A/N: Oh my gosh; a new AU. Finally. Not like it took me three months to do that. Ah well. So! First order of business! This is actually going to be the first chaptered fic that I will have ever uploaded to any of my accounts, as well as the first fanfiction of mine that possesses a proper timeline (which was a bitch to make, by the way). The upload schedule for this SHOULD be once every other week, specifically Saturdays. That, of course, is dependent upon whether Writer's Block will decide to fuck me up the ass while I write this, as well as any other complications that might pop up. But, yeah, now that that's all done with; I hope you enjoy this fanfiction! A ton of thought and planning has gone into it, so I hope it's worth it! This fic takes place in Minecraft, (shocker, I know) and, no, the timeline is not in any way reflective of real life.

Thank you to my wonderful bae for helping me revise this! Love you, dear!

Chapter One

December 25th, 1875

Seto woke up slowly. He had slept in, something that was to be expected considering the night he'd had last night, but also something that he knew would surely throw off his schedule for the rest of the day.

Seto shivered as a draft blew in through the open window a few feet away from his bed. The sorcerer subconsciously snuggled into the thin sheet covering him, which provided very little warmth, or modesty, for that matter, to his unclothed body. He sighed, throwing his arm out to the right, feeling around the remaining space on the small mattress he laid upon. He was saddened, though not altogether surprised, as his hand was met with nothing but empty air and cool sheets.

Finally accepting his fate, Seto pulled himself into an upright position, glancing over at the empty side of the mattress and spotting only a note, scrawled in the runic language on a small piece of parchment, rather than a warm body. He snorted. Of course the idiot had written the note in rune. That didn't at all put Seto in danger. He narrowed his eyes; anyone could have walked past that open window and with just a single look in, Seto would have been ruined; his cover completely blown out of the water. And Brice knew it.

Seto glared at the little piece of paper that rested innocently upon the bed, silently blaming that piece of paper for all of the emotional turmoil the author of the message always caused him. He reached out and snatched the note up, beginning to read the contents despite knowing that they would only succeed in angering him.

Thank you for last night, dove. It was wonderful, as always. The stress-relief was much needed.

-Brice

Seto grit his teeth, crumpling the note into a ball and throwing it to the other side of the small room. Dove. The absolute nerve. Seto did everything he could for the asshole and what did he get in return? A fuck every once in a while? And even that was only to please Brice.

Seto huffed angrily, a noise which quickly turned pained as he stood and drew the blankets around himself to cover his naked form. Brice wasn't a gentle man by any means when it came to his treatment of Seto; a fact which was brutally apparent in the dark bruises that had bloomed upon his hips and thighs overnight. Seto hurried over to the window, quickly closing the shutters to prevent any more icy breezes from drifting in through the opening. The fucker couldn't even close the window after him when he left.

Seto carded his hand through his hair, frustrated. He exhaled slowly, allowing his temper to simmer down as he dropped the thin sheet to the floor and hurried to the small hope chest that sat upon the floor next to his worn mattress. Opening the chest, he pulled out a faded purple button-up blouse and a pair of threadbare dark brown trousers. The fabric was rough on his skin; scratchy, annoying, and entirely too restrictive for his tastes. He was a sorcerer, for Notch's sake; he should be wearing charmed robes and armor, not the clothes of the human race. Robes allowed him to move- to fight. He would be lucky if he could even place a kick properly in these trousers; not that he'd ever have the opportunity to try if they continued to degrade at the rate they were. The pants had been well-made at one point, but with how hard Seto was forced to work for his meagre living conditions, it was no surprise that they were so worn-down.

Human clothes, like humans themselves, seemed to last for only a short while. Even the oldest of the human race couldn't live much longer than a hundred years; a fact which, to them, was a curse. Seto considered it a blessing. Sorcerers, unlike humans, possessed life-spans of up to four hundred years. Seto wasn't quite that old, of course; as a matter of fact, he was still quite young, having only lived sixty-two years. He was sure that some individuals would trade their souls for the opportunity to live such a long life, but it truly wasn't some kind of grand gift. Without a mate, a sorcerer's life was lonely. Sorcerers were such a rare species at this point that finding another one was extremely uncommon, so most of them lived their entire lives in solitude. They were extraordinarily powerful, but the price they paid for that power was happiness; their other halves, usually. Of course, there were always exceptions, and there were actually a large amount of mated couples, some of which Seto had actually met while he had been honing his magical skills when he was younger. They had all been extraordinarily happy; most of them surrounded by their precious children.

