3. The third ring

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April the 7th
Year 2042
The fifth ring

They experienced no troubles on their way to the fourth. Even the adults in fifth stayed clear of the dark haired twins, and it was always a confidence boost. One that was needed especially today. It's been a while since they started venturing about fourth, and since it was quite smaller than fifth, they had quickly discovered all that was worth discovering. To find a breach between fourth and third though... It took about three years.

The twins found it by accident when hiding from a quite angry shopkeeper that didn't appreciate them inspecting his goods. If you can call eating it, inspecting. To be fair, green food was a true rarity in fifth, even so in fourth. It's not quite their fault if they get too curious, right? At least according to Ek's logic. The breach itself was a tiny hole on the north side of the ring, covered by a flimsy bit of fabric behind a shop selling all things leather. The owner of the leather shop was a young man with an angry face, but that might just have been because of the twins. It's fair to say they stir up trouble no matter where they go.

Going through the planks covering the hole, they emerged in the south part of fourth. Once through, they dusted off our clothes and shared a grin. Ek was ecstatic. To finally travel within third! Not much kept the twins going but their mutual love for discovering new things and constantly pushing their limits. Third was just another barrier to cross.

"Okay Ek, no soldiers this time, yea?" Kal grinned at his sister, and was awarded by a slap on the back of his head. He groaned, but as soon as he realized Ek had started walking away from him, he quit being dramatic and followed.

Fourth was different from fifth, but not as much as one would think. The quality of life was a lot better, but even here you could see the oppression of Gulfjuns. The markets were lively, but a melancholic atmosphere lingered behind closed doors. Mistrusting glances thrown at neighbors and fingers pointed at innocence. Eyes followed the twins the entire way, as if they had a neon sign over their heads screaming "FIFTH", "SCUM", "DIRT". It could be paranoia, or if they had completely reformed into what they want them to be.

"Hey, you two! Stop!" an authoritative voice rang out right behind them. Ek cast a quick glance at Kal, who only nodded and instantly they split up and ran off in opposite directions. She knew her brother would met her further up north, closer to the breach, so she sprinted into the closest mass of people. Pushing through, she received a lot of elbows in her face and the occasional spit in her hair.

Filthy little kid daring to touch them, am I right?

Ek never thought a lot about the way they were treated, it was no use, but right then she would've loved for their behaviour to change. Especially with a guard hot on her tail.

When the crowd thinned out, she slowed her pace and walked close to the wall between fifth and fourth. While it meant trespassing others property and running behind houses, it was a safer bet than the main street running through entire fourth. She casually strolled through another garden, and was soon met by the sight of her brother. Only now, he was covered in smelly pieces of fabric, old food, and something that had no place on another human being.

"Hey brother, did you go digging through the trash again?" Ek called out as soon as his eyes met hers.

"Don't even say anything," he grumbled. "Some old lady thought it'd be proper to throw her waste at me." She laughed at his sour expression, which suddenly grew evil and accompanied by a smirk.

"No." Ek told him. "You stay away from me!" 

Kal did no such thing. His stench grew stronger as he walked towards her, and then she was running again. Not from guards this time, but from her beloved brother covered in human waste and rotting food.

You've reached the end of published parts.

⏰ Last updated: Jun 29, 2018 ⏰

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