"Quick! Kill them! Kill that child!" One man shouted as they chase a woman in blue ragged nightwear. The woman was holding a newborn child that isn't crying despite their situation.
"Lily! Just leave the kid alone and we will let you live!" The one on the side shouted. Lilyana, the woman holding the baby isn't even convinced. To her, even if they are telling the truth, she would not let them kill her son.
"This is your last chance! You can't escape anymore! Either that son of a devil dies, or both of you!" The man in the front protested.
After minutes of continuous running, the officers lost Lilyana. Despite being trained knights, the men were unable to catch up to Lilyana pumped with adrenaline.
"She's here!" One shouted.
Soon, they all gathered to see Lilyana standing near a cliff holding her child. Her black hair flutters as the wind blows on it. Before one of them can speak, they hear sobbing from Lilyana.
"I… I killed him…" She turns around only for the knights to see a void. She looks at them with a smile, but they know that the woman in their eyes is now dead inside. They slowly walk towards her pointing their weapons with diminishing killing intent.
The leader, Winston, is the first to sheath his sword. "It's okay, Lily. You did the right thing. Let's just go back home. The king still needs you. You can still live your life."
His last statement made Lilyana twitch slightly. She just smile before taking out a dagger from her clothes.
"I'm sorry…" She says as she stabs her abdomen and jumps off the cliff.
"NO!!!" Winston screams in panic as he runs for her aid. However, he was too late as she continues to fall to her death.
As she fall, she thought to herself, "I hope what I see is right. Michael… live without regrets. I love you, my child." As she falls, she slowly closes her eyes as tears drip out of her eyes.
-At a riverside-
"Mother! Father! A baby! There's a floating baby!" As the kid shouts, two adults came near the river.
"Where? Let me go and save it." The man saw a floating baby wrapped in a white cloth. He quickly ran to the water to swim to the child. He then comes back with the child in his arms.
Given the child's features, they know that it's from a different kingdom. In comparison to their black hair and black eyes, the kid has red hair and red eyes. As the kid see this, he exclaimed.
"Father! Isn't that the Akumas that you guys are telling me about? An evil creature with red-blazing hair and eyes. You also told me that they bring bad luck. What should we do?" The kid looks into his father's eyes.
The father just looks at his wife and the two sighed. "Sukehiro, the Akumas are nothing but an old tale. It's said that the Akumas bring misfortunate to wherever and whomever they encounter but do you see that in this child's face? This is just a pitiful child with miserable encounters." The mother said.
"Then are we going to take him home? Or send him to Mizuya-dono? They take care of the children, right?" Sukehiro, the child, asks.
This time, it is the father that spoke. "It is possible to adopt him anyway. Do you want a brother?"
The two adults just look at him and smile. The kid saw this and he just smiles as a reply.
--5 years later--
"BROTHER! ICHIKA! MOTHER! FATHER! I just finished the first part of my book!" A kid runs down the stairs of the house. He then saw his mother and sister who was washing their clothes to stand up and dry her hands.
"Hisashi, I told you to not run down the stairs right?" She looks at him angrily. Hisashi, hearing her mother's voice, tremble. Seeing her son's reaction, she stopped teasing him and smiled. "Show it to me."
"Where's brother and father?" He asks. "They went to gather firewood. They'll come back in a minute."
"Then I'll show it when they got home," Hisashi said with a smile and sat at the nearby table.
"Brother! Would you tell what it is to me?" Ichika walks near him and whispered. Hisashi also whispered to her and said, "Not when we're all here." As he smiles cheekily.
To his surprise, her mother sits beside him and looked at him. "I know that you want to draw this, but you didn't go out of the house to play with others again. Why?" This question, made the kid frown a bit.
"The kids are telling me that I'm the devil's child. That I am a devil. They said that because of me, the crops became worse. Only big brother and Ryuya talk to me. I thought I'd rather draw my book. I would show it later to Ryuya if brother liked it!" He said with a smile. His mother just looked at her with pity but also contempt.
Soon two got home carrying a bunch of firewood. "We're home! Oh, Hisashi, why are you sitting there?"
"Father! Brother! I finished the first part of the book I told you about. Can you join and read it with us?" The two looked at each other and said, "Sure." The whole family gathered at the table and read the book.
"So, what is it about? Tell us about it." Sukehiro asks. "This is about a kid who has no magic in a kingdom where everyone has magic." Hisashi gave them a big smile and starts to tell the story.
The whole family finds it amazing how he can think of the story at such a young age. However, one person isn't as amused as the two. It was Sukehiro.
"Why did you put me in the story? As a scary dude no less. I mean, it seems like I'm strong, like really strong. I got big muscles and even a katana. However, 'Lord of Destruction: Yami Sukehiro'??? Make me more amazing." Hisashi just glared at him angrily and said no. The two bicker more as they can't reach a middle ground while their little sister just smiles at them.
The two parents just smile at their children as the two bicker more and more.
He was originally supposed to be from Hino country from the start but Tabata revealed the arc before I can write it which in a way did me good.