Chapter 00 - Prologue

The rain was pouring heavily ,most people are inside their homes trying to get away from the coldness of the night. As the rain relentlessly pours, unceasingly becoming stronger, one youth could be seen in the middle of it. His eyes darting here and there, their red iris color searching for a place that can be called safe, away from the cold rain, away from men that was chasing him.

Breathless, the youth found a small crevice, beneath broken sill of a drainage. Anyone would cringe to even get close to it but the youth dived in, adding scatches to his pale and cold skin.

Meanwhile, the group of men arrived in the same alley, the boy run into. The men were armed with knives as well as guns equipped with silencer to do it's purpose without calling unwanted attention.

The youth held his breath, not wanting to cause anything that may alert those men that was searching for him. Minutes past, then an hour, the men had already went away and would search on another area but the youth did not came out, careful that some men may have stayed and just waiting for him to make mistake. He was careful, already weak from the cold of the rain, as well as his bruised and beaten body caused by some of the men that got through when he fought and escaped.

After another hour of waiting, the youth came out of hiding. Still careful of his surrounding, he carefully climb a fire escape ladder and used it to jump to another house's roof and went out of the alley that way. He carefully jumped from roof to roof. His movement were trained and had been done many times before. This same movement allowed him to avoid spots that might give in and cause him to plummet down and fall to his death.

After an hour of jumping from roof to roof, the youth finally went down another fire escape and cautiously look around. Across the alley he was in was a small apartment. S small candle within was the only source of light that can be seen from the outside. There was no one outside at this hour of the night, and added by the heavy rain, no soul would want to step outside and feel the chilling cold to crept up on their bodies.

The youth run across the street and headed straight to the apartment, quickly opened the door and went inside.

A pale and skinny girl was startled by his sudden appearance but quickly overcame her fright and notice that the one she .as waiting for had arrived.

???: Cifer! You scared me, suddenly coming in like that?! W-What happened to you? Your soaking wet and your face, did you get in a fight?

Cifer: This is nothing, Sarie. Stay there, I'll go ahead and change.

Sariel: I'm sorry...  I really wish I wasn't like this, at least I could give you a proper welcome and get you a tower at least myself...

Cifer: Do not worry yourself, Sarie. I'm happy that someone's here at home caring about what happened to me. Because of you, I can come home because someone is waiting for me ne?

Sariel: Your just saying that.. But enough about me, go and get change or you'll catch a cold.

Cifer: What are you talking about? I have never catch any illness since I was a kid. And your worried I'll catch a cold (grin). Wait..? Where is Fen? I though he was here with you?

Sariel: He went out about an hour ago. He was worried that you have not come home yet when you should. He might be looking for you.

Cifer: Really?! Then let's wait for him to return, he will come back here if he don't find me outside.

Right on cue, both of them heard a dogs call outside their door. Cifer opened the door immediately and let the dog that they were waiting for it.

The dog named Fen went in and went towards Cifer. Fen is a smart dog. He was part siberian husky and part wolf when Cifer went to a veterenary friend to treat the wounded mutt when he first chance upon it.

Cifer: Hey Fen, where have you been? Were you worried about me boy? (the dog whines at him looking worried)

Cifer: Don't worry Fen, I'm fine, let me get change first, 'kay?

Cifer went to the next room to change his rain soaked clothes. While changing, Cifer remembered that one of his companion was with him this whole time. He notice this first when looking in the mirror, a blue snake was wrapped on his neck like a necklace.

Cifer: Rag, forgot you're there with me. Sorry 'bout getting you soaked as well hahah..

The snake moved and stared at him, poking it's tongue on his cheek. This snake named Rag was the very first companion friend Cifer met when he was just a child. The snake shows intelligence on it's red slitted eyes, staring at him as if telling him being soak with the rain was nothing, it's about you.

Cifer: Are you worried about me too. Like I told Rag, there is no need. I am just fine. This bruises, I'm use to it.. Come to think of it, it's been some time when I met you guys.

Cifer reminisce at the time when he met each of his three companions. Each, he considers his true family, always caring for him and there when he needs their support.

First, he met Rag when he was still young and with his real family several years ago. This was the time when he was till unaware of the truth that changed his life. He first saw the blue snake on his father's laboratory. There were several animals in his father's laboratory, and it's also the reason why he spend most of his time in there even though his father had always told him to play in his room. The snake was his favorite. Whenever he sneak in to the lab, he will always go to the snake's transparent compartment and talk with it for some time. One of the days he kept telling stories to the snake, he gave a name to it as he wanted to be friends with it. The snake always stops what it's doing or wakes up whenever it felt that he was close by. Whenever Cifer talks to it, it will look at him and sometimes moves it's head as if agreeing whenever he ask it of something like it understand him.

One day, his saw his father went out of his lab, carrying Rag's box and heading at the back of the house. Cifer followed and to his horror, his father thrown the small compartment where Rag was in the thrash bin. Once his father left, he quickly opened the bin and swipe the box and run straight to his room. There, he saw that Rag was not moving and it's tail was cut off and was still bleeding. Cifer frantically applied first aid to the snake, not knowing if his friend was still alive. After few hours, Rag's head moved then once again looked at him. Cifer's tears did not stop as his heart breaks when looking at his blue snake friend.

