The young boy reached the end of the stairs and entered his room. Inside was nothing of extravagance: a simple bed, an ordinary table, a modest chair, a locked window. Nothing else was there, except for a few school materials. All the clothes were stored somewhere else, as it was his mother, who decided everything for him. From small things like clothes up to big ones like 'free time' activities were none his own decision. One can claim this was normal, or one can claim this was abnormal, but it was apparent, this was the daily life of the young boy.

He threw himself on the bed and tugged the blanket over his head, intending to separate himself from the agony of the outside world. In there he sought peace, even if it is just a short moment. This fragile peace didn't hold on for long, as half an hour later hard knockings destroyed the fragile peace in the house. Shortly after the hard knockings, were hysterical cries of his mother ending the silence. However, the boy didn't care and merely dragged his legs closer to his chest.

"Hey, I have found the child!"

After the shout, quick steps resounded within the room, and the blanket was forcefully yanked away. The weak moonshine and the light from the lamp shined at something… grotesque. It has unkempt, black hair, pale appearance and almost black eyes, which gave out a sense of desolation. The baby fat on it couldn't hide the slight bony appearance. Countless crusts were littered all over the body, and some of it has fallen to the bed. At some places of the bed turned a bit red. If one looked closely, one could see the waning scars on the legs. With a flutter, the blanket covered the grotesque anew. It was dark again. The short, blinding flicker of the light vanished. The silence has come once more.

"Fuck, what the heck are you doing?! Bloody hell?!"

The silence was broken, chased away by the cursing and swearing of a deep, rough man's voice.

"With what fucking eyes did you just look at the fucking child?"

"I…"

"This isn't how you fucking look at a fucking damn human!"

"I… I know…, but…"

"What the fuck do you know?! I see fucking everything like you, but I ain't a fucking arsehole!"

"I… I am sorry!"

"Do you have a fucking hole in your head?! Why the hell did you apologise to me?!"

"Ah, yes!"

A huge, burly man in a police uniform approached the bed and bowed towards the grotesque… no… towards the young and delicate boy, who was deeply hurt and lost his way in life. A young boy, who was shunned due to the wrongdoings of others. A young boy, who was abandoned due to the intolerance of others.

"I apologize for the intolerance of my Colleague!"

He didn't stand up, he remained bowed. His voice halted for a second, before it continued, "I apologize for my late coming! I apologize for the wrongdoings of our society!"

"Why…?"

"I apologize for your suffering! I am truly sorry for the agony and hardship you have to go through!"

There was silence until a muffled voice broke the silence, "Why are you apologizing?"

"… Boy, I don't know what was taught to you, but I was taught that one should apologize if they feel guilty."

A young boy crawled out of the blanket. His unkempt, black hair has fallen over the dead eyes. His eyes were moist and his cheeks seem rosier than before. His slight bony appearance didn't seem as grotesque like before, but lonely and even a bit handsome. The countless scabs and the waning scars are now signs of his battle achievements!

"… What will you do with me now?"

"Come with us, you will be freed from your hell?"

The young boy just smiled bitterly. He stood up and followed the huge and burly villain. They walked together out of the bedroom, into the corridor and then down the stairs. On the floor lays a bloody stick. The gaze of the boy remained a while on the stick, as the police waited for him. After a while, his gaze moved on. In the end, it was directed to the open door, to the freedom. He stepped over the stick and walked out of the house.

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His mother was pushed into a car under the gaze of countless neighbours. They watched, as she cried. They have done nothing except gazing. Are they the friendly neighbours he knows? Are they the neighbours with whom he has lived for years?

"Ladies and Gentlemen, there is nothing to see, please continue in what you have done."

The 'friendly' neighbours kept standing under the yell and gaze of the police. They watched the happening as spectators. They watched the happening like they would a TV-Show, nothing had anything to do with them!

"I hope for you all, that you wouldn't just stand there like rooted trees if anything happened to your loved ones!"

He paused for a moment, as he turned around. The young boy observed the police with sparkling eyes. He admired the courage of the police. In his whole life, had he never seen anyone with such courage. With his stout back towards everyone he spoke his departing words, "I wish you all a nice day."

