Under a storm-covered sky, he was walking alone. His face was covered with a veil protecting him from the sand, and his grey eyes pierced through the fog. He tightened his grip on a heavy sword hanging from his waist, and the water jar swayed on his back. The wind howls, and the sand strikes his body mercilessly, but he does not stop.
From atop a sandy hill, an old man stood watching him in silence, a faint voice echoing in the air: "Why are you doing this, Erold?"
Erold continued walking, even as his body began to collapse. Inside him, a voice screams: "No... I must not stop now... I promised him." Vision fades, and his steps weaken. He looks at his feet; they are barely moving.
"No... no... I must continue..."
"Then... darkness."
When he opened his eyes, there was no storm, and no heat. "Am I dead?" he asked himself. He was lying on a simple mattress, cold compresses on his forehead. The walls were made of mud, and the ceiling of palm fronds. He was still in the desert, but in a rare corner of comfort.
A short man entered carrying a plate of dates, his features a blend of sternness and softness: "Ha! I was sure you wouldn't die!" He handed him the dates and said: "Eat, until lunch is ready."
Erold, tiredly: "Thank you... who are you?"
The man laughed: "Ah, excuse me! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ali. We found you with the caravan during our return."
Erold was confused and asked him: "Where are we?" Ali looked at him and smiled: "Welcome... to Babylon."
Babylon, a city with two faces. At its top, the Royal District, a fortress of extravagant beauty, inhabited by kings and ministers. People call it "Paradise," and no one enters it except those destined for luck or power. Next is the Merchants' District, a world of opportunities and wealth, governed by the royal family from afar, where deals are made that raise men and bring others down. They call it the "Minister Maker," for every minister was born there one day. And at the bottom... the Commoners' District. A world of sorcerers, thieves, and slave traders. Chaos covered in dust, they call it "Clean Garbage." But here, true life pulses.
Erold's gaze shifted between astonishment and hope. He whispered in a low voice while contemplating the place: "Destiny..." Then he turned to Ali with a tone of curiosity: "Tell me, what were you doing when you found me? My body could no longer endure... that's all I remember... how long have I been asleep?"
Ali smiled slightly and said: "Three days, my friend. Three days during which you were absent from the world, until I doubted you would ever wake up."
Erold bolted upright, his eyes shining with a hint of enthusiasm: "Three days... that means I've actually started to improve."
He paused for a moment, looked around, then returned to a calmer tone as he noticed he wasn't alone in the place: "I apologize for my behavior. My name is Erold... and there is something I am looking for." Inside his mind, he thought: "I shouldn't say much. I don't know who this man is, but he saved me... and he deserves gratitude."
Ali laughed loudly and said jokingly: "Don't apologize, Erold. I've never seen anyone like you before. A mix of fatigue and joking... you're truly funny."
Then he suddenly changed his tone, his voice becoming serious, his features frozen: "What exactly are you looking for? Many come from outside... searching for sorcerers, or money, or secrets. What do you want?"
Erold looked at him with sharp eyes, possessing the steadfastness of knights and the weight of the past. Ali felt a sense of dread. He took a step back, his heart whispering: "Did I bring a mercenary into my house? Or worse? Does he intend to kill me? No... no. He is a guest. And I will not mistreat him unless he mistreats me. Just... I must be careful. For myself, and for my daughter."
Erold said calmly, as if throwing a stone into a still well: "I came looking for my friend."
Ali's features changed, and he sighed with relief: "Oh... a mysterious man looking for a friend in Babylon... I thought you were going to kill me a moment ago with those looks!" Then he smiled and said: "Well, I won't ask you any more than that. It seems you don't like questions. But... if you need anything, my home is your home."
A little girl called out loudly: "Father! Lunch is ready!"
Ali rejoiced and said to Erold: "Come, Erold, lunch is ready. My daughter Jasmin prepares the best stew you might ever taste."
Erold smiled with a face that didn't show much expression, and said in a joking tone: "Does your daughter really know how to cook?"
Ali replied as he walked toward the food: "Judge after the meal."
Erold entered the room to find a ten-year-old girl, with long dark black hair tied back, and an innocent face like those her age, but with somewhat sharp features.
Jasmin looked at Erold mockingly: "Why does he look like this?"
Erold looked at her with an annoyed face and said: "Let's eat, little one. It's an honor to meet you, and thank you for helping me."
Jasmin replied happily: "I didn't know you were polite! I thought you were a child of the sewers since I saw you..." Silence fell for a while, then Jasmin said: "Try my food."
The three sat down to eat. Jasmin poured the stew for Erold. Erold thought: "Despite the simplicity of its ingredients, it looks delicious." For a moment, he remembered a woman wearing a maid's uniform, pouring him stew in his youth.
He returned to reality, and Ali said: "Let's eat." Erold said to Jasmin: "I didn't expect you to know how to cook, little one."
Jasmin replied with laughter and arrogance: "Hehehe, don't judge by appearances! You just learned a lesson... that your character is the opposite of your garbage appearance."
Erold looked at her with annoyance and muttered: "Rude girl..." (But inside he smiled: This reminds me of the nostalgia of the past).
Years ago
A little boy running with a piece of bread in his hand, and guards behind him. One of the guards shouted: "Boy, stop!" The little boy froze and collided with a massive man. His hair was black as night and short. His features were like stone, but he smiled at the boy and caught him.
The guards arrived, and one said: "Sir, we apologize for our negligence!"
The other objected: "The boy is extraordinary! He is indescribably fast!"
The unknown man said sternly: "Do not be arrogant about your mistake; instead, try not to let it happen again. Leave this boy to me."
Then he said to the boy: "Where are your parents? Don't you know that stealing in the streets of Egypt is worse than traveling alone?"
The boy replied with annoyance: "Leave me alone, old man! Let me go, I don't have parents anyway."
The unknown man said with understanding: "Is that so? I didn't expect that... Who do you work for, boy? It's impossible for you to have lived this long alone."
The boy replied: "What business is it of yours? Let me go!"
The man sighed and took a strange potion from his pocket. "This is a truth potion. You won't be able to lie for thirty seconds."
The boy backed away, staring at the man, then screamed: "Get away from me!" But the man held him firmly and forced him to drink the potion. The boy tried to wriggle away, but the potion poured into his mouth, and he swallowed it against his will.
The man said: "Now, answer me... for whom do you work?"
The boy said: "For the King of Thieves."
The unknown man wondered: "The King of Thieves then? And what do you do for him?"
The boy answered: "I steal difficult things for him without the guards seeing me."
The man said: "Then... you are the Little Tiger?"
The boy replied: "They call me that, but I don't like it."
The man asked his name, and the boy replied: "I don't know... everyone calls me the Little Tiger."
The potion's effect ended. The man called one of the guards and said: "Take him to the cell. And don't you dare torture him!"
The guards shouted: "Yes, sir!"