A few animals were locked up inside a cell by monsters.
A bear that called himself strong before meeting those monsters and learning his place.
There was a deer, she was a motherly figure to everyone and was liked by the whole forest.
There was the wolf, an old wolf that saw the bad old days where all suffered for nothing.
There was a crow, he was a charlatan and a liar yet he was the bravest of them all. They had to rip off one of his wings.
There was the rabbit, a scared little rabbit unable to even move let alone do anything.
At first it was the smell of fat burning that kept them from sleeping knowing that it was the smell of other animals burning yet as time passed they fell asleep.
Every day the monsters tossed inside some raw meat, it was the bear that jumped first to get them but crow and wolf forced him to share it with others.
As they passed the smell of alcohol and the laughter from outside grew louder and the meats stopped.
Two days passed before it happened, one day they woke up to the sound of something breaking, shackles covered in blood, the crushed head of wolf.
Bear killed wolf and but into him, again and again while indulging in the blood.
He convinced others that one had to die for others to survive and now they must honor his death and devour him.
They refused, they refused yet the hunger and thirst took over all other than crow.
Crow lunged forward and attacked the bear, he fought with all he had, punched until his fingers broke yet...yet he couldn't do anything.
Bear smashed his head, killed crow with no regret.
They ate them
They devoured them
Hunger turned to lust
Bear and deer lost themselves to humanly desires, swimming in it like the animals they were.
A laughter, a laughter escaped from the lips of the rabbit.
Crushed
Ripped
Torn
He laughed
He smiled
He has sinned
Yet those sin are what makes them humans
Yes he was a human, not a rabbit.
The door opened, not monsters but man wearing rusty armor and speaking a weird accent had a smile in their face, they must have liked the show.
They let rabbit go and wished him farewell.
He felt no grudge because this day was the first day in his life where he felt human.
"No I can't let you devour him son."
"Some fruit must be left until they grow, until their juice becomes as sweet as the nectar of love."
"Patience will show you the sweetness of the nectar but impatience will only leave you with regrets son."
"Make the little ones suffer until they break, let them break apart and cry away in despair before ending it all."
...maybe I should have asked if I could stay in the office.
Under a familiar bridge the boy was sitting on yesterday's newspapers while hugging his legs, trying to ignore the sudden cold which he wasn't ready for.
I should have checked up on her...maybe she would have answered this time. I still have a bit left maybe a barber might do a brother this small favor and shave me.
Why am I even bothering with these simple things I am now in the world of supernatural...one I am familiar with. My dear secret friends, comrades showed me so much that I think I can't even act surprised about the tyoe of things they show me.
Maybe I should just leave this city, take the money and actually make my way to that distant world devoured by the warm sand. I doubt I can take her there but still, will I be happier that way?
No thay would be selfish right? After all the pain I caused her I must take responsibility, I must save her!
I have some connections in Avaresko, I doubt they ever found the truth after the church of those machine fuckers used that artifact but still it is risky. Even if we went there I would be used as a weapon while she will be left all alone.
A different city? I know a bit about everything I should be able to get a job, still can I find one good enough so she can live happily until the end of all? All the money I have at the moment will become nothing in no time if I fail to get a proper job.
I have learned quiet a bit more with this...newfound ability of mine. I still keep the memories and a bit of the muscle memory alongside everything. I just have to see more and maybe I will have a definitive way of earning money like a rare talent.
Not everyone can make intricate clockwork mechanisms so that would be nice...maybe the talent of an artist, I could sculpt for the rich and earn a good amount.
Maybe the knowledge of a professor. I would hate it if it is a physics or math because of the constant need to remember all those complicated equations but maybe history...no that is impossible. I can say for sure that those people are just creations of my mind. They are not from this planet but my land of imagination, there is no other explanation.
I think I wanted to be a sailor when I was young...a life of adventure. He would have been proud of me but now...he must be cursing my name in his...in his...
They didn't even bury him, they put him in a furnace and burned him with other poor fellows, they mutilated them and used them as fertilizers.
I think I am happy for him, at least he should be happy now. Maybe in his last moments he was as happy as me.
Shriveled under the bridge
Heavy eyelids bringing darkness into reality
Scared and disgusted yet he still hoped to become something.
I want to be what they want me to be.
They will look at me like the good old times if I just become the person they want.
A son
A lover
A comrade
A reason
A judge
It is never too late right?
"Get up!"
The boy jumped up in panic before trying to get the crust around the eye off with his hands.
"Wha...who? Emil!"
Before him stood the disheveled figure of Emil still wearing the same layers and layers of clothes even in this heat.
"How did you even find me? Isn't it too..."
He looked at the sky before letting out a sigh in embarrassment. The sun was right there, there was no denying that it was around lunch time more or less.
"I am so stiff...I will go to the office I promise it is just that..."
"You don't have a place to sleep?"
"No no...I do but anything is better than going there."
He didn't know what kind of face he did, what he has done yet the look on Emil changed for once.
"You can stay at my house. The couch is empty."
"Thanks...I will still try one more thing and if that doesn't work I will be with you for a while."
I don't care if I sound like a leech it is better than waking up with my body feeling all stiff from the cold.
"So...am I fired?"
"No I lied to captain and told him you are out to get me food."
He is pretty gullible to be honest. Or maybe the sake of father has been saving me for a while?
"Thanks then! So master Emil what will we be doing today? Oh wait I need a place to keep these clothes."
