"Hello, I need a pack of dry meat," a young average-looking kid with ink-jet hair and dull black eyes said to an inn-keeper.
The man looked up and seeing the boy, he smiled faintly. "It's you again, hold on let me go grab it for you."
As the man left to go and bring his order, the boy gazed around the store. Nothing amazed him, it seemed as though he was a regular customer there.
"Here you go, young man," the man said, returning with a small pack containing dry meat.
"Thank you," the boy said and dropped a silver coin on the desk before leaving.
The boy left the inn and walked away from that place. When he had made sure that he was not going to be seen, he stretched out his arm and something like a black tattoo drawn on his arm suddenly glowed as it came to life.
A dark, ethereal glow seeped from his arm, coalescing into a shimmering, black mist that danced across his palm. As if guided by an unseen force, the mist began to take shape, its tendrils weaving together to form a small, sleek creature. In mere seconds, a tiny black cat with eyes like polished onyx sat perched on his hand.
"Here, have some alright," the boy said and took out one piece of meat which he began to feed to the cat.
The cat began to eat the meat while wagging its tail.
"You like it, huh?" The boy asked as he fed the animal another piece of meat. The cat didn't respond but the way it devoured the meat showed that it was really enjoying it.
As the cat finished its food, the boy turned to head back home, his mind already drifting to the unknown tasks that awaited him. But before he could take a step, the air around him seemed to ripple and distort, like the surface of a pond struck by a stone. A shimmering portal materialized, its edges pulsating with an otherworldly energy.
The boy's eyes widened as he felt an unseen force grab hold of him, pulling him towards the portal. He tried to resist, but it was too late. He was sucked in, the cat still perched on his hand, as the world around him dissolved into chaos.
When the boy opened his eyes, he found himself in a realm unlike anything he had ever seen. The sky above was a deep, bloody red, and the air was thick with the stench of smoke and brimstone. Beasts of different sizes and heights rained down from the sky, their twisted forms flailing as they plummeted towards the ground.
People ran wildly, screaming and shouting as they desperately sought to escape the carnage. The boy stood frozen, his mind reeling from the sheer scale of the destruction. The cat, still clutched in his hand, let out a terrified meow as it buried its face in the boy's palm.
Just as the boy was starting to process the chaos around him, a rough hand grabbed his wrist, pulling him into a frantic sprint. "What the hell are you doing here, kid?" a gruff voice shouted in his ear. "We need to get out of here, now!"
"I..." He wasn't allowed to speak as the man began to drag him as he ran for his life.
The boy stumbled, struggling to keep up with the man's frantic pace. The cat, still clutched in his hand, let out a terrified yowl as they dodged and weaved through the panicked crowds.
As they ran, the boy caught glimpses of the destruction around him. Buildings lay in ruins, their walls cracked and shattered. Trees were uprooted, their branches splintered and broken. Blood splattered all over the walls and grounds, dyeing them red. The very earth itself seemed to be torn asunder, as if the fabric of reality was unraveling before his eyes.
The man finally dragged the boy into a narrow alleyway, the walls of which provided a temporary respite from the chaos. The boy collapsed against the wall, gasping for breath as he struggled to process the madness around him.
The man leaned against the opposite wall, his eyes scanning the rooftops as if searching for any sign of danger. "What are you doing here, Allen?" Turning to face the boy, the man was shocked beyond words. "Wh-who are you?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you the same question? Who are you and why did you suddenly grab my hand?" The boy asked, his brows twitching.
The man's brows knitted. How was he going to explain to the boy that he mistook him for another person. It was not like he intentionally did it.
~Boom~
A loud explosion occured outside the alley and the boy trailed his eyes to the scene; a large monster with six eyes on both eyes had just descended, causing the explosion. The boy's eyes twitched, his brows knitted, and he left the man and began to head towards where the monster was.
"Where are you going, kid?" The man asked. "You are going to get eaten up by that thing!" He yelled frantically but the boy paid deaf ears to his warning and continued walking towards the monster.
He got to the place but left a safe distance between him and the monster. 'I don't know what is happening and why I am in this damn place but I can't let this thing be walking around. It's looks disgusts me so much'.
The black cat raised its head and glanced at the boy. Seeing the look of disgust momentarily flashing in his eyes, the cat turned it's head and faced the monster, a liitle growl escaping it's throat.
"We can't let that thing live," the boy said, speaking to the cat who growled once more.
As the boy was standing there, the monster sensed their presence and turned its head in their direction. With a might roar, it began to run toward them.
As the monster charged towards him, the boy raised his hand, and the black cat transformed into a sleek, black sword. The sword's blade seemed to absorb the light around it, radiating an aura of dark energy.
