The world blurred as Kael wheeled himself away from the square, his surroundings dissolving into a haze of shadows and murmurs.
The sound of laughter, quiet whispers, and indifferent stares mingled with the noise in his head. He couldn't hear them anymore. He couldn't hear anything.
Damaged...
The word echoed over and over, each repetition slicing deeper into him. The root that should have been his salvation was broken, useless, a cruel twist of fate.
Kael's hands trembled on the wheels of his chair as he made his way back to the orphanage. His chest felt tight, his breath coming in shallow gasps. His vision blurred, not from tears, but from the overwhelming sense of emptiness that had consumed him.
The streets had emptied out now that the ceremony was over. All the other children had left with their newfound powers, already making plans for their futures. Some would join guilds or be trained by the elders to hone their abilities. Kael, though... he had no future.
When he reached the orphanage, the building loomed over him, cold and unwelcoming. It was the only place he had known for years, but now, even that was slipping away.
In a few days, he would be too old to stay. He would soon be kicked out and left to fend for himself.
His hands went limp as he let the wheels of his chair stop turning. He stared at the cracked stone path in front of him, a wave of numbness crashing over his heart.
'What was the point of it all? There was no place for someone like him in this brutal world. He was a waste—a burden to those around him. He—'
A rustling sound interrupted his thoughts.
Kael glanced down, spotting a familiar figure darting out from the shadows. It was the rat, its tiny paws scurrying across the ground, searching for scraps of food.
Kael had grown used to seeing it over the past months, always sneaking around his room, stealing crumbs, always hungry. It was a small thing, fragile, barely surviving on whatever it could find. Much like him.
The rat stopped and looked up at Kael, its dark eyes glinting in the dim light of the streetlamp. For a moment, they stared at each other—two creatures cast aside by the world. Then, slowly, the rat crawled closer, its nose twitching as it cautiously approached Kael's chair.
Kael reached into his pocket, pulling out the last bit of stale bread he had saved from the morning's meager meal. He held it out, watching as the rat sniffed the air and, after a moment's hesitation, took the bread from his hand. Its tiny paws clutched the food tightly as it gnawed away at it with fervor.
For the first time since the ceremony, Kael felt something stir inside him. A spark, small but present. The rat had always been there, quietly sharing his space, unnoticed by others but a constant in his life. In a world where he had no one, this tiny creature had stayed with him. It had chosen him, in its own way.
He didn't know why, but the sight of the rat eating, so determined to survive, brought a flicker of warmth to Kael's chest.
"Guess we're not so different..."
Kael muttered, his voice hoarse. He stretched his fingers toward the rat, who didn't run this time. Instead, it stayed close, chewing on the bread.
As the rat finished eating, it didn't scurry back to its corner like it usually did. Instead, it stayed close, looking up at Kael with those dark, beady eyes. It almost seemed... thankful. Kael blinked, surprised by the strange feeling that crept over him.
'Could this creature understand him? Could it feel... sympathy?'
He shook his head, pushing the thought away. He was just imagining things. But as he lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling, the rat stayed by his side, its tiny paws resting on the edge of his blanket.
For the first time in a long time, Kael didn't feel completely alone.