All of that, of course, had been over forty years ago; before sorcerers had been forced to go into hiding. Back then, their race had been respected and loved, and they could walk freely in their robes, showing off their skill and defending the human race from the great threats that rose up throughout the world. Like all good things, however, that peaceful union of humanity and magic had to come to an end. Nobody quite knew what had happened; at least, they didn't in the magical world, but suddenly all nonhuman races were hunted without mercy. Sorcerers, hybrids- anyone who wasn't fully human was shunned, tortured, or killed. Those who weren't immediately killed in the initial slaughter went into hiding to the best of their ability. Some of the eldest, most well-respected sorcerers alive at the time were murdered; entire hybrid communities destroyed. It was a complete massacre out of nowhere, and at least seventy-five percent of the sorcerer population was obliterated in one fell swoop.

Now, over forty years later, Seto was struggling to make a life for himself. He was constantly combating the emptiness inside of him; a hard-wired instinct to find his predestined soul mate. He had thought, back when he was young and he had just been thrown into the wide world of sorcery, that Brice had been his chosen; they had been the best of friends for the longest time, even sticking together after the Great Massacre. Seto had been smitten with the blond since they had first met, and he had truly thought that Notch had brought him to the man he would spend the rest of his life with, but by the time Seto was forty, he was beginning to stop deluding himself into thinking this was the case. The blond's favorite hobby seemed to have become toying with Seto's feelings, and now, twenty years after that first revelation, all that was left of his feelings was a dull ache, a hollow emptiness, and a shredded heart.

…And of course the inability to say no whenever Brice wanted to sleep with him.

Besides the constant loneliness, Seto had extreme difficulty affording… anything, really. Prices were going up and he wasn't getting paid any more for his jobs than he was before they did so, and his jobs had already paid him poorly to begin with. He hadn't been able to get new clothes in ages, and he slept in what was essentially a pile of hay with a thin sheet thrown over it. He supposed he had it better than some others, though. He had taken in quite a few homeless people and weary travelers looking for better opportunities in the past. His home may have only been a hut with two rooms, but it was better than nothing. It allowed him to help and provide for others as well as himself, so he was content despite the amount of work it took just to afford to keep the small house.

Seto was mainly forced to take up odd jobs around the town; work was scarce for the poor. The only people who seemed to be able to get steady jobs were those who already had more than enough money; rich getting richer and all that. Putting food on his table was a struggle, even when he didn't have a guest in the house. He had no idea what the nether Brice did for a living; just that the other sorcerer never stayed in one place for too long, and he had enough money to adorn himself with fine garments; a luxury Seto doubted he would ever be able to afford if he didn't get an actual job.

Seto sighed as he was pulled out of his quiet reflection by a loud knock on the door. It was probably some rich prick who was only there to demand things of him and be generally rude and nasty since he knew that Seto wouldn't- couldn't- fight back because he needed the payout.

Seto looked carefully around the room to ensure that he didn't have any spell books or magical items lying about before going over to open the door and cease the incessant knocking.

Lo and behold; the second Seto opened the door, he was shoved aside by a tall man dressed in finery. The man barged into his house, looking around at the state of the house distastefully, as if Seto wasn't standing right behind him glaring daggers into his back.

Seto cleared his throat loudly, effectively ceasing the man's critiquing of his home and instead moving the focus to Seto himself. The man's gaze roved over Seto's lithe, underfed form; his eyes eventually narrowing in displeasure at the sight. Seto resisted the urge to roll his eyes, instead plastering on his best fake smile.

