Metello woke up as usual with the loud sound of the 6th bell. The 6th and the 18th bells were always much louder than the others. They had to as they signaled the start of the awakened part of the cycle for both halves of the city.

As he got into his senses, the first thing the [Lux Acolyte] felt was the gag in his mouth, making breathing difficult. Quickly after that, he realized that he wasn't lying in his bed but sitting on a chair, tied to it even. He couldn't move his limbs as his hands and feet were tied. All these feelings hit him while his eyes were still shut, but he wasn't sure yet if it was a nightmare or if he was awake.

Finally, Metello opened his eyes. The faint dreamy feeling faded away. He now remembered the three people coming for him when he had been sleeping. It was reality. He had been kidnapped.

Metello looked around briefly. He was alone, sitting in a nicely built room. The walls of the room were coated in plain light blue, while its ceiling was painted white, crossed by some large section wooden beams. The furniture was all visibly of good quality, whether it was the table, the chairs, the armchairs, and the bookcase. On the left, a door was open into another well-decorated room which seemed like a small kitchen.

He tried to see by the open window, a bit far to his side, to not many results. But he didn't need to see much outside to know he was not in the poor residential district anymore. He had nothing to compare to determine if it was in the middle or wealthy district, but he would have bet for an upper middle area.

It was not the first time Metello had found himself in this kind of situation, tied to a chair. The children were sometimes cruel, all the more with seven-year-old black-haired orphans. He had had some nightmares about this experience. He spent much sleep time thinking about what he could do if the kids wanted to renew the experience. In the end, the young boy had only found two ways to avoid it: evade or warn other people.

As he knew the situation and remembered what to do, Metello didn't panic right away. He first tested the ropes, starting at his hands, then at his feet, and finally, the ones locking his upper body to the back of the chair. He couldn't even grimace because of the gag.

As fear threatened to overwhelm him, he weighed the other option with his racing mind.What could he do to warn or encourage people to come into the room?

Seven years ago, the young Metello had thought about two ways for that, which were to make noise or to make them aware visually. He knew making noise was a bit of a double edge sword because it was what he tried the last time, and it brought him more punches to come his way than people. So, he kept making noise for later and would settle for visual warnings for now.

He was in the good direction.

He was not panicking.

He was safe for now.

So Metello settled on visual warnings to entice people to enter. If the people he would attract could be [Guards], it would even be better. As a [Lux Acolyte], he had the tools to do it. But, with a gag in his mouth, chanting did not seem like a simple thing.

It was getting harder and harder to keep out the fear for the young man. If he could not chant the Prayer to Lux, it would only leave with the noisy solution while hoping the bad guys were not the first to hear it. His first try at gagged chant would determine the kind of hope he had to escape this situation.

The Lux follower breathed in air through his nose and went to it. A jumble of indescribable sounds came out faintly of his clogged mouth. With hope in his eyes, he watched a familiar speck of light coming into being before him and collapsing quickly. He clenched his tied fists. His gaze now showed still hope but determination too. It had been a partial success, and he could work with it. Metello tried again, totally focused on his task. After six more tries, he got the gist of it, and a not-too-stable version of Lucco was flying in front of him.

He was glad to be able to do that now. But this left the question of how to make people come into the room with that. How could he induce [Guards] to enter?

For once, he reminded himself of some [Rogue] stories he heard at mealtimes. Most of them were about thefts or acrobatic prowess, but what came into his mind were those about swearing to [Guards] and fleeing them. Despite the situation, it still made him chuckle a bit. After some more thought, he concluded that the best option was to simulate threats to the city order.

When he heard the 7th bell ringing, his heartbeat went into a panic, the reality of the ticking time hitting him like a chariot.

He had no solution.

He had no way out.

Then, like a bird landing on his shoulder, Metello remembered the fun story about the [Thieves] who painted penises on the houses they robbed for months before being caught. His muffled laugh stopped right at the idea to light-shape the genitals himself. His tanned complexion took on a slightly more reddish hue. He was a bit to the prude side of people.

