“Hello, sir,” the receptionist greeted sweetly. “What can I do for you today?”

  Arden was greeted by the beautiful woman with shoulder-length brown hair behind the desk. She was extremely attractive, as was the case with every Starborn.

  Arden leaned against the counter to reply.

  “Cirai, we talked about this,” he admonished her in a slightly teasing tone. “Just Arden is fine.”

  Cirai was one of the only people in the slums that Arden actually enjoyed being around, and more to the point, she tolerated being around him. She had helped him out a few times, and he had helped her out as best he could, which admittedly wasn't much. Still, she seemed to enjoy the attention of the prickly slum rat.

  Arden had always believed that respect was to be earned. Cirai was one of the few people he had met that were worthy of respect. While she didn’t necessarily care much for the people living in the slums, she didn’t have a distaste for them just because they were stricken by poverty.

  “You know how the boss is with the rules regarding guests,” Cirai replied. “He subscribes to the thought that the customer is always right.”

  “We're not customers.”

  “That doesn't stop him from making us act like you are. It wouldn't surprise me if he was an HR representative for a retail outlet before he became a Starborn. One who actually bought into the corporate lie.”

  “It can't be that bad.”

  “The break room is filled with motivational posters and surveys.”

  “Nevermind.”

  “Anyway,” Cirai looked around for any sign of her boss before continuing. “Arden, what can I do for you today?”

  Arden smiled back at her, grateful for the use of his name.

  “The usual. Me and Sya ran out of food last night, so I need to restock before she wakes up.”

  The hooded person sitting next to the desk whipped their head around at the mention of food.

  “Food?” the person asked with a hopeful voice. Arden was able to deduce that the person was a woman.

  He glanced at her and awkwardly answered.

  “Uh, yeah. Food. If you can call it that.” He turned his attention back to Cirai. “Can I grab some?”

  Arden noticed Cirai's eyes bounce between him and the hooded girl. For a Starborn who had passed the first trial, Cirai was unexpectedly meek. Arden could tell that something was weighing on Cirai's mind, and given that she was always helpful to him, he could at least hear her out.

  “Is there something wrong?”

  “Can you do me a small favor?” Cirai asked, gesturing to the girl. “She’s new to the slums, and for some reason some of the higher-ups refuse to let her get an ID. She can’t get food without it. I'd appreciate it if you bring her along to grab food.”

  Arden thought for a moment. Without an ID, you couldn’t do anything in the slums. Most of the machines in the municipal building were accessed with an ID, including food dispensaries. Even outside of the slums, an ID acted as a wallet, storing all of your credits for when you needed to buy something.

  He looked at the girl. It wasn’t just that she didn’t have an ID, but that she was refused to even get one. The people in charge were basically telling her to die. Arden didn’t like that.

  “I don’t have a problem with that,” he began. “But I don’t have enough charges on my ID to get three peoples worth of rations. I’m lucky enough to feed Sya, and that's only because she doesn’t do enough to get that hungry.”

  Arden didn't want to lie to Cirai, so he spoke the truth. Not that he even could lie to her. One of the reasons she acted as a receptionist was that the power granted to her upon becoming a Starborn was the ability to discern truth from lies. This was the main reason Arden had for telling her that he didn't have enough food charges.

  For rations, an ID can only be used for a certain number of times each week, and in another point against Blight Walkers, their IDs were revoked. They were nameless statistics that would one day hopefully die out. At least, that was what most of the mundane population thought.

  What this meant was that unless someone used their own ID to feed a Blight Walker, they would starve to death. Arden was one such person, and as such he didn’t have food to spare for another person.

  “I have a solution for that,” Cirai said.

  She pulled open one of the drawers at her desk and pulled out a small gray card with a picture of herself on it. Cirai held it up to her head and smiled like the her in the picture before handing Arden the ID to examine.

  “Because I’m a government worker, I get a larger allowance of ration charges, but because I’m a Starborn I don’t need to eat. But if I want to, I can just buy the good stuff. Keep it. I’ll put in an order for a new one for me. It can only get up to the second option of rations, though.”

  Arden looked at the treasure in his hands. More food? Better food? It was a dream come true. He looked back at Cirai with eyes like saucers. He couldn’t believe it.

  “Thank you,” he mumbled quietly. “I can't just take this. What do you want in return?”

  Cirai smiled sweetly at Arden. She had always enjoyed their interactions. It was nice to see someone out here who wasn’t scared of her power, and who cared for someone other than themselves. Those kinds of people were rare in a post-StarFall world.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  “Just feed yourselves. And try to stay out of trouble.”

  “I can do one of those things,” he said, causing Cirai to chuckle.

  He turned his attention to the hooded girl silently watching.

  “Still hungry?”

  *****

  At the back of the municipal building was the cafeteria. Numerous long tables sat next to each other with a smattering of people sitting at them in the early morning. In a few hours, the majority of the seats at the tables would be taken. Only the smart or sleep deprived came and got food at this time. Arden liked to believe that he was both.

  Arden led his new partner to the back wall of the room to where the machines that dispensed rations were. Naturally, because there were a lot of people in need of food, there were several machines.

  The machine resembled a soda fountain, except instead of several small holes with different types of drinks to be released, there was only one large hole, the size of a skull. There was a large screen on the face of the machine, asking for an ID.

