Manya’s heart sank as the words pierced through his chest.

“I guess not then. In that case we’ll jus-”

Jirocho couldn’t even finish his sentence before Manya reacted. He planted both of his feet into the ground, immediately shifting his momentum upwards. He squeezed his glutes and leaped abnormally high into the air. He clenched the long twig in between both of his hands and brought it over his head before promptly slamming it down into Jirocho’s head. The impact was powerful, a gust of steam overcame the environment as the attack landed.

“Ouch. Wasn’t expecting that.” Jirocho rubbed his head in pain.

As the steam started to dissipate, the looming silhouette of Jirocho stood tall in its midst. His red eyes pierced through the smoke.

He continued, “You know what this means now right…kid?”

Jirocho’s eyes turned to Manya.

Manya’s body locked up, immobilising him with fear. The air became more viscous.

A mischievous grin snapped across Jirocho’s face.

“Ruuuun!!” Jirocho exclaimed, bolting toward the outer city.

“I can’t believe we’re running from some brat! Bahahahahahaha!” Bobby cackled.

Kate was using Bobby as a piggyback ride as he ran towards the outer city.

“How unbecoming.” She teased.

Manya tried to run after them, trying to force his little legs to keep up. He tripped over, falling flat on his face. Manya’s teeth gritted in frustration. Using what felt like every muscle in his body to hold back his tears, he rose back to his feet. Now standing all alone in the empty plaza.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!” The sound of women squealing in the outer city echoed throughout The Lotus District.

Immediately, Manya was sprinting towards the noise, somehow even faster than he ran before. Upon arrival, a large group of women were all crowding around something. Manya wormed his way through the crowd only to find Jirocho in the centre, being catered to and doted on by the women of The Lotus District.

“Jiji! Have some samosas, they’re fresh!” a woman said endearingly, attempting to hand feed one to Jirocho.

The atmosphere was warm. Familiar.

Manya leaped out of the crowd and ate the samosa out of her hand.

“Wh-are yuh feed-ing gang-sters!?” Manya yelled, his mouth filled with food.

“Manya, please calm down, he’s-” the woman was interrupted by a scream.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!” This time the screams sounded masculine and came from the opposite side of the outer city.

“You wait here, I’m not done with you!” he commanded Jirocho.

Immediately, Manya began running to the sound again, still frustrated at what he had just witnessed. When he arrived, he saw another crowd. This time comprised of men. Manya pushed through them to see what it was this time.

“You’re such good boys~” Kate said in a sultry voice.

Bobby looked like he had been knocked out on the ground, laying on his back. Kate sat comfortably on his belly as if it were a chair, casually accepting grapes from the men.

They laughed with her, completely at ease.

“Guys what are you…” Manya sighed.

He unknowingly wanted the conflict.

The Lotus District had become unbearably stale. The same streets. The same people. The same sky.

Manya took a slow and peaceful walk back home. He had lost interest in the gangsters.

A shiver surged down his spine as he remembered the words Jirocho had said. “I’m here to see a man named Zakuya Tinto, have you heard of him?” These words looped in his mind like a broken record.

“That’s it! They must’ve hypnotised everyone!!” he concluded.

When Manya got home, he immediately undressed, leaving his clothes and his twig lying around before planning his investigation. Naturally, he knocked out almost instantly from boredom.

Hours later…

“Ouch ouch ouch! That hurts!” a familiar voice exclaimed.

Manya woke up to Old Man Tinto towering above Jirocho. He was kneeling down and had bruises on his head. Bobby was fast asleep on the tattered couch, the cigar in his mouth had fallen out and he was snoring obnoxiously. Kate was observing the punishment, leaning against the kitchenette.

“How dare you cause panic like that… you think you can just come back whenever you want!?” Old Man Tinto interrogated Jirocho.

“But old man, it wasn’t me!”

Jirocho pointed at Bobby’s enormous sleeping mass.

“It was Bobby. They’ve never seen him before”

Bobby’s snores shook the room.

“I mean just look at him!”

Bonk! Old Man Tinto whacked him on the head, many times harder than he had ever hit Manya.

“I don’t wanna hear it!” Old Man Tinto exclaimed.

