Chapter 78

I watched helplessly as the boy darted off, tears welling in his eyes as he shoved away people in the crowd.

"Wait!"

I began to dart after him, weaving effortlessly through the crowds and dodging surprise punches and kicks from angry goers.

"Get away from me, you're a monster!"

He looked back at me and yelled, his expression contorted into a tear stained mess. Those words phased through me and disappeared, only pressuring me to continue to pursue. the boy and explain.

"I just wanna talk, please!"

The boy was left cornered in the corner of the Dark Market, pressed against a wall and shivering like an injured dog. I looked down at him gently, not moving much so I wouldn't stimulate an emotional response from the terrified teenager.

"D-don't hurt me..."

His words seemed to pierce my heart and twist it into a knot. I felt an inscrutable pain cross my body as he continued to cower away from me. I took a deep breath and took a step forward.

The boy let out an animal-like whimper, curling up into a ball and using his snowy wings to hide himself from me.

"Why would I want to hurt you?"

I asked, kneeling down slightly, my gaze still fixed on the vulnerable boy.

"Y-you made my mom explode, you'll make me explode!"

The words hit me like a heavy punch, knocking the wind out of my lungs. I took a step back and sat down slowly, laying my head on my folded arms that rested on my knees.

"I didn't mean for it to happen, I won't make you explode, I promise you."

I covered up the symbol on my forehead and smiled softly at the boy. He peeked his eyes from in between his curtain of feathers, they still had a glint of untrusting me.

"How do I know if I can trust you?"

His voice was now sharp and calloused, and his eyes seemed to flicker with the same dominant emotion, those eyes that were fixed on me, so cold and terrified.

"You don't have to trust me."

I closed my eyes and envisioned the statue, then we ended up both inside the throne room. The ambient and peaceful hum of the cosmos seemed to slightly ease the boy's nerves, but I could still feel his fearful and angry aura.

"But you can always forgive someone."

I suddenly took a deep breath and said with a complicated expression.

"My father...whom I'm quite distant from told me one thing, one thing that still resonates inside me to this day..."

The boy's fearful gaze started to soften as he began to listen to my words, he leaned up slightly and met my gaze with a soft expression. Although tears still continued to fall down his face.

"He told me that...people are complicated. People can do things that they don't like or want to do. People can be monsters, people can be saints, sinners, they can be anything they like."

"I chose to be the person who wants to help people and be kind. I've done my fair share of bad things, awful things to be exact. But I never enjoyed doing them."

The boy's gaze flickered with another unreadable emotion. He sat up and unfurled his wings, his full and scarred body now exposed to me.

"Someone very wise and very smart once said; "Life is like a stream, and you're a rock within that stream, gently flowing and moving down the stream."

"B-but I'm not a rock..."

The boy said in a puzzled manner. I looked down at him and smiled softly.

"In the context you are. You need to learn how to control that flow, that very force that carries you throughout life, throughout this journey that you take."

"What's this gotta do with anything?"

The boy slacked his shoulders slightly and rolled his eyes. I chuckled softly and took a scoot a little closer to him.

"Currently there's a big log lodged in the stream, what do you think that means?"

The boy looked up at me in confusion and shrugged.

"It's an emotion you're currently feeling. Tell me, what do you think about me right now?"

"Y-you killed my mother. I used to think you were a bad person, but what you just said wants to make me think you're not in control of this."

The boy replied.

"I understand why you'd think that, but I want to tell you one thing. Do you remember the monsters and bad people I mentioned earlier?"

He nodded, but I felt a fearful aura begin to form in his body as he took a few steps away from me. I remained unmoving, letting him do this.

"Y-you're a monster?"

I shook my head, before I closed my eyes and curled up my right hand, outstretching it. I remembered the dream I had 2 weeks ago with the boy and the chief, and one tiny detail about it.

When I reopened my hand a colorful butterfly remained fixed in my palm. Its wings were iridescent shades of purple, blue and green.

"Wow, how'd you do that?"

I chuckled lightly before answering in a slightly amused tone.

"It's complicated."

"But now, look at the creature in my hands. How delicate and gentle it is on my palm. Think of this butterfly as you."

"As me?"

I nodded softly, the butterfly crawled up my hand and landed gracefully onto my finger, flapping its multicolored wings slowly and gently.

"I don't want to be a monster, nor do I want anyone to see me as one. If I'm treating this butterfly with such respect and clarity, what do you think that tells you about me?"

The boy fell silent, before his white eyes lit up with happiness and trust. This sudden feeling answered my question, he didn't need to explain it with words.

"You mean, you won't hurt me?"

The boy's voice was still slightly cautious as his gaze was fixed on me. I smiled softly and laughed.

"Of course I won't, doing so would paint me in the wrong picture. The only reason I made your mother explode was because I was unable to control it, there's something inside me that I'm still fighting to understand."

"So I guess you still have a log to go around, don't you."

He said with a chuckle. His smile and laughter was almost infectious. His sudden outburst of happiness made me want to cry tears of joy, but I held it back with everything in my power.

The boy suddenly took a few steps towards me, his bare feet gently brushing against the soft carpet underneath us.

"Thank you."

I felt my body freeze like a monolith when he wrapped my arms around me, clinging to me like a baby koala.

My face erupted with blush as I returned the hug gently and willfully. He looked up at me and smiled softly, his eyes closed and relaxed as he started to melt in my grip.

