A day passed after I escaped from the thugs, I found myself in a nearby city suffering from food shortage. I stayed here since I am too tired to keep running. I managed to ask someone to help untie my hands along the way.

I tried to ask for help from either the Police or Guardians but they could not offer me help at all. There was no orphanage or center nearby at all. Nor was there anyone kind enough to take me in or help me - everyone is too distracted from more concerning problems such as plague, starvation, crime, missing loved ones, and the lack of shelter due to overpopulation. All these are the results of Wall Aya's loss.

There were UTX Policemen who responded to my call to help out in finding my siblings so I sent them to the direction I was at. They never came back afterwards - I thought that the thugs got away already and that the Police will not be able to find them in time.

Initially, I cried so much calling for my family because I could not handle the stress of being alone. Eventually, I felt empty and emotionless when there was nothing for me to do here. At least the thugs did not bother to find me, I would have been screwed now if they did.

I am now one of many beggars living in the street. I never noticed how long it has been since I escaped nor do I know how long I am in here. I must have been here probably for more than a day by now....yet I felt like I have been here for so long.

I sat down thinking about my dad and my mom - the only ones I could count for help. But mom is away to treat sick people, and dad is outside participating in the Expedition.

My only "friend" is an old man with reddish beard, long hair, and a dirty hygiene. He is the only one who would talk to me. That is all he could do since his legs are now too weak to allow him to stand up. I could also observe that he is really really sick....it looks like he won't live long.

He calmed me down when he first talked to me. Then I let out my stress and told him what happened to me.

"Poor soul....this world is now trying to reap the souls of children these days, huh?"

".......I guess it does.....my siblings are gone now.....", I replied.

"(Cough)....sad to hear that....no...I have to say that I am used to hearing that....."

The old man originally lived in Wall Aya just like me. He is the last of his family. When Wall Aya fell, he struggled to survive. He looked for places to live in but he got turned down in all of them. He also found no work available for his age. He decided to spend his life as a beggar, refusing to steal or do bad things just to survive. He told me all this.

"Oh...that is pretty sad.....did you want to do something back then?"

"What do you mean?", grandpa said with uncertainty.

"As in a dream, sir. Did you have a dream back then?"

"Me? I wanted to be a singer when I was younger......", he said.

"Oh!! Really?!"

"But....in my life, I really wasn't lucky at all. No one sponsored me. All I could do at least was to sing at the streets as I begged for money. The only work I got was as a food supplier and that was it."

I am relieved to find a living person kind enough to be my audience. He asked me questions too.

"How about you little girl? You have a dream?"

"...I wanted to be an idol at first....."

"Oh? How sad...honestly little girl, I feel like you will end up like me if you pursue it anyway. Singing, and performing is not an easy career....there are way more people more skilled at that."

"....grandpa....can I hear you sing at least?"

"Haha....I never expected someone would ask that of me....alright, I will sing for you since I have nothing to do anyway....and if it helps you to get your mind off your bad experience for a bit...."

He sang me an original song...the song was about nature and the beauty of a happy community. It relates to me a lot. I just listened until I slept to it's tunes....it sounded so nice for me....

I just sat down and slept, waiting for my death. It looks like I am gonna die here starving. I did not notice another day has passed.....

"....hey....hey, wake up...."

.....until grandpa woke me up for some reason.

"...what?", I vaguely replied.

"Hey kid....someone just gave you bread. Eat it up before someone takes it from you."

My eyes widened, surprised to find that there is a paperbag filled with about five bread placed besides me.

"How did......grandpa, who placed this in here?"

"I think I saw two people pass by wearing brown cloaks so I never managed to see what they looked like. They left but sometime later, one of the two passerbys, a little kid I guess, came back and gave you that paperbag of bread. I think her eyes are purple."

"Where did they go?"

"Over there....the one who dropped you food just left minutes ago. That path takes you to an inner part of this city. You might still be able to catch that person."

I am surprised and lucky to find kind people in this place. I did not hesitate to find the person who gave me food. Before I left though....

"Here, before I go, have one of these. You have to eat."

"Haha....thanks....now go before you miss them."

I found the person sitting on a bench near the river. It turned out to be a little girl, probably eight years old? As in two years younger than I, I guess?

She is too busy drawing something on her notebook. As busy as the crowd that surrounded us.

"Hey...are you the one who gave me bread?"

"Oh! It's you!! Yes, I did!!"

"I wanna thank you for giving me food to eat."

"Your welcome!"

I sat beside her on the same bench. She is covered with brown cloak so the only thing that I managed to identify from her appearance is her purple eyes.

"What are you drawing?"

"I am drawing this city and everything I see. I just love to draw the world and all."

"That's so nice but I wonder why you find it interesting to draw your surroundings...."

"Because this world is beautiful!! I want to draw it and feel its appeal!!"

I paused to show I am not pleased with what she just said. (How can such a beautiful world give me such an ugly life inside this ugly walls?) I just silently watched her as she creatively sketches her hand around her sketchbook. I amazed by how good she draws - I wonder if her parents are artists or painters then?

