Beads of water pouring from the murky dark sky like a charcoal, accompanied by the life-long loud and wrathful thunder companions.
Below that very sky, a lonely boy lying down.
The boy had snow-white hair and skin, with a pair of ruby red eyes, his body full of bruises and the dirty muddy ground sticking on him.
"Why? Why me?" Asked the boy whose tears fall and washed by the pouring raindrops.
An unknown figure standing in front of the boy, sneering on him.
"You ask why?"
The boy lift his head and looking at the unknown figure.
Whole body covered in darkness like substance as raindrops passing through its body as if it was made of smoke. Big gleaming red eyes without any pupils and eyelids, absent lips, as the mouth only showing the teeth as if it was grinning.
The boy's eyes wide open, chill run through his spine, his heart beating faster and faster, making his breath rougher.
The boy quickly his head and close his eyes.
"You demand too much!" sneered the dark entity
The dark entity who watches this helpless and beaten boy burst out laughing.
"How foolish! This is reality!"
The dark entity continues mocking him.
"Don't forget you are a Faraam! A Child destined to bring chaos and scourge upon the world!"
The boy bit his lip then opens his mouth, "What's wrong for me to become a Magician?!" Shout him.
"Letting you becoming a magician is the same as inviting disaster! You're lucky they didn't kill you"
The boy know what the dark entity refers and means.
Faraam, referred to the people born with pale white skin and hair, and also a pair of red eyes. They were regarded as harbingers of disaster, and thus subjected to considerable persecution.
The dark entity continues mocking him.
"Beside! Who wants to help a slum rat like you?! Poor, dirty, and smelly!"
The dark entity points his index finger toward the boy's forehead.
"Even if you had money, there's no ways anyone would teach you!" Laughs the dark entity while holding his stomach, as the sound of his laughs become louder.
The boy grit his teeth, shouting "Even, so I won't give up!"
"I'll become a great magician like... like an Archmage!"
"Then everyone would recognize me!!"
The dark figure stops laughing, squinted his eyes like a fox.
"How idiotic you are... time and time again, you resist" scoffed the dark entity.
The dark entity crouching down, then closing its face to the boy's ear, calmly whispering
"Then get stronger..."
"Do not hold back"
"Crush every obstacle by any means!"
The dark entity stands up and reach his hand to the boy.
"I'll help you"
The boy lift his head, his gaze wide open looking at the dark entity, the very word it says like the sound of encouragement to him.
The chill stops and his breathing normalized.
His mouth repeatedly open and closing struggling to utter a word, then his lip curled up.
With teary eyes, he reaches and took the entity's hand, tightly grabs it. For an unknown reason, his hand didn't pass through.
The boy's vision gradually darkened, at the same time his hair also changed from the dirty snow like hair to a dirty black hair like an obsidian.
His ruby colored eyes also changed to sapphire blue eyes with its pupils resembling that of a serpent.
After a while, his vision comeback.
With his cold blue eyes, he looks forward. The dark entity is no longer there, leaving the boy alone.
The boy stood up, looking at the dirty hand that grabs the dark entity's hand, he clenches it tightly, his lip curled up and showing his teeth.
"Ahh... now's better" he grins.
-●-●-●-
The full moon surrounded by the glittering stars like glass fragments gently illuminating the raven night sky.
Under its gentle light, a pitch-black needle sprout from the earth below, wanting to reach it.
"Keogh...."
In front of the moon, a shade of a man were hanged on the sky, held by the pitch-black needle from below.
A liquid thicker than the red wine dripping from the man's mouth and abdomen to the needle and the ground below.
Below, a figure was surrounded by many peoples, hanging impaled like a scarecrow.
One of the peoples that surrounded the figure were pointing his finger at the small figure, murmuring 'Demon! Demon!!' Sitting on the ground, wetting his pants.
"Demon? Fine with me" laughs the figure as it walking toward the obese man.
"Hiik!! Get away! Get away from me!", cried the obese man.
The figure keep getting closer and closer, the obese man can't run away because of the injuries on both legs.
"Please... please..." cried the obese man.
The figure reach out his hand toward the obese man's face, "No!!" He screams. When its hand almost touches the obese man's nose, it stops moving.
Growl~
The figure's stomach making a rumbling sound, the figure stops and rubs his stomach, 'hungry...' it says.
The figure back off from the obese man into the nearby impaled people, then cut off his hand.
It bites the severed arm, chews and swallow the meat, devouring it as if it was a midnight snack.
"Yuck! The quality is bad! Well, what do you expect from a lowlife" said the figure after swallowed the meat.
