Life was never this hard, but that was then. Now, everyday is a struggle, a struggle to survive. It all started on that fateful day when my innocence was stripped from me and my eyes were exposed to the shadows of the world. A young child forced to grow up to survive in a world full of death and uncertainty. There was no one but myself to trust. Some are lucky to have comrades, others are like me, who are born to be alone and suffer solitude from the rest of society.
*FLASHBACK* (A year Ago)
A little girl at age 6 with a flaming red hair and icy blue eyes was playing in a garden of a Victorian styled mansion, smiling happily. A couple was watching not too far from where the girl was standing; sitting underneath a shady tree.The woman with black hair and the same icy blue eyes and the man with the same shade of flaming red hair and emerald green eyes were Tsukihana Adragna and her husband, the boss of the Adragna Famiglia, Lucianno Adragna.
Suddenly explosions rocketed the mansion destroying the peace. The sounds of guns firing could be heard and they were surrounded. Immediately, the couple ran to protect their daughter. The woman brought out the twin pistols strapped to her thighs underneath the sundress. The man brandished his concealed katana after taking it and it's sheath from the hidden pocket in the back of his expensive Italian suit. But no matter how strong the legendary couple they could not fight so many offenders while protecting their daughter. Right before that child's eyes, she saw the death of her parents.
All seemed to be in slow motion as as she saw her mother being pierced by two blades. The last thing she heard from her mother was "I love you." At first she couldn't understand what was happening but it finally registered in her mind that her mother, one of the strongest people she knew was dead.
Hearing his daughter's cry Lucianno then turned around to see that his wife was on the ground, dead. Feeling distraught at the sight of his dead wife he was distracted and got shot in his right shoulder. The pain of a bullet ripping through his flesh brought him out of his distracted state. Distraught then turned into rage as he began to mercilessly tear down their assailants leaving blood and death in his wake. No matter how many wounds he got, he just shook them off and continued to rampage. Adrenaline pumping in his veins numbing the pain and allowing him to fight.
After a few more minutes, he finally got rid of them. The heads of their assailants rolling on the ground. Only then did he start to feel the extent of his injuries. As quickly as his battered body could get, he lied down next to his wife and daughter knowing that his injuries were too extreme. At that moment he knew he wasn't going to get through this and held the hand of his dead wife for comfort knowing what he had to do next.
Summoning his remaining strength he told his daughter that they loved her and that from now on she needed to be strong to survive and rise to the top. He told her that they had set her up a trust fund and that everything they owned would be left to her as written in their will. She would be alright but now she needed to pack her necessities and get the important documents in the vault then run far away from there. Before drawing his last breath he told her again how much they loved her and to run, live and be strong.
Staring at her father's limp hand her crystalline tears started to fall once again. A little bruised and mentally scarred, she got out of her revere by the sound of approaching vehicles. Sparing a moment to kiss the forehead of her parents, she gave them her final goodbye before darting across the garden and into the mansion.She took their precious weapons with her as away to always remember them.
As she ran through the threshold, a new bout of sorrow gripped he feeble heart at the sight of her bloody famiglia. Most of them already dead while some were still drowning in their own blood. Guts spilled to the floor and stray limbs or heads were laying across the mansion. Sparing them a prayer, the little Adragna heiress steeled her heart and proceeded to her father's study. As per his instruction, she got all the important documents in the vault. By all, it meant a scant number of folders. After that, she the went to her room and started to pack two sets of clothes,underwear, a pair of sneakers, a wad of cash, a blanket and a disposable phone. Just as she was finished, the rumbling sounds of engine got cut off as various vehicles parked in their yard. She quickly went to the secret passage located beneath the kitchen sink. Before leaving, she had just enough time to pack sufficient food for 3 days and a bottle of water.
Exactly as she exited the end of the passage, an explosion rocketed the manor grounds once more. This time, it was far stronger than the past ones. Her family's ancestral home started burning to the ground. Its fiery embers drifting to the sky that bleeds red orange as the sun slowly sets. The setting sun that symbolizes the end of an era. The end of the Adragna Famiglia.
Looking back one last time, the young heiress observed the burning mansion from a distance, forever etching it in her memory. Slowly, she turned around and began her first step to her new life. A life she would later learn to be filled with blood, death, violence, solitude and uncertainty.
(FLASHBACK ENDS) *Present time 7 years old
Now, a year has passed and I already turned seven. I'm currently living in the slums of Florence, Italy barely surviving by pick-pocketing unsuspecting tourists. I haven't used my trust fund or any of our family properties since it could be monitored by the unknown enemy that murdered my whole family. I'm still waiting another year before trying to access them.
In the meantime, I sleep on the roof top of an abandoned building that's surprisingly sturdy. I built a little tent where I can sleep and be protected from the rain. It does nothing for the harsh winds,scorching sun and cold temperature though. Thankfully, it hasn't snowed in the past year. I don't know how I would've coped if I had to deal with snow aside from the regular street fight and kidnapping attempts.
Yes kidnapping, who would've known even a kid from the slums would get kidnapped. It seems that slavers find my beauty to be exotic and that means that in a few years, I'll fetch a high price in the black market. It's why they constantly try to abduct me. As if they could!Hah! Nobody can tame me. I am the last dragon of the Adragna famiglia and I will make sure to wipe out the killers of my family. I will rebuild the remnants of our underground empire and become the Empress of Disaster. I am Luciana Audenzia Ryoko Adragna rightful Empress of the Mafia and this is my story.