People of all kinds fill the streets of London as a festival gets underway. A banner praising the royal family, the Pendragons, flies above the heads of the festival goers. The mighty dragon banner soars high, distracting the patrons from the children who push their way into the pockets of wealthier festival attendees. The crowded streets offer the perfect cover for these urchins as they scavenge through pockets like squirrels searching for nuts, never lingering long in any one place for fear of being caught.
As the festival nears its climax, fireworks, brought in from the newly conquered Asian regions, will light the sky in celebration of the birthday of the legendary, late King Arthur. The crowd surges like a wave, as performers from every corner of the Arthurian Empire gather to showcase their talents in a ritual meant to honor and please the fallen king.
Not only does the festival captivate and delight people from across the British Isles, but it also attracts societies and cultures from around the world. Even foreign royal families come to pay their respects and pledge their gratitude for the mercy shown by the Pendragon Dynasty. These foreign families offered gifts as tribute, each one worth more than any commoner could hope to earn in a lifetime
As firebreathers, paper-lantern carriers, and African tribal dancers mark the end of the procession, a boy slips through the crowd. His face is streaked with muck and dirt, blending him into the chaos of the festival. He bumps his way through the sea of bodies, careful to keep moving. A medal was carried around his chest, signalling his name and orphanage. The director always wanted his 'sons' back.
From the edge of the crowd, he spots an alleyway where his "brothers" wait—though it's the director who makes them call each other that. They already have a small stash of goods taken from the unwary festival-goers. The boy has only managed to steal a single gold ring—and even that one's a fake.
A tingle in his forearm steels his resolve. 'Just one thing', he thinks, 'something with real worth. 'He scans the crowd frantically, realizing that the wealthier patrons have mostly moved on. But then his eyes catch sight of something, or someone, with exactly what he needs.
A man with a top hat on, walks through the crowd, carried by the wave. His boots, freshly cleaned screach against the ground, a limp clearly visible, he walks with a cane, a half step slower than normal people. 'An easy target. Won't even have to reach far, the idiot has left a chain out of his pocket.'
The boy takes his chance as the man trips slightly, snatching the chain from the man's pocket. With the end of the change revealing a monocle. The monocle itself has an intricate design, with the carving on it using the image of an eye, with the inscription 'tertius oculus' going across the surface of the golden monocle. The socket of the monocle itself was of pure white glass. Clear as day. The boy could see clearly through the glass, something he struggled with before.
He peers through it, marveling at how sharp the world suddenly appears. His own sight had always been a blur, a curse, the director said, the result of his mother's promiscuity. The boy had never believed those words, but he knew better than to fight back. The director's lies gave the other boys something to laugh at, something to make them feel less worthless. So he let their laughter wash over him, even as he quietly vowed to prove them wrong.
He snapped out of his thoughts as fireworks lit up the night sky, outshinging the stars themselves. This sight, that has never seen before, thanks to the monocle had made him forget the one thing the director told him. 'Never stay at the scene of the crime.' With him relearning why he needed this rule as the man with a top hat now grabbed his shoulder.
His voice sent shivers down the spine of the boy. "Now what do we have here. You have something of mine boy." The boy didn't even get a look of the man's face as he was dragged into an alley. The boy wriggled in the man's clutches, as the man once limping, now walked with a steady pace, no longer needing the cane.
The man with the top hat eventually threw the boy into the alley way, splashing him into a puddle. The boy's face splashed into the foul puddle, soaking him in urine from a drunk that walked in from enjoying the festival. With the drunk laying down against the wall, unconcerned about the events transpiring in front of his very eyes.
The boy wiped away the piss that dripped from his face, looked up at the figure that once seemed so frail before, being much larger than he was before. 'Was he as tall...", the boy's thoughts trailed off as he admired the man's figure, 'or as muscular.' The boy started to crawl away from fear, but never taking his eye off the man, his face hidden by the darkness of the alleyway.
