#chtonic

He already knew where to sell the child. It was usually to the trafficking sector. However, he's seen flyers and heard news of a man looking for anything related to sphererites, anything from clothes to symbols and certain books, documents, and even humans. Though, he was very specific about the human part. "Make sure they are alive. Male or female, child or adult, young or old. I don't care. Just make sure it's alive." It was a very high demand, but he was willing to pay extreamly handsomely.

So that's where he set out to, a specific meet-up place, where the man said he would be waiting. He didn't see the man in that spot often, a small little pocket between two buildings in an alley. It was only after a storm had passed by, would he see him, shrouded in shadows by a black cloak. He'd sit there and wait for merchnats to flock to him. They always do. They never had an actual Shpererite, but they'd have items, and just as promised, he'd pay them handsomely. He, however, had a living sphererite child. He packed the child onto his wagon, making sure to place a mask over its face and cover it with items.

Then, he set out, going to the place where the man always sat after a storm. The walk was long but not tiresome. It took him 40 minutes to arrive in the city, once in, he made his way to the man, just as always, he was there. Shrouded in darkness under his cloak. The merchant left his wagon and approached the man. Once he was close enough, the man spoke. "Have you found any sphererite items?" The man asked him. The merchant nodded, a smirk coming onto his face. "I found many sphererite items. However, none can compare to the greatest treasure among them all." The merchant said.

The man didn't seem moved nor convinced. "What did you find?" He simply asked, sure that it was another everyday item. The merchant chuckled before he leaned in closer. "I found a living sphererite." He whispered. The cloaked man's head raised. "Are you certain?" He asked. He sounds more interested now. The Merchant nodded. "Yes, it twitched when I touched it. It's most definitely alive." He said in confidence. That seemed to be a deal sealer for the man. As he stood up, the merchant backed up, giving him room. "Show me" was all he said, and the merchant's smirk blossomed. "Of course." He said in glee as he led the man to his wagon.

The man followed. Once at the wagon, the merchant began moving items, revealing the child. The cloaked man made a noise of wonderment as he gazed on at the child, its Sphererite clothes sealing the deal, it was real. The man reached for the child, brushing his finger along its cheek, its eyes squinted, and it just barely shifted. Satisfyed, he turned to the merchant. "How much do you want?" Was his simple question, the merchants smirk widen. The deal was made, and the child was sold, wrapped up in the man's cloak.

He walked back to where he came from, holding the child with one arm. He snapped his fingers, and a portal opened immediately. He walked through it, vanishing as he did. A moment later, multiple pairs of hands came through, cleaning up his waiting station, making the small pocket seem like nothing was ever there to begin with.

The cloaked man walked through the darken building, and other shadows could be seen within the darkness moving around, curious as to what the man was holding, they spoke in hushed whisperes. "Is it a living sphererite?" One asked. "It must be, he wouldn't have closed up shop if it wasn't." Another replied. "The boss seems happy, it's gonna be a good day indeed." Another said through a gleeful giggle. The man walked until he was in the center of the room, where a broken-down couch sat, He laid the child down gently, and a bright overhead light turned on, creating a spotlight over the duo

Everyone slowly crowded around it, leaving the shadows as they came into the light. "How ridiculous... All they could manage was a child?" A woman snared as she combed through her long blonde hair. "Eh, it could've been worse. it could've been nothing but a babbling baby." Said a man with a cowboy hat on. "Man!! I don't see an issue with it. Either way, we finally got one. We couldn't get Rudo, so this the next best thang." Said another young man with long dreads as he gave a careless shrug.

"Hmph." The woman said as she continued to comb her hair. "Chtoni... Check on the child... we must keep it alive." The cloaked man ordered, a woman with blue-green hair emerged, a large manhole cover on her back as she walked up to the child. "Aye!! What am I? Chopped liver!?" The young man with dreads said as he threw his hands up. Chtoni rolled her eyes. "We want the child alive, not traumatized." She said in an annoyed voice.

