Before The Always Cold Winter – Part 2
On the rooftop while Yul was walking toward the livelier part of the slum, Rohit and Genovefa who got up and approached the stone wall were watching his back moving in the distance before he simply vanished in the smoke made by the fire of war ravaging the lands.
Rohit shaking his head, sighing and finally turning his eyes toward Genovefa he asked in a somewhat threatening tone. “Why were you spying on us?”
“I wasn't, I just didn't want to interrupt the conversation and make a bad first impression.” she answered with the same happy smile.
“Wow, that is really caring of you, to still be thinking about a first impression in this tough time, truly wow.” he then said sarcastically, not an ounce of amusement on his face.
Accepting the compliment graciously Genovefa responded with a simple and genuine “Thank you.”
Rohit, not expecting this phony response or at least he hoped for her it was one, looked at her dumbfounded for a bit, letting an awkward silence step in the middle of their conversation, but just before the silence was about to become insurmountable, Rohit asked the question that was now truly plaguing his mind.
“I don’t remember you showing so much care about your first impression when I welcome you in our humble abode toward the end of this past summer, so what's so different about Yul, I mean you're not even looking at me while I'm talking to you and still haven't move an inch since he enter the smoke.”
“I can feel Fate shapeless hands moving the treads of the people inhabiting this World but when I looked at Yul, I can hear Fate, I can hear her whispers!” Turning her head toward Rohit, the shadow always hiding the intention in her eyes became clear, only bliss and devotion could be seen.
“What does Fate whisper?”
“Sadly, not everyone can be privy to Fate words.” Turning her head back toward the smoke, the happy smile on her face was gone and she truly looked sad she could not share the words with the World.
Maybe she should have.
Feeling lead by the nose, Rohit turns around to hide is frustration, seeing the sun now gone and knowing that his thousand questions would probably be met with the same foolishness, he knew it was time to end this pointless conversation and go to sleep, there are always thing to do tomorrow after all.
“Anyways, I’m going to sleep, also do not ever mention my last name again or we will all truly have a fucking big problem.” Rohit Gehazi said while walking toward the trapdoor the last part said while closing it, not even waiting for an answer.
But an answer was given only heard by the night, hopefully. “Yes, young Prince.” followed suit by a little giggle as if mocking them all.
Yul looking back toward the ruins they live in and seeing that he could no longer see it, he continue walking toward the south gate but a bit toward the east as well to reach the right side of the wall rather than to step through the gate, that is now more a place where the guards take all your valuable if you step through them than an entrance.
Maintaining his habitual routes, he saw people in groups of around eleven to twenty huddling together over the hard soil devoid of greenery and different manmade fires, the white smoke blocking the sun made the world a bit colder unless you were close to the black smoke of the battlefield where you would feel as if you were in hell.
Knowing he may have to fight with some of these gloomy Home seeker come winter, he used the cover of the smoke while passing through to not get spotted and putted a target on their luxurious home.
Arriving on the bottom east edge of the hexagonal stone wall encircling the slum, Yul started walking with the along the east wall while keeping his eyes open all the way until the other end of the wall, keeping his eyes open he knock on the wall in a normal manner took three short and fast breaths, close his eyes and punch the wall with all his strength.
Instead of opening his eyes still outside with a broken hand he found himself in a big but empty dusty metal room with only on one wall a wooden door that looked somehow stronger than the metal wall of the cube.
Yul approaching the wooden door knocked on it and waited about fifteen minutes before a deep man voice was heard on the other side.
“Who goes there's?” The deep voice sounded eerie and dark as if the ghost haunting you had finally decided to truly reveal itself.
“Yul.”
“Ahh Yul it's you, sorry I didn't want to scare you.” the voice completely switched octave and now sounded like a child.
Keys were heard clanking against each other before the door made a satisfying click and was quickly opened, a swollen and tall, panicked man who looked like he was in is forty had the face of someone having just committed his first murder by accident.
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Yul didn't even have time to look around before the man try to put him in a bearhug which Yul promptly dodge by crouching under his left arm, following suit by putting a bit of distance between them, he responded. “Don’t worry you didn't.”
The man took a couple of seconds to realize that Yul voice wasn't coming from within his arm that were currently choking the air but a few meters (9+ feet) behind him.
His eyes that were closed during his fruitless hug opened wide before he looked toward the ground as if his mother just caught him eating candy past his bedtime.
"Well, that's good then, you know it's been hard to have fun since my wife die.” this time his voice was deep but not eerie or dark it just sounded like any tired man.
Not even two seconds after he dropped his habitual bombshell, he follows with a question this time in his childish voice. "What are you here for? Are you here to play? I'm sure we can find some dice, oh that remind me I always play dice with my dad I can go ask him if yo-.”
Cutting him short Yul just asked him a question. "Where is Slimy?”
“Slimy his in the lobby downstairs, why?” The literal man-child answered and asked confused and also probably a bit jealous.
“I need to go see him, now.”
“Oh, okay, well you know the way it's not you’re first time here after all, see you next time.” Going to sit on his chair less semi desk semi bed he sounded disappointed and dispirited, he looked like he wanted to say something more but was holding himself back.
“See you.”
Taking the door to the right of what was apparently once an executive office in a bank, now an entry point for an old mana formation altered with black magic.
Closing the door behind him Yul found himself in a long hallway with dirty yellow walls full of holes and a dirty white floor also full of holes.
Continuing his little journey by taking a right in the hallway to go downstairs, he looked through the holes along the walls and saw many rooms with people gathering, some sleeping, talking, drinking, eating.
Calling them content or anything of the sort would be a stretch but they belonged to something at least, sometimes it is all you need.
