Rain fell endlessly from the skies as Arthur stared at the ashen clouds. His thin fingers were covered in mud, and the stained rags he wore were drenched to where they clung to his body. Hunger tormented him as the empty feeling in his stomach consumed his thoughts. Slowly, his resolve weakened as he watched the commoners merrily stroll down the road in envy from the darkest corners of the town where the light failed to reach. His thin cheeks and short body struggled to move as the water weighed down his shoulders, and the bruises cried out in pain.

In the rotten alleyway filled with debris, Arthur found himself surrounded with no way to escape. A feeling of envy dwelled in his mind as the other citizens lived their lives free of burden. Their happiness bathed in the light while his sorrow grew within the darkness.

It's not fair.

Arthur's hands tightly held onto the warm piece of bread in defiance of the strikes that landed on his back. The sound of wood clashing against flesh echoed in the dissolute alleyway as each hit grew fiercer.

"This fucking brat dares steal from me!" the man furiously yelled while bringing the wooden stick into the air and swinging it downwards.

"Dear... that's enough. He's just a child," the woman pleaded, unable to bear the sight anymore. Arthur's back stung as he remained there, motionless.

"It doesn't matter if he's just a child! These vermin are the bane of our society. They're nothing more than leeches!" The man panted heavily, bringing the wooden stick onto Arthur's back. "A fucking bastard like him will only steal! It's the only thing he knows how to do!"

It's not fair. I don't want to steal, but what can I do?

Arthur bit his lips in frustration. He held back the urge to fall apart as he fought to maintain his composure, refusing to cry in the face of the overwhelming pain that chipped away at his determination. Each hit made him tremble as he crouched into a ball and protected what he had stolen.

"His life is worthless! No one will care if he dies!" the man screamed at the top of his lungs as the wooden stick splintered in half. "He'll amount to nothing and accomplish nothing!"

Was it so wrong to want to live?

Crimson blood stained Arthur's lips as he remained silent and accepted the man's insults. He knew what he had done was wrong, but his desperation took control of his body.

"Stubborn bastard!" The man cursed while wiping the sweat off his forehead and threw the broken stick on the ground. "Let's go."

His spirit was beaten and dragged through the mud, but unbroken. Once the footsteps could no longer be heard, Arthur slowly forced himself to his feet. He quivered from the pain and took several deep breaths to calm himself while resisting the urge to cry. For weeks Arthur struggled alone, with his pleas falling on deaf ears. The town hated him, for he was an orphan who lived in the slums. A place shunned by the citizens.

"All that...for a single loaf of bread." Arthur bitterly laughed at himself.

Arthur stared at his reflection with a heartbreaking sense of regret. He stumbled with each step, trembling with sadness while tightly holding the loaf of bread close to his chest. Rain fell on his shoulders and drowned out the beating of his heart. He pressed against the wall for support with his hand and struck it with his fist.

"This isn't how I want to live...I don't want my life to only amount to a single loaf of bread," Arthur's voice quivered. Frustration grew within him as he looked at his reflection from the puddles.

His face was swollen after the beating and bled from the small cut on the bottom of his cheek. Yet the pain was nothing compared to his conflicted state. The words from the bakery owner dug into his head. Their insults and screams made Arthur boil with anger, but it hurt knowing that they were right. What had he done the past few days to help himself besides begging? The answer was nothing. He had done nothing to change his current situation, and seeing where he was now made him realize he couldn't go on like this.

"I want my life to have more meaning." Arthur forced himself to stand, stomaching the pain.

The sleepless nights, the starving sensations, the cold and painful days. All these were from the cruel world that abandoned him, but despite this, Arthur refused to accept his fate. If no one helped him, then he would help himself. The firm resolution installed itself within Arthur's mind with each step. His footsteps echoed in the ruined dark alleyway against the crumbling walls, leaving a faint sound. He pushed aside the rotting wooden crates blocking his path and gazed at the moon shining brightly above the town's open gates.

The moon amidst a sea of ashen clouds stirred Arthur’s heart. A soft white aura shimmered in his eyes as he stood in awe. Much like the moon, which remained defiant in the darkness, Arthur's body revealed faint traces of a lingering aura that quietly illuminated his surroundings.

My life is worth more than what they say. I'll prove them wrong. I'll show them that there's more meaning, and I'll show them that I'm better.

Arthur took a step forward into the light. The rain fell softly from the sky with grace. A feeling of purpose lingered in Arthur's mind.

I'll be better than them. I'll be someone that others will look up to.

Each step Arthur took filled his heart with an unbreakable resolve. The white aura resonated with his soul as if he had found his calling. Small white transparent birds made of pure energy flew freely beyond the gates, escaping the town.

Someone who will live a meaningful life with no regrets.

.

.

.

The world around him slowly returned as Arthur felt the darkness shrouding him dissipate. His breathing was erratic, and his hands were trembling. The last thing he remembered was Raphael and Claire's bodies falling onto the altar as his spear pierced Javic's body. From there, everything froze around Arthur and vanished from his sight. The only being in front of him was Javic, who squealed in excitement while watching Arthur. The charred hair that hung its head like a snare swayed as Javic's body wiggled in the air.

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"La la la, my contract is fulfilled." The delightful singing from Javic made blood drip from Arthur's ears as he tightly gripped his spear. Its eyes twisted and turned before fixating on Arthur. "Now, what to do, what to do?"

Arthur remained silent at Javic's question while trying to make sense of the situation. Everyone around him was motionless, as if time stood still. The cloaked demon and cultists were locked into combat with the other guards, but none of them moved a single muscle. Instead, all he heard was the delightful noises of Javic, who clapped to the rhyme of its humming.