"Good afternoon, sir. Was there something you needed?" He prodded; his tone gentle even as a low simmer of rage began to churn within him. His smile was basically just him baring his teeth at the other man, but the man was either too stupid or too oblivious to notice.

The man sneered at him, "I was told that there was someone here who could help me with a problem I'm having, but it seems that the person who told me that was a liar. I'll look elsewhere for a solution."

Seto narrowed his eyes slightly, a gesture that once again went unnoticed by the other man. He hated sucking up to people like this, but he hadn't eaten for at least thirty-six hours, so he desperately needed the money. He allowed his lips to form a gentle smile, reaching out and resting his hand on the other man's bicep. "Oh, sir, I'm plenty qualified for whatever you have to ask of me. I've done quite an array of jobs over the years, I'm sure I can handle whatever you need." He allowed a bit of his magic to honey-coat his words so that the man would find his offer more convincing. He hated using his magic- mainly because of how risky it was. One false move and he could be burned alive; but he needed this money desperately. He couldn't go much longer without eating; it would make him unable to work, and sorcerers were just as susceptible to starvation as humans.

The larger man's eyes glazed over slightly as the sugared words registered in his mind. He opened his mouth, stuttering for a moment before his eyes cleared and he straightened. He shrugged off Seto's hand, and Seto hid a smirk as the other man began to speak again, "Yes. Well, I suppose I could let you at least attempt the job. The people in this town certainly won't miss one citizen should he go missing. Fine, then. My wife and I have been continuously awakened for the past two nights by a loud howling noise and I don't intend to dirty my favorite rifle with the blood of some mangy mutt. I'd rather have people like you take care of such affairs for me."

Seto resisted the urge to tear this man's head off. Unfortunately, though, the man was correct. The people in this town certainly wouldn't miss Seto; a mere peasant, should he go missing, but they would certainly miss a member of the aristocracy - which this man was without a doubt.

He pretended to ponder the offer for a moment, despite already knowing that he had to take the job; no matter how dangerous. He kept his tone soft as he replied, "Certainly, sir. I would be happy to help you with your dilemma. Of course, I'll need to know your name and what you intend to give me as payment… I can't afford to simply give away my abilities for free, you see."

The man scoffed at the sorcerer's reply, as if he had said something ridiculous, "Of course a plebian such as yourself wouldn't be able to recognize me; I don't usually socialize with your kind. I am Vincent Nickola Obenaur III, and you will show some respect, boy. As for your payment; you will get two gold nuggets if you complete the task."

Seto cringed internally, "Sir, I'm afraid that the risk is too large for such a small payment… That isn't even enough to buy me food for three days…"

The man, Vincent, grinned maliciously down at the sorcerer, slowly beginning to back towards the door, "Well, then I suppose I'll just have to find someone else who will actually appreciate my generosity. You need to learn to take what you're given, child."

Seto observed the man before him; deciding that he couldn't be more than thirty. He almost snorted aloud. Seto was at least twice this man's age. Unfortunately, though, Vincent was getting closer to the door, and if Seto let him go, he wouldn't be eating at all.

"Wait," Seto bit out through clenched teeth. Vincent turned around and smirked at him as if he had won, which, Seto supposed; he had. "I'll do it." He muttered, his gaze trailing to the ground.

"Good boy," Vincent patronized, catching the shorter man's chin with one of his hands and bringing it up until their eyes met, "Like a well-trained dog eating out of my hand… it seems as though I'm dealing with a mangy mutt whether I want to or not."

Seto tried his hardest not to think of the wide range of ways he could kill this man right this second with only his thumb. He failed, but he tried; at least. "Sir," he muttered, "I need to get ready to go hunt your beast, if you would please let me show you out."

Vincent barked a laugh, seizing Seto's forearm and bringing their faces so close together that Seto could smell the other man's breath as it fanned over his face. Seto shuddered in disgust; trying desperately not to think about the dirty hand that was currently clamped around his arm.

"You had better not mess this up, boy… Do not test me. I possess the power to ruin you." He snarled quietly, staring at the shorter man with fire in his eyes as he waited for a response.

