The market street was noisy as always. People from the outskirts gathered here to buy illegal goods, smuggle drugs, and make quick deals. Even kids were addicted to the poison sold in hidden corners.
Young men and teenagers wandered around, looking for any kind of work so they could feed themselves or their families.
Among them was Orion.
He had been searching for a job since morning, but luck was never on his side. He was rejected again and again. Even when he managed to find work, he was never paid and was thrown out the moment the job was done.
Exhausted, he sat under a tree near the edge of the street, his face full of stress and frustration.
Orion looked at the crowd, irritated by the constant noise. His eyes fell on a small insect crawling near his foot. Without thinking, he stepped on it, hoping the act would calm his anger.
It didn't.
The crunch under his foot made him feel guilty instead. His chest tightened, and he quickly stepped back.
"I… shouldn't have done that…"
He walked away from the tree, as if running from the feeling itself.
After wandering for a while, he stopped in front of a small bar. He hesitated, then went inside, thinking he might be able to get food in exchange for work.
The smell of alcohol and smoke filled the air.
Orion walked up to the counter and looked at the bartender with pleading eyes.
"H-Hey… sir. Can I get some food?"
He spoke quickly, afraid the man would refuse before he finished.
"I'm not asking for free. I can clean, carry things… anything. Please."
The bartender stared at him for a moment, then shouted loudly.
"Get out if you don't have money!"
Orion flinched and stepped back, ready to run. He already knew how this would end. No job. No food. Nothing.
"W-Wait! I have money! I can pay!"
He suddenly remembered the coins in his pocket — the ones he had been saving for emergencies like this.
He quickly searched his ragged shirt and half-torn pants, his hands shaking as he dug through the pockets.
The bartender frowned.
"If you don't have a single coin, I'm throwing you out myself."
Orion pulled his hand out, and a few coins slipped from his fingers, falling onto the marble floor with a loud echo.
"I got coins!"
His voice came out louder than he expected. The whole room went quiet for a moment.
He lowered his head.
"…Sorry for shouting. Can I get some bread at least?"
The bartender picked up the coins without hesitation.
"With this much? You get one slice. Sit down."
He took every coin, not leaving even a single one behind.
Orion watched silently as weeks of saving disappeared in the bartender's hand.
He walked to an empty seat and pulled the chair slowly before sitting down.
Behind him, two old men were talking in low voices.
Orion wasn't trying to listen, but their conversation caught his attention.
One of them suddenly became serious.
"You know… I had only one daughter."
The other man nodded slowly.
"They came yesterday, didn't they?"
The first man's hands started shaking.
"She had the dream… and they took her."
His eyes filled with tears.
Orion frowned. He didn't understand what they were talking about, but something about their voices felt heavy.
He was about to turn around and ask—
"Here. Your bread."
The bartender dropped a small piece of bread on the table.
"And don't come back."
"T-Thanks…"
Orion picked it up quietly and walked out of the bar, still confused about what he had just heard.
He sat under a broken shade near the street and started eating.
The bread was dry and hard.
"Tch… this is rotten…"
He muttered, but he still ate every bite. With that amount of money, this was the best he could get.
After finishing, he wiped his hands on his shirt and stood up.
He walked for a long time without knowing where he was going.
Eventually, he found a broken hut near the edge of the street, half collapsed but still standing.
Orion stepped inside and looked out through the broken wall. The sun was already setting.
"…I should sleep. It's getting dark."
He looked around the dark room.
"This place isn't safe at night…"
He searched the floor carefully and finally found a torn piece of cloth in the corner.
He wrapped it around his body and lay down on the cold ground.
He turned from side to side, trying to get comfortable, but the cold air kept making him shiver.
His eyes slowly grew heavy.
After a long struggle, he finally fell asleep.
And that was when he had the dream