"Tch, whaaaa!?" He said in disbelief as he stalked over to the couch. He leaned over the back of it as he stared down at the child. "I ain't gonna do nothin' I was just gonna poke it!" He said, a devious grin on his face. Chtoni rolled her eyes. "Excatly my point." She said as she began checking the child. Everyone stood around, watching as she worked. "Soooo, whose gonna babysit?" The man with the cowboy hat asked, he immediately placed his finger on his nose, the woman scoffed as she rolled her eyes, another who hasn't spoke yet, was a young boy, also placed his finger on his nose. The young man with dreads spoke up, his finger on his nose too.

"Damn, Chtoni~ looks like you gonna be busy~." He said in a teasing voice. Without looking up, she spoke. "Shut the hell up, Jabber, you know I can't." She said irritatedly. The cloaked man spoke up. "I will assign roles, and whatever you get, you will like it." He said, everyone groaned, he gave them all a pointed stare, and they all quieted. Chtoni finally pulled back from the child, catching the cloaked man's attention. "Healthy, strong pulse, eyes are reactive and glossy, saliva glans are full. It's good to go." She said. The cloaked man nodded.

He raised his hands to his hood, lowering it. He was young, with a duo hair color and dull eyes. He seemed tired yet full of ambition. "Excellent. Now, we must wait for the child to awaken." He said. Everyone quickly found a place to lounge at, getting lost in their own worlds. The young boy stayed near the child, looking down at it with a curious gaze. He always kind of wondered what the Sphere was like... He suppose it wasn't too much of a difference. Taking in the child's outfit, he could deduce that they were extremely clean, more clean than he ever imagined. Its clothes were pure white, and the gold seemed to gleam under the light.

Most times when he saw sphererite clothing, it had a yellowed tent to it, dirtied from the trash they were found in, but surprisingly, this child's clothes were extremely clean... he's never seen pure white clothes before... it was pretty yet almost blinding. You began to stir, making the young boy flinch as he stepped back. Your small noises caught the attention of everyone. They all gathered around, curious as to what to you'll say, or how you'll react. Your eyes gently fluttered open, the bright light over head making you hide your face away, you heard voices, all making comments on your actions. You then tried again, and you looked around curiously, taking in blurry images.

You could just faintly make out people. "Mommy?" You lightly asked when you saw a woman figure. "'Mommy'!? Damn girl, you getting old!!! AHAHAH-" Came a young man's teasing voice. SMACK!! "UUHHOWW!!!... Bitch." He whined. The voices made you try again, they were unfamiliar. "That's what you get, jackass." Said an annoyed woman. "Tch. Damn girl, take a joke." A young man said. He sounded hurt, but you could hear the amusement in his tone. "Jabber, shut up." Came a young woman's voice. Your eyes finally adjusted. "Tch, why am I getting picked on? What is this Jabber hate??" The same young man complained, your vision came in, and the first thing you noticed was trash.

Mountains of it, it was horrifying, the smell was putrid and you quickly covered your nose, pinching it. You made a face as you sat up, seeing your surroundings, everything was trash, you stared on in horror and confusion at the sight. Your eyes then locked on to the people in the room. They were all dressed the same, wearing what looks to be rags. You noticed their clothing wasn't anything you've ever seen before... They were dirtied, dark, and looked to be stitched together.

You made a slightly disgusted face. "I must've ended up on the other side." You said to yourself, your words caught the duo hair colored man's attention. "Other side?" He asked, his voice steady and clam. You looked over at him, noticing his clothes were the most different. They were black... an odd color, something you've never seen. "Why are your clothes black?" You innocently asked. They all looked at one another. They knew nothing about the sphere, so hearing you ask that question was already a major step to their goal. The man didn't seem offended. instead, he seemed curious.

"And why are your clothes white?" He asked, answering your question with a question. You looked down at your clothes before you looked up at him in confusion. "What kind of silly question is that? Everyone wears white. Unless you're from the other side, then that means you're poor. Are you poor?? You must be poorer than poor then if your clothes are black. My mommy and daddy say that I'm not supposed to talk to the poor people on the other side of the wall.. They'll get me in trouble." You said as you turned your nose up at him, showing him that you don't want anything to do with him or his... friends.

They all looked at one another, Jabber shrugged. They never knew that the Sphere was divided up into halves. One poor and the other rich, they just assumed it was all one place. "The poor side?... The wall?... The shpere is divided in halves?" The man asked as he crouched down in front of you. You arched a brow at him. "The Shpere?? What are you talking about?" You asked him. "You mean, the other side of the wall?? You call my side the sphere... right?" You asked as you pointed at yourself.

