Twentieth day of Sat’xahr, 4043 AOT
Wave 5, Arbhur City Zone-0, Aesbyl Region
“I haven’t seen Lea since this morning.” Jad looks around.
Brenda pauses before letting out a deep sigh. “Mary said she left this morning.” She then continued setting up the table. “She hasn’t said anything… about the reason why she just up and left. But… maybe it’s for the better.”
“What do you mean?” He tilts his head a little to the side while passing the plates.
“I feel like there’s this heavy air around her... It’s like those scary adult but also different…”
“You’re not making any sense.”
“You won’t understand because you’re oblivious as brick.”
“You’re just being mean now.” He frowns.
“Are you fighting?” Romi suddenly pops out from under the table.
Jad steps back. “No, we’re not! But then again… Did they fight, though?”
“Who?”
“Huh-?” Brenda shakes her head. “That doesn’t sound like Mary… She rarely gets angry. I haven’t noticed anything unusual between them yesterday.”
“With who??”
Jad touches his chin. “Same… What could have been the problem? This is confusing.”
“The two of you are confusing me.” Romi raises his voice.
Brenda stares at him for a second. “Go call the others for lunch.”
“Yes, ma’am!!!” He salutes before darting away.
∞×∞
Twenty-first day of Sat’xahr, 4043 AOT
Arbhur City, Wave 5, market area
Fred wanders around the market area. He is still looking for news about Azalea, maybe he could find some in this busy area. These past weeks had been a mess. Locating her is like looking for a needle in a haystack, however he does not want to give up. If he follows the trail of chaos that Azalea has left behind, then she should be somewhere around Wave 5. The place closest to the border is around here. He was able to narrow it down but still this area is too big for him alone.
“I just want that child to be safe.” He mumbles while looking left and right. “If nothing comes up in the next couple more weeks then I’ll just consider that she has slipped out of this godforsaken country.”
The variety of meat being sold in some stalls looks suspicious. He cannot tell which animal those meat could have come from as they are already chopped. Why is that one color blue? The meat of that stand gives of a faint unsettling odor. There are even scorpions and large centipedes for sale. Compared to that, the crops being sold looks more normal. There are also herbs and mushrooms. Better stay away from those mushrooms. Fruits are rare and safer to consume but also more expensive. It looks like they are also selling cheap clothes and some daily necessities on the other side of the market.
He turns his head and watched someone buy some “edible” flowers. Another group is haggling for a lower price for the freshly captured giant snake. They are getting a little loud. Not far is an eatery with a group of well-built men sitting together. It seems some of them are keeping an eye around the market. Maybe they are mercenaries, or part of the syndicate that controls the area. It would spell trouble if they are also keeping an eye out for the bounty.
He starts walking towards the eatery. “Will I hear some news if I eavesdrop among those men?”
While on his way, something catches his eyes. A familiar figure among the crowd. Blonde hair, wearing a tattered light armor. It became more scrapped than the last time he saw her. He immediately changed the course of his steps. In a moment he was able to catch up to her and he swiftly grabbed her arm.
She points at the crops for sale. “Give me a bag of this potato-”
“We meet again, little miss.” He greets, not letting her go.
Azalea stared at the hand that grabbed her before directing her sight at his face. “You’re… From the hunt...” She tilts her head slightly. “That Fred-guy!”
“F-fred guy??” He lets out a deep breath trying to calm his nerves. “I don’t understand what your objective is, but you gotta leave Aesbyl as soon as possible.”
“Why?”
“You’re in one hell of a mess.”
“Well damn…” She then turns to the bag of potatoes that the vendor has finished packing. She smiles at him. “But you see, I have stuff to do so let’s catch up some other time. Kawarimi~”
“Kawa-?!” He felt like his vision blacked out for a split second.
“Thanks Dad!!!”
All of a sudden Azalea’s voice seems so far away. He looked around and saw her far into the crowd before disappearing among the sea of people. He looked down at his hand. “Why am I holding a potato?”
He is about to ran after her when the vendor grabbed his arm. “Yah paying for yer daughter’s potatoes.”
“She isn’t my daughter!” He broke free from the vendor’s grip.
He frowns. “I ain’t give a shit if she’s yer daughter or yer wife’s daughter. Am tryin’ to make a livin’ here. So, are yah gonna pay or-”
A couple of what seems to be bulky by-standers glares at him intensely. He does not know if they are reveils or not, but he is confident he can take them if the situations calls for it. However, one knows better than being a foreigner who stirs trouble in a lawless neighborhood such as this. He can spare some change for something as simple as this. It’s not a big deal, after all, that child did save his life back then.
