The wind has been salty as ever, corroding everything it touched every day. Still, the setting sun through the various sails created beautiful scenery for whoever enjoys the evening beauty of the sea from the docks.

Adam placed the last crate on the stack, or the last he can move with his frail body, work he could do was not nearly enough for an eighteen-year-old boy, but it was way good enough for a boy who had barely enough to eat, and skinny as a skeleton.

He slowly limped back to the ground, using crates as support to his back. He watched the scenery of the sea and to the far horizon, unlike people who came to watch the sundown, what Adam saw was the blowing wind against the sails and dark clouds floating towards the city.

‘It’s going to rain again.’

He thought, brushing the sweat from his forehead. 

‘Hopefully, I will not be sick by tomorrow.’

A few months back, he had a worn-out blanket for himself to protect himself from the cold; he was sure his ripped and thin cape would not protect him from this cold rain. Adam remembered his old home in the village before they left it to arrive at the west coast city.

Adam’s father was a hunter who he never knew. Like many others, he went to the woods to hunt and never returned. Still, things were good for him and his mother with their small farm. However, life in the village got more and more dangerous, and people started to move more and more away from their old village.

Adam and his mother were among the last batches to leave the village. They travelled for months to get to the heart of the Crimson Empire, West Coast city, from the distant Black dragon empire to all the way through the border of the Crimson Empire.

The Black Dragon empire was famous for its military might. However, inside the empire, the poor had the least security. Unless you work for a noble in a city or a manor. Poor villages only got one visit from the noble cavalry per year, which was also to collect taxes. There were many villages on the way here, some strong men and their families settled in some of them. The others who had no strength to survive in the wilds travelled to the East Coast port and then to the capital, looking for work.

Adam’s mother never told him the reason they had to come to the city and never tried to settle in one of the villages. However, long travel and bad weather affected her in a very bad way. She didn’t survive more than a few days after arriving on the West Coast. That was five years back. Now, the only thing Adam had to carry the memory of his loving mother was her necklace, a silver chain with a wolf’s head.

He kept this well-hidden and survived through whatever he could do, all these years just to survive another day. Adam realised the problem after living here for the first few months. They were not the only village running away from home.

More and more people started to arrive on the West Coast, especially from the northern area of the continent. There, the war between countries was a part of day-to-day life, and the refugees were like the sand on the beach, or that’s what the people coming to say.

The problem was that there were so many people that this city could provide for. Recently, they only accepted people who could work and their families. To others, this might be a good thing. However, for people like Adam, this was the worst. Each day stronger and stronger people took the jobs and people like him had no chance of survival.

“It’s time you go home, kid.” 

He saw the smiling face of old Jack, but he could see the pity in that face. 

Adam didn’t detest old Jack, the dock keeper. The only reason he still had the job was because of him. He too, like Adam, was once a refugee from the Black Dragon Empire, but someone who came long ago and settled here.

He had the same build as people from the east, while here in the Crimson empire natives were bulkier and fairer.

“Here you go, kid.” 

Jack threw a few coins into Adam’s hand. 

“You better try to find another job kid, they will hire some newcomer soon,”

Adam knew that Jack told this out of goodwill and he could do nothing but smile. 

“I know, thank you, old Jack.” 

He slowly picked himself up from the ground and staggered toward the port district.

… 

He preferred the main road. Even though people looked at him like a beggar, no one tried to harm him, at least not until people who had a little too much to drink came to the streets. And still, it’s better than getting robbed in an alley and losing everything.

He slowly but before dark made his way to the bakery in front of a dark alley. Even though he had money, he waited patiently outside. The middle-aged woman who owned the shop would not say anything even if he entered. However, he knew his condition better, ragged clothes and smelly. The last thing Adam wanted to do was to hinder her business. She had been too kind to him, and this was the only way he could repay her.

He endured the different gazes at him until the number of people entering the shop got lesser and lesser. Finally, as Adam decided to go in, the door opened again and a middle-aged man with a strong build walked out with a big bag made of dried leaves in hand.

Adam knew him, the owner’s husband, and the city guard, Mr Han. He smiled and greeted the man who had helped him plenty of times. 

“Mr Han,”

“Here you go, kid.” 

He held the bag toward him. Adam took the bag and felt it was heavy. More food was always good, but he will need to save some money to buy more ink tomorrow. He took out all the money he had earned today, two silver and six copper coins, half of the average pay of a dockhand.

Adam didn’t hesitate to give both silver coins to Mr Han. 

However, the latter rejected it. 

“No need kid, we are closing before dark tonight, go home before dark,” 

Before Adam said anything, the man turned back to go in. 

“Go home fast kid, last night three people went missing,”

Adam wanted to give some money, but this information alarmed him. A few times a week, people, mostly the refugees on the streets, went missing in this city. However, today, Adam felt something was wrong. Usually, the residents rarely closed their houses and shops before dark, and Mr Han was not working today. Which meant something was not right.

He made his way toward the dark alley in front of the shop. His home or the little hut he lived in was not far from here. Still, he wanted to finish the food before the night and make sure no uninvited guest would come to his little hut. Because he was not alone.

