Aura Primer

Devil's Spawn.

The derogatory term for humans born with red eyes.

It was normal for humans to be born with various eye, hair, and skin color as a mutation brought upon by mana as humans evolved throughout thousands of years.

However, their conflict with demons– who are known for their scarlet eyes, caused this discrimination amongst humanity.

Of course, demons have a vertical pupil which could easily be distinguished from the round pupils of humans.

Nevertheless, the discrimination was still prominent in the present.

***

"Jackpot!"

The boy smiled as he went through the two pouches.

"1 gold coin, 4 silver coins, and 50 copper coins in one pouch. While there's 4 gold coins, 20 silver coins and 25 copper coins in the other!"

"A total of 5 gold coins, 24 silver coins and 75 copper coins!? I'm rich!!!"

The boy couldn't contain his excitement.

'Okay, let's get out of here before anyone sees me.' He silently said in his heart before discreetly exiting the alleyway.

He placed the two pouches inside a trash bag and covered them with more trash.

Keeping a blank and lost look in his face, the boy walked along the streets.

Drug users, drug addicts, gangsters, criminals, and others filled the streets of the slums.

The broken houses and the streets filled with a stench that could only be described as something hellish permeated the boy's nose.

"Hey! Did you forget what day it is today!? It's time to pay us protection fees!"

"Heuk, p-please give me until the day after tomorrow. My shop hasn't made any profits for the past few weeks…"

"Oh really? How can you expect to make profits when all you're selling are spoiled bread!?"

"P-Please just give me a little more time…"

Thud!

A fat gangster could be seen harassing a vendor from afar.

However, the boy only glanced at the situation with apathy in his eyes. After all, such scenes were common in the slums.

People doing anything to live, even if it's at the expense of another.

'Disgusting…'

The boy thought as he continued walking.

He kept his pace neither slow nor fast, afraid of attracting any attention towards him.

'I promise that I'll get out of here…'

A gold coin was enough to comfortably live in the city for a year. And if he lived frugally, it could even last him for two years.

Of course, the matter of entering the city was another matter altogether.

After a while of walking, the boy entered an alleyway. Fortunately, he didn't attract any attention along the way.

The boy picked the two pouches he had hidden in the trash bag before throwing the trash aside.

He then proceeded to enter a door deeply hidden in the alleyway.

Creak~

Upon entering, it could be seen that there wasn't much space.

It was only a small room with a candle lighting up the interior, there weren't even any windows.

However, there was a little girl lying on the floor in the corner of the room. She looked to be around 8 years old, the same age as the boy.

Upon hearing the door creaking, the little girl turned her head slowly to the side and smiled weakly.

"Regis!"

Nevertheless, the excitement in her voice was very obvious.

The boy, or rather, Regis smiled in response.

The apathy in his blood-red eyes was replaced with care as his expression became lighter.

"I'm home, Dahlia." He said with a gentle voice.

He hurriedly went to her and asked, "How was your day?"

"Still can't move, teehee~" The little girl, Dahlia, smiled as her shell-pink eyes flashed with mischief.

Regis smiled, though the worry in his eyes was something he couldn't deny.

Still, he steeled himself and said, "Well, I'll do the moving for you. Let me prepare a meal."

Dahlia stuck her tongue out, "Wash up first, you stink~!"

"Eh?" Regis's expression froze as he sniffed himself.

Blush covered the side of his face before he hurried to the door.

"Ah!"

Seemingly forgetting something, he picked a few copper coins from one of the pouches he placed in the corner earlier.

"Regis."

Hearing Dahlia's tone, Regis froze.

"Did you steal again?"

"W-Well, I should go to Aunt Amabel's first and wash myself…"

Dahlia sighed, "Okay, we'll talk about it later."

Seemingly having gained freedom, Regis exited the room.

Seeing him leave, Dahlia's expression became lost.

Her eyes filled with mischief were now filled with sadness.

"Just how much longer would he suffer because of me…"

***

Aunt Amabel's house was just across the street so it didn't take long for Regis to arrive there.

The small room in which they were living was just that, a small room. It didn't have any furniture nor did it have the necessities for one to live comfortably.

Still, just having somewhere to sleep safely was already quite lucky for someone leaving in the slums.

"Aunt Amabel!" Regis said loudly as he knocked on the door.

After a few seconds, a woman who seemed to be in her 50s opened the door.

