CHAPTER:0 PART:1 [The Start Of My Adventure]
Somewhere in the frozen, godforsaken corner of the slums, a boy with dull grey hair huddled under a tiny carved-out space in the side of a canal bridge. The raging winter winds howled outside like vengeful spirits, biting deep into his bones as he cursed his miserable fate in a bitter, dry voice.
(Sigh… Man, this fucking sucks. Just one single piece of rotting bread after an entire day of humiliating begging? Even the nobles' worthless slaves tossed more scraps in the church!)
Suddenly, he felt heavy stomping vibrations through the ground beneath him. His dull black eyes narrowed.
(Is someone running? Are those bastards from the other street — the bullies Emy warned me about? Ugh… so damn cold…)
The hiding spot was nothing more than a pathetic little hollow in the bridge wall. He poked his head out into the freezing storm to see what the commotion was.
A little girl with messy, uncombed red hair was sprinting toward him through the biting wind. Her face was sunken from malnutrition, her eyes baggy and exhausted like she hadn't slept in days. She clutched something tightly in her weak, trembling hand.
(Huff… huff… "Eren!")
The boy's name was Eren. He had short grey hair and black eyes so lifeless that even a broken mirror would reflect more light. His expression was always serious and cautious, like the world had already taught him that hope was a lie.
Recognizing the girl, he rushed out to meet her, voice thick with worry.
"Emy! Why the hell were you out in this raging cold wind?! You could freeze to death!"
Emy tried to catch her breath and smiled weakly.
"Eren, calm down… I have a surprise for you."
She showed him something wrapped in dirty paper.
"Let's go inside. I'll show you what it is."
She slipped into the tiny shelter first. As Eren followed, he glanced back at the massive chimneys belching black smoke into the stormy sky and let out a heavy sigh before crawling inside.
Once they were both in the cramped space, Eren gathered the few scraps of firewood he had, mixed them with some old rags, and struggled to light them with a broken lighter that barely had any gas left.
The small fire finally flickered to life, casting dancing shadows on the walls. The first thing the flames revealed was a massive, bleeding wound on Emy's small forehead. Eren's eyes widened in horror, his body turning ice-cold with fear even as his face stayed deathly serious.
"E-Emy… wh-what happened?!"
Emy looked confused for a second, then pointed at the wound and forced a bright smile, trying desperately not to worry him.
"Oh, this? It's nothing. I just fell while I was running."
It was an obvious lie she had made up on the spot. In truth, she had been beaten half to death while trying to sneak out the thing wrapped in paper.
But Eren wasn't fooled. He knew this cruel world better than any kid his age. He quickly grabbed a rag and pressed it hard against the wound to stop the bleeding. Emy squirmed and screamed as the pain became unbearable.
After a while, Eren looked into her big, tear-filled red eyes and asked with a solemn, heavy voice.
"Who did this to you?"
Her beautiful red eyes overflowed with tears. She rubbed them and blew her nose, trying to hide the truth.
"I told you before… I just fell while running."
Eren pulled her into a tight hug, gently consoling her until the crying finally stopped. Once she calmed down, she opened the paper wrapping with trembling hands.
Eren's eyes widened in pure shock. Inside was a decent-sized chunk of fresh meat.
"Emy… is that meat?!"
She suddenly shouted with pure excitement, eyes sparkling.
"Happy birthday!"
Eren was stunned. She had gone through all this pain and danger for both of them. They had been found together on the cathedral steps, so they had always shared everything. Yet he couldn't stop the sharp needles of uselessness stabbing into his heart.
"Of course I remembered! We were found on the 25th of December."
Eren hadn't celebrated anything in years. He looked at her with pity in his eyes — they were the only two who had managed to escape the church's clutches.
"Are we… turning ten this year?"
Emy nodded.
"Yes."
She saw the dark look on his face and snapped in an angry tone.
"Would you stop sulking already?! It's in the past! Let's walk toward our future!"
Eren stared blankly at the fire devouring the last of their firewood and whispered with hollow eyes.
"Do we even have a future…?"
As he drowned in memories of their horrible past — raised like livestock for the nobles — Emy picked up a sharp metal rod from the corner. She smiled at him and pierced the meat, turning it into a skewer.
"How about we celebrate tonight?"
Eren smiled at her unbreakable spirit and finally let go of the heavy thoughts. Soon the meat began sizzling over the flames, its color slowly changing. Eren noticed immediately.
"Something's wrong with the meat…"
Emy looked surprised.
"Well, this is the slums. You can't expect high-quality meat here. Anyway, calm down a bit. It'll be fine."
Eren didn't argue. They were both starving — they hadn't eaten properly in days. They waited patiently until the meat was cooked, then split it in half.
Emy couldn't wait any longer. She stuffed a huge piece into her mouth and spoke with her cheeks full.
"It pe…ey… b…e…nd (It's pretty bland)."
Eren took a bite as well. It really was bland. As they ate, he suddenly noticed blood dripping from Emy's nose.
"Emy, your nose is bleeding."
Emy casually wiped it with her hand.
"Meh, this happens from time to time."
But then, without warning, she suddenly vomited a thick stream of blood and collapsed. Blood poured from her mouth, nose, and ears.
"EMY!!!"
Eren lunged toward her, but his legs had already gone completely numb. He crawled desperately through the small fire, ignoring the burning pain, and reached her lifeless body. Her once-bright red eyes were slowly losing their light.
Emy struggled one last time. She weakly raised her hand and touched his tear-streaked face.
"Ere…n… don't… cr…y…"
Her eyes went dull. Her hand fell limp.
Right after, Eren's own body betrayed him. Strength vanished from every limb. He lay there beside her corpse as blood began gushing from his mouth, ears, and nose.
(Ah… I should've known the moment the color changed… It hurts… I curse you all to eternity… May you all be devoured by your own Desires…)
END OF CHAPTER:0 PART:1