The counter was nearly empty now. The buzz around the Black Dragon's corpse had died down, and Aryan and Kat finally stepped forward to claim their reward.
The clerk, a man with dull eyes and bloodstained gloves, inspected the corpses they dragged in—four C-rank beasts, scarred and partially frozen.
"Not bad," he grunted. "Four C-rankers. You'll be paid accordingly."
A mechanical drawer clicked open. Thick wads of credits slid across the counter.
Aryan's eyes widened at the sight. It was more money than he'd ever seen in one place.
Kat picked up his share, then turned to Aryan. "Come with me. There's something I need to do."
Aryan nodded and followed him through the winding alleys of the Land Cities. Dust blew through narrow lanes, and the faint smell of ash lingered in the air.
Eventually, Kat stopped in front of a worn-down house. Its windows were cracked, and the paint had long faded. He knocked gently.
An old woman opened the door. Her eyes were sunken, but they softened when she saw Kat.
"Ma'am," Kat said, lowering his head, "your son fought bravely. He didn't make it back."
The woman trembled, clutching the edge of the door.
Kat placed a stack of money into her hands. "This was his share. He earned it."
Tears welled in her eyes. "Thank you… thank you for bringing him home, even like this."
Aryan stood silently, the weight of death hanging in the air.
They repeated the same ritual at another house. Another grieving parent. Another small gesture that would never balance the scale of loss.
As they sat outside, on the cracked steps of a ruined building, Aryan finally spoke.
"Why do you do this?" he asked. "You could've kept the money. No one would've known."
Kat stared at the ground. "Because I promised. Before we went into the Wasteland, I told them we'd split the reward evenly. I meant it."
He looked up at the dull sky. "They died because of the Wasteland… If we had a chance to live in the floating cities, like those above us, maybe they'd still be alive."
Aryan followed his gaze, his eyes narrowing.
"You believe those floating cities are real?"
Kat gave a faint nod. "I've seen them. Shadowy giants above the clouds. They exist. But why don't they help us? Why do we rot down here while they float above everything?"
There was a long pause before Aryan responded.
"I don't know how you're feeling right now," he said quietly. "But when I was seven, my mother died of some illness we couldn't afford to treat. I still don't know what happened to my father. Maybe he's dead. Maybe he just left."
His voice tightened.
"Since then, I've lived alone. Begging. Stealing. Hiding from monsters and people alike. But that ends now."
Kat turned to him, surprised by the sudden resolve in his voice.
"I want to change everything," Aryan said. "And to do that… I need to become the strongest. The weak can only follow. But the strong—"
"—The strong make the rules," Kat finished, understanding dawning in his eyes.
Aryan looked at the sky again, not at the clouds, but beyond them.
"And one day… I'll find that man too. The one who killed the Black Dragon. The one who saved us."
Kat smiled faintly. "Then we better get stronger. A lot stronger."
The wind stirred the dust around them, whispering tales of broken dreams, unspoken vows, and a world waiting to be changed.
Chapter 10 End