It

The next day, morning.

Ivy wordlessly stared into the light-blue sky, the people in the streets also followed his actions.

Did the kid spot something?

They asked themselves.

Ivy's eyes squinted, and so did theirs.

"A…"

The crowd of people squinted their eyes further, their pupils barely visible.

"Aaa…."

Their heart knotted, brains racked for an answer, curiosity itched in every cell of their body.

"Aaachooo!!"

Ivy sneezed, unaware of the irritated gazes. He hummed as he continued his stroll, the peoples instead, were sighing in unison.

Channeling Mana into his eyes, Ivy was able to see further and was able to detect the life forces of people. He detected the Noble shop owner that he previously stole from, walking behind him.

'Fucking hell'

Ivy inwardly cursed. He could feel the hostility coming from the man behind, quickly turning inside an alleyway, Ivy walked until he was deep inside the alley.

The smell was horrible, he dodged the garbage and rotten food as he walked to a dead end.

"Kid… return my money, and we can forget about the past… or else"

Ivy did turn back, he channeled Mana into his nails, sharpening them with each passing second.

"Or else?"

The owner was taken aback by the reply, it seemed the kid wasn't afraid of him.

'That's odd… wai-'

The Noble was cut off short as the kid suddenly disappeared. Left, right, up, down, he gazed everywhere, but the kid was nowhere to be seen.

'What the fuck is happening? First, a commoner rat steals from me… a fucking 2-year-old at that!! Now he sudd-'

He was cut again as he felt something hot run down his chest, looking down, his pupils shrunk at the sight of blood.

His pupils shrunk again noticing a small hand withdrawing. The noble was about to speak, but was stopped as he vomited blood.

Gazing back, the last thing he saw was the kid, his face and hands covered in his blood.

Thud.

The corpse fell, not even getting the chance to scream for help or utter any final words.

Ivy looked at his own hands, then the corpse.

'I feel… nothing?'

Maybe it was because he wasn't attached to human beings, or that he lacked sympathy, empathy, or anything similar.

'I don't know if it's normal… but, this is for the better'

Ivy knew power didn't come without sacrifice, may it be lives, pain, joy… but precisely because he knew that, he closed his heart to it.

'For every life I take… I must be ready for mine to be taken as well'

Ivy steeled his resolve, his eyes dimmed. Conjuring water, he cleaned himself and dried using wind before exiting the alleyway.

Of course, he didn't forget to disintegrate the corpse using fire magic, turning it to ashes.

He appeared calm and collected, and he was. Ivy used shadow steps to sneak inside the dead Noble's shop through the window.

Fortunately, the shop was empty. He opened the drawer, collecting all the money. Scanning the shop and the surroundings once more using his Mana-empowered eyes, he sneaked back using shadow steps to his home.

On his way, Ivy stole some bread loaves, potatoes, carrots, and salt.

Where did he store it?

Well, Ana had a side bag, he borrowed it just for trips like these. After getting back home, Ivy placed them under a tree as he always does.

His parents assumed that someone had been giving them food and money. The reality was that Ivy was stealing them and keeping them every day, they could now eat three meals every day with his help.

His body needed nutrition, so he had no choice but to steal.

****

Inside the alleyway where Ivy had killed the Noble, two scarlet eyes glowed.

'Interesting'

'It' thought.

Even with Ivy's new technique, he was unable to detect 'it'. Reason? Unknown.