Chapter 5: The Price of a Soul
The door creaked as Ren pushed it open, pulling Go inside the dim, cramped apartment. He quickly locked the bolt, his eyes darting to the shadows.
"Who is she?" Go asked, his voice losing its playful edge as he saw the figure on the bed.
"My sister... Hana," Ren whispered, his voice cracking. He pulled back the tattered blanket, revealing her leg. "A Feral... it got her. Can you help? Is there any way to stop it?"
Go stepped closer, his expression turning grim. He knelt by the bedside, his eyes scanning the pulsating purple veins that looked like bruised roots under her skin. He didn't touch it, but his gaze was clinical, almost like he had seen this horror before.
"It's deep," Go muttered, standing up. "But we're in the Elite sector. There's a shop not far from here that stocks 'Purification Potions.' If she takes them for a full month, every single day without a gap, the infection might recede."
Ren's heart leaped. "A month? I'll do it. I'll do whatever it takes. How much is it?"
Go rubbed the back of his neck, looking hesitant. "They're expensive, Ren. One potion costs two Purple Core Shards. And you'll need at least ten to thirteen of them to save her."
Ren froze. The word 'Shard' sounded heavy, like a death sentence. "Purple Core Shard? What... what is that? I only have these gold cones."
Go looked at him with a mix of pity and surprise. "You really aren't from around here, are you?"
Ren stiffened, fear flickering in his eyes. He didn't answer, but his silence said enough.
"Look," Go said, lowering his voice. "The currency here is simple but brutal. You start with Copper Coins—that's what the poor use for bread. Ten Coppers make one Silver Coin. Most people live their whole lives on Silver. But then, a hundred Silvers make one Golden Coin."
Go paused, his gaze intensifying. "And it takes a hundred Golden Coins just to make one Purple Core Shard. It's the energy of the Vane-Core itself, condensed into a crystal. It's the currency of the Gods and the Kings."
Ren felt the world tilting. "A hundred gold? My last job... my entire month's pay was only two Golden Coins. I would have to work for years just for one potion."
The weight of his helplessness crushed him. He looked at Hana's pale face, realizing that in this golden city, her life was worth more than he could ever earn.
Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder. Go was smiling, a genuine, warm smile.
"Don't lose your head yet, brother," Go said. "I live alone, and I've got some connections. I'll get you a job at a nearby hotel—it pays better than the outskirts. And for now... I'll give you the first four potions myself."
Ren stared at him, stunned. In a world where families abandoned their own children to the jungle, here was a stranger offering him a fortune. Without thinking, Ren stepped forward and hugged Go tightly.
"Thank you... thank you so much," Ren choked out, his eyes stinging. "I don't know why you're doing this, but I won't forget it."
Go patted his back, looking slightly embarrassed. "Alright, alright. Enough of the heavy stuff. Let's go get those potions. They come with an instruction parchment on how to dose her. We don't have a second to lose."