As the police departed, something started sprouting in the heart of the young boy. It just kept growing with his dazed steps to the car. He was lost in his mind, he only followed absent-minded the two police. They entered a car, it rumbled and they drove from the gaping crowd away. The boy slowly fell asleep in the car, and the river of time steadily flowed further and further down. Somewhere down the river has the little boy grown up to a splendid young man who has experienced the ups and downs of life

Now at his last breath, even struggling to gasp after air, barely sustaining his own little life. In his wet eyes was the fuzzy silhouette of the man he respected with his whole heart. Of the man, he once dreamed one day to be. The young man looked at the familiar face, as a knife pierced through him. Yet his face didn't distort in pain and even then he gazed with grateful eyes at the man. The man tears fell and he muttered after each new stab as blood splattered around, "I am sorry, I am truly sorry!"

"It's… Fine."

Even though the young man said that his past slowly crept back to him and whispered like a devil. His gaze gradually darkened, his hearing fuzzy and his despair grew, as his hope and trust diminished. Bit by bit fear and anger mixed in with each new stab until it has taken over him. He hated his past, he yearned for hope, he doesn't want to die even if he wished for it.

With his last strength, he opened his mouth, wishing to curse the world as it has once done to him, but his body grew limp and he slumped into the arms of his murder. Everything darkened rapidly until the darkness pervaded everywhere and the silence prevailed. Now is despair the ruler of the world.

For a very long time, he drifted in this darkness of silence and despair. With time the weak hope inside him to survive crumbled merciless, just like the will to live slowly crashed into little pieces under the pressure of despair. His awareness was forcefully torn to pieces. A bit after a bit was torn away until only a disgrace of his former glory remained.

'Do you want to live?'

Surprisingly a voice appeared in his head whispering to him. It was neither the voice of a man or a woman, a boy or a girl, more like a mix between them, blended with a neutral artificial sound, generated by a computer. Though it was a lot smoother than any other voice, he had heard. Furthermore, there was something else thrown in which didn't entirely sound human.

- Who are you? -

'It doesn't matter. Do you want to live?'

- Yes! -

Strangely this voice understood his thought without him speaking about them. It was fascinating, but on the other side, it was scarily. What was this voice? At the end he didn't care, all he cared was he wasn't alone any longer. However, he noticed that the conversation was a short-lived one. Just after exchanging five sentences was the no replies any more. The talk brought him hope. A hope which plunged him deeper to despair. Would there really be no light in this darkness?

'…'

- Hey, are you still there? -

'…'

- Please, don't leave me! -

'Good luck with your new life!'

- What? -

'Don't waste it. I have done my best'

- What do you mean? I… I can live again? -

'See you again. Farewell!'

There was an inconceivable pain as if the soul was shredded into thousands of pieces and scattered like ashes in the wind. After a while the pain slowly subsided, suddenly the pain resurfaced back and even more agonizing. A pain after another, it seemed like endless growing suffering. With each new pain was like a parasite forcibly boring deeper into his soul until it penetrated through the whole soul.

It was unknown how much time passed until the pain entirely subsided, but it was certain that after the suffering an immense light crept from the distance to him. In this light was a world filled with all kind of colours, a wonderful world, a cruel world. Here could everyone be powerful, standing above the mass or be trampled under the feet of another.

At first glance, it was like one of his countless fantasy books filled with grand magic and righteous knights. All these fantasy books were full of hope with the upstanding hero slaying an evil Demon King. A story of executing justice upon the evil. It would be righteous if one heard of it, but if one saw it first hand, it is just an awful tragedy like the world in the light.

There were Heroes desperately battling against Demon Kings. Even if they were doing their best for the people supporting them, they were suffering all alone. They were the support and the target of blame for any unforeseen events which had happened. No one stood by their side, in fear of the responsibility. Truly, a sheer tragedy!

He felt something inside the world was calling him. It seemed to pull him into the world. His slow drift accelerated, and he collided with the world. Suddenly, a dazzling radiance.

Bang!

He was gone. With him the sudden, but short radiance which slowly faded away.