A sea of stalls surrounded them, packed tightly against one another, overflowing with colors, fabrics, and steaming food. The air was thick with smells: fritters sizzling in oil, sharp spices, roasted meat. Merchants’ voices overlapped in a constant, living roar.

Light filtered through the colored canopies, bathing everything in shades of gold and orange.

In the middle of that vibrant chaos, Sky stopped dead in his tracks in front of a stall.

His eyes lit up like a child staring at a treasure.

“Shaaaark! I’m starving! I haven’t eaten in days!”

Shark stared at him, and for a moment forgot about the crowd.

Then he noticed what truly mattered.

Amid colors and fabrics, their uniforms stood out far too much: dark green pants, white tank tops… and the Imperial emblem clearly visible on their chests.

Shark lowered his voice, scanning the crowd with a calculating look.

“We could try stealing something… but it’s risky.”

Sky shrugged, his face as innocent as ever.

“My aunt says stealing is wrong. Last time I took something I thought was mine, it ended badly. And then there were the usual problems with Marco…”

Shark snapped back, sarcastic.

“So you’d rather starve to death following your aunt’s morals?”

Sky thought about it for a moment, then suggested with that almost sincere tone that defined him.

“We could ask someone for food?”

Shark grimaced. Begging wasn’t in his vocabulary.

He turned his attention back to the street. The crowd was thick, and at every intersection Imperial patrols moved among the people, steel-faced soldiers with eyes that missed nothing.

They searched for a less exposed corner when a voice stopped them from behind.

“Hey! You two!”

They spun around.

Two uniformed veterans were staring them down, deep lines etched around their eyes, one hand resting on a sword hilt.

“Recruits? What are you doing here?”

Without thinking, Sky widened his eyes and blurted out,

“Do you have any coins we could borrow to eat?”

Shark flinched as if he’d been struck with a club.

The first veteran growled, irritated.

“What? I asked you a question. Why aren’t you at the camp?”

Shark didn’t hesitate.

“We’re on a mission.”

“A mission? No recruit missions are listed in the city.”

The suspicion was obvious.

“Orders from Captain Sharlok. We’re tracking two fugitives. Classified.”

The two soldiers exchanged a glance.

The first one’s posture softened slightly, as if he’d rather look the other way than complicate his day.

“I see. Need help?”

Shark waved him off.

“Better not. If you could pretend you didn’t see us, the captain would appreciate it.”

The veteran shrugged.

“Fine. Move along. We didn’t see anything.”

But Sky didn’t miss the chance.

He turned back, that disarmingly honest expression giving him away once again.

“And the money for food?”

Shark barely suppressed a nervous twitch.

He straightened his voice and improvised.

“We forgot our wallets at the camp.”

The veteran let out a short laugh, then pointed with the tip of his boot.

“There’s a mess hall not far from here. Soldiers only. You eat as much as you want, free of charge.”

Sky’s eyes lit up.

He did a small hop of joy and hurried off in the indicated direction.

Shark followed, his expression darkening. Entering an Imperial mess hall, surrounded by uniforms and watchful eyes, felt like a gamble.

And he had the distinct feeling that the worst was just around the corner.

The Imperial mess hall stood just outside the city center, a massive building resembling a militarized warehouse.

The clatter of cutlery mixed with the roar of hundreds of voices.

Long tables stretched for dozens of meters, packed with soldiers laughing, joking, and eating as if there were no tomorrow.

The smell of roasted meat and fresh bread was so strong it made mouths water just by breathing it in.

The moment he stepped inside, Shark went pale.

In front of him was a sea of armed Imperial soldiers.

Every fiber of his body screamed at him to run.

Sky, on the other hand, was dazzled by the sight of a massive table loaded with every kind of food imaginable.

“FOOOOOOD!”

He didn’t resist for even a second.

With a cry of pure ecstasy, he lunged at the table like a starving animal after months without food.

He began devouring everything he could grab, without discrimination.

The two veterans froze, eyes wide.

“Your friend… hasn’t eaten in years?”

Shark forced a smile.

“It’s been a few days since we last ate.”

The other soldier laughed.

“Then hurry up, before he eats the table too.”

Shark growled under his breath but moved toward the buffet, pretending to act natural.

When he finally filled a plate, he slammed his shoulder into Sky.

“Idiot, are you trying to get us killed?!”

“I’m just… eating!”

“We’re surrounded by Imperial soldiers!”

“Oh… really? I hadn’t noticed.”

Shark barely restrained himself.

“Enough. Eat fast and we’re leaving.”

Sky piled up a mountain of ribs as if it were his last meal.

One of the veterans laughed.

“Kid, you’ve got some stomach!”

“Eating is the best thing in the world! And besides… being an Imperial soldier has its perks!”

Shark froze.

“It’s all written in the contract you signed at the oath,” the veteran said.

“What contract?”

Shark nearly choked.

He grabbed Sky by the collar and dragged him out of the mess hall.

When they reached a deserted street, Shark exploded.

“What the hell do you have in place of a brain, Sky?!”

“They weren’t that many…”

Shark stopped dead.

“Those were elite soldiers.”

Sky stopped chewing.

Shark lowered his gaze, exhausted.

“One more second… and Sharlok would’ve found us before you even finished that chicken.”

As they moved away from the district, Shark’s heart still pounded in his chest.

At least they’d managed to eat their fill, regaining some of the strength they’d lost during the escape.

But he knew their luck wouldn’t last.

The next time they were discovered… there would be no way out.

Sky, meanwhile, after devouring half the buffet, was already succumbing to his usual unstoppable urge to sleep.

They walked through streets lit by flickering signs, the smell of fried food in the air, voices and laughter bouncing from alley to alley.

Sky yawned, shamelessly leaning against Shark’s shoulder.

There was only one objective.

Find a place to sleep.

Fast.

And without being noticed.

Shark looked up.

A crow was perched atop an unlit sign.

Its eyes were fixed on them.

“Is it just me… or is it staring at us?”

The caw cut through the air.

Then the crow spread its wings and vanished among the rooftops.

—

Next Episode — Welcome to Hellington