The ragtag of a house was as cold as the world outside. No fire burned in the hearth, and the chill seeped into every corner. The roof sagged slightly under the weight of snow, and frost lined the edges of the single window, its cracked glass offering little insulation.
Inside, the air was stale, tinged with the faint metallic scent of kerosene and the lingering smell of old medicines. A small wooden table stood near the center of the room, its surface cluttered with remnants of the life they had shared.
A half-loaf of stale bread sat untouched on a chipped plate. Beside it, a small tin cup held the last dregs of lukewarm tea.
Against one wall, a shelf held rows of empty vials and jars, their once-vibrant contents long used up. Lisa's alchemical equipment lay in disarray, beakers and flasks gathering dust.
The bed stood in the far corner, its frame creaking slightly under the weight of the heavy blankets piled atop it.
Kai pushed the door shut behind him, the hinges groaning in protest. The cold seemed to press in even harder once he was inside, the stillness amplifying its presence.
He slipped off his oversized boots and placed them carefully by the door. His socks were damp, the cold biting at his toes as he stepped onto the wooden floor.
Without a word, he made his way to the bed and sat down. The mattress was thin, its springs pressing uncomfortably against his frail frame, but he didn't seem to notice. He sat quietly, staring at the floor.
Minutes passed, marked only by the faint ticking of an old, broken clock on the wall.
Finally, he stood and moved toward the mirror mounted on the opposite wall. The glass was warped and clouded, its surface reflecting a distorted image of a frail boy who now stood before it.
Four years ago, when he was just nine, he had survived in the tenth sector of the Antarctic Bastion, the outermost layer of society's fragile order.
At that time, kai didn't know that the sectors were concentric rings within the Bastion starting from tenth to first, with each layer representing a starkly different societal status.
Neither did the fact that the tenth sector was the bottom rung of bastions, a place where murder and theft were as common as breathing.
What's more laughable was the fact that the tenth sector was actually like a cannon fodder for the government in order to sweep out the insignificant mass of humans that were a burden on their economic wallet. Talented People who can bring much more to the plate, whether it be strength, or people with talent in craft, were given priority or so it looked for him at the surface.
But Kai never resented the government as he knew that it was natural order to cut the burden in order to survive the frequent invasions, like in the books that nature does the natural selection where stronger ones Survival in a species, though he did have a complaint for synthetic paste in his heart, still up to this day he wonders what in the seven hells did the government do in order to make those taste bud numbing substance.
The government's ration lines served tasteless synthetic paste that barely counted as food. Kai had survived by queuing up for those rations, enduring hours in the freezing cold for a meager handful of sustenance. When the rations ran out, he stole from vendors, relying on his instincts to pick the weakest targets.
But instincts alone weren't always enough. He had been caught more than once, his frail body no match for the fists and kicks of angry vendors. His disease didn't help. Every beating left him coughing blood, his chest rattling like a broken machine.
Even in that brutal environment, Kai's instincts had kept him alive. As long He remember they were always with him and were a part of him, He learned to avoid dangerous situations, slipping away when tempers flared or when someone's gaze lingered on him for too long.
But then there was that day.
He had been walking through an alley when a burly man blocked his path. The man had licked his lips and greedy eyes had lingered far too long, filled with something that made Kai alert.
Kai knew his fate if he didn't act.
Before the man could close the distance, Kai grabbed a rock from the ground and hurled it with all the strength his small frame could muster.
The rock struck the man's skull with a sickening crack, dropping him to the ground in a heap. Blood pooled beneath him, soaking into the dirt.
But even after the man fell, the danger wasn't over. His grunts had come after Kai, chasing him through the alleys like wolves.
Kai's escape hadn't gone smoothly. Preoccupied with his pursuers, he toppled a shelf of valuable collectibles in a small shop, initiating a domino effect, causing widespread damage to nearby stores.
The furious shop owners had joined the pursuit, turning the chase into a chaotic mob.
Cornered in a dead-end alley, Kai had faced an angry crowd, some ready to beat him, others yelling about the damage he had caused.
But before anyone could act, someone appeared.
Kai had only glimpsed her for a moment, a slender woman with sharp emerald eyes.
Using green flames that scorched the ground at their feet, she had easily intimidated the mob. With a few veiled threats, she had dispersed them, their courage evaporating in the face of her power.
The woman named Lisa had offered him no explanation, only gave a brief glance and a slight smirk before saying, "Come with me. Because without me, they'll be sure to track you down."
Kai instinctively knew that the woman was telling the truth and, having no better options, he followed.
She brought him to the Eighth Sector, two layers closer to the center of the bastion. He had thought it would be better than the Tenth, where violence was routine, but he quickly learned the truth.
The Eighth Sector wasn't much different. The only improvement was the illusion of order. The streets were still dangerous, and people were still cruel.
Genuine change didn't begin until the Sixth Sector, where the influence of the government, the Churches, and the Legacy Clans began to assert itself more strongly.
Lisa's intentions had puzzled him at first. She had made it clear that she didn't save him out of kindness. She wanted to use him as a lab rat. Yet she had treated him, easing the worst of his disease, and taught him enough basic knowledge to sustain himself.
Kai had spent countless nights wondering why someone like her had come to the lower sectors. He had never received a straightforward answer, but his instincts told him Lisa was no ordinary Slayer.
So he had assumed that she was either a descendant of a Legacy Clan or someone who worked for one and had escaped.
Because the descendents would never venture into the lower sectors unless they had a purpose.
In the first year, Lisa had improved his condition significantly. She had prepared him for the day he would drink the awakening potion, a substance meant to awaken the 'Astral Core'.
She also had given him several instructions when he consumed the potion like keep his mind which he could accomplish easily, breathe in a specific way, and last but the most important to ignore the voices which will call him throughout the whole process which may continue and vary depending on my talent.
One more thing was that she had almost waited for sunshine and performed the ritual there, though Kai didn't knew the reason.
Though it looked different from the normal crimson potions as its colour was sapphire blue, but he had not asked Lisa about it and the only answer she said it was like this because she had made the potion while keeping his weak constitution in mind.
Though he had gotten a peak at a specific component's image which was drawn at Lisa's diary, a blue flower with vibrant, intricate petals and thin, delicate filaments extending outward, resembling fireworks, the flower looked mystical and ethereal.
After that he didn't ask any further and had consumed the potion
But when the day came and fate played.
The potion didn't work.
—--
[A/N : Guess what's the flower?]
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