Author Note: So the prologue chapter is a little messy, perhaps rushed. I wanted to go into more detail, but didn't want to drag it out. It's only there to set the scene and demonstrate the MC's back story. If you think I'm just cramming tragedy in there, you may be right. Or perhaps there's a deeper meaning to it..... (Well, I'd be interested to see if anyone can guess  correctly why these tragic events keep happening to him)

Anyway, my first time writing a novel. Try to go easy on me and leave constructive criticism. There's no need to say things like "This sucks!" or anything, since it won't help me learn, in fact it's quite harmful.

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P.O.V - ?????

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“Oh my? How unusual….”

Said the the monolithic figure sitting atop an ebony throne. It’s voice was domineering, as if a single word could shake the very soul of those who heard it. He appeared to be male, his scraggly dark beard stretched all around his face, as well as 4 inches from the tip of his chin. At his side, stood a silent 3 headed dog as black as the night. Dark miasma was constantly streaming off it and pooling onto the ground below.

“For a the blood of Thanatos to appear there. Just what is he up to?”

The man place a hand on his chin as if in deep thought.

‘Thanatos rarely speaks with any of the other Gods. He’s not as hated by them as me, yet he still chooses to isolate himself. Gaia won’t stay quiet once she’s found out what he’s done. To taint her precious humans bloodline with his own. Just what could he be hoping to accomplish?”

Thanatos was the child of Nyx and Erebos, who commanded the night and the darkness respectively. Due to having such powerful parents, he was quite powerful himself. With the ability to completely sever the soul from it’s body of anything less than a higher deity. However, compared to the other deities around his age, he was quite weak. Despite this, his ability was convenient, especially against the humans of that world, so he had become quite the hard worker in the underworld.

“Could it be……?”

‘No….that’s impossible. Thanatos would never be so foolish…...but what if he…..?.....I need to quickly find which human he tainted with his blood!’

At that thought, the man raised his arm. A dark red light began to form in his outstretched hand. It slowly began to change shape. Becoming more rectangular, until it appeared as an open blood red book with golden writing inlaid on every page.

Appearing to focus his mind, the man closed his eyes. The pages in the book began to flutter one by one as if a supernatural force was searching for something within. Rather abruptly, the fluttering stopped. The golden writing on the page began to shine brightly.

“Sam…..Spade?”

‘Hmmm…..Quite the tragic life you've led. This must be the influence of Thanatos. I can’t just well stand idly by and allow your life to end so unjustly. As the ruler of the underworld, Hades. I will not allow it!’

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P.O.V - Sam Spade

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Covered in my own blood my body began to grow cold. How ironic. I who was always surrounded by the deaths of other people, would eventually succumb to the grim reaper myself.

My earliest memories are a mess. Modern day studies have shown that we suffer a sort of amnesia for the first few years of our lives. Meaning we usually can’t remember what happened when we were say, 4 years old. Past that age, our memories of our childhood become difficult to remember, but not altogether impossible. I'm similar in that case, I can’t remember things like my 3rd birthday or what I got for Christmas when I was 2. Yet, I can vaguely remember what I got for my 5th birthday and what happened on my first day at school. However, there was one thing I could remember as clear as day.

The smell of searing flesh and the agonising screams of my parents.

On that fateful day, we were caught in a house fire.

I was only 6 at the time, so I don’t remember specifics such as how it started or why it started. All I remember is my parents screaming in pain whilst trying to get me and my little sister out of the house. By the time they got to the front door, they were covered in flames. Their faces were horribly burnt, I can still remember the acrid smell of their burning flesh, it smelt like charcoal and rotten beef.

After they had gotten out of the house, they could barely move, let alone breathe. They simply collapsed on the ground. Me in my mother’s arms and my little sister in my father’s.

The events after that are blurry. However, I remember we were separated into two ambulances. My mother had done a good job of protecting me from the flames, but the smoke had really affected me and I was having difficulty breathing. After finishing checking my body for burns, the paramedic hooked me up to a strange device that made it easier to breathe. Looking up at the severely burnt body of my mother, it felt like a dream. My parents were invincible after all.

I kept up that naive train of thought right up until the doctor said the words I never expected to hear.

“I'm afraid your parent’s are no longer with us”

I may have been 6, but I could vaguely understand what he meant. If they’re no longer with us, then I can’t see them again. My eyes began to water. I couldn't understand why the man was saying something so cruel. I expected to see them walk through the door to the waiting room any moment, but they never did.

At the time, my sister was still in critical condition. She had a few burns on her body, but the real danger came from her inhaling smoke at such a young age. She was 3 years younger than me, still just a toddler.

Of course, fate never smiled down on me that day. Just a few hours after hearing the news of my parents, I received the same news from the same doctor.

“I'm afraid your sister didn't make it”

Tears began to fall. I just didn't understand, or perhaps I didn't want to. How could I lose my entire family in one day?

A nearby nurse comforted me as she slowly rubbed my back. It felt good to have my back rubbed, even though I was crying. After about 10 minutes or so of this repeated action, I fell asleep from exhaustion.

