Chapter Text
-The sky was turning red that day.
-The same shade of red as the eyes he had.
-The same shade of red he had been forced to spill.
-The same shade of red he caused others to spill.
-A filthy maroon, staining the graveyard he had made his foraging grounds. A rotten, filthy color.
-It was at that moment, when the sky was beginning to cast that disgusting shade, that he had met him. A pale haired man with a soft smile.
-Was he a human? Or a specter that had chosen to rise from hell. The crimson world seemed to have halted for that moment, as a gentle hand ran through the matted mess the child had for hair, and the man spoke.
-“I came after hearing about a corpse-eating demon,” The stranger had said, his hand still resting on the child’s head. “Would that be you?”
-The nameless child froze up at the contact as the man continued.
-“A rather cute demon.” he had said.
-The hand felt warm, but years of instilled wariness and fear quickly rushed back, and the child reflexively swatted the hand away.
-There was a stranger in front of him, and death would surely follow. The child was determined not to let it take him first. Wary of the undrawn katana that hung idle at the man’s side, the child drew his blade first.
-“Did you also take that from a corpse?” The man asked, as the boy slowly unsheathed it.
-It was a cracked and dull thing, with the blood from it’s last victim still dripping off of it. The boy had picked it up one day during an encounter with a few bandits, and he hasn’t let go of it since. It may have been a bit longer than the child could comfortably carry it, and a bit heavier than the child could normally wield it, but it got the job done.
“A child stripping corpses to protect himself, is it?” The man said, unfazed, just as the boy finished taking out his weapon.
-“That’s very impressive.” The man continued, as the boy readied himself.
-The edge of the blade was turned towards the man, and the boy took on a defensive position. He couldn’t simply charge at the stranger head on after all, he was much taller than the kid.
-“However, you no longer need that sword.” The man shifted slightly, still wearing that odd smile on his face. Just what was it he found so amusing? He didn’t even seem a bit frightened, wasn’t that the normal reaction to a child wielding a naked blade.
-The silver child glanced up in confusion, before quickly readying himself for an attack as the man finally reached for his blade.
-The man told him this:
-“A sword that is only swung in self-defense, while fearing others, should be thrown away.”
-The boy was taken aback, as the man unhooked the weapon from his belt, and tossed it to the child, effectively disarming himself.
-The child nearly fell backwards catching it, caused by both the shock of the action, and the new weight now resting in his arms. He looked at the stranger in confusion. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
-The man giving away his weapon with the two of them still standing was unprecedented.
-The boy looked at that man, stunned, when the stranger told him “I shall give you my sword.”
-He turned around, leaving himself open to any form of attack that child may throw at him.
-“If you wish to learn how to properly use it, then come with me.” The man said, as he began to walk away.
-“From now on, you will swing that sword. Not to cut down your enemies.” He continued, “Not to cut away your weakness and protect yourself.”
-“But to protect your very soul”
-The child looked on in awe and wonder, he felt the weight of that stained, dull blade leave his hands, as clutched onto the stranger’s sword in his hands, and without realizing, found himself running up to the man.
-It was then that the crimson skies gave way, as the boy found himself running towards a new day.