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Living was hard, in a place like this. The sun beat needlessly and ruthlessly down on the entirety of Lost Temple, resulting in the temperature being uncomfortable at best and unbearable at worst - it was not uncommon to find demons on the side of the road during noon, most likely having passed out from heat stroke. It was unlikely that someone would help them - it was just how the world was. Cruel. Unforgiving. Uncaring. Despicable.
Sword is a young child, spawning with no home, no parents, no siblings. He knows more than anyone that no one owes him anything, that the world is cruel and that he has to rely on himself to survive and no one else. During the day, he'd spend his time trudging through the heart of Lost Temple, observing the shops and markets, in awe at the products on display, but frowning when remembering the extortionate prices. He had no money and no way of generating an income, so always, when he wanted an item worth something, he had to get creative.
The small child trotted on the edge of the street, careful not to catch anyone's attention. The red inphernal wore the same clothing everyday, as he could not afford executing this tactic everyday due to the risks - demons would most likely start hunting him down, which sucked. Though, thankfully, he was, at first glance, not rendered a threat due to his size and the fact that most days, he was in and out before the vendors could notice.
Today, Sword wanted a snack. A tiny piece of food; yes, demons did not need to eat, but what little he had eaten tasted utterly delicious, he desired more! There was so much out there he had not yet tried. Plus, eating made him feel like he had something, it made him feel like actually he was living a luxurious life, just slightly different compared to average.
He snuck into an alleyway, trying to blend into the shadows, spying a stall selling various sweets. Currently, the owner was chatting to someone, helping them make a purchase.
Good. His eyes darted around - okay. No one was watching him. (Except from the figure from the shadows). Sword felt unsettled. No one was really watching. Everything was going to be okay. But, he, no matter how much he tried to ground himself back into reality and focus on the task at hand, he could not shake the prospect that someone, someone he could not see and someone he did not know where they were, was surveying him.
Someone was looking. He wasn't being ignored. That was supposed to connote good, positive feelings, but it just felt creepy. Sweat dripped slowly down his brow. Before long, he realised he had spaced out, eyes locked onto a nondescript corner in the alley he was huddled away in. He looked like a lost, homeless child.
The tiny demon breathed out and shut his eyelids, peering back at the market, wiping his face swiftly and smiling. The vendor was still distracted. Amazing. This was going to be so easy. It's crazy how easy it was to get away with this. Sword clasped his wings closely to his back and pulled his brownish, torn cloak over his head - you could barely see his bright red horns, which was good.
At the speed of light, Sword rushed forward and diverted right and went behind the counter through the back. Sword thrust his hand toward the stash of succulent goods - it was hard holding himself back from robbing the whole shop. His fingers grazed one of the candies. He was close. Just grab and go.
Someone is watching. Someone is judging. Someone is scrutinising.
Someone.
Run.
They see you. They see you now.
They know what you have done.
Disjointed, he returned his palm to his chest, but quickly realised he had let go of the sweet, leaving it to fall into the coarse desert sand. The blunder set off his balance, resulting in him tripping over, revealing himself every so clearly to both the owner and the customers waiting in line.
Before he could react, the cashier delivered a swift, merciless kick to his stomach, sending him cascading into a wall, knocking the air out of him and inflicting a lot of agonising pain throughout his nerves - he wailed. He caught a brief glimpse of the demon who had just assaulted him.
"What do you think you are doing, brat!?" They declared, anger radiating from them aggressively. They looked like they were going to kill him. He pulled his gaze toward the customers, but that did not help - the expressions they donned were a deadly mix of bitter disgust, absolute impatience and blind resentment. The clothes they wore painted a picture that they were probably far richer than Sword ever would dream of becoming.
That was not fair. Not fair. Not fair that they could afford to snack and he could not.
His arms shook and his wings quaked. This situation was too much. It had all gone wrong. He did not want to get caught, he had seen it happen before to other crooked thieves and it was not good, not good at all. HIs breathing picked up. Luckily, he clocked the demon looming over him desiring the boy to suffer more - he stood up on wobbly legs, jumped and ran away hastily from the market, barely missing the cashier attempting to grab him and pull him up by his shirt.
"Hey! Get back here, you rat! Do you really think you're going to get away with that!?" Sword heard as he was retreating desperately back into the maze that was the outskirts of the centre of Lost Temple - it was so easy to get lost. The child slipped behind a huge dumpster, sitting down and grasping the hood off his face. He felt more free that way - he wish he did not feel the urge to hide his face wherever he went.
He panted, his chest rising up and down as he tried to collect his thoughts. Sword could hear footsteps in the distance, which most likely meant he was being pursued - a lonely child, no house or family, no one to turn to, being hunted down and treated like a low-life, cold-hearted criminal. Maybe, that was what he was. Maybe, that was what he was doomed to become.
The young one pulled his knees to his chest tightly, in order to make himself appear as small as possible and in hopes he'd be forgotten about and ignored. He discarded the cloak at his side and wept quietly into his trousers, sobs being successfully muffled by the fabric, despite how thin and battered it was.
