It was bright outside, with the fog from the night before having faded away like it had never been there. Also, it wasn't as humid as it had been the night before, but the clear weather did little to make Val feel better. He remembered his last thoughts before falling asleep the night before and knew he had a lot to do. However, as he made his way out of the little side street with the other children, he felt his stomach growl in hunger. Not having eaten in almost a full day left him feeling weak.

  Splitting with the other kids, Val ambled through the streets, lost in thought. He had an usual routine of where he would be able to get something to eat, especially if he had some coins. However, he was not sure if the was confident enough to use the gold Tal to get some change back. Most of the street sellers and places that sold food like the butcher in the slums tended to fall under the protection of organizations like the Bone Crushers. That mean a 'street rat' like him flashing gold was easy prey.

  Most of the people he saw moving about in the slums were poor and relatively malnourished, wearing burlap clothes or in some cases garments assembled from scraps of different material. Some seemed to move with purpose, no doubt heading to whatever business they had, but others were lounging at their doors or windows, while watching the streets with a vacant but hungry look. If anything, it made the maze like streets feel even more depressing that they had seemed at night.

  Dodging past some lady emptying out a bucket of foul smelling crud, probably fecal matter, into the street gutters, he changed direction and decided that it was better for him to go a bit further to the merchant's quarter. It sounded more glamorous that it really was, but the people there tended to be a mix of all strata of society. It was risky as 'street rats' as young as him tended to be crowded out by others and as there was no clear turf there. Even though the Bone Crushers were probably the biggest of the three gangs in the city, that didn't mean much outside the slums, as most of the nobles and wealthier merchants had guards or mercenaries.

  However, he knew someone in the merchant's quarters or it was better to say that she gave him some small jobs to do sometimes. It had saved him in the past from starving or failing to pay his tax. He hoped she could help him deal with at least some of the gold in some fashion. In fact, he had been trying to get to her yesterday, when he had been cornered and beaten by Ribus and his cronies. Sighing at his former bad luck, he hoped things had changed for the better after last night.

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  Moreover, remembering his 'Awakening' from last night, he tried thinking about the black sphere in his mind, trying to make it come up again. He felt something in his thoughts, but there was a like a wall or something in his mind stopping him from going further. Val thought back to the last two times he had succeeded in making the sphere appear in his 'mind's eye' and decided he had to figure out how the whole thing worked.

  Distracted, he almost ran into a burly man carrying a couple of burlap bags. The bald, brown bearded man scowled and shoved Val away. “Watch it brat!” Val stumbled back but didn't retort in anger. Ducking his head, Val scooted off to the side of the street, as the man trudged past. The bags that the man was carrying were pretty big and pretty common looking that most people wouldn't have given them a second glance, but what made Val curious was the familiar smell that came from them. It was faint, but the smell of blood wafted across Val's nose. In fact, it was so faint, that most people wouldn't have smelled it, what with the stink in the slums. However, having been around a dead body the night before, Val was more sensitive to such things.

  It was none of his business, but Val's curiosity was running wild as he also recognized the bald man as a frequent visitor to the Bone Crusher's stronghold. His size was unforgettable, considering most people in the slums wouldn't have gotten that big without someone backing them. What was more important was that Val suddenly remembered that the man had been to the stronghold two days ago to talk to Freitz. Val's thoughts froze for a bit, and he felt fear for some reason, with his heart starting to beat fast. It was bizarre and unreasonable, but for some reason, the unsettled feeling deepened inside of him the longer he watched the man.

  Just when he was about to turn away, Val felt the familiar, warm sensation envelope him again, and the dark sphere appeared back in his 'mind's eye.' What more, the silvery dot that had been there the day before was back, shining as it swam around in the dark sphere. He hesitated only for a brief second before trying to 'select' the silvery dot. Almost immediately, he felt a decrease in the warm sensation in his body, as everything in his vision took on a more black and white tint, with some objects around him becoming sharper in image and producing a dull white glow around themselves. It was a bit different than how he remembered it from the night before, but most of the effects were still the same. However, he felt his stomach clench in shock as he saw the thick white glow coming off the burlap sacks the man was carrying away, along with the slightly lesser glow from the man, himself.

  There was no way the bags held gold, but Val knew there had to be a reason why the white glow around them was so strong. He didn't know much about what his magic did, and he knew that he had to figure it out first before doing anything stupid, because of it. However, even as he wished away the magic vision or 'canceled the effect,' Val began to follow the man, keeping enough of a distance to avoid being caught tailing him. It was an extremely unwise decision, no doubt, but something deep inside was nagging at Val.