A/N: This is the AU and retelling of the story of CS1 to CS4 with Crow Armbrust as the protagonist. I haven't seen or read a fanfic with him being the primary protagonist, and it was being set before the actual events of Cold Steel... at least I'm not aware of those fics yet if they exist. This was inspired by Trails of Blood and Steel, but only the premise of the childhood AU. I have been plotting this fic for months and I finally was able to start writing about it recently. This will contain spoilers from all Cold Steel games and previous Trail games as well. Also, this will be focusing on Crow's view, so instead of showing the field studies, since he is still not part of Class VII until the later part of Cold Steel 1, I will be showing something different~

But that doesn't mean I won't be showing what happens in the field studies! By the tag, you probably know who Crow is paired up and she will be the other main protagonist alongside Rean. The changes will be the story and events that take place, original characters to fill the void known as Jurai, and some other stuff you will find out eventually. For other pairings, only two were already set and I won't be changing that anytime soon. But maybe you guys can help me with the others~

Okay, that's enough from me, I hope you enjoy this fic and the Chapter 1~ Reviews are always appreciated too!

Sometimes, a story needs to be told from a different perspective. The perspective of a child who turned into terrorism to get his revenge on one man, a man that took away his only family, or at least he thought that was the case. It didn't matter, though. The child was consumed by hatred and anger, but a mask of coolness and goofiness covered it all up.

This is the story of a terrorist, who would become one of the heroes to save the world from an ancient curse, and his faithful meeting with a fairy, a girl that would change his life. His encounter with a group of do-gooders would weaken the flames of hatred in his heart. And a book that would lock his faith, whether it be a blessing or a curse, it was up to him to decide.

The child's name is...

Crow Armbrust.

A child that knew nothing but games and laughs. A child that had the goofiest smile that radiated with his ash white hair. Despite losing his parents at a young age, he could still smile thanks to someone close to him, someone that took care of him. It was his grandfather that filled that hole in his life, and he would forever be grateful to him. He would go about his day playing around with his friends, complimenting any girl he sees, and helping his grandfather with menial tasks.

A child that would put up a front even when sadness would hold his heart. He was the type that would lie to protect his friends from getting in trouble, beat up bullies that pissed him off, and would share his meals with anyone, even strangers, to help them fill their empty stomachs or give them a certain warmth inside of them.

That's how he was as a kid.

A laidback, goofy, and kind boy who would do something reckless without thinking first. The kid would end up getting covered in bruises when he goes back home, but despite all that, his grandfather would chuckle and have his first-aid ready to patch the young rascal up. The elder was an irreplaceable part of Crow's life, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

December S.1194

Jurai City State

"I'm leaving now, Grandpa!"

"All right. Stay safe out there, and come back home before evening! I'm making your favorite fish burgers later."

"Aw sweet! Thanks, and don't worry, I will!" The voice of an energetic male slammed the door closed as he went off to who knows where.

An elderly man wearing semi-formal attire sighed as he saw his grandson off. He soon chuckled as he looked over to a picture of the two in front of the port on his desk. The wide smile of the white-haired child was something precious to the old man. He was worried that he wouldn't be able to fill the role of the boy's parents, but his worries were misplaced by how the child warmed up to him immediately. His concern for Crow was understandable. Despite knowing that his parents had died when he was at a very young age, he kept a very easygoing and laidback attitude.

There was a time where the old man questioned if the boy was alright. Unexpectedly, the child smiled and said that he was fine, and it was all thanks to him, his grandfather. Crow was thankful to him for staying by his side, feeding him, giving him clothes and a warm home to stay. To say that he was touched was an understatement; the older man pulled the kid into a hug, promising that he would never leave the boy's side.

That all happened five years ago.

The white-haired boy was now twelve years in age. And he has gotten even more energetic and lively over the years he was in the care of his grandfather. Due to his position as mayor of Jurai, Corvus had his mayor duties alongside taking care of the boy. And like an unexpected sucker punch of consideration, Crow decided to join his grandfather wherever he went, not once complaining about the boring paper and business talk. The elder felt bad that his grandson would choose to join him with his work instead of playing with his friends.

Not wanting to make his grandson die from boredom (even if he didn't complain, it showed in his face), he taught him a few tricks and games to entertain himself while he does his work. Did he regret this decision? A little bit...

The young Armbrust had become so invested in games and tricks; that he even made his own card game known as Blade. The child enthusiastically shared his game with everyone he met, not just his friends. This made Crow familiar with most of the residents of Jurai from young to old. And because of Corvus's teachings... Crow flirted with the girls in town, which they happily entertained him.

The older Armbrust couldn't help but smile at those memories as he grabbed the picture frame.

'Crow really has become even more outgoing... but that's a good thing.'

