On a crowded street, filled with many a different spectacle - there were those dressed exotically, wearing vibrant hats with feathers crowned on top, others who wielded gold-rimmed glasses and finely crafted timepieces, and much more - a brown-haired teen jostled his way through the throng.
At the end of the path, a towering structure loomed above everyone in the vicinity. Tall, marble pillars stood stalwart, giving the appearance of a hexastyle building.
Gold coated its exterior.
Nico wondered why they built it to be so imposing. Then again, the Nurorsk Family were known to be grandiose. It would make sense that they spared no resources to make the structure as impressive as possible.
He gritted his teeth, feeling someone barge his shoulder. Nico suppressed his annoyance and held his ground, refusing to be pushed around by the stranger. He glanced back, noting that they had their features shrouded under a hood.
However, he just about made out tiny strands of fiery-red hair. A flash of memories erupted in Nico's mind.
White-hot rage filled his chest.
He panted, pressing down on the anger as he exhaled heavily.
The boy turned around and headed deeper into the throng. The individual who had collided with him was now out of his mind as he turned his thoughts to what he would buy.
Unfortunately for Nico, it did not end there. The hooded individual trailed after him. The brown-haired boy only noticed something amiss when he exited the crowded throng and found a hostile gaze fixed on his back.
He shifted uneasily.
He cast his gaze back, his maroon eyes discovering the same person who had rudely barged into him, walking slowly towards him.
Was that a triumphant light in their eyes?
Nico suddenly felt a shiver crawl down his spine. A sense of danger spread through his mind.
He backed up slowly, only to run into a passerby.
"Watch where you're going, freak!"
Nico hastily apologised, looking behind him.
His face turned grim.
'Blazing Fates!'
At the end of the walkway, right before the entrance of the Merchant Association, a figure similar to the previous hooded individual stood.
The boy spied something akin to a disdainful sneer playing upon the person's lips. The sensation of danger in his mind tripled.
He clutched for his pocket, where the failsafe his aunt and mother had given him in the event something were to go wrong, resided.
Yet, he was hesitant to use it just yet. It was better to get out of this mess by himself.
Nico couldn't rely on Beverly and Cynthia all the time.
He had to learn to be self-sufficient.
This was a good start.
Nico scanned his surroundings urgently and discovered a side street that led into a dark alley. Strangely, the shadows there appeared to be thicker than normal. It contrasted with the flare of the sun that lit up the walkway a few meters from it.
Nico didn't have any time to ponder on the abnormality. He pushed aside any second doubts and dashed for the alley. Idly, the back of his mind registered two sets of rapid footsteps striking the ground behind him.
He tore through the sidestreet until he lunged into the alley. Darkness enveloped him.
Nico blinked rapidly, still moving. He couldn't afford to slow down. His feet struck a discarded bottle of beer, sending the object flying with a clang.
He cursed.
Trailing behind, a set of shouts and instructions streamed into Nico's ears. He gritted his teeth and paused, groping blindly for a moment, before sticking his back to the wall; his ears strained to hear any sound.
Trying to shut out the noise of his laboured breathing, he focused intently…
… and barely discerned the sound of approaching footsteps over his erratic panting.
Nico's blood pressure spiked, adrenaline now coursing through his veins. The sudden rush allowed his eyes to adjust quickly.
He detected an old, worn-down building in front of him.
The boy dashed inside the derelict structure. He stifled a cough and crinkled his nose as the scent of dust and grime tried to invade his nostrils.
Nico held his breath and swivelled his neck, making sense of the vague shapes in the dark.
His eyes widened slightly in relief. There was a staircase at the far end, leading up to the upper levels.
He ascended the steps, his heart hammering in his chest. Nico swayed as his feet landed on the second level, a feeling of dizziness assaulting him from holding his breath in for too long. He held onto the crumbling banister to stop his fall.
He rested for a moment before doubling his efforts. Beneath, his ears registered the sound of nearby voices. As he wrestled his panic under control, Nico burst onto the third level.
Here, there were no more stairs leading up. This was the highest level.
'What do I do now?' he thought pensively with a hint of worry.
His eyes flitted through the space, unsure of what to do or where to go. The noise of the two figures hurriedly ascending the steps was akin to a countdown to his doom.
He didn't even know why the people were chasing him. Yet, based on the fiery red hair he spied underneath the first individual's hood, he could make an educated guess.