Maybe he deserved to be punished - these sweets weren't something he needed. This was something he wanted. Selfishly wanted. If those vendors gave out products freely, they'd go bankrupt; they needed to survive too; oh, how self-centred and stupid Sword was.
No one loved him. No one wanted him. And maybe that was correct, maybe that was the right thing to do, Sword decided.
Suddenly and disturbingly, an eerie giggle brushed his ears - it was a smooth, practiced sound, but it sent a bone-chilling shiver down his spine instantly, quelling his cries, now making him focus on the origin of the noise.
"Hey... who.. was that...? Hey..!" Sword exclaimed, his voice squeaking a little quieter than usual, as he did not want to alarm the demons chasing him down of his whereabouts. No response.
"Over here, little one!" The mysterious voice responded, letting another chuckle spill from their throat. Sword darted his head around, dazed and confused. His eyes locked onto a figure laying in a carefree position high up, palms resting on their chin. Noticeably, they only had one eye. Despite the fact they were in open air, Sword could still not entirely see them due to the shadows that enveloped them like a blanket of protection.
"Are you gonna.. capture me..?" Sword asked, nervous and frowning, heart beating heavily in his ribcage, screaming and begging for an escape. Had he already been caught? This was not good. In an effort to ease his nerves, he picked at his feathers and lightly patted his appendages. He really was not in the mood to run away.
"What? No, of course not! Little 'ole me? Never! I'm only here to help. Offer you some assistance. Be your light in the dark." The demon covered in darkness answered, delivering it as if Sword was dumb to even for one second consider this inphernal would harm him in any way.
"Really..?" This world was not a nice one. He was being bled dry everyday, pushing him to resort to theft so he could feel alive. No one in this world ever offered things for free.
"Really." The serene figure confirmed, grinning.
"What.. what's your name?" Sword questioned, curious and wanting to become friends with this demon already. Someone was giving him attention.
"I'm The Broker. However, if you want you can just refer to me as sir or ma'am, I don't mind, young one!" The Broker pronounced.
"Okay! Well, my name is-" Before the child could finish the sentence, it was finished by none other than Broker.
"Sword!" The Broker announced cheerfully, leaving Sword shocked. How did this random demon know who he was? Sure, he was named after his gear, but he had never seen this person before! Sword was breathless.
"How do you.."
"Spawned 22nd July, belonging to the faction 'Lost Temple', does not possess any biological parents or siblings." The boy was speechless. Why did this random person know so much? And why were they so nonchalant? Sword's expression mutated into one exhibiting clear unease and anxiety.
"Why do you know all that..!?" The child choked out, terrified, covering his front with his wings as best he could, but they were way too small to shield anything - they were underdeveloped, and from what he had heard from spying, it was unlikely that they would grow any bigger. Truthfully, Sword did not even know when his birthday was. However, this person knew. Had they been keeping track in secret?
"Oh, I apologise for startling you, little Sword! Don't worry about that. I've been keeping an eye on you since you first breathed your first breath. Like a guardian angel. A protector." Their words were laced with something that Sword could not quite pinpoint. This all did not feel right.
"Why..? Why me..?" There were so many demons that existed in this world, and so many like him who lived in homelessness and suffered everyday trying to make ends meet. Why him?
"You are special. You are different. I can feel it, deep inside."
He was... special? It was not everyday of the week that you get told that. The child blushed a little, surprised by the response he had been given. Sword felt a little less creeped out - it felt nice knowing that since spawning, there had been someone looking out for him, watching him like a parent would. Maybe The Broker could be his parent? It was a nice thought.
"Hey, Sword! I have something just for you!" The Broker called out to the mini swordsman. They picked up a small object and let it fall out of their palms. Sword's head jerked upward and held his hands out swiftly, catching and cupping the item in anticipation. Trapped within his hold was a small strawberry-flavoured hard-boiled sweet. Oh, his favourite! His eyes lit up brightly with stars.
"Oh my gosh! Thank you, uhm... Broker! The Broker!" The boy smiled and giggled, with child-like wonder, naively.
"Oh, no need to use my full name, little Sword!" Broker remarked. This whole interaction had caused Sword to neglect the fact that the someone was most likely pursuing him. And they had just found him. Before he could unwrap his present and be lost in its sugary goodness, a voice called out harshly.
"He's right here!" Sword instantaneously threw himself upward, clutched onto the hood and pulled it over his head, closing the sweet strongly within his fingers. He was not going to lose a gift his soon-to-be-parental figure just gave him - his first ever gift. He was going to cherish this forever.
"See you soon, Sword!" The Broker cackled, happily. Sword did not say anything back; he darted into the depths of the alleys that he was ever so acquainted with, but did risk one more glance at The Broker, who peered at him with a weird, twisted reassurance in their eye.
Sword had met someone today. Someone special. Someone who cared. Someone who saw him. Someone who heard him.
It made his heart pulse unnaturally. A new emotion flooded his entire being. Was it appreciation? Was it hope? Was it excitement?
He wasn't sure, but he knew this demon was someone he wanted to trust, someone who he wanted to stay near to.
What bad could happen, anyway?
No one in this world ever offered things for free.
There was always a price.