1945, Northern Eldland.
The raging snow attacked like a beast.
Douglas boarded the train and stared out the window.
He remembered being picked up on a similarly freezing, terrifying night.
-------
Ten Years Earlier
Gunshots rang out in the slums of a certain city, amid a raging blizzard and steam rising from underground.
A man appeared. His name was Stone Thunders.
Wearing a long black coat that flapped in the wind, Sanders reached out to a boy hidden in the darkness.
Thunders looked handsome and wealthy.
When Douglas looked up, the man bent down in front of him and offered him a chocolate.
"Don't be shy, boy," Thunders said.
Douglas, in his dirty clothes and suspicious of the man, hid his shaking hands.
Thunders stroked the boy's messy brown hair, nodded and said, "Follow me." But Douglas hesitated and replied, "I have friends here."
"Where are they hiding? Bring them here."
Two boys, Harry and Brian, emerged from the shadows, looking as ragged as Douglas.
Harry, wearing a wrinkled work cap, ran his hand through Brian's messy hair as they both sniffled in frustration. Their breath hung in the air, white and hot.
Thunders beckoned all three to his car, parked in the street.
From then on, on those cold, stinking nights, the boys would no longer have to dig through the slums for scraps of food.
---
Thunders was very wealthy and allowed the three children to live in his spacious and warm mansion.
Many other children lived in the house, though none were Thunders biological offspring.
Douglas and the others took hot showers to wash away the dirt and humiliation of their past lives.
Thunders, smiling warmly, cooked meals for them and offered to house them in exchange for their help around the home.
"They're all about ten years old," Thunders mused.
"Douglas, you are brave, so I will name you Stayer, after my noble bloodline. Harry, with eyes like a bird of prey and a sharp nose, will be called Eagle. Brian, who fled to the hills and cried, will be called Hill. Is that all right?"
The boys had no complaints.
They thought Thunders was a god.
But the price of that life was bloody.
---
Stone Thunders was actually a mob boss who controlled the most powerful organization in Eldland.
His sharp eyes, lean frame, and pointed gestures exuded authority.
He taught the children the hard lessons of survival in the underworld: "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."
Those who defied, betrayed, or disrespected him were eliminated. Douglas and his companions were charged with cleaning up the mess.
They wrapped the bodies in blankets and buried them in the mountains. Sometimes they encased them in concrete and dumped them in the ocean.
It was painful, but it was the only way to survive.
"You guys, stop hesitating and hurry up!"
"S-sorry, Tessio-san. Harry and Brian are carsick."
"Don't shield them, Douglas. This is the time to give them a pat on the back. Hold on tight!"
"Y-yes, sorry!"
"Think of those who have betrayed us as fertilizer. The Don's path is wet and lush. Bury them and recite: 'This is for the good of the world, for the good of the people.'
Late at night, while everyone else slept, Tessio and the boys dug into the forest floor.
Harry and Brian, pale and crying, obeyed. Their hands were covered with black blood and mud.
Douglas gritted his teeth as he calmed Harry, who vomited after seeing a corpse, and comforted Brian, who cried in hiding.
To survive, he had to compromise, accept his role and protect Don Thunders.
At the age of 17, Douglas met a man who was visiting Thunders.
The visitor was tall and middle-aged, with black-rimmed glasses and slicked-back gray hair.
Their eyes met in a mysterious way.
The man's gaze was deep and enigmatic, like the sea breeze on the ocean.
Thunders treated the man graciously.
Douglas was drawn to the man's mystique.
The visitor, leader of another underground organization, was called Belza. His piercing eyes suggested a clear purpose.
----
One day, in Thunders' family cafe, Douglas found himself in danger.
As Thunders and an Afghani merchant signed a deal under Belza's watchful eye, the antique cowbell above the door rang. A florist's delivery boy rushed in with a bouquet of roses.
Douglas immediately sensed danger.
He leapt at the man, disarming a gun hidden in the bouquet.
Amid the scattering of red roses, the man desperately bit off his own tongue.
Thunders shook Douglas' hand.
"Thanks to you, Douglas, I have been saved. I had been suspicious of this man for some time."
Belza, who had watched the entire incident, rubbed his chin and said, "You are brave. And you have a good sense of smell."
Pleased, Thunders introduced Douglas to Belza as one of his proud sons, along with Harry and Brian.
"These guys make a good team," Thunders said.
Impressed, Belza proposed a partnership with Thunders.
Douglas, with his magnetic charisma and sharp instincts, became a key figure in this new alliance.
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