1 Chapter 1

Zane hugged his rioting stomach as it grumbled in protest. The stale piece of bread he had earlier didn't seem to have any effect in fulfilling his hunger. Shivering in his little wooden crate he curled up in the ripped pieces of cloth serving as his only source of warmth. A tragic life to lead as a seven-year-old, abandoned by his mother and ostracized by the village for being a bastard.

His parched throat cried out in agony and his eyes sagged from a lack of sleep, however, the constant sting in his left ankle kept him awake. Zane lifted his head and watched sorrowfully as children played in the park with their parents.

"Look it's the homeless kid!"

"Loser!"

"Freak!"

Heart crushing words bombarded him as the children took notice of the lonely boy in the small wooded crate. Ignoring the heavy feeling of exhaustion and pain, Zane limped hastily further down the mucky alley to avoid the scornful gazes of children and adults alike.

His life wasn't always this glum and depressing. He once had a home with a mother who tolerated him being the result of an affair. His father had disappeared from the village, leaving his mother who had been pregnant with him feeling bitter and dejected. This bitterness was passed unto him as he was her only memory of his father, as well as her deepest regret.

After years of struggling, she finally met a man who was willing to marry her and take in her bastard son. However, after successfully conceiving their child they left the village to start anew, abandoning him in the process. His mother's last words still haunt him.

"You child are my greatest regrets, go and rot on the streets like my memory of your father. Detestable child, I never loved you."

That was the day humanity turned its back on him and left him to perish.