road becomes our final goal.

Finally! The main capital road! They will have a hard time chasing us in the crowds.

However, before I can reach that light in my grasp, another thing comes without warning and surprises me.

A man is standing at the end of this road and blocking our path. He wears a black robe and silver mask framing his deep-blue eyes. Behind that robe, I can see a semi-formal uniform with a wooden sword embedded in his waist.

Wait a minute, why is he here?

Why must HIM, out of all people in this world?

WHY?

"WATCH OUT! MOVEEEEEE!"

He turns to me and widens his eye in surprise.

"Portia?"

Shit! Shit! Shit!

I can not reduce my speed because it is too sudden. I let go of my hand from Kiel—at least he will not be injured with me.

God, please save me this time. I am begging you.

BRUGH!