In Amaterasu, the bright yellow sun shone down on the bustling city. It was another day of endless activity and excitement.
At the crossroads of a certain street, a young man carried a large backpack on his back, with newspaper stuffed inside. He also had one newspaper in hand, which he waved around to nearby pedestrians.
“News coming from Dark Waters!” The young man shouted. “The Sea King was killed by his first commander!”
A few pedestrians grabbed the daily newspaper, even though the Dark Waters news didn’t interest them much.
It was, after all, a place far away from their beautiful Light Continent.
However, there were also some curious individuals who wanted to know what was happening across the world.
After the young man took another newspaper from his backpack, a wanted poster slipped between gaps and fell to the pavement.
“Cursed!” The young man exclaimed, picked up the poster, and wiped the dirt off it.
He then looked at the handsome picture in the poster, and his hands slightly trembled after realizing that it was just not an ordinary poster. It was a red poster.
‘Luckily, these monsters can’t come to Amaterasu. Not with our Lord Kiryu watching over us.’ The young man sighed in relief, slipped the poster back inside the newspaper, and started waving it again.
“Newspapers, newspapers!”
…
The door opened and closed in a store in Amaterasu. The pleased-looking customers left the store with bags in hand; inside were books of varying sizes.
After the customers left, the store with the name ‘Whispering Pages’ grew empty.
Inside the story, a beautiful young woman sat behind the counter, donning a flowing, floral sundress in soft pastel colors that complimented her skin color.
She wore stylish, comfortable-looking sandals with delicate anklets that added a touch of elegance to her overall appearance.
She had a complex expression on her beautiful face. She was browsing through the newspaper until she reached the wanted poster section.
It had become her routine to pick up the newspaper first thing in the morning, and checking out the wanted poster section was included in her routine just in case she saw a familiar face.
“A wrong picture?” Bella wondered out loud.
At that moment, rapid banging footsteps came from upstairs as an energetic-looking girl with pigtails rushed downstairs.
“Oh, Emma.” Bella smiled at the little girl. “I didn’t see you here yesterday; everything is all right?”
“Yeah, I was with my brother!” Emma explained, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “He took me horseback riding!”
“Oh, Zach did?” Bella asked in a slight surprise, as from what she had heard, Zach was a guy who enjoyed spending time with his book and not outside much.
“Not Zach, Jesse!” Emma sat on the chair and smiled, her eyes still sparkling with joy.
“Jesse did?” Bella’s eyes flashed in surprise, and her gaze returned to the wanted poster. “How… is he doing?”
“Very good!” Emma said and giggled. “He had changed a lot, believe me or not.”
“Mmh…” Bella rubbed her chin and slipped the wanted poster toward Emma. “Your brother’s new wanted poster came, but I think there is the wrong picture.
Emma leaned closer, and when she saw the wanted poster, her eyes widened in surprise.
“Wow, it’s red now!” She, at first, exclaimed, and then she saw the picture of a handsome man with his devilishly attractive smile.
“It is indeed my brother!”
“What?” Bella frowned. “Are you sure your are mistaken? This can’t possibly be him…”
“As I said, he has changed a lot.” Emma giggled and kicked her legs up and down.
She then remembered something and exclaimed. “Ah right, he also said that he was soon coming here. Maybe tomorrow!”
The newspaper slipped from Bella’s hand and fell to the ground.
“H-he is coming here?” She asked in surprise.
“Mm, yep!” Emma smiled and nodded. “He also said that he is planning to stay longer this time.”
“But he is a wanted person. Are you sure that is wise?” Bella asked with a worried gaze. “The red wanted poster will also never disappear. He’ll be chased forever now…”
“Ah, he didn’t seem worried!” Emma said.
“Mmh…” Bella looked at the wanted poster fondly and then walked over to the wall, where there were already three wanted posters of a sketched young man mounted on the wall.
She smiled and placed the red wanted poster beside them. It showed the incredible road of Ambrose, from novice of 7,500 silvers to 19,999 silver bounty to bounty of 111,111, and now…
[WANTED]
[DEAD OR ALIVE]
[Rank: Red]
[Name: Ambrose “The Black Demon”]
[Reward: 2,420,000 silvers]
…
At Nocklund’s Cavern Street, a handsome man with piercing purple eyes stood on the sidewalk, staring towards one of the two-story houses with a complicated look.
He caught the attention of every person passing by, as his presence was both intimidating and intriguing.
Jesse pulled out his phone and quickly dialed a number. He then pressed the phone against his ear.
Click.
The call connected.
“Brother?” Holly’s voice came from the other side.
“Are they home?” Jesse asked with a calm and composed voice.
“Yes, but why?” Holly asked curiously.
“I am visiting in about five seconds. See you there.” Jesse said and lowered his phone.
“Wait, wha—”
Without waiting for her to finish her words, he disconnected the call and pocketed the phone. He then crossed the street, walked down the short stone path, and after arriving at the front door, he knocked twice on the door.
He crossed his arms and waited patiently for anyone to come to open the door.
Soon, footsteps sounded behind the door, and the door slowly opened, revealing a brown-eyed man with thinning hair and a tired-looking face.
“Huh, who are you?” Terry asked with a deep voice, his breath stinking of alcohol. “A friend of Holly’s?”
“No, Terry.” Jesse said and as he was much taller than Terry, he looked down at him with his striking purple eyes. “It’s me, Jesse. Couldn’t recognize me, huh?”
“J-Jesse?” Terry looked at him before scoffing. “Is this some stupid prank? Because if it is, it’s not really funny.”
“In our last meeting, you told me not to use the name Kraham publicly. Apparently, you have your hands full trying to restore the name, as if it were my fault that it had dropped drastically in popularity.”
“Ugh, y-you…” Terry stepped back in surprise. “W-what happened to you? Plastic surgery? No, you couldn’t possibly afford that.”
Jesse shook his head and asked. “May I enter? I want to talk to you and Maria.”
“Hmph, fine.” Terry left the door open and stormed into the living room, where he sat down on the couch and watched as Jesse entered the house, scanning around as if he were entering a place that was both similar but also different.
“Who was it?” Maria walked from upstairs, her face looking sick and pale. She then saw an unfamiliar figure standing near the front door.
“W-who?”
At that moment, a beautiful, tanned young woman with long, black hair walked into the room. When she saw the tall, handsome man, she felt a sudden jolt of recognition.
“B-brother?”
Hearing that, Maria’s eyes widened, and like Holly, she suddenly had a jolt of recognition, as if she had suddenly recognized his son.
“J-Jesse, but h-how?”
“Hello, sister.” Jesse smiled at Holly, but then his smile froze when he saw the middle-aged woman, who was past her prime. “Maria.”
“Why have you come here, runt?” Terry asked angrily and crossed his arms.
“I heard you are divorcing.” Jesse said without beating around the bush. “Since it seems that I was at fault, I came here to talk.”