Matthew was a huge anime nerd and knew a bit of Borduric. So, his Bordurian neighbor often stopped by to chat and ask him how to say things in Drakoric. Matthew was an orphan and not very socially adept, so he didn't have many friends. It actually felt nice to talk with Jarvis. They'd grab dinner, go running at night, or ride bikes together. Since Jarvis kept asking him about Drakoric, he started calling Matthew "Matt" in a friendly way. Before the apocalypse, they got along pretty well as neighbors. Then the apocalypse hit, and everything collapsed. That was when Matthew realized his seemingly ordinary foreign neighbor actually knew shadow arts. Jarvis had come to Drakoria to test himself against local practitioners. He wanted to prove that shadow arts from his country were the strongest and could beat Drakoria's old, mysterious techniques. But just when he got used to life here and was ready to look for those masters, the apocalypse arrived. The neighborhood quickly descended into chaos. People fought over food like animals. Since they lived on the same floor, the two naturally stuck together. Well, to say they had "teamed up" was generous. It was more like Matthew had attached himself to Jarvis. Despite Jarvis being small in stature, his saber skills and shadow arts were top-notch. He soon became known as the deadliest guy around their block. No one dared to cross him. But Jarvis wasn't content to just rule a neighborhood. He wanted to find his younger brother. His parents had died early, leaving just him and his brother, Zyrell Selwyn. Relatives raised them, and although the brothers were close, they liked totally different things. Jarvis threw himself into shadow arts, determined to carry on the family's martial legacy. Zyrell only cared about getting rich and dealt in the illegal trade of antiquities. They didn't understand each other at all, but they both ended up in Drakoria. One went to Greendale's ancient city to dig up tombs for gold. The other went to Stonevale to seek an ancient family of practitioners and challenge them. Once Jarvis realized the apocalypse wasn't ending, he stopped looking for masters and headed off to save his brother. Zyrell didn't know shadow arts and couldn't even use a basic saber. If Jarvis didn't find him, Zyrell probably wouldn't last. When the first floods came, Borduria went under. Jarvis lost the rest of his family, so Zyrell was his only relative left. Matthew had no choice but to follow along as they traveled across several provinces searching for Zyrell. It wasn't because the two were super close. They'd both made enemies in their old neighborhood and with little gangs. Without Jarvis, Matthew wouldn't survive at all. He figured he had no family, no skills, and no way to live alone. So, he stuck with Jarvis and hoped to stay alive longer. They walked from Stonevale all the way to the Greater Northwest, taking two and a half years. Even before the apocalypse, traveling that far without flying was tough. And they did it while facing Great Heat, heavy fog, and Frostfall. Only someone like Jarvis, with shadow arts, could survive that. During the trip, their relationship slowly changed. They used to be equals—friends and neighbors. But they survived countless dangerous situations thanks to Jarvis' skills. Matthew, with his average skills and constant need for help, naturally became Jarvis' sidekick and follower. Now, even a small wrong word earned him a scolding.Matthew had a feeling that if Jarvis didn't need someone to run errands and keep him company, he would've ditched him already. Seeing Jarvis trembling—whether from worry or anger—Matthew lowered his voice. "Does your brother have any obvious features? I'll help you find him." Jarvis inhaled deeply, calming a bit. "He's short. His face has lots of pockmarks." "Got it." Matthew nodded, though he grumbled inwardly that it was hardly a useful description. Everyone's faces were covered in frost. He'd have to melt ice off each one just to see if their face had pockmarks. It was such a hassle. But he kept the complaints to himself and went to search. They split up—one started at the front of the camp, the other at the back. They opened tents and checked bodies one by one. After a moment, Matthew grinned. "They're all foreigners!" That made things way easier. He could skip the light-skinned and tanned people, focusing on medium-skinned faces to check for pockmarks.