From then on, Cifer spend most of his time in his room, to his parent's joy and did not bothered him. He spent his time caring for the snake until it was strong again to move and eat. Overtime, Rag's health returned and it had always been with Cifer ever since, never leaving his side. It will always gently wrap itself on Cifer's arm or neck and was not seen by anyone other than Cifer.

Thinking of when Cifer first met the blue snake, he smiled at it and stroke it's head gently. Looking at it's cut off tail, it always have him remember the first seed of doubt with his parents, especially with his father until it grew to hate.

Cifer's life has not been easy even when he was with his real family. Cifer was with his father, mother and Curtis, his elder brother. Everything was fine until Cifer turned 6. From then on, his family changed. Unlike before, they won't have time for him anymore, always having guest arriving at their home. Those guest looked at him in disgust and interest. Later, Cifer notice the same look with his parent's eyes especially with his elder brother. They will always have a meeting in his father's study, or in their basement.

After some time, he followed them on one of their meetings in their basement. There, he learned that his parents were members of some cult. After a month of turning six years old, his hardship started. He didn't know how his parent became from kind and loving to being cold and cruel. Every night, Cifer was brought to either the laboratory or their basement where other people in robe were waiting. Red and black candles were lit all around the room. Strange marking in the floor, walls and ceiling can be seen and a pedestal in the middle of the room in their basement. When he was brought in the lab, various chemicals were injected at him, causing him pain but not killing him. Then in the basement, he was always in the middle of the room, lying down in the pedestal and sometimes wait their until everyone in the room, including his family finished their chanting or ritual. Sometimes, they would wound him on his arms, legs and body. Cifer was always in constant pain from then on, and the only thing he could do was wept and beg for them to stop.

Cifer only learned later on that his parents was one of the head cult that worships the devil, and the ritual that is being done on him was to prepare him as an offer to their god. Cifer felt terror, then anger at this people, especially his parents for hurting him, then pity at himself for being weak and not being able to do anything. The only thing that kept him sane was Rag, whenever he was returned to his room, the snake will slowly crawl to his bed and comfort him.

They did not end his life yet as they were preparing him for a large ritual where he will be then sacrificed. Cifer once begged his parents once more to stop what they're doing and return back to the once they were before, but the only answer he gets was sneer on their faces. He, then came to his brother but instead of help, he realize that he also knew what's being done to him. He wouldn't forget what Curtis told him.

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"Don't be scared little brother, soon you'll be one with our lord and we'll be powerful once more. Be thankful of the 6 years that we let you think that your one of the family. Now you know that your just a cattle, an offering. Hahahah!"

The resignation he felt when he was alone and does not have anyone he can turn to worstened. The torture done to him continued as night after night, the ritual continued and getting worst. After several weeks of torture, he heard from his parents that the time for the sacrifice will be that night. When the time came were one of his father's guest came to his room to take him, as he fought hard to not be taken back to their basement where his fate awaits, Rag suddenly sprang to the guest's arm and bit him. Cifer did not know that Rag was a very poisounous snake as it was also his father's experiment, combining several venoms of snakes into it and made it a potent snake, more dangerous than a scorpion, tarantula or a king cobra. The guest died immediately, this allowed Cifer to escape with Rag ouf of the mansion where he lived and was kept all his life. Cifer run without any direction, just to get as far as possible from his parents, his once family and from his former home that became his prison.

From then, Cifer had wandered from town to town, hiding from city to city, trying to survive and lived. After 3 years, on one of his travels, he found a dog, surrounded by other of it's kind, bleeding from several cuts and bite mark that was caused by the other dogs. He intervened and saved the dog as it was on it's final leg. He tended to it's wounds and fed it, just like what he did when Rag was in the same state. Cifer had learned how to survive by working part time doing heavy labor. Even though the salary given to him were small, he was happy to be able to eat. It took some time as well before the dog opened to him. From then on, got a new companion, he named the dog Fen, from one of the stories, he usually reads when he was still with his former family. Rag and Fen became his travelling companion and because of the two, he was never lonely.

From time to time, he thought about his former family but soon forget them as the memory he got from them were false life and full of agony. After a few more years of travelling and surviving, Cifer had chance upon his former family again, in particular, his brother, Curtis. Their meeting with them didn't go well as his family was still trying to get him back, still trying to continue what they started. After their meeting, Cifer had to become cautious of the city he went to. Cifer had to hide most of the time to elude his former family. Since they were one of the wealthy family known for their vast wealth and power, he learned one day from a newspaper that his father and mother passed away because of a car accident. He still felt saddened, even though they treated him horribly after becoming 6, they were still his parents. Cifer thought that would stop them from pursuing him but it bacame more often that he was being chased by men sent by his brother. The case this afternoon was one of them.

On his travels, he stayed sometimes for a few months on a place. While there, he met different kind of people. He met people who he opened to and was though how to fight. He was though various martial arts from the kind elders he met during his stays on different places where he met them. When he turned 15, it was the time when he met Sariel.