Although uncomfortable with it, Metello worked on Lucco's shaping. It was his best bet for now. He practiced. He willed the divine energy he borrowed from the gods through a blessing bestowed by his followed goddess who guides his destiny to form...a penis. And he roughly succeeded after some tries.

As Metello was sitting by the wall, he willed the genitals to cross it to be visible from the outside, like painted on it.

Then, he waited anxiously. His brain was exhausted by all this tension and emergency thinking.

A few minutes before the 8th bell, Metello heard some people coming to the door and opening it. A man and a woman, the two of them well dressed, came into his view.

The woman glanced at him with a frown. “Are you responsible for the dick in the wall, brat ?” She came to him and displaced the chair to the center of the room, carrying his art piece with him.

Metello was livid. He had failed again, like when he was seven, and now would fly the punches. He dismissed Lucco while the man was looking outside. He nodded to his comrade and shut the door.

They moved the armchairs and seated each in one, taking their time while Metello resigned to his fate. The first question came from the woman who seemed in command.

“Weren't you a [Warrior]?”

Saying no with his head, he heard her swearing.

“Shit. We'll have to congratulate once more the intelligence team. Identify Person.”

She was not surprised now but not less angry while talking to herself.

“A new [Lux Acolyte], great. And he has no special blessing or statistics to counter mind-probing, even better. Was anything we were told right? Or is it like the last time ?”

She took a deep breath, looked back to Metello, and told him.

“ Well, let's proceed as planned all the same. We will remove the gag and ask you questions. If you shout or do not behave well, at best you'll win some bruises from my friend here. Do you understand ?”

Metello nodded, and with a head sign, the burly man went behind the boy and took off the gag. The young man hadn't much time before it began.

“Now for the questions. Do you remember the theft that took place on West Work Street? Tell the truth.”

He felt compelled to answer like the last time with the [Questionner] in the guardhouse. Hearing the question, Metello knew it was linked again with his well-known [Merchant], Mr Moore.

“Yes.”

“Great! One thing we got right. Let's continue. Did you help steal the [Merchant]'s weapons? Tell the truth.”

“Yes.” Knowing it was a bit ambiguous, Metello added quickly, free from the compelling. “But involuntarily. As I was there, I have been used as a distraction. I think.”

“Do you know the one who took the weapons? Tell the truth.”

“Yes.”

“What is the thief's name, and where can we find her? Tell the truth.”

“She is called Andrea Matheson, and the best guess I have to find her is to search in the two poor residential districts.”

“Great, great, great. So this silly [Store Owner] was all wrong, again. Why does he have to go crazy like that when he is robbed? It was only some shitty weapons.”

The man opened his mouth for the first time.

“He would say you that it is for the principle, that if he does nothing all the [Rogues] of this city would identify him as prey and steal him naked. Didn't he shout it enough for your ears ?”

“Yes, yes, I know. I asked to complain, not to have an answer.”

Turning again to Metello, she asked.

“Do you know anything more that could help us find this thief ?”

Not being compelled this time, he answered.

“I don't think so.”

“Fine. Let's end this joke. Erase memory.”

Metello fell unconscious.

The boy woke up, lying on the dirt floor of an unknown room. The state of the room was much more familiar to Metello as a hole in the mud-brick-built walls and a garbage-full ground caught his sight. He was suffering from a headache when he stood and got out through the hanging door and into a dirty alley of the poor residential district. The last thing he remembered before waking up was that he was practicing shaping Lucco into a penis in a room in the middle residential district.

After walking a few minutes through the alleys, he found where he was and managed to go back home despite more hostile gazes than usual. That cycle, he didn't care.

When he arrived in his home alley, he noticed his wide-opened door. Inside, his room was a mess. Despite the few things he possessed, the floor was covered in his belonging. The cooking pot was upside down on the ground, beans spilling all around. His clothes were everywhere.

He sat on the ground, his back on the closed door, staring into space. Metello was much confused about what had happened.

"How did I escape the room? Why can't I remember anything after practicing drawing the...penis? How much of it was real?" After a few seconds of silence, he added. "What time is it even?"

