Chapter 33 - Icarus's Sun
She stood up and grabbed my hand, dragging along.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"It's getting dark, and this area is too dangerous for you to be alone. I'm taking you to a safe place."
I pulled my hand away from her.
"I'm not supposed to go with strangers..."
The girl sighed and flicked my forehead.
"Why did you do that?"
"I helped you, idiot. Is this how you thank ? Co on, I have food at ho," she said, starting to walk.
I looked at the sun and saw that night would fall soon.
She saved ... the only person who ever did that.
I watched her walk away and then ran to catch up.
"How do you get food? Just by picking through the trash?" she asked as I followed her.
"Yes, and sotis I beg on the street, but people can be an and hit ."
I kept following the girl.
"And how do you drink water?"
"I get it from the river," I replied.
She stopped and looked at .
"You drink straight from the river?"
"Yes, and from the rain too," I answered.
She flicked my forehead again.
"Why did you do that?"
"Because you're silly, you can't drink river water without boiling it first."
The girl started walking again.
I didn't know that...
"Don't you get sick?"
"Sotis, but I'm used to it."
She sighed.
"My na is Helen, what's yours?"
"I never had a na, but I liked the sound of Icarus, so I chose it."
She stopped walking.
"You never had a na? Didn't you live with your parents until you were three?"
"They didn't give a na, they just called one word."
"What word?"
"Burden."
Helen made a strange face.
"Icarus... is... a good na, I prefer it," she said, patting my back.
We kept walking, and she held my hand.
"It's a character from a story, right? I think I've heard that story sowhere," she said.
"Yes, it's the story of a boy who lived in a bad place but managed to escape."
"You know that in the end, Icarus dies, right?" she asked.
"Yes, but he escaped that place and got to live his dream of seeing the sun up close. Even if he lived a short life, for a mont he was truly happy."
She seed to understand, and we walked to the sewer area. It was a dangerous place, and many people stayed away because those who entered never returned.
"Don't worry, those are just stories. The only monster here is ," she said, laughing, and we went in.
"I don't have anyone either," the girl said.
Helen guided through the corridors, and we reached a dark area where there was a hole in the wall hidden by stones. Helen pushed the stone aside and went in.
I waited outside for a while. She said she had girl’s clothes lying around and needed to put them away.
After so ti, Helen reappeared and called in.
"This is where I live," she said.
We were in a small room with so fabric scattered on the floor, broken furniture salvaged from the trash, and even an old mattress on the ground.
Helen lit a fire using a tool and was heating a pot over a small fire.
"You know how to make fire?" I asked, surprised.
"If you want to survive, you need to learn the basics."
I sat on the floor, not knowing what to do.
"Why are you helping ?" I asked.
Helen kept stirring the pot.
"I just wanted to help. Is that wrong?"
"No one helps anyone in this city."
She let out a small laugh.
"In this city and all other cities. People are like that, Icarus. It's hard to find a kind soul. I just wanted to help a good soul before things got... bad for you," she said, serving a cup.
I looked inside, and it seed to be so kind of soup.
"Go ahead and eat. You’re a child. You shouldn't be going through this."
"But what about you? There’s nothing left in the pot."
She shrugged.
"I ate earlier, it's fine."
I poured half of what was in the cup back into the pot.
"You should eat it all," she told .
"Let's share."
Helen sighed, a little annoyed when she saw that I wouldn’t eat if she didn’t, but she accepted and started eating.
I watched her eat and rembered what she did for .
"How did you manage to fight off those three boys? You don’t look it, but you’re really strong."
She stopped eating and looked at .
"I'll tell you the secret, but you must promise not to tell anyone. Do you promise?" she asked.
"I won’t tell."
Helen ca closer to and showed her hand.
"I'm strong because of this," she said, and a small, almost transparent ball appeared.
"What is that?" I asked, surprised.
I tried to touch the tiny ball, but my hand went right through it.
"That’s Aura," Helen said.
"Aura?"
She closed her hand, and the ball disappeared.
"It's a type of power that gives strength. You mustn’t let anyone know you have it if you ever get lucky enough to have it."
I found her words strange.
"But why can't they find out about the Aura?"
Helen leaned closer to .
"There’s a very bad woman who kidnaps children and forces them to be warriors," she said.
"A woman?"
"Her na is Athena, and she's a goddess. If you ever gain the ability to use Aura, never let her find out. Once you're sent to her army... there's no way out."
I knew a bit about these stories.
"Is it her army that has the Generals? They're very famous."
She flicked my forehead.
"Those are adventure tales to deceive children and lure them in. Never let Athena know you can use Aura if you ever awaken that power, or she'll find a way to use you."
From that day on, I never left Helen's side. We lived together, looking out for each other. She taught how to survive, kept warm on cold nights, took care of when I was sick, and brought food when I was hungry. Helen beca the first person I learned to love; she beca my world... my sun. When they took my sun from , all that was left was darkness, and I beca General Icarus.
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