Always A Sunny Sky [PROLOGUE]

Below the glistening of an obviously manufactured blue sky, there is a starved boy with cheap clothes that haven't seemed to be clean in probably a long time, who appears to be trailing off mindlessly on the dirty pavement while bumping into a group of people, oblivious to their disdained gaze. 

It has been days since the boy has eaten anything, not even a single ounce of anything that is merely considered digestible. The boy's face is like that of a hungry beast craving for flesh. Yet step by step, the boy's momentum becomes more awkward and more struggling. Even then, people still pushed and shoved him away simply so they could get ahead.

With more steps, the hurt and starved body of the boy begins to falter.

With more steps, his foot is shaken from all the futile struggle.

With a single step, the boy falls on his knee, looking at the uncaring floor.

And with a final blink, his body crumbles down and lies restless on the floor.

Nonetheless, what could I have done to make it different? I'm but just a humble trash disposal. I slowly walk over to the boy despite the cramped crowd, then just simply crouch down and scan his lifeless body. I'm pondering and wondering about useless stuff. Then I stand up and pull out my mandated "cleaning glaive" that the company has issued.

This is not a combat glaive like those used by contractors, so its entire purpose was just for cutting off limbs and putting 'em in bags neatly. Course I try to complete my usual procedure while not spilling blood on any bystander, or else it would be so annoying to hear some complaints. Yes, I could have dragged the body off the street, but that would be tiresome due to the crowd.

With each swing, the limbs came off the body hastily. After that, I try to carefully put the body parts into white bags. Finally, what is left is just the pond of blood left over from the corpse. Of course, it is also within my duty to clean it. So I produced a white blanket from my belt's bag and began cleaning like usual - and yes, I hadn't forgotten to spray some specialized solution else cleaning these blood stains would have been difficult.

Thus, my job here is done, I stand proudly for a second and then sweep off sweets on my forehead. That should mark the seventh body I "cleaned" for this day, which means my quota should be over. Now I just need to hand the bag to the disposal building.

***

Now, while I was on my way to the building's entrance. A burly-haired man dressed in the same standard gray clothes as me waves his hand. "Yo Zephir, ya almost done with works yet?"

That man, by the way, is called "Ryd," a long friend of mine, for we have been working in the same profession for so long. Course in some old tale, we would have been like that of a blood brothers.

"Yeah, just gotta hand this bag over," I replied while noticing that Ryd was holding two bags. "And what happened? How did you get two bags?"

He scratches his head slightly. "Eh, just a dumb brawl turn lethal."

"Right, it would be bothersome to carry two bags, but I guess that completes the quota faster."

Ryd nods his head. "Anyway, since our quota today is complete, wanna hit the bar?"

"Sure, anyone else or just both of us?"

"Just us."

"Alright," I said nonchalantly.

***

And so both of us once again set foot in the bar that we practically visit every day. Course the bar's drink quality may be a tad bit terrible but one thing this bar has compared to the rest is that its atmosphere is impeccable despite the fact it is just an off-street bar like so many others.

Right, we both sat down and ordered some basic drinks. Then, well, the rest is just a conversation between friends. "So how have you been?" I asked sarcastically while gulping down my drink.

"Let's see... Well, I've been the same as ever, ya know? But certainly, things got easier as my little girl grew up. " He said while holding a glass.

"Oh? Ya planning to let her go to school?"

"Well, actually, I already did that."

"Wait, how old is your kid again? It's been a long time since I met that cheeky bastard, " I asked with an eyebrow raised

"She then, as of now, practically old enough to be on her own!" Ryd cheerfully said

"Yeah, sure definitely."

"But to be honest with you, I'm still kinda worried..." His eyes slightly nod downward the emptied glass.

"I mean honestly, what should you be worried about?" 

"Yeah, I know I have been raising her alone for over ten years..."

"But that you are still not enough? Or something akin to that." 

"No, no, I believe that I'm good enough to raise her on my own. It's just that I wonder how far can I raise her or just simply be with her."

"huh - well, I'm not that kind of person to think ahead but at least put some trust in your kid, since no matter what we aren't gotta be around 'em, like soon or later they gotta have to fare the world without you, and you know if you were always there to be with them, that won't do good in the long run. So, er basically just put your trust in them, and yeah, I know your kid is still young, but then again, it's best to teach them to be independent earlier, isn't it?." I said while slightly tapping the table with my empty glass.

"Ah, I guess so but even as you know life is a flimsy bastard, who knows what could happen epically for the biggest fact that we are living in the off-street which in itself is already filled to the brim with mad murderers and weird monstrosity. People here are already so sanitized to everyday violence. So I beckon a question if I weren't here for her, who would be?" He said while his right hand was scratching his neck.

"Hence should it only be more right to let her develop herself independently? Of Course at this stage in her age may not be so much, but in the future, either hope that your kid can achieve some top score and get scouted by some top corpo or prepare her to survive in this already pithole just like we somehow did despite all the crazy thing happening."

I see that before continuing talking, Ryd looks at his watch and announces, "Right, I gotta head out. It was nice talking with you."

And off he went to pick up his daughter from school, probably, and seem like he already slid some cash on the table beforehand. So I put down some mine too to pay for my drink.

I stand up from my seat and glance around a bit and just simply walk out of the bar and just casually trace my way back to my apartment.

***

Truth be told, one of the most tedious things I could acknowledge during my walk home is the long staircase leading up to my room, and then again it being this high does make its value lower. So even then I just have to bite it and keep walking regardless of what I think.

Finally reaching the simple but trusty steel door of mine place, I let a hand toward the door to unlock it with my key and enter inside.

Upon finally being inside after a long day of work or short depending on who you asked. Either way, I lay my glaive on some wall and quickly do some hygiene because well ain't letting myself be tainted by dried blood.

In short, now all I need to do is simply let myself rest and doze off into a long nap on my small but comfortable bed. This has been yet another day like always, I don't expect much of what gonna happened for all I need to know is not to wake up late enough before the evening quota starts. Nonetheless, that is all I have bothered to say.

I closed my eyes and laid bare sleeping peacefully...

END OF PROLOGUE