The Thief King’s Heir

After the incident, Ru found himself in the hospital once again. This time, an old woman was by his side. As she claimed and documented, this old woman was Ru's aunt.

As soon as he regained consciousness, he asked, "Where did the red-haired woman with big boobs go?"

"If you look in your dreams, you will find her," the old woman replied.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Ru snapped as he tried to sit up, but the old woman struck him on the head with her cane.

Her eyes narrowed with irritation. "Speak properly to your elders, you rude, impolite boy!"

"This was supposed to be a drama, not a comedy," Ru protested, but his voice was weak. He hid under the covers, his face flushing with embarrassment.

Mrs. Chunhua, Ru's legal guardian, took her nephew out of the orphanage as her first priority. She brought him to her own home.

A small café and the two-room apartment just above it became two important places in Ru's new life. As he unpacked his bags and settled into his room, he muttered, "At least there's a place that belongs to my family."

"I'm glad you like it, sweetie," said that alluring female voice.

Ru immediately turned around, his eyes widening. The red-haired, sexy woman was standing in the doorway.

"You..." Ru said, stepping towards her suspiciously.

"I..." the woman said, licking her lips.

"Who are you?" Ru inquired, trying hard not to glance at her breasts, his cheeks flushing pink.

"I'm your aunt."

"No, my aunt is Chunhua," Ru objected.

He took his eyes off the woman for a moment. In that instant, the woman was replaced by the old woman again.

"Oh, come on!" Ru exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

The old woman grinned and asked, "Are you that stupid, child, or is it just me?"

"No, I'm just sleepwalking," Ru said, averting his gaze.

"Well, that's true," repeated the red-haired woman in that seductive voice.

Ru raised his hand in a halting gesture and said, "Okay. You're a witch, and you have shape-shifting skills."

"Oh, so you're not that stupid after all. Congratulations, dear," said the old woman and clapped with her pinkies, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"How much more are you going to insult me?" Ru asked, frowning deeply.

At that moment, the woman transformed into a cat right before Ru's eyes. And with a "meow," she leaped onto Ru's bed.

"I want that too; teach me," Ru said, his eyes wide with excitement.

The cat transformed into the red-haired woman while sitting on the bed. The woman crossed her legs and said, "Sorry, sweetie, you're not a witch."

"So what if I'm not a witch? I have magic powers too," Ru insisted, clenching his fists.

The woman indicated for Ru to sit on the bed and said, "Don't worry, kid. I'm here to train you."

"Really?" Ru asked, sitting down beside her eagerly.

"Of course."

"You won't sell me to a succubus then."

The woman burst into laughter. "Hahaha, I needed to laugh. Where did you get that idea?"

"A vampire I know told me," Ru said, looking at her with narrowed eyes.

"Puff! So you believe every vampire you come across?" The woman said, rolling her eyes.

"No," Ru said. "I don't believe in every witch I encounter," he added sarcastically.

"Oh, sweetie. Are you going to ramble on like this? We only have two years left. I say we make the most of it," she said, tapping his nose playfully.

"Two years until what?"

"The apocalypse and the game. Speaking of the game..." The woman paused and turned to Ru, touching his cheek with her hand. "Will you help me join the game?"

"Excuse me, this is the first time I have heard such nonsense," Ru said.

"You can, sweetie," the woman insisted, stroking his arm. "It's in the rules. Players can invite a friend to join the game."

Ru decided for the time that the woman was insane. He kept his words short. "Ok. What is your name?"

"Anaxarete," said the woman, extending her hand towards Ru's lips.

Ru stood up and declared, "I'm not a knight."

"Don't worry, my dear. To me, you're just a child, and you'll always be a child," she said with a soft smile.

"I'm not scared," Ru said, his eyes sparkling with determination. "But you say so many ridiculous things, and I can't understand it."

"Let's take this slowly," Anaxarete suggested. "You have to work at the café for me first. You know, I changed planets and my financial situation is not great," Anaxarete said, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll do it, but I have a condition."

"I know; I'll teach you magic."

Ru looked at the hand he was holding in his palm and said, "No, I have another condition."

"What is it?" the woman asked curiously.

"You'll give me information," Ru began. "For example, let's talk about this: my pixies or my daughters. And of course demons."

"Ah, you know your original," Anaxarete said and whispered with serious looks "The Almighty Ru."

Ru nodded.

Anaxarete stood up and walked around the room, explaining clearly. "You are the last clone of an ancient king on earth. When the time of judgment comes, you will unite with your original. And this union will allow you to be free again."

"The king, my original, is captive or prisoner. Which one? And why?" Ru questioned.

"Both." Anaxarete stopped in front of the window. "Your original is very powerful and uncontrolled."

"He must be a magical being, not a human," Ru muttered half-hopefully.

"We can call him the most talented thief in the universe," Anaxarete said and lit a cigarette. "Because he deceived many immortals and stole things from them."

During his interrogation, Ru stepped towards the witch and took the cigarette from her hand. "For example, who stole what from whom?"

"He stole a dragon's fire, a fairy queen's daughters, a demon king's heart, and a genie sultan's name." Anaxarete said, took back her cigarette from Ru.

Ru's mouth opened in surprise. "Wow!"

"I'm helping The Almighty Ru to keep his last clone alive until doomsday and ready for the game." After her explanation, Anaxarete handed Ru the cigarette. "The lipstick is stained, but..."

Ru took the cigarette, took a drag, and said, "It's okay, I like the taste of lipstick."

"You can steal my makeup," Anaxarete said, looking at him suspiciously.

"Absolutely," Ru said, quickly raising and lowering his brows.

"If you do a great job in my cafe, I'll get you some nicer ones and..." Anaxarete said, reaching up to check the earring in his ear and being surprised to find it missing. She then turned to Ru and gave a warm smile. "I'll be here to keep you safe from any demons and show you the wonders of magic!"

"Deal," Ru said, reaching his hand towards the woman's face and showing the missing earring dangling between his fingers.

When Anaxarete was about to take the earring, Ru withdrew his hand. "Let me keep it for now."

"Smart child," Anaxarete said, ruffling Ru's hair carelessly. She then left the room.

With more information than he expected, Ru jumped onto his bed and bounced with joy.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed, throwing the earring in the air.