It's nighttime and a heavy downpour of rain covered the whole city of Sula, the capital city of Clareo. In a dark alleyway, faint footsteps of running can be heard from a corner. Running from a corner, was a boy in ragged clothes, who should be around 10-11 years of age. thin build, but with red eyes, and red medium-length hair.

-Flashback-

In a dark alley, with trash bins on the side, a flash of lightning appeared. It illuminated the area, there stood a man with fiery red hair, wearing a black tailcoat, and on one of his hands, a dagger dyed in red, dripping down onto the ground. Even with the heavy downpour of rain and blood being slowly washed away, the blood on the dagger can still be seen.

In front of him, a man lying face down bathed in a pool of his own blood and the mysterious man's shoes are slowly being soaked in it.

This was what the boy had seen in just a few seconds the area was illuminated by the lightning. His eyes widen in horror at the scene and stepped backward, but stumbled on a small pebble when he stepped on it.

"Ack!"

His butt fell on the ground first, with both his palms on the ground for balance. He soon realized that he should have not made a sound, and whipped his head back up looking in the direction of the mysterious man that was standing just a few meters away from him.

His face crept in horror when the man looked in the direction of the sound he heard, "Hmm?", tilting his head.

The boy's body trembled in fear. Fear of being killed. Fear of being a witness to what the man had done.

He slowly got up, with trembling legs but determined to get away from him. He got up, turned around, and immediately ran in the other direction, not looking back, with his mouth open, running for his life.

-Flashback End-

'Huff, huff huff...I need to hide... I need to hide.'

The child thought about this while running, not caring whether it was raining, and almost stumbled down. He just saw something that should not have been, and for all that he cares about, his life is more important even if he's just from the streets. He kept on running for his dear life, not looking back, and continued on, running even though he felt like his lungs were going to burst, or his small legs were slowly giving away and would eventually stumble.

He stopped, panting heavily, and saw that it was already a dead end. Then, he heard footsteps, slowly coming near him. He shivered in fear, thinking that in just his short span of life, he would basically be killed.

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'No! No! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!'

This is what the boy has been chanting in his mind, he slowly turned around and slowly stepped back, feeling like the god of death is nearing him. He can see a shadow from a corner, slowly, slowly coming in closer. He shut his eyes and curled on the spot, and he said in airy breaths, "No..I still want to live, I don't..I don't want to die", he choked saying this with his eyes shut, rain made his face wet and strands of hair were sticking to his face, he could still feel the warm liquid running down his eyes.

The footsteps are coming closer, even if his eyes are shut and rain has been heavily pouring, he can feel that the footsteps have stopped in front of him, while his back is already on the wall, there's no way to go.

He held his breath and slowly opened his eyes, his focus was on the ground, and he could see black shoes and black pants. He didn't dare to look up, much less move. He is shivering from the rain and fear, that his life will be taken away. Although his eyes felt blurry from the rain, he slowly breathed slightly, and mustered to speak, "Are, A-re you..going to kill me..too?"

His voice can't be really heard from the pitter-patter of the rain, but, surprisingly, the mysterious man heard it and said, "No, why would I kill an innocent child like you?"

The kid was baffled but still didn't dare to look up at the man, but focused on the mysterious man's shoes, which, obviously, both of them are soaked in the pouring rain. The boy then asked, "Then, w-why, are you..after me?"

The man didn't answer the boy's question but instead answered with another question, "Kid, do you want to escape from this deprived life?"

The boy was shocked, and suddenly looked up at the man, when suddenly a flash of lightning appeared, and for a moment, he could see the man's face, his eyes widened. The mysterious man, wearing a black tailcoat, and his eyes, are like the color of fire, so red which makes the kid shiver even more in fear. The man's eyes match his hair with a fiery red color.

"What?" is what the kid mustered to reply, but the man stood there in front of him, asking him the same question, "Do you want to escape from this deprived life?"

No one knows how many minutes have passed but it seems like hours have passed as the man is patiently waiting for the kid's answer.

The boy looked down again, focusing on the man's shoes, and replied for what felt like an eternity, "I...I do..". He didn't even know that he stopped shivering and just thought about the question the man had asked.

"Good. What's your name kid?"

With his head still lowered down, he said, "I..I don't..have a name.", feeling embarrassed by his answer, he felt that since he lived on the streets, he didn't really deserve to have a name.

The man's foot shifts slightly backward, and slowly bends down, making eye contact with the kid, and says, "Then, if you follow me, I'll give you a name."

The kid looked up again upon hearing this, and another flash of lightning appeared, and the boy could now see the man's face. He's handsome chiseled face, with those fiery red eyes and hair, and that pale white skin that seems to be cold to touch from being soaked in the rain for too long. The boy could not remove his eyes from the man's face, and for a moment, he seemed to be slightly smiling when he said that.

"If, If I follow you now, will...will you give me a n-name?", the boy asked as he shivered as he felt the coldness of the rainy night.

The man slowly lifts one of his hands and gently puts on the boy's head and replies, "Yes, would you like to know?"

The boy just nodded, feeling the warmth of the hand on top of his head, even though it was still raining. The man replied with a satisfied smile, "Then, Valens will be your name moving forward."