I looked the stranger in front of me up and down...
He was a man around 26 to 28 years old with blond hair and blue eyes. For someone in the Eastern Zone, he looked far too neat and well-groomed, which made me suspect he was not from around here.
"What are you talking about?"
The stranger sighed as if my question were stupid or illogical. "A criminal group... my criminal group."
I nodded thoughtfully before asking, "What is the pay?"
"15 Lokg... per week." He showed a cunning grin, fully aware he had me in the palm of his hand.
I stood there, mouth open, calculating how much money I could make...
If it is 15 Lokg a week, in a month it would be 45 Lokg... I thought.
"I accept."
"Tomorrow same place 10 pm." I nodded before running home.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
A child ran past me, being chased by an older man. The older man dropped a small leather pouch.
As I watched him run off, I could not hide my grin...
I crouched down and picked up the pouch...
"Be more careful sir, anything I see I take," I mocked.
I walked cautiously through the maze of alleyways in the Eastern Zone. Even though I had a revolver, I still had to be careful... after all, I only had 2 bullets...
I opened the pouch while standing in front of the door. 12 Lokg... it has 12 Lokg... just what I need for a whole month.
Heh... heh... heh...
I could not help mocking that man in my mind. I imagined his terrified face when he realized all his savings were gone.
I opened the door with a grin from ear to ear, almost jumping with excitement.
"Rose, I am joining a criminal group that pays 15 Lokg a week."
Rose looked at me with shining eyes. She stood up and pointed at the pouch in my hand.
"This... ha, I stole it from some poor fool who dropped it like an idiot. It has 12 Lokg."
Rose laughed a little and said, "Let me guess... you went to many places, found no job, were walking at night and... boom... you magically met someone who offered you a spot in his gang."
"Something like that."
"Do you want to dance?" I searched my memories, and every time we were happy, we danced... it was like our sibling ritual.
Rose nodded and gently took my hand. Slowly, we started to dance... no song in particular... just freely...
We were perfectly in sync. Rose smiled and hummed a soft melody...
I do not know why, but my brain feels the need to protect Rose... is this what they call sibling bond?
---
Sunday October 13... 6:42 am
I opened my eyes slowly. I placed my bare feet on the cold floor... a shiver ran through my body...
"So cold..."
I left my room yawning and saw Rose about to leave...
"Hey, I am going out to buy some things with the poor fool's money," Rose scoffed at her own words and waved goodbye.
"Wait, I am coming with you."
I ran to my room, got dressed quickly, put the revolver in the same place as yesterday, and returned to Rose...
Rose grabbed my arm tightly...
She was wearing a black Victorian style dress that belonged to our mother. I wore black clothes, a white shirt, and a black hat that belonged to our father.
We walked until we reached the Eastern Zone market...
"Hey beautiful, do you want to... you know... have some fun. It will be just pleasure, nothing more."
A guy approached us, trying to flirt with Rose. She shifted uncomfortably.
I stared right at him... my red eyes hollow, empty... soulless.
He frowned and left to bother someone else. Rose sighed in relief and looked at me with admiration.
Rose pointed at a bakery...
We entered and went to the counter. A girl looked at us and said, "Good morning sir and miss. What would you like?"
"2 bags of bread please," Rose answered, pleased to be called miss.
We waited about 2 minutes...
"All done, please come this way," the same girl said kindly.
Rose grabbed the bread while I waited at the door...
Pam...
"Ouch..."
That hurt so much...
A notebook had fallen on my head, hitting me hard...
I crouched to pick it up and read the cover...
Manual of Rituals...
A ritual manual... where did this come from... was it a coincidence that it fell on me or was it intentional?
"Nero..."
Hearing Rose's voice, I quickly hid the manual inside my coat on the opposite side of my revolver...
She grabbed my arm again in the same position as before while I held the bread in the other hand...
"Nero, I am worried about you," Rose said, turning her gaze away. "I have tried to hide how worried I am about that criminal gang... but I cannot anymore."
"Do not worry... everything will be fine," I said, letting her rest her head on my chest...
She looked unsure, then nodded...
When we got home, I locked myself in my room and placed the Grimoire on the table. I pulled up a chair and sat down.
I opened the first page...
Chapter 1... Transformation Ritual into a Sinner...
What?
Why... why is the page completely torn out?
I turned to the next page... torn as well...
All the pages were torn... I could not even see the chapter titles...
I turned to the last page... the only one intact.
I began to read...
Chapter 134... The Black Tide
Ritual Steps...
Step 1... Use your blood to draw a circle. Do not worry, you will not die... you are in His presence.
Step 2... Stand in the center of the blood circle...
Step 3... Inject your Aura into the circle...
Step 4... Stand in the middle and recite this prayer...
"Oh Holy Lord. You who control the black tide. You who rule the soul. You who call Yourself God, I beg You, help me."
What the hell did I just read?
Who is He...?
What does injecting Aura mean...?
And how am I not supposed to die...? A normal human like me would bleed out...
"Nero... lunch..."
Already...? I must have spent too much time reading.
I put the book in a drawer and went to eat with Rose...
"What time is it?"
"2 pm," Rose said, smiling. "The rice and rex meat are almost done."
She placed 2 plates on the table and handed me a napkin and a spoon. Even though we were poor, that did not mean we lacked elegance.
The juices of the rex meat mixed with the rice, giving it an incredible flavor...
"This tastes amazing..." I said, eating a spoonful of rice.
"After all, my dream is to be a chef," Rose said, pleased with my compliment.
If my interview is at 10 pm and the walk takes 1 hour and 30 minutes, I should leave at 8 to arrive early.
After eating, I stayed in my room waiting for 8...
---
Sunday October 13... 9:12 pm
I had already reached the alley. Inside, there were 4 people... 5 including me...
I leaned against the wall. On my left was a girl, and on my right a boy.
The girl had white hair with platinum edges and ice blue eyes. She wore black pants and a black shirt. To be honest, she was very beautiful.
The boy had completely yellow hair and eyes of the same color. He had a light smile and wore black clothes and a matching hat.
The stranger turned to me and asked, "What is your name?"
"Nero Alexue."
"And you?" he pointed at the girl beside me. She sighed before saying, "Kōri Ukiuq... now the same question for you."
"I am Lux Stella."
Stella... Ukiuq... Those surnames sound foreign... in Nero's memories, I cannot find anyone with those surnames...
48 minutes passed and the alley slowly filled with more people until we were 12 in total...
At exactly 10, the stranger who had offered me the job appeared at the end of the alley...