"How many times do I have to tell you? Stop bringing me this trash. Find a job or bring useful things—you're hurting my business, kid."
Hossam, a well-known trader who runs a shop selling old devices and equipment in the slums, glared at the skinny boy in front of him. "Listen, Tobi, I've lost count of how many times I bought these things from you without making any profit," Hossam said.
The skinny teenager turned to leave the shop, but Hossam stopped him. "Damn it, but this is the last time, I swear. You hear that, Tobi? Don't bring me this junk again, or I'll throw it right in your face!" He extended his hand, showing his electronic bracelet. "Quickly, before I change my mind."
In this new world, digital currency was the norm. Everyone used something called SP—Stone Points.
"Now get out of my shop! You're ruining my business," Hossam said, pushing Tobi out.
"Thank you, sir," Tobi replied.
He walked through the narrow alleys toward his home, an abandoned house on the outskirts of the city, where artificial sunlight barely reached. Far from the slums, it was a place nobody lived, but for Tobi, it was more comfortable and peaceful—most importantly, it was free.
"Okay, I get it, so stop avoiding me," a voice called out.
A little black fox had been chasing Tobi all the way, but the boy kept ignoring it.
"But you must agree with me—what I told you was true. Well, it's always true, hehe… Come on, talk to me! You're killing me like this. Aren't you the one who wanted me as your friend?" The fox smiled.
Growing up alone in the slums, Tobi didn't remember anything about his parents or anyone ever taking care of him or offering any help. The moment he could walk, he was alone and relied only on himself. He had never found anyone to talk to. He had been lonely all his life.
Before he could even remember, he invented an imaginary friend to save him from the nightmare of loneliness. The little fox's name was Friend. The moment Friend appeared in Tobi's life, everything became easier, and life felt less lonely and less painful.
Even before Tobi could learn to speak properly, he called the fox Friend and never stopped. Friend never corrected him. That's how the little black fox got his name.
"The old man always starts by kicking us out of his shop and complaining, but in the end, he pays us for what we bring him. I think we'd better stop taking advantage of his kindness," Tobi said to the fox.
"His kindness? What he gives you barely pays for one meal. Look at yourself. You're barely eating. Damn, I don't even eat, and I look better than you. Soon, you'll be a walking skeleton. No one will recognize you but me," the fox sneered.
"Why do we even live?" Tobi asked as he opened the door to his house.
"What? Here he goes again with his stupid suicidal thoughts. You can't go a single day without talking about your miserable life. You know, most of the people here in the slums are in the same condition as us. Instead of thinking of a plan to get out of this situation, you just keep looking for the easy way," the fox said.
"Is there another way out of this hell?"
...
...
"That's what I thought."
"We can wait. Maybe one day you'll get a chance. Maybe you'll become a Supe like the rest of the people who escaped from this place." Friend looked at Tobi, trying to motivate him.
"At this age, it's impossible to become a Supe."
Tobi went to his bed and lay down. His house had nothing worth looking at. Everything was either stolen or scavenged from the city dump.
His bed was worn out, filled with dust and dirt stains. Exhausted, Tobi lay down, not caring about anything. He stared at the ceiling and its many cracks.
"Now that I think about it, I always wanted a friend to talk to, and then you came. But now, you've become a curse that keeps me going in this cursed world," he said before falling asleep.
Friend kept watching him as he slept.
...
"I feel like I slept too long," Tobi said as he woke up, looking at his bracelet. "It's been over fourteen hours. I think we should go eat something. I haven't eaten in two days, and I forgot to buy food on the way back."
Tobi looked around.
"Friend?!"
"I can't believe you're mad at me now. Come on, show yourself. We have a lot to do," Tobi said, looking tense.
"Okay, you win. I apologize if I offended you."
"FRIEND!!!" Tobi screamed.
"Okay, okay, here I am. Stop yelling. My ears are going to explode."
The fox emerged from under the ground.
"Look at yourself. I was only gone for two seconds, and you were about to cry. Haha! For a moment, I almost believed you when you said you didn't want to live, but you can't even spend a second alone without me."
The little fox jumped onto Tobi's head.
"Okay, let's get you something to eat before you lose your appetite again."
"Damn, I envy you for being able to hide and come out from under the ground whenever you want," Tobi said.
"I would teach you how to do it, but you're only good at yelling," the fox joked.
"Now stop whining and walk faster," the fox ordered.
They left the house and quickly headed for the city walls.
After the creation of the city, it didn't take long for the population to grow rapidly.
People seeking work, or children whose parents had abandoned or died, swarmed the area. Crime skyrocketed—robbery and kidnapping became frequent, especially once Supes started participating in the chaos.
The government had to intervene to mitigate the situation. That's when the walls were built around the city. It became locked down, and all "useless" residents without homes or jobs were evacuated outside.
This is how the slums ended up beyond the city walls. Entry into the city was now forbidden unless authorized by the government or invited by someone within the city.
Some merchants from inside the city took advantage of this. They began selling leftovers by the walls at low prices to those living outside. The slum residents, powerless to fight back, had no choice but to accept this arrangement—or starve.
Before long, the area became a market, selling not just food but also clothing, equipment, stones, technologies, and tools.
That's where Tobi and Friend were heading now.
Passing by houses that looked like they might collapse at any moment and ignoring the dead or dying people on the streets, Tobi felt nothing. He had grown used to seeing such scenes every day.
It didn't take them long to arrive.