A Gathering of Heroes series: Anhu

Chapter 1 (Li)

Dong Ying (the slums), Anhu County

I sigh.

Irritating, blanketing, unfamiliar presence aside, nothing is happening in the city. I sit, perched atop Wu-dashu's hostel as normal. Wu-dashu used to try to make me leave, stating that no young girl should be climbing so high, but he had long since given up, so long as I don't scare his customers away. Besides, I think he secretly appreciates having me here to protect his hostel from unwanted "guests." Being the tallest and most modernized building in the area –courtesy of Jintou-ge and me – his hostel provides the best view of the happenings all around. I can see all the way to the Governor's excessively fancy mansion and the glistening lake beyond it to the north. I can see the dark remnants of near-forgotten destruction to the west. I can spy on my humble orphanage and its neighboring bamboo forest to the south. I can see out into the broad ocean and the ships that sail on it to the east. It's the perfect vantage point to see pirates and bandits before they attack.

One would think that they'd stop trying after being beaten back by us so many times, but they come back time and again, stronger than the time before. It's quite annoying, really. That "treaty" twenty years ago was supposed to put an end to all of this. But pirates have no honor. That's expected. What is less expected, though, is neither do the officials, who have long since been bribed to turn a blind eye to the ransacking of the southern rim of the city, an area also known as the "slums."

The officials have never cared for us, though, so, while disappointing, this turn of events was not exactly surprising. Fifty years ago, when the then-governor decided to surround the city with a wall to protect its citizens, they stopped halfway, citing "lack of funds." Of course, the wall still stands tall and strong to the north, where the affluent dwell. Most southerners with sense and some money quickly fled to the safety of the walls, leaving behind the old, the young, and the poor. Leaving them – no, us – behind to be a human wall.

No one comments on the invisible line that was drawn at that time, the line between the "slum-dwellers" and the "normal citizens." It's a line that I find myself loathe to cross. Unless it's an absolute necessity – like during that time when we were establishing a foothold in the "normal" life – I refuse to go anywhere near the "city." I'll send Qiuhuo if I need to, but I'm not going myself.

I sigh again, leaning back against the warm tiled roof. Mm, sunbathing is so nice...

As I lie there, mind wandering absently, I hear faint footsteps land on the tiles next to me. I crack open one eye to see Jiedao frowning at me.

"It's a nice day," I greet him, "so why the frown?"

He rolls his eyes at me. "There's a storm brewing; it'll probably be raining tonight. How can you say it's a nice day?"

I shrug lazily and let my eyes slide shut again. "I'll take what I can get, when I can get it. What's up?"

"We can't find any source of it."

"Mm..."

"Qiuhuo thinks it might be a User."

A User. One who's both cursed and blessed at the same time. Depends on how we look at it. From birth, we're either cursed with the power to bring calamity, or blessed with the power to protect.

"Makes sense."

"But you know how dangerous that'd be if that's the case. This area could become a battleground."

I open my eyes and stare at the clouds floating slowly by, listening to the chatter all around us. The merchants on the streets, the travelers passing by, the children running in the alleys.