“Stop right there!” Elwin shouted, as he closed in on the hastily dressed thief running with several rucksacks on his arms and shoulders. He’d continued chase for the FOUNDERS knew how long, first through the wide-open roads, then to streets, then eventually to narrower alleyways and shadowed corners of the city, and Elwin wondered whether he’d ever get back to the exam hall at all, but that was not his main concern: it was on Isaac’s green rucksack.
But, with each huff and puff of breath drawn with all his might, Elwin was catching up to the thief, and with a final boost made possible by sliding on the puddle of ice and gathering wind in his back, Elwin landed on the thief, and both of them tumbled onto cobbled ground near the dead-end of the street. The thief gathered graveled dirt around his hands and drove a punch to Elwin, but Elwin sidestepped just in time and used air to sweep him off his feet. The hood of the thief came undone, and in it –
The figure was none other than another boy his age – no, far younger. His nose and cheeks were bruised in several places, and his eyes had bags under them. Underneath the janitorial clothes his undershirt was tattered, patchworked, and full of holes. He crawled backwards into a corner, afraid, nowhere else to run, flinging tiny pebbles with wordless caution. Elwin was taken aback.
“Give – give those rucksacks back.”
The thief hurriedly threw the five rucksacks towards Elwin’s direction. Elwin rushed over to pick them up when –
“Hold on right there.” A voice called from behind.
Both Elwin and the thief turned to look at the figure, blocking the only way out from the dead-end street.
The figure was dressed in armored robes and cape of navy and black; on his hip, a long, lustrous Tenebriton chain, and on the left wrist, his enforcerial Quan buzzing and snapping with energy. His dark-blue cap shrouded his face with chiaroscuro that only a single, piercing eye peered at Elwin and the boy-thief, and his mouth was curtly downturned in disapproval. An aura of absolute authority emanated from him.
It was an enforcer from the Ministry of Order.
“You there, with the tattered clothes,” said the enforcer, pointing at the thief, “I saw you running through the streets with the rucksacks.”
The thief-boy turned to look at Elwin, his eyes wide with palpable fear.
“The penalty for thievery is a beating or hard labor, even for children.”
Elwin froze with disbelief. He knew enforcers from the Ministry of Order were brutal and methodical in their enforcement of law, as he witnessed when two of them came in The Marlin once to break up a fight, but surely he wouldn’t beat a boy his age... even younger... for a thievery of rucksacks? Moreover, did they have the power to dish out such punishment on their own?
“You are coming with me. You, the other boy with the eyewrap,” the enforcer continued, “explain the situation before leaving.”
The thief-boy turned to Elwin and whispered in hushed flurry, “please, please, don’t let him take me away. Save me, please. I have nowhere else to go.” He clutched at Elwin’s pants. Tears were streaming from the young boy’s bruised eyes. “I’d been beaten twice already yesterday. Please... it’s been a week since I’ve eaten. Please.” The tribulations of the little boy dug into Elwin’s heart.
Elwin stood in front of the boy to shield him, and faced the enforcer.
“Sir, this is a misunderstanding. We’ve only been playing chase, you see,” Elwin declared.
The enforcer raised his cap to reveal two eyes of blue. Still, the shadows shrouded the rest of his features.
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“Playing chase with rucksacks to a dead end? A likely story. Do you want to lie and get beat too?”
Elwin gulped. Should he be caught in the crossfire, he’d be punished, and badly. How strange this situation was! One moment he was chasing the thief to save Isaac and his father, but in a matter of a few minutes the tides had turned and now Elwin’s goodwill was about to get this poor boy – and possibly he as well – beaten by the hand of the law.
“No sir, there is no lie. We were trying to see how fast we could get home from –”
Elwin thought quickly. It was still a weekday.
“– from school with our bags. But I got tired along the way, and asked him to carry it for me.” Elwin pulled out his father’s pocket watch from his waistcoat and showed it to the enforcer.
Elwin continued, “It looks like we’re still not close to beating our previous record. It was 35 minutes, and it’s been 45 minutes already.”
