Chapter 1
It was a beautiful summer day with no clouds in the sky, Elliot hated it.
While the city folks frolicked in the sunlight, Elliot sat in the dark and gloomy alleyway. He had to be patient; patience was the first thing he had to teach himself when he decided to make his living through thievery. Although the stench of waste made him grow restless.
He rubbed his hands together to pass the time; in his head, he checked his list. Hoodie, check. Gloves and face mask? Check. Cloudy day? Elliot shook his head. Part of him wanted to postpone the operation, but the target would not return for another month. Fall was around the corner, and although winter was many months away, the mountains had a gift for the unexpected.
He had no choice. It was now or never. He needed that money for Flora, his sister.
Elliot knew Flora hated seeing him with all the extra clothing. She would complain and cry every time she saw Elliot put on the extra layers. Unsure if she would ever see him again. There were times her nagging and tears would reach Elliot, and he would abandon whatever robbery he had planned that day. But more often than not, he would lift her up, kiss her on the cheek, and hug her before heading out.
Elliot found himself smiling.
He peeked his head out of the alley to see the giant marble clock tower that overshadowed the surrounding buildings. Elliot had never seen anything like it before. The constant ticking of the hands drove many of the citizens mad. But over time, the ticking was as familiar to the villagers as breathing.
Elliot had difficulty learning how to tell time using this new mechanism, but in the end, it was well worth it.
He had heard rumors of its creation. The first from a young merchant who claims that the architect of the clocktower drank a potion granted him the knowledge to create the clock. The second from an elder who claimed it was knowledge once lost to them. Only recently rediscovered by exploring the ruins of a long forgotten civilization.
A bunch of bullshit really. Elliot thought.
The clock tower was not lost knowledge from a bygone people or thought of from a magic potion. Elliot believed the clocktower was nothing more but the accomplishments of modern ingenuity.
Elliot squinted as he read the clock. 11:35
“Five more minutes." Elliot whispered.
He dug into his left pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment. The words were rough and uneven except for a few words that were legible. Some words were longer than he had expected, and some were ones that he had never heard of before.
Elliot smiled. She's been practicing.
It was a story his sister had written for him before he left for the city. Flora had many hobbies over the past few years, but writing and healing was something that occupied much of her time as of late. Elliot would begrudgingly find her in the middle of the night next to the dying campfire, writing as much as she could before the light from the flames died out. He wondered if she had dreams of becoming a writer one day or if this would turn out to be another hobby of hers.
Voltan the Cuauhtli.
The warrior looked over the desecrated city on top of the hill. Fire spread as screams of the people filled the air. Voltan turned to see the man of shadow standing before him. The creature thrusted his blade towards Voltan, who skipped to the side but not before receiving a cut on the face. Voltan summoned his eagle, who soared up high towards the sun. The bird's wings began to glow before bursting into flames. The color of the flames was like that of a rainbow. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet colors all wrapped together before descending upon the shadowy man as—
Elliot turned over the parchment. There was nothing left. Elliot frowned. He really wanted to know who ended up winning this fight. If it was going to be Voltan and his cuauhtli or this shadowy man. Then, once the excitement died a bit, Elliot noticed Flora's mistake.
He spurred into action and began to rip the parchment until the word cuauhtli was no longer legible. He turned side to side, seeing himself alone in the dark alley. Elliot realized he was holding his breath, and his heart was racing.
He calmed himself as best he could. Breathing in and out nice and slow. Memories he wished to forget began to play in his mind. The sight of blood on his arms. The cold metallic feel of the hammer. The warm body is on the ground. His hand began to tremble, and he used his free hand to balance himself against the concrete wall.
Never again.
Elliot gazed at the clock tower once more.
11:45
Right on cue, a man ambled through the streets. Elliot pulled his head back into the alley as his target walked by him. It was time to get to work.
Elliot jumped up and down to get the blood flowing and began climbing the brick wall in front of him. He moved with immense speed, leaving the ground far behind him. When Elliot reached the top, he felt the warm breeze hit his face.
The wind felt the same as it did back then. Cool and gentle. He longed to remove the mask and cloak. Elliot hesitated but brushed the thought away. He could wait until he was back in the forest to feel the wind and sun on his face.
He took a moment to bask in his hard work. All those days spent climbing trees and building muscles were well worth it. Where once the climb was hard and slow, now it was nothing but a warmup. Dash had offered to teach him how to climb, but Flora was against ever seeing him again. For reasons that Elliot did not know.
Elliot began to tail the man from above, scaling farther away from the sights of those who might notice him. The infrastructure was a claustrophobic nightmare. Each building was built so close to one another that a man with a slight gut would find it difficult to enter the gaps between each building. This worked in Elliot's favor as all he was able to hop from building to building.
He was confident that this would be an easy steal. Elliot had spent the better half of a year studying the habits and patterns of the baron.
In the afternoon, the baron would exit his home and roam the city to find someone from the lower class to bully. Next, he would head towards the city market to talk to a female jewelry merchant. Most of his attempts were met with a distasteful smirk from the woman. Any man would deduce that the feelings were not mutual. Elliot didn't know if the baron chose to ignore this fact or was oblivious to it.
