Life in the Sixth District of Faiora was nothing like what appeared in the bulletins or was written in books.
Here, no one was born with a silver spoon in their mouth; instead, children were born with hunger gnawing at their dreams, and fear stalking them even in their sleep.
On a gray morning, the feet of a boy pounded the ground quickly, his hand tightly gripping a smaller, trembling hand.
"Cairn… wait!"
the younger child said, his voice broken, eyes brimming with tears.
"I'm tired… I can't run anymore…"
His voice quivered, every word coming out with difficulty, as if the very air conspired against him.
Then he stumbled, a tear rolling down his cheek as he tried to keep up with his older brother, still clutching his hand as if letting go would mean being lost forever.
But the elder did not stop. His gaze was fixed behind him, on the shadows that were closing in, and the rising shouts of an angry man:
"Hey, little scoundrels! I swear, if I catch you, I'll break every bone in your body! You're a disgrace to this district… just like your parents!"
Nero whispered fearfully: "Why don't we call the police?"
"In this district?" Cairn muttered bitterly. "The police only come to collect the bodies."
At the entrance to a narrow alley, Cairn stopped abruptly and leaned his brother against the wall:
"Stay here. Don't move."
Then he turned steadily toward the man, who was panting with fury. The small crowd parted silently, not intending to intervene—they were just passive witnesses, as usual.
"Ah, so you decided to die standing? Fine. Makes it easier for me."
Cairn replied coldly: "You won't touch him. And you won't come near him again."
"And who's going to stop me? You? Son of thieves? The whole neighborhood knows the truth about you."
But this time, the boy's voice sparked with a dangerous edge:
"Don't you dare speak about them again. I swear, if you repeat it, I'll bury you in this alley."
The man lunged violently, but Cairn dodged lightly, then drove his knee into the man's stomach, sending him writhing on the ground in pain.
No one intervened. That was the law of the district: "Those who fall, fall alone."
Cairn's voice was sharp: "If I see you chasing us again, I'll show you what a true scoundrel looks like… just like I did to your nephew last year."
The man withdrew, threatening, while Cairn returned to his brother, kneeling before him:
"Don't worry. I'll protect you. No one will touch you as long as I'm alive."
From behind came a familiar voice:
"Cairn, wait!"
He turned to see Alicia, a girl with short brown hair and sharp eyes, staring at Nero with concern.
"Look at him! You're making Nero more visible to the others by doing this."
Cairn shouted, irritated: "So what?"
She replied angrily: "They could kill him! You know they're crazy! They don't care about a child or a woman."
Cairn said confidently: "They won't dare touch him as long as I'm beside him."
Nero smiled: "Alicia, my brother is right. He's always with me, and they won't touch me because I'm strong."
Alicia said kindly: "Yes, Yaniro. You're very strong, but you have to be careful."
She leaned closer to Cairn and whispered: "What if we get separated from him? I won't be able to save him if they catch him."
Cairn said indifferently, drifting away in thought: "Alicia, mind your own business."
She frowned: "Really? I'm trying to help. Aren't I your friend?"
Nero chimed in playfully: "Yes, Alicia is our friend too, Cairn! I love Alicia."
Cairn snapped sharply: "Don't speak that way."
Alicia laughed teasingly: "What? Are you jealous?"
Cairn smirked sarcastically: "Shut up."
Moments later, the three sat on the dusty ground where sparse green weeds grew. The sky was gray, but the place felt calm.
Alicia asked: "Don't you ever think about leaving this district?"
Cairn said quietly: "Have you thought about it?"
She replied eagerly: "Yes, every day."
"Then stop dreaming."
She challenged him: "If so, I'll make it real."
Cairn looked at her mockingly: "You must be joking. Don't you see this wall? We're completely isolated because of the fools here. We don't even know what lies beyond it."
Alicia's eyes sparkled: "I heard it's amazing. There are rules. It's clean. Even the poor there… don't live like us."
Cairn smiled, teasing: "Do you want to explore it?"
She nodded enthusiastically: "Yes!"
"Then… do you really want to try?"
She hesitated: "But what about Nero? He's here… he can't climb with us."
Cairn looked at Nero, who was fiddling with a small stick on the ground, and said gently:
"I'll take care of Nero. Don't worry."
He then stood, brushed the dust off his pants, and extended his hand to Alicia:
"Ready for a little adventure?"
She grabbed his hand, laughing:
"Always."
At that moment, they were just three children standing on the edge of the world, with dreams bigger than walls and hopes screaming amidst the rubble: perhaps… just perhaps, something lies beyond the ashes.
The three paused, staring at the tall gray wall looming on the horizon like an unbreakable prison barrier. It was silent, yet its presence felt like a constant scream: "Stay where you are."
Alicia raised her hand to shield her eyes from the light reflecting off the wall and smiled lightly:
"You know, sometimes I feel like the wall is watching us. As if it knows we dream of crossing it."
Cairn chuckled softly, tossing a small stone on the ground:
"The wall isn't watching. It's the people behind it who fear us. If they knew how exhausted we are, they wouldn't even need this wall."
"Maybe… or maybe they're afraid we'll ruin their clean system… we are children of chaos, as they say."
Nero moved closer and sat between them, holding some leaves in his tiny hands:
"But we're not chaotic! We're just different… and I'm not afraid of the wall."
Alicia laughed: "Of course not, because your brother is here. You have a personal guard."
Nero waved his small hand: "Cairn is the strongest brother in the universe."
Cairn stretched lazily: "Ah, don't exaggerate, little one… I'm just a big brother who loves trouble."
Alicia looked at the sky and suddenly asked:
"Do you think there are stars beyond this ash?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean the sky. Here, we see nothing but fog and lingering ash. But in the other world, behind the wall, do they have a blue sky? Do they see stars?"
Cairn smiled at her calmly:
"Maybe. But who knows… maybe there's nothing there except a more civilized version of this hell."
"Even a civilized hell is better than this district."
Suddenly he stood excitedly, his tone turning playful:
"Then, let's plan our escape, Alicia. We need a rope, a lucky wheel, and of course… lots of sandwiches!"
Alicia kicked him lightly, laughing:
"Stop joking, you chaotic one. We're talking about a guard wall, not a picnic!"
But in her eyes, there was something else… a small sparkle resembling faith, hope, or a dream rising from beneath the rubble.
Cairn fell silent for a moment, then said quietly:
"I'll show you the other side of the wall someday… even if it means digging a tunnel with my teeth."
Alicia teased lightly:
"And will you take me with you?"
"Only if you bring the sandwiches."
They both laughed, and Nero laughed along, not fully understanding why, but simply because laughter felt good.
At that moment, a wooden cart pulled by a stern-looking man passed by, carrying charred metal scraps and rusty boxes, followed by an old police car, smoke billowing from it as if it were dying.
Cairn stood up: "Looks like the patrol is making its rounds. We have to go back."
Nero sighed: "But we haven't played yet."
Cairn patted his head: "We'll play tonight… and maybe we'll dream of the wall again."
Alicia looked at the gray sky again, then murmured softly, unheard by anyone else:
"But I don't want to just dream… I want to actually get out."
The district returned to its dull silence, as if holding its breath in fear. The three children slipped into the side alleys, carrying a faint hope… and a decision unspoken, quietly sneaking between their hearts.