chapter -2 DESPAIR

Everything happens for a reason

The above statement may seem like something someone would say to give hope to a person who is going through something bad. A glimmer of hope that what they are going through today may lead to something better in the future.

It sounds good. It sounds happy. But the only reason it sounds like this is because those words are spoken in the hopes of uplifting the sad person's spirit.

These words are very much true. Everything happens for a reason. Be it good or bad, everything happening in our lives has a purpose behind it.

Despite the above statements, we need to understand that life is not all sunshine and rainbows. There is a darker side to this too.

Everything happens for a reason, sure. But can we be completely sure that what is happening today is going to lead to a better ending?

Can we be hundred percent certain that the reason behind such terrible things happening in our lives is always going to be good?

The answer to the above questions is simple. No, we cannot be certain, as we don't possess the ability to see the future.

In the end, we can only wait for our misery to end; Hope that the result of such despair filled life might lead to something better.

We are powerless against destiny. The only thing we can do against it is to wait and hope for the reason behind everything happening in our lives to be beneficial to us.

What would we do if it's not the result we wanted? What would we do if everything that has happened to us till now, leads to a terrible end?

Answer:- In case something like that happens, then the only thing we can do is simply scream in despair.

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[ 31st January, 2012 ]

In district 24 of Futaba province, an orphanage named 'Haven of Gods' reside. In that orphanage, kids who have been abandoned by their families, or simply didn't have a family to begin with, live together and create a family among themselves.

All the kids living in the mentioned orphanage consider each other a family. They live together, eat together, play together, and do all sorts of things together. Such relations between the kids lead them to create a bond with each other, making them believe that they are peas of the same pond.

Despite such relationships, not everything can be good. Especially in a world like this where with every good thing happening in our lives, an equal amount of bad is also given to us.

The same can be said about this orphanage.

"I told you to do my Homework, you little shit!" A boy, who looked to be seventeen years of age, said with an angry scowl on his face as he grabbed the collar of the person in front of him.

The said person whose collar was grabbed, looked to be another boy of similar age as the angry one.

The boy appeared rather thin in comparison, and wore round glasses which seemed to be slightly cracked from the sides. He had dark medium length hair and had the features of an average slim boy. Despite his appearance, he had light blue eyes which can only be described by the word 'magical'.

Currently being subjected to be held by his collar, the boy tried his best to calm his 'friend' down by speaking in a calm tone of voice, at least he tried to sound calm.

"Uhm-Takeshi? I-uh, I know you are angry, but let's calm down for now. W-we don't want Sophia to know about this now do we?" The boy said with a nervous smile on his face. He raised both of his hands in the air as a placating gesture, "Let's not be hasty. You and I both know that she gets really angry when we fight."

Sophia, as the boy said, was the woman running this orphanage. She is a very kind woman who thinks of every child in the orphanage as her own and has been taking care of them since they were little. So it's safe to say that she is slightly on the old side when it comes down to her age.

Every kid in the orphanage thinks of Sophia as if she is their real mother, which makes the respect they hold for her to be something to take note of. Everyone in the orphanage loves her and Takeshi is no exception.

So just as the boy's words reached Takeshi's ears, he clicked his tongue in annoyance as he let go of the boy's collar before glaring at him

"Tch. Don't think this is over you runt. If you don't do my homework by tomorrow, I would beat the crap out of you." His glare hardened, "It wouldn't matter if Sophia gets angry or not. I would make sure to teach you a lesson you freaky piece of shit."

After saying those words, Takeshi left the backyard of the orphanage; a place where he always brings the same boy when he wants to beat some sense into him. Just as Takeshi left, the boy sighed and had a sad smile on his face.

'Freak huh? I lost count on how many times I have been called that.' The boy thought as he started moving towards the entrance of the orphanage.

Five years. That's how long it has been since he was put into this orphanage.

Unlike other kids, he was not an orphan by birth, rather his parents died on a car crash when he was just three years old. Surprisingly, despite being in the same car with his parents during the accident, he was not harmed in any way.

He had a few scrapes here and there, sure. But he wasn't severely injured. It was nothing short of a miracle that he was alive. His parents however, weren't so lucky.

He didn't have any family members who wanted to take him in after his parents' death. So it was mutually decided among his family members that they would divide his parents' wealth among themselves and send him to an orphanage.

In the end, he was abandoned.

When he first came to this orphanage, he was already regarded as an outcast. Unlike all the other kids in the orphanage, he wasn't an orphan by birth. He was among them, yes, but he wasn't one of them.

He thought it to be for the best. He didn't need any more attachments in the world. He already lost his parents, he didn't want to make any more connections only to lose them too. So he kept his distance from the other kids.

Some kids however, didn't take kindly to his actions. They thought of him not talking to them was simply because he thought himself to be superior to them. They all were a little envious of the boy, as unlike most of them, he had seen his parents and even spent most of his life with them.

Such envy soon turned into jealousy and that's how the bullying started.

