They Called Me Forsaken, Not Knowing I Was the Dragon God

Chapter SIX

After leaving the gang behind, Aeron did not wait around for the old man to thank him, because whatever gratitude the man wanted to offer could wait, and he had already spent more than enough time in that part of the city.

His thoughts remained fixed on what had happened earlier, particularly on the strange power that had surged through his body when Valeor allowed him to borrow a fraction of his strength.

Even though the power had been terrifying enough to crush five men in moments, the pain that followed had been just as frightening, leaving every muscle in his body aching as though he had pushed himself far beyond his limits.

Whatever Valeor truly was, Aeron knew one thing.

He could not depend on that power carelessly.

His body was not ready for it.

With barely enough money to last him a few days, he headed toward the poorer side of Valerius, hoping to find somewhere cheap enough to sleep without wasting everything he had. He barely turned into a narrow street when a commotion ahead made him slow his steps.

A young man came rushing out of a small food shop with a loaf of bread clutched tightly against his chest. His worn shoes slapping against the uneven ground as he desperately tried to put as much distance between himself and the shop as possible.

He did not make it far.

The shopkeeper caught him by the back of his shirt and dragged him around so violently that the bread slipped from his hands and landed in the dirt.

“You little thief!”

The young man struggled against his grip, his breathing uneven as he pleaded, “Please, sir, I was hungry.”

“Hungry?” The shopkeeper sneered, his face twisting with anger as he shook him. “You think being hungry gives you the right to steal from me?”

He raised his hand but Aeron swiftly stepped forward without warning.

The shopkeeper’s palm stopped inches from the young man’s face.

“That’s enough.”

The man turned sharply, his irritation immediately shifting toward Aeron.

“Who are you?”

“Someone telling you to stop.”

The shopkeeper looked Aeron up and down, clearly unimpressed by the interruption. And when his eyes landed on the tiny snake curled around Aeron’s wrist, a mocking smile appeared on his face.

“This boy stole from my shop, and unless you’re planning to pay for what he took, you should move before you become part of the problem.”

Aeron ignored the insult and looked toward the young man instead.

He appeared to be around Aeron’s age, perhaps slightly younger, but his thin frame, hollow cheeks, and tired eyes made him look as though he had spent far too long surviving on whatever scraps he could find.

His worn out clothes and unkempt hair only made the hunger written across his face more obvious.

Aeron reached into his pocket and brought out several coins.

“How much?”

The shopkeeper hesitated, apparently surprised that Aeron had actually chosen to pay, before naming the price.

Aeron handed him the money.

The shopkeeper snatched the coins, shoved the young man away, and pointed toward the street.

“Take your food and disappear before I change my mind.”

The young man stared at Aeron as though he could not understand what had just happened.

Aeron bent down, picked up the loaf from the dirt, brushed the worst of the dust away, and held it out to him.

The young man’s expression became even more confused.

“Eat.”

The young man accepted the bread slowly.

“Why?”

“Because you are hungry.”

“You’re not going to report me?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Aeron had already started walking.

“Because stealing food will eventually get you killed.”

The young man stared after him for a second before hurriedly following, taking his first bite as he walked. The speed at with which he chewed made Aeron briefly wonder how many meals the boy had missed before deciding that bread was worth risking a beating for.

“My name is Jace,” the boy finally said after swallowing.

Aeron kept walking, without stopping.

Jace waited. “You didn’t tell me yours.”

“I didn’t ask for yours.”

Jace blinked, then laughed despite himself. “You are strange.”

“So I have been told.”

“You don’t look like someone from this part of the city,” Jace observed smartly.

“I’m not,” Aeron answered lazily.

“Oh, where are you from?”

Aeron ignored him. He was already getting tired of the continuous questions.

Jace continued beside him anyway, apparently unaffected by the lack of answers.

As they moved through the crowded street, the young man’s curiosity slowly became more obvious because he kept glancing at Aeron, studying the way he walked and carried himself as though he were trying to figure out what kind of person could look so calm after everything that had happened.

Then Jace noticed the tiny snake wrapped loosely around Aeron’s wrist. His chewing slowed.

“That is your Guardian Beast?”

“Yes.”

Jace looked at the snake again, then at Aeron, and his expression became strangely sympathetic.

“That’s… unfortunate.”

Aeron’s eyes shifted toward him.

Jace immediately lifted both hands.

“I’m just saying what everyone else would say.”

“I don’t care what everyone else says.”

There was no bitterness in Aeron’s voice, only a quiet indifference that made Jace stare at him for a moment before smiling.

“You really don’t, do you?”

Aeron continued walking.

After several more minutes, he finally stopped and looked over his shoulder.

“Why are you still following me?”

