Inside an abandoned building in the suburbs of that city in which its fate was already sealed, a ruckus was happening.
The residents of that suburb little cared about all the noise that was coming from that building, though. They knew that the gangs were quite aggressive, and they would turn that aggressivity towards them if they didn't shut up and lived their lives as if nothing much was happening.
"Hey..." a boy called out the girl beside him. She was too busy paying attention to a rock that she was kicking around to look at him, but the boy knew that she was listening.
"Do you think that they're doing that again?" he asked. "They have been acting quite anxiously in the previous days, don't you think?"
The little girl didn't say anything, though she nodded her head. She was a girl of few words, very reserved generally. She preferred to gesture instead of actively saying something.
The little boy didn't pay attention to that characteristic anymore. After so many years together, he was getting used to that side of hers. Also, he didn't have many other friends with whom he got along. She was easy to deal with since she never had anything to talk about that bothered him.
He smiled at her while looking at the huge building that was at their right. It was a gray building, its previous paint already gone due to the time it remained forgotten by society. Its windows were broken, the entrance hadn't a door anymore, and it seemed about to collapse since one of its columns had its structure crumbling down. If that column got more harm in any way, the building would surely fall, putting the lives of the nearby residents at risk.
The girl began to make a bubble with the gum that she was chewing. She slowly emptied the air in her lungs as she filled the bubble and made it grow bigger and bigger. Meanwhile, she was still looking at the ground, kicking that rock.
"Since we are here, wanna see what is happening inside there?" the boy smiled as he asked, a mischievous smile.
The girl glanced at him, losing her concentration for a moment. She ended up kicking the rock too strongly, making it fly like a bullet in the air and strike an old car nearly a kilometer away, getting stuck into its metallic structure. At the same time, the bubble of gum exploded, dirtying her already dirty face even more.
She thought about that matter for some seconds, turning to the building for the first time since they got to that part of the suburbs and looking up.
Hesitantly, she nodded her head, a strange gleam appearing in her eyes.
"Ah, I see...", the boy said as he approached her and took off some of the gum that was sticking on her face and black hair. "You were curious about it as well, right?"
She nodded her head again, fidgeting her fingers. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again.
The boy noticed that, though he didn't show any hint of curiosity about what she wanted to say. He just acted as if nothing happened and turned to the building, walking hastily towards its entrance.
"Mom will delay getting home since she is busy with a client. Let's go there quickly and then head home, ok? We could sell all our candies, so we will have money to pay for dinner to one of us, at least. So, I bet she won't get angry even if we are caught," he said with a confident and bright smile.
The little girl nodded, following him hurriedly, her amber eyes shining while gazing at the entrance of the building.
As they walked through the dark and creepy corridors, the commotion was getting louder. Even so, they couldn't understand a thing since it was coming from the upper floors. They would need to continue climbing up if they wanted to have a good grasp of what they were talking about.
"We need to act as spies, ok? Don't make any noise," the boy said, placing his index finger in front of his lips.
The girl tilted her head, a hint of doubt in her eyes.
"When I say spies, I am talking about those guys who can enter in high-security buildings without doing any noise or activating traps. Don't you remember that movie we saw when we sneaked in the window of our neighbor?" he explained with annoyance.
The girl dodged her eyes for a moment, returning to look at him when she faltered for and seemed to remember something.
She nodded her head energetically.
"Well, we need to be like that guy. If they catch us, things will get complicated."
The girl gave him a thumbs up, her naive and distant expression being replaced by a confident one for some seconds before returning to its natural form.
Both of them continued walking across the corridors, always taking care not to get lost or end up bumping into one of THEM.
All of that looked like just another fun game to play, an adventure where their imagination could go wild.
"That's strange, there isn't a single one around the first floors... I think they are all on the very last floor. Can you keep going?"
In response, the girl put her index finger in her lips, looking at him with severity. The boy rolled his eyes as he turned his back to her again and climbed up the last staircase of the building which led to the last floor.
The last floor wasn't divided into different rooms like the others below. Instead, it was just one wide room. For this reason, both of them didn't enter there. Rather, they peeked from the narrow crack of the slightly opened door of that room, their ears attentive to what was being spoken.
"What the hell that bastard was thinking, after all!? This clan is crumbling down, but I am still the freaking leader! And what the hell were you guys thinking when you let him leave the suburbs without my consent!? I should behead all of you and expose your heads in the plaza of this dirty suburb so nobody will ever attempt against my authority again!"
A man with a red beard and auburn hair shouted as he stomped his right foot on the ground with all his strength, making the entire building shake. His voice was strong, serious, and very loud. That mighty tone was enough to make both children feel a chill running down their spines, particularly when they felt the strong pressure that was emanating from his body.
A dark red aura was delineating his silhouette, making his figure seem more imposing. His eyes were dark like a puddle of black ink. He had an ugly scar on his throat and another on his forehead. His auburn greasy hair fell at shoulder length. His facial features were that of a pirate, particularly due to his beard and scars, his expression of wrath at that moment made him seem quite intimidating.
While he was ranting and threatening the lives of his subordinates, a woman with long amber hair tied in a ponytail stepped forward. She had a diamond-shaped face, with a small, upright nose. Her eyes were slightly upturned and had a darker color in comparison with her hair. Her chocolate-colored skin seemed so smooth and well-cared, that even though dirty it was pleasant to the eyes.
"I don't think that he was wrong, Baltazar. Nor do I think that he meant to disrespect you in any way or run over your authority. Everyone here knows who is the leader and recognizes you as such. Nobody doubts your strength and resolve. However, we are in a very difficult situation where reckless movements are needed to win this war."
Every single person inside that room could only stare at her with admiration as she was the only person who could say something to Baltazar with such a straight expression and firm tone of voice. Her eyes hadn't wavered as she spoke, always looking straightforward solemnly, her hands behind her back didn't fidget, her posture was as straight as possible. She looked like a real soldier.
Baltazar quickly turned to her, his neck snapping as he did so with too much strength. His red brows were furrowed as he gave heavy and steady steps towards her, stopping in front of her tiny figure (after all, her 165 centimeters were nothing compared to his 195). He crossed his arms as leaned his body forward, his black eyes looking at hers attentively.
"I think I couldn't hear you properly, Valory. Would you dare to say it again?" he said in a threatening tone.
Valory gritted her teeth for a moment, slowly breathing in, her upturned eyes sharply looking at Baltazar, her leader.
"Do you want me to make it short to you, sir?" she said in a slightly challenging tone. "Mark didn't do what he did due to defiance to your authority or lack of respect towards you. He did what needed to be done in face of the circumstances that our race is right now! If entering in enemy territory and retrieving that demon to our side is what it takes to have the slightest chance of victory, he was willing to do it regardless of the consequences!'