At first, it was nothing physical. Kids in the orphanage would simply break some rules and put the blame on him. He would get punished for their actions, but he didn't mind it that much. The punishment he would receive was simply to clean the hallroom or something similar, so he didn't find it that bad.

The real problem arose when they started to get physical, or at least one of them did.

Takeshi was actually one of the first kids in the orphanage who tried to befriend him, but due to him suffering from his parents' death at the time, he ended up saying some very rude things to Takeshi which led the boy to hold a grudge against him to this day.

Takeshi would always make him do things for him. He would make sure to do this when Sophia wasn't looking. When he tried to protest against Takeshi, the result would be a thorough beating he would receive in the backyard.

Even if he were to complain that Takeshi beat him, another kid would interject and say that Takeshi was with him this whole time. They would always stick up for one another. For them, Takeshi was their family and he was an enemy.

"It's always like this..."

"What is always like this?"

A melodic voice, belonging to an elderly woman in her early fifties asked with a motherly smile on her face. This woman was Sophia, the one who runs this orphanage.

Upon hearing this familiar voice so close to him, the boy jumped a little in surprise as he noticed he was already in the orphanage. He didn't notice it at first as he was lost in his thoughts.

"Yoshi, are you alright?" Sophia gave the boy a worried look, as her gaze softened at the sight of the boy who she regarded as her son, "What were you doing in the backyard? Did you get into a fight again?"

The elderly woman looked at the boy for any signs of injuries. Upon seeing him to be completely fine, albeit with a wrinkled collar, she guessed nothing bad happened today which made her sigh in relief.

The boy, now known as Yoshi, regarded Sophia's question with a reassuring smile on his face as he said,

"Nothing happened. I was just feeling a little out of it so I thought to take a walk in the backyard." He scratched the back of his head as he gave her a sheepish grin, "Sorry for worrying you Sophia."

Yoshi's acting skills were top notch. Anyone after seeing this reaction from him would believe his words to be true. Sophia however, wasn't convinced.

Sophia has been taking care of Yoshi as if he was her own child since he was just three years old. She knew when he was lying and when he wasn't. Sophia also knew what has been happening in the orphanage behind her back. She tried to make all the children accept the fact that Yoshi was one of their own, but the kids were not so willing of the prospect.

It didn't help the fact that all the other staff members she hired in the orphanage seemed to punish the boy for the 'crimes' he didn't commit, making him even more reserved than he already was.

Sophia even scolded Takeshi more than once for his behaviour, but the boy has been going through a rebellious phase lately. He didn't listen to her words and tried to be sneaky at his attempts to hurt Yoshi.

Sophia, despite being worried about Yoshi, couldn't do much to help. She loved Yoshi like he was her own son, but she feels the same for Takeshi as well. They both are her sons, and a mother can't choose one son over the other no matter how hard she tries.

"Yoshi, you know you are a bad liar right?" Sophia placed a hand on Yoshi's cheek as she gave him a worried look, "I know you are lying son. Tell me, what happened?"

Yoshi shifted uncomfortably under her touch. Despite him deciding to not making any more connections in the world, Yoshi still ended up seeing Sophia as a mother figure for him. Her kind nature, her warm smile as well as her embrace when she found out he was crying in his sleep, all of such actions from her reminded Yoshi too much of his mother.

And that scared him.

"Haha, we all know that I am a really great liar. It's just that you are the one who is good at discerning lies." Yoshi tried to play off her question with a playful smile. He didn't want Sophia to interfere.

However, Sophia was not so easy to fool.

"Yoshi, what happened?" Her brows furrowed, "Is it Takeshi again? I am going to talk to him. That brat is giving me so much trouble lately-"

"It's not! I am telling you it's fine." He retorted harshly. Realising what he just did, he gave her an apologetic smile, "I-I am sorry. I guess I am just tired. I am fine Sophia, really."

Sophia still didn't look convinced. Noticing that she was about to speak again, Yoshi did something which can only be described as a term known as- SuperNatural.

He grabbed her hand, looked into her eyes as his light blue eyes shined for a second. If someone were to see him right now, they would notice that the colour of his eyes has turned purple.

Sophia's mind after looking into Yoshi's eyes went blank. She forgot what she was about to say. What was it again? Why was she here? What was here? No, she was looking for Yoshi, wait, who was Yoshi?

After a few seconds, which felt like eternity, Yoshi's eyes turned light blue again. With the colour of his eyes back, Sophia's brain also started functioning again as she looked at Yoshi confusingly.

"Uh, Yoshi? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your room right now?" She gave Yoshi a smile, "Are you hungry? I am going to be preparing dinner in a minute. I will call for you when it's ready."

"Thank you Sophia. I will be in my room, call for me when you need me." Yoshi bowed his head before sprinting towards his room with a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.

He did it again. He used his powers on Sophia again.

Yoshi has superpowers.

