The sun was high, sending its rays on the everyday happenings in the market. The shouts of the sellers offering their wares fighting with the clamor of customers arguing with others. Adding to the chaos was the fishy smell coming from the nearby sea and the body odor of the dense group of people.
The slight breeze that passed by gave little comfort to the people. For the first time tourist walking around, the breeze made him twitch his nose when he got near the arguing customers. He then walked back to where he came from, thinking that maybe he could go out again when there were less people.
A loud bang past an alley, behind the stalls disturbed the market. Wooden crates breaking resounded in the already noisy area while threats flew out from the nasty mouths of the men. However, the people here, sellers and customers alike, were used to it as it happens every day. Every few hours, even.
If they have to concern themselves to these clamor everytime, then they would not be able to work and earn for their family. Better to leave these things that did not concern them. That was the usual attitude in this place.
A father pulled his son when the child got curious at the sounds coming past the alley, whispering to give him treats once they reached their destination. Then, he towed his son briskly.
Aside from the the sounds, the 'mist' from the area was also disturbing, the suffering forming as a dark crimson fog that made the area even more conspicuous. Sooner, the 'mist' would converge and blend in with the island's atmosphere, adding to the already stiffling air. The residents were also used to this.
This is Kanan Island. An island full of people coming from all sorts of life. From the rich tourists experiencing an exotic place to the criminals and thieves trying to earn money as their occupation lets them.
However, this area was far off from the ports where the rich tourists usually frequent. This market usually catered to those smaller islands surrounding Kanan Island so the goods were supposed to be cheaper.
Past the alley, in a secluded part of the market, a figure lying on the broken crates was surrounded by four tough looking men. Grimacing, these thugs had the scars on their faces twitch menacingly while they stared at the small figure.
Having scars shown on one's face was actually unusual. With the use of the 'mist', most prefer to hide these scars, as long as they were strong enough to maintain the disguise. Eventually, the 'mist' would blend over the scars and it would heal, but that usually takes a long time. It was different for these men who deliberately show their scars, making them look more like the thugs they were.
One of the men lifted up the boy by his collar, his scary face close to the other's wounded face as he whispered menacingly, "Hey, I didn't tell you to take a rest yet. Now, answer my question again. Where did you hide the remaining gem? Let us have it and we'll let you go unharmed. Aren't we being kind?" This got a few laughs from his companions.
Earlier, these men were walking around the market as they have nothing else to do. Then, they saw this boy looking haggard and getting duped by a seller as he bought overpriced food. Later, before the boy finished paying, another customer shifted closer to him and suddenly stole his bag together with the purse he was holding as he paid.
Despite his already weak body, the boy moved to chase the thief but the seller detained him, arguing that he had to pay or he just wasted his time selling to someone who wouldn't pay. It was obvious that the seller and thief were together so the boy didn't manage to get back his stuff and got verbally abused by the seller until his languid body was pushed out of the market. It was clear that he also had no energy to defend his side of the irrational argument.
Having no strength because of hunger, the boy slowly stood up and walked away. Thinking that the boy already had all his money stolen, the men watching walked again, dejected, until they noticed that the boy took out a small gem out of his coat's inner pocket.
Despite the rice-sized gem being hidden by the boy's hand, these men were strong enough to sense that a life 'mist' was being absorbed by the boy from something in his hand. They followed the boy while they changed their appearance, until they arrived near a secluded alley. They pulled the still weak boy with them in this unoccupied area and here they were.
Another bang resounded as the man threw the boy down on another set of wooden crates. Pieces of wood embedded itself on the unmoving body, adding more wounds to it. Due to the vigorous toss, a small tinkling sound followed the loud one as a green gem fell off the boy's pocket. Seeing this, the men had sparkles in their eyes, reflecting the shining gem on the ground.
"Ah! I knew you will give it now."
The men ignored the boy then, and moved to pick up the small gem. It was only the size of a rice grain but knowing that it was composed of concentrated life 'mist' made the men excited. To be able to solidify like this must mean that it contained a lot of energy. With these men's real occupation, they only encountered concentrated 'mists' in the form of sand grains.
"What do we do with it now? Or should we just hold on to it?"
"Do you think the boy was still hiding more? Let's ask nicely again. I think the seller and that thief got a lot from his bag. We should ask where he got it too."
"That's right!"
"I'll hold onto this. We have to return to the camp anyway."
"Why you?"
"Hey, hey, hey! I was the one who saw his commotion with that seller!"
"What?! That doesn't mean anything when all you did was stand there acting tough."
"Wah! I think my contribution was enough. Besides, it was mostly Kisig acting anyway."
"Give that back."
Behind the men arguing, a hoarse voice came with a chilling 'mist' that made all the men turn quiet. Therefore, they heard the command clearly. Slightly surprised that their victim could still speak, they turned around and saw the boy stand up slowly without any support, a dense crimson 'mist' surrounding him.
"I need that. Maga is really hungry too. He's waiting for me."