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The sun always sets a gorgeous red over the city and castle. It was a dazzling sight to see, sitting on the distant hilltops and watching the sun descend past the horizon behind the looming castle that was meant to symbolize the prosperity and wealth of their country. That thought pulled a quiet, bitter laugh from his lips. Maybe it was nice for those inside of that damned castle, but it sure wasn’t for those out here. In the outer city, you were lucky to live comfortably. You were lucky to have steady access to food and healthcare. You were lucky to survive past your mid-to-late twenties. Many died at much younger ages due to a lack of basic necessities. Riku knew he had been lucky. Or perhaps unlucky, as he saw it. He had lost his parents when he was merely seven years old, yet fate had spared him and condemned him to live as an orphan in this hellhole. His life only took a downward spiral from the poverty he had already been living in. The orphanage was unbearable– the other children had always treated him poorly because of the way that he looked. That, and he had an innate ability to command the dark arts. Dark magic was uncommon and shunned by most. It was seen purely as harmful, and possessing such a power made you an inherently evil person. Riku hadn’t understood why as a child, but he was growing to believe what they all said. After all, once he left the orphanage, he had to make his way somehow. The thieves’ guild had provided him his way. While he didn’t agree with or like most of the people there, there were a few people who treated him at least decently… and by “decently” it more meant tolerated him and didn’t seem to want to toss him off of a three story building. No matter his opinion on the people, though, the guild was the only family and home he had anymore. The guild was his only way to survive.
That all led him to today. Today, he was asked by one of the higher members to do something incredibly dangerous and risky. Even so, it would earn an extremely high reward. If he succeeded, he would never have to steal again; he would no longer need to live in poverty, constantly wondering how he would afford his next meal; he could finally live the happy life he had hardly dared to fantasize about. All he would need to do was steal the prince’s crown– Prince Sora’s crown. Just that one piece of jewelry was absolutely riddled with gemstones, more than most people could imagine. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds… They were all inlaid in a gorgeous, spotless gold. Such an item would catch a high price in the black market, though Riku wasn’t that stupid. He would have to deconstruct it and melt the metal into bars. No one would be stupid enough to buy a royal’s crown outright. That would be the easy part, though, especially with his magic. The hard part would be getting into the castle, getting the crown, and getting the hell out of there in one piece. If he was caught… Well, he knew what he would have to do. Everyone did. There was no allowing yourself to become an example, and there was no turning your back on the guild. If you were caught, that was it– simple as that. A caught thief was no longer a person, but a living corpse. Riku shuddered a bit at the thought.
The sun did indeed set in a gorgeous red over the city and castle every evening, and Riku was wondering how many more of them he may see. Either he would never see it again because he would take the money and get far, far away, or he would die trying.
There was no other option.