“Fine. How much is it?”
“Five hundred rimas.”
“What?! You’re ripping me off!”
“Me and mah boys gonna rip yah limbs for real if yah don’t pay, bro.”
∞×∞
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Twenty first day of Sat’xahr, 4043 AOT
Wave 5, Arbhur City Zone-0, Aesbyl Region
The moon has risen to illuminate the land filled with darkness. The stars sparkles more in contrast with the dim surroundings of the slums. Azalea looks up the night sky while walking carrying a bag of potatoes. It is pretty common during her adventures for her to gaze at the glittering stars, yet the feeling it gives her are different for each time.
She sighs. “What use is all my savings if I can’t even access my account?”
That encounter earlier gave her some new ideas that will help resolving one of her predicaments. If she could strike a deal with Fred-guy then she will have nothing to worry about once she leaves Aesbyl. He is looking for her so they will definitely meet again. Then at that time, she has to convince him.
She passes by a familiar neighborhood. She can hear some people arguing at some dark alley she passed by. A drunk guy is lying down unconscious by the side walk while another one is vomiting not far ahead. She walks straight not giving them another glance. Then she notices a commotion close to the house, her destination. She rushes towards the scene as she realized that something bad might have happened to the children. She pushed the slightly open gate and then quickly surveyed the area with her eyes.
“What happened here?” She raises her voice while looking at Jad, Brenda, Leika, Kou and Raichi encircling someone.
“Lea?” Jad immediately turns towards the voice. “Where have you been all this time?”
Azalea did not answer. She kept her eyes at the child that Brenda was holding in her arms. It’s Romi. He seems to be injured. She walks closer to get a better look. His forearm is badly burned, the skin completely peeled off.
“Third degree?..” She mumbles.
“Huh?” Jad watches her get closer to Romi. Azalea hands the bag of potatoes to him. “W-what the heck is this???”
“What are you trying to do?” Brenda asks.
Azalea kneels down reaching for Romi’s arm. “Are there any other injuries?” She casts a healing spell on the burned area. “What exactly happened?”
“We ran into the gang of kids!” Kou and Raichi answers in sync. “Big brother Jad wasn’t with us so those snotty brats thought they could bully us!”
“I’m sorry.” Romi speaks weakly. “It’s my fault… I shouldn’t have let them provoke me.”
“I see… You did well protecting the others.”
“That’s the problem.” Jad shakes his head. “The other guy is a mage. He burned Romi… and in order to save him-”
“W-wait, wait, wait-!!” Azalea turns. “Don’t tell me Leika was there too!”
Leika holds Lei in her arms as usual. “I beat the bad guy and sent them running.”
“You fought with Ifrit?”
“Mhm.”
“Right, now they know about her Ifrit.” Jad confirms. “They’d probably already reported it to their bosses. They’re going to level up their harassments.”
“What a shitty turn of events.”
“What should we do?” Brenda worriedly asks.
“Lea, are you going to fight with us?” Jad’s tone is low.
Azalea keeps her silence. The situation is not that simple. That kids’ gang is not the problem but the organization behind them that are collecting strong reveils. Having these little gang fights is not the solution they need.
“Whoa-!!!” Romi shouts as he gets up. “I’m all healed! Big sis, are you an angel sent by the heavens to save us?!”
Azalea stands up. “The heavens don’t send someone like that.”
“What’s happening here?” Mary’s voice rang form behind. She came home with Mark and they are giving Azalea a very disapproving look.
“I brought potatoes.” She smiles at them. “Maybe we should talk inside.”
Mary and Mark reluctantly agreed. Everyone else followed into the house. Mary gives a quick look at Brenda which she responds to with a nod.
“Leika, give Lei to Romi.” Brenda says as she pulls Jad who could not resist with the bag of potatoes still in his arms. “We’ll prepare dinner. Romi, watch over the younger kids while we’re busy.”
Romi salutes before leading the other kids to follow him.
“Have I done something bad?” Leika fidgets.
“It’s not your fault.” Mark responds while putting the baskets away. “Go now. We have something to talk with Lea first.”
Once everyone left the living room. Mark closed the door and then sat at the couch with Mary. They gestured for Azalea to sit but she remained standing close to the door. All of a sudden the air in the room became heavy. Nobody said a word for a while as if making sure that the other kids are far enough not to hear their conversation.
