“Ladies and Gentlemen! today I, the great magician, Pinoki, will blow your minds!”

A short man smiles at the small crowd gathered around him, his thin lips curling mischievously.

“I shall conjure a being of decisive strength, (for a brief time only), that you can speak to and learn your fate!

For just one small fee of one silver, my good people, I can blow your mind!

Thank you, Thank you!” the little man says as some people offer him donations, pleased at the intrigue he’s generated.

“Prepare yourself people!

I summon upon thee the being of change!”

A puff of smoke envelopes the area while the little man quietly slips away

“Hey, you!” a man shouts noticing him sneaking away, “you scammer!

After The scoundrel!”

At the same moment the crowd begins to chase the little man, two bodies splash into the nearby waterway,

A blue haired girl, whom everyone recognizes and a silver-haired man with an expressionless face.

“Ha haa!” The little man exclaims, “my summoning is complete! I was just er stepping back just in case they fell unto us,

Well, aren’t you going to get your questions out, the man continues deceitfully,

Might as well get your money’s worth”………...

……

“Where exactly are we?” I ask the girl as we wade out of water,

“My names Lyra by the way, and we’re technically under the Holy city, but not really,

It’s too complicated for me to explain.” She shrugs

“So, magic?” I question –

“You didn’t even tell me your name,” she ignores my question

“It’s Kage, and why are those people staring at us?”

A crowd of people eagerly gather around us as we exit the water,

“Are you really a being of change?” A girl asks.

“Lyra, where have you been off to?” someone else asks,

A sea of questions rain on us before I myself get a chance to ask a question,

“What are you assholes going on about!” Lyra bellows,

“We weren’t summoned by any magic and Kage isn’t some powerful being, he can barely jump roofs, who ever told you all that is a filthy liar!”

“Speaking of Liars here’s one,” a Burly man says, dragging along a little man in tow,

“Look who I found trying to sneak away!”

“Pinoki!” Lyra exclaims, “I am not even surprised, of course you’d do this, the most deceitful man in the Under City!”

“Lyraa~ it’s been so long,” Pinoki smiles still being gripped tightly by the burly man,

“Funny you are calling me the most deceitful man, when you’re the most naïve woman in the unholy city,

Tell me have you managed to change the minds of the self-righteous pricks top side?

Don’t tell,” he turns looking at me,

“Is he one?

Did you finally convince one of them, hahah!” Pinoki laughs

“Bastard!” Lyra scowls, “no Kage isn’t one of ‘them’”

Turning to the burly man she says; “can you kill him, please!”

“Wow, wow!” Pinoki struggles, “I’ll give you people your money, back I was just having a little fun, see?”

He reaches for his pouch, “Here!” he throws it into the crowd,

“Let me go!”

***

Pinoki and Lyra continue barking at each as we walk along a short dirt path, I gaze at the surroundings;

No sky in sight when I look up just darkness,

The atmosphere humid, the place lit dimly,

The Waterway we fell into leads into a settlement in the distance,

Although humid, dark and dirty , this place feels somewhat lived in...

….“Can you stop dazing off? Lyra pinches me on the arm,

“I have some things I wanna ask you”

“As Do I.” Pinoki chips in,

“Why are you still here!” Lyra Barks, “don’t you have more people to go scam after losing your coin pouch.”

“Hardly.” Pinoki smiles, taking out another pouch,

“That other one had fake money, you don’t think I’d really get caught that easily?”

“Go away then scammer!” Lyra pushes him,

“I’m intrigued to know what happened to you top side~” Pinoki sings

“Also curious to what ‘He’ will have to say about you going off on your own.’

“I don’t care what ‘He’ thinks! Lyra snaps, “the coward”-

-“Whose ‘He’?” I butt in

“Ask him yourself,” Lyra points

Looking forward to the settlement we approach

A Blonde man stops his pushups noticing us arrive

Waving at us, he goofily smiles,

“Lyra! How have you be….” Noticing me his smile fades

“Thunder God Punch!"

A surge of lighting erupts out his fists as he aims directly at my head.