He looked over to his desk, a document lying there as if it hasn't been touched in months. The elderly's eyes looked over to it with a slight frown.

'I hope I didn't make the wrong decision by accepting Erebonia's proposal. The city has become even more prosperous due to being connected to Erebonia's railroad network, but was it the right decision...?'

Sighing once more, he returned to his seat to finish some paperwork before he had to leave their house later this afternoon.

The sound of running could be heard from the streets. An energetic boy with white hair dashed, running as fast as his legs could go. With a smile plastered on his face, he waved to his neighbors as if he was a celebrity of the city. The residents of Jurai waved back while chuckling. Somehow, the boy had a certain effect on the people; even at a young age, his charisma showed.

His flirtatious attempts were backed up with confidence in his voice, even if sometimes it was his stupidity guiding him instead. A group of girls saw the running tween and waved.

"Hey, Crow~." The girls cooed as they waved at the laidback boy.

"Sup, girls! Can't talk right now; I'm meeting Stark and Ross at the park." He returned the wave before winking at them, a cheeky grin stitched on his face. "I'll see you cuties around~."

The girls giggled and laughed before waving again to the young Armbrust.

"Hehe, I can't believe he's just twelve, and he can say those things so confidently without being embarrassed about it." The brown-haired girl mused.

One of the girls with blonde hair chuckled and gave her take on the matter. "Well, with the mayor taking care of him all these years, he was bound to teach Crow his 'techniques'."

"Yeah! It's hard to believe that our mayor used to be such a ladies' man back when he was younger. If my mom didn't tell me about it, I would have never assumed that Mayor Corvus was such a flirt back in his days."

The girl with purple hair nodded as she looked over to the park. "And even without that, his charm is definitely there. Remember fourth grade? He managed to persuade everyone from our class to join the cooking contest. Even when Sherry was bad at cooking." She snickered and looked at the girl with brown hair.

"That's not cool, Lisa! It's not my fault that he made a convincing argument..." Sherry groaned and looked to the blonde girl for assistance. "Please back me up here, Gemma..."

The blonde girl sweatdropped and coughed on her mouth as she decided to assist the girl. "I can't deny that. He really was good with his words, not to mention that he also has the looks that can grab any girl's attention. Even the guys can be affected with his charms, but that's more because he hangs out with them more so that his looks actually being effective against them."

"Is that how he was for you, Gemma?" Lisa smirked. "Did his looks captured your heart?"

Gemma blushed and immediately protested. "No way! He's just a friend! And you already know he's like that to every girl here!"

"I'm just teasing~." Gemma glared at Lisa as she crossed her arms and pouted. "I know how Crow is, don't worry about that. He's more of a tease than a flirt if anything."

"Agreed."

The two other girls nodded as they looked over to the direction of the park, wondering what the flirt will do once he meets up with his friends.

After running like a crazy person, Crow finally reached the park. His head wandered as he looked around for his friends. His face brightened as he saw two kids sitting on a bench, playing a card game. A pudgy kid with short black hair had an expression that clearly told everyone that he was losing, while a slimmer kid with thick brownish hair had a winning smile, his eyes sparkling. The young Armbrust chuckled as he walked over to the two.

"Yo! Who's winning?"

Both kids looked up from their cards and turned to their caller. "Crow!"

"Sup."

"You just arrived at the best part! I'm about to beat Ross." The brown-haired kid said as he looked back at his hand.

"S-shut up, Stark! I can make a comeback! I hope..." The round black-haired youth grumbled the last part as he looked at his cards with a frown.

The laidback kid chuckled as he looked at their board. Stark had a score of twelve, while Ross had a score of eight. His eyes looked over to their hands to see how many cards they have, noting both kids having two cards each. The score wouldn't be an issue if they had more than two cards since the difference was not that significant, but with two cards each, it was natural for the pudgier kid to frown. If he had a four or even higher, he would have had the lead.

At least that was a thought for anyone who first played the game.

Stark's confident expression made Crow think that it was checkmate for the black-haired boy. It was clear as day, the two didn't have much of a poker face, but that made it easier to know what they have in their hands without looking to check. The Armbrust theorized Ross in having either a card with a lower value and a card that can beat his opponent's twelve. On the other hand, he assumed that Stark had a higher value card to beat his opponent's next play or a special card like Mirror or Bolt.

Crow took a seat on the ground and watched how the game would play out.

"Alright... I'll play a Seven!" Ross played a seven on top of his eight, making his score fifteen. 'Please don't beat it...'

The brown-haired boy looked over his cards one last time before grinning.

"Oh, come on..."

"Looks like it's checkmate." Crow chuckled.

"I play a Bolt!" Stark placed his card on the board as the roundish kid took off his seven from the board, bringing down his score to eight once again. "All right! The score is now seven wins, and four loses!"

"Hey! You've only beat me five times!"

