Two years had passed since he opened his eyes in that world, and although time had continued to move forward without stopping, for Luan each day had become a constant struggle against an environment that did not forgive mistakes.
Since the fall of the great familias like Zeus and Hera, the city had changed. Although Orario was still standing, what remained was an unstable balance where the weak were crushed without anyone intervening.
Safety was nothing more than an illusion that vanished the moment one stepped away from areas controlled by the strongest familias.
On top of that was the presence of groups like Evilus, whose activity was not always visible, but could be felt in the air.
From time to time, minor attacks occurred, distant explosions or sudden disturbances that forced people to scatter.
Although for many they were just isolated incidents, for someone like Luan they meant immediate danger, because in the midst of chaos no one distinguished between the guilty and the innocent.
Being caught in the wrong place could mean disappearing without a trace.
From the moment he accepted that no one would come to save them, he stopped thinking like someone waiting for help and began acting like someone who had to survive in an environment where even staying too long in the same place could become dangerous.
The streets were not only full of people, but also of frustrated adventurers, opportunistic thieves, and members of familias who did not hesitate to vent their anger on anyone who could not defend themselves.
During that time, begging became his routine, but it was far from simple. Each day meant choosing where to sit without encroaching on the territory of a stronger beggar.
He also had to avoid looks that could be interpreted as a challenge and remain visible enough to receive alms, but not so much as to attract trouble.
He carefully observed people, analyzing the way they walked, their mood, and their equipment.
An adventurer fresh out of the dungeon might ignore him, or hit him if he got in the way, while a hurried merchant might shove him aside with a kick without even looking at him.
In moments of tension, when rumors of unrest or attacks spread, even the calmest people reacted violently to any obstacle.
He quickly learned that being a pallum was not just a physical disadvantage, but a visible mark of weakness. His size made him an easy target, and his race was seen as inferior by many.
That meant that even when he did nothing, he could be pushed, insulted, or beaten simply for being in someone's way.
More than once he ended up on the ground without understanding what he had done wrong, but over time he stopped questioning it.
In that world, you didn't need a reason to be treated like trash, much less if you were small, dirty, and easy to ignore.
Even so, he could not afford to give up, so he turned begging into a calculated process.
He chose routes where the flow of people was steady but not chaotic, and sought out areas where his presence would not be too disruptive, so he wouldn't be struck without reason.
He also avoided streets where recent disturbances had occurred or where the presence of suspicious individuals suggested potential trouble.
Every decision mattered, because a mistake could mean losing what he had gained or getting trapped in a situation he could not escape. He always made sure that Lili ate first so she wouldn't become as weak as in the novel, because if he remembered correctly, she had spent her childhood malnourished, abused, and had never been able to develop properly due to members of the Soma familia, and when she decided to become an adventurer, she realized she had no talent.
But Luan believed otherwise. Someone who gained skills and magic at level one could not be talentless. Besides, if he remembered correctly, she was also the reincarnation of one of Fianna's knights, similar to Bell, who was the reincarnation of the Argonaut.
Moreover, she had tried when she was just a child. It was very difficult for her to move forward as an adventurer being a young pallum without proper equipment. Most likely, she had tried to use a knife rather than a weapon suited for her.
Even knowing all this, it hadn't made much difference during those two years, because protecting her in that environment was more difficult than it seemed. Carrying her not only reduced his mobility, but also made them more visible.
On more than one occasion, the chaos caused by some altercation or attempted robbery forced them to move quickly.
In those moments, Luan understood that if he stumbled or hesitated, no one would help them.
Although he almost always managed not to go hungry, what truly wore him down was the tension, because he could never fully relax.
Even when sitting, he had to stay alert to the movements around him, ready to move if someone came too close or if he sensed danger.
This was especially true on days when rumors of Evilus activity spread, because although he never saw them directly, the consequences of their actions were enough to remind him that the city was not a safe place for anyone.
The beatings from his parents were only part of the problem, because outside the home the world was no less cruel.
At first, every blow filled him with rage and helplessness, but over time he stopped resisting, because he understood that surviving was more important than his pride.
Compared to the prison of his previous life, where he couldn't even move, physical pain became something he could tolerate, and that simple ability to act was enough to keep going.
Over time, he also began teaching Lili how to read. Even though she was only a few years old, her mind was more receptive than it seemed.
He took advantage of specific moments, such as the quieter hours of the night or corners where fewer people were present.
He traced letters on the ground with his fingers while she watched, repeating sounds clumsily but consistently.
Since Lili was already quite intelligent, she learned easily, and each small step forward represented one more chance not to depend entirely on others in the future.
Lili also began helping by pointing out routes to keep Luan from getting lost and ending up somewhere like the Pleasure District or Daedalus Street. She even started assisting him more proactively with begging after seeing how hard he worked, but that increased the danger, because a small child in that condition attracted both compassion and unwanted attention.
Luan always stayed one step ahead, intercepting any situation before it could escalate.
When they failed to bring enough money to their parents, because he had spent it on food for himself and Lili, he would step forward and take the beatings from them without resistance.
He understood that any attempt at confrontation would only put them in a worse situation, and in that world, survival meant carefully choosing when not to fight.
It was during those two years that he also came to understand how the Soma Familia truly functioned. At first, he believed there was some kind of organized system that forced members to hand over money.
However, what he found was far more disturbing.
No one directly forced them, yet everyone acted as if they had no other choice.
