"Hey! Wake up!"
It didn't even take a whole second before he was drenched in dirty water as he jolted awake.
He heaved heavy breaths as he glared at the old woman who threw canal water at him.
The old woman just blatantly ignored him and grabbed another bucket of dirty water, he then sees how the old woman aimed to throw it to his feverish sister.
"Noㅡstop!"
The small child ran in front of the unconscious girl and protected her from the water, leading to him being drenched once again.
"I will do her chores instead! So please let her rest!"
He is so close to kneeling and beg the old woman to spare his sister until she recovers.
"Who are you to order me around you damn brat!"
In the end, he kneels. The creaking floorboard scratching his knees as he begged.
"No please! I won't dare to sleep in anymore! I would not dare to ask for food anymore! So please spare my sister!"
Perhaps because he yelled, but he heard his sister call out for him.
"Zhuocheng...? Ah...ma'am! Please forgive our insolence!"
His sister was now trembling in fear as she tries to kneel too, only for Zhuocheng to stop her and bowed his head enough for it to touch the floor.
"I beg of you, ma'am..."
After a while, both children could hear the older woman click her tongue in annoyance before leaving.
"Go do your chores then!"
Zhuocheng once again kneels to show his gratitude, "Thank you very much!"
When the old woman left, it was only then that he stands up before checking his sister on her bed.
"Noona, please rest plenty."
The girl heaved ragged breaths as she tried to wipe away the dirty water that was poured on her brother.
"What...about the chores...?"
Zhuocheng simply patted his sister's head as if to comfort her.
"You don't need to worry about that, noona. I can do that much."
He showed her a jovial smile to ease her worries.
"Sorry...Zhuocheng. Let me...make it up to you when I recover...hmm?"
Zhuocheng huffs before bidding his sister goodbye.
"I will be waiting for that, noona."
When the girl fell into slumber once again, he discreetly walked out of their shabby room before a broom was thrown at his face.
"Get moving you ugly bastard!" Another kid bellows, making Zhuocheng grit his teeth in annoyance and glared at the latter.
"Hah! Look at this bastard glaring like a monster! Glare all you want you damn bastard! No one will ever adopt you from this orphanage!"
Zhuocheng did not care if someone will adopt him or not. All he cared about was his sister. What is the use of being adopted when his sister is not by his side? It's all useless.
"I do not give a flying fuck, sadly." Zhuocheng whispers before walking away, leaving the fuming bullies from behind as another caretaker yelled at them for playing around.
As he started cleaning around the orphanage, he was filled with thoughts of escaping in the wretched place they are in.
After they escaped, he would work hard to give noona her dream. He remembers her saying that she wants to have a building that gives a feeling and ambiance similar to a home. And he would do his best to help his sister in anyway he can.
Before he could think of another dreamy thought, he was called by the cooks in the kitchen.
"Here, buy some potatoes and mushrooms! And don't you dare do any funny business while outside!"
Goodness gracious, everyone in this orphanage is rotten to the core...all except for his sister that is.
His sister is an angel incarnate after all.
When Zhuocheng runs around the market buying the things the orphanage needed, he couldn't help but let out an audible scoff.
"Hey ahjussi, are you scamming me? Fifty thousand gallons simply for a rotten potato?!"
Just then, a rotten tomato was thrown at his face. He could already feel the worms inside wriggling in his hair as he shuddered in disgust.
"You dare call me a scammer you damn brat?! Be thankful that I'm even bothering to sell you my goods!"
Before he could scream profanities at the vendor, an explosion echoed at the other side of the market as the ground shook, making Zhuocheng lose his balance as more rotten vegetables fell on him.
From afar, he could hear people clamoring and panicking from the sudden invasion, making Zhuocheng forget the disgusting smell of rotten vegetables and worms wriggling in his head as he shuddered in fear.
"The anti-royal faction is invading! Run!"
Zhuocheng could only shake in fear as people around him was slain one by one by the men that wore black outfits.
He's too young to experience such a horrible event in the beginning of his life.
"...N-noona..."
Zhuocheng couldn't help but cry when a man in black outfit raised his sword to kill him.
It's so unfair...it's very unfair.
What did he even do to deserve any of this?
Before the sword could stab him, a barrier with purple light shielded him from the man.
He could also feel a small warmth in each side his forehead as Zhuocheng looked in shock.
The man who was about to kill him then writhed in pain in front of him before he slumped on the ground, now dead.
Did...did he do that...? No, what exactly happened?
When Zhuocheng looked at his side when he caught his appearance in a stall mirror, he gasped in shock.
"W-what?!"
There are two purple horns in each side of his forehead. It was similar to an antler of a deer that made Zhuocheng's breath hitch both from shock and admiration.
When he looks at the dead man in front of him again then to the anti-royal faction members that are also now laying dead, Zhuocheng's snapped out of his wonder.
His sister...his sister is in danger!
It didn't even take a second before Zhuocheng bolted towards the orphanage where his sister is in.
"Hmm? Who did these, I wonder?"
Azure eyes scanned the wrecked place in wonder before the elf beside him also hummed in question.
"This mana..."
A swordsman kneels then to inspect the man's body to know the cause of death.
"Goldie gramps, are you having the same thought as me now?"
The man with black hair similar to the swordsman hummed in anticipation, making the elf sigh as his head ache.
"Calm down. We should check if everything's safe before we meet them."
The swordsman then stands up before looking at the elf.
"Eruhaben-nim, Hwan-nim. The dragon went that way...but it's weird..."
Eruhaben and Hwan looked at him in confusion then.
"What is weird exactly, Choi Han?"
Choi Han looks at them as he hums before speaking.
"This dragon is...far more different."