"Oops. I guess I counted wrong." Stark smiled sheepishly as he scratched his cheek. "That was still a nice game. Thanks for playing with me, Ross."

"Even though I lost, it was pretty fun." Both boys smiled and shook each other's hands.

On the ground, Crow was smiling from ear to ear. He jumped up from his sitting position and patted off the dirt from his ass. His eyes made their way to his friends' content faces; he couldn't help but smile even wider.

"Speaking of wins and losses, how about you two take a win from me? I beat you two, how many times? Fifty-six to zero?"

The two kids released their handshake and glared at the slacker.

"IT'S FIFTY-TWO TO ZERO, IDIOT!"

Crow cackled like a madman, holding his stomach hard as it started to hurt from him laughing so much. He could feel his eyes being pricked as tears started to come out. Both kids stared at him with an annoyed look, prompting him to wipe the tears away.

"Aha... ha... you two sure know how to count your losses... ahaha..." Crow panted as he finally got his calm back.

"I don't understand how we can't beat you..." Ross sighed as he slumped his shoulders.

"Yeah, and most of the time, it all depends on what cards we draw at the start of the game..." A sigh escaped Stark's lips as he joined his friend in the shoulder slumping. "And in all those fifty-two games, you come out as the winner."

"What can I say? I'm quite the lucky guy~." Crow grinned, causing his friends to groan. "Come on, guys, stop your groaning and let's play!"

The two boys laughed and cleaned up their cards as Ross got up from his seat to let Crow take his place. He stood in the middle of the bench so he could watch the game without the need to get his shorts dirty. The white-haired tween walked over to the bench and took his seat as Stark began shuffling the deck. He split the deck in half before giving Crow his. Both drew ten cards as both then dicked the top of their decks.

"I got Five," Stark informed as he placed his card on the field.

"I got a Three." Crow followed as he did the same.

Ross nodded at their numbers before declaring who makes the first play. "Okay. Crow goes first."

"Gotcha."

The white-haired boy looked over his cards in his hands, a blank expression visible on his visage. The brown-haired boy squinted his eyes, trying to read the older kid. Unfortunately for him, his face did not show any signs of whether his hand was good or not. After a good minute or two, Crow made his play.

"Eat a Bolt!" He played the Bolt Card and made his opponent's score into zero while adding a value of one to his.

"So soon?!"

"What can I say? I play to win."

"Well, in that case... I'll use this!"

The younger of the two played a One card, which can reverse the removal of Bolt, returning Stark's score to five.

"Seven." Crow's score was now at ten.

"Then I'll play a Five!" The younger boy played his card, resulting in their scores to tie.

"Since both of your scores are ten, you have to dick new cards," Ross informed them as he removed their current cards. The two players dicked out another card from the deck. "Okay, Crow has a Six while Stark has a Seven. Crow makes the first play again."

"Sweet."

"Lucky..."

Crow immediately played a Seven card, making his score into thirteen. Stark groaned, not having a Seven in hand, he played Mirror instead, switching their score.

The white-haired boy whistled as he looked over his cards. 'Four of these are duds... better take the lead now.' He played a six, making them tie in score again.

"Another tie..." Stark sighed as the pudgy kid cleared the field again. "I dicked a Mirror card."

"I got Five." Crow announced. "Guess it's your turn to go first."

The younger kid nodded but quickly frowned. Having a value of one was a rough start, and he only had three more cards that he can play that can beat his score of five.

"I'll play a Bolt!"

Crow grinned and played a One, to Stark's horror. "It didn't work, Starky~."

"Ugh... I play a six then!"

'Checkmate.' The white-haired smooth talker grinned even wider, causing the two younger kids to sweatdrop. "Bolt~"

The brown-haired boy's mouth just dropped; he did not expect that Crow still had a Bolt card in his hand. He could only sigh in defeat as he revealed his cards, cards that had values that couldn't beat his five.

"I thought I would win this time... I thought this game was about skill! I had it all planned out earlier, too..."

"Skill and luck! Don't forget luck, Starky." Crow snickered as he cleaned up the board. Guess this makes our score to fifty-three to zero~."

"Oh, shut up..." Stark groaned as he stood up from the bench. "Your turn, Ross. Come on; I know you can beat Crow!"

"W-what makes you think I can beat him?! I always lose the fastest between the three of us..."

"Just have a game with me, Ross. Or are you afraid that you'll lose again~?" Crow taunted with a smug grin.

The taunt worked as the pudgy kid's blue eyes were lit ablaze with determination to wipe Crow's smug grin off his face. He took his seat across from him as he shuffled the deck like some pro dealer before cutting the deck in half. Ross gave the laidback kid a determined look, one so intense the two kids around him couldn't help themselves from sweatdropping.

