The Moon so bright
Night so fine
Just keep your heart here with me
Because life is a dream we are dreaming
When the window showing a glint of sunlight rising from the east, and the skies has turned to orange, The clouds could be seen floating around the light of dawn while the sun has reached the land. A little boy, with teal colored eyes, running into the well to pick up some water with his tiny bucket.
The lad rushing back to where he come from and pouring the water into a large tub. The large tub he poured the water into is used by some high-class prostitute to bath in the morning. That was the last time he needs to run back into the well because the tub already full with water.
The lad worked as an errand boy for those prostitutes to help them buying their needs in the town, like food, or some accessories, and ready their bath or helping around when they need something.
But sometimes they treated the boy harshly, sometimes they beat him up until he can't move for a days. But the boy kept still, and still smiling brightly. That is why he loved by other servants who lived there.
But one day he makes a mistake, one of the famous prostitutes there asking him to buy the red kimono with rose embroidery for The Golden Sun Festival, instead he buy the crimson colored one with chrysanthemum embroidery. When he got back and the prostitute see the kimono, she beat him up, threw the kimono at his face, and locked him up at the storage.
She really mad at him because she need to wear that kimono for the festival tonight, so she used another red kimono with peacock embroidery to attend the festival instead the one that the boy bought.
The boy worried no one will search for him because they still busy preparing the Golden Sun festival in the kingdom and will be like that until three days in row. There he was cold and starving in the dark closed storages with the crimson colored kimono he bought wrapping around his body. He scared if no one will found him until three days again he couldn't make it.
The Golden Sun Festival is a big festival in that year because only happen every 10 years when the moon seen together with the sun at the twilight in perfect full shape. The little boy hoped he could see it too, when the moon and the sun seen together. Imagining how beautiful the festival could be, when the skies have two shining jewel sparkling brightly in the dark night? Even The King and Queen of this country will watch The Golden Sun Festival from above the palace, and he really hoped someday he would be there to see the festival, not in this place, secluded from the world in this dark tiny space, that stuffed too much with old things.
It made him so sad, he hoped he could watch the festival like other people, not locked up in this place alone, feeling hungry and cold. If no one finds him before the twilight, it would be too late for him to see the festival.
He must wait for another 10 years to see the moon and the sun fall in line together, side by side, like a perfect mate who can't see each other for 10 years.
Here, he cannot see the sky nor see light coming through the rusty trellis. He hoped someone would find him, and let him out from this place before the twilight, and he doubted that. Because everyone is too busy, the prostitute who lock him up in this place send him to get the kimono because the other people still too busy with preparing the festival. Then she threats the boy to do what she wants while he is still busy with other things too.
It ended up like this. It was better for him to take the beatings and the threats if it would make him locked up in the dark storages, starving to death. Moreover, this old storages located in a concealed corner in the building, where almost no one would passed in front of it.
He tried to kick the heavy door, crawling, throw a fist until he cannot feel his hands, but the door won't budge at all. From the storages, he could hear the faint noise upstairs, far away from where he's been.
She lock him up from the afternoon until now, he doesn't have much faith to counting on that woman to let him out because she is the most cruelest woman who ever beat him until he turn to bloody pulp when he was younger.
The boy wiped up a bruise on his left cheek, try to soothe the pain a little. Before that woman threw him in this place she beat him like crazy, until he almost rolling in tears. Sitting down in a dusty floor, he fixed the kimono to wrap around his body properly. It's getting cold in the night which means the twilight is near and the festival will start. He curled up into a ball, trying to hold his tears.
He wiped the tears and curving up his lips until he smile, "Don't worry Eren, you still can see it ten years again, when that time comes you already seventeen, you can leave this place and stand by yourself."
He tried to convince himself along with trembling voice, hugged himself tightly, and started shivering while he shut his eyes, trying to sleep. He hoped when he wake up he won't be here anymore. He doesn't want to wake up in the dusty air on the hard-cold floor. He missed his straw bed near the stable although it is not much and some bugs kept biting his skin. At least the straw feels warmer and fresh than this.
Eren still trying to sleep, forgetting everything happened this day when he heard a huge clanking sound against the door. It made him afraid when the door opened, he saw the prostitute who locked him inside standing there with pissed of face. Eren tried to protect his head when the woman walked in.
"Why did you bring us here? If you need a dark place we can always go to the room," Eren hear another voice, she brings two men with her. It made him scared about what would they do to him in this kind of place.
"Come here, fast," The prostitute ordered him to get out from the old storages, and he did it. The corridors are quiet, no one beside them seen in that area, and it worried Eren even more, he feels the needs to run away from that place as fast as he can but they blocked the only way to escape.