That was the first time I experienced such a tragic loss, but not the last.

After they claimed on my families life insurance, I was taken in by my aunt and uncle. My aunt was from my mother’s side. I was happy to meet someone who was linked with mother like I was.

It was clear as soon as I arrived at their house that uncle didn't like me. Looking back, he probably forced my aunt to claim on my families life insurance, then adopted me in order to receive the child support cheques.

That guy was a bastard, he never allowed me to eat a real meal, he just didn't want to spend any money on me, I wasn't worth it. I suffered terrible nightmares in the night and often woke up screaming. My aunt would always try to comfort me, but as soon as the bastard saw me. He would drag me downstairs and throw me into the cellar. At least there he wouldn't be woken up by me.

This continued for the best part of 4 years. 4 long years I had to put up with that bastard. The only reason I stayed was because I didn't want to lose the only connection I had with my mother, but I’d had enough.

The final straw came when he found my aunt giving me extra food. Honestly, I was impressed we had got away with it for so long. She would often sneak food into a napkin, then leave it in the cellar and quickly run back, which had become something akin to my personal room now.

However, this time she decided to give the food and stay with me. Perhaps guilt got the better of her, guilt from allowing that bastard to abuse me for so long, the guilt from not having any real connection with her nephew.

That was a big mistake.

Apparently auntie had made some bullshit excuse about needing the toilet and when she took so long, the bastard went looking for her. Obviously, he wasn't very happy with what he saw.

His face flushed red with anger. He punched me in the jaw, grabbing my aunt by her hair and dragging her upstairs. All I could hear upstairs was screaming. Screaming so loud it sounded as if it could rouse the whole neighbourhood.

I didn't have time to think about such things, I just ran. Like the coward I am, I ran straight upstairs from the cellar. I ran straight out of the front door. I ran until my legs grew heavy and my movement sluggish.

‘Why does this always happen!?!? WHY!?’

I yelled in my mind, yet as expected, there was no answer.

------

A few days later, I was taken in by a homeless camp living under a bridge. At that time, I was mentally and emotionally exhausted.

I couldn't go to the police, they’d just drag me back to my aunt and that bastard. Besides, the ironic thing about being homeless is that I get fed more than when I was with them.

The community was pretty tight, they would all share food, water and shelter. I think the only bad thing was this annoying girl who kept bothering me. She seemed to be around 16, with dark black eyes and similarly black hair, quite the beauty.

I don’t know what she went through in the past to end up here and honestly I didn’t care. I was just so tired. Showing emotion was tiring, it was only for the benefit of others anyway, I had no need to exert myself that much.

Stolen novel; please report.

The girl continued to bother me throughout the next day as well. I don’t think she had any bad intentions, she was just too persistent to the point where it became annoying. She would follow me when I went to ask for food from the camp leader, she would follow me when I went begging, she would even follow me into my tent….OI!

As part of the camp’s rules, we each begged in different locations. We were taught the basics from someone who had lived and worked in this camp for over a decade. It was difficult for me at first, but eventually I got used to faking my emotions. Now I could quite easily cry on cue, or show a realistic beaming smile. Strangely enough, it wasn't as tiring to fake emotions than it was to experience them….ah?

‘Perhaps I'm not tired of showing emotion, I'm just tired of experiencing it’

That seemed to be the case. Strong emotions really take a toll on your mind you know?

With that on my mind, I laid down on the sleeping bag in my tent. I guess it’s a stretch to call it a tent. It was made using cardboard and bin bags, the sleeping bag was also just a few coats laid on the ground.

With the rare moment of quietness I thought back to everything I had experienced. Really….I'm such a cursed existence...Almost everyone I've met have died. My father, mother, little sister. Hell, even my auntie probably. You don’t make such inhuman screams unless something really bad is happening to you.

Tears began to form in my eyes for the first time in a while.

‘Damn it…..I thought I was past this. I wanted to help her, but I couldn't…..I was just too weak…..’

I closed my eyes, displacing the tears and causing them to run down my cheek.

‘DO YOU SEEK POWER!?’

Suddenly, I felt something soft hitting my back as two arms wrapped around my neck. I opened my eyes quickly and saw the annoying girl from before.

“I knew it. You’re just like me” - Freya

What? What is she talking about? There’s no way I'm as annoying as her.

“You can hide your surface wounds, but the one’s inside run deep you know?” - Freya

Ughhh…..I don’t want to hear such a sappy thing right now. I pretended to ignore her, I was too exhausted to deal with her right now. So like that, we fell asleep.

------

2 years after that night.

I was trying to keep my distance from the annoying girl whom I had learnt was named “Freya”, but her persistence got the better of me. Freya would often work extra hard in order to receive more portions of food. She would then share the extra’s with me, quite the big sister type.

Although I was reluctant at first, we ended up sleeping together every night since then, the frequency of my nightmares had calmed down some, but when they did return, they were often more vivid than ever.

Surprisingly, I was living quite happily. I received enough food to feel full, It was never cold at night due to sleeping with Freya, she also taught me lots of things she learnt in high school. Quite a nice life.