The enforcer approached Elwin, and knelt down with a single knee, an ice-baton of considerable length materializing out of the moisture of the air in his hand. A strong smell of cologne overwhelmed Elwin’s nose, and it disturbed him.
“Where do you two live?” asked the enforcer, his expression unchanged.
“On the corner of Brooks and Arx, 29th,” said Elwin, rapidly thinking of a combination of streets he’d seen when he was walking to the exam hall that morning. It had to be of a distance that made sense with the time alibi he told.
“29th...” mumbled the enforcer. He stood up. No one said anything for the longest while. Elwin tried hard to conceal his horror.
Then the enforcer finally turned to walk away – but not before shooting Elwin a glance.
“For the record,” he said, “you look like one of the decent ones, so I am not giving you trouble today. Consider yourself fortunate.”
“But as for him –” he pointed to the young boy-thief – “tell him and the rest of his vermin ilk to stay off the streets, or he’ll be working in the mines till he turns 11.”
The enforcer walked out into the wider street and disappeared from view.
They were safe.
Both Elwin and the boy breathed an enormous sigh of relief.
The boy spoke.
“Thank you, whoever you are, for saving my life. I would have been beaten to a pulp without your help.” He rubbed his bruised nose from yesterday, wincing from the pain.
They both plopped down on the cobbled footpath, and looked at the ground to gather their thoughts. Then Elwin asked the boy.
“You said you’ve had nothing to eat for a week. Is that true?”
“Yes.”
Elwin rummaged through his own rucksack and pulled out an orange, a thick package of beef jerky, and a sandwich he’d bought that morning. He’d been saving it for lunch and supper.
“Here,” said Elwin, as he passed all of his prizes to the boy. The boy, wide-eyed, grabbed them heartily and began wolfing them down. A wave of pity and emotion came over Elwin as he drew a few rivulets of water from the air for the boy to drink. He cupped his hand and gulped it down ravenously. Elwin didn’t want to pry the boy while he was eating, so he looked into the distance in contemplation.
This was supposed to be the City of Lights, the capital city. The jewel of the Unified Mythrisian Republics. The center of wealth, patronage, fame, and glory; a place where anyone could eat whatever they wanted and indulge in whatever hobby they so desired. Marvelous gardens. Marbled buildings. Pleasant air. Clear sky. At least, that’s what people who’ve never been to the city told the credulous.
Yet, this young boy proved that all of it was simply a façade.
The Sun had now begun to set, and the buildings next to them cast a long, sinuous shadow on the cobbled road. Even in Cita de Lumière, the City of Lights, there were long shadows. Or perhaps it was that it shone so brightly that it had no choice but to cast such shadow.
The boy had already finished eating. Elwin rummaged through his pockets and pulled out all of his denaros, save for his train fare back to his home republic.
“For you,” said Elwin, as he gave the various coins and bills to the boy. It was all Elwin’s money that he’d earned as tips while working at The Marlin. “You need it more than me. Stuff the coins in your socks, the bills in your pants and jacket. Spend only a few denaros at a time, otherwise people’ll get suspicious.”
The boy was moved to tears, and cried.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“What’s your name?”
“It’s Toto. Toto Caesare.”
“I’m Elwin. It was good to meet you. Look, I have somewhere to be right now, but be safe, alright? And if you can, try the homes near the schools at the train station. Someone might be able to take you in. Oh, and –” said Elwin, giving Toto the map of the capital city.
“Use this. I can remember my way back.”
“I have one question.”
“Hmm?”
“Why save me? I tried to steal your friends’ stuff.”
Elwin thought for a while, and then spoke.
“It’s because very few steal out of malice. When you did that, you must’ve been really desperate. When I was desperate myself, someone helped me, and that person lit up the world.” Isaac’s face came to mind, and so did Sandora, Leonardo, and Hina’s.
“So when time comes, can you promise me you can do the same for other people?”
Toto thought for a moment. He nodded.
“Great. I hope to see you again in a better place,” said Elwin, gathering the rest of the rucksacks, and finding his long road back to the exam hall.
Toto watched as his savior disappeared from view. He wiped a tear from his eye.