A Vision

A Vision

A Chapter by andia m.s

Standing on a place where one can see a full view of the town was a young man, alone and full of dreams. In his eyes was a flourishing city, clean and has the aura of might around the tall buildings made from stone and metal. In his eyes lies the smile of the people, contented on what they have. A place where there was neither poverty and prosperity, where everyone has an equal status in life, where the people are well dressed and can afford their everyday needs . 

 It was a city of hopes and dreams, a place like Utopia or in other words, the exact opposite of where he is. 

 -xxx-

Rumi sighed after his vision for the town of Inez, a rusty, old town, an opposite of what he imagined. The reality that it is suffering from poverty with lots of criminals like him left and right was what drove him to change the world he lives in. He knows better than anyone else what he is capable of, and yet, there he stands among the pitiful members of society. Outside the Black region, they are known as the villains. Bandits like him who steals in order to survive. After all, he doesn't have a choice; they do not have a choice. It is their way of life. 

"Boss! Boss!"

His messy, auburn hair that reached above his shoulders moves softly in the air as his brown eyes shifted its line of sight. Jordan panted heavily while sprinting on several roof tops. The heavy, bulky man climbed at the bell tower where Rumi stands. 

"There you go." The redhead offered a helping hand and for just one moment, Jordan felt that his weight became lighter until Rumi let go. 

"Here." Jordan gave him a small, white, folded paper. After reading the contents, Rumi's eyes lit up and hit the other man joyfully. 

"A mission! We got a mission!"

Without realizing that his friend almost drop dead from slipping on the bell tower down below, the young man excitingly think of a strategy. Their mission: to steal a rare diamond necklace on the mansion of Janus. 

"Wait up boss, Janus got a pretty high security system. We better plan a-" 

"No worries Jordan," he winked.  "I am sure this is gonna be a piece of cake like the others. I, Rumi of Gyro can get whatever he wants! With the power to magnetize everything from a simple fruit to the most precious thing in the universe!" He said, waving his hands like delivering a speech to rule the world. 

Jordan face palmed on how Rumi looked childish and stupid on the way he said those things. They know each other since children yet he cannot get used to the other's knack to daydream. Nevertheless, he is one of the people he respects the most. Rumi is their leader - the Gyro of the south, a group of hired bandits inside Black Region. Most of them believed that Rumi is a talented thief since birth mostly because none of their mission failed with him leading the operation. That is why he is confident that no matter what it is, he will definitely bring it to the client.

 "Who's the client?" The two teenagers peeked at the paper, there was no indication of the name of their client. Rumi blinked, it's not like it was the first time they got an anonymous customer.They decided to shrug it off and get in the plan.

 -xxx-

Janus was a complex city. It is considered an important part of the Black Region because of its unique system. For starters, it is known as the bridge that connects the in and out of the region, that includes different races and statuses of social classes. Janus on a much simpler definition has two faces; the normalcy and the supernatural. 

Amidst the dead of the night was a lively street with flashy, neon lights - a typical red light district. A figure sauntered the streets aware of the risk given by the wary eyes filled with treacherous intent. The tavern located at the deeper part of the narrow alley welcomed its newly arrived guest. The tavern was considered lucky that its customers tonight are mostly humans. 

The newcomer scanned the area and proceeded few seconds later. 

"One Roditis, please." A female voice was heard by the old bartender, busy cleaning a wine glass with his back faced into the bar counter. The white haired, white bearded man instantly recognized the person sitting on a high stool. His eyes bulged in obvious surprise as he confirmed her identity. She noticed it and flashed a small smile at him. 

The woman was short in stature, with long, silver, wavy hair and dull, grey eyes. Her face was doll-like and her skin was as pale as the moonlight. But one would certainly agree that what stands out the most was her intimidating presence. 

Arezana of the Silver Chains

 Moments later, she's enjoying her glass of Roditis wine. 

"Hey, isn't that the infamous vampire assassin?"Two men whispered across the bar while observing the sitting woman on a wooden bar stool. They talked about the possibility that a high caliber outlaw is currently inthe same place as them and soon, as usual, they begin to count the reward they wil learn from her head. They chuckled lowly at the thought that they will become instant billionaires once that happens. But they are not that dumb. Even supernatural creatures are petrified on this woman. After all, how could vampires be afraid of a mere human? 

