Marcus's fingers curled tightly around the coin, feeling its cold, smooth surface. It was light, almost too light, and despite its simplicity, it carried with it an unsettling weight. The weight of something significant, something larger than him, something that had always been just out of reach.
He quickly slipped it into his pocket, as if the coin would vanish if left out too long, but his eyes were still fixed on the surroundings. There was something urging him forward, a pull he couldn't quite explain, but it was there. Something was telling him that this was the path—this was the step he needed to take to uncover what he had been searching for all along. The path of the "Walkers" and the system of power that governed it.
His thoughts scattered for a moment as he looked around, his mind filled with questions. Who was the man who gave him the coin? Why had he given it to him? What was the next step? What did it all mean?
His heart raced with uncertainty, but at the same time, the instinct to move forward was undeniable. He was not ready to stand still, not anymore. He was already too far into this to stop. He had crossed the line, and now, there was no turning back.
As he continued down the unfamiliar street, he felt the weight of the eyes upon him—strangers glancing at him as he passed. But none of them came closer. Their faces were indifferent, uninterested in his presence. In this city, where people seemed so lost in their own lives, no one cared about a boy like him.
Yet, in the depths of his soul, he heard a whisper. Keep moving forward. There is no going back now.
A rush of resolve surged within him. He didn't know exactly where this path would lead, but he knew that it was the only way forward. This was his chance to discover the truth—about the Walkers, about the power they wielded, about the system that governed everything.
He took another step. And another.
Each movement brought him closer to a destination he had yet to fully comprehend. It was no longer just about gaining knowledge or power; it was about something deeper. Something more personal. The world around him felt like it was shifting, as though the very streets beneath his feet were changing in response to his decision to walk down this unknown road.
The city was alive, but in a way that seemed almost indifferent to his presence. He didn't matter to the world, not yet. But his mind was made up. He was going to find the answers. He was going to understand how the system worked, and why it was so closely guarded.
His body ached from the long hours of walking, but he couldn't stop. He needed to keep moving, to keep searching.
And then, just when he thought he couldn't go any farther, he saw something that made him pause.
A small, unassuming alley. It was narrow, lined with old buildings and covered in shadows. Yet, there was something about it. Something that beckoned him. He didn't know why, but he felt an undeniable urge to go down it.
It was there that he would find more answers, he just knew it.