He pat the ground next to him where a full set of clothes remained on the newspaper, he couldn't even bring himself to use them as a pillow.
"I should get changed and...can I borrow some money from you? Be merciful my dear sir I will pay back either tonight or the next time I get paid."
Look at that eyes escaping from me! I feel bad for him but I doubt he will live much longer before getting cooked in all that.
"Fine fine...I should have learned it by now, I can't be that bad at shaving without a mirror."
"Shave?"
"Embarrassing story, well if I beg hard enough they will at least let me use their razor."
"Is it that important for you?"
"For me? It must be important for everyone, don't you already know how important it is? Look at that face, like the bottom of a baby completely hairless."
"I don't shave..."
Ohhh yeah shouldn't have said that, he must be one of those.
"Ehhhh worry not but I have to that is what matters. Well it is a hassle you know so good thing you don't have that, I am jealous."
The walked together towards the office as the boy did his best to start conversations.
"So how did you find me? Not many people comes to that place after what happened."
"I can sense you, it is an...ability of mine."
"People can do that too? Well maybe only mine is mediocre."
And silence is back again. Well I can't wait any longer I will ask about the clothes.
"So are you trying to cook yourself like a sea cockroach? Or did you forget to do the laundry?"
"Sea cockroach? What is that?"
Who doesn't even know that? And they are supposed to be the ones taking care of the shenanigans on the docks.
"Ughhh they are...they are...they...lobsters! Sorry I have a bad memory. They always wash ashore so even the homeless have something to eat...they are sea bugs with long antennas and claws."
"How do they taste?"
Thats the question that came to your mind! Well maybe he is one of those that are fine with bugs.
"Well I am no homeless person even though I look like one but I ate them before. One day my grandpa found one as big as a child so we cooked it over fire and well it didn't taste good. We only managed to eat a little boy from the tail cause the rest was just disgusting. Later on I ate it Avaresko style, boiled alive in a pot and then the taste was far better yet I still wouldn't eat it every day. Considering how cheap it is I think it is good."
"So it is not that bad?"
"It is not yet...society keeps you from eating it without feeling inferior I guess."
"You should care less about what people would think."
"....so why are you wearing all that?"
"...It is a new...fashion trend."
"You will smell like a...oh wait here for a bit master."
The boy ran into the barbershop he saw before begging the barber for a few seconds and getting the cutthroat. He washed his face before blindly going down from his sideburns. He washed the razor a few times before opening his eyes and asking the people around before going down at his face again.
"Man I must be looking so good...how do I look boss!"
"You are bleeding."
He lifted his hands and touched around his face before pulling the pinkish mark of the seed of life on his hand, he wiped his face with his hand before smiling as if he is proud of the razors sharpness.
"That was a sharp one. Don't worry it should stop in a few seconds."
They reached the office but there was someone sitting in the chair, a young figure that scoffed before looking at the boy.
"Worry not you will be sitting here all day in a few days."
"Not today at least, have fun friend."
"Have fun my ass."
they turned to the second room on the left. There were a few coats hanged and a small table. It was the room that went to the catacombs.
"Change into your clothes, I will be down at the archives."
Well at least he won't be watching, not that he didn't see ne naked before but I should start exercising more or that Lucio will kill me one day.
As he left the room the boy changed into his new clothes that felt uncomfortable or maybe he just couldn't move freely scared of even wrinkling or even getting dust on it.
He went down the same stairs with the stiffness from the night making him groan in annoyance. He didn't know where the archive was so he had to check multiple doors. There was the room where the ritual took place which was in pure darkness. Another room that led to a huge tunnel, the office of the captain whom he said good morning to while passing, another room which had the tall woman he saw before and multiole closets and then on his last try he managed to find the archives.
For a place called archives it was lacking a lot and as a place of teaching it also was lacking a lot. It just had metal drawers that must have been filled with files and a big wooden desk. The room used gas lamps and the lighting was just what anyone would expect.
"I had some expectations...not that I am too disappointed but this feels sad for some reason."
He sat on the chair next to Emil who was looking at the wall as if hoping it would change into something new.
"Explain master what is today's class? It better be something exciting or you sre losing your first apprentice in the first day."
Emil looked at him with a shocked face before rolling his eyes and speaking with his thin voice.
"You have to learn the protocol."
"Boring!"
"You better listen because Captain will blame me if you die."
"Fine fine send the information master."
"There are different type of missions we do but in case you have proof that couldn't be denied that someone is a heretic and your partner agrees to your judgement that person must be executed or captured."
"What if I suspect but have no proof?"
"You can't do anything that way can you?"
"So I just give up on that person?"
"No you put them in your reports and if we connect them to another case but have no proof we use...unorthodox methods to learn the truth and then handle them."
"What can even be called proof? Is it just witnesses?"
"Anything from hair to footprints. We can even call simole things like previous fights as proof."
"So we take care of personal things?"
"Most of the times when people reach an unstable state of mind they are tend to be blessed by the evil gods that give them the power to hurt."
"So these gods don't have churches like we do?"
"They do have churches and their own organizations and we see them once in a while yet they are rare or maybe just too good at keeping things hidden. They know that they can't make a scene without losing man."
"So we are just unable to find them because they are either hiding their actions properly or waiting for something?"
"Yes as simple as that."
"Well what is the next class? Fill me up with the wisdom of...yourself and make me the best detective ever!"