Realization

The world wept.

Or perhaps it was just Ashborne.... and the world bent to his will.

Because there were no tears on his face.

Because he promised.

He promised her.

.

.

.

.

He realized it that day.

He wasn't in 'Tensura' anymore.

He wasn't reincarnated into a story anymore.

It was his life now.

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"Bye bye, Ashborne-san"

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He had failed.

He was supposed to be the one who could surpass death.

Yet he couldn't prevent death from taking away what was important to him.

But it didn't matter anymore.

He had accepted it.

For his loss had resulted in an even greater gift.

The gift of a life.

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"This way, a part of me shall be with you, always"

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The normally bustling cityscape was hushed under the glow of a full moon.

The landscape was ridden with all sorts of architecture. Buildings, skyscrapers, bunglows, slums, parks, rivers, bridges and it went on.

In the midst of this diverse concrete jungle, sat a lone boy.

He was motionless, looking off into the distance, sitting on the terrace of a small building overlooking the river.

His body frail, his arms thin and his dark eyes devoid of any emotion.

On top of his head sat an unkempt mob of messy hair. His fingers were attached to dirty nails, which looked damaged.

He looked about the age of 17, but his mental age could be considered far older, as a product of his life and environment.

*CRASH*

A sudden, loud noise reached his ears, only amplified by the silence of the surroundings.

He turned around, trying to locate the source of the disturbance.

What he found, was a little boy clad in dirty clothes.

"Uhhh.. Bhaiya are you the one known as #@&$¶℅ ??"

{A/N: 'Bhaiya' is a term in the Hindi language used to refer to older brothers or just in general to call men who are older than you}

"How do you know my name kid?"

The older boy approached the younger slowly, so as to not scare him away.

"They told me that y-you would h-help me"

"Will you h-help me?"

"What do you mean?"

"My mom died. And I don't have anywhere to go anymore."

"I see.... Who told you to come to me?"

"A bhaiya who lives near my old house told me to come to you after finding out that mom died."

"Was the bhaiya a tall guy with a funny mustache and hairstyle?"

"You know him?!"

"Yeah I do.... Damn him, always sending more trouble my way... Not like I hate it though... "

"That means I can trust you, since my mom trusted that bhaiya and he trusts you!"

"Don't be so quick to trust others kid, it almost always ends up in you losing something....."

"Whatever you say bhaiya"

"Moving on, how are you dealing with her death?"

"I don't know.....how should I feel?.....Can you tell me what to feel Bhaiya?"

*SIGH*

"Come with me kid. I'll find you a place to sleep."

"Really!? You'll really do that!?"

*GROWL*

"It seems we'll have to get you some food too."

"Th-thank you...I haven't eaten all day..."

"Let's go"

Following that, the two boys climbed down from the terrace of the building.

"So, how long have you been travelling for?"

"I don't exactly know....but I think it's been more than a week."

"How'd you survive this long?"

"I begged for food on the streets.....but they always chased me away after just a few hours."

"Yeah that happens... you can't beg in others' territories kid, remember that."

"O-oh..."

"You don't have to worry about that here though."

They walked through alleys, tunnels, underpasses and all sorts of roads...

It was only a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity under the dark light of the moon.

Soon after, they reached a seemingly abandoned warehouse.

"Welcome to your new place kid"

"Y-you mean this my home now?"

"That's right"

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

...

"WHO THE HELL IS IT AT THIS GODFORSAKEN HOUR?!!" A loud, rough shout came from inside.

"It's me old man, open up"

*CREAK*

The metallic door slowly opened, making unpleasant noises.

"I'll have to get that fixed too, can't have the kids waking up to this noise"

"What're you doing at the front entrance at this hour #@&$¶℅ ?? You usually use the back during the night"

"Munna sent another kid here old man. Lost his mother recently, and looks like it's another one of those family frauds"

"Haaa... Its messed up how a family can do something like that to one of their own, especially a kid"

"The parents' money and property is more appealing to them than an orphan, that's just how it is..."

"Well, come on in... I'll call Sara, she's better at taking care of new brats. "

"I think I need some more time old man. I'll came back later, you help the kid settle in"

"Sure thing, come back before dawn, it gets real cold out there"

"I know old man.... Bye kid, these people will take care of you for some time, I'll be back. And don't worry, I trust them with my life, so you can too."

"Let's get inside brat, you look like you need some food... " the old man spoke softly.

---------

He had seen it so many times.

He had even experienced it himself.

The cruelty of humans.

Yet, he was freshly disgusted every single time.

But he had also seen the kindness.

The old man's sacrifice, Sara's gentleness, a child's innocence, he knew of human's potential for goodness.

He was one of the few who had lived in the light as well as the darkness of human society.

Originally from a relatively rich household, he had experienced the luxuries and creamy delusions of humans.

But for the past two years, he had also traversed the rotten darkness which lived underneath the ignorance of those in the light.

He had survived in it, adapted to it and accepted it.

Yet in some corner of his heart, he still yearned for the light.

Those days where everything was so peaceful. When his biggest problems were whether he would be scolded by his parents for scoring low, or whether his crush would notice his new hoodie.

Those days when he would read novels and watch anime all day, when his friends would come over and they would play monopoly.

But he had lost it all. And he knows he can't get it back.

His fall had been brutal. The murder of his parents, his sister's suicide, his grandparents stealing everything away, and his mistreatment at the hands of who were supposed to be the upholders of justice.

It had gone in a downward spiral from there.

Until he met them.

His new family.

Those little pieces of light in a dark world came together and formed a family.

And soon, they started adding more pieces of light, one by one, to transform the world of darkness, into something bright, something they could enjoy.

A place where they and those they cared about wouldn't have to suffer at the hands of darkness.

He had grown a lot in those 2 years.

He had experienced many things, and learned even more.

He had solidified his presence of light in the world of darkness.

He had become a bright beacon for other pieces of light to gather.

But the darkness had also affected him.

It had taken many things from him.

It had stolen many pieces of his precious light from him.

He would have believed he was a cursed omen to all those around him, too bad he wasn't superstitious enough to believe in such an excuse.

The real answer was simple, his light just wasn't bright enough to stave away the darkness.

It was because of him..... His incompetence.

The two years had made him bitter and vengeful towards the world. It had forced a change in him, all because of his unwavering will.

He was curious by birth, always seeking more knowledge, always trying to understand everything.

This trait had been useful to him in the darkness, but it still wasn't enough to protect his pieces of light.

They were consumed by darkness anyway.

They had died. Leaving him back.

He wanted his dead family back.

He wanted his light back.

Or he too, would soon be consumed by the darkness.

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A/N: SHEEEESH!

3 chapters back to back! The last one was short, but still.

This one came out nice, I think. I personally liked it a LOT. The next chapter will be out on Monday probably.

Stay Tuned, and don't forget to drop POWER STONES and REVIEW the story.