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Antoine Hallsey

A few hundred years ago, there lived a human boy in the capital of Eaveton. His family was poor, but so were others. Apart from other species, of which few were in the city, every human, whose lifespan was shorter and considered to be worth less, lived in poverty ever since the new King and his Captain appeared. The Great Witch, whose immense power saved the nation from one catastrophe, brought with it another: dead land all around, the whole area where the spell occurred ― and it was vast. Those for whom the few remaining farmlands belonged raised prices so high that food was impossible to buy daily; but even if everyone were able to afford it, there wouldn’t be enough anyway.

So human children got one task from their fathers: bring home food by the evening ― more precisely, steal. They all got to be skilled little thieves, by time not only stealing from elves and witches but from each other too. So this boy Antoine Hallsey stood on the street, turning his head this way and that way, and was unable to move. There was no food left on the market that was sold by farmers, now the competition was just between the kids. He’s seen them around and there was not one that he felt was evil. All were good children, they were just hungry and they were afraid of their parents. He didn’t have the heart to steal from any of them.

This was not the first time that he got home empty handed and had to endure a great deal of scolding. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t be able to steal if he wanted to, but it felt so alien to him that his whole body refused it, however hard he tried to persuade himself. He imagined his victim left there empty handed, being afraid to go home. The only time Antoine got himself to steal was when an older boy, quite skilled, found a clumsy kid and continuously looted him more than what was neccessary. So Antoine stole it back for him.

Soon, adults realized that going to their workplaces is futile. They can never keep up with prices and most of the products get stolen before reaching the market. So they joined in on the real battle for food. Kids rarely got the courage to seriously hurt the other to take their things, but parents were different. Mothers too; they especially did anything to make sure their own child gets to survive. This is how Antoine was killed too.

I was standing in the middle of a grass field and I was looking into the distance without moving an inch ― for several hours, maybe. There was not a single soul to be seen, only nature all around, constantly moving as the wind blew ― or maybe a little because of me too, I was somewhat dizzy. I didn’t know how I got here or who I was, but it didn’t feel like I lost my memories. It felt like I was just born. It was strange, since I could see that I was far above the ground, I was already quite tall… around a hundred and sixty centimeters, maybe. How could I be so grown if I was just born, or how could I have known how to even count that out? I was pretty sure I was just born though..

I didn’t know what to do, so I set off in one direction, where high, snowy mountains could be seen in the distance. There was no particular reason why there, I just really liked how they looked.

I walked for what seemed like an eternity, until I finally arrived at a village at the foot of the snowy mountains. There was snow all around the village too, so I was surprised to find it here of all places. But it had a tranquil and friendly feel to it.

I walked around and met some villagers. They all immediately came up to me when they saw a stranger and were the nicest people one could imagine. They welcomed me, offered me a meal, and then another, and told me about themselves and asked me about myself too, though I couldn’t say much.

An old couple, upon seeing how lost I was, said that they’ll offer me a place to stay for the night. I was welcomed into their home; and not just for the night: they treated me as their own. I could sense how melancholic they were and tried to be a nice child they can be proud of. They were already quite old, humans too, and I knew they didn’t have much left. They told me about a son they had many years ago named Antoine, who got killed in the capital where they used to live. They told me he was a very kind boy and could never bring home food because his heart was so big he couldn’t get himself to steal from others. Even if they always scolded him for it, because these were just dire times like that, they were always proud that they had such an “angelic boy”. Since I didn’t have a name, they named me Antoine as well. I didn’t mind being called that, if it made them feel better at least a little bit. I felt admiration towards Antoine anyway. His heart that stayed pure during such times resonated with something within me and I decided to lead a life like that as well.

After my parents passed, that house became my own. It was small, but I gradually renovated and expanded it. Well actually, I never had an actual job even after I grew up, I lived my life as planned, helping others here and there, without expecting anything in return. But this village had such a nice little community, that they never left any goodwill unpaid ― and even helped me out as a surprise sometimes, bringing planks and bricks when they saw I started working on something new for my house again. Louie, the self-proclaimed village clown who was my best friend ― or something like that ― even helped me with assembling the building. Well, at times he was helping just by entertaining me, though at other times that felt annoying and achieved the exact opposite of helping. But I appreciated him keeping me company anyway. It’s not like he had other things to do, he usually just walked around annoying people and talking as if he was doing some kind of performance, but nobody minded him since everyone knew he has a good heart too and always helps where he can.

All in all, I guess I found home and companions too in Haran. My house became big but it was so empty that some mice and rats decided to move in. They were funny to look at so I accepted them as my new housemates, and children started calling me Mice Man. After a while, everyone in Haran just called me Mice.

I think of myself as a normal person, but this way I ended up looking very strange wherever I go to take care of something. They either call me Mice out loud, see me holding a chubby rat in my hand, or if an actual human accompanies me it's Louie - so not much better. But overall, even if I still have some things to resolve in myself, I think I quite like my life here…