Blight, ıt's a poverty-stricken province located in the southern part of Velenour. This gloomy area, with its foggy streets, rusty iron pipes hissing constantly, and dilapidated buildings leaning as if they were about to topple over, was like the dirty heart of the city. As much as the life in Velenor's other areas looks like organised and safe, Blight was almost like a whole other world. Trying to survive here was just like winning a war every single day. Especially for children who is homeless and orphan like Ryu.
Ryu was walking slowly in Blights narrow streets. His long black colored messy hair, an old and torn brown t-shirt and old black shorts and the gray slippers on his feet with his skinny body was a prove of him living in Blight.
Ryu was walking in Blights norrow streets like he was about to get lost between the stones.
The wind was wanders from one corner to another with a sharp humming sound, and a thick smell was spreading from the trash containers. There was ruined homes, damp-blackened walls and broken windows. Most of the buildings was so old that there was vines trying to survive between the walls.
Ryu was moving heavly with his skinny and cracked skin and his slippers that felt like heavy load. There was children just like him around bu none of them was friendly. Everyone in Blight was only fond of their troubles. A drop of mercy could maka the person hungry or even dead at the end of the day.
Ryu stood in a corner. There was a strong smell of burnt tyre reaching him. There was a few people surrounded around a barrel fire. They were reaching their humpback looking hands with their torn coats.
'Are they really getting in summer?..'
Few couple eyes watched him as he passed by them; not unfriendly but leery. He was used for these looks. Nobody in Blight trust each other, especially for a stranger.
Ryu's stomach growled. The last thing he ate was a piece of bread he stole three days ago. And the meal before that was old that he can't even remember. Hunger was a dragging friend of his and its was racing with cold to weaken his body.
Retreat into a corner while holding his stomach. He squatted down and picked an old newspaper up that was on the ground. The words on the newspapers was nearly deleted but Ryu didn't care about that. He needed something to distract himself from his hunger.
"Ah, it's really unreadble." he muttered.
There was a writing saying "The secret assasin was executed infront of the folks" in the corner of the paper. At this time, assassinating towards the kingdom was a brave act. Especially in a place like Velenor, where there are top-tier "Light Spirit" users, such an assassination is nothing else then a stupidity.
He scanned the newspaper for a little while, there was another writing saying "The Kingdom will do anything for their own people".
Ryu with the disgusted looks in his eyes said "Fuck off." After leaving the newspaper on the ground he stood up and left the narrow street, he shrugged his shoulders and tried to shake off the cold air. With Ryu slowly getting further the street, dominated by gray fog, was plunged into silence. Blights square is appearing infront of him.
The square was like Blights beaten heart. İn the very middle there was a womens statue who was intertwining her hands and prayin, rusty countertops, stands lined up alongside the ruined walls, and was full of men trying to sell their merchandies by shouting. Here every sound mixes with sound. The smell of rotten fruit gets mixed with heavy aroma of burnt oil. The air was damp, but the streets that is full of sweat-soaked employees makes it look like battlefield.
"Fresh fish! Fresh fish! Catched just today, won't last for tomorrow!"
"The best quality goods are here! Royal goods! Don't miss out!
"Get two pay one! The best medicinal herbs are here!"
While in a stand there's a smell of burnt oil, in another stand there's a smell of the pungent aroma of spices filling the air. The square was in a state of turmoil that assaulted the senses.
A voice of a women was heard among the crowd:
"No. Not for this price! I got it for cheaper last week!"
A shabby dressed women, hopelessness in her voice, It was so sharp that it echoed even above the chaos of the square. She was holding few pale vegetables to the salesmen with a hope to bargain.
The salesmen shrugged with a nonchalant attitude. The cold words that spilled out of his taung was so opposite with the squares heat.
"That's your problem lady. That's the price. If you want you'll buy it if you don't want to you won't."
The womens battered face was frozen, and her shoulders were slumped. After that she took a deep breath and had to take out few copper coin and left it on the stand. While the salesmen was taking the coins from her he turn his head trying to hide and hold his humiliating laugh.
Ryu who was watching this scene, looked at the few vegetables that the women was holding in her hands. His own stomach was screaming louder than his pride. But this scenes was something happens always in the square; this was one of Blights unchangable truths. İn this place where people strugle with hunger the weaks always lose.
"This must be the fate of people like us" thought Ryu while walking among the people moving in a hurry.
One of the stands caught his attention. On it there was little vegetables and fruits. A few apples, pears and pomegranates that have long lost their freshness. The stands salesmen was arguing with another customer and had turned his attention elsewhere. Ryu moved without even hesitating for a single minute. The movement of his hands was smooth, with a short and agile touch, he dropped the apple from the counter into his pocket. No one noticed. He was trying to be part of the crowd while lowering his head and as he continued walking.
The square was in a such chaos scene. A salesmen who was shouting: "For a worth nothing! Last remaining items!" Was trying to suppress another salesmens voice. "Elixirs of Wisdom!
Cheap and effective!" Another voice was heard. People was using their elbows to make was for theirselves.
A slightly overweight, bald-headed middle-aged man was walking down the road wearing a black coat. Ryu, keept an eye on that man and started walking towards him with slow and confident steps.
He was talking to himself: "Ah, it's wish i was rich." Ryu bumped into the mans right arm and acted like he didn't mean to. The man squint his eyes and looked at Ryu. "I apologize" Ryu said with a low voice and continued walking. The man didn't see his fast moves and the determination in his eyes. And he was completely unaware of the lack of few coins and watch from his pocked.
Ryu ran into several more people as he passed through the middle of the square. With each run-in he stole either copper coins, food, or small items. As his eyes looked around, he saw a sofa standing in the corner. It was old and red in color. Ryu walked over to the corner he had his eye on and sat down on the old reddish-colored couch. İt gave a feeling as if he was sitting on a stone. He moved to his black short and took out the items he stole. Twenty copper coins, one half salmon bread and an apple and a golden pocket watch.