An exhausted sigh escaped the boy as he slouched over an old bench in the middle of a park.
Akuma, a teenage boy with black hair that was quite long for a male, couldn't help but think his presence was a bother to the people around him. Honestly, he had every reason to believe that. Any pedestrian who he happened to make eye contact with would jolt up, almost dropping their phones as they hurried past him.
"Damn fakers. If ya just gonna use your phone to avoid eye contact, why even look at me in the first place?"
It wasn't as if he was ugly or anything –quite the opposite actually. It's just that he had a nasty crimson glare that seemed to scare off even would-be delinquents. The kind of glare that makes it hard to approach someone without them shitting their pants.
"They act like I'm gonna jump at em' or something. Even if I wanted to, it's way too early. I don't even have the energy to breathe much less fight anyone. Or maybe I should fight someone? Nah, what am I thinking, of course not."
It didn't help that he had a tendency of talking to himself. There were even times when he'd have full blown arguments with his own mind.
After another exhausted sigh, Akuma curled further in his bench. With his neck slouch over the bench's backrest, he absentmindedly gazed at the clouds above. Though his eyes were lasered at the large cotton balls floating in the sky, he was really hoping he'd somehow find heaven. Such was his favorite past time on the days he skipped class. A day such as this one.
"Should I go back to class? It is pretty fun sitting in that room… Ugh, but it's boring as hell sitting in that room. Dammit, what is it?"
Now don't misunderstand. Just because he's skipping class doesn't mean he should be lumped in with petty delinquents. Believe it or not, he's the number one in his grade when it comes to academics. He would be number one in athletics too, but he's skipped too much P.E for that. So what's Akuma's deal you might ask? Well, he's a bit of a complicated topic.
I guess in simple terms, he's what we call… drumroll please… a loner. Not by choice of course, but because he's constantly getting into fights with delinquents for apparently "looking at them the wrong way" –in which no matter the odds he'd always come out victorious. Add in his strange name (Akuma Tiryns) and rare appearance at school and you get an outcasted loner. He's even earned the nickname "The Lazy Devil". Personally, I find it cool as hell but it's one of his biggest insecurities.
"Did we have homework last night? I hope not. I really don't want my grades to go down. Being number one has its perks. The hell I care if it goes down. Not like it has any perks… Ah, what am I saying-!"
For a moment, Akuma could've sworn he heard the feint "meow" of a cat. Of course, that sudden shift in his posture and gaze spooked any pedestrian who happened to have looked his way at that moment. Their footsteps almost doubling in speed as they pretended to be busy on their phones.
By now, Akuma had gotten tired of his clearly unwanted company and decided to make their days a bit easier. And so, he left, going wherever the wind felt like taking him. It was then that he spotted a black cat hopping over a brick fence at the corner of his eyes. He wasn't big on cats or anything, but he found himself wondering if that was the same cat he heard earlier on that bench. It could've been. Or maybe it wasn't. It's not like cats were a rare sight or anything.
He stopped by a vending machine and suddenly had the urge for some donuts. Unfortunately, the button didn't seem to work, or perhaps it was the machine itself that was broken. Whatever the case, he'd already put his money in, so believe me when I say he was gonna get his damn money's worth.
He tried everything: kicking, punching, elbowing, stomping, hell even headbutting the thing. It got so bad that the pedestrians around him mistook him for a petty thief trying to steal donuts of all things. It's a wonder they hadn't called any authorities.
Finally, after much needed pounding, the pack of three donuts fell, returning Akuma's warm expression. Naturally, the people around him were convinced he'd just stole those from the machine but the last thing they were gonna do was risk death against the Lazy Devil. I mean these people had families to return to, lives to live for.
On the surface he seems pretty complicated, but if you get down to his routes, Akuma is a rather simple person. He believes that school is important and so he gets good grades. He believes training is essential, and so he makes sure to spare with his brother and father every now and then. And strangely, he believes heroes are needed in this world, so he does his best to save anyone he can.
And no, I don't mean the kind of hero that preaches on about some perfect utopia without evil or despair, but the kind of hero that looks to create a world where both despair and hope can live in harmony. The kind where evil and good can be seen as equals.
This all stems from the unique way in which Akuma perceives the world… Let's see, how should I put it into words… Okay, for arguments' sake, let's separate humanity into three sections: Good, Natural and Evil.
A good person would go out of their way to save another. Like the people who chase down a thief who stole a woman's purse.
A neutral person would most likely turn their head, choosing to mind their own business. I'd say over 50% of humanity falls under this category.
And obviously an "evil person" would help the thief –or be the thief themselves. Whatever your kink is, I guess.
While this all makes sense in theory, the world just isn't that black and white. Different situations call for different responses, and depending on said situation, a "neutral person" could be seen as "evil".
For example, let's replace my earlier scenario of simply watching petty theft with something as heavy as watching a murder.
In this new scenario, the neutral person choosing to mind their own business and not report the murderer would now fall under the "evil category" as he's now let a monster roam about freely.
Reporting the murderer (the good thing to do) is now the default, the new neutral. Any action besides that one is shunned by society and thus "evil". And yet despite that, everyone is aware that the people around them likely fall under that "neutral" category. Even I expect people to look the other way when I need help.
To conclude everything thus far:
Good deeds = neither positive points nor negative points as they are expected of us.
Neutral deeds = negative points as they are expected yet shunned.
And Evil deeds of course = negative points.
This is a fundamental problem in our world that likely will never be changed. And if society carries on this way, things like "saints" or "heroes" are going to remain mere fiction.
I mean, even if you had the power to do good deeds, it'd simply be expected of you to do them. At that point… is it even worth it?
It's for that reason, Akuma hopes to one day change the fundamental laws of this world. If Evil is to be worth negative points, then it's only right that Good should be worth positive ones.
Again, don't misunderstand. Akuma isn't naïve enough to think one human can change the world. I mean we're talking 8 billion vs 1 guy. For human beings, those are just impossible odds.
Though it'd be a different story if he wasn't human. Suppose he was a higher existence. Then he'd have the power to do anything. Which is why his dream is to one day become God. Actually, there's a part of him that truly believes he is God.
Maybe it's that belief that brought him to his current predicament.
To his left, a deafening honking as well as bright lights that obscured his vision of the fist of pure steel –a truck as some would call it. He was airborne with no way to move as he'd hurled himself in the middle of the street to save a black cat from being run over. Some would label such a death as utter stupidity or at least something dangerously close. I mean he had a family waiting for him at home. He did amazing academically. Like I said, he was number one in his grade. And though he had no friends, there was one person, one person who he'd do anything to be close with.
"Aw shit. Is this really how it ends…?"
On this day, Akuma Tiryns… has died.