He stood again and tidied up his room. In the end, there were some things he couldn't find: his money, his rapier, and his best hat. He was angry. He was an orphan, bullied because of his hair, unfairly harassed by a rich [Merchant] and now he was robbed of the few things he needed.

"This city is just a shit hole."

He didn't know what to do with all this anger. Finally, he opted to sit on his bed and breath deeply, to calm himself down and clear his mind.

Hearing the 14th bell, the orphan was hungry but less angry. He went to the House to take back some money and buy something to eat. He knew he would need Brorne to get another rapier, but he didn't feel like speaking to him for now. So, he got back home quickly. He fetched some water from the river for later use too, working his body to help his mind a bit more. All in all, after exercising and having a meal he felt better. Better enough to talk about what happened.

He decided to visit the orphanage to talk to Mrs Richardson rather than Brorne. He thought seeing Maria and the young ones would help him relax too.

Once Metello finished telling his story, Mrs Richardson sat back on her chair, grasping her desk hard.

“No doubt about it, there is wealth behind the story. I would bet on Mr Moore although you have angered another rich man enough. And I can't be sure about it. Anyway, we couldn't have done anything about it even if we knew the responsible. It kills me not to be able to do anything!”

“So you think it is him too. What happened to me? Why don't I remember anything after this, hum, event? ”

“There are Menta blessings which can be responsible for that memory loss. Perhaps an [Acolyte] or a [Civil Servant] with a rare tier class. A person with such people at service would have much money at disposition. If you don't feel any other effect, it should be okay, but stay vigilant on your mental state.”

Metello nodded. Then, came a knock on the office door.

“You may enter.”

The door opened on Jeffrey. It was Carl's and Isobel's brother. He was visiting them from time to time since he came of age a bit more than a year ago. Jeffrey's eyes changed from perturbed to reassured when he saw Metello and released a breath, but the [Acolyte] stood up warily when he saw him. Even if the [Rogue] had not been the worst, Metello had had some bad blood with him as he was part of the big bully team when they were still children.

Metello told the headmistress he was going out but he couldn't as the young man stayed in the door opening.

“I came to give that back. I think it's yours ?”

Then, he put a rapier in his sheath into the [Acolyte]'s hands. Metello immediately recognized the fancy handle he chose. Surprised, he couldn't say a thing.

“Some guys in a bar were bragging about kidnapping the black-haired one and stealing his weapon and hat. I see they had made up a bit their story as you are here.”

After some silence, Mrs Richardson said.

“Metello, you could thank him.”

Remaining suspicious, he thanked him. He couldn't help but add.

“They were not bragging. I had been kidnapped in my sleep by three people last cycle.”

Jeffrey had a tense face as he replied a few second later.

“I'm sorry. Not only for that but for how I behaved when I lived here. I shouldn't have treated you that way all these years. I thought it would be great and fun to be a [Rogue] with the others, but I don't like to steal from poor people, and I don't want to make more children orphans by killing people. From the moment I said it, the other guild members began to bully me. It reminded me of what we did to you.”

He knelt, tears coming sparsely to his eyes, his voice a bit shaky.

“I'm really sorry.”

As nobody knew what to say or do, Mrs Richardson spoke

“Stand up, Jeffrey. I think Metello will pardon you. Perhaps not now, but give him some time so he can understand your heart. You can both visit the other children if you want to for now. If you wish, I will ask Mrs Masson to prepare dinner for two more people.”

Metello nodded while Jeffrey answered.

“I'd like it, madam.”

After dinner, Maria insisted on Metello to offer some light performance as he had shown her a sample earlier in the cycle. He hadn't told her what he had gone through, and she had been happy to see him at the dinner table.

Everybody in the orphanage, children, the headmistress, Mrs Masson, Mrs Sweetsmile, and Jeffrey were invited to the boy's dormitory, windows shut, as the Lux follower gave his best to offer a good show. Young and old were amazed by the beautiful colored lights waving on the walls and the ceiling. Not quite an hour later, Metello felt some divine energy gathering around his brain, announcing the bestowal of a new blessing. After that, he felt that changing colors and forms were easier, and the show went on even better for some time. It was a nice end to this horrible start of a cycle for Metello.