This girl seemed full of energy and positivity. And probably some degree of cluelessness and naivity - as she turned her face at me, with her large yet sharp purple eyes, and said:

"You agree right? Isn't this world beautiful?"

"No it is not.", I bluntly stated while giving the girl a bad look. However, my arguement intrigued the girl.

"Huh?!! Why?"

"Because of Alpacas. They are the ones that made this world ugly."

"Then how about those birds?", the girl pointed at two birds up at the sky with an unconvinced look.

I looked at them and gave her my honest opinion.

"They're beautiful actually, especially because they can fly as free as - "

"See!! If birds are beautiful, then that means the world is beautiful too!"

I am struck with the irony of my answer - as if she saw through me that I deny the existence of beauty in this walled world. I replied by giving her something else to compare.

"Well....even so....the outside world is way more beautiful than this one.", I proudly replied.

"Oh!!?", the girl said as she demanded me to explain further.

For some reason, I found her interesting to talk to. I narrated to her what information I remember from the book that Hanayo found before. I told this girl about the outside world, the endless salt in oceans, the lands of sand, and so much more.

"A land of ice and fire?"

"Not only that, there are waters made of fire called "lavas", oceans made up of endless amounts of salt, even ......"

"Oh.....how cool....."

"Yep!! All of it is true!! The world outside is more worthit than anything here inside!"

The girl looked at her sketchbook again as if she wanted to draw the world that I described as she tried to imagine it. Instead, she closed her book and kept her pencil inside her pocket.

"The world here still has some beauty. If you look for it thoroughly, you will find it!!"

"Hmph! Is that true? Look at me - I don't think the world cares for a pretty girl like me at all! Plus, this world took my loved ones away - "

"You are too impatient. Of course it takes time! Dad said that this world treasures every person! Even you! It is just that there are too many people for this world to take care of so you need to wait your turn! Additionally, my mom said that losing your loved ones is normal - no need to worry because there will always be someone who will replace them for you!! Now, that answers both of your questions!"

"The heck? I can agree with what your dad said but not with what your mom said. Clearly, you do not understand - "

"Nah, I think you don't understand! Listen, if you focus too much on the worse things in life, it will always be true for you unless you overcome them with positivity! Did you let fear overcome you?!!"

This girl just struck me back with realisation - I just became aware how much I allowed fear to weaken me. I remembered that I am supposed to repress this to survive. This girl is smart.

"Just as I thought. My mom is a doctor, she taught me how fear weakens people in searching for positivity. You should learn to avoid that. Smile a lot and you will overcome it!!"

I am struck by this - her mom is also a doctor? It raced through my head since my mom is also a doctor. I realised that mom probably said a similar thing to us and possibly to dad a long time ago.

"Got that? If you smile a lot, the world will smile to you too!!"

I said to myself how refreshing this girl is. I have been through so much shit, and all I ever saw are people who struggle from all this shit. I always see the sufferings of people and the cruelty of this world. I focused only on my negative emotions and the negative realism of life.

But this girl gave me, at least briefly, that there are actually good things about this world, that there are actually people like her who still found the reasons to laugh, enjoy, have fun, and think positive. She wants me to smile (perhaps motivate me to do a Nico Nico Nii to help myself in beating stress.) Wow.

"....uhhh...sure...I will do that - ", I barely replied properly when:

"Hey!! Come here my daughter!!", a loud voice called us out from somewhere. I looked to find a man wearing another brown hood. He seemed to be searching for someone.

"Oh!? Dad?!!", the girl replied.

"Oh....your dad....you have to go back to him."

"I know. Sorry for the interruption but I have to go now!"

"Sure. Bye and take care!"

"To you as well!! Bye!! Remember to smile okay?!!"

The girl left. I slowly lost sight of her as she reached out for her dad.

I did not hear what they are talking about now that they are far away from me.

"Daddy - ouch!! Why?", she got hit on the head by her father's hand.

"You deserve it, Maki! Where have you been?!! First you gave food we bought to some stranger kid now you ran off without telling me!! What is wrong with you!!?"

"She is starving dad!! I have seen so many poor people like her! I wanted to feed her!! Also, I was drawing!!"

"Geez, tell me that instead of making decisions on your own! You are just like your mom!"

Well, I did not actually care what they're talking about or what the girl's name is. I just left and walked back to where I was whilst thinking what that purple-eyed girl said. I just find it believable but too impractical for my life and for this world.

Also...her having a dad with her whilst also having a mom who is a doctor strikingly sounded familiar in my case - I...I want my mom...I want to see my dad again.....

I returned back to where I sat - the old man is dead, he probably died of a heart attack. Geez, it made me think that this world believes it is a beautiful thing to kill your loved ones without you knowing. How bizarre.

Suddenly, I heard bells ringing. I saw some people going towards the sounds of those bells. I looked at the horizon and saw a Wall. Wait. I know this since it is familiar to me before!! It could only mean one thing - the Expeditionaries have arrived!!

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A/N: In a hurry to finish this volume as my college day begins tomorrow. I hope this page showed you exactly who Nico just met here. Stay tuned for the coming chapters.