He only stood there while hearing everything they say, clinging into the crimson kimono tightly, hoping it would be enough to feel safe in it.
The woman turned to the other man, "You can look at his face," she drag Eren near her and those guys pull him roughly, hold his face and whistling when they see the boy's face with the candle they bring with them.
"I don't lie that he is pretty. Sometimes I get jealous and beat him up to make him know his place."
The man whispering to the other guy silently, before turned to face the woman, "He was bruised all over, I think two thousand gold is enough for this boy," The other man said to the woman. It doesn't take him too long to judge the boy's quality. Indeed this boy would make them rich in instant, because of his face and those rare colored eyes.
The woman snort hearing the offer, "I don't put any unhealed wounds to his body. Soon he will be fine, I bet he worth more than that, green-colored eyes is rare. Give me ten thousand and I will show you the way out from this place."
"Tch, bitch," then the man who still hold his face starting to touch Eren's private area, exposing his smooth-fair skin into the cold air, checking the boy if he is worth for ten thousand gold.
Now Eren really trembling in fear, that woman already planned this from the start, she tried to sell him to these guys. She choose the most quiet place to do this because the owner of this prostitution business is the one who bought him to worked as a servant here and then this woman tried to sell him without permission from the owner.
He scared, he wanted to run, but his legs trembling when he tried to move. The man hold him too close to his body, it made him uncomfortable.
"Hey, is he still virgin?"
"I bet he is, look," the other man rubbing his thigh and then moved to his chest, Eren feel a strange tickling at his stomach, and it made him disgusted when those men to rip his clothes.
"Don't touch me!" Eren tried to slap the man's hands but then received a hard slap at his cheeks. His cheeks already bruised before when that woman beat him, but then he received another slap at the same place, it made him spill little tears from his eyes. He held his hot cheeks angrily, if only he can run from these guys and tell everything to the owner.
"Hey! Don't be so rough with him, we will sell him again in the market. I don't want to damage a boy with rare green eyes," then the other male walked closer, whispering so quietly but not quiet enough because Eren still can hear it, "He will fetch a high price, much more than twenty thousands," The other man smirked again, "I know some old noble who will buy much more than that."
Eren feels he wants to throw up. He cannot stand it anymore, the greedy looks on their face when they see him as golden eggs. And that man who slapped him groped his butt that made him flinched away, he feel a finger rubbing against his entrance. Feeling the tightness in the boy's butt the other man nodding in agreement. "He is a virgin, never been touched by anyone," The other man smirked, satisfied with the boy's condition.
"Bitch, we had a deal," the man who slapped Eren before grope his money pouch and hand over ten gold bars at the size of a finger to the woman. "Now show us the way outside."
The woman smile her best smile and walk to the corridor, leading the way for those guys, "Follow me and stay silent," then she continued to walk slowly through the most quiet place in the building, avoiding crowded and noisy place.
While Eren walking between the mans, he waited for a time to run away from these people and report that woman, these man, and everything until he can get away from those guys. He doesn't want to feel powerless like this again so he had to do something to get away from them. Maybe that woman forgot, that he is the servant here, so he knows more about this building much more than her, Eren know the exact place where people will gather around for a while or a secluded room that is hard to be found.
The man annoyed when Eren keep tripping over the large kimono because Eren wrap it around his body tightly after the man done checking his body, The man pulled Eren back and bent until he is at the same height as the boy.
"Tch, I will tie it for you so you wont dragging us down," the man pull the kimono roughly before tying it up on Eren's body, he do it fast, like used to do it a lot, seeing the expression on Eren's face the man snorted before answering his unspoken question, "I have a daughter in my home, I used to do this everyday for her," Eren almost see this man smile so sad to him in the dark.
"No need to talk a lot to him, after this he will be gone anyway," The other men who slap him on his face before warn his friend while still walking further after the woman. Eren walks lightly after that man fixed his kimono. For more or less, he feels a bit grateful towards the man. The other man sigh and walks again following them.
They arrived nearly at the ground finally, then the woman sneaking through the corridor after corridor carefully. At least before the golden sun festival not over yet, most of the people wont going back into the building. They sneak over after the woman while Eren only walk like usual because he doesn't reach the destined place to carry out his run away plan.
Eren hoped some people to hear him when he screamed so they will gather to where he was and help him to beat these guys up. He prayed for his plan to be done perfectly so he can get away from being sold again. He ever experienced it when his parents are gone, some man take him from his home and sell him in the slave-market. Luckily his boss now, Dot Pixis, the prostitution owner is a straight guy. He felt pity for the boy and buy him to worked at this place as a servant.