"What brought you here, Miss Noriko?" the old man asked with uneasiness, his eyes wandered around his little bar. For someone who has keen senses, one could tell that the man's main concern is the shop's safety. Noriko completely understood the reason behind it, for she is the main reason why the old man is perplexed. She glanced at the two whispering low ranking assassins behind and gave them a plain look. Instantly, they flinched on their seats and bowed down to hide their faces,suddenly considering on leaving the tavern soon. Noriko then smirked at the old man before taking another sip from her glass. 

"Don't worry, I have no targets here nor do I have a target in this city."He gave her a quizzical look but somehow, the man cannot deny that her words made him feel a bit of ease since her arrival. 

The last time she went into the bar was a total nightmare. It all happened few months ago when a hooded group of travelers entered the place before the approaching maelstrom in the form of a woman wearing Victorian-Gothic coat. She casually dropped a thick packet of money on his counter and didn't say another word. As someone who lives inside the Black Region, he is used in witnessing barbaric fights every now and then. The last thing he remembered from that day was a thick miasma of copper in the air and the hardship of cleaning and renovating the shop. 

Vampires 

It was a one hell of a showdown. The tavern became an amphitheater between the supernatural creatures and the lone assassin. But at the very least, he was thankful that the payment was more than enough to rebuild the shop. After seeing her face once again, he was reminded on how much he was tired of putting everything on its place. The man shook his head mentally and was about to continue wiping the glasses together with his assistant when the bell on the door tinkled again, indicating  another guest has arrived. 

"Welcome."

 A young man on his late teens barged in with a frightened expression. In addition tothis, he is crumpling the left part of his denim vest and his steps are slightly wobbly, hinting he got an injury. Cases like this aren't new to the old man as well, but before he can say a word to the newcomer, the redhead crawled under the round wooden tables quickly to hide soon as the local guards from the Janus mansion entered. 

There were three of them who marched inside to locate the young man who just hid himself. The guards of the mansion of Janus are known for their tight security.They split up to search from different corners and sides of the tavern, casually strolling around, careful not to get too much attention. Some customers who noticed the situation got up, paid their drinks and left while the remaining people were either the ones who are busy to detect the brewing trouble inside or the ones who will enjoy watching an incoming brawl.They started to make a bet out of it, murmured on how many minutes until the guard find whoever they are looking for. Some argued of five, ten, fifteen, - 

"Third table from the left." A female voice was heard. Everyone's head turned to the said table and the customers who were occupying it scrambled on their feet as the young man revealed himself and hurriedly jumped over the tables to dodge the strike of the three guards aiming at him. 

"Get him!"

The people cheered as they went on the sides to watch the cat and mouse hunt courtesy of a lone man and the guards. Broken glasses and splattered drinks everywhere, chairs and tables in disarray, yells and boos erupted inside the tavern.The old man plopped a hand on his temple, surely he better prepare for a list of new furniture to purchase. Meanwhile, the woman who pointed out the infiltrator's location  turned her seat with the glass wine on her hand, an interested look on her face as she watched the chase. 

The cheers grew louder when a guard managed to corner him into a wall but the young man retaliate by kicking him in the face before pulverizing him using a mace.Another one swung a sabre on which he clashed with a push dagger. The redhead was  skilled in a close combat and in addition to this was his luck to evade their deadly assaults. But soon, he found himself struggling when the two of them surprised him using a combination attack. His immediate concern was the aching injury on his left abdomen. He lost his balance and rolled into the ground. 

"S**t S**t S**t!"He groaned in pain holding his belly. The spectators roared in excitement when the muscular guard held his mace, ready to smash it on the guy lying helpless when his companion raise a hand and signaled him to stop.

 "Where is the necklace?" the guard asked. 

"I said I do not know! Someone else stole it!" 

The guard stepped in on his already soaking in blood wound, the young man cried in pain and as they ask him again and again about the whereabouts of a certain necklace. 

"I don't know..!" Raspy voice came out from his throat. There was no way he could tell them and even if he was telling the truth, there was no way they will believe him.

 She leap from the high stool and faced the bartender to pay for her drink and muttered a low thank you despite the old man's poker face. Noriko was sure that the old man was low-key blaming her for the ruckus but she still gave him another sarcastic smile before leaving. 

Truthfully, she was not expecting the little hunting game to appease her boredom,but watching that certain guy struggle while injured did. She was not looking for the outcome anymore since it is obviously decided.