"T-time to dick your cards, guys." The brown-haired boy reminded nervously; seeing the black-haired boy's determined expression was somehow nerve-racking.

After hearing Stark start the game, both players dicked their decks.

"I got a Three!" Ross announced.

"Five for me."

"Okay, the first play goes to Ross." Nodding at Stark's words, the pudgier kid played a Seven.

"I'm definitely gonna beat you, Crow!"

The white-haired smooth talker just smiled; at least the kid was fired up. "You can try, but I won't make it easy for you!"

As soon as those words left his mouth, Crow played a Bolt card.

His play caused the determined expression of the black-haired boy to falter but quickly regained it as he played a Mirror. The two started to play aggressively, constantly changing who has the lead. They even tied a total of three times before Ross somehow got the lead. The chubby kid smiled as he continued his play, only for him to glance at Crow; his expression was cool as water. He had a feeling he won't have the lead soon enough...

...

"Gah! I was so close!" Ross threw his arms up in the air as his cards were sent flying.

"Y-yeah. You lasted longer than me..." Stark said, his expression said it all. Shocked by how his pudgy friend almost won and how the laidback boy made an incredible comeback.

Speaking of the laidback boy, he had his palm resting in his chin as he snickered at his victory. His black-haired friend's expression when he played a Mirror at the very end was priceless. His score of six was turned to fifteen thanks to the card. In the end, though, it was an all-or-nothing gamble on his part. He only had two cards before he made his play, and the other was just a Two, which was completely useless.

Ross got up from his seat and sighed before collecting the cards that were scattered around the park.

"How lucky can you be?"

Crow shrugged at Stark's question and could only offer a smile. "Just really lucky, I guess."

"Maybe you should add more skill cards... Bolt, Mirror, and a One card are essentially your winning pieces if you have them in hand, and even more so if you have multiple copies.

"Hmmm." The Armbrust closed his eyes and pondered at the idea. "Actually, that's not a bad idea, Stark. I might do that once I get enough mira again."

"And while you're at it, you should probably change the design of the cards." The brown-haired kid looked over the cards— a sword, two knives, another sword except it had a slimmer design, a big ass sword, a pistol, and a lance with really bland designs were printed on the cards. To say that it was bland was definitely an understatement. "They just look really, really boring, Crow..."

"I second that! Ross chimed in as he returned with his collected cards. "If the game wasn't so fun, I would never play Blade."

The game creator groaned. He can't deny that the design of the cards was pretty boring. "It's not my fault Phaestus only had old and boring-looking weapons at his shop... I would change the designs if I could, but I need to base it on something, and you know how much I suck at drawing stuff."

"Yup, you suck at drawing." The younger kids nodded their heads at the fact.

"Oi! Couldn't you two put it more nicely?!" Crow's response was just met with the laughter of the two. The tween groaned, seeing no signs of their laughter stopping. "Ugh... what time is it anyway?"

The two younger kids' laughter ceased as they both looked at the park clock. It was already past noon; they didn't realize that they were playing for a while now. The two quickly cleaned up the cards on the bench.

"It's already past lunchtime!"

"Sorry, Crow. We have to go for now. How about we meet back here later? Stark suggested as he packed away his cards in his pockets.

"Sure. I'll just drop by Phaestus's place to look for some card designs before grabbing lunch." The white-haired said as he got off the bench. "I'll see you two later then."

"Right. Let's go, Ross."

"Yeah. We'll see you later, Crow!"

The two boys waved at the older one as they ran off to their homes. Resting his arms behind his back, Crow looked back at the clock. The time was 12:28, and the boy thought that he should probably get going as well.

'Phaestus should be on his break by now. Guess I can ask him some questions about weapons while he's eating or something...'

With that thought in mind, the white-haired kid left the park.

In the backstreets of Jurai, a small weapon shop was situated between a laundry shop and a small diner. It was a run-down building with a window showing the weapons inside, varying from spears to swords. On the front, there was a sign placed in front of the window; informing customers that the owner was currently on their break. Despite that notice, the laidback boy opened the door and went in.

A man in his early twenties with a dark red man bun was standing at the counter, holding a sandwich. Crow grinned as he heard the man sigh and gave him a half-lidded look, clearly not finding his presence something to be happy about.

"Sup, Phaestus."

"Dude, you saw the sign outside. I'm on break right now." The red-haired man reminded him as he took off his blacksmith apron to further prove his point. "Don't think just because you're the mayor's grandkid; you can just ignore the sign."

"I would never~." The boy smiled happily. "Come on, man, I've known you for years now! You should know I don't listen to your sign by now~."

"Ugh... That's not the point, Crow."

"Haha. You two are as close as ever." The sound of a familiar voice got Crow's attention.

"Gramps? What are you doing here?"