That man already like a grandpa for Eren, because Pixis never beat him, and teaching him how to do things properly, like writing and reading, which is almost impossible for any former slave who has been sold from the slave-market.
Sometimes that old man gave him books to read which made him excited. Even before, Eren have his own room in the building, but then the prostitutes there get jealous of him and forcing Pixis to put the boy outside like other servants. So Eren had his room in the stable along with other boy around his age.
But he is happy though, having the books is enough for him. No matter where he is, as long he has books, He already happy. He dreamt a place whose have a large sum of books and hoped he can live in it, spent his time to read the books in that place. The books opened his eyes to the world. He never knew the world is so large and beautiful, by books it almost made him felt he were there and been in that place.
He almost lost in his thoughts when his legs stopped walking. He stands near the place where he will finish the plan. The corridor split up into three directions, the one Eren in, the other two placed in opposite way. The woman choose the left side while Eren collecting his energy to run into the other side. Guarded by two men on his front and back, he only depends on his agility to slip away from them. He squeezed the kimono tightly and raised it up until showed his smooth upper thigh. When the woman suddenly turned to left, the man made a space unintentionally for him to get away. Wasting no other seconds, he tilted his body and run as fast as his legs can do.
"Hey!" He heard the man shouting at him loudly but Eren ignored it. He kept running until the end of another splitting corridor and throw the crimson colored kimono into the opposite way he run into, place a decoy for them before he run back again for his life.
"Catch him!" He heard some noise at his back, he keep running and running until he finds this empty secluded room. Open it and hide in it, the dark room is so poor with the light and that is what he needs to feel safe. He must hide in the corner or somewhere if he doesn't want those mans finds him. Eren hide in that place for quite a long time. Hoping no one would find him again and leave him alone in this place.
"Shit, we lost him now!" The slave-seller punched the wall hard until it bent the woods a bit. The prostitute seems to leave them when Eren get away, leaving them alone near the exit from the building.
"What should we do now?" the other man tried to calm his friend down while thinking a way to get that boy back. After all they already pay ten thousand gold for that boy, with that money he can buy three fine slaves from the market. That is how much the boy worth for a slave because he grows up now. When Pixis bought Eren, that boy only sold around five hundred gold because he is still small and can't do anything useful at that age. But now when he is seven, he grew up become a charming boy and his eye color turned to be brighter and beautiful. He worth ten thousands gold now, how much will he worth then when he turned sixteen?
Those man desperately looking for Eren when an idea floating to their mind.
"We will burn this place, that boy will come out for sure yes?" He grinned happily at that idea, "When he come out we can catch him and leave this place," he added.
The other man who tying Eren's kimono only nodded nervously, doubted his friend's idea.
"Get me fire."
The Golden Sun Festival almost ended when the sun set back to its place leaving the moon who rise higher into the dark skies. The moon greets the waiting stars at the skies before shining brightly like a sun in the night.
The crowds started to fade away, going home to enjoy the feast, drinking and dancing all night long. Some rich man refused to go home, instead they spent the night in red light district, drink until get drunk, accompanied by some pretty woman all night.
A bunch of men walks to the prostitution house to spent the night in some woman's embrace when they saw flickering red sparks shining brightly from one of the biggest prostitution house in the red-light-district.
Some man already made his way to put out the fire before it spread along the other house in that area. But the fire already flared quite long even before the first guy saw it, some people report it to the security and they catch two suspicious guys guarding the exit door, forbid people to put out the fire.
Luckily the élite officers from the palace are around that area when patrolling around the city, the famous general riding black horse leading the troops to see the incident and saw that grand building flaring furiously.
"The boy! He didn't come out yet!" his ears caught someone panicked in the middle of the crowds. That voice come out from a man whose hands tied up by rope. An officer grabbing that man's collar, holding him back from going towards the door into the burning building.
"Wait, did you mean there's someone in there?! Why you didn't tell us sooner?!" The officer yelled at that man.
"I think he will go out as soon as the flame coming to his place like the other people," That tied man answer nervously, because he just killed his money-bag by burning the building.
"But he didn't showed up until now! You just killed that boy!" the other tied man snap back angrily at him, "I told you it wasn't a good idea to get him out of the building by this way!"
"We will lost our ten thousand gold if we didn't do this way!" The other man answer back, feels irked by his friend words.
