... A quiet singing drifted through the air.
He froze.
The sound was barely audible, yet the voice itself was beautiful, fragile like crystal, and at the same time warm, laced with notes of weariness and sorrow.
Trying to catch the lines of the song, Grey slowly rose and slipped out of the room without a sound.
"This… it's not coming from here," he muttered, stepping back to the window.
Quickly throwing a dark cloak over his shoulders, he climbed out through the window.
No one restricted his movements here. He could come and go as he pleased, as long as he stayed careful and didn't cause trouble.
Despite that freedom, Grey had rarely left the house in recent days. He had been too busy, and his body and mind needed rest after life as a slave.
Still, he made sure to buy plain cloaks for himself and the girls. Soon, he would have to go out and start putting all the ideas spinning in his head into motion.
Now, with the night hiding his silhouette, he could leave the comfort of his room without fear. He walked toward the voice.
The whole city seemed asleep.
The narrow streets reeked of rotten fish, bitter herbs, and dust. The traces of the morning rain still lingered, leaving behind sticky puddles and streaks of dirt along the walls. Scraps of garbage lay scattered everywhere. Rats darted back and forth, scattering the moment they noticed Grey.
The singing grew clearer, and Grey finally managed to make out the words:
«When wind took our wings far away,
I kept whispering I'd still stay,
Through the ashes, the stone, and the pain,
We don't believe in a stranger's flame.»
Turning into an unremarkable corner, Grey found a dead end.
By an old wooden wall, behind which an improvised dump rose in a heap, a boy of about fifteen rummaged through the trash, sluggishly turning over rotten scraps and bones.
Beside him stood two girls, huddled close together, identical as two drops of water. Their figures, lit by the faint glow of a candle, were smeared with dirt. They hummed softly, almost in a whisper:
"When the wind carried away my wings..."
At last, Grey recognized who had been singing the melody.
The girls turned around when they noticed the candlelight, and he saw their faces. Dirty, yet quite pretty, with large eyes filled with a child's weariness.
Grey took another step forward, hoping to get a better look at them.
"Don't come any closer!" the boy snapped, shielding the girls behind him. "I told you to stay quiet. Noise might anger the people living here."
"Sorry, Brother Sunny," the two girls apologized in unison. Their voices overlapped as if a single person was speaking. "We just remembered how Mom used to sing us a lullaby."
"What a strange feeling..." Grey thought to himself. "Is this how Grace and I look to others when we speak at the same time?" His thoughts were cut off by Brother Sunny's shout.
"Who the hell are you?" he spat, eyeing the newcomer warily. "We don't have anything worth stealing."
"Easy… I don't mean you any harm," Grey hurried to reassure them, pulling back his hood. "I just heard the song. It was very beautiful."
The boy relaxed a little when the dim light revealed the young face before him. It was a scrawny kid, younger than himself. No danger. Still, he didn't rush to move away from his sisters.
"Then you listened, so go back where you came from. There's nothing here for clean freaks like you to look at!" he snapped, noticing how neatly the uninvited guest was dressed, his face clean as if he had just stepped out of a bath.
"W-wait, I just wanted to talk. I won't do anything to you," Grey quickly explained.
Sunny looked wary. Dressed in rags similar to what Grey himself had worn after months of slavery, his face scratched and smeared with dirt. The girls stood still, not taking their eyes off Grey.
Something in Grey's mind stirred, as if he was looking at his own reflection, shielding Sheryl and Lily from the overseers' gaze.
"Who are you?" Grey asked quietly, trying to keep his voice as gentle as possible. "What are you doing here?"
"And what do you think people like us do?" Sunny replied with a hint of bitterness. "We look for something to eat or something to sell! Rich folks like you always throw away heaps of scraps we can fill our stomachs with."
His words amused Grey, yet at the same time made him curl his lips in a sarcastic smirk. Him, a rich man.
And it was true. There was a considerable fortune stored in his bottomless pocket. But what could he actually do with it? The moment he took out a gold coin, he'd be robbed and beaten on the spot. So what was the point of that kind of wealth?
"Wait here," he said, not bothered by Sunny's hostility. "I'll bring you some food."
Leaving the candle behind, he ran back to the brothel, found a small loaf of bread, wrapped it in cloth, and hurried back.
The alley was dark. He found neither Sunny nor the girls.
"Did that idiot really steal the candle? Though why not? He could probably sell it for two or three copper coins," Grey thought, when he suddenly heard a surprised exclamation nearby.
"You actually brought food?!" Sunny asked in disbelief, stepping out from behind a pile of trash. "I thought you went to get help."
"What could I possibly take from you?" Grey smirked, holding out the loaf.
Sunny snatched the bread before the girls could even reach for it. Then he broke it apart and gave each of them a piece, leaving only a small portion for himself.
"How should I know? Usually they beat me first and only then search me," Sunny muttered, already less hostile.
"Thank you," the girls replied in unison.