Seto winced; well-aware that Vincent was once again correct. This man had the power to take away even Seto's few meagre possessions with just a few words. He swallowed hard and forced himself to meet the aristocrat's eyes, fighting off another chill as he met the man's icy gaze.

"Yes, sir."

Seto crept through the dark forest silently. He had his daggers strapped to the leather strip tied around his waist; one on either thigh. He'd rather not kill any innocent animals, but he'd rather be safe than sorry. One false move against the creature he was hunting and he would be dead. Vincent's description of the noises he heard led Seto to believe that it was some kind of wolf or coyote, but the possibility was always present that it was a werewolf, so he had brought silver just in case.

Moonbeams dotted the ground, dripping through the leaves like quicksilver; just a little too bright for Seto to be at ease. The visibility was far too high. All of his stealth wouldn't do a thing if he was plainly visible in the brightness. The full moon proudly crowned the sky, and it only increased Seto's nerves. Something was off, and Seto wasn't sure if he was prepared to fight another supernatural creature. The last time he had been forced to kill a werewolf had been ten years ago; and that had been with Brice's help.

Still; he needed to do this. At least being mauled by a werewolf was a quicker death than starvation. He'd rather die quickly than slowly, even if the quick death came after large amounts of pain. He tried to shake the thought out of his head. He wouldn't be dying tonight. Nope.

Seto continued to walk carefully through the woods. It was too silent. There was no wind; no leaves rustling, owls hooting… not even any monsters. Seto was unsettled, to say the least. The woods were never this quiet, especially not when the moon was full. That was when monsters were supposed to be the most active, yet the silence continued to ring in his ears.

Seto's thoughts were cut short as his vision began to fog up. He swiped his gloved fingers over his eyes, believing that his eyes had simply teared up, but when he drew his hand back; his vision was still blurred. Confused, he continued walking; growing more alarmed as the veil over his eyes became thicker, eventually preventing him from seeing more than a yard in front of him.

Seto's eyes darted around; noticing a lack of trees before him, he concluded that he was at the entrance to a clearing. The smog was thickest here, and Seto was now able to smell that it was smoke. He tore a strip of cloth from his shirt, despairing over how much time it would take to sew the garment back together as he tied it over his mouth and nose. He was tempted to light a torch, but he knew that someone had to have started the fire that had created all this smoke, and, with his luck, they were probably still around. He wondered absently how he hadn't seen the smoke rising from the village, but that wasn't important right now.

Seto froze as he heard a twig snap to his left. Slowly, he shifted into a defensive stance and turned his head until he was looking in the direction of the sound. He came face-to-face with an eight-foot tall ogre. The magical aura of the creature hit him all at once, as if he had just been punched. He questioned how he hadn't felt it earlier, but it was too late now.

Seto had just enough time to mutter a quiet, "Oh, fuck," before he was forced to jump to the side as the beastly creature brought a giant club down onto the spot where Seto had previously been. The creature huffed angrily, yanking the weapon out of the crater it had created in the ground, and facing Seto, glaring down at the tiny sorcerer threateningly. The ogre hefted its club once again, ready to take another swing. Seto yelped, raising his hands and forming a hasty force-field around himself to prevent damage to his… everything.

The ogre snarled as his armament cracked down upon the force-field; forcing the flimsy magic to fade, but not before the sorcerer inside had escaped. "Filthy, puny sorcerer!" The creature shrieked, "Disgusting, tricky, deceiver! I will kill you!"

Seto muttered another string of quiet curses, drawing his daggers as the creature turned once again to face him. He needed to get behind the monster, but without some kind of diversion it was unlikely that he would be able to get the ogre to turn around for long enough. It was just his luck that he ran into an ogre, too. And it was very likely that this wasn't even the creature he was hunting, either. Ogres didn't howl. And they hated sorcerers. Fabulous.

The ogre bellowed more insults as it swiped its hand toward the sorcerer, as if swatting at a fly. Seto jumped back, slashing outwards and slicing off the behemoth's pinky as the large appendage passed. The ogre screeched, drawing its hand back to cradle it to his chest. It bared its teeth at Seto.

