1 Beginning

People danced and sang, laughing with joy. Big-bellied uncles drank until they were full, and aunties gossiped. Little kids whined about the music, hoping for something of their liking to play. Though, a boy stood in the back, tapping on his phone.

His hair was black and prior to the party, it was combed. However, it roughened up as the party went on. His skin was surprisingly pale and his eyes were red. He often had a scornful gaze, but as he stared at his phone, you could see a moment of tranquility on his face. His name was Julian Thorne, a 13-year-old.

"What are you even looking at, anyways?" a woman next to him nagged. She seemed to be related to him and older than him, as they looked similar. However, she didn't have red eyes like he did.

"None of your business. Shoo."

"My goodness! Do you have any respect for your elders? I will definitely inform your mother about this!"

The older woman stomped off, balling her fist. Julian shrugged and decided to walk outside. He told everyone that he was trying to get a moment to clear his mind. That was a lie. He only went outside to stay on his phone without getting bothered.

Julian was a misunderstood boy. For his entire life, people expected him to be a bad person because of his red eyes. He was truly a kind boy, and a smart one to add to that. But everyone only saw him as a deceitful liar. Even his parents were embarrassed about giving birth to him. So he stopped trying. To be nice, that is.

It was midnight. A new moon was hidden in the sky. It wasn't a beautiful appearance or anything like that. In fact, it was quite bland. The wind was at a standstill, blowing in no direction.

A truck was moving fast along the road. Julian stopped in his path, waiting for the truck to cross.

"Are all truck drivers this reckless?" Julian thought to himself, keeping his eyes on his phone. He didn't really care. It was just something that came across his mind.

But all of a sudden, a little kid walked into the road. There was no hesitation in Julian's movement. He was a scrawny, skinny kid, with no athleticism. But at that moment, his body was used to its max potential.

He leaped at the kid and grabbed him, missing by a hair. He fell onto the hard concrete, still shielding the kid.

"Are you... alright?" he asked, slowly letting go of the kid. When he let go, he could get a good look at the kid's face. He had tears in his eyes, caused by fear, and the slight damage that was received upon falling onto the concrete.

Julian dusted himself and stood up. He smiled at the kid, pulling him up.

"G-Get away from my kid!"

Julian turned around. A fearful mother gripped her gun, pointing it straight at Julian. You could see the worry in her face and her body, as her hands were shaking.

"Hm? Ah, it's a misunderstanding, ma'am. I was helping your kid-"

The fearful mother shot her gun three times. One landed on Julian's right leg, the other landed in his chest, and the last one landed in his throat.

Julian's eyes widened. The mother grabbed her kid's hand and ran away. Without wasting much time, Julian started to limp. He was trying to reach the nearest hospital. Eventually, he realized his attempts were futile. He collapsed and crawled into an alleyway.

"It hurts... it hurts! Shit, it hurts too bad!" Julian thought. He could only gurgle, as he was shot in the throat. He panted. It was not long before his death was inevitable. Like any 13-year-old that knew they were about to die, he cried.

He looked at his hands one more time. They were stained with blood. His arms dropped, as even holding them up for a long time got him tired. While he sat there, he thought about his life.

No friends, no girlfriend, nothing. He remembered all those desperate efforts of kindness before he completely shut it all off.

"I guess all that shut-back kindness resurfaced when I saved that kid."

As he was lost in thought, he started choking on his own blood. It was the scariest moment of his life. His grip on his own consciousness began to loosen.

"I'm really... dying now."

His head fell and his body followed. His lifeless corpse was there in the rain. It was a horrible sight to see. A bloodied 13-year-old.

. . . . .

. . . .

. . .

. .

.

Julian opened his eyes. His head no longer rested on a hard concrete floor. Instead, it was much more comfortable. Lush grass and soft soil comforted his head. The sun was harsh against his eyes, so he squinted slightly.

"I'm... alive!"

He stood up. In front of him were the gates of a city, with a sign that displayed language unknown to Julian. He walked inside and his eyes widened.

"A... fantasy world!"