Chapter 1- He is Ivagi!

Ivagi sat by the willow tree as usual. He was an orphan, and the only place he could call home was the slums. He didn't know his parents nor his relatives. Even so, he continued to live and struggle each day.

He attended a nearby school operated by the city council. Ivagi didn't have many friends and was frequently bullied. He wanted to become a grand scholar and live in the cities. Everyone around him thought of him as a nuisance, but he didn't mind since he was a loner anyway.

"This time I will earn more than three silvers for sure—it'll be enough for a few days' food," Ivagi exclaimed. He had been living in a small, rundown shed and spent most of his time begging for food. This time, he had collected a lot of trash and was heading toward the recycle shop to get some change. Just as he was happily walking down the street, a few familiar faces showed up.

"Look who we have here now," a man with an intimidating gaze coldly snorted. He had a big physique and was covered in scars. "This kid again—hey, let's do something fun, boss," said a guy wearing a beanie. "Yeah! Let's have some fun," added two other guys beside him. Ivagi frowned, and his scalp tingled at their words.

He tried to slowly move out of the way, but one of the guys blocked his path. He quickly said, "Please, can you guys not bother me? I have some work to do." Receiving no reply, he distanced himself a few feet away, but the leader rushed toward him and threw a jab at his face. Ivagi fell instantly. "Work, you say? What work does someone like you even have, you stupid runt?" the leader sneered.

They were among the bullies who frequently beat up Ivagi and enjoyed causing him trouble. He was thrown around like a stray dog, and the group beat him to a pulp. It wasn't that Ivagi hadn't complained about this to others—the bullies had powerful backing and considerable influence. If he did complain to the police, he would face huge consequences.

Ivagi got up and limped back to his shed. He at least managed to earn some silver and buy a little food. It was raining that night, so Ivagi was cold and wet. He looked out the window; the lone bulb in his room emitted only a faint glow. Ivagi sighed and stared at the bright moon. "This can't keep going on for long. I have to find a stable job and a proper shelter, or else I'll end up on the streets. Sister Erza won't be able to keep supporting me for much longer," he murmured to himself. Just as he was about to head to bed, he heard a howl outside his door, and the surroundings suddenly fell silent.

Ivagi slowly moved toward the wooden door. He peeked through the gap but found nothing unusual. He turned around, about to head back, when he suddenly heard an ear-piercing screech—and he started bleeding from his ears. Panicked, Ivagi ran to his bed and grabbed a sickle. Sweat dripped down his face. It was completely silent, yet he could hear his own heartbeat. Then he heard footsteps outside his door. Clutching the sickle tightly, he moved slowly toward the door, opened it, and stepped outside.

He looked around, but just then someone struck him on the back of the head. Ivagi's eyes slowly closed as he saw two dark silhouettes conversing with each other.

When he woke up, he was back inside his shed—it was already morning. He quickly went outside to survey his surroundings and found blood and strange black markings on the ground. This confirmed that what he had seen the previous night wasn't a dream. At the park, he discovered a huge crowd amid sounds of whimpering and screaming. "How could this happen to my child?" a woman cried, tears streaming down her face.

"This matter is definitely concerning; we have to take a closer look. I'm sorry, ma'am, but unfortunately there's nothing we can do at the moment," said a man in a white suit as he comforted her. Ivagi made his way through the crowd and saw three heads impaled on a rusty spike. His pupils shrank when he realized that the three heads belonged to his bullies.