"Wicked, tiny sorcerer! Interrupting Merug's hunting! Will have to eat you instead!" The creature lurched at the sorcerer once again. Seto readied himself to sidestep, but he was startled as the ogre's other hand caught him in the chest, slamming him into a tree and stealing his breath. Seto cried out in pain as a sharp crack pierced the air. Great, just what he needed- broken ribs. This job was absolutely not worth it.

Seto struggled to pull himself off the ground as the hulking being stalked towards him slowly and deliberately. The monster had dropped his club; freeing up his other hand and allowing him to get the upper hand on the sorcerer. Seto fought to breathe through the pain; readying himself to cast a spell of some sort at the ogre as it closed in on his prone form.

Merug finally reached the smaller creature at the base of the tree, wrapping his hand around it and bringing it up to his eyes. The sorcerer thrashed in his fist. Merug narrowed his eyes, applying more pressure to the fragile body and grinning when the puny creature let out a muffled scream. "The little sorcerer will die now," he huffed, "Merug has found his dinner."

Seto yelped as the giant creature applied more pressure to his ribs; further damaging the already fractured bones. His mind raced, trying to think of a plan to get himself out of this. He had dropped one of his daggers when the ogre had smacked him into a tree earlier in the battle, and the other one was currently trapped against his side by the monster's tight grip. Sorcerers required a clear mind to cast their magic, and the pain he was experiencing right now wasn't helping. So magic was out. What else did he have right now that he could use? His dagger was out of the picture… He didn't really have any way out of this. He couldn't just give up, though!

He could always use trickery, but he couldn't charm his words if they didn't come out smoothly, which he doubted they would do while he was having such a hard time breathing. The cloth tied around his mouth was doing more harm than good right now, but he had to try.

"Wait!" Seto gasped, cursing internally as his voice came out rough and scratchy, "You don't want to eat me!"

The ogre paused, tilting its head to the side inquisitively, "Why not?"

Seto celebrated on the inside as he carefully crafted a reply, "Well, you see, it's dangerous to just eat sorcerers…"

The ogre growled at him, "What do you mean, little sorcerer?"

Seto cleared his throat, trying his hardest to coat his words with charm when he spoke again, "You need to cook us, first! Haven't you ever heard of magic poisoning?" He thanked Notch when the words came out smoothly; even if the charm was thin, it would increase his odds of living to tell this tale. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and almost cursed out loud. The last thing he needed right now was another monster.

"Magic poisoning?" The monster asked suspiciously, "There is no such thing. I have eaten many of your kind. The puny sorcerer is a liar." The ogre snarled as it reached its final conclusion.

Seto's stomach rolled at the ogre's claim. He wondered if he had known any of the sorcerers that this monster had consumed. He couldn't worry about that right now, though; he had his own death to prevent. Seto clicked his tongue, shaking his head in faux sorrow, "Oh, you poor creature! The poison has obviously already taken ahold of your wretched soul! Run! Save yourself! You could perish at any moment! This is no falsehood!"

The ogre's eyes widened in fear as the sorcerer's charmed words registered in his head. Seto almost shouted in joy as the creature began to lower him down to the ground. He was okay. He would live through this. He could go back to the village and tell Vincent that he wasn't able to complete the contract. He could find food elsewhere. This wasn't worth it.

Suddenly, as if a spell was broken- which Seto supposed it was- the ogre's eyes narrowed and it tightened its grip on him once more. Seto cried out. "Liar!" The creature snarled, "False! I will tear out your tongue, witch! Sorcerers always lie!"

Seto whimpered; his ribs flaring up in fiery pain and his vision going white as the monster continued to steadily squeeze him tighter and tighter. "No!" Seto screamed, hoping to startle the ogre into dropping him, "No, please! You don't understand!"

The ogre roared at him, "Merug understands, sorcerer! Silence! No more lies! It is time for Merug to eat!"

Seto squeezed his eyes shut as the monster brought him to his maw; not wishing to witness his own death. Seto's eyes snapped open, however, as he was suddenly dropped to the ground. He moaned in pain as his ribs were jolted once again. His eyes widened as he caught sight of the ogre before him. The creature had turned to stone, and even as he watched, the petrified monster was crumbling into dust. The ogre was dead, but what in the world had killed it?

