"Hey stop zoning out! Hello?? Alex are you alright?"
With his hand a bit smaller than what it was, his hands looks thin too.
'Alex? Is it me? And who is this kid?'
They then heard a sound of a carriage running near where they are.
"Come let's go!"
And so the guy taller than him, maybe around 13 or so, jumped in the cart full of trashes.
"Hey Frank! Watch out!"
Surprised by him calling Frank with no hesitation, he feel numb as he remembered everything that happened to this body.
Thrown by her own family, he was sold as a slave but luckily get out in their hands when bandits ambushed the cart of those slave's merchant. In him wandering around, he ended up in this place and met Frank. Living by snatching waste foods in the waste carts, they are doing this day by day.
"Hey, why did you not jump? It is a bounty today. What a waste, they have lots of this meat, bit smelly but better than nothing. Hehe"
"Frank, what do we call this place again?"
"Huh? You mean this slum?'
"No… I mean, where is this slum? What kingdom does it belong to?"
"Alex you are really weird today, well, all I heard is that it is near the Floranteine borders but it is still part of the Voneveir"
Hearing that familiar names, he was surprised as chills run up his spine.
"Why did you ask anyway? If you want to know more, maybe Clad can help you. Wanna go in his place? I can also borrow his pan to cook this. Tee hee, let's go!"
Spirited as he is, Frank is only a year older than who he is now. Alexis have no idea how he became Alex but there really is much things to unfold in this world.
'Maybe brother Clad can help me know more things about where I really was'
Clad Volmar, a kind man that helps street children like Frank and Alexis. His house is up the hill.
"Brother Clad!"
Frank shouted with enthusiasm as he knock the door of Clad's house. But even with his hand hitting the wooden door, no one answered him.
"Brother Clad? Are you alright?"
"Is he not here?"
"No Alex, he would put a notice otherwise…"
Putting down the waste foods he got this morning, Frank take a peek on the small hole in the window.
"Brother Clad?"
But his eyes widened as he saw the sight inside.
"Alex!! Get out of the door! Now!"
He shouted and soon Alex did as what was told. Hitting the door with his shoulder, Frank give all his might to open the door but to no avail. That made Alex be worried why Frank was acting like that. But the moment he peek at the hole, he was terrified by what he saw.
Clad shares the very image of Conor for some reason. He is also laying on the ground, unconscious.
'Conor…'
He thought to himself.
If before, he did nothing to save Conor and run away for his safety, this time, even if he know that it wasn't Conor, he can't help but have the urge to save him.
'I failed to save you before, this time, I will not let it happen again!'
Seeing how Frank still fail in opening the door, he look at the window and saw how it is not as thick as the door.
'I think I can smash open this'
With the use of a large rock he saw nearby, he use it like a hammer and hit the window forcefully.
Creak,
It is now damaged and have hole enough for him to get inside.
"Frank help me!"
He shouted and soon receive an assistance from Frank to lift him up. Opening the door, the two of the burst running towards Clad. He was cold and unconscious.
"His heart is still beating!"
Frank happily announce. But they know that it is not gonna end just like that.
"I think he is poisoned"
Alex mumbled as he saw how there is a weird skin color in Clad's arm.
"What is that?"
Frank shouted hysterically. Even in his life as Alexis, it was the first time he encountered someone bitten by a Kranses. It is a bug mutated that releases venom. it is not deadly but if left by its own, it can be.
"Kranses, a bug with venom bit him"
"Kranses? What is that? It is my first time hearing it!"
'Yes, after all, the high officials don't want to cause ruckus in the kingdom. Even the antidote is not costly to produce and there are lots of alternatives but with those in power, they took advantage of it and keep it for their own use.
"A bug that mutates from Voneveir, we need to find cure right away!"
"But how??! Do you know how to get one?? Can we buy it??!"
Frank shake his shoulder. Wanting to know an answer right away.
"I… I don't know where can we buy it but… I think I know how to make one"
Holding bunch of Cinnada leaves, it is a plant that grows everywhere. Some even pull it and think of it as a weeds. But not everyone knows the value that grass holds.
"Are you sure this is all we need?"
Frank asked as he put down all the Cinnada leaves he can gather.
"Yes, make it in a powder and soak in water to make a small round balls as big as a finger nail, once we burn it inside a coco husk, we can have the cure"
"That's all?"
"Yes"
Immediately doing what was told, the final product was ready. A black round ball can be seen inside the coco husk where they burned it.
"What to do next? What do we do now with this cure? There is no way he would drink that burned grass Alex"
"No, it is not used like that"
Picking up one black ball, hit was hot but he just blow it to not burn himself.
"It would hurt a bit but this is the only way"
And so he smash the antidote between his hand and Clad's bitten arm. It turn white in no time.
"Alex…"
Clad's breathing then turn stable but the moment Clad open his eyes, his hand cornered Alex on the ground with his wrist pushed on his neck.
"You…"