Adam saw the clouds gathering above the city as he made his way into the far corner of the alley. Along the way, there were many small huts made of wood and branches, barely enough to protect its residents from nature.

Finally, he stood in front of a similar house that had a wooden board as a door; he brought it from the docks. 

“Amy.” 

He called, pushing the board aside.

“Brother.” 

A weak but happy voice came from the dark hut.

“Here you go.” 

He gave the bag to the little girl who ran to him. She immediately carried it inside and sat on the ground. Obviously, she was hungry.

The little girl of six or seven years old had a much better body than him. Her father was a fisherman who came to the city after Adam settled there. He also worked in the docks just like him and was much nicer to him. He and Amy were his neighbours. That was until one day, two years ago, he didn’t return from the night shift on the docks.

Girls, even a minor like Amy, would not survive among refugees for more than a few days without someone to protect them. That was the time when he decided to help this girl and took her in. There were so many days her father helped him, and as his gratitude, he was taking care of her.

“Did you bring water?” 

He rustled her hair and asked in a gentle voice.

“Uh-huh.” 

She was too full to talk but raised her little hand toward the wooden bucket

Adam drank some water and took the straw mat from the corner. He laid it on the floor where he knew the water wouldn't leak. This was Amy’s bed that her father bought from someone.

“Did you practise the letters I teach you today?” 

He asked the little girl. His mother did the same when he was little, and now he was doing it for her. Maybe she would have a better living than him.

“Uh-huh.”

The girl nodded.

Adam waited patiently until she finished eating and then he picked up what was left. He couldn’t leave any food as a leftover, if it attracted some loose dogs or worse, a human, that would be unwanted trouble. The night was the worst in this city, and maybe in the whole world.

Thunder started to rumble, and raindrops started to hammer against his hut. He finished the last bun and didn’t hesitate to throw out the bag and close his little door. Darkness was approaching fast. Through small holes in the hut, he could see far on the main road, street lamps giving off some light.

“Sleep now,” 

He urged the girl to the mat. 

“Before I go tomorrow, I will teach you some more letters.” 

Adam could guess she must be having a hard time hiding in this place

“Okay.” 

She looked happy after a full meal, he covered her with the only blanket available, it was worn-out and smelly but still it would protect her from the cold.

Then came the sleepless night for Adam. He had to stay awake to make sure the girl would have a proper sleep without anyone or anything barging in here. Like every day, he hoped to get some sleep in the morning.

……………….

Adam heard a shout as he was drifting off in the corner. He realised the rain had stopped. However, it was dark outside. He felt danger from the long-acquired survival instinct. He slowly opened the door and looked outside.

‘Oh no.’ 

He immediately identified the men carrying torches and laughing aloud, they had some things in their hands. Obviously robbed from some poor refugee. 

‘Butcher’s men.’ 

He knew ‘Butcher,’ a thug who lived by robbing refugees. He was not worried if he was alone, but Amy was something these men would love to rob.

‘City guards must have passed here.’ 

He cursed silently, these men knew very well the routine of the guard and always managed to slip past. Adam slowly made his way to Amy and closed her mouth shut with his hand. 

The little girl woke up in a panic.

“Amy, it’s me, don’t make a sound okay?” 

She immediately stopped the struggle. 

“Uh-huh,”

“Cover yourself up, and whatever happens, don’t make a sound, okay?” 

He still kept his hand on her mouth. 

“Uh-huh,”

“Until I come back tomorrow don’t leave the house.” 

Giving her the last instruction he covered her properly including the head. Then he slowly made his way to the door and to the sturdy branch he kept by it and got ready. He could already hear the cries of his neighbours. However, he was in no position to help.

He waited patiently until the light came to his doorstep and someone pushed the door. As the door opened, he landed a hit with all his might.

“Ahhh.” 

The painful cry indicated his success, Adam landed another hit on the fallen man and kicked the torch away, making sure no light would come to the house. Then, he ran out. 

“Catch him.” 

Someone screamed.

Adam knew what to do. He had to run, run until he could see city guards or it would be the end. He might not be able to live here from tomorrow, but he could worry about it later.

Adam ran with all his might. 

‘Success’ 

He thought as the light from the street lamps got closer and closer.

“Fuck!” 

He cursed out loud because he had the bad luck to trip and fall on the stone road. The pain hit him hard, and he had no strength to get up.

“You got some guts.” 

He received a kick to the midsection, and he barely saw the man before another kick landed on his head and he felt a warm liquid flowing on the side of his face. He thought he was going to die here tonight.

“Who goes there?” 

A loud shout came from the side. 

‘City guards.’ 

Hope and despair came to him at the same time. If he survived, he would be going to jail, and after coming out he would have no job.

Adam still had some luck left. As city guards chased after running men ignoring him, he slowly dragged himself to a dark corner between two houses and curled into a ball.

Adam felt his conciseness fading away, and before his eyes closed, he heard a weird noise in his head.

“Wolf God system initiating,”