Finster POV
-Roadside (Nightime)-
"Dear sister, the kingdom of Salem is a place that I think would not fit us.. Fancy mansions, Expensive luxuries, Regal clothes and worst of all....."
You stinking kraut! get out of my way! A nobleman screams as he kicked me of the nearest puddle.
(Thud)...splash...."and worst of all.... discriminations"
Hehehehe.. you vulgar kraut should stay in the mud where you belong.
After a long time of silence from me staying still in the ground without saying anything, the noble got bored and walked away while spiting at my head.
I grabbed my notebook and pen, walked in the nearest street light and continued writing.
"The nobles in Salem were famous for their deep knowledge and connection in thrum, the essence of this world and monopolized it for their own good. The kingdom was also known for its high importance in weavers, their countries mage/warrior/artificer. Unawakened however are instantly labelled as a kraut and is heavily looked down on."
-Marketplace (Morning)-
"Come back here, you stinky brat!"
"Huff, huff, huff… How about you get used to it already, Uncle Greg? I've been nabbing this bread at your shop for as long as I can remember. Do you like me or something?"
"Oh, I will like you when I beat the shit out of you! Come back here!"
I parkoured over trash bags, then did a small wall ride and jumped over the metal fence and faced the buff guy with a victory pose.
"Better luck next time, old man, though I doubt you will ever catch me."
-School Building (Backside)-
I was nibbling at the bread I've just stole while peeking below the windows of a school listening to the instructor teaching his sleepy students.
"These privileged bastards are paying just to sleep in a school just because they already learned it with their private instructors, life sure is unfair."
"Attention everyone! Now that we are almost done with this school year you guys will most likely enroll in Royal Salem Academy given your talents. Beware that not all of you will pass, that school is famous for not rejecting defects and geniuses alike, however there will be incentives like the humongous fee you have to pay if you are not recognized."the instructor said which bore the students even more.
"Before we end our school year we should do our last thrum refinement session" The instructor said he took out a Thrum Distiller.
"Oh… hehehe… another free meal after my bread, don't mind if I do!" I slowly murmured while hurriedly finishing the bread to prepare myself.
Unbeknownst to the boy, A single student with long dazzling sapphire hair is giggling aware of his presence as she notices his dead grass like hair in the window .
"He's here again.. haha"
"Before we start, let's do a core resonance warm up first. "the Instructor said for safety purposes.
I also did the warmup however not knowing anything about the procedure, the Thrum around me ran rampant and fizzled out.
"Oh SHIT!" shocked at my unexpected failure and prioritized running away to avoid any chance of being caught.
The instructor and the girl noticed, both sighing at the same time before returning to their last Thrum refinement session.
-In construction work-
In the afternoon I went to my duty schedule still mumbling about my failure earlier.
"Damn what a waste , I could have had sensitivity practice with that Thrum disti-something. "I mumbled as I touched my white flower hairclip which it spit my trusty notebook and pen and resumed to write a letter for my sister.
"In here I was raised by other beggars—no, I learned how to live from other beggars. Each day was a fight for survival. I'd wake up cold and hungry, my thin blanket offering little protection against the night's chill."
"Mornings were usually the hardest. My stomach would twist in hunger, sometimes, I'd wake up to find my belongings like rags or scraps I had for blankets stolen by my very own neighbors.
"One thing that kept me alive though is that old man's bakeshop. Maybe sometime when I get rich I'll buy all of his bread for a single day just to apologize."
"Stop slacking off, Finster and move those piles!" My supervisor screaming at me while stuffing his face his face with sweets.
"Ah, yes sir!"
-Slums (Finster's Makeshift Shed)-
After my work I placed my rarely hard-earned money on the table and rubbed an old magic item and it made a dim light.
I examined my shack and was pleasantly surprised. "Nothing is stolen this time huh, maybe it is a good sign."
I touched my hairpin took out my letter and continued writing.
"I don't know where you are right now but I am writing this in hopes that when I see your again, all the experience I encounter will be freshly laid into this letter instead of me forgetting it all. You know how tend to forget a lot so I hope this help."
That's fifty golden valis, twenty more to go, and it will be enough for two years of middle school." As I finished storing the coins in my storage hairpin, I continued writing.
Despite everything, I am still hoping we would see each other again and eat a salted ice-cream. See you again in my next entry. yours truly, your dumb brother.
I'm starving! All that food writing is making me go hungry again. I said as I streched my tired arms in the air.
That old man's bakery seems to be closed, and nobody wants to give me anything in this night, I mutter to myself.
"Guess I'll have to make do with some wild fruits and berries as usual."
I went outside the city gates to search for a potential source of food beyond the stone walls. I slipped past the guards, who were distracted by a passing merchant's caravan. I guess they are preparing for the Rite of Weavers I muttered while sneaking slowly.
Beyond the gates is the forest I tend to camp when stealing is not an option, I guess being hungry drives you to do the most absurd things, I softly scoffed.
I lightly stroked my hairpin, then my wired pen attached to the notebook disintegrated into a green orb of light, which flew to the green gem in the floral hairpin.
"Good, let's continue. Judging from the fresh tracks, this is a fruli-boar, a pig that is very slow and slothful. They tend to dig up root vegetables like wild onions and truffles. These boars easily can do this with their natural assimilation of thrum in nature, turning their noses into strong food detectors. Though because of the assimilation, their noses become very deformed and take up 60% of their faces now."
"Looks like it's my lucky day. This guy's leather can also be sold, not for much, but will easily reach 30-50 valis and complete my school fund with a little extra."
I continued to follow the tracks deep into the woods, but suddenly the tracks stopped.
Scratching my head, I thought, Huh, that's weird. The track ends here. The ground is dry as well, so it couldn't have been washed off.
Hours of my efforts seemed pointless. Just as hope began to fade, the trees grew thicker, their branches forming a shade that blocked out the sun.
Suddenly, the ground gave way beneath me. With a surprised shout, I fell into a deep hole, and the world above vanished in an instant.
Darkness surrounded me as I landed with a painful thud. I lay still for a moment, catching my breath and checking for injuries. Luckily, I had just a few bruises.
I got up, feeling disoriented in the pitch-black surroundings.
"Urg… Haha, damn… Who's the lucky guy again?"
My hands groped in the dark, looking for an exit or a clue about where I was. As I explored, my leg brushed against something soft.
I bent down and felt the petals of a single flower. It was unlike anything I had ever seen—its petals were golden, and its leaves glowed faintly green.
Curious, I touched the flower, and suddenly, the darkness was replaced by a brilliant light. I shielded my eyes, squinting against the sudden brightness.
"Ah! What the—"
When I could see again, I was stunned. The once-dark forest was now filled with thousands of golden flowers, each glowing with a magical light.
My eyes widened, and the overwhelming sight of the glowing flowers combined with the weird sensation in my stomach was too much for my tired and hungry body. The world started to spin, and I felt myself fading.
"Wha, what the hell is goin—"
Thud.
I thought, before collapsing to the ground, the light fading as I drifted off.