Without hesitation, the boy grasped the sword's hilt, feeling its power course through him. With a swift, deadly motion, he struck the monster, the sword slicing through its twisted flesh with ease.
The monster let out a deafening screech as it stumbled backward, its six eyes blazing with agony. The boy pursued it, striking again and again, each blow landing with precision and deadly force.
Finally, with a last blow, the monster dissipated into nothingness, banished from the world by the boy's strange power. The boy stood panting, the sword still humming with energy in his hand.
"Better this way," he mumbled, staring at the place the monster had once stood.
Just as he finished speaking, the sword in the boy's hand began to glow with a soft, dark energy. The glow intensified, and the sword started to transform, its metal melting away like wax. In mere seconds, the sword had reverted back into the black cat, which let out a contented sigh as it settled into the boy's hand.
The boy smiled, stroking the cat's soft fur. But as he did, the cat began to glow once more, its body flattening into a two-dimensional shape. The cat transformed into a dark, intricate tattoo, which spread across his arm like a living shadow.
"Rest up," he whispered to the cat and just then, the man who had seen everything that happened rushed up to him.
"By the gods," he breathed. "How did you do that? You're just a kid!"
The boy shrugged, still gazing at the place where the monster once stood. "Why is this happening?" He asked the man. "Why are there monsters all over the place?"
The man's face darkened as he gazed at the chaos right before them. He didn't know what to call it. "Honestly, I don't know. We just slept and woke up to find the whole place under attack by these horrible and evil creatures. Half of the city has been destroyed, I don't know if it's the same in other places."
The boy's eyes squinted. "Something is wrong," he muttered. 'If I was brought here at the same time this is happening, it means that it was predestined. But...' A sigh escaped his lips as he thought. 'I am not cut out for something like this'.
"What is the matter, kid?" The man, feeling that the boy was sad, asked him. "Were you separated from your family members?"
"Far beyond that," the boy responded. Gazing around once more, the boy got ready to leave. "I can't just stay here."
"And where are you going?" The man asked him. "No place is safe and I don't know where that kid is, who knows he could be dead already."
"You mean the Allen you mentioned earlier? The way you speak, you want him really dead, don't you?" The boy asked but the man waved his hand.
"If I wanted him dead, I wouldn't have thought of saving you thinking it was him but come to think of it... Why do you have a striking resemblance to him?"
"I don't know who the hell that person is and I don't look like anyone! Don't compare me to a mere nobody," the boy replied, seeming upset already.
Although the man looked apologetic, the man still could not leave the fact that the boy strangely looked like the Allen he was talking about. 'I mean everything is the same except for their eyes. Yes, this one has dull grey eyes while Allen has bright blue eyes, and of course... This strange cat with him'.
"Stop mistaking me for anyone," the boy as if reading the man's thoughts said. "I don't look like anyone, good luck!" With that, he turned to leave.
"Hold on!" The man hastily called out to the boy. When he stopped, the man ran up to him and spoke. "This place is dangerous, you can't go around alone. Let me come with you."
"I don't need an escort, old man," the boy said. Although he needed one because he was just new to the place but he didn't like the man because he was bugging him a lot.
"You know what kid, I am your elder so I think you should accord me some respect," the man said but the boy simply turned and began to walk again. "Hmmm..." The man sighed and followed behind. 'This kid... Very strange one'.
As the two walked for a while, the place seemed eerily quiet until they came to a place surrounded by destroyed walls. The boy suddenly stopped at the middle of the place and began to look around.
"What is it, kid?" The man, puzzled asked him.
"Stop hiding, show yourself!" The boy said aloud but no one replied him.
This made the man more confused because he didn't know what the boy was doing.
"Should I do it in the usual way?" The boy asked and stretched out his hand, ready to summon his sword again.
All of a sudden, a soft laugh resounded in the air followed by a music tune. The once quiet place became strangely lively as a strange tune was played.
Soon, a boy walked out of his hideout. The boy had long pointed ears, a beautiful face and crimson eyes.
The boy gazed at the being standing far away from him, a puzzled look appeared on his face as their eyes met each other's.
"Wh-what is that?" The man asked in shock. He had obviously never seen a human with pointed ears before.
"Elfs.... Creatures blessed by nature," the boy replied and the elf boy chuckled.
"That was a nice description, friend," the elf boy said.
"Tell me, are you the only one here?" The boy ignoring the elf asked him.
"Unfortunately, yes," the elf replied and continued to play the violin in his hand. "Let's be friends, what do you say?" He asked.
"I don't know but he's nice, kid. Shouldn't we give him a try?" The man asked the boy and the elf boy chuckled from where he was standing.
The boy was just about to refute when the elf boy suddenly mumbled something that they didn't hear.
"Sleep.... eternity." And suddenly, everything began to fade in their eyes.