Thud—!
Throwing the broken chair in frustration the man fell back on the floor, his one hand wrapped in a bandage seemingly broken along with minor cuts freshly made over his face.
"Father are you alright!"
Elena rushed toward him in worry, but he didn't respond.
He put his right hand over his face and took a deep breath before nodding silently toward her.
"Yes... I am."
She looked at the broken chair then toward her father and outstretched her hand to help him stand.
Taking his daughter's hand he stood up and sat on one of the empty chairs left in the restaurant with a small grunt of pain.
Elena knew why her father was behaving like this. His stress came from a single problem he was facing.
No, the whole family seems to be facing...
Their place was in shambles, the walls were broken the interior had been tarnished. Most of the tables and chairs have become useless as well.
All of this was the fault of those tyrannical monsters.
They would have taken even their life and torn her family apart by flesh if not for Reaper coming to save them.
Elena looked at her father's sorry state and brought him some water from the kitchen at the back of the hall.
He looked up, as she placed it on the table and sighed.
"Taking a loan is not possible anymore... the last one we took almost—" He couldn't finish his words as gulped down the water and looked away in shame.
He knew how bad the results were... After all his own daughter almost got sacrificed to an awakened trickery.
"Please have some faith we will be to find a way out," Elena assured him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Closing the shop is the best option now... There is nothing we can do."
He muttered with a weak smile and patted her daughter's hand over his shoulder.
"But—" Elena wanted to refute his words but knew how harsh fate was towards them.
"Our family business is down... but it's okay, we will manage somehow... Th–This is for the best."
Saying that his words stuttered as his eyes went hazy, he quickly brought his right hand over his face, covering his eyes immediately.
He can't be weak... Not anymore, especially in front of his daughter.
But the tears couldn't be hidden any longer...
The weight of the world crashed down on Elena as she saw the unshed tears in her father's eyes. The restaurant, their lifeblood, their legacy, was on the brink of collapse, and the fear of failing his family reflected in his gaze. She understood his pain, but she couldn't let despair swallow them whole.
She hugged him tightly as he was pushed forward from the sudden contact.
"Everything will be alright... When mom comes let's talk about this once more." She said softly to her father, giving him all the hope she could muster.
After all, she also loved her family... Her parents were not the only ones who needed to make sacrifices.
If needed she could make one as well... No matter how many times it was needed.
Clink—!
The doorbell suddenly echoed loudly in the empty hall, immediately grabbing their attention. Elena took a step back as she saw someone enter the shop.
A man with obsidian black hair and a slender build, he was almost a head taller than her with pale white skin. He was wearing a mix of white and black robes that seemed to complement his handsome facial features.
But this was not the fact that made Elena stunned.
It was his eyes... those clear and profound silver eyes that looked everywhere... Observing the interior in deep thought.
He frowned and then looked at them, his face then instantly turned poker as he asked.
"Is the shop open right now...?"
He tilted his head and smiled sheepishly.
"No—"
"We are open!"
Thuck—!
Cutting her father in the middle of his words, she unknowingly slammed the table making them both agape at her actions.
"What...?"
Her father couldn't help but mutter at his daughter's sudden enthusiasm, he turned to look at the boy who had just entered then at his daughter's face which somehow bloomed into a beautiful smile he had not seen in weeks....
*****
I looked at the shop but I feel like I have come here before.
But when...?
Seeing the interior damaged so much, I could guess it was due to one of those monsters' work.
Seeing the man sitting not far away from the table, I tried to give a polite smile but he ignored me.
His left hand was broken, and he had suffered serious injuries all over his body. I could tell he even had bandages wrapped over his waist and back from the open fitting of his clothes and the small winces of pain he would let out while moving.
"Sir, How did you get this injury...?" I asked politely, putting my hands over the table.
He looked at me from the corner of his eyes and then turned to face me completely from his side of the chair.
"Just like all the other places a creature of beyond came here as well... That was a beast, but unlucky we were inside at that time. I tried to stall for some time for my family to escape but you can see the results."
The man spoke with a hint of bitterness in his voice. His eyes didn't leave the table, the half-empty glass of water reflecting the shattered hope within him.
"It seems you fought quite bravely... many would have tried to run by themselves."
I finally understood why this place looked so familiar, this was the place I had come that night to kill the beast before that mud-like monster.
Well, the exact reason was to save the family not to kill the monsters.
Yes, saving them was the main reason, I reminded myself.
Hearing my words the man finally smiled softly and nodded.
"I did... didn't I? But in the end, we were saved by that masked hero." He sighed while saying that but I could see the joy and peace he was feeling for the survival of his family.
"It's great to hear that," I said.
'Well done past me!' I cheered but soon found myself getting embarrassed over such thoughts.
"Well, we will be closing the shop soon. Thanks my daughter you are our last customer." He said tiredly and leaned back on his chair.
His words hit me like a silent stab— But it was a reasonable choice for anyone who doesn't have any money to renovate this place.
Just seeing the damage around the hall and even on the man himself, the expenses must be very high.
