The sound of a cylinder going up and down in the hands of a man echoed through the alley.
'Hmm.. this alley is a long one when you walk through it instead of looking at the map..'
The other hand holding the book was turning pages, while the other was playing with the cylinder he got. After he got the item, he vanished along with the winds. He became one with the energy, making him impossible to be seen.
'' Man, is this book even worth it? It's just a book with legend stamp. '' After he said that, the book vibrated signifying that the reader is, 'dumb for not appreciating him'.
He sighed and continued reading despite his disappointment with the object. While walking through the tight alley, he prepared himself and stuffed the cylinder into a vortex. The vortex was a bag for any types of objects.
'' For this section of the book, this factor that makes up the whole world, and nation. This is the start of each journey. The start of human transcendence and ability awakening. Thus, we cannot forsake who we are and where we came from. The third factor: Civils. Civils are the civilians of the nation. They are the reason why people are called strong, because the civils are weak. Civils are at the bottom of the food chain even though they are the start of the journey to being a retzi and rautier..''
The 'student' laughed at his words. ''Hah! Indeed! This book is straightforward enough to be called a legend. Hehehe. Surprisingly, civils' population are still a lot more than the other factors.. huh?'' A word in the book shone in red color.
'This seems like a secret portion of the page.' He read it as low as possible to increase his concentration.
'' Civils are an exception to the food chain structure if they have the badge..''
''Huh? Badge? What badge..?''
The student scratched the back of his head and wondered along the alley. While he was thinking, an hour came and he still couldn't come up an answer.
That is until he came across the boy he encountered earlier. The two beings stared at each other because of the unexpected meeting.
The student was dumbfounded, 'What.. I left like a cool guy and then I bump into this freak..' He looked at the kid eagerly and finally thought of an idea.
''Hey kid''
''W-what? Wanna fight?'' the kid flinched and quickly reached out to his pocket where a bunch of poisonous needles are stacked.
'I better make stall him for minutes before running. Damn I'm not even finished with my plan and this f#cker appears..' Yes, this is the food chain structure. Run for survival, eat for survival, escape for survival. This is an action deeply passed down to the roots of the instincts and civilization.
He couldn't do a trade now that his trump card was taken. 'Damn.. I'm out of options. '
''Huh? Hahaha! You're funny! I don't want to fight! I just need information in exchange of..'' The student smirked and opened his palm. There revealed the cylinder the kid was looking for. The kid widened his eyes at the sight which eventually turned to expressionless.
For a kid, he was quite fit. This shows the experience and training he gained through the years. Ignoring the kid's physique, the face is average. Common face seen everywhere. However, what made him standout is the energy around him and the childish smile which adds to his devilish nature.
The smirk in the student's face faded and closed his palm.
''What's your name, kid? ''
''...F-Film..''
'' Okay, Film. I need information at least worth of the object in my vortex bag. ''
Film scoffed at him, ''What? You got bored in the king's palace and decided to come out? Heh.. Laughable.'' Now that Film has the upper hand, he attacked him with words.
The word 'king' was mentioned and suddenly the air went cold. The man's face grew dim at the reply and released the pressure of his energy. ''ACKK!'' Film immediately knelt down on one knee. The man walked in front of Film, and looked at the kid categorizing him as nothing but a peasant.
Like a dirt, ''Listen here, you little sh#t. '' He bent down and pulled Film's hair to look at him. His red eyes intimidatingly looked at Film who has blood formed at the corner of his mouth and a drip from his eyes.
''You may want to shut your mouth now and just answer my request. Understood?'' The boy nodded and the man let go of his hair and suppressed his energy back. ''Good. Now tell me about the badge of the Civils..''
Film became wary at his words and calmed down. Even though he is in this situation, he manages to be calm. Such is a talent for a 13-year old rautier.
Film sighed, '' Badge is a form of protection since ancient times. It has a shape of a shield but is a palm-sized item only for those who have been chosen and and those who got it.'' Film paused for a bit and let his thoughts wander.
'That's weird? Why doesn't he know about these stuff?'
Film continued, '' According to legends, a dozen millennium years ago, a near-transcendent Retzi went mad in the city center and killed people regardless of order. A lot of retzis have gathered to stop such being. Close to none people know about his identity but the comments say that he was much more powerful than you..''
The man's ears became cautious at the kid's story and grinned slightly before motioning for Film to continue.
''A civil with a badge unknown of the situation, passed by and got swept up in the process. The danger-level retzi was about to snap the civil into two when the badge in the pocket of the civil shone bright light. ''
Film looked at the man and changed his position to sit. ''After the bright light disappeared, all retzis and rautiers gathered are nowhere to be seen. However, the badge that was guarding the civil broke into pieces and is not usable. The day after it happened, the city was about to go into chaos and then the previous king interfered.''
After the sentence, he looked at the man for reactions. The man noticed the kid, ''What? Continue. '' The man aimed a sword made of energy at Film. ''I-In short, the previous king allowed for civils with badges to be an exception for sweeping. I-It's a fair trade, right?''
The man nodded at his words and turned around. His posture seemed like a statue with those crossed arms, and closed eyes. Film wanted to run so he stood up but was stopped by the man's energy force.
"Wh-what? I answered your question!" The man who pretended to be a student turned to look at Film and smiled. He thought of a convenient plan that would save trouble.
''Do you know who I am?''
Film shuddered by his change of energy which was more sharp and eerie. One wrong move and he will surely turn into pieces. The red eyes glowed as the shadows covered his face and his smile is even more wicked than the last time.
Film was confused by the question. ''Wh-what do you..?'' It was rather an idiotic question for a kid who seemed to know the man.
The man walked towards the boy in a leisurely manner. Smiling as if something is about to happen. ''Boy,.. '' Film couldn't move due to fear.
'' I-I know you! I know you! The Grand knight of th-the King.'' A belated response was heard. The man stopped in front of the kid. He traced his finger to Film's face before stopping at his forehead.
''Oh kid.. That's my twin..'' he smiled mockingly at the expression the kid made.
"Wh-wha—" He flicked his forehead and a sound of string being cut was the last thing Film heard.