The baron stopped in his tracks as he found himself in front of a couple. A woman whose rib cage could be seen protruding from underneath her skin scurried behind her husband. The husband was in a similar state. Elliot felt pity for the two. Memories of hungry nights sprung to the surface.
The husband crawled his way towards the baron. His legs shook from the weight of his body.
"Please, sir, my wife and I haven't eaten in days. And if the rumbling in our stomachs doesn't kill us, then the hard slaps of winter's cold winds will. I beg you to find it in your heart to spare at least five gold coins. Perhaps with that, we could eat for a week," the beggar pleaded, lifting his hands in the air. That was a gesture Elliot was more than familiar with.
A grin grew on the baron's face. "Now why would I do that? Why would I donate five pieces of gold to someone who isn't worth five pieces of copper? Or could you prove to me otherwise? Perhaps I should donate a house to you," he said, moving back and forth with his cane as if he were entertaining a large crowd.
"Yes. A house made of manure would be sufficient. Begone!" the baron shouted. With a swift jab of his cane, he knocked the beggar aside. A screeching cry came from the beggar's wife as she rushed towards her husband. Tears fell from her face.
Elliot began to grind his teeth. He hated people like the baron. Privileged individuals who resided behind the golden gate at the back of the city. No one besides the barons, the king, and the farmers know what lies behind the gates. Elliot tried asking one of the farmers, but the man claimed to have forgotten. Elliot felt they were ordered to stay silent or otherwise lose their jobs.
Elliot wanted to help the man and his wife. He knew the pain of living on the streets as a beggar all too well. But he would never take from the unfortunate. He had morals, after all. Only taking from those who can afford to lose the money. From the greedy and gluttonous barons who ruled the city with an iron fist. Leaving the rest to work and die for them.
The pair arrived at the city market. Elliot noticed the baron smiling. He looked around before noticing the young copper skinned woman. She was busy waving towards the passing crowd to examine her wares. For the last two months, Elliot had seen this woman. She always talked with a warm and gentle tone. It reminded him of his mother. The way her words could soothe his spirit. Elliot felt himself tearing but couldn't afford to get distracted in thought.
She was gone, and he had the duty to provide for his sister.
Elliot readied himself as he reached for his bag, revealing a thin and transparent thread with a hook tied at the end. He wrapped the other side of the thread around his free hand, waiting for the Baron to become distracted.
He sat on top of the roof as the baron harassed the young woman with words of admiration and lust. She rebuffed his compliments and asked for the man to leave to no avail. Elliot was tempted to throw his hook, but a group of shopping villagers were beginning to be drawn by the commotion.
Elliot needed his opportunity to come quickly. As her cries drew the crowd's attention, so too would they draw the guard's. Then, his heart jumped. The sight of a red jacket with silver stripes appeared in Elliot's peripheral. Elliot knew immediately it belonged to one of the city guards. He had tried to predict their patrol, but the new captain was smart. When Elliot came close to figuring out their patrol, it would change the following day.
Elliot had hoped that the guards would stay on the ground as his height advantage would allow him to cross street after street while staying out of their sights. But they were known to patrol the rooftops as well, and this was the worst time for one. In the meantime, his back was turned.
Elliot turned his attention towards the baron and his unfortunate love interest. The two began arguing with one another.
The crowd murmured among themselves only to swallow their words as fast as they could before turning their heads as they noticed the baron's clothes and status.
It was now or never. Elliot began unrolling the thread around his hand to lower the hook. He began to feel uneasy with the guard's slight turn. He didn't seem to notice him just yet. Elliot's hand rattled, and the small metal hook attached itself to the fine coat. His heart dropped, and it made his job much more difficult. Elliot damned his luck as he slammed his hand against the roof.
Without hesitation, Elliot flickered the thread at multiple angles to get the hook unstuck. He began to feel his blood beginning to boil as the hook remained stubbornly in the baron's robe. Elliot felt like a failure. He had worked so hard to get to this point and all for his efforts to end up resulting in nothing. He didn't know how he was going to get through this year's winter with Flora without the money. Would they end up starving? Die from the cold? Elliot didn't know.
Then Elliot felt a tug from the thread. And then another before the thread felt light again. Elliot looked down and saw the woman walk around the baron to unhook the hook from his robe. Their gaze met, and Elliot felt pale from the encounter. His instincts told him to run as fast as he could. He was caught in the act, and now she was going to call the guards to take him away, and they would learn his secret. But that isn't what happened. Instead, the woman continued looking at him, and in that instant, Elliot could tell what she wanted to say. She was going to give him the opportunity to take the purse. All he needed to do was wait.
"I'm sorry. Perhaps you're right, milord. I should consider marrying someone. Perhaps even one such as yourself." The lass leaned in towards the baron. Elliot could see her rub her finger across the baron's arm. "I can not keep my heart locked behind a wall of solitude for so long, now can I?"
Elliot could see the goosebumps that bloated on the baron's skin as the lass wrapped her arms around him. The baron lost himself in her touch, the smell of perfume running through his nose, and her beautiful, soft, bronzed hands touching his skin. Her face was a mere inch away from his. He could almost feel her lips.
