Four years. Four years since the Temple burned and the gods stole my mother. Four years of crawling through alleys where compassion couldn't be bothered to glance. Now, I rot beneath Monroe's roof, not as a son, but as a servant
"Aye, boy! Did you think your job was done?" Mr. Monroe's voice echoed from his chambers. A man of giant proportions with a glassy stare and a heavy brow—my caretaker for the last year, and my new slave master.
"Sorry, sir. I'll get your food right away."
"Boy, don't forget—your mother's death bought you this roof. Without me, you'd have starved in the gutter like a rat." "Yes, sir." Not like life gets much worse when I'm stuck with you."
"Good. NOW HURRY UP and fetch me my food from that skank down the street."
"Okay, sir."
"Take some money from the Atherion bag. I left a grade-two Kain in there—enough for a man to buy some beer and grub."
"Alright, sir. I'll be on my way." Without waiting for a response, I slipped out of the ramshackled apartment complex and made my way toward the hyper-tram.
"Good day, Miss Wembler."
"Oh! Kael? Is that you, child? It's been so long since I last saw you. Is your leg doing fine?" she said as a smile found its way up her lips, her smile warmed me, though her eyes—just for a second—seemed too sharp, too knowing. I brushed it off. In this city, kindness never came without teeth
"Yes, Miss," I said, a smile creeping across my face. Couldn't help it. Even after all this time, she still stayed here, offering shelter from Monroe's drunken rampages. Strange how kindness survives where everything else rots.
"So tell me, Kael, where are you off to this time? You know your sixteenth is coming soon."
"Ah… about that—"
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" A deep voice bellowed as a giant automaton burst through the alley.
"WHERE IS MY MONEY, YOU RAT?" A small man sat atop its head, eyes glinting with malice.
"Ch–Charles… fancy seeing you here."
Of course it had to be Charles. Crooks like him always smell weakness before the dogs do. He built himself on scraps and lies, and now he wore his greed like a crown. But men like that are fragile — the more power they think they have, the easier they crack."
"Oh, it's just you, boy. Where's Monroe?"
"H–he's at home, sir," I stammered. Of all the people to stumble into, it had to be this snake. Charles Alexander Steel. A man who built himself from mud and slime, now Vice-Captain of the Red Hand. Crook among crooks. And like most men who crawl upward, he has a weakness: the more control he thinks he has, the weaker he really becomes.
"Ah, is that so?" His eyes narrowed as he stepped closer.
"By the Gods, what are the chances of finding you here?"
"I…"
"Well then, would you mind accompanying me to meet a dear friend?" His mouth split into a dangerous smile.
"I–I can't, sir. I was told to fetch food for him. If I don't, then—"
"Then what? That pig wouldn't lift a finger without my say-so."
"O–okay, sir. Bye, Miss Wembler," I mumbled, moving quickly to his side.
"Alright, child. Take care—and greet Monroe for me," she said, waving with that same warm smile.
If she truly knew my circumstances, would she still smile like that? Or would her lips twist with pity? Maybe compassion. Maybe fear. Either way, I don't need either of them.
"You know, son," Alexander said, snapping me out of my thoughts, "this city—from the highs to the lows—I have my hands in every corner. There's nothing my eyes don't see."
A bead of sweat slid down my brow. "Wha–what do you mean, sir?"
"Oh, I mean your little trick. One of my men saw you consuming Kain. Now I wonder—how could a lad no older than fifteen be using Amora?"
Shit. Shit. Shit. Of all days to forget… I opened my status window. The glowing symbols converging into legible values in a mass of black light ?.
STATUS
Age: 15
Gender: Male
Level: 13
Amora Grade: 18
Amora Pattern: Hollow?
Strength: 12
Dexterity: 20
Mana: 10
Endurance: 10
Vitality: 13
'Perfect. Nothing like announcing my death sentence with glowing stats'
"Don't play games with me, boy," Alexander hissed, sneer curling. "You're a Hollow. You absorbed your mother's Kain when she died, didn't you? By all accounts, you should be either made—or broken. Yet here you stand, with those damned eyes."
"I… I don't know what to say, sir." My eyes flicked across the alleys, searching for an escape route.
"You've nothing to say, eh? Then why don't we check your status?"
"Sir, you know that—"
"Know what?" He spat. "Even beggars know better than to make such a useless lie. Everyone knows once you consume Kain,you unlock the system. Now Show me what it says."
"Yes, of course, sir. But how… would I do that?."
"Gods, were you abandoned by wisdom? Show me now, boy I've no time for your games."
"Alright, I'll—"
Then, out of the corner of my eye, a glint. And a voice whispered.
*Run.*
Before I could even think, my feet bolted forward. Ten meters away from Alexander in a heartbeat.
"Boy! Where do you think you're going?" His pale face split into that same snake's grin as he closed the gap with frightening ease.
"I don't—noooowww!" My voice stretched as I vaulted into the air, narrowly missing a passing vehicle.
"Lies," Alexander muttered, his smile promising terror.
No turning back now. I forced every shred of dexterity to the limit, darting forward thirty meters. But the cheerful cadence of his voice followed close behind.
"Oh, dear child, do you know how I became Vice-Captain of the Red Hand?."
"No, sir—and frankly, I couldn't care less. As you see, I'm very busy running from you."
"Is that so?" He laughed, weaving through the slums like a phantom.
What could have made me move on my own ?, regardless i dont have time to think about that , there are a few side streets leading away from here , ill pass through the business district to loose him.
Pushing my legs to run even faster , i ran through the jungle of the city.
"Ayee watch it here , are you going to pay for the ruined goods ? ", a passing sales man yelled as i ran through.
'This is bullshit , why hasn't anyone alerted the police ? , even in this hellhole there should be some law and order', but i knew that there wouldn't be , at least not for me , i am a known freak , a Hollow , one disdained by the Gods for not having a complete Amora pattern.
Suddenly the voice spoke again.
*Head to the sky port*
Finally i decided to ask.
*Who are you?*
*...*
Figures i spat in spite , how would an illusory voice know of its own nature after all, against my dark musings , i noticed a hyper tram about to set off , i instantly shot towards it and climbed atop its roof .Finally catching my breath i decided to look back , and too my dismay i saw alexander fast on my heels , a fiendish smile plastered unto his face.
'Gods he's ugly , was he abandoned by the gods as well ?.'
Pulling me out of my thoughts was a parade of rust fangs blocking my path.
'These are supposed to be in the mines of the wisdom domain , what are such heavy machinery doing in the slums ?.'
As the hyper tram ran passed them i finally caught a breath , and quickly arrived at the sky-port.
Immediately i got off i made my way towards a departing travel ship then suddenly—- . Move, damn it! MOVE! Panic clawed at me as I saw him less than a hundred meters away. Snake-green eyes shone in the dimly lit street as a devil's grin placed itself on his face . At his pace, I had ten seconds before he reached me.
And then—the world turned white.
I was thrown twenty meters, crashing into the side of a hyper-tram. A dent shaped like me marked the steel.
A figure stood before me. Five-foot-five, greying hair, posture unyielding. Age etched into their hands.
The world stopped.
"Mi–Miss Wembler?" I choked, dust clogging my lungs.
"Oh, you poor child," she said gently. "How could life have taken such a turn for you?"
"What… what do you mean?"
"Hush now. I'm quite busy, you know?" Her smile curved soft and sharp all at once.
"O–okay," I muttered, still dazed by the impact.