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Have you heard about the god of death?
The only hope that the people of the Barrel Zone holds.
Magic? It was a taboo, nobles believed that it was a work of the devil. That's the reason why hundreds of years ago, the great massacre occurred in the Barrel Zone, where the magic users run off to.
His name was Lucian, the boy with magic.
The story takes place in the present, the year of steams and machineries. Slowly but surely, humanity is evolving. But the sad reality he takes, the lower people, like him, cannot afford anything in this evolution.
Cheerful songs, peaceful celebrations, people on the streets having a great time with their significant other, it was the thing he will never experience.
People dressed with fabrics that he never had or more expensive in his own little treasure. Kids that play happily in the park as he walk. No one is fighting for food or dying in hunger.
People are casually talking about buying things they never need, just to satisfy their desires. Never seen a skinny, or visible bones among the nobles, they are well fed. The thing he wished to experience too.
The capitol is where he stands right now, performing on the streets to gain something, perhaps money? No, it was information that could help him save her.
It was an idiotic move, thinking about it. Why would he sacrifice himself for a girl that's not capable of loving him back.
It was a promise. A promise that he cannot break, even after a million years. She was the only family he had after all.
He was a magician, it was illegal, he knows but as long as the Aetheral knights know that he was perhaps a Gleaner? They allow him and ignore, as long as he doesn't cause chaos or harm to the nobles.
"The magician Lu is here!" One of the noble kids ran towards him, eager to see his performance. Immediately, other kids join, the nobles that pass through also stop to watch his performance.
He was well known here, as an entertainer. But this job did not gain respect from the nobles, after all they call him a jester.
The performance went well again, his hat on the floor was filled with coins and cash from the audience. And as always, the kids enjoyed the show.
While cleaning up his equipment, one of the nobles approached him.
"Good day, sir…erm…magician…" he heard him along with the stomp of the noble's cane.
"Good day, my lord…what can I help you with?"
"I was wondering if you perform at parties?" The noble man reached inside his coat's pocket and pulled out a small card that seemed to be a business card.
"I'm afraid to tell you, I don't perform in parties, my lord…" he answered back, declining the offer.
"Well, it was not me who was asking…" the noble looked behind Lucian, at the classic car with the Royal's emblem.
Lucian was stunned…
…
Walking through the streets of Capitol is clearly a contrast in the streets of the Barrel Zone. Gazing over the bridge that only separates those two places. He realized that across that line is a very different world.
Now he wonders, what would be like across that big standing wall all around the territory of the Aetheral looks like.
"Hey, are you done here? We need to go…" a man in a black suit that blends in with nobles, a brown semi-curly hair and a black dark eyes, his captain said.
They are in disguise, after all, the Aetheral knights are all over the place. One suspicious move can lead them to immediate arrest.
Lucian, on the other hand, needs to dye his hair. His appearance is now a black hair, wearing a contact lense of black dark eyes. A contrast in his real self.
"Yeah, I already got what I wanted" he answered his captain.
"Good, the train is coming, let's go…"
The thing is, they cannot use the bridge that leads to the Barrel Zone. They cannot reveal that they are a bunch of lower people or they are immediately arrested. They have no choice but to take the last train to go to Zone 1 of the Gleaners Zone and take the secret route leading to the second floor of the Barrel Zone.
Clutching on the paints he bought earlier. They stand on the train station among the nobles.
He can hear them talk about taking vacation on the Gleaner Zone, the luxury he cannot afford.
"You're bringing her gifts again…" Levi said silently as he lit his cigarette in his mouth.
"She'll be mad at me if I don't…"
Poor Lucian, completely obsessed with pleasing his little sister, well…not really a blood-related sister. Just a girl he found in his tree house one day, and he got immediately attached to it.
They watch at the horizon as the sun sets on the west. It was simple yet beautiful to see. But for people like him, watching the sun sets is already a luxury. After all, when he's under the Barrel Zone, no sunlight is coming through. Only artificial lights that were created by the Warden.
"I hope she can see this…" he whispers to himself.
Choo! Choo!
Finally, the train arrived. He holds the bag of paints tightly as they both go in the train among the nobles.
They saw a man with the same outfit as them and they nodded with each other.
A secret folded paper was passed through as the Aetheral knights and the conductor roamed around the train for inspection.
Lucian and Levi separate as they find their seats. Presenting the fake train tickets to the conductor, they secured their travels.
Levi opened the folded paper that passed at him earlier.
"The stones arrived in the territory, take it immediately from the mercenary from the west"
Levi and the other men looked at each other and nodded.
Lucian saw this and sighs in frustration. He knew what's going to happen next.
There's an order from the higher ups.