Prologue

The wind howled under the bleak grey clouds hovering across the horizon, webs of

Lightning streaked across the dim lit sky, it's radiance providing an uncouth beauty that surpassed any natural scenery captured by the human eye.

It was a sight many couldn't have fathomed even in their wildest of dreams and disillusions.

However, in contrast to the magnificent view above, all the noise and flash of lights went ignored by a single being as it marched its way down the street of a rather unpleasant looking neighborhood, it's corners riddled with shady figures and heaps of garbage that filled the air with an foul odor.

It's pitiful sight out to shake when contrasted with the radiance of the thunderous screeches echoing through the city.

Its figure apearing battered and worn down as it meagerly stumbled on its way. It stood tall yet shaky like an old building crumbling slowly through the passage of time, Its lonely walk towards an uncertain destination, in search of meaning left it looking rather pitiful, their short and lanky strides making them appear all the more empty and soulless.

As the being made its way, under the sparks and flashes of light, its appearance could be seen ever so faintly, a mirage created by the brilliant shine of thunder and lightning.

The bursts of light revealed what looked to be a rather slim looking man in his late 20s, his face covered with stubble while his hair was greasy and disheveled, his whole appearance seemed to show a lack of maintenance as his wrinkled and unwashed clothes had stains covering both the upper half and bottom of his wardrobe.

Despite his current unkempt state, his facial features were quite appealing, dawning a sharp jawline, high and symmetrical nose, sharp eyebrows, and abysmal black eyes matching his hair, giving him a rather unearthly appearance, his beauty masked under the self punishment his body had endured from the clear lack of care in his appearance.

That very same man went by the name of mark, he was only one of many people who had bore the same tragic fate.

Having been born into the lowest echelons of society, under the guise of a drunken sailor of a father who only knew how to berate him at any small instance.

His mother was no better, having long abandoned and forgotten her "son" before he even had the chance to utter his first words.

Who could blame her? Suffering futilely under the constant stress of providing for both her infant child and pathetic excuse for a husband, she broke down and fled.

Even with such a terrible thing happening to him at a young age mark never held it against her, especially from a mature adults point of view he understood it was too much for her, though he understood it was inevitable he wouldn't harbor some sort of residual resentment.

Even so, Mark himself never complained about his situation, at least verbally. He couldn't bring himself to, after all a single word of defiance would determine whether or not his belly would stay content that evening.

Through sheer effort and his immense hatred against his living situation however he managed to put himself through school, working part time to fund his schooling he successfully clawed his way from the jaws of poverty, making a name for himself as a successful tycoon of a technology research institute.

He had done what people often dream of doing through his force of will and talent.

His name itself had become one of both envy and admiration, reaching even the smallest, most secluded tribe in the world as his achievements only seemed to grow grander through his research.

Which begs the question on how such an unfathomable and profound tycoon could reach such an enormous pit of despair when comparing him to his previous status?

The answer was quite simple actually.

It was greed.

Though his intentions may have been lawful at first his greed pushed him into accepting a shady deal with a new investor planning on releasing a new cutting edge technology focused on tampering with the human brain in order to figure out how to improve its development during its early stages.

Of course the rewards if such research succeeded were more than enough to entice him.

However life seemed to lead in a different direction, as the deal went through and his research failed spectacularly he went bankrupt, losing ever penny to his name and even leading him into some serious debt.

His life took a full 180° as he went from beloved and respected, to a mere ashen cigarette bud on the roadside.

His life spiraled until it eventually led him here, beaten and bruised from one of his many escapades, drowning himself in new bottle liquor and drugs as he stumbled on his merry way.

"Why…Why me..I tried so hard..i worked so..so very hard to make it..why.." His sorrowful begging and had reached a new high as his feeble body, designed from any energy continued to march his way down the street.

"I'm so..so tired..please..anybody.." His face, seemly devoid of anymore hope seemed to encapsulate a new emotion, or rather lack there of, only ever having reached its peak in his darkest of times during his early childhood.

"Please..someone just kill me already.." The frown that covered his face promptly shifted into a more unreadable expression, remaining stoic as a man seemingly unaffected by anything.

The sensation currently dominating each and every corner of his brain was a strong sensation of apathy, now having quite literally nothing left to lose, his outlook on life became meaningless and dull.

His previous sorrowful figure only serving as a faint glimmer into his past, a figment of his brain scrambling to retain his sense of purpose from this dreadful reality.

His steps shifted along with his whole demeanor as his stumbling turned into calm strides, one's most certainly not belonging to a man with his current state of mind in place.

"It should be time, they will find me any minute now."

Of course the people he was referring to were those he borrowed money from in order to meagerly struggle against his company falling apart, however his tone was indifferent, as if his next choice of actions were promptly calculated.

*SCREEEETCH* *BANG*

On cue, mark stood firmly in-front of the road's intersection, perfectly in sync with the massive delivery truck that rammed directly into his body, sending it flailing in the air.

'ahhh..finally…I can be free..I can..rest..' Accepting his fate mark closed his eyes peacefully, the roars within the sky now seemed to be comforting white noise as his body landed back onto the floor, crashing into the pavement sloppily.

He looked to the sky, admiring the view as faint raindrops surged, showering his face with its cooling sensation.

With every drop that hit his face, he felt all his pain, anguish, rage surging like a tidal wave before it passed, as if to finally put these emotions to rest he resigned himself amicably.

He was too tired to feel anything anymore.

His eyes closed as his mind slowly began recalling the few fond memories this life had blessed him with.

His first paycheck.

His first step within this new home.

His first kiss.

And finally his first glimpse at his new company building.

His memories flowed passingly, soothing his already anguished body more as he lost more and more feeling in his limbs.

In an ironic fashion it seemed the despite having lived years, having survived through the faintest of setbacks and coming back more experienced and prepared to face the world.

He had never felt more "alive" than now when he knew his life was ending.

He took his last breath proudly, allowing himself to finally succumb to death after his long and arduous battle with life.