In a dark alleyway, a young man lay motionless on the cold and wet ground, among the garbage and wooden crates. He was huddled under a wooden board propped against a wall. The sound of rain drops splattering against the board drowned out every other noise. A fly crawled on his face, but he didn’t bother to swat it away.

The board was the roof of Easton's home. It protected him somewhat from the rain, but did little to ward off the biting cold brought by the wind. The chilling wind made him to shiver uncontrollably. In a way, it was comforting. The cold numbed the aching pain all over his body. He wanted to rest a while longer, but he knew he had work to do. If he didn’t work, he wouldn’t be able to eat.

Easton winced as he forced himself up. His back had been bothering him for a while now. He wished he could afford to pay a healer to fix it, but he had trouble just making enough money to buy food. He tied a bucket to each end of a pole and heaved the pole onto his back.

He shivered uncontrollably as he made his way to the residence of one of his clients. The hat didn’t provide much cover from the rain. Cold water soaked into his worn-out shoes, numbing his toes. By the time he made it to his destination, his clothes were drenched.

He knocked on the tall wooden door of his client’s home. It opened, revealing a short round man.

When he saw Easton, he pulled his head back and covered his nose. "This way."

He led Easton to a large open area at the back of the home. At the corner of the walled space was a row of pit toilets.

"Can you hurry? I don't want you stinking up my home."

"Of course, I'll work as fast as I can." Easton climbed into one of the pit toilets and lowered himself down.

He was waist deep in feces. With his bare hands, he started filling his buckets with the foul-smelling feces. Once the pit toilet was emptied, he pulled himself up and moved onto the next one. By the time he finished cleaning all of them, the rain had stopped. He was exhausted and his lips were parched.

Brushing off feces from his pants, he approached his client, who was lounging on a chair nearby. "I've finished cleaning all the pit toilets."

Without getting up from his chair, his client threw a few copper coins at Easton's feet. "Now get out."

Easton picked up the coins. "Can I have some water?"

His client sighed. "Wait here."

He returned with an animal's food bowl. It was filled with murky water. Decayed fish bones sat at the bottom of the bowl and a dead fly floated on the surface.

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It’s better than nothing.

Easton accepted the bowl with a smile and drank from it.

On his way to his next client’s home, he stopped by the coliseum's noticeboard. He looked for job postings and snatched the only one available. There was an opening for a temporary pit toilet cleaner, which paid well. A weak smile spread across his gaunt face.

After I finish this job, I'll reward myself with a small piece of meat. I haven't eaten meat for weeks.

***

Dugu was surprised how easy it was to cross the Ferdania-Dominion border. It was literally a walk in the park. There was no one defending it. It seemed as though the Dominion's government had given up on the border villages and left them defenseless.

He stopped to rest by a village that had been burnt down. Nothing but ash and charred wreckage remained. His heart ached at the sight of the devastation, which reminded him of the town he had once called home. Like the village, it had also been destroyed by werewolves. And now he was working for them – the ones who had taken everything away from him. He wanted to cut them all down, but they held his wife hostage. All he could do was grit his teeth and complete the mission assigned to him.

Weary from travelling all day, he lay on the grass and gazed at the sky. The clouds above were tinged red by the rays of the setting sun.

He wondered if his wife was able to see the sky from her prison cell. Was she getting enough food to eat? Did she have anyone to talk to?

His eyelids became heavier and his body felt lighter. He felt as though he was being released from the worries of the world. A blanket of darkness covered him.

“The sky looks like it’s on fire.”

Dugu opened his eyes and turned toward the voice. He was surprised to see an old man sitting next to him. How had he got close without making a sound? Was he an enemy?

Springing up, Dugu gripped the handle of his sword. “Who are you?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I just happened to be passing by. Thought you might want some company.”

Dugu didn’t sense any malicious intent from the old man, so he lowered his arm.

The old man’s brows drew together. “You’re so uptight. What’s troubling you, young man?”

“There are a lot of things troubling me. But I’m not in the mood to talk about them right now.”

“That’s perfectly alright.” The old man continued looking up at the sky.

Does he really just want to talk?

Dugu sat back down and looked up. “What’s so interesting about the sky?”

“The world is big, isn’t it? The sky is all the way up there and we’re down here. Once you see how vast the world really is, then all your problems will seem small in comparison.”

“My problems aren’t small.”

“I’m not minimizing them. What I’m saying is that no matter what happens, even if you fall hard, it’s not the end. The world is a vast place with endless possibilities. You’ll find your place in it eventually if you keep searching.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“I wanted to share something that a close friend of mine once taught me. When I was in a dark place, he helped pull me back into the light. Remember my words well. One day, they might even save a life.” The old man got up to leave.

“Hold on, what do you mean -” Dugu felt as though he was being tugged backwards. His surroundings darkened until all he could see was pitch black.

He awoke to the sound of chirping birds. The sky looked completely different. It was bright blue, with few clouds.

Was it all just a dream?

He usually forgot his dreams soon after waking up. But this one was different. It seemed so real and he could remember it in vivid detail. He wondered who the old man was.

Why am I getting so worked up? It was just a dream.

He stood up and stretched. Before leaving, he offered a prayer for the village’s deceased inhabitants.