"Why don't you show me something—" the woman started. She began to lower her arms. Her touch crawled down towards the baron's groin. "Something that you can offer me," she teased. With her free hand, she unhooked the blade from the baron's coat and latched it onto the fat purse.
Elliot's jaw dropped. He wanted to pinch himself from this dream, but he was left completely frozen in place. This woman had more to gain, turning him in than helping him. Yet she chose to help him regardless of the net loss. All his life, Elliot fought to keep himself in the shadows. To avoid attention.
A second passed, and he regained control of his body. He began reeling the purse. Instantly, Elliot felt the weight of the purse. He couldn't imagine the amount of gold the purse contained. He picked up speed until finally the purse was in his hands.
Elliot felt a rush go through his body. He began squeezing the purse and heard the jiggling of the coins. He was on top of the world.
"Hey, you! What are you doing up here?"
Elliot's heart dropped.
The guards' shout had also caught the attention of the Baron. He glanced towards Elliot, who still had the purse in his hands. The Baron looked down at his waist where his purse would've been only to find it missing.
"Guard, arrest that man!" the baron shouted, pointing his fat finger at Elliot.
Elliot made a break for it. His heart raced, and adrenaline began racing through his veins. He wasn't too worried as he was much faster than the guard and had better footwork to maneuver around the roof tiles. Elliot came across his first jump towards another building as his ears caught the woman's voice.
Elliot stopped and turned to see the baron becoming aggressive, threatening to hit her. He took one look at the purse and back at the pair. His chest grew heavy with guilt. He knew that Flora wouldn't be happy if he were to leave and abandon the woman.
Elliot made up his mind, and before he knew it, he made his way down the building and towards the baron. The baron lifted his hand into the hair above the woman as he began aiming it towards her. With only a fraction of an inch between them, Elliot managed to stop the baron's hand and held it in place. The baron tried to grab a hold of Elliot, but Elliot was too nimble, and the extra weight on the Baron made him slow.
Elliot twisted the Baron's arm. The pain made the baron lean down, allowing Elliot to punch him in the face.
"Look out!" the young woman shouted. Elliot turned to see the guard aiming his rifle at him. Before Elliot could react, a lead ball made its way towards his head, slicing off part of his hoodie. If her warning had come a mini-second later, Elliot knew it would've gone through his eyes.
Elliot turned towards the woman, only to find wide eyes and a faint fiery glint in them. Before he knew it, he could feel a strong grip on his shoulder. It was the baron. Elliot was sure to have knocked him out, yet he was still moving.
The watching villagers from earlier began creeping closer. They talked among themselves, their voices mixed and mingled to the point where Elliot couldn't separate one conversation from another.
In that instant, it felt like time had stopped. Even the guard was motionless.
Elliot felt uncomfortable, and the last thing he needed was attention. He shrugged off the baron but was pulled back from behind. The lady who had helped him earlier was now pulling him down to the ground. Elliot was surprised by the sudden change of heart. The young lady was stronger than she looked as she managed to drag Elliot to the nearby alley. The crowd behind him started to shout, "Get em, get the Zapojin!”
“It's a glowing one! It is!” A woman said.
“He's mine! I saw him first.” Cried another voice.
Elliot was shocked as the crowd punched one another. Each trying to be the first to reach him. He looked at his hands to find them engulfed in a bright orange light that seemed to flicker like flames. Elliot soon realized the opening in his hoodie exposed him to direct sunlight. As the lady dragged him into the alley, he broke contact with the sun, and the bright flickering light disappeared.
"I know what you are, and now so do they. You have to go!" she said, letting go of Elliot. Elliot didn't understand, but he didn't have time to waste. He headed into the alley. The crowd was close behind him. Before Elliot could turn the corner, the woman said, “come back here! I will claim the prize!”
Elliot ran as fast as he could to find a chance to escape. He felt something grab his hood once more. It was a young man around the age of eighteen. Any larger and the young man's arms and chest would burst through his shirt. Elliot couldn't afford to lose his cloak. The young man threw a fast jab, hitting Elliot's chin. The boy's mind raced to find a way to get rid of the man, but he knew he couldn't face him head-on with brute strength. By instinct, Elliot threw a straight right hook but was easily foiled. Elliot grinned, which shocked the young man. Confusion turned to curiosity. Soon, that curiosity turned to a pain in his crotch as he fell to the ground.
A kick in the balls.
It wasn't a move Elliot would go for in normal circumstances. Being a man, he knew what pain hitting the family jewels would bring. But it was either him or Elliot, and he had someone to fight for.
Elliot stepped back to run away but not before saying, "Talk about a kick in the balls. Wouldn't you say?”
Elliot headed for the clock tower with a plan in mind. It wasn't too far off. All he needed to do now was make it on time. He made a sharp turn, breaking eye contact with the chasing crowd. He stood in the middle of town. Elliot stopped running as he placed his cloak over his head. The clock tower bells once again echoed through the city, and a wave of citizens surrounded the building, heading off in all directions and allowing Elliot to blend in with the crowd to make his escape.
