※Rewind - 9 years ago※

"Damn, I'm so tired. Hungry too. I have to do something quick, or I'll die in no time."

The young thirteen-year-old Cindy had released herself from the hospital just one week prior, after the accident and her mother's passing. Unable to earn money or a place to sleep, the young half-elf was at her wits end. Starving while laying on a park bench in the city of Anahym, Cindy knew that no one would reach out to help a half-elf, even despite her young age.

"Am I...am I really going to die here? All alone? S-someone help me, please," the young girl cried out. However, no one would come. No one would ever come to her aid.

All of Cindy's begging in the streets of the prejudiced city had amounted to nothing. "Just some stale bread and some rotten milk would be nice at this point. J-just what the hell am I going to do?!" Cindy screamed as she jumped up from the park bench.

The sun was scorching hot in the summer, on the West Coast. On top of being on the brink of starvation, Cindy hadn't bathed in days as well. Flies and mosquitoes were rampant and had been biting the half-elf relentlessly for the past week.

"This sucks, this sucks. I hate this place," Cindy groaned, as she took the last sip of water that she had on her. "I have to find a water fountain soon... Maybe I'll try going to the mall. See how long until they kick me out. Yeah, that's about all I can think of."

Cindy arrived at a mall in Anahym after walking for several miles. Through the blistering summer heat, the girl walked for hours while being severely dehydrated. On the brink of collapse, she finally arrived at a water fountain inside the cool, air-conditioned mall.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Damn, I thought I was gonna die just from walking here," the girl murmured as she continued to chug and refill her water bottle repeatedly. "Now what do I do? I'm still so hungry...," Cindy uttered as her stomach grumbled in pain.

Hoping to find some comfort from the scorching weather outside, the girl wandered for hours inside the mall, just to stay cool for a while longer. She walked and walked inside different stores, pretending that she was shopping, until she was kicked out of almost all of them. She tried to keep her ears hidden as best as she could, so no one would notice her shameful heritage, but the girl's short hair did not provide much protection.

"Well, I've been kicked out of almost every store in here. I'll probably have to leave soon. I'm so tired and hungry....mommy, I miss you so much," the half-elf said as she started to cry. "What should I do? What should I do? Someone, anyone...daddy, please help me."

Frustrated and on the brink of starvation, Cindy didn't know how much longer she could keep on living the way she was. She was so desperate that she even called out to her father to help her, who she despised and hadn't seen in years. Cindy was completely helpless, until she had a sudden epiphany come to her mind, after witnessing a young male ogre walking about the mall.

"Huh? What's that guy doing?" Cindy wondered.

"Hey, watch where you're walking, disgusting vermin!" An elf screamed.

"Sorry, sorry sir! It won't happen again," the young ogre said after bumping into someone.

Cindy watched as the ogre continuously kept bumping into shoppers at the mall. "What the hell is he doing?" the girl wondered, until she noticed the ogre slip a wallet into his back pocket.

"Ah," Cindy said, as she came to a realization. "So that's what I have to do....anything.....anything to survive."

A flip was switched almost instantly inside the young half-elf's innocent mind. A flip that would one day, lead her down a much darker path.