Time felt like it had froze in that moment when Mei embraced Alex, trying to ease him of his concerns.

The boy hesitated on what to do as his arms awkwardly raised up, trying to determine if he wanted to hug back or not.

That was until Alex finally snapped out of it as he quickly realized where his head was placed, immediately moving himself off of her and looked away in embarrassment as he blushed.

Mei found this a little cute though was blushing herself as she wondered why she didn't even second guess what she did for a second.

"I-I'm gonna go for a walk to clear my head." Awkwardly said Alex as he got up and walked away.

He went on a stroll for a brief moment before hearing the sound of a waterfall off to the side.

He'd approach it and came across a gorgeous view of the waterfall in the distance as just up ahead was a riverbank with plenty of rocks to throw.

Alex would sit by the bank and just enjoy the view.

It wouldn't be long though until Alex heard a noise behind him as he turned around and was surprised to see the young boy Adam.

"A-Adam?"

"O-Oh it's you mister. Um, why're you here?" He asked.

"Made a quick stop with the caretaker."

"Okay. Uh, did the tall girl with horns also come with you two?"

"You talkin' about Mei? Yeah she did. She's elsewhere though. Come and take a sit. This place looks nice doesn't it?" Asked Alex, patting the ground next to him as Adam nodded and sat down.

"Why're you even out here? I'd thought you'd be at the house."

"I, got uncomfortable and went outside."

"Why?"

"I, kept getting looks from the other kids. It makes me feel like I'm an outsider." Said the kid.

Alex kept quiet for a bit before getting up as he approached the edge of the riverbank, motioning Adam to follow him carefully as he got a handful of rocks for them.

"You know how to skip? All you gotta do is this."

Alex would toss the rock as it skipped along the water's surface a couple of times.

Adam mimicked what he saw from Alex as the kid only managed a few seconds.

"That's a decent start. Just keep following my lead."

The two would skip rocks along the water as Alex engaged in a conversation with him.

"You know, me and you are a lot alike." Said Alex.

"Huh? How?" Asked Adam.

"You said that you lost your parents before you could even speak right? Well, I was given away to an orphanage only a year after I was born. Never got to know my father and my mother. Just like how you ran away from an unwanting uncle, I too ran away from that unwanting orphanage. We both spent a while living on our own."

"..................was it, hard when you were alone?"

".....I'd be lying if it said it wasn't. During that time it was like rolling the dice of fate on whether or not I'd keep skating by or finally bite the dust. Thankfully though, I came across this orphanage and was brought into this family."

"So, you were also an outsider?"

"Yeah. I didn't let it bother me though. I just did my best to befriend everyone here and we all hit it off rather well. I'm sure that if I was welcomed, you will be too. Just gotta have confidence in yourself. That was something I figured out pretty recently." Said Alex, remembering the moment with Mei just now.

'Christ what a dumb mood swing that was. I should probably thank her when I have the time.' He thought.

"O-Okay. I believe you mister." Said Adam.

Soon the two stopped skipping rocks as Alex kneeled in front of Adam.

"Hey. You know that thing on your neck? Well, you're not the only one. Here, pull it back." Said Alex as he handed Adam his left hand.

The kid slowly pulled back the sleeve and had a slight gasp at seeing the infection markings.

"T-These are just like mine."

"Yep. The Honkai wound up not being kind to us huh?"

"How do you deal with it? Mine always flares up every once in a while."

"Yeah the pain does suck, but eventually you learn to co-exist with it. Trust me. When you grow older, you'll definitely be able to overcome this. Just like how I'm doing right now." Confidently said the boy as Adam nodded, feeling much better after their conversation.

Sensing that enough time had passed, Alex decided to take Adam to the house as he held his hand and guided him back the way he came.

During the walk, Adam took notice of Olympus on Alex's back as the boy noticed his gaze.

"Wanna hold it for a sec?" Asked Alex.

Adam's eyes lit up a bit before nodding as the two stopped walking.

Alex would turn to face Adam as he grabbed the blade's handle.

"Careful. It's a bit heavy." He said as he slowly placed the sword in Adam's hands.

The kid grabbed it as the blade weighed him down a bit though he was able to hold it well enough more or less.

The kid didn't know why, but he felt amazed by the sword's sleek black appearance, the red line that ran across the blade, and the core like structure located just above the handle that resembled a chamber with a large red component within it that the red line connected to.

"Cool ain't it?" Asked Alex as Adam nodded.

"Where did you get it?"

"It was a gift from this place's caretaker, my sensei. Though to be honest she's done so much for me that she's basically my mom at this point."

Adam continued to look amazed at the sword in his hands as Alex came up with an idea.

"Hey kid. How about we make a deal?" He asked.

The kid looked up a little curious as Alex placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You keep growing, living life to the fullest and fighting that infection. One day, my journey will end." Said Alex as he then placed a hand on Olympus. "When that day comes, I'll personally hand this sword over to you so you can start your own journey. We have a deal?"

Adam's face lit up with excitement as he happily nodded.

"Deal!" He said, the two sharing a handshake agreement as Alex took Olympus back and resumed their way back to the house.

The two would see Mei and Raven having a conversation in the distance.

The two girls noticed them as Adam and Mei waved hello to one another though the kid would hide behind Alex upon noticing Raven.

"Hey calm down. She's the caretaker she isn't dangerous alright?" Assured Alex as Adam nodded.

Alex would have Adam head back to the house on his own from here as the kid waved goodbye to him and Mei before running off.

The boy afterwards would approach the two girls.

"What're you two chatting about?" Asked Alex.

"About Adam." Answered Mei.

"Look you two, I really appreciate what you all did but this place isn't a nursery for just any homeless kid. You two pull this off again, then it'll cost ya and the price will be high." Said Raven as Alex and Mei nodded. "Honestly, weren't either of you two worried that the guards here could've been working for World Serpent?"

"Never came across my mind. I knew you'd never put the kids in untrustworthy hands." Said Mei as Alex nodded.

"Huh. You two certainly have sharp insight." Said Raven.

"So, what's gonna happen with Adam? Judging from your tone, it sounds like he won't be able to stay here much longer. Don't worry, I understand why. That stigma being so close to the kids is a risk." Said Alex.

"To be frank, I'm not entirely sure. He'll probably be sent to a safe place and be looked after by someone reliable. After that, the rest is up to him. He's been real lucky having lived up till now, so hopefully said luck can continue on for him." Explained Raven as Alex turned to face Mei.

"Think you can have faith in him?" He asked.

"No need to ask. If you believe in him, then so do I." Responed Mei as Raven chuckled.

"Geez. What are you two his parents or something? Didn't think you'd be so responsible this young." Said Raven in a teasing tone, smirk on her face as she ruffled Alex's hair.

The boy groaned at his with Mei having a small laugh until the boy got her hand off and fixed his hair.

By now, the sun had begun to slowly set.

"We should be on our way now. The target location is by the seaside which is a bit far from here. We'll drive and talk on the way there." Said Raven as the trio would leave the private island.

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Chapter 30: Complete