Unbroken Curiosity

Chapter 10 (Part 1): The Heretic

24 Years Ago

For the first time in a 1000 years, it snowed. A blanket of white was thrown over Sanctuary City. Snow covered the top of all the tall glass skyscrapers, and the massive Pyramid had a white tip. In the legendary Park of Heroes, trees stood barren and dead, while the fountains of each past hero stood frozen solid. There was a slight buzz among the city's inhabitants. In the park, children played in the snow and in the highest towers, the rich hosted snow-themed winter balls.

Above, it was business as usual. But, in the shadows, hidden from the gaze of the rich, the nobles and visitors, the people were dying below. Down there, the snow could not melt away in the midday sun. It was stacked nearly three stories high and rose with each flake that fell from the heavens. Inside the decrepit foundations of the great towers, the dead were being carted away by slimy green and sometimes blue goblins, who were somehow resilient to the cold. Others were taken to kitchens so that their meat could be shared among the starving.

Food was scares during the winter, and the snow made it even scarcer. But starvation was not the only thing ailing the Underfolk. There was no hiding from the cold. Broken windows always allowed a cold draft to enter the buildings, and what fires were made was stolen by strong men and fearsome women. So were blankets, clothes, and anything that could shield one from the freeze.

In one of these buildings, a young boy lived. He wore dirty rags. His mother had sold what clothes he had for food. Food that she did not share with him. Yet, the boy did not freeze. He ran from fire to fire until a strong man or fearsome woman chased him away. He sneaked into kitchens to steal meat. Once, he wrestled a goblin and won. He sold that corpse for more meat. The meat tasted odd, but he grew used to the fowl taste as the days continued.

Sometimes he did not even eat the meat he earned or steal. Instead, he shared it with another. A girl about his age. Her name was Pauli. She had brown eyes and blond hair. Pauli reminded the boy of his sister. The cold had taken his sister some days back. He shared what food he had with her, and she was always thankful for it, even if she grimaced once the meat touched her tongue. The boy was thankful for her company.

One day, he stole a book from the kitchens instead of meat. It was small and made of paper, so it had to be expensive. That night, he took it to Pauli and read it to her. That impressed the girl. Few people could read or write down here.

"It was Prometheus that stole the fire from Olympus. He gave it to the mortals against the wishes of Zeus, King of the Olympians. As punishment, Zeus bound Prometheus to a rock for all eternity and sent a bird to eat of his liver..." The young boy read.

"Eewh." Pauli made a face of disgust. "Why would Zeus do such a thing? Prometheus only wanted to help."

"Zeus is a False God." The young boy explained. "Long ago, the Creator made them, and they inhabited the entire Universe. But they grew jealous of Creator. They wanted to be just like him. So, they betrayed him. The Creator went to war against his creations. When he won, the False Gods hid. Legend has it that when the Creator learned about Prometheus' fate, he allowed him to enter Heaven because he showed kindness to his other creations."

"So, there is a happy ending to the story." Pauli forced a smile. She was cold, the boy saw. She shivered, clutching her shoulders.

"It is thanks to Prometheus that I can do this." The young boy showed Pauli his palm before snapping his fingers. A flame appeared at his fingertips.

"Wow..." Pauli smiled.

Days turned to weeks, but the cold did not vanish. More people died, and those who controlled the fire became violent, killing others. Once, when the boy tried to warm himself, one of the men hit him, breaking his nose and giving him a black eye. "Fuck off, or the next thing I eat is you." The man yelled as the boy scurried away, crying.