“Because you don’t know this city.”

“I will manage.”

“You also don’t have enough money to last very long.”

Aeron’s expression hardened slightly.

Jace noticed the change immediately and raised his hands.

“I am not insulting you, I’m helping you.”

“Why?”

Jace shrugged, responding, “I know places where you can sleep cheaply, which streets to avoid after dark, which shopkeepers will cheat you if you look unfamiliar, and where people actually pay strangers for work.”

Aeron studied him for a moment.

“And what do you want in return?”

“Nothing.”

Aeron raised an eyebrow.

Jace sighed. “Fine. Maybe food.”

For the briefest moment, something almost resembling amusement crossed Aeron’s face, but it disappeared so quickly that Jace could not be certain he had seen it.

Aeron turned and continued walking.

Jace immediately brightened.

“So that’s a yes?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t tell me to leave either.”

“You are annoying.”

“I hear that often.”

They continued through the crowded streets, and Jace’s knowledge of Valerius quickly became obvious as he led Aeron through streets that grew progressively narrower and poorer, pointing out shortcuts. He warned Aeron about certain corners, and casually mentioning which gangs controlled different areas as though he had spent years memorizing every dangerous place in the city.

Eventually, he pointed toward a darker section ahead.

“If you want quick money, there’s somewhere better than looking for ordinary work.”

Aeron followed his gaze.”What?”

“The arena.”

Aeron frowned, clearly confused.

Jace explained that the underground arena held Guardian Beast fights almost every night, attracting fighters from different parts of Valerius who were willing to risk broken bones, serious injuries, and sometimes their lives for the money offered by gamblers. According to him, the stronger a fighter was, the more money they could make.

Aeron listened quietly.

“You have fought there?”

Jace laughed so hard that he nearly choked on the bread.

“Me? Look at me.”

Aeron looked him over. “ I did.”

“Exactly. I can’t fight.”

“Then how do you know about it?”

Jace shrugged.

“I have been around it long enough.”

The answer was simple, but Aeron noticed that Jace’s tone changed whenever he spoke about the arena, suggesting that he knew far more about the place than he was willing to explain.

“People make money there?”

“Good money, if you’re strong enough.”

Aeron looked ahead. Money was exactly what he needed.

“Take me there.”

Jace grinned.

“I knew you would say that.”

They continued deeper into the poorer district until the streets became narrower, the buildings more worn, and the sounds of ordinary city life gradually disappeared beneath something louder and rougher.

Shouting.

Laughter.

The clash of metal, the roar of a crowd.

Jace led Aeron through a narrow side entrance and into the underground arena. The moment Aeron stepped inside, he understood why Jace had warned him not to cause trouble.

It was nothing like a respectable fighting hall.

The air was thick with the smell of sweat, blood, cheap alcohol, and smoke, while fighters stood around the edges of the room with injuries that had clearly never received proper treatment.

Gamblers crowded around wooden tables shouting over one another, and in the center of the arena, two Guardian Beast users were tearing into each other beneath the screams of the crowd.

One fighter was slammed hard against the ground.

Nobody rushed forward to help. A man simply grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away while the gamblers immediately turned their attention toward the next match, already shouting new bets as though the injured man had never existed.

Jace leaned closer to Aeron. “ Don’t cause trouble here.”

Aeron glanced at him.

“Why?”

“The people who run this place don’t care who’s right or wrong,” Jace whispered, his eyes moving cautiously across the room. “They only care whether you’re useful.”

Aeron nodded. They approached the entrance leading toward the fighters’ area, where several heavily built men stood guarding the passage.

One of them stepped forward.

“Entry f*e.”

Aeron looked at him.

“How much?”

The man named the price.

Aeron’s eyebrows drew together slightly.

“That much?”

“You want to fight or not?”

Before Aeron could answer, another guard noticed the tiny snake wrapped around his wrist, and a burst of laughter immediately came from the men nearby.

“What kind of Guardian Beast is that?”

The others turned.

“A snake?”

“That little thing is his beast?”

“Maybe he brought it here to scare rats.”

Their laughter spread through the entrance.

Jace’s expression tightened.

“He’s here to fight.”

One of the guards looked directly at Aeron.

“You?”

Aeron remained calm, “ Yes.”

The man’s amusement slowly turned into mockery.

“You expect us to believe someone carrying a tiny snake can survive one round?”

Jace stepped forward. “ You don’t have to believe him. Just let him enter.”

The guard’s eyes narrowed.

“And who asked you?”

“I did.” Jace swallowed, but he refused to step back.

The man’s expression hardened. “ You’ve got a lot to say for someone who can’t even defend himself.”

Jace’s mouth opened, but before he could answer, the guard stepped closer and raised his hand.…,,,