"Don't fall asleep on me now."

I playfully teased as I let go of him and stared down at him with a calm and placid expression. Suddenly a question crossed my mind.

"It's come to my attention that you never told me your name."

The boy paused for a moment, scratching his unkempt white hair before replying.

"M-my name is...my name is Damien."

I nodded, ruffling the boy's icy hair.

"Damien, I like that name, it suits you."

I said with a chuckle, leaning down to meet the boy's gaze with mine. I took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Tell me, do you have anywhere to stay?"

Damien shook his head, shuffling his feet nervously before replying.

"No, I've never been outside of the Dark Market before, it's been my home my entire life."

I felt my gut drop. You mean to tell me that this boy had been living inside a place filled with awful people, murder, violence, drugs, and sex for his entire life?

"That's awful."

My voice was laced with concern as I gently traced the boy's face with my finger. I felt a strange protective rush engulf my body upon seeing this vulnerable boy.

"I think I have a solution to your situation."

The boy looked at me in promise and raised an eyebrow.

"W-where?"

I smiled softly, before envisioning the statue and bringing us back to the physical realm. 

"I'll show you soon."

Shinso and Sabestian ran over to me and gazed at the boy in concern.

"How's the kid?"

"I-I'm good."

Damien replied, playing with his fingers nervously. Sabestian smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. Shinso then looked back and gazed at the limp bodies of the cultists from afar, before turning back to me with a smile.

He pulled out the case with the red and obsidian inlaid bullets before putting them into my hand.

"I had a feeling you'd want these, now tell me the whole reason you came down here."

I gazed at the bullets for a few seconds before looking back up at Shinso.

"Well, it's too complicated to explain right now, I will once we get back to our headquarters."

Shinso nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He then looked towards Damien with curiosity.

"What's gonna happen to this kid?"

"Well I thought about taking him back with us. He doesn't have a home and his only parental figure that we know of is dead."

"Really?"

Damien looked up at me with a hopeful expression. I smiled at him and nodded my head.

"Yes, you're a special kid. You're kind, sweet and kind of everything I want to see in a person. There's so much hate in this world, I personally think kindness will change the world."

Damien suddenly clung tightly to my leg, refusing to let go whatsoever by what I could tell. I chuckled and ran my hand through his rough hair, feeling all the grease and oils that have accumulated from all of his sweating.

"We should leave this place, I have my bullets and Aizawa's gonna kill us if we don't get back before dark."

I suddenly took Damien's hand and led him out of the Dark Market. Shinso and Sabestian followed close behind me, ensuring that no danger would come to the white haired boy.

"Although I think you need a bath, all of your sweating and brutal fights have really exhausted you, and you're all smelly now."

Damien's face erupted with an embarrassing blush as he clutched my hand tighter. I felt some nervousness in the boy's grip as we continued to walk out of The Dark Market.

After we retreated out of the foul place we closed the door behind us and left the bar. I watched as Damien's expression lit up upon seeing all of the new sights of the upper world.

He salivated at the biggest of fruits being sold in the market, his pose being filled with the sweet aroma of pastries and deserts. The sound of carriages rushing by looking for their next customer. The chatter of the townsfolk, all of it seems to peak Damien's interest.

"W-wow, I love this..."

Damien's voice was soft as he looked around at all the new and interesting sights, people, foods and overall new environment.

"I'm guessing it's much better than The Dark Market?"

Damien nodded quickly and smiled brightly, his tiny grip around my hand tightening a little in comfort and appreciation.

"We're almost there, there's a lot of people I think you'd want to meet."

"New p-people, will they hurt me?"

I shook my head and chuckled, amused while also very concerned by the boy's guess.

"No, of course not. They're nice people and they'll all love to meet you, Damien."

We continued to traverse the streets until we arrived in the gloomy part of town where Aaron's house was. I slowly opened the door and saw him on the couch, his face deep in a book.

"We're back."

I announced as I entered the house, the gas lamps above the fireplace gave a comforting glow across the entire house. Aaron looked up from his book and shot me a concerned glance when he saw the young and frail boy holding onto my hand. 

"Who's this fella?"

His voice had some amusement and curiosity as he stood up and put the book onto the coffee table, before approaching the child slowly and giving him a warm and assuring smile.

"This is Damien, we met him on the streets."

"The streets, are you sure he doesn't have any diseases? We don't want anyone getting sick here now do we?"

He knelt down and slowly reached his hand out towards the boy. He looked up to me in confusion and fear. I nodded slowly, assuring to the boy that Aaron meant no harm.

"Don't worry, I won't bite."

Aaron let out a chuckle as he slowly shook the boy's hand with a loose grip.

"B-bite?"

"I'm joking, heh."

He suddenly stood up and approached the door, before doing all the accommodations and entering the base. When everyone saw the boy curious and eager expressions formed on their faces, except for Raymond.

"I thought this was a secret organization, not some homeless shelter."

Raymond groaned with rolled eyes. Damien looked at Raymond with a fearful expression, but Raymond's annoyance quickly turned to intrigue when he saw the white wings on his back.

"Where'd you get these wings, kid?"

Raymond walked over to him and loosely held the feathered appendage in his arm. Damien suddenly fell silent and took a deep breath.

"I-I...have a quirk."