Do you want power?

Joseph was walking alone in the muddy alley. It was already midnight. After today's incident, he was angry. But he couldn't even imagine the shock that awaits him at his home.

"You worthless piece of sh*t! What have you done!?"

His father was home early for the first time since he was a child. But not because of good reasons. He was furious. Right at the moment, he steps into the house his father slapped him.

Because of the unexpected slap, Joseph fell to the ground. He was dumbfounded. He was thinking of telling what happened at the school to his father.

He was expelled from the school right after those bastards humiliated him right in front of everyone. Even Oscar Williams almost strangle him to the death. His neck was already bruised by it.

"F-father-"

"Shut up! Because of you all of my business is over!"

"Wh-what?"

Joseph knew his father's business. He had a sea trading company which is also a family business. As the only son of his father, he would inherit the job when he grew up. But now it doesn't seem likely.

"An hour earlier Mister Rextert called me. He told me what you have done and he said, 'A parent that couldn't teach their own child what's wrong and right, doesn't deserve wealth'. And from that moment the company losing money. At this rate, I will lose everything before midnight. Because of you, MY company is going bankrupt!!"

His father slapped Joseph one more time. This time it was a lot stronger. Joseph could feel the blood leaking from his lips. It was hard to take in all of this at once. All of his life gone to ruin because of a single mistake.

The mistake he was thinking wasn't the bullying, no it was doing it at the place where everyone can see it. He was extremely confident that no one would say anything to him. After all, no one did till today. When the fight broke out he was surprised by someone defying him.

But when Oscar caught him by the neck everything went blank for him. He remembered the things he heard about him. They were terrifying for him. He would bully and fight but causing someone's death, was something he couldn't dare to.

"You trash! Because of you, I am losing everything!"

"Father... I am sorry...sorry..."

"I don't need your apology. They are as useless as you! You worthless trash."

Joseph stop talking. He could feel the tears running down on his own cheeks. He glanced at his mother but only face with her cold glare. His mother never truly liked him and he knows it. His mother only liked his father and his money. Now that they lose it all because of Joseph, he knows that his mother hates him now.

He tried to get up but only met with a punch to his face. He fell again but his father didn't stop there. He kicked him nonstop. After a few minutes, he stopped and grabbed the collar of Joseph's shirt.

"Never come back here! I will kill you myself if you return."

His father then threw him to the streets. When Joseph looked up he met with his mother's eyes. They were glaring daggers at him. She spat on him and went back to her house.

Back to the present, Joseph looked slowly in the muddy alley. He didn't know where he was going. He was only walking without a thought. Staggering at every step.

After he was thrown out of the house he walked away from there. Not wanting to be near there. Soon after rain started. Rain hid his tears but couldn't calm him down. His heart was in turmoil. His father's abuse and Oscar's almost strangling him to death kept repeating inside of his head.

He felt powerless and weak. Even worthless, just as his father said. He clenched his fists. He just wanted to feel strong by bullying someone weak. But in the end, he messed up. Now he felt even more weak and worthless.

"No matter what I try, no matter what I do... I always mess up things. I hate this, myself, everything. I hate being weak, being worthless."

Joseph kept whispering. While he was whispering to himself, he didn't realize that he arrived somewhere near the docks. It was the smell of the saltwater that brought his mind back. The familiar smell of saltwater he used to while he grew up.

Seeing the docks, memories of his early childhood surfaced in his mind. The constant abuse of his father and always neglectful mother, not even true friends just a bunch of people laughing at him. He was always alone.

He remembered Oscar and the others. What they did for someone they didn't even know. He thought, 'Is this what people call being... good person?'. This question lingered on his mind for a while.

He didn't care to be a good person nor a bad one. He just wanted to feel strong. Just the forget he is abused for being weak. At that moment something appeared near him but he didn't realize it.

It was a somber gray-colored mist at the shape of a human. It slowly gets closer to Joseph without him noticing. It suddenly surrounded him and covered all of his body.

"Wh-what?! What's happening?!"

Frightened by the sudden appearance of the gray smoke, Joseph panicked. He tried to run from it but realized that he couldn't move. While struggling against the weird gray smoke he heard a deep voice.

"Do you want power?"

It wasn't the voice of a male or female, not even a human. It was a voice of something else. He didn't know how he knew it but something was sure, from the moment he heard it there was a terrifying feeling in his heart.

"Do you want power? That will make everyone against you worthless."

When he hard it, memories of his father yelling at him 'worthless' resurfaced in his mind. A rage he never knew consumed his mind.

"Yes. I want power that will make everyone against me worthless. I want everyone to feel what I felt!"

"Very well. I am Kulligar. I will grant you the power you wish for, but in exchange for the power, I will take your soul. Do we have a deal?"

"I don't care what you take. I just want power."

"Excellent"

A creepy face with a creepy smile appeared on the smoke. Before Joseph could react to it smoke invade his body from his mouth. When all of the smoke entered his body he fell to the ground. For normal eyes, he was just past out but in truth, a glowing rune of the divine union appeared on his soul along with a gray mark.

Somewhere near stood a man who watched everything from beginning to end. Because of him being in the shadows no one could notice him before. He grinned while looking at the passed-out Joseph.

He came out of the shadows and walked towards Joseph. Even though it was raining there were still workers at the dock but no one paid any attention to the man or Joseph. The man was wearing a long dark coat and dark panama hat that covers most of his face.

When he reached Joseph he kneeled next to him and controlled his heartbeat. Seeing that Joseph was still alive his grin get wider. A low but creepy voice comes out of his mouth.

"It's a success. Ku Ku Ku... Humans are more useful than I thought! Of course as a vessel! I can hardly wait for others to find vessels for themselves. It's going to be amazing, killing humans while using them as vessels!!"