A prayer to the gods…
Questions upon questions…
None ever answered.
Why does humanity obsess over immortality?
A world far crueler only awaits beyond the age of mortals.
This hunger for power, and drive for the unknown… was sure to bring the end to humanity.
But most of all…
The suffering of those who are innocent.
Beware of the spectators; they do not show all that is left, but rather what will be.
In order to understand the world, one needs to destroy it.
…
Baaam!
The young boy, looking to be no older than 15 years of age, dropped the box of dirt in front of a shop down the street.
His clothes were tattered, brown, and dirty, as though he had chosen to play in the mud like a wild animal.
That was false.
In fact, the boy had been trying his hardest to keep the cloth clean until he gathered enough money to purchase another.
Being poor sucked, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Even in this town, Tanti Town, many people already knew him for what he was.
What was he famous for?
Carrying dirt from outskirt lands and selling it to farmers.
'Yosh! That should be enough for today.'
He took a few steps back, observing the multiple boxes of soil he had carried all the way from the outskirts by his lonesome.
It's no wonder his body was so chiseled and manly.
Taking a few steps forward, the boy knocked on the shop owner's door.
"Hello! I'm done! Give me my money!!!"
His voice rang out.
And for a brief second, he could hear some objects falling inside the shop before a voice replied.
"C-coming!"
Soon after, a fat, fair-skinned man, wearing a black outfit and a black hat on his head, walked out of the shop.
His face was bright red, his lips moist with a stain of lipstick at the side.
The moment he laid his eyes on the boy, the man's excitement dwindled, a frown making its way instead.
"What the hell do you want, Ashen?"
"I'm done carrying the dirt like you asked," Ashen stretched out his hand. "I'd like to take my money."
The man looked at him for a while, disgusted.
As the light of the street flickered, the man reached into his pocket.
"Here… get yourself something nice. So you don't die."
A single coin was tossed to Ashen.
Ashen caught it, placed it inside his muddy pocket, and stretched his hand forward again.
"You promised to give me two silver pieces; this is only one."
If creepiness was a manifestation, it would be Ashen.
One of the reasons why many people never hired him for work was because of his dead, scary eyes.
Those eyes that seemed as though they wanted to grab your soul and yank it out of your body.
It was so bad, no one could make eye contact with him for too long.
And even worse, they used this as a good excuse to be mean to him.
"What did you just say to me?"
"Did I not speak loud enough? I asked for—"
Before Ashen could finish his words, the man sent a powerful kick to his chest that sent the boy falling to the ground.
People who were walking past the scene simply turned away.
No one wanted to get involved in something they didn't know or understand.
Shaking his head to catch himself, all he could hear other than the ringing in his ear was the sound of the man yelling.
"Where the hell do you get off demanding anything? Uhn? Don't be full of yourself! You're lucky I'm not a Seer, or I would have completely finished you off right here…"
A whole lot of other words were said that Ashen didn't pay attention to.
By the time he raised his head—
"Get out of my sight!"
The man walked into the shop.
Right after that, a cat ran straight towards him, kicked him in the face, and then sprinted off.
All Ashen could do was sigh as he gently stood up from the ground.
'If I was a Seer, uhn… I wish I was one myself. So I could do the honors by killing you.'
With each step he took, he staggered slightly.
It's a miracle that he was still alive, considering he hadn't had anything to eat for over four days.
His parents were poor, barely able to gather enough money to cater for the family.
While his father was a guard for the church, his mother was a cleaner.
Their monthly salary was about 6 silver pieces individually.
With such a small amount, there was no way they could survive for very long.
Ashen took on the choice to go out and work for the family, doing his own part in order to reduce the burden.
Alas, the world was far too cruel a place.
Time passed, and night was fast approaching.
The streets were still lively, with carriages moving from one destination to another. At the center was the great tower, where many people gathered to watch street performers entertain them for money.
Ashen once tried to do that and was instead chased away for scaring the customers.
Sigh!
To be weak and poor was not a good combination for anyone. Especially in this world.
…
Arriving at his home, Ashen opened the door.
"I'm home," he announced.
His parents' house was in a neighborhood known for being for the lowest of the low—people who were considered poor and only poor.
While the rent was cheap, the buildings were barely standing on their own. Cases of some houses collapsing were quite frequent.
Closing the door, Ashen was shocked to see both his parents sitting at the center of the room, with a single candle lit in front of them.
Which was strange, considering his father was supposed to be at work by this time.
He only ever returned home after midnight.
And why did they both have such serious looks on their faces? Did something bad happen?
Closing the door behind him, Ashen moved closer and sat down next to them.
Before anything, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the one silver coin he made.
"I made this today. I would have gotten more, but I was duped."
No one said a thing.
Ashen found it strange.
Normally by now his father would have been giving him the fake smile as he took his money, while his mother would be beating herself up for letting him work.
Instead, his father held all the seriousness in the world, and his mother was silently crying.
"Is something wrong? You guys are acting weird right now. Is Mom pregnant?" asked Ashen.
Still, there was no response.
Until…
"I'm sorry, Ashen. But this is for the best."
The fear in his father's voice was very easy to pick up.
Standing up, Ashen wanted to lean forward and ask what his father meant by that.
Bang!
Something smashed against the back of his head, and he fell unconscious.