These chains... they bind me. Her face... it reminds me. My love was turned to hate, my freedom revoked by those who subjugate. That nightmare became a reality. That fateful day when the blood-red sky wept. And the rest of the world slept. When we...
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"We've been sssearching for two daysss or so now. Let'sss go back to the inn and think of a proper plan." Zinneera suggested.
"Alright-alright. We'll do it your way. But still, this place is very strange." Jinto replied, as they took in the sights.
Imperial, imposing structures constructed of brick and iron stood proud and tall like grand generals. The buildings were highly engineered with an unforgettable Victorian aesthetic. One could almost smell the history at a mere glimpse of The Place With No Name. Large cathedrals shone brightly with illuminated, prestigious windows and street lamps lined the wide stone roads like an assembly of stars captured in jars. Vehicles and horsemen whizzed by as the hustle and bustle of distinguished men in trench coats and top hats filled the air. Finally, the sky had a heavy overcast filter upon it, invoking unease in some and peace in others.
"Hey, Zinny. Have you noticed it? There are no women in the streets after sundown." Jinto observed.
"Yesss. How peculiar..." Zinneera answered.
Just as the two reached the outside of the inn they were staying at, a strange man stood propped against the front entrance with a toothpick in his mouth and a tilted top hat that covered his eyes. Zinneera and Jinto stopped immediately.
'Drip, drip, pitapata-pitapata!' Rationed rain squeezed through the leaky faucet of the sky, before bursting open completely in a liberation of precipitation! "I've seen you two skulking around for something for a day or two now..." the mysterious man muttered.
"Ngh! Has this guy been following us around the whole time!? How is it that we didn't sense his presence at all!?" Zinneera thought to herself, outwardly disturbed.
"Excuse me please, it's raining and we need to get inside." Jinto replied nonchalantly, completely ignoring the man.
The man fiddled with the toothpick in his mouth before taking it between his two fingers. "I'm sure you're wandering... wandering why there are no women out at night? Why no one seems to know the one you're looking for? It's because of HIM!" he revealed.
"Who?" the Melanin man pressed curiously.
"They say he comes out at night, roaming the streets of this strange city. Some claim to have seen his feet moving forwards, though he was actually moving backwards. He mutters melodic hymns to himself about something nigh unintelligible cause his voice is so low and soft. When he appears, women... disappear. My daughter, disappeared..." he revealed.
"Y-your daughter you sssay? What happened to her?" the viridian vixen inquired.
"Oh my, where are my manners! The names Faust! It's a pleasure to meet you." Faust said abruptly, as he shook both of their hands. "My daughter... she was the one and only joy I had left in life. The alcohol couldn't bring my wife back. Nothing, and I mean nothing... could put a smile on my face after my wife died. Nothing, except my daughter. Boy, she was a picture of beauty! Smart, kind, and too good for any of the saps of this crazy town. Then... then she went out one night..." Faust paused, fighting to hold back tears.
