But…
what about them?
Ever since the Grey Market had been secretly established between the Ruined and the people of the Drift, I had been the only one capable of slipping in and out through the walls to handle the exchanges.
My absurd knack for staying unseen was the only reason the patrol officers had never caught me.
So, If I left…
Who would take my place?
Who else could smuggle in food, medicine, and supplies without getting caught?
The Grey Market couldn’t survive without someone running those routes.
Would they have to shut it down?
Would they have to rebuild their entire system from scratch just to stay alive?
They’d have to.
Because if they didn’t…
The Ruins would slowly starve.
As I raised a hand to my cheek, the memories I’d spent so long trying to bury came crashing back all at once.
…Ah.
The moment the familiar streets of the Ruins resurfaced in my mind, so did everything that came with them.
The truth was…
I had never forgotten.
How could I?
Ever since my so-called father and I first arrived here, this place had been nothing less than a living hell.
People fought over scraps.
Violence wasn’t the exception.
It was the law.
Blood stained every corner of those streets.
The sight of it had become so ordinary that, after a while, I stopped reacting altogether.
If you weren’t beaten to death…
You starved.
If you somehow escaped both…
Some gave up and ended it themselves.
And perhaps the most horrifying part of it all…
Desperation had stripped some people of what little humanity they had left.
They had begun eating their own.
Those disgusting…
Pathetic bastards.
That was just how the Ruins were back then…
Until the Grey Market was established.
I was around twelve when that happened.
My absurd knack for stealth was the reason the Elders had put the duty of exchange on my shoulders.
Not because they were careless.
But because they had no one better to entrust it to.
Ever since then, the Ruins changed.
Actual laws and systems were created by the Elders to ensure safety.
The Storage Vault was established.
And for once in a long time, the Ruined realised how inhumane their actions had been and swore to never commit to them ever again.
Now…
As I stood at the center of the great circular hall of the Fallen King, I gazed at the Ruined who were having the time of their lives.
The 242nd district once housed thousands upon thousands of Ruined.
And now…
There weren’t even a hundred left.
As my eyes narrowed, I couldn’t help but wonder: If the Grey Market shuts down…
Would this all end?
Would the Ruins revert back to how it once was?
However, as I went to ponder further, I stopped myself.
Smacking my head, I let out a heavy breath.
Why…
why am I being so paranoid?
Am I stupid?
Wasn’t it Lev who had handled the glorious exchange for this month?
Not me.
So who is to say others can’t do it aswell?
That’s right.
Nothing will happen.
Nothing will change when I leave.
Hell, in time, a lot of them might just be able to complete the task by themselves.
Maybe even better than how I could.
And besides…
they all want us to leave- to escape this place and live better lives.
Who am I to disregard their wishes?
I let out a relieved sigh.
Right, I was paranoid for no reason.
Still…
as insane as it sounded, I was going to miss this place.
Closing my eyes for a good while before opening them again, I turned my gaze to Elder Nam who was currently wolfing down a barrel of mead.
I sighed.
It was my time to go.
“Hey, Elder!” Elder Nam finally put down the barrel as he turned to me with a wasted expression on his stupid face.
“What?!” He shouted back.
I sighed once more, then walked closer and replied, “Well, I’ll be going then.” “Huh?!
But the party’s just getting started!” “Sorry, but I can’t stay.
I still need to check on Stephanie, make sure she’s doing alright and all that.” There was visible disdain in Elder Nam’s voice as he spoke after a letting out a heavy sigh, “…Fine.” I nodded with a smile on my face as I turned to leave, but just then, Elder Nam raised a hand to smack me across the back one last time.
However, I dodged it this time and turned to him with a grin on my face.
“Not this time, old man.” Elder Nam let out a soft chuckle at my remark.
Then, he called out to me just before I had stepped out of the hall.
As I turned to face him once more, my eyes widened at the words that came out of the old man’s mouth.
“You know…
you’re a terrible liar.” *** Walking back from the party, I couldn’t help but ponder about Elder Nam as I made my way through the desolate streets while occasionally avoiding wide cracks so that I didn’t accidentally stumble and fall on my flat on my face.
The old man knew…
huh?
Knowing it filled me with a strange emotion I couldn’t express, but it felt as though whatever it was had started slowly eating me from within.
Was I really such a bad liar?
I silently shook my head and kept on waking.
Eventually, I arrived near the massive iron gates of the dreadful iron fortress.
As soon as I noticed, all the memories of that nightmarish place flooded my mind, making me flinch and instinctively opened my guard.
What had actually happened inside the colossal construct, I did not know…
or rather, I was unable to comprehend it.
All of what had occurred was just so strange and impossible that I had forced it all into the back of my head and refused to acknowledge it altogether.
That…
might’ve been the wrong decision.
However, there was still one thing that I just couldn’t forget, nor could I comprehend.
That whisper…
Who or…
what had said it?
And what did it mean?
I had absolutely no clue and I had a feeling trying to decipher it wouldn’t do any good either.
So…
I sighed and let my guard down slightly.
It seemed like whatever hex had took over me had only worked while I was inside its walls, beyond those gates.
So, there should be no trouble.
Gazing upon the vast expanse between the gates and the main body of the fortress, I said, “■■■■■■■■■■■■■” Just what did it mean?
I exhaled, turned, and hurriedly walked further down the street, away…
away from that dreadful place.
I never wanted to go in there ever again.
Unbeknownst to me, a lone crow which had been flying overhead at that very moment, suddenly went limp and plummeted from the sky, impaling itself on the jagged edges of one of the watchtowers.
Ah…
I could see the cottage lights.
It was just a few meters away.
Reaching home, I smiled as the sound of Steph’s laughter came from inside, and lifted a hand to knock.
Just then, however, “Hey there!” I froze.
No…
The voice which had come from behind spoke once more, “So…
aren’t you going to greet me?
Or…
am I still receiving the silent treatment?” No…
no, no, no, no, no, no…
I remembered that tone all too well.
That voice…
it made my blood boil just hearing it.
In an instant, I whipped around and pierced the source of the voice with a burning gaze, though, I couldn’t help but tremble.
And there he was…
Pristine sky blue hair, piercing vermillion eyes, and a clean patch over one eye where he had been stabbed.
It was that son of bitch.