"What are your names?" Grey asked after they finished eating.
"I'm Sunny. And these are my sisters, Aileen and Irene."
"Nice to meet you. My name is Alex Greyrot, though many just call me Grey or Alex," Grey introduced himself, not forgetting to mention his alias. "I live at 'Venus's Embrace.' And I'd like to offer you work with me..."
He didn't get to finish before Sunny cut him off sharply:
"Damn it, you bastard. I almost believed you. Get the hell out of here right now, or I'll smash your face so badly you'll lose your job in an instant! I'm not giving my sisters to you!" the boy barked, his attitude flipping in a heartbeat.
"No!" Grey quickly objected. "I want them to sing. Just sing. I… I'll personally make sure no one lays a hand on them. And you'll stay with them to protect them. Isn't that better than digging through garbage? I swear, it's honest work."
"You?" Sunny twisted his face in disgust and contempt. "You're too scrawny. If you don't get out of my sight right now, I'll teach you a proper lesson!"
Without waiting for a reply, he stepped forward and swung his fist.
Grey didn't even have time to think before he grabbed the boy's wrist, twisted his arm, and forced him to his knees.
The fight ended far too quickly.
Even though Grey was crippled, he hadn't wasted his time training with the villagers. His reflexes were sharp, his muscles firm and conditioned despite his frail appearance.
He quickly let go of the boy and stepped back a couple of paces.
Sunny let out a heavy breath, still trying to process what had just happened. He wasn't a professional fighter and hadn't awakened any magical power, but he had been through plenty of street fights and considered himself skilled. Yet this scrawny boy named Alex had subdued him like some helpless chick.
The girls rushed to their brother at once to help him up.
"If this guy wanted to take them, he could've done it without asking," the thought sent a shiver through Sunny's whole body, a mix of delayed fear and relief.
"I'm fine," he rasped, noticing his opponent wasn't moving. "He didn't hurt me."
Irene dropped down beside her brother and glared angrily at the offender.
Grey immediately noticed that under Irene's eye, right on her cheekbone, there was a small mole, just like his own. Aileen, on the other hand, had a thin line of freckles. That was how he could tell them apart.
The girl asked in a trembling voice, "You really won't hurt us?"
"I swear, I just want you to sing," Grey replied softly, raising his hands to show he meant no harm. "Just sing in front of people. I won't let anyone hurt you either. I was a slave myself, just like my friends Sheryl and Lily. But we were bought out and given a place to stay. I'm sure they won't turn you away either. You'll have a home, food, and lots of aunties to take care of you. Doesn't that sound good?"
Sunny sat down, leaning on his palms, staring at him darkly, but he didn't dare to attack anymore.
"You talk too much," he said. "But why should we believe you? Even if you're a bit stronger than me, you're still just a kid. How can you guarantee my sisters won't get hurt?"
Grey fell silent for a moment, trying to find the right words.
"I'm a manager. I handle all the finances. The aunties were very kind to me, and I want to repay them in the same way. I don't like the way people look at them like they're just pieces of meat dolls. So I'm going to turn 'Venus's Embrace' into a place where people come not only for bodies, but for the atmosphere itself."
"You really just want us to sing?" Aileen asked, who had stayed silent until now.
"Shut up, Aileen. You really believe everything he says?" Sunny snapped at her.
"Yes!" Grey nodded. "People come there to relax. If I can give them that, they'll be willing to pay for it. Sex isn't the only pleasure a person can experience. Your singing is beautiful too."
"What makes you think it'll go the way you want?" Sunny argued stubbornly. "Men go there to hook up with girls. My father is one of them. And trust me, you're no match for him."
"You're right," Grey replied. "But for that, I'll hire strong guards, and you'll stay close as well. I'm willing to teach you and your sisters in your free time. Maybe you'll even be able to grow stronger by following my guidance. Then they'll be able to protect themselves."
He paused for a moment, letting everyone think about his offer.
"Or… you can stay here and keep digging through garbage. But are you sure you can protect them that way? Sorry if it sounds blunt, but even food is a luxury for you. What will you do if someone stronger than me shows up? Your sisters are very beautiful, even if they're still small. Believe me, their beauty will only become a burden if they don't grow stronger."
Silence fell.
The girls exchanged glances. Sunny also stood up. There was uncertainty in his eyes, but he knew everything Grey had said was true. Still, he wasn't ready to send his sisters straight into what he considered a tiger's den—the brothel. He needed time to think it through carefully.
Grey noticed his hesitation and didn't press further.
"Tomorrow. After sunset. We'll meet at the vegetable stall, two houses away from 'Venus's Embrace.' I'll be waiting there. Think carefully about my offer. We'll talk calmly. No trash, no fists," Grey said everything that needed to be said, then turned away without waiting for a reply.
He stepped back into the darkness to return.
Walking through the filthy streets of the city, Grey's mind kept echoing with the melodic voices of the two sisters.
"We don't believe in a stranger's flame…"