They handed over every coin with an urgency that made no sense from an outside perspective.
It wasn't control, it was an addiction similar to the drugs from his previous life, because those who tasted the wine became trapped in a need that consumed everything else.
Even though no one forced them, they all competed with one another for another drop, slowly destroying themselves in the process.
They weren't being forced, they were choosing to lose themselves, and that realization made Luan stop seeing his parents as victims.
Although they may once have been normal people, what remained of them now was little more than bodies driven by addiction, incapable of thinking about anything other than the wine.
Their deterioration became evident over time, their movements grew more erratic, their coordination worsened, and their aggression increased, while their eyes reflected less and less awareness, as if they were slowly emptying from within, and even so, they continued entering the Dungeon, because it was the only way to earn money quickly, even if it meant risking their lives under increasingly worse conditions.
Then one day, they went into the Dungeon and simply did not return.
There was no warning, no explanation, just a silent night, and although Luan heard scattered comments from other members about adventurers dying on the upper floors because of a Pass Parade, he didn't need confirmation, because from the moment night fell and the door didn't open, he understood what had happened.
If he wanted to avoid ending up like them, he needed power and independence to survive the chaos that would strike Orario in the future, and in that world, there was only one way to achieve it, so the next day, he headed toward the Soma Familia headquarters.
He went there accompanied by Lili because, without her guidance, he would most likely get lost along the way. The small girl walked clutching Luan's robe, occasionally stumbling over her own steps.
When they arrived, they didn't see a mansion like those of other familias, but rather a complex of gray stone buildings with wood and low roofs that exhaled a dense, sweet vapor.
At the entrance, a lone guard, with somewhat disheveled armor and breath heavy with alcohol, blocked their path. His expression suggested he would rather be drinking than guarding a door.
"What do you want, brats?" the guard growled, recognizing them quickly. "If you're looking for your parents, you should already know they're not coming back."
Lili shrank behind her brother, hiding her face from the man's foul breath.
Luan remained calm. "I've come to see Lord Soma," he replied respectfully. "My parents died in the Dungeon. I need to speak with him about my situation and my sister's."
The guard let out a dry laugh, but upon seeing the seriousness in the boy's eyes, someone so small he felt he could crush him with a single step, he stepped aside with disdain.
"Go on. He's in his lab. Not like he cares much about the death of a couple of lowlifes, but suit yourself."
Inside, the corridors were narrow and rundown, littered with drunk adventurers sprawled across the floor. The scent of Soma's wine began to seep in, not the stale smell of common alcohol, but something sweet and deep that dulled the senses.
Lili, confused by the scent their parents had sought so desperately, reached a hand into the air as if trying to catch the vapor. Luan grabbed her hand firmly and moved forward until they reached the laboratory door.
He knocked softly.
"Lord Soma? I'm Luan Arde."
After a minute of complete silence, a distant voice responded,
"Enter."
The laboratory smelled of damp earth and fermented grapes. At the back, Soma worked among the vapors. He looked unkempt, his black hair falling like a curtain that hid his eyes. His thin hands moved with a nervous delicacy.
Luan stopped, keeping Lili close. The girl looked at the god with innocent curiosity, she remembered he used to be kind when their parents brought them. She gently tugged at Luan's hand and whispered,
"Is Mr. God cooking, brother?"
Soma did not stop mixing his flasks, but he replied.
"What brings you here?"
"Lord Soma, my parents have not returned from the Dungeon."
Soma did not move immediately. Behind his bangs, his eyes seemed to focus on nothing.
"The Ardes?" he murmured, with an almost imperceptible trace of sadness. "The Dungeon is a cruel place for those who lack a clear mind."
He slowly turned and looked at little Lili for a second. There was a flicker of recognition, a shadow of compassion he had not yet lost. Lili gave him a small, shy smile, not fully understanding the gravity of the moment.
"You've come to receive my Falna," Soma guessed.
"Yes. I need to protect her, to become an adventurer if I want to protect my sister."
Soma sighed and pointed to a wine-stained stool.
"Sit down and remove the upper part of your clothing."
Luan sat down with his back to him and removed his shirt with slow, mechanical movements. Once exposed, the silence in the laboratory grew heavy.
His back and shoulders were a map of bruises in different stages of healing, some yellowish, others a deep purple that revealed the recent violence from his parents.
Lili, seeing the marks under the candlelight, reached out with her small hand and gently brushed her fingers over a bruise on her brother's shoulder blade.
"Does it still hurt, brother?" the girl whispered, her voice breaking, her three-year-old eyes reflecting an understanding of pain no child should have.
Soma, holding the needle, paused for a second. His black eyes, hidden behind his bangs, traced the marks of abuse. He said nothing, but his fingers trembled slightly before pricking his own finger.
There was a flicker of old sadness and disappointment on his face, he knew those blows were, in part, the result of his children's desperation for his wine.
Luan began to feel an intense warmth and a tingling sensation as Soma traced the hieroglyphs with the precision of a craftsman. Silence once again took over, broken only by Lili's soft breathing as she remained still, following the rules her brother had given her before bringing her along.
Once the process was finished, Soma pressed a sheet of paper against the boy's back before handing it to him.
"It's done," Soma said, with a faint sadness after seeing the skills that appeared in the falna of his child.
Luan stood up, feeling a new vitality, and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Lord Soma. I won't fail you."
Lili, imitating her brother, also gave a small, clumsy bow before Luan began reading the paper.