KANA
"You put an adhesive here and here." I did what Shiro had taught me and placed the adhesives in the areas he pointed out. Learning how to pack a package was essential if I wanted to stay in this shop forever.
When I placed the adhesive on the last spot, Shiro exclaimed, "And you're done! Good job, Kana. You're a fast learner!"
"Well, you're a great teacher, too, Shiro," I praised, making Shiro smile widely while scratching the back of his head.
"Are you two done?" Grosi asked from the workshop door. Shiro and I nodded in unison, and Grosi walked toward us carrying some sort of a basket. "Good 'cause I want you to deliver this to Mr. Furiko. He is expecting these potions today. Don't bother collecting the payment. He paid for it in advance. So make sure these potions reach him."
"Don't worry, Mister Grosi. We won't let you down," Shiro reassured and received the basket containing the potions.
Shiro and I removed our work aprons and trudged our way toward the shop's door. But before we could step out of it, Grosi added a few reminders.
"You better be back before sundown!" was his last statement before Shiro and I started our journey.
The sky had already turned orange as the sun was beginning to set. A faint hue of pink could also be seen.
"Let's take a shortcut, Kana," Shiro suggested, and all I did was agree with him.
That was before I realized that the shortcut he was referring to was a dark and quiet alley. Now I was having second thoughts about whether this was a good idea.
"Are you sure this is safe to walk through, Shiro?" I asked as I held onto my skirt to contain my fear.
"Don't worry, Kana. I've been using this shortcut for a while now, and so far, nothing bad has happened. Besides, you have me. I'll protect you," Shiro reassured me with pure conviction, and this somehow relieved me.
The alley looked deserted because of how filthy it was. A pile of trash soiled this path along with mushrooms and mosses. The pavements were damp and wet, and stagnant puddles were visible as well.
In the middle of the alley was an intersection that stretched on both sides. Shiro and I both looked to the left side to see if someone was there, but found no one.
"Hey!"
Shiro and I jumped in surprise before searching for the source of the voice. And my eyes widened in pure shock upon witnessing a crime.
Three masked men were looking directly at us. One of them was carrying an empty sack while the other was holding a boy. His mouth was covered by the man's vast hand, and his body was rendered immobile because of the man's effortless grip.
"What are you waiting for, idiot? Get them!" ordered the one who was holding the sack.
The other guy, who was doing nothing, swiftly ran toward us as if he wanted to abduct us as well.
"Run, Kana!" Shiro instructed, and his voice released me from the trance due to shock. It took me a while to gain some speed because my body seemed to stop working. "Faster, Kana! He's behind us!"
I ran as fast as I could. I never dared to look behind me. I only focused my eyes on Shiro's back, trailing him as we ran toward the exit of this ominous alley.
I knew this path was dangerous. My instinct was already telling me about it earlier, but I didn't listen.
I prayed. I prayed that we could get out of this safely. I prayed that Shiro and I-
"Got ya!"
As if a bucket of cold water was poured over me when I felt someone's hand grasp mine. His tremendous strength halted me from running, and I was pulled back as the momentum hit.
I turned my head to see who it was, and my eyes widened even more upon seeing the masked man who chased after us. His eyes were gaping as well, but not in fear but in joy and evilness.
Because of the intense emotion, my mind shut down. Blurring my vision before it was enveloped by darkness. That was when I realized I had fainted.
***
Bang! Bang! Bang!
My eyes jolted open, but I barely saw anything. Everything was dark, and my vision was still adjusting from sleeping. Where am I anyway?
I finally got up from the cold metal floor and wandered my eyes to observe my surroundings. Then it suddenly came to me what really happened.
Shiro and I were being chased, and I-
"Hey! You, little miss!" I turned my head toward the source of the voice and saw a masked guy holding some sort of pole. He pointed it at me while swinging it, signaling me to move. "Move your damn body and get out there!"
Timid and nervous, I slowly moved my way toward the exit of the cage. I just realized its structure now, if I didn't notice the diamond patterns of the wires that walled it.
As I stepped out of the cage, the man suddenly grabbed me by the hand and put something around it. He did the same to the other as well on both of my ankles. I realized they were metal cuffs and a sturdy chain connected them together.
"Join the rest," he ordered while pointing to my left. I followed it only to be saddened by the scene.
Nine children were forming a line with their wrists and ankles being chained just like mine. Based on their looks, they were years younger than I. I bet I was the oldest one here. If there's one thing that we all shared right now was that all of us showed hopelessness and melancholy.
