"I guess we are officially homeless orphans, huh?" Saya grinned at Shuha who was hugging his small backpack as he curled against her. With nothing but a wooden sword wrapped in their father's old uniform in her arms, Saya held Shuha's left hand while they stood under the waiting shed just outside the outermost gates of the prestigious Tenzegen Clan.

The colossal metal doors littered with cameras and automatic guns for trespassers were aimed at them and they were enough reasons for Saya and Shuha to move away from the shed. Sighing, Saya looked up to the cloudless afternoon sky. Her gaze shifted to the only road that would lead them to the direction where the main road and she was met by a seemingly endless scorching road.

"Let's go, Shuha!" She tugged her twin brother's hand, waking him up from his trance. "We have a long road ahead of us I believe."

Shuha pulled his gaze away from the closed doors of the Tenzegen Clan's manor. The desolate look in his eyes shifted to an innocent one when he met his twin sister's golden eyes. "Do you think we can come back there, Saya?"

For a split second, Saya's bright eyes darkened. But with the pair of innocent blue eyes looking and waiting for her, she immediately ruffled Shuha's frizzy hair with her usual big grin displayed on her face. "Of course! If Shuha becomes a healthy adult without crying crocodile tears when he wakes up at night without me by his side, I can't say why not?"

Saya was not used to lying to her twin. Erasing his memories of that night was already taking a toll on her, now, she was making him hope for a future that would never come. After all, they were officially branded as the trash of the Tenzegen Clan. And for the prestigious family, useless trash like them had no place in their haven. With a stiff grin, Saya decided to walk ahead of Shuha, her small limbs could barely lift the long sword of their father.

"Then... I don't think I will get to come back there," Shuha muttered. His tone was bland yet full of conviction as he jogged to walk side-by-side with Saya. His rough hand reached for the corners of her tattered kimono as his eyes remained fixated on the road.

"Why?" A grinning Saya looked at Shuha. "Because you are not confident to grow tall and strong? Trust me, Shuha, you will be taller than me in no time—like Father!"

Shuha merely shook his head. "No," he whispered, "I just can't imagine being able to survive without waking up beside you in the future."

Saya stopped in her tracks, her lips trembling as tears swelled in her eyes.

Sensing Saya's distress, Shuha looked up, only to see his twin sister's tear-stricken eyes as she tried her best not to erupt into tears. "S-Saya!" Shuha did not know how to comfort Saya. It was always he who received the comforting embrace of Saya, not the other way around. But with the way Saya dropped their father's prized sword to the road before she covered her face with her arms, Shuha bitterly thought how hard it had been for Saya to not shed a single tear just to comfort him.

This time, it was Shuha who engulfed Saya's shaking shoulders as his tiny hands patted her heaving back while she stifled her sobs. "Let it all out, Saya. You always taught me how bad it is to keep our emotions in our tiny chests, so let it all out and share your sorrow with me," Shuha muttered. "I may not be as brave and as strong as you, but I promise to always stand by you. We are family and family look for each other's back, right?"

Saya's flustered face welcomed the smiling Shuha. His missing front teeth made her giggle. She knew firsthand how Shuha hated showing his gums, even to her, saying it made him look like a wimp. But now, he was openly using it just to cheer her up. With a heavy heart because of the secret she was carrying since that day, Saya knew she would rather die than tell him what truly transpired that day in the hall with only the four of them left on the scene.

"Yes," mumbled Saya, "we have each other's back...now and forever"

"—now and forever," Shuha muttered along with Saya.

On the roadside in between their new reality and their past, two children leaned against each other for comfort, for that day marked the start of their journey in a world where evil and goodness were defined by race and not by virtues.

SIX YEARS LATER

HONTAI PROVINCE, KILA COUNTRY

PENLAN CONTINENT

"Patrol Trainee Shuha!"

The familiar soft voice of his sister made Shuha look at the entrance of the Border Patrol Headquarters. A small smile appeared on his usually emotionless face upon seeing his twin who never failed to deliver his meals whenever his work got in their way of having a meal together.

Dropping the cleaning rug to his table, Shuha crossed the distance between himself and his twin sister. Taking the familiar blue-colored scarf which was used to wrap the meal boxes, he led her to his table which was the smallest one and the farthest one from the heater. And in the border province that experienced winter all year long, this was borderline torture.

Biting the insides of her cheeks after seeing the obvious poor treatment of his brother, she could not help but be ridden with guilt once more.

"Saya? Are you alright?"

Shuha's voice pulled her from her trance, making her realize she remained standing in front of his small, beaten table. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just... remembered the circulating news in the town."

"What of it? Is it about the Trilateral Union of the remaining continents against the newly arisen Darken Continent again?" Shuha did not really care about any news from outside of their small border province. "Those people should move on, you know. It has been what? A year since the chaos grims created their continent." He continued serving the meals proportionally between them, setting up the utensil for him and his sister.

Saya poured warm water into his cup before hers. "We can't blame them, Shuha. That Darken Continent is literally our neighbor and that only means the danger around us has been tripled over the course of time."

Eating a mouthful of egg rolls, Shuha spoke with food in his mouth. "What are you worrying about? It is not like they will let a non-chaos user fight in the frontlines."

'And that is more dangerous. You don't hold any value for the team,' Saya thought. But she bit her tongue hard, enough for her to taste the tangy blood trickling down her throat. She knew how Shuha looked up to his seniors in the Border Patrol Headquarters.

Seeing Saya's stiff smile, Shuha leaned and held her clenched fist. "Come on, Saya! You have to let me grow up. I can't have you protecting me always. I also want to protect you, you know."

A genuine smile replaced her stiff one, pushing her worries to the back of her head for now.

"That's the smile I am looking for!"

"Sweet talker!" Rolling her eyes, she started to eat heartily. From time to time, she would glance at Shuha, feeling content that he had found a place in the Border Patrol Headquarters over the years.

It had been six years now. Gone were the two twelve-year-old children who could only rely upon themselves. As they found their way in the Penlan Continent, they met people who helped them through the years. And because of that, the Shuha before became a thing of the past to the Shuha in front of her who could laugh his heart out while telling her stories of his friends' quests beyond the border.

Saya could only hope that this would be the new beginning for the trash of the Tenzegen Clan.