Kindness was seen as a sign of weakness in a slum where not everyone knew the warmth of love. Born and bred in a village known for its schemes, violence, and twisted personalities, the boy was named after the very thing everyone feared and yet loved, Hazard.

However, this child didn't grow to be the hazardous monster his parents wanted, but rather a considerate and calm person.

When he needed to throw a tantrum, he smiled, and when others took his kindness for granted, he returned it with even more kindness.

For some reason, he understood what it meant to be hurt and what it meant to be loved. Because of this, he decided to give everyone the thing they most certainly hadn't felt before, love and kindness.

Even so, his mother abandoned him at the age of three, and the best thing his father did was come home drunk, insult him for a while, and then collapse.

But his kindness was questioned when he saw a man try to beat a child and their mother to death. Something snapped in him. He beat the man until he wasn't recognizable and hung him where everyone could see, as a message to the masses.

Even in this new world, this child saw it as the hazardous home he grew up in and still hadn't stopped being considerate, kind, and selfless.

***

Nearly two days had passed by, and neither Nava nor Brave had returned. The one in the shadows, Light, was yet to return too. However, the air in the estate was as thick as ever.

Hazard came up with two possibilities: either Nava had a plan of his own—judging by his Flaw of Wrath, Northern Mist only needed so little to sting his pride—or he needed to leave NeverLight. Either way, that wasn't a good thing.

Nava's True Ability was Dualistic. It allowed him to be formidable with any weapons as long as he held two of them, and despite his calm nature, he served the God of Torture.

Hazard left no room for sugarcoating. It was said that Nava was the most skilled and brutal dual-blade wielder in all of Wood Fringe, losing him was more than just a blow to the head.

It was hard to hear this, considering Halo had already used his formidable close combat skills on his résumé.

Soon enough, before the entire house could grow utterly saturated in silence and wariness, Light returned.

Hazard didn't let him say a word but rather assembled the team.

This time, Halo made damn sure not to sit beside Delilah. The girl's presence was enough to drive anyone insane.

Omega and White fussed over Light's appearance, constantly trying to touch him to feel his skin. It was quite the sight to watch both ladies act like lovestruck fools.

Hazard cleared his throat, seizing the room's attention.

"I know this isn't practical for a leader like me, but this is Light, Halo's clone. I sent him to get some intel on the Northern Mist, and I should've told you."

Leto leaned into his seat.

"Don't worry, Hazard. I'm the only one who needs an apology here. You don't have to be sorry to anyone who isn't your equal."

While White and Omega went after Leto, Hazard only smiled.

Hazard handed Light a sheet and an ink to jot down everything he saw.

In a minute or two, Light was done writing.

Hazard calmly read to the room.

"There was a bastard… that rat with two short swords on his back. I don't know his name, so Jackass it is. He was with them when I got there, and from the way they laughed and talked, he's a coward who betrayed you. Now they're desperate to retrieve someone, and they could wipe you all out."

Watching Hazard read that so casually made Halo want to crack Light's skull open. He could have used simple words.

White leaned toward Halo.

"Is he always like this?"

Halo massaged his head in frustration.

"Trust me, he's worse than this."

White smiled awkwardly.

Hazard gestured for Light to leave, and the clone vanished to where he belonged.

"Can't we at least give him the benefit of the doubt? I've known Nava from before this cohort, and he's never shown signs of betrayal. He hated the Northern Mist anyway, for going against our leader."

The words left Omega calmly. It was good to cling to hope, but none of the people around her supported that.

"Now isn't the time to hope, Omega. I've never approved of that bastard, just that is reason enough to consider him guilty."

It seemed this was the first time anyone had ever agreed with Leto on something. He acted as though he'd conquered the world.

Hazard rested his hands at his back, calmly waiting for the soft murmurs in the room to settle. The elegance and confidence in his posture were everything anyone would need from a leader in such a situation.

The moment the room quieted, Hazard spoke:

"We can't do anything just yet. Nava can choose who he spends time with, but that doesn't mean he should act recklessly. And Brave still hasn't come back."

The moment he spoke, his head whipped toward the entrance, and a few seconds later, Brave walked into the room.

Brave looked disheveled. His red hair was messy and the angry expression he always wore was ten times worse this time. Nava was like family to him, but that didn't mean he should sleep outside.

"I want them all dead. He's been lying to us from the very beginning, and I want him to pay for it."

Brave's body trembled as he spoke. It was obvious that whatever he saw after going out to find Nava gave him no reason to protect him any longer.

Hazard smiled.

"Then I'll leave everything in your hands. I believe you're capable of handling this. Delilah and Leto will oversee the matter."

Brave didn't seem pleased with Hazard's words for a moment, but after a long stare into nothingness, he spoke:

"I know I'm not in the right state of mind to lead this… but I want Nava dead. I want to kill him with my own hands."

Brave's eyes couldn't leave the floor, he was broken.

Hazard locked eyes with Delilah.

"Will that fit your plans?"

Delilah motioned positively.

"It's settled. You will not act until three days from now."

"Yes, sir!" The crowd said, and Hazard excused himself.

Everything was strange to Halo. Just a few days ago, Hazard had told him about how formidable the leader of Northern Mist was and now he was leaving everything to just them?

Actually, he didn't know how strong any of them were, but he'd seen Leto's strength firsthand and was willing to believe each one of them was as strong, if not stronger.

"We need to talk…"

The words left Delilah in a calm, detached manner. Actually, this was the first time Halo heard her speak.

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