Under a sky covered by a storm, he walked alone. His face was covered by a veil to protect him from the sand, and his gray eyes pierced through the mist. He tightened his grip on a heavy sword dangling from his waist, and his water jug swayed on his back. The wind howled, and the sand mercilessly whipped his body, but he did not stop.
From atop a sand dune, an old man stood watching him in silence, and a faint voice echoed in the air: "Why are you doing this, Erold?"
Erold continued walking, even though his body began to fail. Inside him, a voice screamed: "No... I must not stop now... I promised him."
His vision faded, and his steps weakened. He looked at his feet; they barely moved. "No... no... I must finish..."
"...Then... darkness."
When he opened his eyes, there was no storm, no heat. "Am I dead?" he asked himself.
He was lying on a simple mattress, cold compresses on his forehead. The walls were mud-brick, and the ceiling was palm fronds. He was still in the desert, but in a rare corner of comfort.
A short man entered, carrying a plate of dates, his features combining severity and gentleness. "Hah! I was sure you wouldn't die!"
He handed him the dates and said: "Eat, until lunch is ready."
Erold, tiredly: "Thank you... who are you?"
The man laughed: "Ah, excuse me! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ali. We found you with the caravan while we were returning."
Erold was confused and asked him: "Where are we?"
Ali looked at him and smiled: "Welcome... to Babylon."
Babylon, a city with two faces. At its highest, the Royal Quarter, a fortress of extravagant beauty, inhabited by kings and ministers. People call it "The Bliss," and only those with luck or authority enter it. Next is the Merchants' Quarter, a world of opportunities and fortunes, ruled remotely by the Royal Family, where deals are made that raise some men and bring down others. They call it "The Minister Maker," for every minister was once born there. And at the bottom... the Commoners' Quarter. A world of sorcerers, thieves, and slave traders. Chaos covered in dust, they call it "Clean Garbage." But here, true life pulses.
Erold's gaze shifted between astonishment and hope. He whispered in a low voice, contemplating the place: "What destiny..."
Then he turned to Ali with a tone of curiosity: "Tell me, what were you doing when you found me? My body couldn't take it anymore... that's all I remember... How long was I asleep?"
Ali smiled faintly and said: "Three days, my friend. Three days you were absent from the world, so much so that I doubted you would ever wake up."
Erold sprang up from his place, his eyes shining with a hint of excitement: "Three days... that means I'm actually starting to recover."
He paused for a moment, looked around, then returned with a calmer tone, noticing he wasn't alone: "I apologize for my behavior. My name is Erold... and there is something I am looking for."
Inside his mind, he thought: I shouldn't say too much. I don't know who this man is, but he saved me... and he deserves gratitude.
Ali laughed loudly, and said jokingly: "Don't apologize, Erold. I've never seen anyone like you before. A mix of exhaustion and teasing... you are truly funny."
Then he suddenly changed his tone, and his voice became serious, his features frozen: "What exactly are you looking for? Many come from outside... searching for sorcerers, money, or secrets. What do you want?"
Erold looked at him with sharp eyes, holding the firmness of knights and the weight of the past. Ali felt a moment of awe. He took a step back, and his heart whispered: Did I let a mercenary into my house? Or worse? Is he planning to kill me? No... no. He is a guest. And I won't wrong him unless he wrongs me. I just... have to be cautious. For my sake, and for my daughter's.
Erold said calmly, as if dropping a stone into a still well: "I came looking for my friend."
Ali's expression changed, and he sighed with relief: "Oh... a mysterious man looking for a friend in Babylon... I thought you were going to kill me just now with those looks!"
Then he smiled and said: "Well, I won't ask you anymore. It seems you don't like questions. But... if you need anything, my house is your house."
A young girl called out loudly: "Fatherrr! Lunch is ready!"
Ali rejoiced and said to Erold: "Come on, Erold, lunch is ready. My daughter Jasmine makes the best stew you'll ever taste."
Erold smiled with a face that didn't reveal much, and said in a teasing tone: "Is your daughter really good at cooking?"
Ali replied as he walked toward the food: "You be the judge after eating."
Erold entered the room to find a ten-year-old girl, with long, dark black hair tied back, and an innocent face typical of her age, but with somewhat sharp features.
Jasmine looked at Erold disdainfully: "Why does he look like that?"
Erold looked at her with annoyance and said: "Let's eat, little one. It's a pleasure to meet you, and thank you for helping me."
Jasmine replied happily and said: "I didn't know you were polite! I thought you were born in the sewers since I first saw you..."
Silence fell for a moment, then Jasmine said: "Try my food."
The three sat down to eat. Jasmine poured stew for Erold. Erold thought: Despite its simple ingredients, it looks delicious... He remembered for a moment a woman wearing a servant's uniform, pouring stew for him in his childhood.
Returning to his reality, Ali said: "Let's eat."
Erold said to Jasmine: "I didn't expect you to be good at cooking, little one."
Jasmine replied with laughter and arrogance: "Hehehe, don't judge by appearances, man! I just learned a lesson... that your manners are the opposite of your garbage appearance."
Erold looked at her in annoyance, and muttered: "Rude girl..." (But internally he smiled: This reminds me of the nostalgia of the past.)
A young boy was running with a piece of bread in his hand, and guards were chasing him. One of the guards shouted: "Boy, stop!"
The little boy froze and bumped into a large man. His hair was black as night, and short. His features were like stone, but he smiled at the boy and grabbed him.
The guards arrived, and one of them said: "Sir, we apologize for our negligence!"
Another objected: "The boy is unusual! He is incredibly fast!"
The unknown man said in a stern tone: "Don't boast about your mistake, rather, ensure it doesn't happen again. Your loitering does not concern us. Leave this boy to me."
Then he said to the boy: "Where are your parents? Don't you know that stealing in the streets of Egypt is worse than wandering alone?"
The boy replied with annoyance: "Leave me, old man! Let me go, I don't have parents anyway."
The unknown man said understandingly: "I see? I didn't expect that... Who do you work for, boy? It's impossible for you to live this long alone."
The boy replied: "And what business is it of yours? Let me go!"
The man sighed, and took a strange potion from his pocket. "This is a Truth Potion. You won't be able to lie for thirty seconds."
The boy backed away, staring at the man, then shouted: "Get away from me!"
But the man held him firmly, and forced him to drink the potion. The boy tried to get away, but the potion spilled into his mouth, and he swallowed it against his will.
The man said: "Now, answer me... who do you work for?"
The boy said: "For the King of Thieves."
The unknown man was amazed: "The King of Thieves, then? And what do you do for him?"
The boy answered: "I steal difficult things for him without the guards seeing me."
The man said: "Then... you are The Little Tiger?"
The boy replied: "They call me that, but I don't like it."
The man asked him his name, and the boy replied: "I don't know... everyone calls me The Little Tiger."
The potion's effect ended. The man called one of the guards and said: "Take him to the dungeon. And do not, under any circumstances, torture him!"
The guards shouted: "Yes, sir!"