Lami

"That's another tiring shift done. Now off to the other one."

Lami checked his schedule from his phone as he waited for his bus.

He was juggling two jobs to properly advertise their soon-to-be breadwinner; the boutique.

Lami sighed, reminiscing about the old, simpler days. When their life used to be simple without any worry about their finances.

"If only Father was still with us," he muttered.

It was a far cry from their old days; however, the mighty Aurelio wasn't there anymore.

Aurelio, the mastermind behind the technological advancements of the continent, and the former strongest of the human domain.

To the public, he was known as only Aurelio, with no last name, and no info on his past. A man shrouded in mystery.

He was the embodiment of perfection, a man who never discriminated and worked for unity.

Silently stopping at the stop, the bus arrived and Lami took a seat.

His life was tiring and stressful and yet he was still content with it.

Having his lovely mother by his side, and working towards a goal with her was tough but, at the same time, encouraging.

[NEXT STOP: DOWNTOWN!]

His mind full of thoughts and music blasting to his ears, he soon reached his destination.

Getting off the bus, Lami started walking towards his workplace.

Skyscrapers lined the streets. Some people were rushing to get somewhere, and some were simply shopping.

Downtown was an expensive district; even the basic needs cost at least three times more than other districts.

Beep, Beep-

"Yes, I will be there in 20 minutes."

Wroom!

"Moom~, can we get ice cream?"

It was a chaotic place.

Looking up, Lami adored the view of the imposing skyscrapers, reaching toward the sky.

After a few seconds, which felt like ages, he observed the street. It was filled with tons of holographic ads and signs.

"I still can't get used to this place."

Due to their complicated situation, he hadn't visited school for a while so not being around people caused him to be unable to develop his social skills.

Sometimes in crowded places, his social anxiety would start acting up.

"I don't want to be around so many elites at this job, but the pay is almost double what I earn at my other job," Lami said under his breath. 

He had the habit of talking to himself that he just couldn't get rid of.

Walking for a few minutes, Lami reached the restaurant. Unlike many other places, this one had a traditional sign.

[Crystallite]

It was a fancy and expensive restaurant.

Walking through the marble pillars, supporting the portico, he checked his phone, seeing he was on time.

Pulling the door, Lami greeted his coworker, 

"Hi Jeff, how is it going?"

Jeff was a middle-aged waiter. Lami was quite fond of him, as he never really judged Lami.

"Hey there, Lami, you are on time at last. I was afraid for you, you know," Jeff said, his voice tinged with relief.

Lami chuckled softly.

"Haha, no worries. I can't afford to get fired; pay is too good to miss."

After a pause, he added,

"Today will be a busy day. Good luck"

"Thank you, take care."

Leaving Jeff behind, Lami entered the staff room. 

Saying hello to his coworkers, he started washing his hands and face. 

When he looked up, what greeted Lami was his reflection in the mirror. It was a boy with pitch-black hair, the key feature of his face being his eyes.

His crimson-red eyes were a dead giveaway of the demon blood that flowed in his body.

It was Lami. A 16-year-old kid with no importance whatsoever. He was the definition of average—apart from his looks.

'I haven't even awakened yet. What a disgrace…'

Lami was quite harsh on himself since his parents were especially strong. His mother, Angela, was a demon—a decently strong one at that.

Demons were permitted to live on the Human Continent, but they couldn't leave the continent freely. It could take a while to get a permit from the Union.

The public didn't have great views about demons due to their bloody past. Therefore, it was hard for them to fully blend into society.

Lami took out a small wooden box from his backpack, then looked and turned his head to the mirror.

Lami grimaced as he hated wearing lenses, their sole purpose being concealing his eye color. 

Although Lami's boss had nothing against demons, some elites were quite problematic in that regard. Some extremists believed humanity had to remain fully pure-blooded.

To avoid losing any sponsors, customers, or worse, investors, the head chef, who was also Lami's boss, had asked him to wear them to hide his identity.

Changing into his Italian-style suit and tying his tie, Lami was ready for his shift to start. Since he was working as a receptionist, he needed to take extra care with his appearance.

"I certainly look classy."

Lami nodded to himself in the mirror, proud of his looks. He adjusted the sleeves of his suit and applied some perfume.

"First impression is the most important, they say."

After double-checking everything, he headed to reception.

Lami saw his boss at the receptionist's desk. The man with grayish-black hair and medium stature was in his 50s.

