Sora Kurusu, The First Artificier

"Hey there guys, watcha playing?" A little boy asked, the children playing a card game suddenly got up and said "What? do you think we're gonna play with you, Freak?" The child's smile slowly went down"I-i was just asking..." the children began cornering the boy "Yeah! Your red eyes are creepy! Who'd wanna play with you?" The child was on his knees and his reddish eyes were now slowly watering up. The third child then said: "Give it up, you know we aren't gonna let you in..."

...

'Am I really that scary?'

"Yeah, I've heard his mother and Father abandoned him..." Whispers began to speak "Poor thing, Don't you think child services should do something about him?" They began to grow in numbers "His eyes though, never have I heard about anyone with red eyes..." The voices grew more in number "You mean red pupils? I've heard red eye is a sickness, does the child have something like that?" The voices grew more louder, children snickering can be heard behind the whispers.

"He's just ugly, that's it..."

...

"Hey! Answer me!" A big, fat boy threw a hard fist at a limpy boy, who's body was now trembling and running red with blood, while both his arms are being held by two other boys "Heh, you know this suits you more better, 'cus now your body now matches your stupid eyes!" He laughed, followed by the laugh of his companions. The child's trembling stopped, his body went completely lifeless, the boy didn't move "Eh? what's this now?" the fat boy held up his head, only to be greeted with a dead and lifeless face "Preteneding to be dead now eh? Boys! check him..." Both of the boys who were once holding him, both examined his pulse and beats. They both rose up, in shock.

"Um, Mark, I don't think he's pretending..." One of them spoke, the fat boy was disappointed. He then moved closer towards the now lifeless body and spat over it. "Don't worry boys, let's just call it 'self defense', there's no way anyone would go against my dad anyways. He's the mayor after all..." The fat boy laughed maniacally, then both boys followed with laughter. But they knew that they have done something that they couldn't live with, as they calmly walked away from the motionless body.

"Again?" A man in a black coat said, as he dumped a large amount of water on top of a child "You do know that they will never accept you, they are children. And you, aren't like them..." He said as he rubbed the boy with a towel and placed over him house clothes. He then led the child towards a pull-open table set. The man walks away 'But I just wanted a friend...' the boy slowly picks up a mirror on the table set, he looks at his own face deeply. His bruises and scar from the constant bullying the children outside do to him on a daily basis. The deep red eyes he hides behind colored contacts, it reminds him deeply of the blood he leaves behind from running home the calming sun rising and setting that gives him hope each and everyday, it's also the same shade of color his father holds.

"Here" The man returned, with a plate filled with a combination of rice and chicken, covered in a rich and satisfying smell, in each of his hands. He then settles both plates on both ends of the table. "No utensils?" He exclaimed, the boy got scared. But the man simply sighed and waved his hand around, suddenly 2 pairs of spoons and forks appeared from the darkness, and they both shone brightly as they made entrance into the light.

However, the boy noticed something.

"Umm, dad..." "What is the matter?" the man responds immediately. He picks up his clean silver pair of eating utensils "Why do you eat with the bad spoon and fork?" He said as he pointed at the small, bent, and lack-l.u.s.ter in everyway, like it was fished out of a dumpster. He sighed: "My child, I am simply prioritizing your health, I can't let you get sick because you ate with these..." He silently swallowed and took another bite of his chicken. The boy then asked: "Dad, why did you keep me?"

The man stopped placing a meat piece in his mouth midway, he laid down his spoon and fork on the sides of his plate. "Child, there are so many things I want to tell you. Questions that I want to answer for you, but you are still a child. And, I want you to understand..." the man stood up and walked slowly towards the right of the child. He knelt down and held the right hand of the child his both of his.

"You mean more to me than you can ever imagine, Sora. Never will any kind of power or treasure, political nor literal, that anyone could give to me, could ever measure to you..." His red eyes reflected towards his, his smile was warm and genuine, unlike the cold smiles he received form his "Peers" outside. "Now, let's finish up, I'll take you out for a treat this fine evening..." The little boy perked up, he returned to stuffing his dinner down his mouth, and his father returned to lightly consuming his. Then the man's eyes widen: "Actually, Sora, I think I have a clever little trick you can pull for your, 'Friends'..."

Several days have passed by. And now the boy faced the same fat boy once more, "See? he's alright..." The fat boy placed clenched hand on the boy's collar "Ready for another serving of knuckle sandwich?" he laughed maniacally as he snorted like a pig. But the boy this time didn't respond, instead, he began chuckling. And then raised his head: "Try me..." The boy then tried to land a punch, but he felt something wrong, his c.h.e.s.t started beating profusely, as If a part of himself has been s.u.c.k.e.d out.

A shadow loomed over his hunched body...

"You don't think I've realized it know? I'm Sora Kurusu! The child of the demon, Prince of Greed! Go ahead, do the best you can. I'll just take away your very soul..."