In the gritty lower-class district of Rinera, a child named Kazuki Akuma drew his first breath into a world already fraught with prejudice and fear. From the moment he entered the world, Kazuki's stark appearance set him apart; his alabaster hair and fiery crimson eyes, stark against the backdrop of his parents' mundane features, marked him as different, otherworldly even. It was a distinction that would haunt him, earning him the moniker "demon child" whispered in hushed tones by the superstitious denizens of his neighborhood.
His parents, burdened by their own fears and superstitions, regarded him with a mixture of dread and resentment. His mother, in particular, recoiled at the sight of him, her maternal instincts twisted into something dark and malevolent. Unable to reconcile the child before her with her expectations of motherhood, she lashed out, her attempts to end his life veiled in the guise of accidents and neglect. His father, equally convinced of some malignant curse, followed suit, their actions leaving behind not just physical scars but a deep-seated emotional trauma.
Yet, it was Kazuki's own peculiar behavior that would escalate their fear to a fever pitch. At the tender age of seven, he began to exhibit a disconcerting habit—an unnervingly wide, toothy grin that seemed to stretch beyond the confines of normalcy. This expression, so innocent in another child, became a source of terror in the Akuma household. Each time his lips curled into that eerie smile, it was met with swift punishment, the sting of physical blows intended to quell the unsettling specter of his presence.
But Kazuki persisted, his grin growing wider and more unsettling with each rebuke. It was a defiance born of desperation, a futile attempt to bridge the chasm of misunderstanding that separated him from his family. And then came the breaking point, a moment of madness that would forever alter the course of their lives.
In a fit of primal fear and desperation, his mother, driven to the brink of madness by the relentless torment of her own thoughts, brandished a gleaming blade, her eyes wild with hysteria. In that moment, Kazuki's own peculiar brand of resilience took hold, his small hands grasping the weapon meant to end his existence. And as his mother cowered before him, her own weapon turned against her, Kazuki stood tall, his unsettling smile casting a sinister shadow over the room.
As Kazuki's father strode into the room, his presence casting a shadow over the tense atmosphere, Kazuki's gaze flickered momentarily to the glinting blade in his hand. Yet, before any words could pass his lips, his father's stern command sliced through the air, demanding that Kazuki relinquish the weapon. With an innocence bordering on naivety, Kazuki extended the knife towards his mother, a gleeful smile dancing upon his lips as he uttered those innocent words, "Here you go, mommy!"
However, the fleeting moment of relief was shattered in an instant as Kazuki's father lunged forward, his movements swift and unforgiving. With a deft motion, he seized the blade from Kazuki's grasp, his expression contorted with a mixture of rage and fear. And then, in a single, merciless stroke, he carved a jagged path across Kazuki's tender flesh, the metallic tang of blood mingling with the acrid scent of fear that hung heavy in the air.
As the searing pain tore through him, Kazuki's smile faltered, the once-bright glow in his eyes dimming to a mere flicker. His father's harsh reprimand cut through the silence like a knife, each word a cruel reminder of his perceived otherness, his inherent wrongness. And with a final, damning decree, his father banished him from the safety of their home, condemning him to the unforgiving embrace of the night.
Alone and broken, Kazuki stumbled out into the darkness, his lips stained crimson with his own blood, his spirit fractured but unbroken. In the depths of that endless night, as the chill wind whispered cruel truths and bitter lies, Kazuki Akuma, the demon child of Rinera, stood on the precipice of despair, his once-innocent smile forever tainted by the cruelty of those who could not, or would not, understand.