PROLOGUE ARC - THE RUINED WORLD - Ch01. Thief robbing thief

I never thought that they were right.

You know, when people say that when you die, life flashes through your eyes.

But as the hands of my father, Octavius Blake, wrapped around my neck, squeezing the air out of my lungs...

I saw everything that led me to this very moment.

When I died.

And came back to life...

***

My second hand holowatch beeped and showed the funds window as I stared at the bakery's entrance.

<ZERO CREDITS>

Shit... My stomach growled like a savage as I watched.

How can an honest person steal something with an empty stomach?

I needed some wallets to exchange for a new, second hand datapad, but it seemed my job would have to wait.

The streets were crowded due to the time.

It was breakfast time, and regulars flocked the streets, ready to pick up some coffee and food before their daily routine.

The perfect opportunity to get some credits and grab something to eat, before getting on with my day.

Walking like I had nothing to do with anyone around, my hands moved almost as if they had a mind of their own.

The pockets of my hoodie soon were filled with a handful of wallets, rings, and even some necklaces.

My stomach was still rumbling, but I felt the smile on my face as I walked away from the street, jogging my way towards the abandoned building where I made my shelter.

"Tough days, ain't it, Kurt?" Nikolai asked as he saw me approaching through the entrance. "Aren't you tired of going after these useless electronics and forgetting to feed?"

The Russian smirked.

Nikolai didn't give two shits if I was well fed or not.

The only thing he cared about was what I brought him everyday.

"You tell me, Nikolai. You're one to complain about every single thing..." I said, as I displayed my earnings from the morning.

"Huh, Let's see what we have here..."

And the Russian began checking the contents of the wallets, the jewels, everything.

But as he went through the jewels, something caught his attention.

And mine, too.

But how did I steal it?

I don't remember having bumped into any of them.

"How did you get your hands on it, Kurt...?"

Nikolai's tone was dead cold.

And as we weren't the only ones in the building, we all would be, soon.

It was a pocket watch with an emblem.

But the problem wasn't the watch itself.

It was that, in the world that we lived, not many people used pocket watches.

Very few of them did, actually.

How did I steal it?

"Oh, shit!" Nikolai grumbled as he put everything in a bag, hurriedly.

My eyes went wide as I felt the invisible grip of an telekinetic ability locking me in place.

Nikolai tried to run, but he still got caught by the invisible force.

Everyone in the building was caught.

"Oh, fuck..." I Grumbled, feeling the grip tightening.

"Oh, fuck. Indeed." I hear a voice behind me.

It didn't take much for me to realize the mistake I made.

"How do you want to die, brat?" The voice spoke again.

If I had breakfast earlier, I wouldn't have been caught in such a mess.

The pocket watch belonged to one of the National Wielders Association's members.

And if I weren't mistaken, the voice behind me belonged to none other than Quintus Blake, of the monitoring division.

And my brother...

"I asked... How. Do. You. Want. To. Die." He said, tightening his telekinetic grip even more.

"STOP, please..." I begged.

I couldn't breathe anymore, and if he tightened his grip a bit more around me, I would certainly die.

But as luck would have it, he loosened the grip, and I could breathe again.

I gasped, coughed, and turned around to see the figure of my brother, in his elegant division uniform.

"I'm feeling merciful today, so I'll just give you a piece of advice."

I looked at him as the air around me became dead silent.

And soon after, I heard the sounds of bone snapping.

Nikolai fell, lifeless, in front of me, his neck twisted.

Same as everyone on that floor.

Same as everyone in the building, I imagined.

Shit!

Living that life, it was every man by himself.

If you're not a hunter, you're prey.

And being born a regular, we were all prey to the power of the wielders.

They had abilities that we couldn't even dare to dream, and I wasn't one of them.

I could just watch as people I spent years in the streets with, fell, lifeless, before the mighty ability of my brother...

"I was just kidding." Quintus said, with a laugh. "But I'll be a nice older brother, and give you a chance. There's something I need you to do."

I waited for him to keep talking.

Because the longer he talked, the longer I would keep breathing.

"I know you're quite the thief." He said, looking down at me, as I dared not to get up. "If you were an awakened, and became a wielder... You could even pass the test of the Shadow guild."

But I was just a regular.

Joining a guild was nothing but a fever dream for me.

And there was my brother to prove it.

He had everything I could ever dream of.

Power, abilities, a very good job.

And most of all...

The approval of our father.

"But regulars like you..." he kept on speaking.

And I kept on breathing.

"Most of you still hang onto the illusion that you have some power over the world. But you don't, because we carry the power, now. And soon, you'll all find out."

I didn't understand what he wanted to say with that, but I let him speak.

"And as for you... I have a job for you. Unless you want to die like them..."

"What's the job...?" I asked, not really wanting to do it, but what choice did I have?

"Smart boy." Quintus said, a wicked grin spreading through his lips.

And I knew it was trouble.

"There's something that father has, and he doesn't need it anymore. So... I need you to steal it for me..."