Part 1: The City Shadowed From Light

<Chapter 1 - The City Shadowed From Light>

"Just one more, Shin! It's too sparse you come here anymore!" 

The middle-aged woman lamented as her plea was ignored. She wore a dark suit with a foggy gray and dingy apron. Waving around a syringe of green fluid. Her tentacles squirmed about, eager to just inject one more vial, to perform just one more test on her resilient subject.

A deranged yet passionate look was plastered on her face. Her favorite person was here, after all. 

Titian. 

A touchy young boy with a name to match the oddity he was.

Titian had decided to show up today to make what money he could. 

Zeris couldn't bear the thought of him leaving so soon, not after having not showed up for far too long–in her immodest opinion.

"I've taken enough of your tests today. Go find some other poor soul to stab with toxic needles." 

The young boy spat her name, clearly stating his intention to leave. He did not want to stay a second longer than he reasonably had to in this hell contained within a hell of his..

"But those rats scarcely live long enough to give me any 'real' results!

You, on the other hand, are the only one that can withstand my more 'special' experiments! You provide enough results in a day that otherwise would require days, if not weeks of finding enough volunteers to amount to anything!

Surely you can make an exception? I'll compensate you fairly, you know I would! Please stay!" 

The inhuman experimenter pleaded to him with a deep frown pulling at her lavender lips. If Titian didn't already know her atrocities, he'd find her quite attractive. Alluring, even. But he knew better. He had known Zeris for far too long, way before he could even reasonably feel such a thing as attraction. 

Her use of the word 'volunteers' was sickening. While he was pretty sure they were as such, 'willing,', the beings she baited in–mostly children–almost all ended up dead. All just to make a pitiful sum of VAL.

Despite that, he didn't really care what happened to anyone else in the end. He'd rather them not die, but at the same time, death was already a common sight to him.

One of Zeris's many thick appendages reached out towards the rugged back of the departing boy, eager to pull him into another test.

"I'll be back when I need more VAL. Make sure to deposit my earnings quickly."

"You'll get your money when I get to it." 

"I can always go find some other crazy octopus willing to pay me for a few 'tests' instead. There's plenty of those types around. I'm sure I'd find one or two interested in dissecting me all the same." 

Although he listlessly made the confident threat, he knew he was only spouting empty words. Zeris was the only one who paid as much as she did, as well as being one of the only relatively clean places in the city. He'd be hard pressed to find an alternative half as worthwhile as she was.

Not to mention that anyone else could be trouble, considering Zeris wanted him all to herself, she was great at keeping his secret 'secure.'

Titian knocked away the thick pale tentacle approaching his shoulder with disgust. 

"Ah, and don't call me Shin, for the thousandth time.

Titian. Ti-Shun."

With a small, high-pitched beep of approval, the windowless steel door he faced slid open at the touch of his finger. He stepped out as he had hundreds of times before, descending the concrete steps into the familiar alleyway.

He heard the frustrated sighs of the shady woman he had worked with for most of his short life as he stepped out. The unmistakable sounds of cussing were promptly shut off as the door closed, the space now separated from the outside world.

The thud of the sophisticated-yet-bland door allowed him to set his next goal into action, heading home. 

With the wiring of a mechanical lock, he let out a deep, relieved sigh–glad the day was almost over. 

As he walked, he examined his body's numerous punctures and incisions, which were recovering at a visible pace. One of his pasty cuts was already blending in with his skin.

It would only be a few minutes before he was once again unmarred, as if the semi-torturous tests he went through had never happened.

The sickly feeling resulting from countless unnatural chemicals flowing through him slowed his usual pace. It would take a bit longer before the dizzying effects would be fully filtered out from his body.

Used to the repercussions of the constant experiments, he trudged through the littered alley and out into the even more cluttered and trashed street of Lower Tridesil. 

The city where all the filth and garbage eventually ended up. The bottom of the world.

The first layer was occupied by many different species, from every type of abandoned person there possibly was. It was one, if not the final destination for all those deemed as useless to society. All the trash, sentient or not, all flowed down here as its destination.

Millions lived in the city, if you counted 'living' as merely being alive. Orphaned children, thugs, prostitutes, gangs, debtors, and the organizations who preyed off of everyone else.

Although the children were generally innocent, those who ended up surviving awhile learned to be just as vicious as any other dweller in the city. Their hearts hardened to the world, and their eyes left only to see what was before them, forgetting the life they once had.

Titian considered himself one of the fortunate few who could survive in such an environment without relying on the suffering of others. 

From the age of around five, he found himself alone and cold within the uncaring city. He was left to survive on his own, no one giving him a care in the world. He had his freakish vitality to thank for the years he's managed to survive in the hellish conditions of the first layer, as well as his above-average instincts.

