The Blacksmith

Aeolos said to Jason. "Hold on. I'm gonna get you help." He grabbed onto Jason's left hand and pulled Jason up off the ground as he said. "I'm gonna help you up, okay?" 

Jason nodded and said. "Okay." 

Aeolos slung Jason's left arm over his shoulder and lifted Jason up onto his feet. They began to walk down the alley. 

Aeolos said to Jason as they walked. "My Grandfather's Shop isn't that far. He'll be able to help you." 

Jason looked at the blurry Aeolos with a confused expression as he said. "Your grandfather? Who is your grandfather?" 

Aeolos said as they walked. "He is a blacksmith. He should be able to help someone like you." 

Jason thought. "Someone like me...?" He suddenly moved his left arm and wrapped it around Aeolos's throat. He pressed his left arm into Aeolos's throat as he stood behind Aeolos and said. "What do you mean someone like me? Do you know who I am? Do you know what I am?" 

Aeolos grabbed Jason's left arm and begin tugging on it but was unable to move Jason's arm. 

Jason pressed his left arm into Aeolos's throat even harder and said. "Answer me!" 

Aeolos continued to tug on Jason's arm and coughed as he said. "Can't... breathe..." 

Jason quickly removed his left arm from Aeolos's throat and shoved Aeolos away from him. 

The man in front of Jason didn't appear blurry anymore. Jason could make out all his features. 

The man in front of Jason, known as Aeolos, had red spiky hair with brown eyes. He wore a black t-shirt that had an insignia on the top left of the t-shirt. The insignia was a hammer and anvil. He also wore black shorts and black boots. He also wore black leather gloves on his hands. Strapped to the man's side were two knives. He had a long black knife on his left side and a slightly shorter black knife on his right side. 

Jason grabbed the hilt of his sword with his left hand. He narrowed his eyes and said to Aeolos. "Who are you? Why are you trying to help me?" 

Aeolos coughed and said. "I already... told you...!" He stopped coughing and pointed his left thumb at himself as he said. "I'm Aeolos!" 

Jason said while annoyed. "That doesn't explain anything!" He pulled his sword off his back and pointed the blade at Aeolos as he said. "Why are you trying to help me? I don't even know who you are!" 

Aeolos said while irritated. "What are you even talking about?! Quit acting stupid!" 

Jason tightened his grip on his sword and said angrily. "Who the hell are you calling stupid! I should cut you down right here!" 

Aeolos laughed and said. "Cut me down?" He then pointed at Jason with his left hand and said. "You can't cut anything down in your condition. You can't even see!" 

Jason said while irritated. "Huh? What do you mean I can't see?! I can clearly see your ugly ass face!" 

Aeolos said. "What was that?" He grabbed the hilt of both of his knives with both of his hands and yelled out. "Say that again! I dare you!" 

Jason said. "I said-" 

"That's enough." An unknown voice suddenly cut Jason off before he could finish his sentence. 

Jason and Aeolos both looked at the source of the unknown voice. 

Behind Aeolos and to the right was a man. It was a man with white hair,  a bushy white beard, and dark blue eyes. He wore black shorts and black boots. His face resembled Aeolos's but looked older and more refined. He wore no shirt or gloves and carried no weapons. He had an extremely defined six pack and had the second largest biceps Jason had ever seen. 

Jason lowered his sword and said to the old man. "Who are you?" 

The old man began walking toward Jason and said. "You must be Jason." 

Jason looked bewildered. He said to the old man. "You know who I am?" 

Aeolos said to the old man. "Grandfather? What are you doing here? And how do you know his name?" 

The old man, Aeolos's Grandfather stopped walking and stood by Aeolos's right side. "Forgive me. I meant to tell you earlier but it slipped my mind." 

Aeolos said to his Father. "Tell me what?' 

Jason said. "Hey, what is going on? How do you two know each other? How do you know who I am?" 

Aeolos's Grandfather said. "Forgive my rudeness. I haven't introduced us yet." He moved his left arm and put his left hand in front of Aeolos. His palm faced Jason while the back of his hand faced Aeolos, he then said. "This is my grandson Aeolos." He moved his left arm back to his side again and pointed his left hand at himself as he said. "I am Norv. I am an associate of Alex's. He told me you would be coming here." 

Jason thought. "Alex?" He moved his left hand and placed his sword back on his back. He placed his left hand by his side again and said to the old man known as Norv. "I didn't know Alex had friends..." 

Norv laughed heartily and said to Jason. "He tends to keep to himself these days. But he didn't always used to be like that." 

Jason said. "I see. I didn't know that." 

Norv said to Jason and Aeolos. "We should head back to the shop. We can talk more there."

Norv and Aeolos began to walk through the alley toward the direction Norv came from. 

As Norv and Aeolos were walking Jason suddenly blurted out. "Hold on!" He grabbed the hilt of his sword and said. "You said you were an associate of Alex's? Does that mean you're a-?" 

Norv quickly cut Jason off as he said. "Don't say that word out here. You never know who could be listening." 

Jason looked around at his surroundings from left to right. He thought he spotted a figure on the roof of one of the buildings to his left but the figure was gone as quickly as it appeared.

Jason let go of the hilt of his sword and his left hand fell back down to his side. 

Norv said to Jason. "Come with us to my shop. It is safe to talk there." 

Jason nodded his head and said. "Alright. Let's go." 

Norv, Aeolos, and Jason walked through the alley. They walked deeper and deeper into the alley. 

Jason looked up at the two giant walls as he walked. He said to Norv and Aeolos. "Why are there two walls? Isn't one enough?" 

Aeolos said to Jason. "What do you mean? All NYC sections have two walls except zero and two." 

Jason said with curiosity. "How many walls do those two sections have?" 

Aeolos said to Jason. "You don't know? NYCS2 has one wall and NYCS0 has three walls." 

Jason said to Aeolos. "Why does NYCS2 only have one wall?" 

Aeolos shrugged and said. "I don't know. Why don't you go there and find out?" 

Norv and Aeolos stopped walking. Jason stopped walking too. The three of them stood at the end of the alley. 

There was the wall of a building directly in front of them. To their left was another wall of another building. To their right was a door of a building. Above the door was a sign with a hammer and anvil engraved onto it. 

Jason muttered as he looked at the sign. "It is the same as Aeolos's..." 

Aeolos said. "Of course it is. I work here." 

Norv walked toward the door of the building and opened it. He went inside the building. The door shut behind him.

Aeolos followed after Norv. He grabbed the handle of the door and swung it open. He said as he held the door open. "Be careful where you step. It is kind of a mess." He entered the building. The door closed behind him. 

Jason stood by himself. He stared at the door of the building and sighed. He then walked toward the door and swung it open. He walked into the building. The door shut behind him.