"Hey, stop right there!" a man wearing a red hat shouted, his voice echoing as he sprinted after a young boy.
The cold air bit at Oliver's skin, unforgiving as he sprinted down the narrow alley. His breath came in ragged gasps, each inhale searing his lungs. His shoes slapped against the wet pavement, the sound bouncing off the brick walls surrounding him. He didn't dare look back; if he did, the man would be right behind him, so close he could almost feel the man's breath on his neck.
As Oliver darted between alleyways, he heard the man's yelling growing louder. Turning a corner, he spotted a thick bush and, without hesitation, dove into it.
The man walked past, unaware of Oliver's presence. Oliver breathed a sigh of relief. The basket of bread clutched in his hands was vital—he needed it to feed himself and the others in his group.
Oliver had been an orphan for as long as he could remember. He was taken to an orphanage shortly after birth, but when he was about ten, the orphanage shut down due to lack of funding. Left to fend for himself, Oliver sought shelter wherever he could. In a world ravaged by monsters and demons, the three great nations were humanity's only defense against extinction. Food and shelter had become scarce, and Oliver had to resort to stealing just to survive.
He had wandered the streets for years before he found a group of older orphans who had made a crude shelter out of logs from the nearby forest. The group took pity on him, letting him stay with them.
However, life with them was far from kind. As the youngest, Oliver was often bullied. The older orphans made him do most of the stealing while they handled safer, less risky chores. He had grown used to the mistreatment—it had been six years since he had joined their group. Recently, though, one of the orphans had fallen severely ill, and Oliver had been sent out to steal extra food to help.
As Oliver returned to their shelter, he was immediately met with a rough slap on the back.
"Oliver, what took you so long?" Jaylen, the oldest of the group, smirked. He grabbed the basket of bread and bit into one of the loaves. But he immediately spat it out in disgust. "What the hell is this?!" he yelled. "Why does it taste so bitter?"
Another boy, Landon, held up the basket and grimaced. "Hey, look, this shit expired a week ago!" he shouted. His eyes narrowed as he glanced at Justin, who was lying sick in bed. "Are you trying to kill Justin?" Landon yelled, slapping Oliver across the cheek.
The sting of the slap made Oliver's anger flare, but he held it in check. He couldn't afford to retaliate—if he did, he might be kicked out of the shelter for good.
"I'm sorry," Oliver said, keeping his voice as neutral as possible. "I was caught too early and didn't have time to check the basket."
Jaylen laughed cruelly. "If you want to keep living with us, you'd better carry your weight," he sneered. "If you don't bring food by sunset, you're out."
"I'll get the food. Trust me," Oliver muttered, quickly leaving through the door.
Jaylen's smirk faded as he watched Oliver leave, the threat lingering in the air. Oliver knew he had little time to prove himself or risk being thrown out. His thoughts raced as he pushed through the door, determined not to fail.
As Oliver eventually made his way back towards the shops littered around near the alleyways, he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder.
"That's the boy who stole bread from me!" a familiar voice shouted. Oliver turned around to see the man in the red hat, the one he had stolen from.
Before Oliver could react, the man pointed to a guard.
The guard spoke harshly. "These dirty orphans need to be kept off the streets. Don't worry, I'll handle this one."
Without another word, the guard grabbed Oliver by the arm and dragged him away. Oliver knew better than to resist. The guards of Aldera were known for their brutality, and resisting would only make things worse.
After walking for several minutes, they reached a teleportation crystal. These crystals came in pairs and allowed the user to teleport to any location that had the corresponding crystal. The guard squeezed the crystal, and in an instant, they were transported to a dungeon. It looked old and neglected, as if it had never been cleaned.
The guard roughly shoved Oliver into a cell. "The dungeon master will be with you soon," he said before walking away.