While he wasn't physically tougher—any cuts, wounds, or even broken bones he suffered were healed exponentially faster than any other human, let alone other races, could. Drafts of medicine and other injections still affected him, both positively and negatively. Though, the effects they offered were diminished and muted, as well as never lasting as long as intended.

Eating rotting food or a random pool of street water may have left him with at worst, a stomach ache, but he had virtually no chance of becoming sick where many others would. This was a large part of why Shin could live without grouping with others, alone to himself.

Minutes after Titian had left Zerris's lab and started towards his 'home,' he received a transmission from the cheaply made Luxiband on his wrist. 

The Luxiband, a watch-like wristband that fashioned a small screen, was a fascinating technology that used Lux and electricity to perform seemingly mystical functions. Although the fragile one he wore was nothing more than a glorified watch most of the time.

By his willed intention, the small rigid screen lit up. Through his thoughts, a notification popped up and dimly displayed a set of numbers. 

「Received: 447 VAL」

「New Balance: 755 VAL」

*She sent me extra and that was quicker than usual… 

She probably wants me to come sprinting back.

As if.

I can't stand her or any bastard like her. I'd have to be offered a ticket out of here to make me willing to go back earlier than I need to!*

Despite receiving a little more VAL than usual, Shin was in no hurry to return to the vile place. He kept on his usual route home. 

Passing alley after alley through the unkempt streets, he kept his eyes straight, not looking down any of the narrow passageways. Keeping to oneself was very important in the city. Glancing around fervently only showed weakness, an easy target. The endless alleys harbored more people than the surrounding buildings did, and going down the wrong one could potentially get you killed. 

Though he still kept diligent attention through his peripheral vision and other senses.

The alleys mostly consisted of drunkards and those loaded on stimulants. A good portion were children, too, huddled together for warmth and a false sense of security. What he needed to avoid were the thugs who sold off children, or killed for a few VAL here and there. While dead bodies were common enough of a find, fresh ones often carried a higher bounty, leading to widespread killers.

A common theme between every alley were their endless additions of trash, usually even worse than the stacks of garbage in the barely traversable streets themselves. But some were oddly cleared out, giving them away as a frequented path of travel, or as a meeting place for gangs.

Some alleys were even entirely walled off by the towering, mostly black trash bags. 

The sizing of the alleys were inconsistent, along with the rest of the city, as if the idea of planning was a foreign concept. Some were wide enough to fit six grown men side to side, while others were a tight squeeze, even for a malnourished kid.

The streets themselves were painted with all sorts of disposable garbage: ancient newspapers, scraped metal of all varieties, broken tech and screens, used needles and patches, empty wooden palettes rotting away, discarded and inedible food, plastic bags, and glass shards—just to name a few. All piled and scattered chaotically, giving way to a few paths here and there.

It presented an ever-changing obstacle course for Shin on his trips. 

Despite his regenerative ability, being deeply cut into, or burnt by random pools of chemicals on his bare feet were still very painful and an unpleasant experience, so caution took precedence over speed. 

The sidewalks lining the streets and buildings were thin, their purpose barely put to use by those who prefer to wander through the more spacious roads, offering thinner layers of trash to march through. It was strange to Titian, he knew vehicles existed somewhere in the world, but in Lower Tridesil, it's as if they paved the streets for no reason at all.

Street lamps were neatly lined every dozen or so meters. Short and boring in design, the lights blocked the already narrow sidewalks, making them even more unusable. A decent chunk of the lamps were toppled over, a few looked as if they were uprooted by a giant.

Needless to say, the lights were no more than decoration, and have never shone onto the messy streets. At least as long as Titian had been there.

The deep and unreflective-silver buildings tightly packed together showed no signs of life. He had no notion whether the tall structures contained people or if they were vacant, as many of the structures showed signs of collapse. More than a few were already piles of rubble themselves. Most did not dare risk being crushed by the falling formations of bricks in their sleep, instead resting outside wherever suited them at any given time.

Though there were a few solid buildings here and there, they were all controlled by some organization or thungs. Everyone else either had to sleep in the streets, or the alleyways.

A permanent place to rest was all but a myth. At least, for anyone but Titian, a lucky few, and those under the service of a local Tyrant.

A vast majority of the towering structures seemed to be designated as living spaces once, with even a few sections as shopping districts, governmental buildings, and even schools! But with the city being packed together as it was, it was not a quick task to differentiate between the purposes each.

On top of that, every building differentiated in size, type, and height. The city was constructed from the ground up to be as horrendous as possible, that was the only 'logical' theory Titian could come up with.

The hazy sky only multiplied the dullness of the colorless roads and streets, perfectly matching the equally soulless buildings. Besides the arrival of cold cycles or sporadic rain cycles, the weather remained just as stagnant and bland. 

