In a town in the western part of the empire.
The sky was overcast, devoid of any color. A chilly breeze swept through, as if trying to freeze the entire world.
It was another market day, and the streets were busier than usual, with people coming and going in a steady stream. However, there was little noise.
Even though they were familiar with each other, the people showed little warmth. They glanced at one another with eyes filled with numbness and indifference.
What did familiarity matter in a world where the common folk were oppressed as if living in hell? The next moment could bring eternal separation, so what was the point of warmth?
What did friendship matter? Perhaps over a piece of moldy bread, they could become mortal enemies. All bonds were so false and fragile!
Under a high earthen wall, a seven or eight-year-old girl stood staring blankly at the passersby. No one noticed her, no one stopped for her, as if she had been abandoned by the entire world.
The girl was dressed in tattered clothes, wrapped in a piece of cloth she had picked up from somewhere. Her body was filthy, and her small, pale hands were tightly clasped in front of her chest. Her tiny feet were bare on the cold ground.
In this late autumn season, nearing winter, the girl stood shivering. Even though she knew her future held only endless pain and despair, her young face shone with a determination to survive!
Her pink hair and pink eyes would have made her quite adorable if the dirt on her face were wiped away.
However, the very pink that made her more beautiful had brought her great disaster. She had parents, but she was a mixed-blood child of an alien race, so she was abandoned, despised, and left here to fend for herself.
Though she was young, she was intelligent. She knew everything, but she didn't hate those who had abandoned her. From the moment they left her, she had no connection or bond with them. Just like the indifferent strangers passing by, why would she hate them?
The girl only thought about how to survive. Though there was no reason, she wanted to live!
However, even this small wish seemed to be denied by the heavens.
"Hahaha… Look, this mixed-blood bastard is still here!"
"Yeah, yeah, we beat her up last time, but she's still not dead!"
"Barbaric alien races should just die already!"
"What are you looking at? Your cursed eyes will bring me bad luck, you little bitch!"
"Beat her to death! Beat her to death!"
…
A group of children of similar age had gathered around the girl. Their young faces were filled with mockery and disgust. Influenced by this world, they had become tainted and corrupted, far from the purity they should have had.
They showed no sympathy for the girl. Their twisted expressions and evil smirks were things they had learned from the noble lords they observed from afar. They picked up stones and mud from the ground and threw them at the girl.
A flicker of panic flashed in her eyes as she tightly hugged her head and curled up in the corner. Though her young heart was terrified and the hard stones hurt her body, the girl bit her lip tightly, not making a sound.
Like the perverted nobles who enjoyed trampling on the common folk, the girl knew that the more she resisted and struggled, the more excited and aggressive these bullies would become. Once they had their fill, they would leave.
This was the experience she had gained from her past encounters…
However, this time, the girl wasn't so lucky. The world always had a word called "accident."
"Hmph, useless fool, go home!"
"Really, the noble lords like toys that fight back. This one never resists, so it's no fun!"
"Hey, do you think we've been too gentle with her, so she doesn't fight back?"
"Hmm, that makes sense! Let's beat her up harder this time and strip off her tattered clothes!"
"Hahaha, yeah, yeah! I want to play too! I'll kick her stomach!"
"I'll stomp on her head!"
"I'll pull her annoying hair!"
…
The children chattered excitedly, their young faces twisted with perverted smiles as they looked at the terrified girl.
Clenching her lips tightly, the girl with pink eyes stared at the group of children advancing toward her, her gaze filled with endless despair…
But just at that moment—
"Hehehe, what a promising bunch of brats, each one so wicked!"
A mocking male voice rang out. All the children, including the girl huddled in the corner, froze and turned toward the source of the voice. They saw two figures who had somehow appeared beside them.
One was a black-haired, black-eyed man with a sinister smile, and the other was a beautiful woman with icy blue hair and eyes.
"W-what do you want? Even if you're adults, we're not afraid of you with so many of us here!"
One of the older children stepped forward, shouting at Sora and Esdeath. Although the aura emanating from the two instinctively filled the children with fear, their numbers and the fact that they were on the street gave them some courage.
"Tsk tsk tsk, even such young souls are already so dark? Well, too bad there's no juvenile protection law here!"
"Esdeath, these brats are yours. Consider it a little entertainment to change things up."
With a devilish grin, Sora walked toward the pink-haired girl in the corner while speaking to Esdeath behind him.
"No problem, darling!"
Step by step, Esdeath approached the group of children, her face adorned with a bloodthirsty and cruel smile.
"Waaah, Mommy, she's so scary!"
"Ah, don't come any closer!"
"Help! Help!"
…
Though she was a beautiful woman not much older than them, the terrifying aura and devilish smile on Esdeath's face instantly shattered the children's morale. They screamed and scattered in all directions.
Licking her lips, Esdeath wasn't particularly interested in these little ones, but since it was her darling's order, she wouldn't let them go.
Thud, thud, thud…
Finding nothing particularly amusing, Esdeath was unusually direct this time. With the sound of blood spurting, the group of tainted children turned into a pile of dismembered limbs on the ground.
"It took me so long to find you, you know? I'm quite angry, little girl."
"So, as compensation, from now on, everything about you belongs to me…"
No longer afraid, Sora crouched down, lifted the girl's chin with a smirk, and spoke in a teasing tone.