Moving past the walls, led to a drastic change in scenery. That wall separated two different worlds. It was like a completely different city.
The roads narrowed even more and were littered with pot holes from the lack of maintenance. Over time the pavement became uneven. You could tell the buildings were worn and old. Some were slowly falling apart with cracks or pieces missing. Being in these streets again was nostalgic as this was home for a long time for me. The roads were currently empty, and I was glad as I didn't want to run into anyone.
When I was still apart of those living on this side of the wall and did what everyone else here did, I was showed some form of acceptance. However, when I started making a living foraging the woods, that fragile acceptance crumbled. Their actions showed me the hypocrisy of their endearing words.
Not all of them were like that, but I couldn't read people's hearts and grew wary of all of them. Honestly, at one point I believed that the poor and suffering were not judgmental and more humble and understanding than those pompous entitled nobles. However, though true that the hardships and suffering made the poor more understanding, all humans were capable of expressing and acting upon all emotions.
No matter if the person was a noble, a commoner, a peasant, a slave, etc… they were all human in the end. I could not trust any other human except myself.
There was no pain like that from broken trust. At best it could be a difference in thought and ideology, but at worst it could be a difference of life and death. That lesson was learned the hard way and a story for another time.
A thought of Gin crossed my mind. His last act of kindness made me ponder for a long time.
I felt fear out of habit.
The fear of Gin betraying me scares me. I had horrible thoughts of being taken advantage of and after I served no more purpose being thrown away like garbage. I almost regretted me giving him unknown access to my home, but reminded myself of his acts of kindness and respect that were priceless gifts I was deeply grateful for.
I gave those talismans away because not only because of gratitude, but also because I trusted him. Trusting others went against my principals, but through time, Gin became the only exception. I told myself I was willing to take the risk and bend my principals.
I reminded myself and kept reminding myself of that to keep my anxiety at bay.
As I kept moving through the rain, I finally came across a large building that looked out of place. The structure was decently maintained and looked slightly better in condition
It sat like a sore thumb sitting adjacent to all the old and broken establishments of the slum. This was the only church located in this part of the city and also served as the only orphanage.
I never got the chance to stay here, but it did provide me warm meals on the daily. I was saved from hunger countless times when I much too young to be allowed to travel out into the forest.
I walked past the small picket fence enclosing the church and up the stairs to the small foyer at the entrance of the church. There was a donation box that the priest and nuns checked daily. Taking my sack, I took out half of what I bough from Gin's store and placed them inside.
I never forgot my dues. It's a rather foolish way of life, but I would pay back kindness and gratitude for life. I wasn't sure if that was a bad habit or not, but i was fine with it and that was all that mattered.
Done with my errands, I could finally head back home to get out of this rain. I was tempted to tear a talisman and head home the easy way, but I had given almost all my spares to Gin. Those talismans took weeks to create and were difficult to make them work correctly.
With only three left, I decided I really only should use them for emergencies. Another thing I had to add to my to-do list. Since I was already wet, I might as well just take the long way back.
Backtracking, I returned through the slums quickly. As passed by Gin's store, I noticed a luxurious carriage with an emblem with a sprawling Phoenix gripping its claws on two colorful stones. I never could remember the corresponding house to all those fancy symbols those nobles prided themselves over. I did remember though to be allowed by the kingdom to have the symbol of the Phoenix was a big deal. The more Nobel the creature, the higher their status. Whoever was in Gin's store was a powerful somebody.
My senses were telling me to scram, and to do so fast. That Gin though, he probably wasted no time as he tried to sell that perverted-looking root. My business here was done and I didn't want to poke my head into anything troublesome, so I bolted.
I really hoped that annoying lady isn't still at the city gates. By the gods if she's still there, I swear I'll break a talisman just to not have to deal with her. It'd be worth it not seeing her, but especially worth it not having to smell her nasty body odor.
As I closed in on the high ivory stone walls that encircled the city, I crept to the side to check if that busy-body lady was around. I really was ready to use a talisman. Staying away from her was an emergency situation that called for emergency protocol.
Lucky me though, only the guards stood by the gates. I briskly moved past them without bothering to look at them. Less interaction the better. Quickly I made my way into the forest. Technically the forest was more dangerous, but I felt more at ease here.
The journey back would be long, and to be safe I would have to move slowly as night came. The good thing though was that the rain lightened up to a drizzle. Maybe the sky might even clear by night. Things were finally starting to look good!
Along the way back I grabbed anything worth forging. I even found some herbs and wild plants for breakfast. With this rain, mushrooms will probably pop up soon. I couldn't wait! Mushrooms were my favorite. I lamented my mushroom-egg sandwich that splattered on the floor this morning.
Because of my foraging though, the journey took longer and night had set in for a while now. Lucky for me though it was a clear night. The clouds disappeared after they pushed out all that rain. It was an exceptionally clear night.
Looking up to the heavens above, I took a moment to awe at the majestic presence of the starry sky. All my thoughts and worries vanished as I took in the endless expanse. If anything the gods did right, it was the starry night sky. I always felt gently cradled by the subtle soft shimmering speckles across the deep gradient of the dark sky.
I wasn't sure if I was seeing things. Maybe due to the crazy events today I was hallucinating. I looked once and then looked twice, but I definitely wasn't seeing things.
Tonight I felt the starry sky beckoning me. There was a gentle pulse amongst the stars that seemed to move in a certain way. It was almost as if it was pointing me in a direction. I didn't know why but I somehow knew the starry sky wanted me to follow it. I was kinda freaking out.
Why now?
What did it wanted me to find?