Her wrinkly face seemed kind, but her expression was cold. The graying strands of hair that fell to her shoulder seemed to symbolize her aging body.

"Cook or ba–" 

Aunt Amabel wasn't able to finish her words as she smelled Regis's stench.

"Oh it's definitely bath. Come in."

"Hehe…" Regis smiled in embarrassment.

Before entering the house, he paid 5 copper coins to Aunt Amabel.

It was rare for a house in the slums to have the necessary facilities such as a place to cook in and a well for water.

Aunt Amabel's house was one of the only few houses in the slums to have relatively complete facilities.

Regis only had two people in the slums that he didn't have to totally have his guard up with.

First was of course, Dahlia and the second one was Aunt Amabel.

As Regis entered the house, he walked straight to the backyard where a well was located.

He hurriedly took water from the well and transferred it into a basin, then he proceeded to wash himself with it.

"Ah shit, it hurts…" Regis couldn't help but moan in pain as the wounds that he received from the beating stung.

'Heh, it's worth it though.' Upon thinking about the benefits he gained, he felt as if he was on cloud nine.

However, as he washed himself, he couldn't help but think.

Aunt Amabel was a strange woman.

No one in the slums bothered her despite having a good house while being old.

After all, aside from a few lines that mustn't be crossed, the slums were lawless. And she also seemed like the perfect target.

She really wasn't friendly with him and even made him pay to use her house's facilities.

However, it was precisely because of this that Regis felt comfortable with her.

The lack of fake friendliness and ulterior motives felt refreshing to say the least.

After he finished washing himself, Regis put on a shirt which looked like a dress on him due to how large it was.

Coupled with his snow-white hair that dropped to his shoulders and delicate features, one may mistake him for a girl.

However, he was in the slums after all. He can't be choosy when it comes to clothes.

All he cared about was having something to cover his body.

In fact, just having clothes was something he was grateful for.

"Are you done?" Aunt Amabel asked.

Regis nodded, "Mhm."

"Then get out."

"Oh wait, Aunt Amabel. Can I buy two loaves of bread too? Not the spoiled ones of course." Regis said as he handed her 20 copper coins.

"Here you go. Now, get out "

Paying no heed to her harsh tone, Regis nodded again, "Thank you."

Seeing him leave, Aunt Amabel had a strange look on her face, "Strange… Something's off about him today…"

***

"Yummy!"

Dahlia exclaimed joyfully as she chewed the pieces of bread fed to her by Regis.

"It's different from the spoiled bread we usually eat, right?"

Spoiled bread was the common staple of the people in the slums. They were spoiled goods that came from the city. 

Although eating it would make their stomachs hurt, it was better than not eating at all.

"Mhm!" Dahlia replied joyfully.

"Eat more."

Regis smiled softly as he continued feeding pieces of bread to Dahlia. 

Each piece was bite-sized, making sure that it would just be enough for Dahlia and won't make her choke.

"Regis, why did you steal again? Didn't you remember what happened back then?"

"I've already planned everything out, so don't worry Dahlia. We're soon getting out of this pla– Huh?"

Regis remembered the times he was caught stealing and repeatedly beating up. 

However, he knew that it wouldn't be long before they got out of this place, so he went all out this time.

However, his thoughts came to a sudden halt upon hearing sniffles from Dahlia.

Sniffle~ Sniffle~

"Hey, why are you crying?"

Regis worriedly asked as he gently hugged her and stroked her head full of pink hair.

"W-Well, I-I'm just happy that y-you'll finally be able to l-leave…"

"I-It has been your wish, s-so I'm just h-happy.."

'Right, I've been a burden for too long… I'll miss hi—'

Flick—

"Ow!"

Before she could finish her thoughts, Dahlia felt a pang of pain on her forehead.

"Why did you flick me?"

"You're overthinking again."

"Wha–"

Regis looked into her eyes. He knew her long enough to tell what she was thinking just by her gestures alone.

"I won't leave you behind. We'll get out of this shithole together."

"B-But you know my conditio–"

"Shhh, I've got something for you."

Dahlia saw Regis get a box he had hidden in the corner of the room and took something out of it.

A small vial of what seemed to be a red liquid radiating energy that was attached to a thin metal necklace.

The energy seemed subtle, but the two of them could feel it.

"What is this?" asked Dahlia.

"An Aura Primer." Regis smiled.

"P-Primer!?"