Even then it should not be the end of it.
"I see... It looks like you are going through tough times as well."
The man nodded solemnly, his eyes not meeting mine.
"Yes, times are tough. But we've seen worse."
The man's voice was a blend of resignation and determination, his eyes flickering with a distant memory of hardship that mirrored Elena's own resolve.
Soon from the back of the hall, Elena returned with a tray in hand.— She had been making lunch all this time for Asher.
"Here, this is for you. It's on the house," she said cheerfully, placing the steaming hot meal in front of me.
I looked up at her surprised, "But I haven't paid yet?"
'And what house are you even talking about? This place was already beyond saving for them.' I thought but didn't say it out loud.
I looked at the lunch put freshly on the table.
"Elena, we can't just—" her father tried to protest, but she put a finger over his mouth, her eyes sparkling with a mix of hope and defiance.
The meal was captivating to look at— A tender and melting fragrance came out from the meat present on the plates while the vegetables looked like they were picked straight from the garden.
I could tell this was an expensive course— No, rather the best dish they had here at one glance.
I had not given any particular details on what I wanted to eat. All I told her was— 'Please bring anything that doesn't cause you trouble.'
It was because the shop which was supposed to be closed was opened for me.
The least I could do was not take much of their time to make a simple lunch.
But it looks like the girl has done her best in preparing an extravagant meal for me. If not for this being free, I would have thought she was trying to make me pay her a good amount of money for my carefree order.
I took the spoon and fork present on the table in my hands and took a bite of the steaming meat.
It was heavenly, the perfect balance of flavor and tenderness that melted in my mouth.
"Thank you, it's delicious," I said, genuinely surprised by the quality of the food.
I had thought since the last meal I got packed from here was a sandwich the quality of lunch would not be the greatest in taste but something simple instead.
Oh how wrong I was...
"Your praises are all I could wish for."
Elena instantly smiled and sighed in relief, while her father could only frown suspiciously.
He certainly couldn't think of a reason why his daughter who had always been ignorant and even strict at times was taking care of a man she just met for the first time.
'He even looked wealthy enough to pay for the dish!!'
She took a seat beside her father and continued to watch the man with silver eyes eat his food with a small smile.
As if remembering something she asked.
"What is your name sir?"
I looked up to see her face, still smiling.
'Why is she smiling this much?'
Meanwhile, her father seems to be in disbelief...
What a strange family...
But let's answer her for now.
"It's Asher and yours miss?"
I replied with a mouthful of the delicious meal, swallowed and took a gulp of water, savoring the flavor that still lingered in my mouth.
"Elena," she said softly, her cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. "And this is my father, Mr. Castellanos ."
'What a heavy name' I smiled and cleaned my mouth with a paper napkin at the corner of the table.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both, but let me pay for such a good meal," I said keeping my voice small and leaned back.
Mr. Castellanos 's frown grew deeper. "We can't accept money from a customer who's eating for free."
This time it was my turn to frown. Wasn't he the one who looked unhappy from the free food?
"But the food is not free," I said, taking out a small amount of cash from my pocket.
Mr. Castellanos's eyes widened at the sight of the money, but Elena was quick to respond. "Please, let us treat you. It's the least we can do after what happened."
My eyes widened for a moment but I understood immediately what happened. Keeping my expression in check I gave Elena a side glance before sliding the money towards them.
She knows my secret...
I knew this place and even saw her twice— And saved her twice from danger. The moment I had slightly removed my mask to drink the potion, she must have seen a glimpse of me.
But that was not enough to deduct who I was unless— What she saw was not my whole face but rather my eyes... or at least a small glimpse in the dark.
Silver eyes are rare, extremely rare and I have never even seen anyone else with them. Other colors of eyes meanwhile are not that unusual.
I sighed and said in a heavy voice pushing the money forward.
"Take it, I won't hear no as an answer."
My voice was firm and unyielding, a stark contrast to the gentle tone I had been using earlier.
Elena's eyes widened and she looked at her father before nodding. She took the money and placed it aside, a silent understanding passing between them.
She has not said any words regarding my identity so I can stay silent for now as well.
Instead, her kindness looks normal towards me now that I know the reason for her strange behavior.
"Anyway I have a proposal for you, Mr. Castellanos ."
Her father looked at me with suspicion but I ignored it and continued.
"How about I sponsor this place for half the ownership?"
The words slipped from my mouth without a second thought. The proposal hung in the air, heavy with the weight of potential change.
Mr. Castellanos's eyes snapped to mine, surprise etched deeply in his furrowed brows. "What do you mean, young man?"
"I have been planning on investing in many restaurants or other works and your looks good, Oh I didn't mean the interior right now... I mean the potential here is good. So the small organization of mine would like to strike a deal with you."
He looked at me then at Elena with a raised eyebrow then asked in a small voice "What's the organization name?"
I smiled and replied in a slow and deliberate tone.
"Silverwill"
This was the name I had chosen after many considerations, the words fit just the spot containing my most unique trait plus my only family's names.
This was the organization I had dreamed of to reach one of my goals.