The obese man watches it with his mouth agape. Cold sweats begun forming on his forehead, he again wet his pants.
The figure stops eating, as he sniffed the air. A pungent smell enters his nostrils, he covered his nose with his sleeve.
"Khh!" The obese man pukes a mouthful of blood.
He lowered his head, looking at his chest that was impaled by a pitch-black spike.
"Ah- ah..."
Chuckling, The figure then walks toward one of the crates and kicked it, many items spilled from the crate. Jewels, a pair of antique vases, and a lot of coins.
"Jackpot!", said The figure, grinning about his spoils, as he then took another bite from the severed arm.
-●-●-●-
Inside an old shed, a boy with snow-white hair and skin named Niel were sleeping peacefully on the bed.
Well, rather than a bed, it's just a bunch of hays laying on the ground.
Just then, some children were sneaking inside and stood in front of the sleeping Niel.
"Hey, are you ready?" Whisper, a kid with brown shirt
"Ready" reply the obese kid.
1, 2, they count, and when it's hit 3, the obese kid throws a bucket of water to the sleeping Niel.
"WA?!" The Niel wakes up surprised.
"Hahahaha!" the kids laugh and run away.
Niel didn't chase after them.
"Hachi!" Sneezed Niel, as he then changed his clothes with the dry one, and hang the wet one outside, and then walking listlessly to his beloved shed.
The shed he is living isn't in very good condition. Some wooden walls are starting to rot, the roof full of holes, to lock the door he only used a nail, and the floor is not made from wood nor ceramic, just the usual ground.
Niel went toward the table and grabs the dirty yellow cloth that covered his foods.
"Eh?" Niel surprised, his leftover fish and berries are missing, only a big nut remaining. He scratches his head, thinking it was the children before who stole it.
He put the big nut to his mouth. Cracking sounds can be heard as he's chewing the nut, a very bitter taste filled his mouth, he truly wants to spit it out, but he forced himself to eat it.
He quickly takes a cup and wants to fill it with water. Alas, his bucket that filled with water is missing. He remembers what happened earlier, and saw that the bucket the children used to wakes him is his.
Tears fall down from his eyes, he immediately wiped it. He picks up the bucket and goes outside to draw water from the well.
The communal well were located in the middle of the slum, his shed (house) were located on the furthest part of the slum, making his endeavor to draw water very taxing for children his age.
7 minutes later he arrived at the communal well, but when he approaches, all the peoples who draw the water, doing laundry and takes a bath glaring at him with contempt.
Chill run down his spine, he lowered his head and walk slowly toward the well, the peoples near the well quickly steps back.
"Go, you monster!" One of the children present throw a rock, hitting Niel's head.
Niel touches the spot where he was hit, he felt a wet sensation and sees his hand stained with blood.
Blood flowing from his head and the pain increasing, Niels wept it off, and bit his lips holding the pain.
Another children begin to throw rock at him again, Niel quickly fills his drinking bucket, after that he picks up his bucket and walk away swaying because of the weight.
15 minutes later he arrived at his shed exhausted, he quickly filled his cup and drinks it.
Growl~
Nier feels hungry, but there's no food left, and so he left to the inner city.
Owen is one of the many towns in The Zaskia Empire, it is located in the southern part of The Empire.
In the inner district, specifically in the trade district, there are a lot of restaurants and pubs, whenever Niels feels hungry and didn't have any money or food, he searched the dumpster and pray there's at least scraps of fresh foods.
Fortunately, there's a lot of leftover (vegetables, meats, and already eaten fruit) inside.
When he finished his breakfast, he saw people lined up. Curious, he slips through the line and saw a very luxurious carriage drawn by four white horses.
"Woah!"
Niel amazed by the carriage, just then he hears a woman scream looking for her child, and then he saw a child smaller than him stand up and waving on the carriage ways.
The carriage didn't slow down, and driving at fast pace, but the child still smiling and waves at the carriage who drew closer.
Niel quickly moves and grab the child, bring her to sideways just before the carriage hit her.
Confused and angry, the child scream, not realized she was saved by Neil.
Hearing the scream, the child mother quickly run and found Niel grabbing her child.
She quickly snatches her away, shouting to Niel "Kidnapper!"
The peoples lined up then look toward Niel. Cold sweat and chill run through his back, he instinctively knows what will happen.
But many peoples already surround him.
Niel then say "You have mistaken! I'm not a kidnapper, I just saved that girl from being run over by a carriage"
"Liar!" Shouts the mother.
Niel looks around, "I'm not lying! Some of you saw what happen, right?! Right?"
Niel pleading for help, he sure that some peoples saw the child was going to run over by the carriage, and he was saving her.