"No need to be frightened, young one. I simply wanted to know more about you." Javic walked beside a cult member and gracefully followed the outline of the person's jaw with their fingertips before slowly peeling the flesh off their face. "After all, it's been eons since I've seen a soul as beautiful as yours. One that shines as bright as the stars in the night sky. One that remains unfazed no matter how many times I whisper and pull."

Javic took the skin and dropped it to the ground. "Normally, those who hear my voice would faint, but after seeing your memories...I realized that you're more than a simple soul."

"What do you mean?"

"You see, I've been observing this era of humans, and from what I've seen, they've grown weak. Far too weak." Javic viciously snapped the cultist's neck as the sound of flesh and bone tore. "Look around you. How is it that you're the only one who can freely converse? You mortals can all use aura, yet you lack the essence of what makes it...unique."

"Unique?" Arthur frowned at the word.

"Mortals live off of their aspirations, so what happens if you were to take them away? Fill it with something less meaningful to the soul?" Javic asked.

Arthur glared at Javic, who happily wandered the room.

"Haven't you wondered what the most crucial step is in establishing aura?" Javic asked.

"Isn't it the ability to use it?"

"Oh young one...how naive." Javic giggled and said, "It's the one you mortals call...realization. You should know after seeing your own memories. How could one wield something they don't even know existed?"

"Then why are you telling me this? Wouldn't your kind want us to be weak?"

"My kind simply doesn't care; we don't seek to destroy the world, unlike those other fools. We're simply looking for entertainment."

"We're not your playthings!"

"Oh but you are. You're nowhere capable enough to stop me." Javic waved their arm around the chamber. "Look around you. See how many mortals and demons are bound by my soul even though I should be sent back to my realm. Look at how I could easily kill each and every single one of you with so much as a snap of my fingers."

"But you don't...so what do you want? What is it you're after?" Arthur's words made Javic stand still as they delightfully stared at him.

"What I want...what I want..." Javic slowly reached into the cultist's chest and ripped out a translucent shard that dimly glowed. It was a tiny and insignificant piece that slowly lost its color as Javic absorbed it.

In the blink of an eye, Javic appeared directly in front of Arthur. Catching him off guard, but before he could take a step back, several hands emerged from the ground below, tightly holding onto his legs. Blood seeped out of his flesh as the nails dug into his skin. Pushing through the pain, Arthur raised his spear and thrust it into Javic's head. Who simply laughed as several more hands reached out from the darkness, clinging onto his limbs.

"Right…I want a contract. A contract with you, young one." Javic drew circles on Arthur's chest with its index finger, carefully leaving faint crimson lines that stained his shirt. "To prove my intent, I'll kill these cultists and retract my forces."

"Go to hell." Arthur spat at Javic, but as the spit landed on Javic's body, a fist struck Arthur's jaw.

"Refuse? Refuse?" Javic's head tilted, gently caressing Arthur's chin while muttering each word repeatedly.

Blood trailed down the corner of Arthur's lips as he glared at Javic. "I won't make a contract with you."

"You won't? I...suppose you are far too young to know the value of a contract with a being such as myself. Most would relish at the mere thought of being able to summon me." Javic wiped the blood from the corner of Arthur's lips and leaned back with a smile that betrayed the kindness in its eyes.

"It doesn't matter. I'll never make a contract with someone as cruel as you."

"Cruel? What you see as cruel, others see as salvation."

"They must be insane if that's the case."

Javic watched Arthur's struggle in admiration. Most would give up at this point after realizing how futile it was. But the boy in front of them made them carve for more—a more desperate attempt, a more thrilling outcome.

Yet as Javic was immersed in the moment, a subtle soft ticking sound beckoned for them to return. The world and its Gods had noticed that Javic was overstaying their welcome and were forcefully attacking their soul as the shroud of darkness wavered. Javic stared longingly into Arthur's eyes as they were less than a few inches from his face.

"Very well, young one, if you won't accept a contract with me. Then, instead, I'll leave this plane without killing another soul you care about from this moment on. No contract, no strings attached, and in return, all you need to know...is my true name," Javic said.

"Just your name? Why?" Arthur asked.

Javic happily took a step back and spun around back into its original position, leaving a trail of bloody footprints, and grinned. "It's so you can call me whenever you become desperate. Mortals always find the most amusing situations when they're backed into a corner. But...if you say no, I would deglove every soul in this room, starting with that girl on the altar."

Arthur's grip tightened on his spear after hearing Javic's words. The offer was too good to be true, and Arthur knew that if Javic wanted, it could easily kill everyone in this chamber. He hesitatingly glanced at the other guards and then at Raphael and Claire, who were motionless on the altar. Bitterly gritting his teeth, Arthur nodded, accepting Javic's deal.

The delight on Javic's face made Arthur's heart sink. The twisted joy from Javic sent a feeling of frustration through Arthur's mind as the darkness squirmed around him.

"Oh but there is another condition! I almost forgot about it," Javic happily said.

"What is it?"

"This must be kept a secret from everyone else you know. That's what makes it special between us."

"Fine, you have a deal."

Javic grinned at Arthur, who was forcefully held in place, as a sense of nausea crept through him. Arthur helplessly listened as the words etched themselves into the back of his mind. He couldn't comprehend the words spoken in the foreign language but could feel them take place within his very being. The arms holding him crumbled to dust and with it the strength in his body.

Arthur fell to his knees and watched as Javic happily waved from afar. Once they were done waving, a sinister smile revealed itself as the tips of their thumb and middle finger pressed against each other. With a sudden snap, the heads of the cultists within the chamber burst into pools of blood as the darkness crumbled. Blood from nearly thirty bodies rained down from the air, with Arthur watching in horror.

"I'll be seeing you." Javic merrily whispered as their figure vanished without leaving a single trace.