I walked towards them and I recognized the face of one of them. He was the boy that Shiro and I saw being kidnapped back at the alley. I decided to stand next to him.
"Follow me!" the man instructed, and all of us trailed behind him.
I scanned my eyes throughout the entirety of the room, hoping to find a good escape route, but my heart sank when I discovered that there were no windows or doors that could help us leave this place. All I could see were stacks of empty metal cages partially covered by a felt.
The only passage out of this room was the one that we were approaching right now. It led to a hallway wide enough for two people to fit standing side by side. Glow stones illuminated the corridor just enough for us to see what was around us.
A while after, my ears started to pick up faint, incomprehensible voices, and they got louder and louder as we moved. I stretched my neck to see up ahead and saw this opening on the left side. I could tell the room beyond it was lively because of how bright the light was peeking through it. The voices were more vivid as well, implying that whatever was beyond it was a room full of people.
"You! The first five! This is your stop," the man told them and gestured to them to move. The first five children in front of us, timidly passed through the opening until I could no longer see them. "The rest of you will follow me."
We continued walking until I got to see what was inside that room. The opening was actually connected to a stage where the five children stood, and before it were rich and distinguished individuals. Aside from the children, a dressed man stood behind a podium on the stage.
If I was not mistaken, this was where the slaves were being sold to slave masters. Poor them. They were too young to experience this kind of evil.
"Don't worry," the man said. "All of you will find a new master to serve at the Aste City."
Aste City? That was miles away from here.
"I wanna go home!" one of the children cried.
"Stop crying! Wipe those tears right now! It's too late for you now to go home. You are ours now! The moment you were brought here, we own you. So enough with the tears and silently follow me!"
As the big sister, I couldn't help but feel sorry for these kids. They should be with their families right now, enjoying their youth. If only I could do something.
We finally reached the end of the hallway, which was actually an alley. Overflowing dumpster, muddy pavements, and stomach-churning smell.
Before us was a horse-driven carriage. It was a roofed-type of carriage perfect to transport children discreetly.
"Climb up! Now!" the man ordered.
We had no other choice but to follow. We couldn't afford to get beaten up when we could go with them in peace. At least we didn't suffer.
All of us sat on the carriage floor, hugging our knees to comfort ourselves in some way. The man closed the carriage door, engulfing everyone with darkness. It didn't take long for the carriage to move as the horse pulled it along its path.
"I'm sorry," a voice said. It came from my right, and I remembered it correctly, it was the boy that we saw.
"Sorry for what?" I replied.
"Because you got caught, too."
"Don't be," I said. "It wasn't your fault that I'm here. Neither of us wanted this to happen. This is just pure bad luck."
"But if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here."
"Like I said, this is not your fault. It was just a coincidence that we were there on the scene. If someone is to be blamed here, it's those men. So stop blaming yourself. Instead, pray for everyone here."
"Alright."
The boy became quiet, and so I decided to close my eyes and pray as well. I prayed that Mister Daku and Mister Kenshi would save me. I prayed that Shiro would never blame himself for what happened to me. I prayed that Master Grosi would find a better replacement than me.
I knew that Mister Daku and Mister Kenshi were looking for me right now. But I couldn't just wait for them to save me. The longer we stayed here, the farther we were from getting saved. One must do something.
But what could a child like us do? Our body was not strong enough to break through these chains and to fight those men. We were weak and delicate. Only a miracle could save us now.
And it was a miracle that I must pray. A miracle that would save me from this place. A miracle that would give me the strength to save the other children.
Please. I'm begging you. A miracle is all I need.
For some reason, I felt my body become light. The weight of the cuffs on my wrist disappeared as if it wasn't there. Curious, I opened both my eyes only to widen in utter shock.
I could see my hands glowing red. No. Not just my hands but my entire body.
"You're red," the boy behind me said, and he was right.
There was only one reason for a body to glow red, and that was if a Vigor support magic was used. And if I was right, then I could...
I pulled my hands in both directions, trying to break the chains that connected them, and to my surprise, they broke. I was too stunned to speak that it worked. It looked like I was right. I was using Vigor now.
But how?
Only the awakened could use this kind of magic, and it was impossible for me to reawaken because I was not at the right age yet.
I shook my head to remove those thoughts and focus on what I should be really doing. Saving these children. But first, I needed a weapon.
I quietly searched the whole carriage for a weapon and was lucky enough to find a bow and a couple of arrows. For an unknown reason, I felt drawn to them as if they were telling me to hold them.
Desperate, I grabbed them and prepared myself for the next battle.
May the gods be in our favor.