"I needed to deliver Hephaestus his renewal certificate for his shop. What are you doing here, though, Crow? Weren't you playing with your friends?"

"It's past noon. They needed to grab lunch so I came here." The boy gave his answer.

"Oh! It slipped my mind that it was already noon..." The elder facepalmed before looking back at his grandson. "Have you eaten anything yet, Crow?"

"Nope." He answered honestly. "But I don't mind eating later. You can go take care of your business first, Gramps."

"Crow..."

The blacksmith chuckled as he took a bite of his sandwich. He has known Crow for almost four years, and he was already used to how he usually acts. Goofy, laidback, snarky at times, but he didn't fail to see that the boy had kindness in his heart.

"You should take his offer, Corvus. You still have business at the city library, remember?"

"I do, but..."

"It's fine, Gramps. How about I come to the library with you? I can just read more books there." The laidback smooth talker proposed. "I'm not that hungry since I ate a lot earlier."

His grandfather just smiled before letting a chuckle escape him. "If you're fine with coming with me, then I'll take you up on that."

"Of course!"

Hephaestus smiled at the warm moment between grandparent and grandchild. For someone who used to be a ladies' man back in his prime and a kid who was Jurai's current smooth talker, they had such a strong relationship. It was to be expected, though. The two only had each other; they were the only family they have left. To the blacksmith, it always made his heart warm seeing the two be so close.

The blacksmith known as Hephaestus Brando chuckled when he saw the two give each other goofy grins. The two were more alike than he thought, and that was saying something since Corvus had clearly mellowed down over the years.

Corvus heard the red-haired man's chuckle and gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry for ignoring you the whole time we were talking, Hephaestus." The younger man just waved his hand dismissively, telling him it was alright. "By the way, Crow, why did you come to Hephaestus's shop? You still can't have a weapon, you know."

"I knoooooow... I have to wait another year to get a weapon, right?"

"Right, so you'll be a good little boy until then, okay?"

"I'm twelve!"

Crow's outburst brought laughs into the store as the two adults laughed heartily. The young one groaned as he hung his head, giving up in any attempts to ceased their laughter. This was his grandfather and the man that would make fun of him during his early childhood days he was talking about.

"Okay, okay, what do you need then if you didn't come for a weapon?" The red-haired blacksmith asked between chuckles, his laughter finally dying down.

The boy raised his head and answered. "I'm looking for some weapon designs for Blade."

The blacksmith made an audible "oh" sound as if he realized why the rascal came here. "I take it because your friends think the designs are boring?" Crow groaned his answer. "I'll take that as a yes..."

"It's not my fault you have lame designs for your weapons here!"

"I prioritize utility and effectiveness than how a weapon looks. I don't care if you think they look lame." Hephaestus responded as he took his seat behind the counter. The laidback smooth talker stuck his tongue out for the older man to do the same.

"Alright, you two, knock it off." Mayor Armbrust scolded the two. "Crow, I think Hephaestus might really be able to help you with that."

"He can? / I can?"

The old man nodded. "You should show him that."

Phaestus's eyes widened as he rubbed the back of his neck, knowing what Corvus meant. "Wait, here then."

He got up from his seat as he walked to the back room and entered. The white-haired smooth talker looked over to his guardian and raised a brow. The older Armbrust only chuckled, causing the younger one to be even more confused. From their exchange, Crow had an idea of what his grandfather meant when he said that.

'Is it some kind of weapon...?' The Blade creator thought before looking back at his grandfather. "Is it a weapon, Gramps? Like a new weapon made by Phaestus?"

"Haha. You'll see it soon enough, Crow."

"Hmmm... if you say so."

After a few minutes, the blacksmith came back with a clothed rodlike object in hand.

"Here it is, Crow. I don't know if the design will be to your liking, but it is different compared to any other weapon here." Hephaestus said as he began unwrapping the clothed object.

The boy's eyes lit up in anticipation and excitement as the older man slowly revealed what was hidden in the cloth. His eyes widened to their widest; he never would have thought that something like that was wrapped inside some old cloth. On the table counter, a long double-sided blade laid there. It was as long as a spear, but it was just as sharp as a sword. The shine from the blade showed that it was carefully taken care of and maintained its quality. No visible scratch marks could be seen, giving the Crow the thought it was never been put to use.

Corvus glanced at his grandson and smiled; he could tell he was amazed by the weapon.

"W-What is this...?"

The red-haired man smiled and was happy to supply an answer. "It's called a double saber from the Dark Ages. I guess you can say that this double saber is an heirloom of my family."

"Your family has something like this?!"

As the blacksmith was about to answer, the mayor answered for him. "The Brando family is a family of blacksmiths from the Dark Ages. They specialized in making weapons such as these during that time. Though, due to certain circumstances, people with malicious intentions killed off the members of the family one by one..."