Seto stood up slowly, hand flying up to clutch at his chest. As the last bit of the monster crumbled, Seto was able to see what, or rather, who, had killed it. It was a child. Standing before him was a small child who couldn't have been more than eight. He wore a tattered long-sleeved shirt much like Seto's own. Seto guessed that it had formerly been white, but it was caked in mud, ash, and what looked to be blood. The boy's hair was an auburn mess atop his head, and Seto resisted the urge to reach out and run his fingers through it to fix it a bit. The boy stared at him with wide red eyes.

Seto wondered what a child was doing out here in the woods all alone. 'He could get hurt,' he thought, concerned, 'and he doesn't even have anything covering his mouth; he's going to asphyxiate.' The boy was shakily holding one of Seto's daggers in his hands, his small body trembling. Seto realized that this child had saved his life. With the danger gone, Seto could now see that he was in a burned-out village. Maybe this child had lived here?

Seto slowly kneeled down on the ground so he didn't look so imposing to the small child. He was mindful of his injured ribs, already thinking of which healing charm would work the fastest on the damaged bones. The frightened boy kept his bright eyes locked with Seto's own the entire time. Cautiously, Seto reached out to the child. He couldn't just leave him out here. He would see if his parents were with him, and if they weren't he would take the boy home with him and decide what to do from there.

As Seto's hand neared him, the boy squeaked and darted into the brush. Seto cursed, hastily snatching up the dagger that the child hadn't taken with him and fastening it to his belt again. He stood and quickly murmured a healing spell. Then, he shoved the pain to the back of his mind and took off after the boy.

As he ran through the woods, Seto was willing to admit that there was some perks to being a sorcerer; endurance being one of those. He had been running for about two minutes in the direction that the boy had gone. He hoped that the boy hadn't thought to change direction or anything. He wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing that he had left an innocent child all alone in the woods.

The smoke began to clear as he got farther and farther away from the smoldering ruins of the village. He yanked the cloth away from his mouth and nose, relieved to finally be able to breathe comfortably again. Finally, he reached another clearing - this one mercifully clear of any smoke. He ground to a halt as he took in the sight before him.

The boy he had seen earlier was being held by another boy who looked slightly older. The second boy had long dark brown hair that was being held back by a thin band and a black shirt and trousers. There was a golden amulet hanging loosely around his neck that had an amethyst embedded in the middle. Seto sensed a faint magic signature being exuded from the amulet, so he figured it had belonged to a mage at some point. The other boy's tan skin contrasted sharply with the first boy's own porcelain skin. The dagger lay abandoned next to their feet as they latched onto each other as if their lives depended on it.

Seto shifted uneasily, trying to decide what to do. He heard some dead leaves crunch under his foot. Well, guess he didn't need to make a decision anymore.

Quick as a flash, the taller of the two children had pushed the younger-looking one behind him and snatched up the dagger that had been sitting innocently next to his foot, holding it like someone who had experience with the weapon. Seto took a step forward and the second child's eyes narrowed. Fully aware of the danger, Seto held his hands above his head, allowing the child to see the absence of a weapon. He slowly lowered himself to the ground, trailing one hand down to his waist and unfastening his remaining dagger, keeping the weapon in clear sight of the child who was following all of Seto's movements with his eyes, he slid the weapon towards the two children and away from himself. He remained crouched to the ground, once again aiming to seem as unthreatening as possible. Two kids, one of which had some combat experience. Alright. He could deal with this.

Seto kept any charm out of his voice as he spoke. If he was going to be taking care of these two; their relationship needed to be built on trust - not magic. "I wanted to thank you," he murmured, watching cautiously as the taller child lowered the dagger a bit, his golden eyes nearly glowing in the moon's bright light, "You saved my life." At this, the smaller boy peeked out from behind the other child, and Seto winced at the tear tracks on his cheeks. He didn't mean to make him cry.

