After my encounter with that boy, I kept wandering through the slums and watching the streets until nightfall, but something caught me off guard:
The boy I had scolded — and paid — had started following me from a distance. But how could he possibly escape my perception? When I noticed him tailing me, I walked into a dead-end alley just to confirm.
After I entered, I waited a few minutes, and just as I expected, he showed up.
When he saw me standing there, staring at him with an expressionless face, he froze, shy and awkward. But then he bowed, thanked me, and we ended up talking for a bit.
He told me his name was Drake, and I asked him several questions — some of which surprised me — and he stuttered a lot, as if he wasn't used to talking normally.
Drake: "Today was a really strange day. When I was about to steal the wallet of a boy who was dressed much better than anyone around here usually is, I didn't find a single coin in his pockets. And to make it worse, he grabbed me by the arm. I tried to escape, but I couldn't. It felt like I was stuck to a piece of cold, solid metal."
"I looked up at him, expecting him to beat me up; anger and fear were eating me alive, like they always do. But instead, he gave me a small smile and said, with sarcasm:"
'You know it's dangerous to try stealing from someone who can see you before you even get close, right?'
"When I heard that, I was stunned. I'd always managed to steal without anyone noticing."
"I wanted to ask how he noticed me, but it didn't matter. What was going to happen to me? Suddenly, he pulled a pouch of coins from the pocket of his shirt and handed it to me. I got suspicious — nothing is ever free around here — but he just looked at me and smiled."
"I stared at the coins and felt overwhelming joy. With that, I could finally eat until I was full. I was grateful. Even though I tried to rob him, he didn't hit me, and he still gave me money!"
When he let go of me, I ran off to eat and ended up forgetting to thank him. I only remembered after he was already gone.
I started searching and eventually found him near the prostitution zone. So I followed him for a few minutes until he walked into an alley.
I went in after him and found him looking at me with that same emotionless expression. I was so embarrassed that I bowed and said:
"Thank you for the coins, sir! If it weren't for them, I'd go hungry again tonight!"
He smiled and told me his name was Mikael, and that there was no reason to thank him — he had helped me simply because he didn't need the coins and because I looked like I did.
I told him I was still grateful. I said my name, and we started talking. He asked me a bunch of questions, mostly about my age, and I told him honestly that I was fourteen.
He was shocked because I looked like I was only ten. He nodded as if he had understood something, but since I'm not used to long conversations, I started stuttering here and there.
I asked how old he was and why he was in the slums. He smiled and said he was seventeen, and that the rest was a secret. Since it was getting dark, he had to go and told me to be careful.
With nightfall approaching, I needed to return to my hideout and see if I could escape today. I said goodbye to Drake and told him to be careful — orcs could show up in the slums. He nodded and left.
Watching him walk away, I ran toward my hideout, but halfway there I heard a familiar scream: it was Drake. One look was enough to see him being carried by two brutes. I hesitated, unsure of what to do, but in the end I decided to follow them.
When they reached a secluded alley, the men threw Drake to the ground and tied him up.
Seeing that made my blood boil. Without even noticing, I had already begun to consider Drake as a potential kin of mine — someone I would eventually turn. And a vampire who considers someone shouldn't be underestimated.
The men started beating him and laughing with contempt, which irritated me even more. But I couldn't reveal myself yet; something told me I was about to witness something important.
Unfortunately, one of the men found the pouch of coins I had given Drake and looked at him mockingly. In that instant, rage surged through Drake, making his eyes glow a reddish orange with a hint of yellow, and his aura manifested.
For a few seconds, that was the mark of the Demon-Eyed race, and the men didn't even notice. But Mikael — a Vampire Progenitor — how could he not?
Shocked, I realized I had stumbled upon a hidden treasure. Stepping out of my hiding place, I gave the men a smile — a smile that sent an icy shiver crawling through their souls and awakened a deep, primal fear.