'Bastards! How did they find me already?!'
With no more time to think, Nico sped along the corridor, desperately trying to find a way out of his predicament.
That was… until he saw it.
A glint of silver flashed in the darkness. It came from the door at the far end of the corridor filled with grime, cobwebs, and mold.
Nico braced himself as the noise behind him reached a fever pitch.
With his heart beating at a million miles an hour, the brown-haired sprinted forward and opened the door…
***
'What the…'
Nico's jaw went slack. This was not what he had in mind.
As the door shut behind him, he blinked multiple times. All around him lay not a single speck of dust.
The floor, walls, ceiling… as Nico's gaze roamed the interior of the space, he could find no sordidness.
Everything seemed to be kept immaculately clean.
That was another thing. How well maintained the room seemed. The bookshelves at the far end, the table near the window…
…Nico stiffened.
The sound of faint snoring reached his ears.
Following that, the silver flash from earlier reappeared. Only this time, he received a full view of what it was.
'A cat… seriously?'
He rubbed his eyes to make sure they weren't deceiving him. Yet, the sight before him remained the same.
A small, lithe form with argent fur, and bright, intelligent eyes stared back at him curiously. Faced with its unusual gaze, Nico didn't know quite how to feel.
The creature tilted its head at him briefly, before meowing softly. It turned and jumped on a table filled with an innumerable number of items and meowed more loudly.
Behind the massive, disorderly pile, the source of the snuffling seemed to be the strongest.
Just then, a cloaked individual shot up in a tangled heap. Their head barely reached above the congestion in front of them.
They groaned groggily, lazily waving their hands toward the mess. It swiftly disappeared, save for a few specific items. The most notable of them were jugs of varying sizes.
'Eh?'
Nico blinked.
Was that person in possession of a space ring?
He narrowed his eyes slightly, keeping his guard up.
The cat meowed again.
"Huh…" a mumble came in response.
As the mysterious figure awoke fully with a start, Nico studied them in a mix of curiosity and apprehension.
Grime covered the individual's frame, diametrically opposing the cleanliness of the room. A greasy grey beard peeked out from beneath the cloak.
Nico's nose crinkled in distaste. Especially once he saw the man holding a jug of wine and taking a sip.
He cleared his throat.
The hooded man finally looked in his direction; the confused haziness that claimed his eyes was all but gone.
"And who might you be, young one?" The mysterious figure scratched his filthy beard.
"...Nico," the brown-haired boy replied after a pause. His eyes scrutinised the man warily, "I was being chased, and uh, stumbled upon this place after seeing a silver flash."
"Ah, I see you've met Argus, then…" The man grinned to himself, a set of crooked, stained teeth appearing from that action.
Nico pushed down the instinctive sense of repulsion in his stomach. He scanned the room again.
He could jump out the window if things turned for the worst. Although, Nico would rather not do that. After all, he had only just gotten out of the hospital recently. That fall was bound to break a few of his bones.
Just then, a banging noise resounded from the door. He flinched and cast an anxious glance towards the egress.
"Don't worry, they won't be able to enter." The mysterious elder waved his hands dismissively, swaying slightly after having another sip of wine.
'What a drunken fool…' Nico groaned internally, watching the man belch.
"How do I get out of here?" he asked with the politest tone he could muster. "I have some urgent matters to attend to."
The dirty man shifted his head suddenly and stared at Nico intensely.
The boy took an involuntary step back.
"Now, now… isn't it terribly rude of you to leave right after you've just arrived?" Another loud belch. "Especially after you've woken me up, no less!" his face darkened briefly.
"But, it was the ca-"
"Don't mind the… hic… details!" the elder snapped, waving his hands in a drunken manner. He inched closer to Nico.
The brown-haired boy gulped.
The thumping on the door increased in volume and intensity.
Nico paled slightly before composing himself. A hesitant expression appeared on his face, "Then, what do you want me to do?"
"Oh, just have a nice chat with… me, is all. It isn't every day I get visitors."
Nico sighed. He shifted his gaze towards the man's shoulder, where Argus continued to peer at him as if he had just found an interesting new toy to play with…
Faced with an old, drunken fool, and a strangely intelligent cat, Nico massaged his eyebrows and cried internally:
'Nice chat, my blazing rear!'