In an alley, there was a body of an unconscious boy with pale skin laying in a position where his face in touch with the ground.
Conscious, but not yet fully awaken, Skyler felt the coldness of the air. He started to hear the whispering of the wind and the running rat sounds.
Around his waist, he felt wet and cold. It made his body was feel the freezing wind. The autumn wind was the coldest of all after it rained in Battalia. It had also just rained as water droplets could be heard.
Skyler felt his stomach growling and felt that his stomach was eating itself from the hunger. His lips were very dry as he could not feel anything from his lips.
As he moved his hand to search for some water, he touched a puddle which was next to him. Slowly, he opened his ocean eyes and saw, for the first time in a long time, a dark and dirty place. He turned his head and looked at his surroundings. He was once again, in the ghettos, or a place that was like the ghettos.
Once again, he moved his hands to get the water from the puddle next to him and tapped the water onto his dry lips.
He had a weak body -no strength to get up- but his mentality was strong. He forced his weak body to get up and rest his small body against the wall. As he sat there, he closed his eyes and thought for a while.
Skyler knitted his eyebrows and wondered where he was. The last place that he remembered was in his adopted son’s bedroom, the place where he had laid and passed away for the last 5 years of his life. Now, he was in another place. Is he in hell? Or maybe heaven?
With no reasonable enough answer that he could come up with, Skyler finally had the urge to move his body with the little energy he was able to summon from himself. He slowly got up with the support of the wall and walked away from the wall that separated the social classes.
Skyler was breathless already just by pulling himself up and walking. The land he saw was full of abandoned buildings and a few homeless people laying outside. Trash was floating everywhere.
As he was observing the place, there was some watchful eyes.
Skyler’s eyebrow was knitted very tightly that it seemed like two mountains had formed on his forehead. He had already noticed the movements and found their position. It wasn’t easy for him to determine their position before, but as he got use to the body he had, he was able to notice them. After all, he is an 'adaptable' person wherever he went.
There are two people, one coming from the left and the other coming from the right.
The one from the right ran very fast towards him. Skyler turned around as reflex. He saw a little boy who seemed to be around 8 or 10 years old. The other was also a boy, who seemed to be around the same age as the other. Both charged at him with a kick, one low and one high.
Immediately, Skyler took one step back from where he was. Of course, the two boys were able to learn what is called a kick, but their body wasn’t trained to fight that way. So, it only took one step back for Skyler, who had already gone through life and death.
Both the boys noticed the man’s movement and looked at each other. After missing, they both made eye contact with Skyler.
One of the boys said, in his dry but demanding voice, “Hand over all your stones!”
He stuck out his hand as if Skyler would give it to him, but Skyler never did.
Skyler’s lips curved into a beautiful, but cold smile and looked at the little boy’s hand. It was dirty. His clothes were ripped, no, it's better to say that both of the boys’ clothes were. The clothes looked too small for the growing children and they both looked malnourished too.
“Give us your jewels!” The boy demanded again.
Skyler felt around his pockets and his clothes in front of the two boys, he had none. He shrugged his shoulders to the two boys. His message was that he had none.
The two boys’ face darkened and both made eye contact with each other once again. Then, both ran away in opposite directions.
Skyler couldn’t hold in his laugh and started chuckling after they ran. It was not that he was that kind of person, but because the two boys reminded him of his past self: a little boy with his friend in the ghettos. But then, his face darkened afterwards; he was reminded of his friend who he had left behind, never to meet again.
He continued on to drag his weak body into an alley. Where there’s trash, there’s treasures that can be found. As he dug through one of the trash cans, he grabbed onto a half-eaten bread with maggots on it.
Skyler stared at the half-eaten bread and again, searched through the trash can but there was nothing else that was edible. At this point, he didn’t have any more energy left. If he doesn’t eat it now, he may not be able to eat anything else later. He doesn’t even know when he can find another 'meal'. He brushed off the maggots on the bread and without hesitation, ate the bread piece by piece. The bread had already lost its taste but he did not care.
Even if it was small, at least he ate something. Skyler stared at the empty road, out of the alley.
How long did the child—no, him, live like this for?
From the look of the body, he seems to be in his teenage years.
Though it makes little difference because after all, he’s lived like this before.
As a result, after finishing the half-eaten bread, Skyler stood up and walked out of the alley. He kept on walking through the unpaved roads in search for shelter or anything else that he can eat.
Thinking back, he remembered the two boys from earlier. Those two boys must have thought that he had what they want on him based on his clothes and looks. Though, he did not look better than them.
Just as he was walking, two little shadows could be seen from each side of the road.
Skyler smirked inside his heart. The two boys just never give up. They are really determined.
"Mind to tell where this place is?" Skyler just blurted out his question, shocking the two boys who thought they hid well enough that Skyler wouldn't notice.
Being asked a question, the shorter boy of the two came out and responded: "Z city. This is Z city."
The other also followed and ran to the shorter boy. He had a scolding look on his face towards the shorter boy.
"Name?" Skyler started questioning them after looking thoroughly at the two boys. Both of them felt shivers down their spine from being stared at.
No answer was given. Although, the shorter boy opened his mouth but his clothes were pulled by the taller boy.
"Before you ask for someone else's name, you should tell yours first." The taller boy answered. He had a look of disgust still and had a bitter tone.
"Excuse my manners, I am Skyler." Skyler smiled at the two boys friendly to show that he was not harmful at all.
"My name is Leo and this is my close friend Ember." The shorter boy introduced with a huge smile. But still, the taller boy was skeptical of this ‘Skyler’ person. No one in their right mind would dare to introduce them self in Z city unless they wanted to die an early death. Also, people who do introduce themselves must either have a hidden agenda or is an idiot. In his mind, Leo was already considered and idiot by him and there comes another.
"From the look of it, both of you are somewhere around 8 or 10?" Skyler wanted to know their age and it was on his mind since he met them. As a CEO of the Avalion company, he had donated a lot of money to the orphanage and even adopted an orphan, who took over his company for him as his health issues worsened.
"We are both 10. Let’s be friends!" Again, Leo was the one who answered and walked forward to Skyler with his hands out wanting to shake hands. He must be an honest child, but the other seems to be more skeptical of him.
Skyler thought that if he really wanted to survive and learn about this new world he is in, he had to get information out of the two boys and maybe stay with them.
Ember made a 'Tch' sound and looked away while Leo smiled brightly after hearing Skyler's words.
Because Leo already felt comfortable with Skyler after having a small talk, he gave out more information to Skyler.
Right now, he was at Z city, the outermost city of the world, from what Leo told him.
Z City is the most unpopulated place out of all the cities and have no wall to protect them from the wild beasts. Most of its lands are unidentified because a majority of the Emperors had decided to leave the rest of the world unknown and no one was brave enough or would dare go to the unknown without the orders of the Emperors because those who do go will never come back. It is the place with the least amount of strong people and the greatest number of beasts and dangers. Many cripples are left abandoned in Z City.
"Skyler, are you maybe an abandoned cripple? Judging from your look, you don't belong here."
For a moment, Leo looked Skyler in the eyes as if he would kill Skyler if he was an abandoned cripple.
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