"Yeah. The weapons made by my family became relics because of what happened. Not only that, but I became the last living member of the Brando family, and this was the last weapon they ever created." Hephaestus elucidated with a frown.

"Phaestus..." He has never seen his older friend look so saddened in his life. What happened during those times must still affect him. 'His parents... must have lost their lives because of those people...'

"It was truly tragic..." Every time the mayor recalled the tale, it always made his heart swell.

Noticing the mood suddenly gotten a lot darker, Hephaestus shook his head and slapped his cheeks. "Nothing I can do about it but to keep making weapons. It's what my parents would have wanted."

The older Armbrust nodded as they dropped their discussion. Crow looked at the double saber, mixed emotions in his eyes. He remembered the memories that he made with his older brother figure in a flash. 'Is that why no matter how annoying I was... he never hated or disliked me? Because we had something similar happen to us... no, his was far worse than mine. Knowing that your parents got killed by—'

Before Crow could finish his somber thought, he felt a hand ruffle his hair in a rough matter.

"Hey!"

"If you are so deep in thought, you're gonna get bald, Crow." The blacksmith said with a half-lidded expression before smiling. "Thanks for thinking about me, but don't worry, I'm fine. I wouldn't be much of a big brother to you if I act all mopey, right?"

The smooth talker hanged his head low, not looking at the young man's eyes.

"H-Hey, Crow? Come on, don't be so down..."

"C-Crow? Are you—"

Just as his grandfather was about to rest his hand on the boy's shoulder, Crow covered his mouth with his hand.

"Pffft... ahahahahahaha! Yeah, you're right. If you acted all mopey, I would have beaten your ass to improve your mood!"

"You can try, pipsqueak!"

Hephaestus got up from his counter and placed Crow in a headlock so fast he couldn't avoid it. He began delivering the boy a noogie sandwich to the head, much to the boy's annoyance.

"Stop! I give!" But the blacksmith didn't stop. "Gramps, help!"

"I'm sorry, my boy. You did put yourself into this situation; it's only right you would be the one to fix it."

"I feel betrayed here!"

The red-haired blacksmith snickered as he ruffled the boy's white hair wildly. Crow pointlessly struggled as he endured the treatment; his protest fell on deaf ears as his grandfather watched with a sympathetic smile. He endured the ruffling for almost two minutes.

...

"Ow... you don't know how to hold back, do you?"

"My bad, man." The blacksmith rubbed the back of his neck. "To make up for... the noogies, you can hold the saber if you want."

"Really?!" Phaestus nodded as Crow's face brightened up immediately. "Sweet! I'll get a good feel then!"

"Be careful, Crow. That weapon is very sharp so hold it properly." The elderly man advised his grandson.

"Right!"

The tween held the handle of the double saber as he carefully lifted it. To his surprise, it was heavier than he thought... no, it was actually the heaviest thing he had tried to lift before. He was using all of his body strength, but the double-edged blade didn't budge. It felt like it was glued to the counter. The boy tried pulling it away from the counter using his arms, but like before: it didn't move an inch from its spot.

"What the hell..." Crow said under his breath as he was trying to lift the double saber. "This thing is so heavy!"

"I know, right? It took me some time to get used to its weight." The young man said casually as Crow pulled away to catch his breath. "I don't blame you if you can't lift it right now."

"And yet you carried that thing from back there to here..." The young Armbrust panted, his face flushed from trying to lift the weapon. "I'll just... burn the image in my mind. I'll use its design once I have some mira to change some cards..."

"I guess mission accomplished. That was your original reason for coming here, right?"

"I guess it is..." He sighed with a disappointed look. He really wanted to lift the blade at least once.

The white-haired boy felt his hair being ruffled gently, looking up to see his ruffler. The sight of his grandfather smiling was enough for his disheartened expression to disappear as he looked back to his older brother figure. "Thanks for letting me see the double saber, Phaestus. 'Preciate it."

"No problem, bud."

Corvus chuckled as he patted his grandson's head before looking back to the blacksmith. "Let me add my thanks as well. Thank you for bringing it out."

"Like I said, it's no problem. You did help settle me in here all those years ago, showing the double saber is nothing compared to what you did for me."

The elder lets another chuckle escape him. "I appreciate it nonetheless. Well, we'll be going now. I'll visit you again soon, Hephaestus."

"Gotcha. See you later, Corvus. And Crow, don't flirt with every girl you see. Don't be like your old-timer here..."

The mayor's jaw dropped as the boy cackled like crazy. Even he can't deny how much of a flirt his grandfather was during his younger days. It was definitely a low blow considering how different the old man is compared to his younger self, he wished he could forget about those days as well...

"I wasn't that bad... right?"

"Yup, you weren't bad. You were beyond bad." Hephaestus deadpanned as the elder groaned.