"You stole something from me boy. Something more valuable than you have ever even held let alone seen." The man's voice got deeper as he got closer. "The punishment for stealing is to take the theif's hand, but I'll let you off with a simple beating." The sound of his cane hitting his hand bounced off the wall, sending the boy into pure fear.
He remembered the cane had metal all around it, so that alone would be painful, but the man's structure told the boy everything he needed to know. 'I will die in one blow if he hits me. I must run or die, there's no other option.' He was about to go through a hole in a nearby wooden fence he spotted while being thrown. But as he was about to bring himself to his feet, fireworks erupted above them both splashing a red light on the two.
However, despite the red light the man's skin lay bare for the boy to see. It was green. Not like when he saw the boys in the orphange get sick, and their faces turned green. This was a pure green, although dark against the lack of light in the alleyway. The boy's face was filled with fear.
The green man in the top-hat saw the boy's face and laughed,"Hahahaha, I forgot what that monocle did to the ones in the unseen world." He crouched down, shadow hovering over the boy, his proper, all black suit didn't match with his gigantic body. With it looking like it would tear off his body at any minute.
The boy could clearly see the man's face more clearly now. The eyes didn;t fit with the rest of the man's proportions, with his red eyes being tinier that the rest. However what the boy noticed the most was the man's jaw and teeth. With the jaw protruding outwards, it allowed fangs that sprouted outwards towards the sky to be seen.
"What you are seeing now boy is the true world. A world you and your kind, the Illmage weren't meant to see. It's sad that this is the last time you will see it, it has so many exciting things to offer. I'm sorry for going back on my word. It's not just some beating I'm going to beat you to death. So stand still boy, it'll be over in a second." The creature, no longer a man in the boy's eyes smiled at the boy, eyes unflinching.
The creature starts to wave it cane, now looking more like a club. It puts it above its head, ready to strike. However, the drunkard next to them spoke up, "What you doing with that boy." Although it was a full sentence, the drunkard's words were still filled with hints of inebriation.
The creature clearly annoyed at the drunkard's awareness, even if still drunk. He positioned his body, now angling towards the drunkard, although the way his body stayed the same. The cane still in the air, as the drunkard started to get up from his slumping position on the floor. The cane however, didn't stay in the same position much like the drunkard.
The creature's muscles pushed against the black suit jacket, exploding with power as the cane hit the drunkard's temple. The boy could see everything, as it felt like the world had slowed down. The cane pushed against the man's head, pushing everything towards one direction, as the skull exploded. With whatever thoughts the drunkard had in his last momenets now laying on the floor and stuck to the wall.
The boy took his chance as the monster screamed at the man in a primal tone, in a language he had never heard off. He ran towards the opening he was going to before the monster revealed his face. The monster, no longer just a creature, started to chase after the boy. The posture as he ran was hunched, yet his head reached the second floor of the buildings in the alley.
The run was awkward and clearly uncomfortable for the monster as it ran, however its steps were anything but awkward as with each step a small boom could be heard. With the floor vibrating as the creature ran, it shook the boy's run, almost making him stumble. As the boy was two steps from the whole fireworks lit up the sky for the final time, causing the alleyway to once again descend into darkeness.
With the help of the darkness, the monster was confused, as the boy knowing where the hole was, threw himself towards it and landed on the other side. However, although the boy made it through, it still felt the presence of the monster on the other side and ran out towards the festival that still continued on the street. With markets of exotic goods and trinkets being sold by foreign merchants.
The boy clutched the monocle that was still in his hand and ran back towards the orphanage. As he ran he stared at the monocle, 'I will never let this go. I will see the world not just like my brothers, but the true world, the one unseen.' He stached it in his pocket, as he continued to run to the safety of the orphange. The night of festivies rang all around him, as the moon hung full in the clear night sky.
...
Back at the alley the green man saw the gleam of a medal, he looked at it for a second squinting. Eventually he spoke, "See you soon, Riven," as the man walked out of the alleyway and joined the crowd following the tail-end of the parade.