Chapter 1
But because he isn't used to the dark forest there, he tripped by one of the tree roots. But, he immediately stands up and continues to run even when his leg is a little limp. The moment he takes a glance behind him he could see a lot of fire from torch chasing him like a spirit that will take him to h.e.l.l. And with that fire, he could hear, "Find that little brat! We can't let that brat slipped away before he meets with his buyer!"
He continues to run until his leg refuses to run anymore. He feels the pain all over his body and falls to the ground. He then looks at his leg and punches his leg while saying, "Come on... Please... Move... Move... Move... I need... I need to..."
But his effort is meaningless. He could hear someone is near him and walking towards him. He feels like every animal and plants there are mocking his inability to find any help with every voice that he heard. He then started to cry, hold his necklace, and says, "I'm sorry... Sis... I failed... I failed... to find any help... I'm really sorry."
He looked again at the sky above him and prays to the star that s.h.i.+nes there, just like what his sister teach him when they are in pinch. He hopes for a miracle to help him and fulfill his wish.
Not long after that, raindrop starts to pour at the forest and he feels all of them as if the sky is weeping to his fate. And the moment he opens his eyes, he sees two unfamiliar people. One of them is a man around his 40s and the other one is a young man that
"Poor child, why are you in this forest alone in the night? You should know that the forest has a lot of predators that could eat you here."
"Ah... Ahhh..." answer the young man as he started to cry again at him as he can't hide his feeling to anyone there anymore.
"Hey... Are you alright?" asked the old man once more.
Not long after that, he felt someone tugs his cloth and looked at the young man that comes with him. The young man then says to him,
"Father, could you help him? I believe we could do something to help him? I feel sorry for him."
The old man nods after hearing his child kindness for the poor young man that they found. Not long after that, they could hear someone shouts about hearing someone crying at his location. So he stands up, prepares his staff, and says,
"Hmmm... It seems they are the predators that hunt you... They look really ferocious."
"Please... Save... Everyone..." says the young man.
"Don't worry... I will do that. Dimitri, could you look after him? I will do a little work here."
"I will, Father," answer Dimitri.
After hearing that, the old man vanished into the forest. Morning comes and the old man comes back with a smile. He says,
"The predators are gone, you don't need to worry about it anymore... I could say that you are safe now."
"What... about my... Sister?" asked the young man.
"Your sister? I don't know as there is a lot of people there." answer the old man with an apologetic face as he understands the situation.
The young man looked at his necklace and looked really sad with that. The old man then pats his head, smiles at him, and says,
"You don't need to worry about that. I believe if the wheel of fate permits it, you will meet your sister in the future. I believe that will happen to you."
"Is... Is that so? Will I meet her in the future?"
"Yes."
The young man still unsure of that and nods to the stranger in front of him. The old man then says,
"How about you live with both of us from now? I believe it will be livelier with someone of the same age as Dimitri, am I right? I believe you could cope to live together with the two of us and with someone of the same age as you, Young Man."
"Eh?"
"What do you think about it, Dimitri?" ask the man.
"I gladly accept it. To have someone that I could call as a brother and play it. I gladly accept that, Father."
The old man smiles at his son and then looked at the young man. He then reaches out his hand and says,
"What do you think about it, young man?"
"I..."
"If you don't want it, that's alright..."
"I will accept it... Thank you... Thank you very much."
The old man really surprised to hear and smiles once more at him. He then asks him,
"So, could you tell us your name?"
"My sister always calls me Volya, as I don't remember my name before I that after being sent to slavery barrack with my sister."
"Then Volya..." ask the old man at him.
Volya feels the old man pats his head and hear one word that he will remember for the rest of his life,
"What it feels like to be free from every shackle that holding you?"