"You don't mince words, do you?" Crow asked as he held back his laughter.

"Nope."

His response was so fast that it only made Crow laugh even louder as the elderly man facepalmed.

"Let's get going, Crow. We still have some business in the library!"

"Don't you mean— whoa!"

Crow couldn't even finish what he was saying as he was grabbed by the collar by his grandfather as they left the shop. The boy waved at his older friend, and he waved back while chuckling. It was always funny to see Corvus's reaction whenever his past was brought up. The two headed to the library with the mayor practically dragging his grandson to their destination, not that Crow minded the treatment.

In the library with his grandfather, Crow was passing the time by reading the books in the building. Usually, he wouldn't have any trouble keeping himself occupied, but...

"Damn it! I tired of reading the books here over and over again!" The boy threw the book up as a shush sound silenced his potential outburst. He looked to his right to see the source of the shush and saw the librarian, glaring as if she was out for blood. He covered his face with another book as he shut his mouth for the time being. "I forgot how scary the librarian here is..."

It did make sense how his old fondness for the library diminished over the years. The place had a large collection of books and had a decent amount of books for his age. But a few weeks was all he needed to finish each book; it was such a feat that even the regulars of the library were impressed by the achievement. That being said, it made trips to the library boring since he knew each of the contents for books that he was allowed to read.

And living in Jurai with not a lot of distractions would definitely lead the boy to reread the books in the library again, and again... and again. To the point that he could probably recite a whole book.

The only joy he had learned from traveling to the library was that they would add new books to their collection each year. Unfortunately for the tween, most of the time, they were books that he couldn't understand. And some of them, his grandfather just outright banned him from reading... most of which were... adult books.

The laidback boy set the book he had in hand aside as he got up from his seat. His crimson orbs wandered to his elder, who was busy talking to some staff of the library. His lips let out a sigh, deciding to roam around the building and looking through bookshelves to pass the time.

He walked all over the library, glancing at each of the titles on the spine of the book.

'The Fishy Encyclopedia. Magic Tricks for Idiots. Dating an Idiot- Book I. Ugh... this is getting tiring. Wait, what's that...?'

Crow stopped in his tracks as his eyes were glued to a certain book on the shelf. It was old and tattered; it almost looked like a book that was from the Dark Ages or even beyond that. He definitely hasn't seen anything like it before, and he would have known since he comes to visit the library at least once a week.

"The Evil Eye of the Tyrant...?" The Armbrust mumbled the title of the book. "Did they have this before?"

The more he stared at the book, the more he was drawn to it. It was as if it was like a magnet pulling him closer to it. No, that wouldn't be right... It was like it was calling out to the boy, whispering into his ears to pick it up and read its contents. As his hand began to extend to grab the book, he felt someone's touch on his shoulder.

He regained his senses as he turned to look who touched him.

"Ah. It's just you, Grampa."

"Is something wrong, my boy? I've been calling you earlier, but you didn't hear me."

"You were?" His grandfather nodded. 'I didn't even hear Gramps's voice at all...'

"Are you feeling alright? We can just buy take-out, and we can head home so you can eat there and get some rest." Corvus offered, a worried look plastered on his face.

"I'm fine, Gramps! I swear!" The white-haired boy waved his hands wildly. "I just spaced out. I'm not sick or anything."

"Are you sure? You'll be trouble if you are lying about your health..." The mayor gave the child a stern look as he crossed his arms, causing the younger Armbrust to shake his head.

"I'm not lying! I really did just space out!"

The elder returned his arms to his side as he patted the young boy's head. "Well, you sound as energetic as usual. I guess you really are fine."

"I told you so..."

Both grandfather and grandson felt a spine-shivering chill as they felt eyes glaring at them with certain killing intent. The two slowly turned their heads; the eyes of their glarer caused them to go pale. The librarian had a finger in front of her mouth, and her eyes narrowed. They immediately knew what she was trying to say, and since they didn't have any excuse, both Armbrust could only bow their heads apologetically. The librarian sighed as she returned to reading her book and waved them an okay.

"I think we should go now, Gramps. I don't need to experience her glare again today..."

"Yeah— wait, again? Did you make some noise earlier for her to glare at you?" Knowing his grandson, the answer was most likely yes.

"Uh... I'll wait outside in the food stall!"

The white-haired boy ran off outside in such a hurry that he bumped into some tables and almost hitting the regulars at the library. Corvus chuckled as he let a soft look take place on his visage; it didn't last long; however, his eyes turned to the tattered book with a frown attached to his face. Sighing to himself, he walked out of the library to meet his grandson.

'We don't need that anymore... never again...'

The two ate their lunch consisting of hotdogs and some soda on the benches in front of the library. It was always nice that there were food stalls in most of the city's big buildings; it saved them some time and stamina from finding a stall or going to a tavern to eat. As the two continued to eat their fill, Crow told his grandpa what he was doing earlier for him to let out a soft chuckle.

