"A coin? Perfect."
Amid winter, people hurriedly stocked up their food supplies to survive. This was the case monthly in the slums. Who could imagine that there would be a slum in this metropolitan area?
Luciel was born in Noxio, specifically Noxio Federation, or NFDR, and was accustomed to the eternal winter of the nation. His once silky black hair turned into white due to the extremity of the cold. It was white as pure snow, not the dirtied snow you'd find in front of gardens.
'I can buy bread if I negotiate well enough.'
A single silver coin glimmered in the darkness. Luciel's cheeks slightly flushed at the sight of a precious coin and hastily put it in his pocket. He couldn't let others see this treasure. He had to hide it at all costs.
He hid in the corners of the silent alleyway. He hid beneath the large rubbish bins that oozed out disgusting odors. Still, Luciel had a determined look on his face. He was close to the bakery shop now. He was about to get his favorite bread.
"Kid." Suddenly, a deep voice echoed in the dark passageway that led to the bakery. Luciel almost jumped in fear but controlled himself. He encountered this situation numerous times before. He knew he was careless when the light was refracted by the silver coin.
"Give us some share, will ya?"
As Luciel was calming himself down, he noticed something was wrong.
"Yeah! Why are you keeping that coin to yourself, huh? You sly bastard of a kid."
"Robert. Relax. Once we get our hands on his white hair, we'll make some profits!"
"Right, right! Money!"
Why were there so many voices? One was a deep voice that sent chills down his spine. One was so pitchy that it scratched his soul. Another was a smooth tone that gave him a false sense of comfort. They all blocked his way to the bakery as if they already knew his plans.
Luciel encountered this type of situation before where psychopaths took him as a frail kid and decided to take advantage of that. He retaliated successfully every time and killed all the crazy people. However, that was when only one person participated. This was a whole group.
'What do I do?'
As the maniacs approached him slowly like he was easy prey, Luciel's brain worked overtime to come up with a plan.
"You better hand over what you have~ If you do right away, we will spare you, yeah?"
Of course, that was a flat-out lie. They would harm him no matter which action he took. Luciel thought of this and resolved himself. He wanted that bread. It was either that you eat or be eaten.
"What's that boy doing?" One of the men scoffed at Luciel's fighting stance. He looked ridiculous no matter what because of his frail-looking body. They heard rumors of this boy being weirdly powerful, but he didn't believe it. Besides, they had a numerical advantage.
"Go get him." The man in the middle commanded.
"I've been waiting, hahaha! This kid's a sight for sore eyes."
Luciel wanted this to be over quickly. He didn't want to associate with a bunch of people who went crazy over a coin. His emotionless face distorted with disgust as the bald man launched toward him first.
The man swung his fist at Luciel's face and hit the air. To their surprise, Luciel dodged it easily with minimal movement. The men didn't know, but one of Luciel's biggest strengths was survivability. He might be weak, but that weakness forced him to be strong. His desire to survive exceeded his bodily limitations.
"This kid got moves, huh?"
The man raised his right leg and aimed for Luciel's abdomen. Unsurprisingly, it hit the air again. This time, though, Luciel broke through the gust that the kick left behind and struck a blow to the man's right lumbar.
"Ack!" The man coughed out blood and stumbled. His accomplices couldn't hide their surprised faces and tried to deny this absurd situation. A malnourished kid defeated a grown man in one blow? Impossible.
"You little punk!"
"You're gonna fucking pay!"
Both of them dove straight in the ensuing fight. Luciel realized how stupid some people were. They didn't know when to give up and when to keep trying. He might be sensitive to inner emotions when he was alone, but in the outside world, his survival instinct reached its peak.
This was the survival of the fittest. Luciel had become accustomed to the fine line between life and death. On the other hand, the crazy men were loud and annoying. They didn't even consider that people might hear them and come to this place.
Luciel dashed at these two maniacs frighteningly. It was like three trains running towards one another. Luciel believed he was the sturdier train.
He stretched his arms out towards them and opened both his palms. He recalled the sensation of the divine flames in his dream. Luciel wanted the flame to protect him, to wrap him with warmth. He loved the beauty of the scarlet flame.
"What the!?"
"Arghhhh! Help me..."
Endless waves of fire created an image of a phoenix fan. It warmed Luciel but scorched the evildoers, burning them to ashes. Only embers whirled in the frosty wind. It temporarily lit up the dark alleyway with its golden color.
"Hah." Luciel let out a deep breath. He repeatedly opened and closed his palms to check if his hands were okay. He touched his face and body to remind himself that he was still alive.
The bakery from afar seemed so close now. The store had festive decorations on its snow-covered roof. The decorative lights flashed green and red, seemingly luring hungry customers to eat their delicious cakes.
Luciel pulled out the coin from his pocket and started running towards the gingerbread house. He was excited to finally have bread only to be stopped by a shadow coming from the side.
'Another one?' Luciel frowned like never before. He once again prepared himself and brought out the now weak flame. The moment the shadow stepped out, Luciel fired a sharp ball of fire from his fingertips. It headed towards the mysterious person's forehead.
Unfortunately, this person caught it effortlessly.
'I have to run away.' This was his survival instinct activating. Luciel judged that this person was strong and decided to retreat rather than fight.
As Luciel turned around and started to run, the person grabbed his hood and pulled him back. "Hmm... A kid with Echo Energy? Is this even possible?"
What was this person talking about? Luciel didn't understand and helplessly struggled, but no matter how much he wiggled, the person stood firm and didn't even budge at all.
"It's pure. The output is great as well." The person seemed to be in deep thought for a while before speaking up again, "Kid. Do you have some kind of drawing on your wrist, perhaps?"
'How did this person know!?' Luciel remained silent, but his mind was chaotic. He learned of fear for the first time.
The person saw this and put him down. She didn't want this kid to be afraid of her.
"Relax. I didn't mean to harm you. I was just interested in your powers."
Luciel didn't dare to look at her. He wanted to run to a faraway place. He was just a young kid, yet why did he think of regrets when he approached death? Luciel's life had been that of tragedy, so there shouldn't be any lingering attachments.
Suddenly, Luciel felt a warm hand rubbing his head. It was strange. The fear he felt gradually slipped away from his body and dispersed among the snow.
"What's your name?" the woman asked gently. She had a sweet and clear voice with no hidden murkiness. She was crouching down to meet Luciel's grey eyes. Dark purple hair cut at the waist, wavy as the first morning of the silent ocean, sharp features, chestnut eyes that pierced the soul, and a delicate smile.
"Luciel..." he replied weakly.
"Luciel, right? How about I buy you as many cakes in that bakery store as you like? We can eat and talk at the same time. Doesn't that sound fun?"
Luciel knew how dangerous it was to follow a stranger, but he didn't feel a sense of danger from her. He didn't know what to say in this situation. All he knew was that he wanted cakes more than bread.
Seeing the unmoving boy, the woman introduced herself. "My name is Elina. Call me that from now on."
'Elina...'
"Alright. Let's go inside. It must be cold for you out here."
Luciel decided to let himself go for now. Elina held his small hand and ran with him to the bakery.