They were parts of the Hounds; it uses to be an organization that was all over the continent now reduce to being the bitch of the guards patrolling these slums just to affords to have it members eat one meal per day.
The dealing of the Hounds was in assassination for mana coins, but since mana coins are no longer worth anything outside of Dream City, they just do it for the bit of resources they can get and only the guards have any resources, hence why they were now the guard's dogs.
Continuing his way down the spiraling stairs Yul arrives in an open lobby of sort the walls of the lobby were still dirty yellow, but the floor was blackish since the five big chandeliers from the high celling up above seem too have all fallen on the floor at some point in time, starting a fire.
Yul stepping trough the lobby made his way to an old man sitting behind a desk.
The old man looked like he hadn't eaten in days and was staring into nothing while mumbling something incomprehensible but unlike his feeble self his eyes were shinning.
Yul placed himself in front of him and gave a kick in the base of the long desk, making it shake knowing it was the only way to wake him up from his reverie.
The white eyes of the old man seemed to throw themselves in all directions before finally landing on Yul.
Combing his similarly white beard with his hands he seemed to finally be back in this realm. “Oh... Yul it's you, to what do I owes the pleasure of seeing you today.”
“Food.”
To that answer Slimy gave a little smile. “Well, there might be something you can do this time that food would be an appropriate reward and... well we’ll get to that when we need to, enough about that we should catch up little Yul it's been a while since you came, why are you so angry today.”
“The reason I haven't been here in a while is because you don't hold, your part of most contract.” Yul said angrily.
“And?” Slimy asked knowing that this was not the cause of Yul current anger.
“The receptionist of this place is crazy and give me the creeps.”
Slimy hearing the cause of Yul anger gave a big laugh that made his ribs wince before ending it in a fit of cough. “ Eukot you mean, I am disappointed in you Yul, you didn't think deeply enough, you let your emotion guide you to easily, especially your anger, the cause of anger can be as deep as the dept of hell, but the act of anger will always be a superficial one.”
Yul hearing the lesson being said simply stare at slimy, nothing could be gleamed from his forever black eyes the thought of his mind were foggy to all, including himself.
Not getting any reaction from Yul, Slimy decided to instead ask him a question after all you can ignore words thrown into the air gliding by your ears but can't ignore the interrogating words stabbing into them. “Tell me Yul what do you think of all our madness is it crazier to stay sane trough the worst situation or become mad in the worst situation?”
Yul opened his mouth and was about to answer almost automatically but stopped himself.
“... I don’t know.”
Slimy expecting this answer was not disappointed after all Yul was young boy and some questions can never even be answered in a lifetime.
“It is fine, the question may have been asked by myself, but it is an answer you owe not to me or anyone else but to yourself.”
Yul hearing that simply nod his head.
“Yul, you must never stop thinking about these types of question no matter how clouded your mind become with anything troubling you, those questions even if unanswered bring you closer to your absolute truth and we all owe ourselves the truth no matter how painful it may be.”
“I understand.”
Hearing that Slimy gave a small laugh got up an actual chair and Stretch his right arm till it reaches the top Yul head and ruffled Yul black hair. “No, you do not understand that is why you mustn't stop thinking.”
Yul, having absorbed the content of the conversation, asked a question not to himself but it was a start. “Then what is your absolute truth, Slimy?”
Slimy sitting back into his chair while his face that had a serene smile seemed to go downward a bit before going back in place. “You will know in due time; The burden of your truth should be a solo adventures little Yul do not let other taint it too much until you find yourself an unshakable ideal, else you won’t ever be free from the burden of others.”
Yul hearing Slimy talk about others seemed to wake him up from this hazy conversation and was reminded that he was here for food and looking at how thin Slimy was the truth did not seem to provide much nourishment. “What is the contract?”
Slimy understanding that they were back to business seemed much less excited than when he was talking about the truth and was talking much more neutrally. “Observation, there will be an important target going to meet a woman, a plant by us in the northern side to the west a bit into the Sealungs territory the building was a hotel of sort in the past surprisingly there is still glassed in the windows so you can't miss it.”
“Who is the target.”
“You don’t have to know your job is to observe and reported whether we were successful or not the fastest you can.”
“What is the reward and who issue this contract?”
“What do you want?”
Hearing Slimy ask him this question Yul was starting to get a bit apprehensive about this contract, but it also means that it was a good opportunity. “Enough food for ... six people to pass comfortably through the winter.”
“Done one and a half meal every day for every person.”
Yul hearing the verdict was even more apprehensive. “Why do I get the opportunity to take this contract shouldn't you send one of your own if the reward is so much.”
“You don’t have to know.”
Yul gave a loud sigh before asking again. “Who issues this contract, the Guards?”
Slimy seemed to finally have some life in him and responded with something other than his neutral tones. “No one issue anything it is personal business.”
“Do you accept the contract if not you must stay here till dawn.”
Yul was hesitating, the voice of Rohit saying to not take any risk was bouncing around his head and Rohit may come up with a plan tomorrow, but he did not have to do anything but observe and report, how bad could it be.
Yul continued thinking for about two minutes before he came to a decision, the voice of Rohit was fading and only the food was left in his mind. “I accept.”
Slimy handed Yul a paper with a pen. “Signed your full name.”
Yul checked the soul contract for any hidden condition or task and finding nothing he just signed his name Yul, after that a tiny chain appeared around his finger that wouldn't disappear until he completed the contract.
The chain utilities were to make the contract a thought that wouldn’t leave your mind, it was not a bad thing short term, but over the years it has driven some to madness or worse yet death.
“Good then hurry up and pay close attention to the sentry when you cross into the Sealungs territory.”
As Yul was about to cross the lobby door to go outside and complete his part of the contract Slimy said one last thing.
“Do not forget to think Yul.”
Three mistakes were made that night.