Prologue: Beat 4

The rain was getting heavier by the second. The boy ran toward the woman, he bumped with many people as he forced his way through and quickly grabbed the woman's pouch inside her robe.

"Ah?!" The woman was surprised. She looked at her pocket and saw a hand inside, grabbing her pouch. She turned her head behind and saw a kid with a robe hiding his face. "My pouch, my pouch! Pickpocket! Guards, help!"

Maybe because the boy was in such a hurry and the anxiety took over his mind, he was being careless. When he pulled the pouch, his hand was stuck and pulled her robe, making her aware of it.

"Where is the pickpocketer?!" Not far from them, they could hear a man amids the sound of pouring rain.

"That kid over there! He ran!" said the woman as she pointed at the boy who was running like crazy.

We will chase him! Ma'am just wait at our guard post!" Another man said as he gave chase with his other colleague.

"Aah! Sh*t! I was careless!" screamed the boy inside as he ran as fast as he could. "With only one eye to see and this rain, I couldn't see those guards!"

"STOP RIGHT THERE! SOMEONE STOP HIM!" shouted the guard.

The people were busy running away because of the rain, no one paid any heed to the guards' words.

The boy was running like crazy. He kept falling too, but he always stood back up. He couldn't be caught or it would be over!

He went through any gaps and shortcuts he knew. But the guards were increasing as he ran, the first two guards who chased the boy kept shouting at their friends they stumbled along the way.

They somehow managed to block the boy's way into the slums. So the boy had to change his plan.

He was very verse in the slums street like the back of his hand. The slums itself was like a maze. So he could easily lose his chaser if he could get into the slums district.

But it seemed like there were some competent guards in this city.

He ran all the way to the southeast part of the city. It was a ruin district of the fire accident that happened a long time ago. This was an abandoned part of the city.

Maybe because of his adrenaline rising up, he got used to his limited sight very quickly. He was now better at least than before where he kept falling.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier. Now it was like a storm. The wind was raging like crazy, the thunder was showing its might.

"STOP! YOU CAN'T RUN ANYMORE!" The guards were shouting, they were the first two guards that chased him all the way from market district to the southeast ruin part of Vrircaster City.

The boy was now cornered with the big river behind him and the guards in front of him. There was no other way to go anymore.

"Ah! Sh*t! What should I do?!" The boy clenched his fist. He could not afford to be caught right now, his brothers and sister were waiting for him!

"Pl–please… just let me go… my brothers and sister are still waiting for me…"

"Hah! After chasing you all the way here, do you think we would let you off easily?" One of the guards said.

The two first guards from before were silent. They were observing the boy's expression.

"Pl–please… or else, they would get beaten again…"

"Stop with the nonsense!" One of the guards was clearly angry. He moved toward the boy.

"I was going to take it easy and laze around enjoying the beer, but this little sh*t ruined it! We ran all the way here in this freaking rain!" Cursed the guard inside, he was really angry.

The boy was unconsciously taking steps back. He was really at the very edge of the river bank.

The river was raging because of the heavy rain, its tide was really fast and the current level of its water was clearly not normal.

"Grtt, grtt…!"

"What is this sound? This is odd…" the two first guard from before furrowed their brows. But when they saw the land was about to crumble, they reached out to the guard who was walking toward the boy, they pulled him back as they screamed.

"BOY, GO QUICKLY COME HERE! RUN!"

"Ah?" The boy was feeling he suddenly losing his balance, but it was too late. The land fell to the river. "ARGH! HE–HELP!"

"BOOSH!" The boy was drowned along with the land that fell.

"Holy cow! That was close!" The guard who was saved before was clearly sweating cold sweat amids the rain, he was so scared. The guards immediately go away from near the river bank in case the same thing would occur again.

"Agh! We can't save the boy!"

"What will happen to him… we can only pray that he will be fine…"

The first two guards were having a worried look on their faces. They were dead ashen.

"The other guard furrowed his brows. "Why do you care? That boy must be living in the slums, he would die sooner or later, what's the difference?" He spat and continued, "let's go back and report!"

The two first guards were silent. They could only shake their heads as they exchanged glances at each other.

"That boy might be a pickpocketer. But we don't even know what he's been through. I'm not saying that what he was doing is just. But what can a child like him do to survive? He said he has younger siblings too." One of the first guards said.

"Hah! You two are always having this weird way of thinking! We are guards, it all doesn't matter. We just have to catch criminals!" One of the guards retorted.

"Let's go back and report! I don't want to be soaked in this rain any longer!" The other guards chipped in.

The first two guards were sighing. They could only follow their colleagues in silence.

"Hope you are fine, kid."