Lami felt something being off about him; he wasn't energetic as usual.

Mr. Shiro gave a bitter smile and shook his head slightly.

"I am sorry, Lami," he said. "Due to unforeseen circumstances, I need you to leave the job."

Lami gulped, his voice trembling slightly as he asked,

"Why?"

Mr. Shiro looked deeply into his eyes.

"Someone learned about your… origins. One of our investors threatened to pull their support."

He glanced at the ground, clearly ashamed.

"I am sorry, kid, I really am, but you know how business works."

Mr. Shiro reached into his coat and pulled out an envelope.

"Here, take this. It's the pay for this month and the next six months. It's the least I can do for you."

"Huh?"

Lami was taken aback. He truly hadn't expected that.

"T-Thank you, Mr. Shiro," Lami said with a small hint of surprise in his slightly shaky voice.

Mr. Shiro wasn't obligated to pay for the next six months, as it wasn't stated in the contract.

Putting his hands on Lami's shoulders, Mr. Shiro looked him into his eyes.

"You are a good kid, Lami; don't let this world change that. I wish you the best of luck."

His words and actions almost brought tears to Lami's eyes. After thanking him once again, Lami moved back to the staff room.

Mr. Shiro called after him,

"Also, keep the suit. It looks good on you."

'Haha,' Lami laughed in his head.

He would keep the suit no matter what—it was tailored by his mother, after all.

'Man, my genius is a bit frightening sometimes.' 

Lami had convinced Mr. Shiro to get the suit tailored by his mom. While Mr. Shiro saved some money, they earned some. 

It was a win-win situation, and the quality was also top-notch.

Opening a boutique had been a dream of his mother's for as long as Lami could remember. She couldn't make it work before, always busy with formal matters of Aurelio Holding. 

However, after Aurelio passed away 5 years ago, Lami suggested working toward her dream once again. It was mainly to support her mentally.

Having something to do helped with keeping the mind busy.

They lost everything after his father died—the holding was gone, their bank accounts were frozen, and they were being hunted and yet Lami's mother was insistent on staying in the human realm.

After that suggestion, Lami wholeheartedly promised himself that he would help his mother's dreams come to fruition.

After changing clothes and removing his lenses, Lami left the staff room and thanked his coworkers.

Despite getting fired, Lami didn't feel terrible. He was paid fully after all.

He had a slight smile on his face.

'After all,' he thought, Mr. Shiro was genuinely a good boss.

…

[NEXT STOP: Street of Resistance]

Lami got off at his stop, he had counted the bills in the bus which amounted to a whopping amount of 7,000 Crowns.

'1,000 Crowns for this month's rent, which will leave me with 6,000 Crowns at the end of the month. Crazy.'

He observed his surroundings, thinking how such a name didn't fit this awful environment. 

Crooked houses, and the ashy smell lingering in the air.

This place was a big slum, consisting of dozens of neighborhoods.

The capital of the continent, Crownspire, was a magnificent city. Unless someone was in the slums.

Lami walked to a takeout, reading the menu he ordered.

"Hey bossman, can I get white rice and chicken for one?" 

Lami tilted his head slightly, thinking.

"...And brown rice plus beef for one as well. Also, if you have any chicken soup left, do it for two, please."

The shopkeeper was a brown-haired boy, probably close to Lami's age. He instantly nodded and started to prepare his order.

Life really was cruel.

"It makes 25 Crowns."

Taking a 20 Crowns banknote and a 5 Crowns coin, Lami put the money onto the counter.

"Thank you; see you later."

Thanking the shopkeeper, he started walking home, deciding to hurry since he didn't want food to get cold.

He quickened his steps, hurriedly walking home, but as he got closer, he realized something was off.

"Where is everyone? It's still early."

He had never seen the slums this empty; normally the streets would be full of people chatting to each other while blasting loud music and burning fire in old cans.

He continued to walk toward home, but this time more carefully. He had an uneasy sense of foreboding.

Anxiety filled Lami's entire being as he started to run. The whole area was gray as if he were walking inside the clouds; his lungs burned in agony.

Burning wood and the sharp, acrid stench assaulted his nostrils, choking the air as he sprinted forward, heart pounding with dread.

"They didn't find us, right? There should be no way." Lami tried to deny what his eyes were seeing. 

Then...

Something flashed past his eyes.