“He’s telling the truth, I had to knock Bobby out because he was scaring everyone. Shame he still hasn’t woken u—” Kate came into Jirocho’s defence before being suddenly interrupted.

“Old man, why are you being so friendly with the gangsters!?” Manya enquired, his jaw almost to his chest.

Old Man Tinto replied, “Oh, so you’re awake?”

His attention shifted to Manya with a menacing grin that announced his next move. Manya already knew what was coming.

Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Old Man Tinto knocked Manya five times.

“You snuck out again while I was away, didn’t you! And you left the house a mess!!”

“I do what I want, you old fart!” Manya endured the pain, as tears beaded up in his eyes, trying to make it look like the knocks didn’t hurt.

He continued, “And you guys… why are you here?”

Jirocho got up from his knees and walked over to Manya’s futon. He crouched down to Manya’s level.

“I’m not telling you,” Jirocho said teasingly.

He continued in a whisper, “If you want to understand us… or this world…”

He leaned closer.

“You won’t find anything in this cage.”

He paused.

“Leave. Conquer the world.”

Jirocho handed him a black baton.

Manya was lost for words. What Jirocho told him was something he had wanted to hear for a very long time. He was drowned in excitement as he stuffed the baton underneath his futon and went straight to bed.

“What are you two whispering about? You better not be plotting more mischief!” Old Man Tinto enquired, suspicious of their exchange.

Jirocho, Kate, and even Bobby in his sleep all chuckled.

The world was about to be turned upside down.

 

10 years in the future - present day

 

Manya is strong. His Taint is honed and he has become very good at 「Silambam」, The Lotus District’s technique. Today is the day.

As per his daily routine, it’s time to try to escape yet again.

Manya gets prepared to go to the rubber farms. He puts on his usual tattered harem pants with the baton Jirocho gave him stored securely in his pocket. He doesn’t wear a shirt because of the heat and the fatigue that farming can cause. Finally, he brings a large wooden stick and sets off on his own. Old Man Tinto left a few hours before since he is an overseer.

This is a better chance than any. The barbed wire fence was right there, and Manya is determined. It doesn’t look particularly hard to cross, but there are camera drones scanning the terrain, as well as hundreds of Seekers ready to kill if anyone so much as touches the outside.

“Looks like Manya’s peeking outside again haha!” a farmer jests.

“He does this every day. We’re trapped here, there’s no point hahaha!” another sniggers.

Curiously, Manya examines the outside precautions. His body relaxes as he falls on his back, annoyed at the obstacle.

“What a pain..” he sighs.

He sits up with his legs crossed and re-examines the fence, thinking of ways to get across. A few hours go by and Manya doesn’t seem to notice that he had stared at it all day. Everyone had left the farm. The sun had set a while ago and the moonlight illuminated the night sky.

“Screw it!” Manya had made his decision.

Manya plants his feet into the ground, clenching his glutes. He pushes off as hard as he can and leaps, soaring into the sky.

The fence disappears beneath him.

Fifty meters.

Cleared in a single jump.

He lands.

For the first time, Manya is outside.

His legs absorb the impact of the fall and pulse. Manya sends it back into the ground again, making another giant leap. The camera drones notice his presence immediately, alerting the Seekers as they frantically whizz around the terrain.

The Seekers awaken and lock onto the target. Not missing a single shot, not wasting a single bullet, they bombard Manya with Azure rounds. As the bullets connect with his skin, the momentum stops and they fall to the ground.

Another pulse surges through Manya’s body. This time he redirects it into his legs.

Manya sprints through the vast landscape, almost breaking the sound barrier. The Seekers struggle to track him, recalculating again and again as he tears across the terrain.

It’s already been 7 hours and Manya is still sprinting. He can use his Taint to increase the efficiency of his muscles and improve blood circulation, but the burn is relentless. Perhaps running into the middle of nowhere without a plan or direction is not the best decision.

But Manya’s determination overrules logic.

And luck is on his side.

City lights twinkle on the horizon.

As dawn embraces the night sky, it’s as if the world itself is symbolising a new beginning.

A new District towers in the distance.

 

~ END ~

The Lotus District of Idini