"He did magic," the red-eyed boy mumbled, looking at Seto with those same wide-eyes he had stared at him with earlier, "It was like right out of a fairytale." The older boy perked up at this, going back on the defensive.

"I won't hurt either of you. I promise. Sorcerers can't break promises." Seto said soothingly, his mind racing with possibilities as to all the ways this encounter could go.

The taller boy's eyes widened, "Momma said that the sorcerers are all gone… you're lying."

"I'm not lying," Seto denied, "Watch this." He slowly brought one of his hands up and produced an orb that glowed a soft purple. It was a simple light spell, but the children stared at it as if it was an angel. He extinguished the orb again and the brunet child stared at him with cautious eyes.

"You promise you won't hurt us?" He asked.

"Cross my heart." Seto affirmed.

The golden-eyed boy slid his dagger along the ground until it rested next to the other one. Seto sighed in relief. Good. No matter how skilled he was, it worried him to see that child holding such a sharp weapon. He stood slowly.

"What are your names?" Seto asked gently.

"What's yours?" The older boy asked sharply, glaring at him.

Seto smiled softly at the child, having expected that response, "My name is Seto. I'm sixty-two years old." He whispered the last statement as if it was some kind of great secret. He supposed it was, in a sense; if anyone at his village found out his true age they would know immediately that he was some kind of magical creature and he'd die, so he hoped these kids didn't divulge the information to anyone.

"Wow," The red-eyed boy breathed, eyes wide with wonder, "You're old."

"Ty!" The older boy hissed, "That's rude!"

The younger child, Ty, lowered his head in embarrassment, "Sorry, mister."

Seto smiled at him, "That's alright. I'm actually young. Sorcerers can sometimes be over four hundred years old." Now both of the children were staring at him in wonder, and Seto felt fond warmth fill him to the brim.

The tall boy cleared his throat, "I'm Adam and this is Ty… He's seven and I'm eight."

Seto grinned, "Wow. You're old."

Ty giggled and Adam hid a smile behind his hand. "No we're not, silly!" Ty laughed brightly.

Seto laughed, calming slightly before he asked his next question, "Where are your parents?"

Instantly, the children's expressions sobered. "We don't have parents," Adam mumbled, "They didn't want us. We used to live in an orphanage, but it burned down. We don't know where Mistress Lindsay is, either."

Seto's heart ached with empathy for the children. He knew what it felt like to be abandoned at such a young age; his own parents having decided that they had better things to do with their long lives than raise a child. He decided in that moment that he would protect these two at all costs.

"I'll take care of you," Seto murmured, "If you'll let me."

Adam hesitated.

"You're injured; probably starving, too," Seto prodded gently, "I'm guessing that you were in that village when it caught fire a couple of days ago, am I right?"

Ty looked down and Adam slung an arm around the younger boy's shoulders, pulling him closer. "We were," Adam confirmed, "That was when our house burned down. But I don't think you want to take us in, sir…"

Seto smiled sadly, walking forward and kneeling down when he was stood in front of the kids, "You don't have to call me sir. Call me Seto. Or whatever else you want to call me. And there's no way I'm leaving you guys out here all alone. It's alright if you don't want to come with me, but at least let me help you find somewhere you'd rather stay… I don't have much money, but I'll figure it out."

Adam hurried to keep from offending him, "No, no! It's not that, si- Seto! It's just… We're not the on-"

Whatever the child was about to say was cut off by a piercing yowling sound. Seto's head snapped up, glancing around in search of danger, subconsciously shielding the two children with his body. His alarm was interrupted, however, as another boy rushed out from the brush to their left. He froze the second he caught sight of the unfamiliar figure standing next to his brothers. He took a few unsure steps back, glancing at Adam for guidance.

The newcomer looked about Ty's age with wild light brown hair and bright blue eyes. He wore a dark blue tunic and loose, black trousers that were held up with a flimsy cord tied tight around his waist. He also wore a light blue choker with a white star on it wrapped around his neck. He had a small ball of fur cradled in his arms, which seemed to be the source of the yowling noise. Seto relaxed his defensive stance as Adam began to speak.