Sariel was a sickly girl, who was scorned by people around him. He later befriended her and learned that she has an incurable disease called HIV. She was sold by her parents to a brothel, and there she served as a pleasure toy for men. Night after night, different men will used her until she couldn't move anymore. When she was diagnosed of having HIV, she was thrown out like a thrash. People from government organization tried to helped her but since they have no cure for her disease, whe was later abandoned again to die, and that's when she met Cifer. As cifer mentioned, because of his father's experimenting on him, his body changed. His immunity to disease was one of the changed he got from the experiement but at the same time, pain would struck his body from time to time. But Sariel's disease did not cause him to cringe. First he felt pity with the girl but seeing how she still smiles at him sincerely, seeing the hope and strenghth in her eyes, from pity, what he felt to Sariel became love. He never admitted it to her but from then on, he stayed at the city where he met her and start taking care of her and moved to the current apartment they were living in until his pursuer found him again awhile ago.

Cifer came back from reminiscing when he heard a loud crash from the other room where Sariel and Fen was in. He heard a scream and Fen's loud yelp. Cifer rushed back to the room, and what came to his view were the men that was chasing him earlier. Fen's still body was lying on the floor and one of the men was also on the floor, unmoving, his neck bleeding from Fen's bite. Cifer felt rage from seeing one of his family dead on the floor. He deduced that Fen protected Sariel as it will only attack when one of his family were hurt.

Cifer: Fen! Damn you! What have you done!? I'll kill the lot of you!!

Cifer then noticed that one of the men was holding Sariel captive. Her mouth was bleeding and a bruise can be seen in her face. Then he heard a familiar voice, a voice that he does not want to hear at all.

???: Found you at last brother.

Cifer: Curtis!... So you're the one behind this! Our parent's had passed away, so why are you still like this, pursuing me?

Curtis: And why not? I've inherited everything from Father and Mother. That also includes you.. the sacrifice. Father and mother died because of you! If you have just stayed quiet and be a cute little cattle, everything would have been sweet.

Cifer: Che!..  So you just wanted me to stay quiet and die quietly? Are you nuts?! No... that's wrong, your insane!

Curtis: W-What did you say?! How dare you say that to me, a powerful and wealthy beyond you cattle!

Curtis's sneer became mad with rage. Cifer can see the madness in Curtis eyes. He ready himself to fight back Curtis and his men however, the smile came back to Curtis's face.

Curtis: So brother, who's this skinny bitch with you? (Cifer pulled Sariel's hair harshly)

Sariel: Aah! Cifer! Please go and escape, leave us and go!

Cifer: Sariel! No! I can't leave you and Fen here. Curtis! You stop this, I'll go with you, but let her go! She does not have anything to do with us or any of this madness!

Curtis: Oh, how cute. I guess this bitch is your whore huh. Then brother, let me see you suffer a bit more.

Cifer: What!? No! Don't you dare!!

However, one of Curtis men handed him a knife and he plunged the knife at Sariels back without batting an eye while looking straight at Cifer sneering.

Sariel: Ugh! Cifer..

Cifer: Sariel! No!!!

Sariel: C-Cifer, D-don't blame yourself with this.. I l-love you..

Cifer stared at Sariel as the life in her eye dimmed. After Sariel fell, all hell came loose. Cifer went berserk and charged at Curtis and his men in fury. When Cifer lost his mind to rage, he did not care how the men retaliated at his attack. He was slashed, shot but Cifer continued, like a demon and killed whoever was unfortunate to run in his path. They were only able to stop him when half of Curtis's men were dead. They left Cifer alive barely and brought him back with them.

When Cifer came to, he is in the same pedestal that was underneath their old house, when he was still a child. He was tied up and unable to move. Cifer felt weak, pain wracking his body. Then he remembered the event before he lost conciousness. He remembered Fen's lifeless body and Sariel, his love, when she was killed in front of him. He was not able to moved but tears fell as his sadness envelope him as he was not going to be able to see his friend and love again.

Curtis came into his view, his face bloodied and deformed. Not knowing what happened, Cifer did not realized that on his rampage, he was able to get ahold of Curtis and beat him to a pulp. Curtis was still alive and now looking at him with hate.

Curtis: Finally! Finally, the sacrifice is with us and we'll be able to finish what was started. Oh dark lord, we offer you this blood and cat-sacrifice. Please hear our plea and our wishes. Grant us our desire. (Extreme madness can be seen on his eyes)

After Curtis' mad chant, he plunge the knife down to his heart, again and again, in anger, he did not notice that a blue snake came loose on Cifer's neck, stared adoringly at it's master and friend, then look at Curtis direction.

Everything was too late. As Cifer's life was ending, his sight darkening, he still saw his first friend, Rag, the blue snake sprung and lunge at Curtis' neck and bit with fury. As Cifer knew how poisonous his friend was, he already knew that he got his revenge.

Cifer: (cough!) E-En.. t-thank you m-my friend.. a-and f-farewell... (cough! hack!)

As Cifer's sight darkened, his very first friend was still there, after it bit Curtis, it returned to his side and poke the lifeless Cifer's cheek, like trying to say goodbye to it's friend.