The man stared at you, taking you in. He then explained. "You're from a place, we call the 'sphere' it's where your kind is from, whether they're from the other side or not...Where I'm from, we call it the 'ground'. You are what we call a sphererite and I am what we call groundlings." His voice was steady, controlled, and leveled. You stared at him with growing perplexing thoughts on what he was saying. "What??... The ground?? Groundling?? Shpererite?? WHAT IS GOING ON!! Last thing I remember, I was at home with Mommy... I want my mommy!!! I WANNA GO HOME!!!" You said, grabbing your head as you curled up in a ball. Warm tears started to form, you were confused, you were lost, strange people were around you, and you were surrounded by trash, and it stunk.

They all watched you with somewhat pitiful eyes as you balled up, your small sobs sounding out as you shook lightly. They didn't like sphererites, they hated them with a burning passion... but right now... you looked like any lost child, scared, alone, confused. They all stayed silent, not knowing what to say. "U-uhm.... Don't cry... Look, sometimes... I'm scared, too... and I want to cry... b-but crying doesn't get me anywhere." The young boy said, his voice wavering and held no confidence, but he was trying. You continued to cry. You didn't want to hear any of that weak shit. You wanted to go home. You wanted your mother.

Thoughts of your mother clouded your mind, but your last memory of your mother was cloudy. You remember seeing her crying in her room, hunched over her dresser as she sobbed violently, her shoulders shook, and then blackness. You couldn't remember what happened after that... nothing would connect. The boy felt defeated. He tried to give you a pep talk, but it sounds like he just made it worse. Jabber suddenly landed a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Damn, man, looks like you just made her crying worse!! Way to go, Fu!!" He teased sarcastically, Fu shrunk in on himself as his fingers twiddling together. "I didn't mean to." He said in a quiet voice. The man stared down at you with an empty stare. He didn't know how to feel. In a way, he felt superior, watching a sphererite fall apart at the seams, watching them slowly realize that they had been called lower than trash and have been cast away as such.... However, on the other hand, he felt sad for you. The pure despair in your sobs, the way you looked so small and helpless... It reminded him of himself from his own childhood...

"Stop crying... It won't help... You'll have to carve your own path now... You're alone, and the world is cruel. Nobody will care, and nobody will come to your aid... You must become your own support now, because if you don't, you'll die... it's rough down here, on the ground... You'll find no immediate support from the people... So dry your tears and stand tall. From now on, you call your own shots." The man said, and everyone listened, silently agreeing with his words.

You held your legs tighter to yourself, not wanting to listen, you didn't want to be on your own, you didn't want to make your own decisions... you wanted to go home. The man held his hand out to you, even if you were unaware. "My name is Zodyl Typhon, I'm the leader of this group. We are known as 'Raiders'. You may choose to rely on us, and we'll keep you safe, fed, and sheltered. In return, you tell us all about your life, and I promise you'll never be left alone." He said, his tone was still the same, though it had a bit of a gentle tune to it.

You peaked up over your arms, your tear filled eyes locking onto his hand before you looked up at him. You locked eyes with him for a moment before you pulled your head up completely, your cheeks wet. You sniffle. "Will you help me get home to my mommy?" You asked, you sounded small and helpless. It made Zodyl's brow slightly twitch... You were like any other stray child... and for a moment, he looked past your differences. "I promise you... As soon as we find a way into the sphere, we'll reunite you with your mother." He said with seriousness. You sniffle once more before you timidly place your small hand into his larger one.

His skin was rough and thick while yours was soft and tender. He gripped your hend gently as he stood up with you. You whipped your eyes and cheeks with your free hand, cleaning yourself up. You then looked up at him. "My name is (Y/N), and I'll help you get to the sphere, Mr. Zodyl. " You said, agreeing to his terms. You still didn't really understand it all, but if it meant he'll help you get back home, you'll do your best. He nodded down at you, accepting your words. He then looked up at his crew with a pointed stare.

"Now then... which of you will be (Y/N's) caretaker?" He asked, he'd give them a chance to pick themselves. Nobody moved an inch. "Fine then... I'll just choose someone." He said, everyone groaned. He ignored their protests, his eyes scanning everyone.