Nero lay steadily on the stuffy mattress that he had found. This was perhaps the most miserable part of the day for Nero. Every night, just trying to sleep but then realizing that he was certainly living a horrible life. He wondered what it would be like for just one night to sleep in the royal castle. Nero suddenly cringed as he realized that he pitied himself, he saw self-pity as weakness. He gazed up at the starry night sky. What would it be worth to someone if they wanted to take this view away? He wondered. He then went on to think about the conversation he had with the old lady. How was he even going to help this town? They don’t even recognize him as a human being. As he lay on his back he held up his power suppressor gloves and studied them. These gloves were certainly top quality, crafted with some of the finest materials in all of Libero. As he stared at the gloves, moments passed as he realized that he definitely could not stay in Origio. He was going to help this place; however he needed to get stronger first. With that, he drifted asleep.
The next morning, Nero was busy with preparations for his journey. He stopped by the shopkeeper’s tomato stand, who handed him a tomato. “Mornin’ Nero, did you have a decent sleep?”
“Mornin’ Eugene,” Nero responded, as he took a bite out of his tomato. “It was okay I suppose. I did a lot of thinking.”
“Hm, sounds productive,” the shopkeeper stroked his beard curiously. “Well today’s Friday, and it’s going to be busy. If you need anything else let me know.”
As he began to turn around Nero said “Wait, there actually is a way you could help me,” he wiped some tomato juice from his mouth before he continued. “Do you know where I can get a map?”
Eugene held up his index finger. “Hold on, I’ll be right back.” He quickly scurried off to the back of his stand and came back with a crunched up piece of paper. “Here you go.” he said as he handed the ball of paper. Nero looked at the ball of paper and laughed. “What, were you expecting a roll of paper elegantly wrapped in a golden fleece?” Eugene asked jokingly as heard the boy’s laughter.
“No, no,” Nero stopped laughing. “This will do thanks, I appreciate it.”
“Well that map will be hard to use without a compass so—“
“No compass needed,” Nero was quick to respond, as if he already knew what Eugene was going to say. “I’m very good when it comes to north, east, south and west.” The shopkeeper raised an interested eyebrow as Nero pointed in a random direction. “North-east,” Nero stated “That’s where I am pointing.” Eugene whipped put his compass and examined it for a moment. His face lit up with surprise as he asked “How did you know?”
“I’m not sure,” Nero knit his eyebrows together to form a face that was in deep thought. “I can just feel it I guess.”
“Hm. Well as you can see on the map, there is a settlement north of here.” Eugene informed as he began to wipe a tomato with a rag. “They’ll give you basic supplies, and further directions.”
Nero kept his face in deep thought. “Really? Why are they just handing out free hospitality?”
“I didn’t say it was free.”
“Well you probably should have started by saying that.” Nero replied.
Eugene shrugged. “I suppose. Anyway, their terms are that they can do some sort of test on you.”
Nero nodded. “Thanks for the help Eugene.”
“No problem, kid.”
As Nero began to walk away, he stop and asked “One more thing, how or where did you receive your information?”
The shopkeeper grinned. “I have my sources.”
Nero nodded with a face of acceptance.
Nero stood at the town’s northern gate. It was a pleasant evening just like any other evening in the town of Origio, but instead of looking for a place to sleep, Nero was about to enter a new chapter of his life. He was about to embark on an adventure in which he would meet new people, and discover more about himself. At that thought, a wide grin spread across Nero’s face. He was free. He was truly free.
As he began to exit the city, a guard halted him. “If you intend to leave the town, I would advise that you bring a means of self-defense.” The guard remarked informatively.
“I’ll be fine. I’m pretty good with my hands.” Nero replied confidently.
The guard gave his attention back to the city. “Good luck.”
Nero nodded and exited the city. He saw a wide open field, where the grass was knee high. There were a few trees here and there that looked as if they were barely supporting themselves. In the distance there was a thick forest that looked fairly easy to get lost in. Nero did something that he had always wanted to do. He ran, as fast as he could. In an instant he was deep within the forest, zipping and dodging the multiple trees that he encountered. Eventually, he wasn’t sure if his feet were touching the ground anymore, and bright yellowish light streaks began to form around him. Nero had never seen this before and for some strange reason, he couldn’t slow down, he was only going faster. He decided that he would trip himself, and he did. As a result, he sent himself hurling face first into a tree then ricocheting into many other trees. Nero lay on his back for a second, and waited for the world to stop spinning, he then sat up surprised as he realized that he wasn’t in that much pain. He was even more surprised as the realized how far he had gone in a few seconds. A stroke of nervousness crept over Nero as he apprehended the fact that he may have passed the settlement. He sat there motionless for a while, and in the silence he heard chatter. He stood up and headed towards the noise. He had eventually reached a clearing in which he released a sigh of relief. He had made it to the settlement.
By Chronicle