Thoughts of the bleak area kept his mind busy as he navigated the roads to his residence. 

The occasional glances he felt from shadowed alleys only further reinforced him to keep his gaze ahead, straying away from any hint of contact with others.

Sixteen minutes after departing the cold laboratory, Titian arrived at the entrance of his hidden home. An old sewer pipe. Further in was a rusted opening in the thick metal of the pipe that led to a carved-out hollow space in the earth.

A sheet metal ramp, bent in a way to remove sharp corners, led down into the lightly decorated soil-walled section. The room only received a little light, forcing Titian to slowly adapt his eyes. 

He had found this space when he was seven, a desperate time of his life as he was running away from child traffickers. He barely managed to escape and hide long enough to have the pursuers change targets out of impatience.

Steadily over the years, he had molded his quarters into something liveable by his standards. A nest of torn-up fabric laid by the back wall, a self-made bed that he created to keep himself off the cold floor beneath him. It was piled with materials primarily dark blue and brown in color, but small pieces of more vibrant strips were mixed in as well. 

He even acquired a large enough quilt sheet to act as a blanket. A proud find in the trash he had rummaged through. It wasn't easy finding quality trash when there were countless competitors.

Though the most significant score he had made was a thrown away self-sufficient Lux warmer, a tool that kept him heated even during the chilly rain cycles of the city. Surprisingly, it still worked, only having a few chipped spots, as well as missing the button to switch between automatic and manual. He considered himself endlessly lucky for finding such an item, as well as in a working condition. More than half the city would kill him for it without hesitation, but he managed to bring it back without anyone noticing.

Alongside the other walls lay a few bottles of clean water, purchased from the Starzen supply drones that made weekly flights around the city—the only safe use of the currency VAL had on the lowest layer. 

Necessities such as food and water were the most sold supply from these drones, as they were the only way to guarantee clean supplies. 

That is, only if one had the means to earn VAL reliably as well.

Some chose to stock up on the commodities when they had the chance, a-not-so-great decision due to the rampant crime and theft that goes unpunished. Having too much of anything of value was typically a bad idea. At least, allowing people to find out was.

Starzen was one of the few 'official' companies that bothered to do business on the first layer. Titian was unsure if the company even made a profit off the slum dwellers, but then again, he knew nothing of the economy outside the city. All that mattered was that it was available and accessible for him.

Besides water, the drones also carried nutrition packets, a saucy substance that kept beings alive for a few more days. Starzen had many different tailored packages for the many races occupying the city, as well as varying 'flavors,' but that minute difference was pointless when the chemical-like, somewhat spicy taste overpowered everything else.

High-value items, such as Lux-based equipment and non-essential comforts, were also available. Only that buying such items brought risk, as many eyed the drones as people made their purchases. Why bother 'earning' a living when you could just leech off of others?

Even with the obvious dangers, some still took that very risk, and all paid dearly for it.

Titian once had aspirations to buy them as well, but he was 'lucky' to witness how his fellow slum-mates ripped each other apart to get what they had.

Some grouped together, forming assault parties to rob the few who could earn enough to buy clean water and food, but most of the time, they disbanded due to the lack of resources and worthwhile hauls. Only larger gangs and groups could bother creating a sizable force to do anything more. Like the unhinged self-proclaimed scientist Zeris, who clearly had a supporter backing her.

Those like Zeris were free from almost any danger as long as they were under the banner of one of the ruling Tyrants. Messing with their people was akin to begging to become an example to any other idiots.

Titian knew all too well exactly what they did to those fools. He quickly shook the memory from his mind. He'd rather be skinned alive 

The fear that he'd one day end up subjected to those horrors ensured that he would stay clear of any higher-ranking people. Other than Zeris, of course. 

The virtual currency Value, or VAL for short, was what all the people within the city used—at least those who could—to make transactions. Though down below, it mostly amounted to being able to afford clean food and water from a Starzen drone. 

As far as Titian was aware, they used the same currency on the higher layers as well, but that information was practically useless to him. 

Though he did like to imagine one day being some respected scholar, having discovered some invaluable information and taught it to the masses who cheered for him. One who was knowledgeable in so many things that seemed unnecessary, but was actually super important!

And of course, he would be paid handsomely for his achievements.

It was nothing but a dream of his. He had already abandoned the wistful idea that he would ever be anything more than he was, let alone making it out of the inescapable first layer.

Besides, Shin had nothing to risk his meager earnings on anyway, just for what he needed to survive the next few days. 

Looking over his dwindling Starzen-branded supplies, he made a mental note of what he would need. That list included a non-essential item to keep his Luxiband running, a Lux crystal.