"And we will lost him forever if he didn't go out from this building! We just burned him to death! Our money-bag! You just burned our money!" The officers who hold these mans knowing the whole story from the talks, including the general who happened to overheard them.
The general get off from the horse and walking towards a man who passing the bucket of water into the building to another man. The general grabbed the bucket away from the man and spill the water into his whole body in a flash.
"General Levi! What are you doing?!" one of his subordinates asking his actions, he thought the smoke just made his captain turned mad.
Levi turned over and stared sharply towards his subordinates, "Are you blind? Of course saving that boy," He answered in harsh tone before running into the building, ignoring the people's warning.
Eren pretty sure he fell asleep while hiding in that room for quite a time. He awakened by smell of smoke that made him suffocated, eyes can't see anything because the room is so dark. He walked into the door to see what happened when he was welcomed by sea of fire outside the room.
He panicked, confused when everything looks the same to him, nervous choosing the right way to go out from this building, mind disoriented, dizzy, and lungs suffocated for air. Everything seems perplexed to him. He only goes where his feet feel safe to step at the wooden floor. He needs to get away from the building if he doesn't want to die.
He doesn't want to die in here, not until he saw the festival ten years again with his own eyes, he doesn't want to die in this caged place, he want to be freed, he wanted to see the world someday, it is too early for him to die yet.
He pushed his determination to the limit because he needs to get out from this place. He still wants to live in this cruel world, to see every masterpiece this world has. He won't give up on that. Ever.
He forced himself to walk, and when his legs starting wobbly and he needs oxygen, Eren fall down, collapsed near the walls. He saw the fire started to gather around him, burning the floor, the wall, everything until they turned to ashes. In the last bit of consciousness he crawl into the woods, even breaking his nail when he drags his body forward. He can feel the trembling ground when some woods up there began to fall, showering him with debris and rubble, choking him until he breath in ashes.
He wanted to live, he won't give up, but what can he do if God didn't let him? What can he do to live in freedom forever?
"Help," he whisper silently when the fire started to spark around him, "Help me, please, anyone," He never asked for a help before, he fed up to ask it again because no one would help him when he need it the most.
"Please help me!" He cried, angry to his miserable life since his parent died. He is only seven years old yet the life he is living is like hell. But he is too stubborn to lose in life so he begged for help as long as he is alive. Maybe those mans will sell him and he will live in sorrow and torment after this, but he will found a way to escape and spread his wings to fly away.
He will enjoy the sunlight, see the festival, living his life in freedom forever. He will give everything to say his thanks to whoever saved him from this living fire of hell. As long as he escapes this fire and allowed to live it is enough for him.
He feels heavy on his eyes while his lungs burning. Suffocated, tormented, powerless. He was sure he is dead when he saw some shadow pass his eyes. But then he feels a touch of roughness from someone lifting him up and carrying him outside, protecting him from the ruins or woods block burned by fire as they marched into cold air, breathing heavily when the fresh air touching their lungs feeling at ease as they already outside the building. Eren cling tightly into his savior, doesn't want to let go. He smelled a nice scent from the big body, remind him of his father's embrace. He feels warm and calm with this hold enough to make him fell into deep sleep.
Levi holds the boy tightly before making his way to the guys who has been captive by the officers. He throws eleven gold bars at their face and kicking them hard until they threw up on the ground. Levi shifted the boy a bit and saw the boy's ripped kimono. He twitched looking at this, glared intently to both man at his knees.
"I'm taking this boy," His face still expressionless and sharp eyes still stare intently to both mans when he added, "You can eat that gold in the jail, I will make sure the punishment will be nice for both of you."
The officer gave him salute when he walked away from the criminal. The building still on fire, Levi saw his troops still scattered around that area to help people and clean the mess, so he jumped to his horse and waited them, he hold the boy close into his body, and feeling the cold air relieved his mind.
He doesn't know why he had to safe this boy from those people, even paying large sum of money for this lad. He doesn't regret it, because all he feels now, is only peace lingering inside his heart with a bit of happiness when this boy holding into him tightly almost like doesn't want to let go.
Somehow it made him happy and feels needed. It made his heart melted when this tiny hand clinging to him desperately. So he took the boy, hoping for peaceful time filled his dull-boring day. And he hoped the boy's smile would light up his life. Reduced the burden over his shoulder so long. He wonder if he could raise this boy properly and watch him grew more beautiful without certain affection he feels since the first time he saw him?
Levi want to see the boy grew bigger, he doesn't want anyone watch that boy except himself. His obsessiveness already dominating his mind, he was afraid someday he would do something terrible to the boy. And he afraid he couldn't protect the boy from himself.