The capital of the last human kingdom is a city named after its first hero, Vessiliy the wanderer. In the most ancient myths, he is mentioned as the savior of humanity and the founder of the first city on the ruins of a past civilization.
As befits a capital, the Vessiliy was truly large. It had many districts, ranging from the poorest to the richest. Although the city was clearly overpopulated, living conditions for the majority were not terrible. The city had modern sewage systems, plenty of jobs, delicious food, all kinds of entertainment, and access to technologies using the latest mystical artifacts. Life here was truly luxurious for many people, which is why they wanted to stay. This is why no one wanted to take on the responsibility of leaving.
The city was aglow with lights, even though night was approaching. Bright lights burned in the windows of almost every house, from ordinary one-story houses have made of wood and stone to the newest five-story houses made of steel and durable materials, as well as some majestic skyscrapers. People inside enjoyed their evenings. Some leaned out of their windows to watch performances held on streets closed to carriages and carts for the weekend.
A crowd gathered in the street, and people leaned out of the nearest windows. Everyone watched two strange characters putting on an amusing performance. One was a woman wearing a dark hat and a costume consisting of a white T-shirt with black horizontal stripes, long sleeves, and dark suspenders. She also had strange white makeup on her face, with black lips and eyeliner. The second figure was a girl of about ten years old wearing the same costume with a red scarf tied around her neck.
They were a pair of mimes, a mother and daughter. They gathered a crowd on the street and entertained people with funny tricks and expressive gestures while maintaining silence.
A boy wearing a top hat that was a little too big for him and a very beautiful, mysterious dark blue coat walked through the crowd on the street. As he passed by, people looked back at him, surprised by his strange appearance. It was a fairly affluent neighborhood, so no one was going to rob a rich-looking boy, but his outfit inevitably attracted attention because it was worn by a small boy.
The boy walked with his chin slightly raised. He did not look at those around him, as if he were not interested in them at all, which made him look a little arrogant. He did not watch the performance put on by two mimes. All his attention was focused on the dark, cloud-filled sky, as if he were waiting for something.
A young mime approached him, noticing his stylish suit.
She stood right in front of him and began to perform, forcing him to stop. She sat down on an invisible chair and began to draw the boy with funny expressions. When she was done, she stood up from the invisible chair in front of him and showed him his portrait, which looked more like a cute monster but was funny.
The boy looked into the girl's bright green eyes, which were reddish-brown and almost orange.
"Excuse me." He said, trying to get past the girl. She stopped him, though, and motioned for him to wait a moment.
The boy didn't seem to mind, so he stood there. A few seconds later, the girl returned with a strange tray containing small grains.
She signaled to the boy to pay attention and not be surprised.
With these silent words, she raised the tray sharply, and the letters appeared in the air in front of him:
'Smile!'
The boy looked at the girl wearing makeup. She smiled brightly at him, as if asking him to do the same.
He blinked, slowly shifting his gaze to the sky as if looking for something there.
He stared intently at the sky and then muttered thoughtfully without looking at the girl.
"Maybe at a different time of day...?"
With that, he deftly slipped past her and walked away without looking back.
The girl watched him go, wanting to catch up with him. However, her mother was already motioning for her to join the others who were waiting. She watched the little boy walk alone in the big city at night. His face seemed full of sorrow, and his small figure appeared lonely. What was on her mind is not known, but she nodded and went back to work.
...
Elion came to Vessiliy to enroll in a preparatory institution. He didn't really want to study there; rather, he wanted to enroll in a professional educational institution after completing his studies at this one, specifically the 'Expedition' faculty.
After all, the best way to defeat the 'Plunder of Mysteries' is to become one yourself. Thought the boy. He had no illusions that he could defeat Gardemarine using only his newly acquired power. Speaking of which,
I knew what it was as soon as the voice spoke to me. I know two things: first, it's Mystery, and second, it's called 'Joke.' That's all... I have no idea what to do with it.
These two things were all the boy knew about his newfound ability. He didn't understand what 'Mystery' was, how to use it, what its limitations were, or how powerful it was. He had a vague feeling about what, who, or how this 'Mystery' was. But he couldn't express it clearly, so it didn't make much sense. In general, this was another argument in favor of becoming a 'Seeker of Mysteries'.
The only thing that annoyed the boy was that, to enroll in the 'Expedition' faculty, one had to be at least 14 years old and attend some kind of preparatory school for four years. This school was essentially pointless. Such restrictions were imposed because, in the past, children were sent as cannon fodder for research purposes. Because of this, a business emerged that bought children from disadvantaged families and sold them to organizations that trained them to be human shields. There were many complaints, so the business was shut down.
But why should honest people like me suffer...? Elion thought gloomily. Considering his current semi-depressive state, it was understandable that he would not be able to adequately perceive four years of absolutely boring routine. However, there was no other way out.
Standing in front of the monotonous, gray, three-story building, waiting for it to open, Elion's brain, already anticipating terrible future events, involuntarily offered a discouraging remark:
Oh, how boring it will be... And that was the plain truth.
...
Four years later,
I see how you live.
You cling to your pride.
You want more power.
You want to be above everyone else.
Why?
For what?
I know... If you didn't have power, pride, or sycophantic subordinates who only want a piece of your pie, you would realize how insignificant and meaningless it all is.
Without power, you wouldn't be able to prove to yourself that you're superior and worth something.
Without clinging to the pride of your own existence, you would have no feelings left to sustain even the slightest sense of meaning.
Without servants and pathetic workers, no one could convince you that you're not a pathetic nobody.
Without those things, you would realize how insignificant and meaningless it all is and how pathetic you really are.
But who am I to point this out, right?
I am someone even worse than you.
I have no pride or desire for power.
I have none of that, and there is no meaning around me.
People live less than a century. After death, all their feelings, memories, and possessions will be covered in dust.
So, what is the meaning of it all?
The answer is that there is none, and no one can find it. Never.
So when you have nothing and no meaning remains, what is left?
The answer is,
I remain.
Then what am I? Who am I? What is inside me? What is my purpose?
I don't even know.
The only things inside me are the icy flames of vengeance and determination on the scorched earth of my soul that never die down.
The only thing that is my purpose and the reason I continue living...
It is an almost forgotten promise made on that day.
That is why I am much worse than all of you.