"You really have become so good in card games, my boy. I feel like it was only yesterday when you always lose to me in a game of go fish." The elderly man flashed a smug smirk as the boy let out a groan.

"I was bound to get better! Besides, I had the best mentor in the world..." Crow pouted as he looked down on the ground, staring at his sneakers like it was gold.

Corvus's smirk morphed into a soft smile as he rested his hand on top of the boy's head, causing him to look up.

"Huh...?"

"I can't say I'm the best mentor in the world... but I can accept being called the best mentor when it comes to card games. And I wouldn't be the best if I didn't have such a great student to teach."

The once pouting tween immediately brightened up as his lips curled upwards. "Heh heh."

His grandfather's smile widened as he finished his food and soda before standing up from the bench.

"I'll be heading back home now, Crow. I have some paperwork to deal with, and I am expecting a visit from an old friend." The mayor ruffled his grandson's head gently. "Don't stay out for too long; you still have those fish burgers to eat later."

"Of course I won't! I'll see you back home then, Gramps. I'll be at the park again to wait for Stark and Ross." Crow said as he munched down his hot dog and drank his soda in one gulp. "Ah~. I'll be back before it gets too dark."

The elderly man nodded as he walked back home, leaving Crow by himself in the benches. The boy soon stood up from his seat and made his way to the park again to meet up with his friends. Surely they are there by now, right?

...

Except they weren't.

As soon as Crow arrived at the park, he searched for his friends to see if they have arrived. He thought that the two were playing Blade again to pass the time until he arrived to have another round of the card game or play something else with them. The boy searched every nook and cranny of the area, he thought they were just hiding from them. After a few minutes of searching, both of his friends were not present.

He sighed as he took a seat on one of the benches and looked at the park clock.

14:47

"And they said they'll come back too..." He slumped his shoulders; his crimson orbs stared at the blue sky as he began thinking what to do right now. Another sigh escaped his lips as he started to regret not bringing his own deck. It would have been a good way to pass the time by simulating certain plays.

He turned his head to look for something interesting to distract himself for a while. Not that he found much, he can't exactly amuse himself in the playground with just him playing there alone. An idea popped into his mind as his eyes landed on a tree.

Crow rubbed his hands together maniacally with a sicker accompanying the gesture.

"Time to give them a little spook for being late~."

He jumped out of his seat and started to climb the tree. The boy gripped the trunk tight as he began climbing the tree until he reached a sturdy branch before hopping to it. Looking back at the ground, Crow smirked as he rested his head on the trunk of the tree.

"I'm gonna scare them good." The smooth talker mused to himself as he lets out a yawn. "But I... should probably take a little nap while... waiting.

It was stupidly dangerous to be taking a nap on top of a tree branch, but the moment he closed his eyes, the boy fell asleep anyway. Sleeping without a care in the world, or the fear of falling to the ground. Not like it was even a long drop back down.

...

The white-haired boy's eyes slowly opened as he woke up from his nap. He tried to stifle a yawn but failed as he looked around to notice anything different about the park. Except for time moving forward by forty-five minutes, he still doesn't see his friends present at the park. Rubbing the back of his neck, he sighed in disappointment.

"Geez, they forgot..."

As he was about to get down, he noticed a person sleeping on the bench below. His eyes may have looked all around the park for his friends, but it was only now that he realized that someone was sleeping on the bench, someone he didn't recognize. And he was sure that he was familiar with everyone in Jurai. From the build, Crow assumed that it was a kid, most likely younger than him.

'I haven't seen this kid before here. Must be a tourist or something.'

He began racking his brain on who the kid was. He stood up while still thinking; the boy lost his footing and slipped.

"Huh?!"

Time went slow for the boy as he fell from the tree branch; just before the potentially deadly impact, the boy pressed his palms on the ground as he flipped himself over, landing on his ass.

"Ow, ow, ow... crap, I was careless." Crow rubbed his bottom as he eased the pain from the impact of the fall. It was definitely on him that he slipped; he shouldn't have been thinking so hard and trying to stand up from a tree branch of all places at the same time.

"What are you doing?" A soft voice came as he was still rubbing his butt from the pain.

He raised his head as his crimson orbs met a set of beautiful chartreuse eyes. Right in front of him was a child with short and messy silver hair, yet to him, it was like something out of a picture book. The child who was sleeping before was now sitting up, staring at the boy.

"I was uh... I fell from the tree..." Crow stuttered, mesmerized by how pretty the silver-haired child looked.

"Hmmm..."

The younger child continued to stare at him, lime-green orbs piercing his soul. In that single moment, that day, the two light-haired kids would grow close and become inseparable. Changing their lives for the better.