SkyFall : Eulogy of The Void

The Refugees and The Wall

"Scotia, Xin-adra, Xinadra Scotia."

Kiera, the middle-aged man, was momentarily stunned.

"..."

"Um... so... you're also from a servant family?"

"No, my father once told me that his father and grandfather also had a last name."

With a hint of uncertainty in his tone, Kiera began to speculate about other possibilities.

In essence, commoners, especially those living in the Gantz area, didn't have last names, let alone family names.

This not only could lead to their marginalization as part of the oppressors within Gantz but could also result in their arrest by the government within the walls.

There was a rule that only the nobility, Draven, and citizens within the walls were allowed to have a second name behind their primary name. Even if they were from servant families, servants weren't permitted to name their children and descendants with a noble family's surname. That rule applied only to those who directly served those noble families.

"So... are you from a fallen noble family?"

That seemed to be the most plausible possibility because many incidents involved the downfall of noble families due to various reasons, ultimately leading to their dismissal.

"Perhaps," Xin replied flatly.

"But truly, even though I've lived within the walls since I was young and have many friends, acquaintances, and colleagues there, I've never heard of a noble family with the surname Scotia. So, the most likely scenario... you're from another city?"

Kiera speculated.

"I don't know. We were just commoners. Whatever happened in the past, only our surname survived through the ages."

Xin answered with sadness.

"Same as now. My mother and sibling were also lost to time, and now... I only have my name."

A somber and uncertain atmosphere enveloped their journey towards the wall.

"I mourn your loss, lad. I'll pray for them, may they rest peacefully with the gods."

Kiera replied.

"Yeah... with the dead gods, along with the demons."

Xin retorted curtly.

"You could say that, huhu, but I believe the gods will protect them there."

As the wind tousled Xin's shoulder-length hair and Kiera, whose hair was now speckled with white streaks, continued leaping closer to the gathering of people just in front of the gate. Shouts for help, expressions of distress, pleading for a chance to taste safety, echoed into the sky where Kiera and Xin were situated.

"We've arrived."

In front of the towering gates, hundreds of thousands gathered.

Gantz was indeed a dumping ground, for several centuries now. Those discarded, deemed unimportant and worthless, lived and died here. Yet, it differed greatly from the majority within the walls who could die in their beds, at an age that could stretch beyond seventy years.

Those within Gantz had only two choices: die from sudden and incessant onslaughts from the scourge, perish from dealings with the nobles, or succumb before reaching forty due to chronic diseases, owing to the harsh air and atmosphere outside the walls, making even breathing a challenge.

Food and clean water were sparingly rationed from within the walls. Every time the officials and servant nobles shared rations, they sneered at the Gantz folk, claiming they should be grateful for still being allowed to live. Arrogantly, they boasted that were it not for Dravens like them, the Gantz residents would have perished long ago.