The valuable tool was finally running low on Lux, and unfortunately it wasn't self-sufficient like his portable warmer. One minuscule Lux crystal was enough to run the tiny device for almost 480 days—about a year—and since they weren't that pricey, it wouldn't bring him too much attention. But that didn't mean the risk wasn't there.

The towering fortified drones wouldn't make their run-throughs of the city until the next day, so Titan had no reason to rush. It would give him time to fully recover and shake off the muddled feeling throughout his body.

After sitting for a minute, he lazily stood up and walked over to the shard of a broken mirror he had ingrained into the dirt wall. The little light shining into the room revealed his deep ruby eyes, adorned with two black bags underneath to accentuate his tired state. Recovering at such a heightened pace required a considerable amount of energy. Though surprisingly, it only really made him more tired, and not necessarily hungry.

Thick eyebrows crowned the top of his stern gaze, making them stuck into a scowl that even a smile couldn't remove. To any outside observer, his neutral face could only make them believe he was always annoyed or irritated.

His curly and messy dark black hair, almost reaching the bottom of his chin, had a slight glean due to the layers of thick grease. Without any recent rain cycles during the somewhat warmer days, he had no chance to rinse off the buildup of filth.

A typical, slightly sharp nose protruded between his thin, dried lips and exhausted eyes. 

*Haaaa, though maybe I'm a bit biased, but at least I'm not as sorry-looking as most of the others down here.*

Titian removed his eyes from his admirable reflection with a self-satisfied smile and walked over to his provisions.

Taking one of the remaining precious bottles of water, he slowly drank the whole thing, crumpled the plastic into itself, and tossed it towards the entrance of his pipe. 

He'd entirely remove it from the entrance the following day. Though he did feel a bit odd about adding to the infinite flow of trash into the city, it was no more than a feeling of irony rather than guilt.

*What difference is a bottle or two to a whole world of trash going to change?*

He grabbed the last bag of nutritional sauce and swallowed around half of it, just enough to at least have something in him. He saved rest for the morning. 

After sealing the packet, he prepared for bed. Already having wiped off any residue on his bare feet, not wanting to dirty his relatively clean sleeping area, he wandered to his makeshift bed. He laid down on the stack of piled fabric, shifting the material to surround him comfortably, and finally he pulled the larger quilt to cover over his thin frame. With the mystical Lux warming device stashed underneath the mound of cloth automatically activating, it pulled in the atmospheric Lux that thinly veiled the first layer city and slowly released a noticeable warmth.

The sensation overcame him, removing some of the built-up soreness of the day bit by bit, eventually putting him into a deep sleep. 

There Titan laid, underneath Lower Tridesil, the bottommost layer of the entire world. 

The first layer was far removed from the minds of those higher up, comfortable in their functioning and clean towns and cities. Not having to worry about where their next meal came from, whether or not they will be attacked and robbed during their sleep. Clean streets lined with booming businesses run by professionals for any and everything gave them security. Having the Households keep their layer patrolled and safe from serious threats allowed them to go about their lives in an easy fashion.

Titian was fortunate enough to feel sufficiently safe, enough so that for just a short time, he could forget all the strife above him and dream of a future similar to those very beings even further above.

A dream that many had, but only a select few could ever realize down below.

The night passed by quietly for Titian. A restful sleep he would soon come to realize would be the last for a while.

Focus ???:

Deep black trash bags filled an alleyway, almost abyssal in color as the night provided little to no light. Most were tightly tied shut with a thin looped line of yellow plastic, while a few were ripped open, oozing out old food scraps and plastic coverings. There was virtually no room to traverse the narrow passage, the alley was haphazardly blocked off of any easy way in or out.

The bags were stacked in all sorts of ways. And while not toweringly high, it was enough to repel any likely visitors from taking a stroll there. No one wanted to be trapped where escape would take too long. 

With little light left seeping through the thick gray palls in the endless sky, the blocked passage seemed almost as if a void in the world. Silent and uneventful, which was unusual for the drab city. 

One oddly small but similarly black bag lay within the mess of filled garbage sacks, somewhere between the mess of trash. Not only was the tied-shut bag noticeably tiny, but it wasn't crammed full, unlike even the damaged bags. Such an arrangement would spark the curiosity of most 'residents' in the abandoned city. A bag was either left alone, or completely scavenged through. Rarely did they seem half-empty while unopened, unmarred.

As the last hints of the day vanished, ushering the beginning of the night cycle. The small bag began slowly tussling around. Slight sounds of confusion resounded but were too quiet for anyone to hear. 

"Uwah..."

-Thwick-

Two short curved horns, colored a vivid deep orange, jutted out from the bag, shortly followed by a sudden halt of activity.

"Huh?"