Azalea kept observing the twin’s mood and behavior. They are both a little fidgety while trying to keep their composure. She knew that something is off, but she is not expecting it to be this bad. It is true that she is just a passing stranger, and she has no idea how people live in this kind of place. She has no right to preach to them about justice and dignity based on her experiences. Still, the unpleasant feeling inside her chest is not going to just disappear.
“I thought we had a mutual agreement that you’ll leave us alone from now on?” Mary says wearing an obvious frown.
“You know you can’t talk yourself out of this with your bosses.” Azalea leans back on the door. “I wasn’t expecting it to suddenly turn out like this.”
“What do you mean?” Mark’s brows furrowed.
“They are starting to build a powerful group that will keep the growing population of Wave 5 in check. These syndicates that runs Zone-0 are fighting each other in order to take control of these unconquered areas.”
“We can stay out of it.”
“You are already in the business.”
“We can strike a deal.”
“At what cost?”
Mary seems agitated. “I’d sell my soul to the devil... if it means I can keep my family alive even if it’s just for another day. It doesn’t even have to be forever…” Her voice shakes with a hint of desperation. She frowns. “Just a day… That’s how bad our choices are. This is all we can do to survive even if it’s just for a day longer. We sold our soul to the devil.”
“You know how this business works. You’ll drive yourself in a corner. Then after that what? There won’t be any other path open to you… You’ll just continue sinking down. That’s how they’ve always kept the order in these lawless lands.”
“Even so…I-I believe… I want to believe…” It’s as if she was giving an excuse for herself. “There is no person in this world who could bear to watch their family slowly die. Would someone really choose to keep their hands clean when their loved ones are starving? When they lose their home? When their siblings or children are sick and wasting away?”
Have you ever experienced true despair?..
“We just want to live.”
It’s not that they don’t have a choice… It’s just that all the choices are just as bad as every other one.
“We aren’t even asking for luxuries… We just want to live.”
When you’ve done everything you could even if it destroys you.. yet you still can’t protect anything.
“So why?” She clenches her fists. Tears starts forming in her eyes, yet she tries so hard not to let them fall. Her voice cracks as if something is stuck in her throat. “Why is it so hard? Why do we have to struggle so much to receive the basic rights that should have been equally given to everyone?”
“Within this darkness there is no light.” Azalea mumbles. “If you try to become one, you’ll just burn yourself down. Once you’re done and gone, everything will just return to how it was.”
Mark stays silent. They can only hear the faint noises of the utensils from the kitchen.
There's nothing here... just nothing...
Mary stands up. She wants to scream but she have to hold it all in. “We didn’t choose to be in this situation. Can you blame me for doing everything I can to survive?”
“No, I’m not here to blame you.”
Mary scoffs and rolls her eyes. She can feel her heart pounding and all she can do is grit her teeth. It is this lack of power, this helplessness that she cursed all her life.
“I returned here because I want to save you. Please choose to be saved.”
“Ha! Ambitious talk!” She slightly raised her tone while keeping eye contact. “Why would a stranger like you go so far for us?”
“Because… It’s something I wished someone did for me when I needed it.”
Mary became speechless as if it reminded her of something. The tears that had formed almost fell down. She quickly wipes it with her hand before they could.
“Don’t get me wrong.” Mark steps in. He keeps his voice low. “I’d like get us out of this mess more than anyone. However, I believe your presence here is as much a danger as those crazy battle hungry kids. If the Shilans learned that we are helping you here, won’t that put us directly under their wrath?”
“You’ll be helping us more if you just leave.” Mary adds.
“Well…” Azalea turns her eyes away. “Let’s just say that I’m sorta part of this mess, so I will have to solve it before I leave.”
“What are you talking about?” Mark curiously asks while urging Mary to sit down.
“Aren’t you just making up excuses to get involve?”
“Didn’t the supply of your goods went down these past days?” Their eyes widened as they listened to her speak. “I won’t go too much into the details but I destroyed some plantations. I can imagine that they are way too much on edge to care and act kind.”
“You’re really out of your mind!” The twins shouted softly.
“If you want to save yourselves, then I’d like to give you a fighting chance…” Her voice sounds colder while the look in her eyes becomes more drained. “At least something that will allow you to choose a brighter future.”
“Is there really…” Marks looks down and clasps his hands together.
Mary forces the words out of her mouth. “What are you planning to do?”
The room is filled with silence as if she is trying to put her words together in order to properly express her intension. The silence broke once her cold voice rang.
“Allow me to make a bigger mess out of your already broken world.”