A cool metal touch pressed against his throat, a sweat forming from his skin as a woman hugged him tightly from behind, threatening his life with a long silver blade.
City workers swiftly rushed past them, frantically on their way to work this busy morning, but none batted an eye. The young man had no value in society. He was just a homeless dweller who lived roaming the streets, pursuing the occupation of a 'Thief' to make ends meet. He was just a piece of trash, just like any other wrapper or piece of plastic on the ground. However, this wasn't the case for all.
For some, his fellow homeless dwellers, he was valuable just as every soul was. He brought a light, a certain hope that even shone in such dark times; nobody brought that to the homeless, nobody cared to do so… especially on this day where not a soul cared to change a dying dweller's life…
But his value to them didn't matter when it came to the grand scheme of things. In the eyes of the public, thieves deserved to die. And, Altinae, he was just about to be executed in front of their very eyes, and by the same woman he'd stolen from.
If only he didn't possess such terrible stamina, maybe then he wouldn't be at the point of execution. If only he didn't have a keen eye for such precious-looking gems…
As she continued to hold her blade against Altinae's neck, the woman perched her chin up over his shoulder, and, separating her soft lips slowly, she whispered gently into his right ear with her soft voice, too gentle to harm.
"give it back before this neck of yours becomes separated from the rest of your body."
Despite her soft, soothing voice, her words were terrifying, and hearing them so close in the warm breath of her mouth, Altinae's body began to shake rapidly, playing along with her lifeless words.
"P-please, don't kill me."
"I'll make that promise if you return what you stole."
Altinae swallowed hard, then slowly reached down into his loosely fitting pants, slipping out a small golden amulet with a mesmerizing black gem from his pocket, but never did he grasp it. Only gravity got its hands on it, and hearing the gem scrape against the sidewalk, his heart jumped, skipping a few beats.
"I said to give it back, not drop it, you dumb thief, so pick it up, and place it in my hand like I told you to do."
The woman held her right to his side, tucking it between his arm and his stomach, causing him to squirm at her sudden touch.
"Fetch it, dog."
She began beckoning with her fingers. And seeing them bend and straighten continuously, his eyes suddenly focused on the blade in front of him, he didn't dare move.
"P-Please, move your sword away from my neck. I can't if you don't."
Suddenly, he felt a warm breath against the back of his neck, then saw the blade inch away from his throat.
And then slowly, he bent his knees, carrying his right hand to his side and snatching the amulet, then dropped it lightly in the woman's soft palm.
At the touch of the smooth amulet, the woman retrieved her hand and then thoroughly eyed the amulet.
But, after a second, she returned her blade to Altinae's neck, inching it closer, until a sliver of blood spilled onto the silver's stainlessness.
"You scratched the gem, so in return, I've given you a scratch. If this gem had been destroyed, you would have been too, and I wouldn't have hesitated to do so. This gem is too important, understand? More so than your life."
The blade, separated from his neck, and he sighed, relieved, taking a step forward to distance himself from her. But, instead of freedom, he got a steel foot kicked into his back, sending him to the pavement, where his elbows and knees scraped up.
"Watch who you steal from next time, little thief. Maybe, you just might become famous in the middle of the night."
Scoffing, the woman began walking away. Altinae turned, a pain aching through his body, and watched mesmerized as her almond hair blew in the wind, as her shining figure coated in a light silver armor lost itself in the distance…
Such a beautiful cosplay, it felt so real, she played the knight so well… ah, to be rich…
Suddenly, he slapped himself in the face, bringing his mind back from the woman's beautiful knight-like costume.
Though he had just lost his find, he had a smile on his pale face. An unusual look for him, he hadn't felt this happy for a long time, the last time being…
…
…
He couldn't remember the last time; no point in his life gave him this feeling ever since he became a dweller. Even before he became a dweller, Altinae couldn't remember the last time he was happy. His past was always just him being unlucky. But that didn't matter to him, as now, he had finally become free from his fiscal worries.
After all, the amulet wasn't the only thing he managed to sneak from the woman; he also stole a diamond necklace, with giant diamonds mended inside, the purest of any kind. Surely they would fetch hundreds of thousands, if not, maybe millions!
Boasting the win of a lifetime, he twirled his finger in the air, and following was the diamond necklace that glistened with the sun's brightness across his shining face.
He only thought good things; he thought about freeing himself from this shitty dweller life. He thought about buying a cool car, a fancy house, maybe even one with a pool, but he shook his head just thinking about how greedy he was. He knew those weren't what he really wanted in his life.
Instead, he paid remembrance to his mother. He could finally pay off the hospital bills and the treatment… He could finally save her from her sickness...
I can finally talk to you again…
He shed a tear just thinking about it, he had always dreamed that one day he would be able to save his mother, she was the only one who had loved him, and the one he owed the most to, but she had succumbed to a sickness, the one that shocked the world decades ago, 'Feast,' and because of it, she had become bedridden, and hadn't woken since.
Altinae just stared at the necklace, continuously smiling; he was too happy. He examined it all around, peering at the diamonds that would be his saving grace, but as he twisted it, his expression turned puzzled, noticing a black gem, the same one embedded in the amulet.
His eyes instantly lit up brighter. The woman had said the gem was very important, meaning it had to be insanely valuable. He knew for sure he could help his mom!
Curious about the type of gem it was, he tapped the gem several times, listening to its satisfying glassy sound closely, his ears suddenly fluttering. The glass suddenly sounded like the rain falling from the clouds.
Feeling odd, he took his ear back, and his eyes widened.
What's this? Smoke?
He thought he was hallucinating, so he rubbed his eyes one by one, but opening them, it stayed…