The cold wind of winter brushed past my face as I stood quietly in front of an abandoned mansion.
It was one of the secret bases I had been preparing for months, and was also one of the many that would be our main bases from now. I was here to check on the supplies.
Even though its abandoned, the structure was still solid, it just needed a few repairs to make it functional.
Finding an abandoned building and purchasing them was something easily done because of how scarce human populations had become as a result of this world's law.
While mortality rate was high, so did the birth rate, that's why human civilization still existed and growing. But that was also the reason education of history and religion rolled so fast between each generation and most of it didn't even register in the current generation's head.
I walked inside and went down to the basement. The stairs creaked softly as I put my weight on it, but rows of lightbulbs illuminated this dark and humid place – filling every corner of the room with life. Along the walls, shelves stacked with food, drinks and other basic necessities were displayed.
Although it's a basement, I had put in quite a lot of effort to make it as comfortable as I could for me and my members.
Glancing inside, I found out that one of my members had arrived here, huddling in the corner with a blank look on his face.
While the time limit I set had yet to come, judging from his dirty clothes and wounds all over his body, I could guess what kind of thing this member of mine had gone through.
'Right… What was his name again?'
"Ah, you're here."
"Eliot."
He called out when he saw me descending the stairs – wary surrounded his being. Like a scared kitten abandoned by its parents, he curled up while avoiding my gaze – a slight guilt was detected in those hazy lime eyes covered by his brown curly locks.
Eliot wasn't like this when I first met him, he was a curious guy who was a textbook definition of a model student. That was also the reason he doubted me when I first warned him to drop out.
So him, acting like this must be because of something.
Inching closer to him, I noticed he had picked food and drinks from the supply rack. Judging from the amount of plastic scattered around him, he must have been here for hours already.
And the thing that piqued my curiosity the most was certainly the bruise on his neck.
"There isn't much stocked here so I was planning to add more things. What item do you think would be good to add to the list?"
I struck up a conversation with him, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"H-Huh? Ah… Uhm… I… I don't know, I'm quite satisfied with the things here." He stuttered, looking away as soon as he met my gaze.
I hummed in acknowledgement. Rubbing my chin, I thought of a possible question I could use to gauge the emotional condition of this wounded kitten in front of me.
He was clearly traumatised, so I needed to somehow connect with him to let him share all that trauma and his thoughts with me.
I needed to make him open up his heart to me.
So I could make him completely rely on me.
Glancing at him one last time, I turned my heels and walked to the rows of steel racks that were lined up on the wall. Observing it one by one before landing my eyes on the first-aid kit, I didn't take it, I just stared at it as I slowly opened my mouth.
"With how dirty your clothes are, I think I need to stock some clothes too. I don't want my members to wear a dirty, sweat-soaked shirt after a life and death situation."
I could sense Eliot raising his head from my peripheral vision. My words seemed to have caught his attention.
"What do you think? I think it's a great idea."
A relaxed smile appeared on my face as I slowly turned my head toward him. What greeted me was a stunned, blank expression with mouth half open.
He was lost for words, not because he couldn't comprehend my words, but because there was something he was hesitating to tell me.
And he just needed one more push to reveal that 'something' to me.
I took the first aid kit and crouched in front of him. Gently patting his shoulder, I shifted my gaze to his legs. His pants were ripped and tainted with blood, revealing the torn red flesh of his knee.
"Let's treat your wound shall we?"
Eliot nodded and I immediately moved my hands. I ripped his pants further to reveal the wound then dunked it in water to clean it up from debris sticking to his skin.
He winced in pain, but at least his mental strength was strong enough to endure it as I applied medicine and wrapped his knee in bandages. Then I moved to other parts of his limbs that were scraped or bruised.
Eliot quietly watched me work, his eyes sometimes went from my hands to my face, observing my expression before shifting it back to my hand.
He stared until I finished tying the last bandage before his mouth opened again.
"I'm sorry."
I raised my head when I heard him mumble. The rim of his eyes had turned red and he tightly clenched his fist as he lowered his head.
"I'm sorry… I should have trusted you from the beginning. Or else… This kind of thing wouldn't happen to me."
He sniffled while rubbing his eyes.
That vulnerable gesture of his was what I had waited for.
"Would you mind telling me what happened?"
I grabbed his hand and steadied my gaze on him, Eliot burst into tears at my touch.
"My… My parents… *hic* they tried to kill me, choking me and bringing a knife! I don't know what to do… I don't even dare to come to school anymore. Everyone is out there trying to kill me!"
'Finally.'
I gently hugged him and rubbed his back in circular motions.
"Don't worry, you're safe here. No one will hurt you in this faction, I promise."
Then staring right into his eyes, I continued, "I told you didn't I? I won't let any of my members die. As long as I'm here, I will ensure your safety."
I smiled, "After all, we're all family now."
Yes, family.
There's no one out there you could trust, so you had no choice but to rely on your own faction's members and your King.
We only had each other in this faction, so trust me, rely on me – so I could lead you guys to the victory you wanted.
Eliot nodded weakly at my words. He was slowly but surely opening his heart to me. That was definitely a good sign.
"This bruise on your neck… Is it from your parents too?"
"Yeah."
I quietly stared at it. Just one look at its shape and size, I already knew his parents – presumably his mother – strangled his neck by hand.
Raising to my feet, I tapped his shoulder, "Why don't you take a bath? This building might be abandoned but the electricity and water are still running. I'll buy you new clothes while you're on it."
"Ah, but you have just bandaged me…"
I rummaged through the rack and found a towel. Handed it to him, I said, "Who told you to dump water all over your body? Here, use this to wipe yourself."
"Ah, okay."
Eliot received the towel and I brought him upstairs to the toilet.
"I'll be back within 20 minutes."
"Okay." He gave me a nod before vanishing behind the door.
Watching the time on my wristwatch, I stepped outside the building and headed to the nearby clothing store.
Quickly choosing whatever caught my eyes and picking the clothes' size by using my amazing sixth sense, I bought 5 sets of clothes and other basic necessities like bags and coats for winter.
"Oh, it's snowing again."
Just as I stepped outside the shop, white flakes started falling from the sky and the sight was beautiful.
But of course, I didn't have time to admire its beauty.
I drove hastily back to my base. When I returned, Eliot had been waiting for me in front of the toilet.
"Mr. Carnel."
"Just call me by my name. Here, choose which clothes you like and wear them. You might catch a cold standing with barely any clothing like that in this weather."
I said as I handed him the haul I got from the clothing store. Seeing the content however, made Eliot widen his eyes.
"This… This is too much- How could I ever receive this-"
"It's fine, it's just some clothing. If you're too burdened by it you can pay me back later when you've got a job and earn money."
"Ah… Then… Thank you…"
For the first time since I arrived here, a smile finally formed on Eliot's face.
But the same couldn't be said for me.
I clenched my fist as I observed his changing expression as he rummaged through the bag – finding joy at each different piece of clothes he found inside.
This was the reality.
War of Throne was just too cruel for children like them.