 -xxx- 

"It wasn't me who stole the necklace! Let me out!" 

"Shut up, kid, we know who you are."

 The only reason why he wasn't killed was because he is - in the eyes of the guards -the only one who knows where the necklace is. Rumi should be thankful by that,after all, he is still alive isn't he? But instead, he curses himself over and over. The known leader of Gyro was caught and is currently inside a cold, dark cell with only one tiny hole as a window above that even mice would have a hard time infiltrating. The gate of the cell was a solid metal door and it's as if he became blind due to the darkness inside. Rumi was sure he is alone in the cell because if not, he's already punched by another prisoner started from the moment he woke up and screamed denial that he did not steal the diamond necklace. 

It all began roughly three hours ago. His plans never failed so how could this be happening? He can remember what happened. His calculations were right, he was right. Everything was falling into place with accordance to his plans not until another person swooped in and steals the necklace. Rumi successfully infiltrated the dense security of the mansion despite some minor troubles, but due to the help of Jordan and his brothers he was able to locate the necklace.While using his mana to gravitate the crystal box which contained the jewelry, a masked figure took advantage and grabbed it, leaving him stunned. He jumped and chased the b*****d all the way to their secret passage. Not only that, the freak even locked it from the outside which resulted on Rumi's mischief. 

"D****t!"Whoever that guy was, he was talented and quick enough to escape from him. But the real question that was bothering him the most is how could that person know their secret passage? He sighed after a realization that that was not the main problem as of now. The real thing lies on how he is going to break free before the authority finalized his death penalty. And most of all, after that, if he ever succeed in escaping, how is he going to face the humiliation of being a failure. 

Two nights have passed and Rumi felt that he was slowly dying from hunger andthirst. 

"What the hell is this prison even? Letting their prisoner die a slow and painful death by letting them die in hunger. They could have shot me or stab me and I could not do anything about it. Ah, I'm so pathetic, why am I suddenly thinking of dying here? This is not what I dreamed of, this is not what I hoped for." 

He lay on the cold floor wondering what went wrong about him. It might be because of his starvation, it might be because of his wound that  slowly healing itself for a reason he was not sure of, or it might also be because of his negative feelings. Rumi closed his eyes, he was never accustomed on being in prison since he was never caught before. As he closed his eyes, he dreamt a short, minuscule of memories flashed at the back of his mind. His brothers and sisters in Gyro, how are they? he hoped Jordan and the others escaped before the guards caught them.But judging on their precise location, he was sure they did. 

He thought of the person who raised him, who taught him everything he knows about stealing - his father. Rumi was not so sure if that person would give a damn about his current situation. Lastly,he thought of Maki, her beautiful, kind smile that always inspire him to make an impossible better world. The redhead smiled subconsciously thinking of his dream,his vision.He always thinks he was born in the wrong part of the world. Not that he hated it,because what he wanted was to save it. 

Being a trained bandit, his sharp senses told him that someone was going to unlock the metal door behind him. But Rumi got no energy left to open his eyes, he can only pay attention by hearing the footsteps drawing nearer and nearer. His still consciousness confirmed that this person is a guard. 

"Rumi of Gyro, someone wanted to talk to you." 

-xxx

Amidst the painful starvation and daydreaming about his life, he suddenly found himself eating like a pig, munching breads and pastries, gulping a whole pitcher of water - all in front of a familiar man. 

Brio adjusted his glasses while reading newspaper, disinterestedly glancing at the young thief who just got his freedom back in exchange of a handsome amount of money.The dumpy man is wearing a black suit with blue necktie like the usual. His wrinkled face and annoyed expression will make anyone have second thoughts before approaching him or tonot consider it at all. 

"Thank you so much Brio! if not for you I'm already a dead man." Rumi said in between bites from the bread. 

"Make no mistake, you brat." The older one put the newspaper down.

 They were on an eatery still inside Janus city after Brio fetched him from the prison. Rumi paid no heed on the man's snobbish nature; he's so used to that. Brio works as the right-hand man of none other than the big boss of Gyro, Rumi's 'father'. 

"Get up, we are meeting someone soon." The man grabbed his black bucket hat and put it on his bald top.

 "What do you mean? We're not leaving yet? Oh hey, how much did you pay for my freedom? I can't believe pops was willing to pay shitons of his money for me." 