"This is Seto, Jason. He's nice. Come here."

Jason sighed in relief at the statement and rushed forward, handing Adam the small ball of fluff as soon as he reached their little group. Adam rocked the ball of fluff, which Seto could now clearly see, and he gasped as he realized what it was.

"Is that…" He murmured, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

"Yes," Jason glared, "Jerome is a bacca, and if you have a problem with that; I'd be more than happy to set you straight!"

"Stop it, Jason," Ty said, "Adam said he was nice, remember? Seto is a sorcerer."

Jason gaped at Seto; the sorcerer smiling softly at him. Seto turned his gaze to the fussing cub in Adam's arms. Baccas were practically extinct nowadays; even more so than sorcerers. That was mostly due to the fact that they tended to travel in packs, so humans had an easier time of eliminating large numbers of them, unfortunately.

Seto observed the way Adam's brows were knit in worry as he stared down at the cub. A scary thought suddenly struck Seto. He cleared his throat, "May I see Jerome for a moment?" he asked, holding out his arms, "I promise I won't hurt him; I just want to hold him."

Jason stared at him skeptically, turning to stare at Adam, shocked, as he handed the baby bacca right over. Seto decided he'd worry about getting the third little boy to trust him later; he had more pressing matters to attend to right now. Such as the wriggling ball of fuzz in his arms. The infant yowled quietly, and Seto realized that this must've been what Vincent was complaining about. He almost snorted aloud. Yeah; he wasn't going to be killing this cub any time soon. He tenderly pet the cub; its fur was matted with dirt, yet remained soft to the touch. He couldn't imagine how hungry the poor baby must be. He knew how much baby sorcerers needed to eat to be healthy, and he was sure that two whole days without proper food wasn't good for the bacca.

"That's Jerome," Ty piped up from the side, "His mommy died when he was born nine months ago, and his daddy left, so Mistress Lindsay brought him to the orphanage and took care of him there."

Seto's head snapped up. He caught sight of Adam and Jason conversing quietly a few yards away out of the corner of his eye. "Your village didn't try to kill magical creatures?" He asked; stunned. He knew that safe havens existed, but for one to be so close to a village as corrupt as his… No wonder it was burned down.

Ty nodded, seemingly confused, "Yeah… Don't all villages?"

Seto shook his head sadly, "No. Mine doesn't, actually. Nobody knows that I'm a sorcerer, so don't tell anybody! It's a super-duper secret that only you guys get to know. Do you have any more brothers?"

Ty nodded eagerly, and Seto's heart sank a little. Four would be nearly impossible, but any more kids… He didn't think he could do it. He would try, though. These kids needed someone to take care of them; a point which was proven by the hungry cub in his arms. They couldn't do it themselves. They weren't old enough.

Ty seemed oblivious to Seto's turmoil, naming his remaining brothers on his fingers, "You just met Jason. He's seven, like me! And there's Mitch, he's three! And then Ian and Quentin… Ian is five and Quentin is a mudkip and he's six!" The little boy nodded, satisfied, as he finally held up six fingers for Seto to see. "I have six brothers, mister Seto!"

By now, both Adam and Jason were listening in. Adam's face was grim, as if he was waiting for Seto to withdraw his offer for them to come stay with him. He might've been, actually, and Seto decided to try. "Adam," he said gently, "My offer still stands. All seven of you can come stay with me for as long as I'm able to keep you… Hopefully forever."

Adam's eyes widened at Seto's declaration, "All seven of us?" He asked, once again sounding slightly suspicious.

Seto nodded, "Absolutely. I'll provide for you the best that I can. And that's a promise. And you know I can't break those." He shifted the cub to one of his arms and held his hand out to the child, "Do we have a deal, Mister Adam?"

Seto heard Ty giggle behind him and smiled. Adam stared at his extended hand for a moment before tentatively reaching his own hand out to take it. "Deal."

"Now," Seto smiled, handing Jason his fluffy little brother and holding out his hands for the other two boys, "Would you like to introduce me to your other brothers?"