But of course, I was never meant to have such a life.

It happened during the night. Most of the other residents of the camp had already gone to sleep. I was waiting in my tent for Freya to return, she had gone out to the toilet about 5 minutes ago. I guess women take longer than men.

At that moment, I heard a muffled scream. I hadn't been with Freya very long, but I seemed to instinctively know it was her. My mind was in disarray, this was too soon, I wasn't strong enough yet.

‘Is it fine to leave her then?’

Absolutely not! I won’t make that same mistake again, I won’t leave someone I consider family to suffer such a fate.

I quickly left the safety of the tent and looked around the camp site. I could see Freya near the canal being held down by a man wearing a mask.

‘Shit!....Weapons!!!...I need weapons!!’

Power doesn't have to be cultivated within oneself, you can gain power simply by equipping a weapon.

After grabbing one of the pots from the extinguished fire pit, I ran towards where Freya was.

“Oi….don’t try and scream missy. Just let it happen, besides. No-one would look for you if you died” - Masked man

Rage began to boil inside me. I was the same as that girl, no-one would look for me if I died either. All we have is each other. We may have had a rocky start, but we were doing fine right now. Why are you trying to ruin it!?

Without thinking, I swung the pot straight against the man’s head. As I was 12, I didn't have that much strength, but it was enough to knock the man off Freya.

“Sam!?” - Freya

“FREYA! RUN! GET HELP!”

I shouted with all my might. This guy looks pissed, he probably wouldn't let me go that easily. Freya looked at me with a shocked expression, she clearly didn't want to leave me alone against him.

“Freya it’s fine. I don’t plan on dying any time soon. Just get help so they can save me”

After saying that, she finally seemed to understand and quickly ran away. I just stared ahead at the masked man.

“AHAHA...AHAHAHAH...to think a brat like you would dare to stop me!!!”

Saying that, he pulled out a vicious looking knife from his jacket pocket.

‘Hey! That’s unfair! You bring a knife to a pot fight!?’

I shouted in my mind. However, In reality I was terrified. I might actually die here.

‘Aww….screw it! I'm not gonna die here! I’m gonna live!’

As I raised the pot once more, the man shot forward before I could react. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my chest as a wet warmth started to spread and drip down my torso.

‘.....no way…...’

I couldn't believe what had happened, aside from the initial pain, I couldn't even feel the 15 inch hunting knife stabbing deep into my chest.

My eyes rolled into the back of my head as I collapsed on the spot.

With my consciousness fading, I could only see the masked man being pulled down by some of the men at the camp. Close to my ear I could hear a faint voice.

“.......liar…...”

‘I'm sorry Freya…..sorry I couldn't keep my promise...I was just too weak……..’

‘DO YOU SEEK POWER!?’

Then my vision went black.

------

My vision was dark for some time. However, I could hear voices nearby.

“How could his hair be that colour!? Anna, did you cheat on me?” - ???

“No! Of course not Arthur, how could you think that!? Doctor, why is his hair like that?” - Anna

“Hmm…..quite unusual. His hair wasn't originally this colour, it seems to have died” - Doctor

“How could his hair die before he’s even born?” - Arthur

“I'm not sure myself. This is the first time I've seen something like this. However, it shouldn't affect him in the future” - Doctor

“Phew~ Thank Hera!” - Anna

‘......what is going on?’

I tried to open my eyes, my eyelids felt heavy, but with a little effort. They began to open.

The light was blinding, but eventually I could see clearly in front of me. To my left was a tall, fairly muscular man with blonde hair and clear, blue eyes. There was a woman next to him, with long black hair and black eyes….ah…..is that Freya!?

There was also another man, he was standing to my right. He was bald with his only distinguishing feature being his large nose. He was looking at me oddly.

“Ah! He’s opened his eyes! They’re the same colour as mine!” - Arthur

“Our child is so cute!” - Anna

‘Child? Wait what?’

“Well….what’s his status? Is he going to be a swordsman like his father, or a healer like his mother?” - Arthur

“Let me see…..[Inspection: Status]!”- Doctor

Suddenly, a strange window popped up in my field of vision.

WARNING!Someone has attempted to use the skill [Inspection] on you.

However, the passive divine skill you possess has prevented this.

'.....what? Is this similar to the RPG's Freya told me about?'

"Well....that's unusual..." - Doctor

"What's the problem?" - Anna

"I can't seem to read this child's status. He may have an inborn ability to negate [Inspection]. It's not that unusual it appears in about 1 in every 1,000 children with varying degrees of negation, we'll have to wait until he can speak before we find out" - Doctor

"I see....that's disappointing. I really wanted to see his status" - Arthur

The blonde haired man grumbled under his breath.....is he really an adult?

'Wait, what are they talking about?...........[Status]?'

Suddenly, another window appeared in my vision.

.......no way....

Aha......

......

......

.....

.....AHAHAHHA..

....AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Inside my mind I laughed until my brain ached, for what appeared on my window was.

ClassReaper

Then.....possibly due to mental exhaustion.....I fell asleep.