Before Choi Han could further ponder about it, Eruhaben spoke.
"We'll know when we meet the said dragon. Let's go to where he went first."
When Zhuocheng arrives at the orphanage, he was met by a thick air of smoke and pile of debris.
That orphanage he hates with all his being is now nothing but a pile of rubbish.
"...Noona...Noona!"
Zhuocheng let his feet take him to where he remembers the room he left his sister in, he ignored the tears that was slowly gathering in his eyes.
He prays to the God of this world that his sister is okay.
"Noona!"
He fervently prays that his sister is alright.
"...Yanli noona!!"
Zhuocheng heaved deep breaths as his tears made his sight blurry, his throat constricting as if someone is choking him.
"Yanli noona!"
It took him seconds, minutes even before he could hear a weak voice echoing under a debris.
"Zhuo...cheng..."
"A-Cheng."
"Yanli noona!"
"A-jie!"
Zhuocheng didn't have the time to take notice of the strange voices that kept popping in his head.
"Noona!"
He kept picking up the smallest sound he could hear around him.
The crackling of embers, the howling wind, his sister's voice, and her weak heartbeat.
"Noona!"
Soon enough, Zhuocheng could see his sister as he huffs in relief. But the amount of blood gushing in her head is worrisome enough.
"...Zhuocheng..."
"I'm here...I'm here noona!"
When she looks at her brother, she felt familiar. Like everything that is happening now has all happened before.
The moment Zhuocheng finally embraced his sister's body, he cried loudly, rambling incoherent words that made Yanli laugh to herself.
"Calm down...Zhuocheng..."
And he indeed calmed down, his horns emanated a soft purplish glow.
There is nothing that he wants more than to see his sister heal right now.
When such thoughts occurred in his mind, Yanli could feel her body becoming light. Her wounds being alleviated as her brother hugs her tight.
It was simply...an amazing experience.
Yanli couldn't remember how long since she felt her body so at ease. She looks at her brother with glee then.
"Zhuocheng...look."
When he turned to look at his sister, he could how color is starting to return to her face, making her expression become more lively.
"What...?"
What is happening exactly?
"Look, Zhuocheng! I'm healing!"
It brought joy to his being to see her smiling so carefree.
As they laugh to themselves, they both didn't notice a man creeping from Zhuocheng's back filled with murderous intent.
It was all too late even when Yanli shrieked in fear.
As Zhuocheng's closed his eyes while protecting his sister, he waited for the pain to come.
But there was nothing, nothing but a glimmer of the color red as the man fell on the ground while bleeding to death.
"Nya, that is not a good thing to do mister."
When the pair of siblings looked at their savior, the first thing they noticed was his red hair.
"Gege!"
"...Gege?" Zhuocheng whispers to himself, profoundly confused on why he would utter such a word.
He doesn't even know what is the meaning of it.
"Hmm? Gege? What word is that? My name is actually Hong, nice to meet you!"
Zhuocheng looks at his eyes that was similar to a molten gold, and he couldn't help but nod unconsciously.
"I'm...Zhuocheng..."
The redhead boy then gawked at him when he sees the child's horns.
"Your horns look cool by the way, Zhuocheng!"
Zhuocheng furrowed his eyebrows in confusion then, "...Thank you?"
Now that the siblings took a closer look, they could see cat ears atop Hong's head that continued to twitch.
"Oh? Dongsaeng is here!"
The three of them turned to look at the three silhouette from afar. When the smoke finally cleared, both Zhuocheng and Yanli could see an elf, a swordsman, and a teenage boy.
The hairs in Zhuocheng's arms stood up as he became wary of their presence, making him unconsciously let out a small glower which surprised Yanli.
The moment he made eye contact with the golden elf, he let out an amused sound.
"Hoh? Interesting."
Zhuocheng unwillingly glared at the elf, the alarms in his head kept ringing as if to say that this creature in front of them is to be wary of.
"Zhuocheng, calm down. Don't be rude."
He only frowned at his sister's remark.
"Your sister is right, little dragon. Don't be rude to your elder."
At that moment, Hong let out a gasp.
"A dragon?! Woah!"
A dragon? Who exactly? Him? Isn't he just an orphan?
"Which dragon would even have antlers as their horn? Please don't joke around, it is not funny at all."
Zhuocheng didn't mean to be rude, but he did.
"Why not? Dragons have their unique traits. So what if you have deer's antlers as a horn? It doesn't make you a lesser being at all. All dragons are great, mighty, and majestic!" The teenage boy shares his opinion, making Zhuocheng hesitate.
Before he could talk back, the teenage boy morphed into a creature that Zhuocheng wouldn't have expected to see.
He morphed into a black dragon, medium in size considering he's still a teenager.
"My name is Hwan Mir! Nice to meet you, purple dragon and his sister!"
Zhuocheng and Yanli passed out right then and there from the shock of seeing such a majestic dragon.
"You scared them off, Hwan-nim."
The black dragon flinched before chuckling nervously, "Oops?"
Both Eruhaben and Choi Han could only sigh and shake their heads, and Hong only laughed at him boisterously.
When Choi Han went to carry the two children in his arms, something made him stop.
There was a click in his head, and a feeling of relief washed over him as if he found something a part of what he was searching for.
"Choi Han! Hurry up or we're leaving you alone!"
The swordsman was broken out of his trance before running to catch up with his companions.
"May I ask you for a favor, Choi Han?"
"When you go back to Rowoon, can you find the three of them and take care of them?"
"I...I...It will be an honor, Cale-nim."
Dayumm we already reached 100 chapters for this work. I didn't even know it was possible considering me who was always lazing around.
Happy 100th chapter, everyone!