  Arden held Cirai’s ID in front of the screen for it to be scanned. Seconds later, Arden was swiping on the screen through the different options, looking for one that walked the line between tasting good and being healthy. From the Protostar options available, Arden selected chicken noodle soup.

  “Is soup fine with you?” Arden asked.

  “Yes,” the girl responded.

  “How much do you need?”

  “How often do you come by?”

  “Every three days, for the most part. You want this to be a regular thing?”

  “At least until the issue with my ID gets resolved. Assuming it does. For now, I’ll also take three days worth.”

  Having gotten an answer, Arden confirmed the order and the amount. Nine orders of soup, three each for Arden, Sya, and the new one. With the order confirmed, a pale blue light began shining from the hole in the machine. After several seconds, a large decorated can appeared below the hole. Arden passed it to his companion, and once he did, another can materialized in its place.

  Once all of the cans of rations were dished out, the pair opened their Statuses. At the top right corner of each of their Statuses was an arrow. They focused on each of the arrows, and their Statuses changed pages from an overview to the inventory tab. With the cans in the inventory, they would stay just as warm as they were now, as if they were in stasis. Leaving one can each aside for the two of them, the pair shoveled the cans into their inventories for later.

  They each grabbed a plastic spoon and walked over to a table to begin eating. Arden found it funny how in the time since the StarFall, food replicators had been created, but no alternatives for plastic utensils had been found.

  Arden reminded himself to not eat too much, so that he could eat in a few hours with Sya. With the two of them at eye-level from sitting down across from each other, Arden could finally see beneath the hood. He couldn’t see much of her black hair, but he could see a lot of her face, and it was stunning. She flashed him a smile.

  “Thanks for doing this. I’m Vera, by the way.”

  “It’s not a problem. I’m Arden.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “You wouldn't happen to be a Starborn, would you?”

  She tilted her head slightly and answered.

  “No, why?”

  “No reason.”

  ‘How is it possible to look that good as a mundane?’

  They made small talk as they ate their soup. Arden found Vera easy to get along with. She seemed to find more enjoyment in talking with Arden than in eating the food he had gotten for her.

  As time passed, more people started entering the cafeteria. As they entered, they shot Arden nasty looks, which he shrugged off. This did not go unnoticed by Vera.

  “What’s with them?”

  “They don’t like me,” he shrugged. “My reputation is horrible.”

  “Right, because someone who helps people in need is actually evil,” she said sarcastically.

  “Pretty much,” he replied in between spoonfuls of soup. “Turns out, helping someone they don’t like is taboo.”

  “Wait, seriously? Who did you help? A criminal?”

  “Nah. I’m not on good terms with any of the criminals around here. Hell, some attacked me on the way here.”

  “You seem pretty spritely for someone who went through that.”

  “What can I say? I have good stamina,” he shrugged.

  “Who was it then?” Vera asked. “The person you helped, not the people who attacked you.”

  “My sister, Sya.”

  “Why would you become a target for helping your sister? That’s how a family should work.”

  Vera muttered the last part sadly, and Arden felt that there was something there. He wanted to ask about it, but felt that they weren’t close enough to ask a personal question. Especially when she was no doubt about to flee in response to hearing about his Blight Walker sister.

  “...To me, my sister is my family. The only person I have left.” He took a breath. “To the vast majority of everyone else in the slums, she’s a Blight Walker.”

  Vera’s eyes went wide, and Arden chuckled in self-deprecation. He had seen this response numerous times before, and each time, it played out the same. Shock and horror, followed by the desperate struggle to flee before they became Blighted from being in contact with someone who was close to a Blight Walker.

  “You take care of your sister, even though she’s a Blight Walker?” she asked in shock.

  “Yep,” he said, moving his half empty can of soup to his inventory, preparing to leave. “If you want to run away now, I won’t blame you.”

  “Why would I? You’re just trying to help your sick sister. As you said, she’s family, even if she’s a Blight Walker. That’s how a family should be.”

  Arden stared at her in awe. She was unique. He had no doubt that if any other newcomer found out that the person helping them was also helping a Blight Walker, they wouldn't be accepting of any further help.

  “Are you serious?” he asked.

  “You’re a good person, Arden,” she said. “No doubt your family was kind as well. You refuse to turn away from a family member in need,” she bit her lip before continuing softly. “Mine threw me away because I was weak. Useless in their eyes.”

  “Your family sounds like a bunch of pricks,” Arden said, eliciting a short laugh from Vera. To Arden, it was a melodic sound that seemed to melt his worries away.

  “They are, but they are also strong.” She stood up and put her half-empty can of rations in her inventory.

  After they finished their meals, they left the cafeteria and the municipal building. Out on the street, the pair bade each other farewell. The sun was starting to rise, bathing the sky in different shades of red and yellow.

  “If you need help, come to the bombed out apartment building with lots of graffiti and Blight warnings a few kilometers south of here. You can’t miss it. It’s where we live.”

  “I’ll meet you there in a few days when I run out of food.”

  They smiled at each other, then parted ways. Vera walked the streets, still covered by the hood, while Arden ducked back into the alley that he had arrived in. As he crossed the threshold into the alley, his Status appeared in front of him without any input on his end.

  “That's weird.”

  He went from intrigued to worried within seconds after reading a new message that took precedence over his profile.

  Paradox in progress.