The redhead said proudly while hurrying to catch up with Brio's steps. The man stopped on his tracks and glared at him. This fool, he was aware of the reward on his head,that's for sure and that was the reason why he was overconfident on himself. 

"The boss did not pay a penny for your freedom, he wasn't the one whom you should thank." 

Rumi's expression changed and it somehow...saddened him. But he will not show that side of his. He blinked and tilted his head just in case he misheard what Brio said. 

"Your new client did." 

-xxx- 

"I WILL NEVER ACCEPT THIS!"His scream echoed along the enclosed alley on a deeper part of the city. Two voices clashed against each other's words. The other plainly explained the reason why the boss decided to demote him as the leader of Gyro following the incident on the mansion, while the other was an inch closer on transforming into something from to his anger. 

Rumi furiously debated against the decision of his father. The man - Brio had expected this outcome right after he said the boss' message to his 'son'.The failure of his latest mission brought the relegation of his position as a punishment. Rumi argued and tried to explain that the reason it happened was because some f****r interrupted his plans and snatched the necklace. Brio shook his head, who would believe him when he was the only one who saw it? 

Even so, the redhead realized that the person he thought would care about him only care about the outcome of his missions and was ready to throw him away when he was at his lowest. 

"Listen to me, I may have a fault in this for being so careless but that was not entirely my fault! Just give me a chance to prove it and I will find that person and the necklace and I will deliver it to the client!" 

"I said no, it's the big boss' decision." 

"But-!"

 "Shut up for once and let me finish first!" The man snarled, adjusted his glasses and sighed 

"You cannot blame the boss for his decision. After all, you failed and this failure brought an impact to the brotherhood whether you like it or not. You were their leader and yet you let the whole mission be a mess, you even let your brothers in danger. You were the head and once you lost the head you also lose the body - that is how a group works. The boss had high hopes for you; have you not realized the trouble after this?" 

Rumi's mouth was shut. Again, he wanted to explain that that was not entirely his fault but one way or another, Brio was right. He was responsible in the planning of every mission and whatever happens inside is his cargo. It was his fault for failing to seize that person, it was his fault for not expecting a trouble along their assignment, it was his fault that he got caught in the tavern and was imprisoned for two nights. 

"Pardon for my intrusion but I am scheduled to meet withsomeone here."

 The redhead flinched on the familiar voice and turned his head  to find a short woman wearing a deep maroon Victorian coat, and her silver hair and lifelessgrey eyes, standing away from them. Her presence bypassed his sharp senses. Rumi gulped, what kind of monstrosity can do such a thing? But more than anything,he realized something.

 "Y-you!" he pointed a finger at her. 

"Oh?" The woman tilted her head curiously. "Have we met before?" and then after a thorough scanning on the young man, "Ah, the guy who got beaten up to dirt in the tavern."

 "Because of you!" Rumi was about to make a step forward when Brio coughed togain their attention. 

"We are the one you are meeting with." Brio answered.The young man blinked, his eyebrows twitched in confusion. This woman was the reason he got caught, he confirmed by hearing her voice. Brio's conversation with the woman only added to his confusion. 

"I see," The silver haired woman nodded. "so is this the guy I am working with?"

 It was clear that she was talking about Rumi. 

"Excuse me, what?" Exasperated, Rumi turned to Brio. 

"The boss asked me to deliver his message for you," the older man gazed up to him and continued "Your new mission is to obtain the jar of Vernacutta with her. After that, your leadership will be returned." 

"WHAT?!"

-xxx-

A/N: If you managed to read all the way here, I would like to say thank you! <3

This is my very first original story and honestly, I am really nervous about posting this. This had been on my mind since the last two years but couldn't find a time to write. Based from my outline, it will have an approximately 22 chapters. There will be lots of mysteries around the story and if you plan on reading this til the very end, I am sure you'll have tons of theories.

That's it for the first chapter! :)



© 2017 andia m.s


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Added on November 10, 2017
Last Updated on November 10, 2017
Tags: medieval fantasy steampunk, fantasy, fiction, novel, action, adventure, original story


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andia m.s
andia m.s

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Hi! Im a newbie. My dream is to finish my original story. I like fictional stories and animes. English is not my main language but I'll try to improve! ^.^ more..

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A Chapter by andia m.s