The first moment that I remember as a child is my mother’s warm smile as she snuggles me and my father’s face beaming with joy. I can only imagine what it would feel like to have parents who if even only look at you lovingly would make your day and bring you warmth and happiness. How good it would feel to have someone who would care for me?

Siblings are the second thing which I miss. To have someone to cherish and squabble with.

It was fun. I should have cherished it more.

However the problem is that like all good things it came to an end. I remember my parent’s smile but the problem is that despite my good memory their faces are fading away from my memory. All I can clearly remember is the smile and the feelings.

What a life? Should I just helplessly die from this cold and in my own pool of blood? Should I even call it a pool because I cannot see how much blood I have lost and it seems illogical that my body would have that much blood. Maybe only my face is covered in a pool of blood. So it would be precise to say that I am dying in a puddle of my own blood.

Or maybe I should wait for some supernatural creature to come and devour me. Eventhough the king claims that there is no rouge supernatural in the capital, why should I believe him when I am lying beaten and broken in an unknown alley of the capital where, as per the king, everyone is suppose to be safe. Liars, all of them. From the lowest of peasants to the highest of kings.

Can humans even survive after losing this much blood? Who cares? I am tired of living anyway. I no longer have money. I don’t have power. I am weak from always running and not to forget I am not a supernatural. Just a normal human who does not even have magic. Why did I hope to achieve anything in this world is beyond me. Better to die now and be done with it. Atleast that would answer my question of what happens in the afterlife, if there even is one.

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No.

I will survive. I will have my revenge on those that ruined my happiness.

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Actually forget revenge. I am too young to die. I have too much to do. Maybe I can still find my family if I stop seeking ways to avenge my family.

Yes. If I get another chance I will live for myself. Because trying to get justice for what happened to me is what got me in this situation in the first place.

However isn’t it too cruel to leave a boy helplessly dying in an alley like this? What if there is some kind of a monster or a beast around? No. Think positive. If only I can find some way to outlive this tragedy.

But….. why am I fighting to keep alive? Wouldn’t it be better to die and be done with it.

My eyelids get heavy and are slowly closing. I let them. Afterall I deserve some rest. But something tells me that if I close my eyes now they will never open again. So I fight to keep them open with all my might.

Think damn it. Think of ways to stay alive. Many ways pop in my mind but I have no energy to follow through. My heavy eyelids are starting to close but I fight to keep them open with all my power. I can even feel the cold seeping in my bones.

I feel something inside of me, like a part of me which is trying to help me and urging me not to give up and use it. But the problem is I have no idea how. How am I suppose to use it when I hardly have energy to keep my eyes open?

“Do you need help?” I hear a calm and gentle voice which relaxes me from just hearing it. It seems to be a man’s voice.

I muster all my energy to look at the man to say yes but my voice gets stuck in my throat and breath halts because what I see overwhelmed and scared me. Perhaps I should say ‘not see’.

I am unable to see clearly because my eyes are swollen from the beating and blood has gotten in it so I could see very little. The person that just asked me the question seems different somehow. Like he is not from around here.

People just don’t go around helping people for no reason. Damn it. Will I now be captured and sold? No, I will resist to the last end.

I somehow muster up the strength and shout, “NO.”

Even if he takes me now atleast I would know that I resisted to the end and did not invite misfortune upon myself.

The man just stands there and looks at me. I cannot see his face clearly enough to read expressions from his face. However there is something about him. I feel calm looking at him. Maybe I shouldn’t have rejected his offer of help. Even though I cannot see him clearly, his eyes somehow seems to draw me in them like I would find everything if I keep looking at them.

Would it really be that bad to die by his hands? He might be someone who might take pity on me and help me.

The man turns around and starts walking away.

Really? Wow! I did not expect that. Maybe he really was trying to help me.

“Wa..it.” I speak with all my strength.

He stops and turns around to look at me.

“He….lp..Meee..Pl..ea..se” I say to him desperately. Given my condition I tried to be as polite as I can because I had just refused his offer of help.

He says nothing nor does he show any sign of accepting or rejecting my request. He just gracefully walks toward me. By the time he is over me I see that his eyes start to glow as he says to me, “Sleep.”

I lose the strength to keep my eyes open and loose consciousness.