Chapter 4: New beginning

In an alley located in the slums of a city in the Dyssodian empire, a young boy was laying down in a corner stiff as a plank and eyes wide open in fright.

He was quite distinct and stood out from everyone else in the slums as he was wearing clothes made with the finest silk, gold in color, and fit for a prince in contrast to people who lived in slums and could only afford old and tattered-looking woolen clothes.

He was fair-skinned and had blond hair, unlike the locals who were a little bit tanned from the heat.

Everyone who walked past the boy could not help but slow down and give him a second look as weird thoughts of mugging the poor child in his fancy clothes flashed through their minds.

They would have seen their plans to fruition if not for the stifling sense of terror they felt deep within their bones any time they look at him which made them leave as quickly as they came.

Kane was awake for the past couple of minutes. He was facing upwards and could see the bright morning sun in the sky in the blue and almost cloudless sky.

He could not enjoy the view even if he wanted to as he was scared stiff, not because of the fact that he suddenly woke up in a place where he knew exactly nothing of but because the face he was looking at.

It looked like a disembodied head floating right on top of his. It was completely black with no facial features and could only be recognized as being a head only because of its shape and the maniacal smile painted on it supposedly with white paint.

It spoke or rather made noises that only Kane could hear but not understand.

Deep down, he felt that the could understand what the head was saying if he could listen to it just a little more but for each second he tried to listen to the head he suffered from a serious headache and felt his head might explode.

Kane's state only lasted for twenty minutes but to him, it seemed like it lasted for ages. When the floating head disappeared, the searing pain in his head disappeared instantly and he also regained his ability to move.

He sat up straight not minding the fact that he was drenched in sweat and looked around to know if he could tell where he was currently in.

He quickly noticed he was in an alley. The buildings on both sides were tall and seem to be apartments that had seen better days once upon a time.

The people he saw, whether walking past him or staring at him from the windows of the buildings around him either walked past him faster or retreated back into their house while closing the window.

As Kane stepped out of the alley he was greeted by the sight of buildings that were mostly faded brown in color-lined all the way along the road for as far as his eyes could see.

The streets were bustling with people who were on and about their daily business and they occasionally stole a glance at Kane since he stood out, especially because of the clothing he was putting on and his fair complexion, and his blonde hair.

Surprisingly, he saw cars that still used petrol as fuel being driven along the not-so-tidy road. He knew that this was not the Brunhilde empire where he came from as the cars there used both electricity and solar energy as fuel. Some could even fly.

He also saw food stands and vendors calling out to passers-by to try their various snacks. Kane was immediately reminded that he was hungry as his stomach growled. He put the fact that he was hungry aside as he knew that he had to ascertain his current location first.

He looked around and decided to ask a beggar by the roadside some questions.

The old beggar saw a very young and handsome boy in clothes made for royalty approaching him. This made him very nervous. He contemplated running away but the boy was already before him.

"What can this humble one do for you this beautiful morning, young master?" said the beggar as he cautiously bowed his head a little toward Kane.

"Where am I?" asked Kane being cautious enough not to get too close to the man. "You are in the slums, young master" replied the old man.

"In the slums where? Be more specific" asked Kane. "The slums in Edan city in the Dyssodian empire" replied the old man as he looked at Kane in confusion.

"Dyssodia?" Kane almost cried in shock. The journey between empires has been one that has never been completed since 'the new beginning'.

Not only was the distance between empires unfathomably large, but it also kept increasing by a lot on a daily basis. The creatures that live in the oceans or lands between empires were also quite fearsome not even demigods could complete such journeys.

This made the four empires lose touch with themselves. Communication was lost and commerce between them ceased.

"Are you lost? If you follow me I have some friends that can help you find your parents" said the old beggar who had somehow regained his confidence and had a gleam in his eyes that did not go unnoticed by Kane.

Kane knew he just messed up. His shock-filled face made the beggar realize that something was wrong with this noble child. He would be a fool if he actually followed the man.

"No need. Thank you for your time" said Kane as he turned and walked away from the beggar.

The old beggar scoffed at Kane and picked up a plate in front of him that had some coins and left.

Kane saw this as he had the beggar in his periphery vision. He knew he had to get rid of his clothes as it garnered too much attention to himself and at the very least get out of the slums.

He chose to head towards the business district to see if he could pawn off his clothes for more regular ones and a bit of cash.

Much to his chagrin, Kane noticed that he was being followed by the old beggar and three other men who he presumed to be his 'friends'.

Even though he took measures like avoiding alleyways, mingling with other pedestrians, and taking turns on his route to the business district, he still could not lose them and suspected they had a way of tracking him.

While he was figuring out a solution to his dilemma, a red SUV that seemed quite expensive slowed down beside him to match his walking speed.

The passenger seat glass was winding down revealing an old man behind the wheels. He had shoulder-length silver-white hair that was tied back in a ponytail, was putting on a pair of sunglasses, and was wearing a tuxedo.

"Hello young man, my name is Abel. You look lost and pale. Are you sick? Hop in let me take you to a hospital and get you looked at" said the man while smiling.

"I'm fine, thank you very much, sir" said Kane as he increased his walking speed and move past the car.

The man also sped up a little to catch up with him. This time he wasn't smiling and had a solemn look on his face.

"I know you are not from around here. From the clothes you are putting on I know you are some kind of royalty somewhere. I also know that you have been recently used as a dao sacrifice. I can literally sense the life force slipping out of you. You have at most three years to live. You also have a tail. One of them is a mutant at the very least. That's why they can track you" said Abel.

Kane stopped in his tracks. He knew Abel was right but he was also terrified by the fact that Abel could find out a lot just by looking at him. He couldn't help but shudder while thinking about what would happen if a powerhouse with a questionable character should find him. He would be whisked away like a hapless damsel.

He knew he shouldn't trust anyone but he had no choice. He opened the door to the passenger seat and climbed into the car. "Wise choice" said Abel as he sped up.

The four men that were following Kane were momentarily startled at the sudden development.

" Let's go back. We will get him later" said an old man who stood in front. He had a face filled with wrinkles but his eyes were sharp and bright. He had nails that were not abnormally long but looked really sharp. He turned around and headed back to where they came from and was silently followed by the others.