It is true, many peoples see her and saw what Niel do, but they turn and walk away instead.
"Sure enough, you lying Faraam!" Say a bald guy with buff body.
"No, I didn't!"
"Shut up!" The bald guy punch Niel in the stomach making Niel fall, he and the others then stomps and kicks him repeatedly.
Crack!
The people who beat him manage to break his rib.
A helpless Niel can only lay down begging to stop and being beaten.
Nobody believes him.
Nobody would help him.
Just because he was a Faraam.
The pain became unbearable, and his vision gradually darken.
Somebody... mom... please... help me
Niel's vision gradually darkened and become unconscious.
The people then stops beating him, "Huff... let's go!" Said the bald man.
Niel's body full of bruises and blood flow from his nose and the corner of his mouth.
Some people pitying him, some people walk ignoring him, but none of them going to help him.
Just then.
Niel open his eyes, his red eyes change to blue, a black streak appears on his hair and change his hair from white to black.
"Brat! Why didn't you fight back?!"
Niel stands up, his wounds all disappear. Many peoples surprised about Niel transformation, some of them even running away in fear.
"Ah?!" The bald man turns back, he kinda surprised about Neil's change, "The fuck? Ho-"
STABS.
Multiple pitch-black spike sprout from the ground piercing his body, the peoples around watches the bald man being impaled and died.
As Niel began to smile, peoples around him trembling in horror.
Not over yet, multiple black spikes sprout from the ground piercing the peoples in the trading district, leaving the female child that Niel saved and her mother.
Both of them were tied up by a black tentacles-like limb. They can only watch in horror as Niel come closer.
"Please! At least my-" a black spike pierce her head instantly.
"Mother! Moth-" Niel punched the child's face, as he then repeatedly stomps and kicks her.
"Shtop! Moher! Shtap! Pheas bihg broher", weeps and begs the child. Niel stops and walked away from her, as a pitch-black spike impaled her.
The trading district's street covered with bloods, as corpses laying on it. Niel looking around, grinning because there are many peoples alive watching him from inside the buildings.
Just like a haze, Niel disappear. The peoples inside the building surprised, some of them get out from the building to watch and reported it to the security, while others staying inside, fearing Niel would come and kill them.
Atop the highest tower in the town, Niel looking at the town and its peoples who walked and gathers like ants.
He sees that so many knights and magicians come to the trading district to evacuate, and probably searching for him.
"...flocking around like ants, begging to be stomped?", sneered him.
Niel executed a hand seal, Index and middle finger are stretched out with the other fingers are curled into the palm, then begin the chant.
"I've committed the worst sin.
Never care, Never asking why I did it.
In Your name, In My name, it's the same.
I've killed them all!
Impaled both parents and children.
For I am the bane of mankind"
As he finished the chants, Niel slams his palm to the ground.
.....
On the trading district.
"Who in the bloody hell can do this kind of thing?", asked a magician, bewildered of what he's seeing.
"They say a Faraam did this?" Replies a knight.
"A Faraam?"
The knight nods, "Mister magician, can I ask you a question?"
"What is it?"
" I was wondering why the kingdom didn't legal-"
Suddenly the knight were pierced by a black spikes right in the heart and head, his blood splashed to the nearby magician.
"Wha- kofftt!"
All of a sudden, a plethora of black spikes sprouted, relentlessly piercing and killed all the townsfolk.
The spike didn't occur in the trading district only, but also other districts like the slums, noble and government district, etc.
People running, but they've got impaled, Magicians who activates protection spell also get impaled.
Inside, outside, nobody is safe. Children and parents they've got impaled.
The black spikes didn't care who to pierce. Even after the black spike successfully impales a person it didn't stop, and new black spikes sprout from different, and the same spot replacing the former.
Screams and hysteria filled the air like in pandemonium, bloods flood the streets and paint the building, corpses and meats scatter on the ground.
On the rooftop of the highest tower, Neil burst out laughing.
"Kyahahaha! This is it! I missed those feelings!! But... it's not over yet!"
Niel clasped his hand, then suddenly a crack begin to form in the sky.
Like a broken window, the sky shattered, showing a pitch-black hole of a space behind.
From that very hole, a horde of monster felled to the town below, attacking the remaining survivor and feasting upon the townsfolk's corpse.
... In less than 10 minutes, the once lively town become a dead town.
Niel, satisfied at what he does, then disappear like a mirage.
Later, these events would be named The Tragedy of Owen.
With 4792 fatalities, this event would be recorded as one of the deadliest events in history, and the worst incident ever committed by a child.