The Four Empires - The Chronicles of the Thirteen Realms

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"Oh, I see."

…

After a brief conversation about the old man, the two then continued with their meal. As El ate his second portion of meat along with other dishes and finished it, he looked up to the man who already on his tenth portion, with all the dishes being different types at that.

And even till now that already more than an hour has passed, he is still going strong with it, making El speechless.

'Is he... starved or something???'

El even had already waved goodbye to the kind mother from earlier, whose cute sons and daughter had curiously looked at him, hiding behind their mother's legs.

After that mother is done with her and her kids meal, she left, purposely passing the place where El is sitting. She took the time to asked El if he was fine, while eyeing occasionally at the man who ignoring their interaction. At last, she patted El's head before leaving, causing his heart to flutter.

After waving his shy goodbye, the corner of El's mouth raised involuntarily.

Suddenly, El's eyes caught onto something. Originated from the inside, El noticed a staff member at the eatery struggling bringing numerous package boxes in a large transparent plastic bag to the side of the restaurant. Then, two children revealed themselves from the shadow of that alleyway. El raised his eyebrows. Not out of suspicions. But because the two children are looking pale and sickly. The two are a girl and a boy around his age right now. They use tattered clothes with many messed up line of stitches. The boy had fading red hair, while the girl had the same color as him – which is black hair.

"Umm, excuse me sir?" said El, pulling the attention of 'the man' seated in front of him, from his 'Oh so big feast'.

After taking a swig of his beer and swallowing a mouthful of food inside his mouth, only then did the man responds to El back. "… yes, what's up boy?"

"Is it normal if people living in the city looking like that?" El said, discreetly using his finger to point at the boy and the girl who were now happily opening the package. And it was food. They use the utensils made of plastic to eat it on the spot. El could see that female staff hurriedly taking chairs from an empty table, then asking them to sit, which the two hardly complied with. After much persuasion and faint angry noises, only then did the two reluctantly sat on the chairs. The guests whether on the outside or in the inside, is hardly looking at them, as if it was such a common occurrence.

The man himself turning his head over his shoulder. After a second, he turned back to El.

"You mean them?"

"Yes," El said.

Still with the fork in his grasp, the man explained, "They are people from the underside…"

"Underside? What do you mean? Are they like, living under the city? The underground?" asked El, curious about the topic.

"Yeah, you could say so."

Frowning, El raise a question again. It feels like, the meaning behind the man's words is vaguely bad. "You didn't tell me the whole truth. I'm sure of it. Please tell me what you mean by 'people from the underside', sir?"

"… things happen. Some people falling out of favor. Their children. Descendant, is the one who pay the full price," pausing for few seconds, he resumed, "They all also called, 'rodent'. People who purposely neglected by the whole empire, just like a rat on the street."

"… … you mean. They are just like me and the villagers."

"Hmmmm. Hypothetically, it was like… If the village you lived before are positioned as the number three, worst place to lives in the whole Threa. Then the underside is number four in that list."

"… what is the number one and two then?"

Subsequently, for a whole minute, they left in a staring contest – until El couldn't hold it anymore.

"You won't tell me, aren't you?"

"Yes. If you wanted to know more, you know the rows of books in the room where you sleep, right? Read it all. You will gain a basic understanding about the history of the empire we currently in."

Shrugged his shoulder, El replied, "Alright then…"

"How long till you finally finished with your meal, sir?" now, El pointed back to the matters at hand. It was close to two hours already since the first time the man ate his meal.

"Calm down boy. Here, let me tell you something. As I am someone who were lived way longer than you, I'll give you an advice!?? A worthy advice… you need, to always enjoy your food as long as it takes if you have time, especially if you are later to become an adult like me. That, is the basic of how you'll going to enjoy life, you hear me?"

El only hear the half part of what he said, with his attention again back to the two children. Meanwhile, the female staff already back to her work.

