FOUND |✔️

1.

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"Now off you go to fend for yourself, do not send letters unless you've found yourself a missis, my child. Go along, my blessings are with you." Marilyn stroked her grandson's cheek as she watched him load his luggage on the small carriage. The cool morning breeze ran through her clothes with a fleeting smile stuck on her wrinkled face. The old woman was finally letting her grandchild indulge in the world and it just felt like a whole new experience for her.

They both lived in the outskirts of Rivdin far from the King's palace residing along the well-known town. Not many knew of them, their presence appeared to be reserved. Marilyn's daughter, Brittany had passed away while having Devin. Devin's father was rumored to be an alcoholic who knew nothing of Brittany's pregnancy. To him, she was a use and dump, nothing to be taken seriously. The aftermath led to such disappointing results and now, Devin only knows of his grandmother.

Devin turns to face Marilyn when he finishes with the loading, "I will miss you grandmother, are you certain you'll be okay with Caesar? I could still change my mind if–..."

"Oh shut up you big baby! You're 20 for goodness' sake, Begun with your youthful life!" Marilyn assured Devin she would be completely fine and Devin sensed no lie. He knew his grandma would be okay, it was just the moment where concern entered the topic.

Devin sighed as past memories flooded into his head of how he had grown up in the neighborhood. He was quite playful in his kindergarten and all the pupils and teachers envied him for being so playful yet brilliant in his class. Devin made a lot of friends when he was older, and by the time puberty had hit the boy, the opposite gender was very much attracted.

He got lots of love letters from beautiful girls saying they admired his build and strong features. He only managed to date twice since the one thing he cared about was his grandma. That was what pushed him to believe dating was a distraction and since then, he has stayed single.

"Farewell, grandmother. I love you." With one final hug and a peck, they parted ways and Devin was off into town to rent a place. Rivdin was popularly known for the sweet grapes it produces. Not only are they the winemakers, but berry and grape distributors as well. Devin planned on making his own factory that distributes berries and grapes to winemakers and other kingdoms as well. It was an old dream of his and he still planned to accomplish that.

Upon arriving at one of the local towns, Devin managed to woo the landlady to rent at a cheaper price. It's not like he had a choice, things were just getting too costly and he would do anything to save coins. His place was a little more unique than the other homes, the wooden bungalow was farther into the forest as he had requested and it appeared bigger than the others. The rich wood occurred to look stable symbolizing a broad balance.

Devin had made the right choice. Perfect, he thought.

***

Grey clouds seemed to form signaling that a bad weather was approaching. The atmosphere turned cold, the wind grew strong which made Devin realize he had to stop his carpentry work and go inside. He was making another bench that would fit into his living space.

After managing to get all the items inside, he decided to make soup for the evening, something that would warm up his system because Rivdin could be very cold whenever it rained. The young man didn't forget to put several buckets outside to retrieve some water. He hadn't yet connected the pipes to the well since he had just moved in.

Upon preparing the ingredients for the hot soup, he began to heat the pot of water, the rain became heavier as he cooked and the only thing he could worry about was his grandmother. Was she putting on one of her woolen sweaters? Where the windows and doors shut closed? Did she catch a cold? Devin only seemed to overthink and suddenly had the urge to go back to their home and check on her.

"Haa...Good grief, I could only trust Caesar to take care of her. I hope no–..." A sudden noise was heard from outside around the back door after exiting the kitchen. Devin paused, his senses alarming as he wondered what the noise was. It sounded like a bang, a soft one to be specific.

Was it a bear? Devin was thinking the worst and quickly went to hold a sharp cutlass in hand ready to stab the thing that made the noise. He decided to go through the other door to peek at it, a very smart move. Devin slowly opened the other door, the cold harsh wind doing a ton on him and he almost lost balance. He managed to shut the door to avoid harsh droplets from entering the house and tiptoed to the other side to see this weird creature. Not only did the storm make everything complicated and unclear, but his clothes were also getting soaked.

Devin hid behind before finally getting a chance to peek through the foggy weather. To his surprise, he found something there, it appeared to look like a... human?

A human... child?

They sat beside the wall on the ground, shivering from the cold with their hands hugging their knees.

Devin was terror-stricken. What was a child doing behind a stranger's home all alone in this terrible weather? He had to take the child to the orphanage as soon as possible to get help. He couldn't exactly take care of a child but he had to bring this child inside unless they would be swept away by the storm.

"Child?... are you all alone?" He tried talking through the noise and to his surprise, no response was made from the child. The child seemed... unmoving like they had already fainted. Or? Were they dead?!

Devin rushed to rescue this child, he picked their tiny frame from the ground, noticing the ragged clothes and dirty skin. Not only did the child look malnourished, Devin felt like he was holding light sticks stocked together. So fucking thin.

After finally getting under his shelter, he dropped the child on the newly built bed he had furnished hours ago. He lit more fire in the enclosure before bringing a bowl of warm water and a wet towel to bathe the child from this filth.

Devin was so oblivious, the young man didn't know the child he had found would change his whole life ultimately.

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How did the first chapter make you feel? Should I make it longer also?
What are your predictions?✰