Don Pablo was appalled by the number of gangs that formed in the city. He expected a few groups to pop up in the city but not to the extent he was witnessing. Each block had a group of 10 or more people with at least one scouting the area. Even with that many people in a group the reward more than made up for it.

He wondered where the boy was. Where could he be hiding in a city filled with people looking to put his head on a platter for the king. A feeling of dread consumed him as he neared his destination. It had been years since he pulled himself out of the eastern neighborhood but his instincts were still there. If he was the zapojin he could only think of one place where he could hide.

The forest.

It was the only logical reasoning. If you wanted to hide from an entire city who was spending day and night hunting you down you would go where those people would never tread. Everyone was scared of the outside world. In their heads the outside world was unsafe, unlivable. Even the prize of a lifetime of gold would steer the bravest souls from leaving the safety of the walls.

Pablo could still smell the smoke from that day. Back when the young had the bravery to leave the city. He felt a shiver rush up his spine but clenched his fist and grinded his teeth as he pushed the memory in the farthest corner of his mind. Then Pablo felt cold and hollow. A fragment of that day escaped and plagued his mind.

Get a hold of yourself. He told himself.

Another question popped up in Pablo's head. Why would the boy go through the trouble to steal the purse? He must've known that stealing from a noble, even a low level one like William, was going to get him a lot of heat.

Perhaps he was stupid. Pablo played with the idea for a moment before shaking his head.

The thought didn't quite sit with Pablo. The boy was a zapojin after all. The whole point would be to not get caught in the first place. It's been decades since the last zapojin has been spotted. They were experts in keeping themselves hidden. The only true way to distinguish them from the other brown skinned citizens was their glow. But only the other dons and Ephidel knew the secret behind their glow. He had a few theories but could come up with nothing without seeing the glow in person.

But he still needed to take the risk. But why?

After a long moment of pondering and speculation Pablo started to think of Love and himself. The things he did to keep his brother and himself fed. He took any risk if it meant surviving another day. And this Zapojin was around the same age he was when they struggled.

A sibling. Pablo finally thought and felt a wave of excitement rushing through his body.

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Pablo nodded in self agreement. Yes, that was it. Pablo smiled but couldn't enjoy the feeling of figuring out Elliot's reason for stealing from William. No. The smell of Pablo's past has reached his nose.

The east side of the city, better known as the hilltops, was the second expansion of neighborhoods the city gained during the early days of Nuevo Paraiso's life. The east side had many hills with great views overlooking the city center. The people moving there and building their homes had amassed a good deal of gold and livestock. Many thought it would become a center of wealth and easy living and at first it was.

Pablo walked up the steep hill and before long he saw the vast open space with an overgrown garden and a massive building in the middle.

I see it's still standing. A few more years before it finally crumbles. Pablo hoped.

It was the church. The stone building towered over the nearby homes that surrounded it. The once pristine glass stained windows that detailed the origins of the worship of the wall had faded and some even broken as if someone threw stones at it.

Pablo stopped and glanced at the church. Soon he realized he had spent a few minutes more than he would've liked sightseeing.

Stop getting distracted. Pablo shook his head.

Pablo examined the piece of parchment his brother handed him. It was a rough sketch of the eastern side of the city. With the big church in the center of the plaza it once owned. Next to it was what he could only guess was the Miracle Forest. Within the forest Love marked a square figure resembling a badly drawn house. Pablo couldn't help but chuckle at his brother's bad drawing skills.

When Pablo made it to the edge of the forest his tunic was soaked in sweat. The eastern side of the city was steep to say the least. The burning in his throat lectured Pablo that he should go out more.

Perhaps he had gotten a bit too complacent living behind the noble walls. He mentally made a note to start working out again.

Miracle Forest was just that. A miracle. Decades of deforestation had left the city with next to no trees or vegetation except for the parks scattered throughout. The area where the forest stood was no exception. A whole neighborhood once stood where the forest laid. Pablo sighed as he remembered the raid.

Bandits had somehow managed to sneak their way into different parts of the city. A group remained outside the walls as a distraction for the guards to shoot down from the openings up the wall. But the group that snuck into the city had next to no resistance as they slaughtered, pillaged, and burned down the homes. Many were killed, captured and raped. The only upside was that the raiders managed to sack the vault of gold the church had hoarded for themselves.

When the dust cleared the area where the most homes burned was replaced with a forest that had appeared out of nowhere. That's when the small religion of the green lady was born.

Another problem for another day. Pablo thought as he entered the forest.

Soon enough, once the greenery and the branches off the tree had shrouded the last inch of the view of the city, Pablo found himself in front of a small wooden cabin.

Pablo knocked on the door and felt his body froze.