It was a cloudy morning in northern Wuhan, where Alfie and his family lived. Two days had passed since Falco had left on his journey.
"Good morning, Mama," Alfie greeted her cheerfully.
"Good morning, my little boy. Did you sleep well?" Margaret asked warmly.
"I slept fine, Mama. But you really need to stop calling me 'little boy.' I'm ten years old now," he insisted, putting on a serious expression.
Margaret chuckled. "Even when you're thirty, you'll still be my little Alfie. That will never change."
"Don't worry, Mama. I'll prove that I won't stay little for much longer," Alfie declared confidently.
She smiled at him. "I don't mean you'll stay small forever. Even when you become the man you dream of being, you'll always be my little boy in my heart."
"Oh, Mama, that doesn't make any sense. How can someone be a man and a boy at the same time?"
"You'll understand when you're older," Margaret replied, heading outside to gather grains from the garden for breakfast. "Now, where are you going so early?"
"To Papa's forge," Alfie answered, making his way toward the door. "I need to perfect my skills before he returns. I don't want him scolding me for slacking off."
"Alright, take care, and don't hurt yourself," she said with a smile.
"I promise, Mama," Alfie called as he hurried outside.
"And keep things down. Your brothers are still asleep."
"Yes, Mama," he replied over his shoulder.
The moment he reached the forge and found himself alone, Alfie broke into a wide grin.
"Yes, yes, yes. Time to get to work. First, I'll forge a small sword for myself, then a bow and some arrows. With those, I'll hunt down Darkside Spirits."
That had been his plan all along. He had only been learning blacksmithing from his father so he could forge his own weapons and pursue his dream of becoming a Shinra.
"Alright, heat the metal, then start forging. I'm already halfway to becoming a Shinra," he whispered excitedly, keeping his voice low.
Meanwhile, Elijah had woken up and gone to greet their mother.
"Good morning, Mama."
"Good morning, Eli. How did you sleep?"
"I had a terrible dream. I couldn't sleep peacefully," he answered, his face clouded with worry.
Margaret turned toward him. "What did you dream about?"
"I can't remember it clearly. There was blood, people screaming, and Papa was there. I don't know what happened to him." His voice trembled as tears welled up in his eyes. "It scared me so much that I hid under my pillow."
"Shhh, don't cry, my little boy. Papa will be fine. He'll come home safely," Margaret assured him, pulling him into a warm hug.
"Okay, Mama," Elijah sniffled.
"Good boy. Now, go wake your brother while I finish making breakfast."
Margaret turned toward the kitchen, but the worry on her face remained. As Elijah headed back inside, she stepped outside and gazed up at the clouds.
"Oh, you clouds," she whispered, "please protect my husband."
Back at the forge, Alfie was beginning to struggle with his work.
"Forging is harder than it looks. How does Dad make such big swords so quickly? He's really strong," he muttered, staring at the metal he was working on. "But I have to finish this sword, then make my bow and arrows before he gets back."
Fifty minutes passed, yet Alfie was still hard at work when Elijah opened the door.
"Big brother, it's time for breakfast."
"I'm coming," Alfie replied without looking up.
"Hurry up," Elijah said before heading back to the house.
"I'd better go before Mama gets mad. I'll continue working on the Sword of Justice later," Alfie muttered, setting down his tools.
After breakfast, Alfie rose from his seat with a satisfied smile.
"Thanks for the food, Mama. That was delicious."
"You got two slices of chicken while we only got one," Elijah complained.
Alfie grinned mischievously. "I'm ten years old. That's two digits, so I get two slices. You've only got one digit in your age, so you get one slice."
"That's not fair. Mama, is that even true?" Elijah asked, frowning.
Margaret shook her head and grabbed both boys by the ears.
"That's enough arguing. You two should try behaving more like Marcus for once."
"Ouch, Mama. We promise we won't argue anymore," they both pleaded.
She laughed and released them. "That's more like it. I'm heading to the shop now. Alfie, take care of your little brothers."
"Leave it to me, Mama," Alfie replied proudly.