"I'm home....".
The echoing sound of Alleluia's voice resounded throughout his small apartment. The lack of any returning shout made it distinctively clear that no-one else lived in this house. No photos or child-like drawings were visible on the walls of this small one bedroom home, and the only furniture other than his bed was a single one-seat couch that sat right next to a small radio placed on the floor.
It wouldn't be correct to call his current living situation a Spartan one, but it would not be incorrect.
The pantry was filled to the brim with a wide variety of food and spices despite the apparent lack of any furniture, and the fridge was filled with meats and vegetables and an assortment of other frozen goods.
Being only fourteen, this apartment wasn't naturally paid for by Alleluia. But, by that fatty Ruto's parents.
Many from 3rd Lake Rail Academy and other schools in Lake Rail City had heard of an apparent genius teen who had the talent to awaken and become a Knight. The fact that 3rd Academy even had a Knight teacher was because he had seen the talent in Alleluia. In addition, he was the unofficial pupil of the Professor, a famed Knight researcher, even in the other corners of the Smoky Cloud Continent.
The fourteen year old received many offers from sponsors and organizations hoping to rope him in if he ever became a Knight, and he received this apartment as a gift from Ruto's parents. If they gained the favor of a Knight, than perhaps they could say that he was just like an adopted son of theirs and boost the social standing of their family....
The fact that Ruto and Alleluia were friends also boosted their own egos a little bit.
He let out a deep sigh as the clicking sound from the stove came to life, followed by a woosh of flames being covered by a metal pan.
Alleluia turned to the radio sitting on the floor and turned it on, manually tuning the machine for a few seconds before....
"And then he said that! I actually can't believe that he said-".
"I love you~ I love you so much!~ I love-".
"The weather forecast for this week will be nothing but sunshine and roses for this fine spring week! Lake Rail City has nothing but-".
"Park hits it to Smith! Smith dribbles around the oppositions Yaeger- Oh! Whats this! Yaeger comes out with a steal! The opposition has the chance to-".
The fourteen year old titled his head as the occasional white noise blurred out the voices from the various channels before finally coming to a stop. The sound of a symbol being lightly tapped and a smooth gentle piano came through the radio.
An uncharacteristic smile could be seen on the face of Alleluia as he prepared his dinner for the night.
The sight of this pretty fourteen year old with his hair tied back with a few strands hanging by the sides of his face would've made the hearts of girls his own age flutter. Alleluia's pretty pearly white skin and calm and graceful demeanor wasn't the expression that a fourteen year old kid should have.
Just a few years ago this pretty young boy was living on the streets of Lake Rail City eating out of garbage cans and stealing in order to survive. Now, he was a respected member of the community, even if it was only his potential that they were appealing to. If he didn't have that, he might've lost his life years ago....
No-one would be able to link the scruffy, pale looking Alleluia of yesterday to the calm and refined one of today.
During this transition, their were two defining things that shaped who and what he had become.
The first being that talent and strength were absolute in this world. Someone with the potential to become a Knight would be treated like a King, and those without as mere ants beneath their feet. Alleluia wasn't sure how society functioned before the Calamity, but he fully believed that it was the "strong" who governed society, and the "weak" only had to fall line or risk losing their spot if they went against the herd.
The definition of "strong" may have changed, but mankind was still just one massive social hierarchy. This fact was undoubted. Since he had the potential to become strong, he was treated like royalty by those without, hoping to ride on his coattails in his ascension to fame and fortune.
The second was that everyone only cares for themselves. Altruism and self-sacrifice were concepts that made the fourteen year old laugh when he heard of celebrities and organizations "generously" donating their time or money to a charity or good cause. To him, everything was absolutely clear.
It was only an exchange of goods in him mind. For material wealth, the charity painted this generous saint in a good light. This increases their overall reputation and their social standing. It wasn't charity, it was just one rich person buying someone to speak about how good they were.
He let out a deep sigh as he placed the large salmon piece in the bowl next to the large bowl of vegetables.
Training to become a Knight cost a large amount of money as well as talent. The daily consumption for Knights and those who have started to stimulate their life essence was much higher than a normal humans. Depending on the technique, it was roughly 4-8 times that of a normal human.
The fourteen year old just sat in silence as the smooth jazz from the radio echoed throughout his apartment.
Although Alleluia's worldview was a "glass-half empty" as Grise and Ruto put it, that didn't mean he didn't feel things like gratitude or appreciation, or resentment and hatred.
He was undoubtedly grateful to the Professor for taking him in as a student and teaching him the [Vigorous Thunder, Flowing Water]. To Ruto and his parents for giving him this apartment as well as the old lady down the road who ran the open-market. She gave him all the nearly outdated food, knowing full well that she could sell it for even scraps, for free!
He did the occasional odd job for the old lady, like assisting her in the market once a month for free and she always cooked for him, breakfast, lunch and dinner on the last day of every month. It was a mutually beneficial relationship, but that didn't mean he didn't value it.
It was strange, he thought.....
"Is it me that's twisted.... or the world?".