A few moments later, five more children emerged from the dark alleyway and proceeded to take the packaged food that had been placed on the table. They all then eat it with relish. One of the children looks so small and fragile, but still had the same sickly look as the other kids. Rather gaunt cheeks, pale and dark circles under their eyes, remind El of his sleepless wary night, not only from the mosquito, but also from the two elders who initially sheltered him.

From that recollection of the past him, about fatigue, to hunger and thirst, and dangers, El ended up started to feel hungry again, even when his stomach already feels like it'll going to burst from how much he ate.

Suddenly, the first girl with his black hair, turning her sight at El. Their eyes locked at each other for few seconds, until that female girl nudged at the first boy on her side. The boy had serious look on his face.

The trio then glanced at each other. Observing. Evaluating one another.

It all end when El caught a sneer from the boy, who subsequently turning his face away from him. The girl following after, this time without a sneer.

At last, eating his last bite, the man finally satisfied.

After paying all the bills, he left with El, who did not forget to steal one more glance at the 'kids from the underside'. There, his emerald eyes met the girl's and the boy's eyes again.

While the girl showed no expression on her face, the boy sneered at him again for no reason. Shortly after, he looked away from El.

'What did that even mean?' El tilted his head to the side, genuinely confused of what that means actually are. He tried to mimic the boy, then shows it at the man while walking on the street.

"Sir, sir. What did this mean?" El said, with his mouth awkwardly trying to sneer.

"What the… what are you trying to do. Don't tell me you are sick?"

"What sick? I'm not…"

"Then don't do it. There is this disease called stroke."

"Stroke?"

"Yes. One of the late symptoms is exactly like what you did?"

"Symptoms? What are symptoms?"

"Symptoms are something that you did earlier."

"What did I do?? What do you mean exactly?"

"It means. Hmm, it means being dumb…"

"What? Dumb? I'm not dumb," El stated, retorting back.

"What you did earlier is being dumb," counter the man with a side eye glance.

El's mouth simultaneously shaped into an O. 'Oh, it means that boy is being dumb then. Such a pity… not only look sick, but also dumb...'

El then said, "I see. I actually not being dumb. I am just mimicking someone from that restaurant."

"Then don't do it if you didn't want to be dumb. The dumb label isn't as good these days."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing."

"Sir, I have to say this. But it seems, you really like to not finish your words, or likes saying something unclear."

"Am I? Actually, I am always finished things."

"Huh???"

"Nothing…"

"Right…" El rolled his eyes again.

"By the way, where are we going right now?"

"Where? To the area where there is street food, of course…"

"Street food? You mean, we eat again?"

"Of course. After a little walk, we eat again. You kid especially need to eat a lot, so you can grow big, strong and tall like me."

"Oh, umm… okay then… it's still free right?"

"Don't worry, your sir here has a lot of money…" the man said while hitting his chest twice with his palm. His expression is now obscured again by the mask.

The two then sharing the time together. Eating various street foods. One time, El dazedly looking at a harmonious picturesque where a young mother who hold her son's arm, shares an ice cream with him. Soon after, the father of that family tapped playfully the mother's shoulder, making her flinched from surprise. The two soon bickering playfully, with their son didn't even bother with them. Instead, the child was busy looking left and right.

El does not know why and what came over him at that moment, but watching that happy and cheerful family...

Was actually pretty painful for him.

Out of nowhere, El shoulder also tapped by a big hand.

"Hey kid. Here, try this. It's called ice cream. It's really good."

"Oh… thanks," said El while once again, dazed, looking at the man with his intimidating appearance, who towering high in front of him. There are already two kids crying from simply seeing him here in this street.

"What kid. Something's on my face."

"No, you just… looks cool."

"Oh, I am indeed. Pity I'm already old now. if only you seen the young me…"

"Uh-huh…" El swiftly lose interest after he started to 'go into the stories' things. After only a day spending time with the man, El have a general understanding of one special trait from the man.

And it was.

'He brags a lot,' El thought. Even then, his eyes curving, not only from the delectable sweetness of the ice cream, but also because of the man. El secretly smiling, while stealing glances at the man.

'Is this what it feels like… to have a father. It's not bad. It really is not bad at all…'

…