The day his parents died, Yoshi was left alone in this world. His family members were all greedy people who just wanted to take his parents' money. They were all fighting among themselves to take him in to get access to that money, so he hoped in his heart for them to leave him alone. He wished to be just sent to an orphanage, at least that way he can escape these people.

Surprisingly, his wish came true. His relatives ended up leaving him outside this orphanage without a question.

It was as if they were brainwashed.

That was the day it clicked him. He had super powers.

Yoshi barely used his powers, as these powers scared him a lot. Whenever he was trying to use his powers on someone, he could feel that person's entire personality leaving his body. If he wasn't careful, he could end up making the person he is using his powers on to completely forget who they were.

Reaching his room, Yoshi shut the door of his room and went to his study desk as he started hyperventilating.

"W-What the fuck?! Why did I do that?! I didn't mean to use my powers on her.." He grabbed his hair as his face went pale, "I was about to make her forget who I was...I was about to lose focus..." He muttered as blood started pouring down his nose.

Yoshi didn't look surprised by that, as he pulled out a tissue from under his study desk and wiped his nose with that tissue.

"I.. I need to be careful with my powers. I don't want to hurt anyone." He took deep breaths to calm himself, "Panicking won't help. I am the only one with this power, so getting help to control something so dangerous is out of the question. I am alone in this, as I have always been."

Yoshi's gaze hardened as he stood up and moved towards his bed. There was a cupboard in the bed with his name written on it. He opened it and pulled out a book.

It was a small story book with the title 'Overcome it'. It had beautiful linings at the edges, and a picture of a girl who was carrying a huge boulder on her tiny shoulders. Yoshi's gaze softened after seeing that book. He caressed the cover of the book with misty eyes. He smiled after seeing the name of the author, 'Miyamura Kanae'. His mother.

Just as he was about to open the book to re-read it for the 231st time again, there was a knock on his door which caught his attention.

Yoshi left the book on the bed and went to open the door with fastened steps. Upon opening the door, he was graced with the presence of Sophia and her loving smile.

"Dinner is ready. Come downstairs. Everyone's at the table." Sophia said as she motioned for Yoshi to walk alongside her, which he gratefully did. Just as he reached the dining hall a thought crossed his head.

He didn't forget to put the book back on his cupboard, did he?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Having enjoyed his dinner, Yoshi returned to his room with a satisfied smile. That smile soon turned into a confused frown as he looked inside his room to notice that his book, his treasure, was nowhere to be found.

He panicked for a moment before his eyes caught sight of a paper. There was something written on the paper with dirty handwriting. Yoshi knew all too well whose handwriting it was.

Meet me in the backyard. I hope you have completed my homework. In the meantime I am going to enjoy this shitty book written by that shitty author you like to read so much.

Yoshi crumpled the paper in his hands as he started shaking in his place.

"Takeshi..." Yoshi said in a cold tone of voice.

-----------------------------------------------

[ Haven of Gods, Backyard ]

The sky was dark, with wind blowing and the moon glistening in the night sky as a boy with dark hair and dark eyes was sitting on the ground with a book in his hand.

This boy was Takeshi, the oldest kid in the orphanage.

Despite the chilly wind flowing in the sky, Takeshi looked unbothered as he waited for the 'little shit' he once called friend with a bored look on his face. That bored look was soon replaced by a cocky smirk as he heard the sound of footsteps behind him, indicating that the one he was waiting for is finally here.

"So, you came? I was getting so bored while reading this story. It's such a trashy little novel. Well, what else could I expect from a shitty author like your mothe-"

"Give it back, Takeshi." Yoshi interrupted Takeshi's words with an angry scowl on his face. The dark night was hiding his appearance, but his light blue eyes were shining and anyone smart enough would be able to tell the fury hidden inside them.

For the first time in a while, Yoshi was genuinely pissed.

"Tch. Don't act so cocky you little shit." Takeshi glared at Yoshi with hatred in his eyes. He hated everything about this new guy. He had everything that Takeshi ever wanted. The memories of his parents, that's what he had that Takeshi would never be able to have in his life.

"Give me my book back!" Yoshi shouted as he ran towards Takeshi with his fist raised ready to deliver the first punch.

The punch didn't connect as Takeshi ducked under it before throwing an uppercut at Yoshi's chin, making the boy cry out in pain as he fell on his butt.

Takeshi didn't stop at that however, as he kicked the boy straight on his face making him spit blood.

At the moment, Takeshi didn't care if Sophia was going to be angry at him. He couldn't care less about it as he was angry. No, he was furious.

"...Did you just try to hit me you little fucker?"

"...."

"Answer me you little shit!" Takeshi kicked Yoshi on his stomach as his anger skyrocketed, "Try to act cocky again I dare you! You are nothing but an orphan piece of trash, just like us! That's what you called me that day right? Say it to me again!"

"....give..it back.." Yoshi muttered as he struggled to breathe. His lip was bleeding, and his face started swelling after getting kicked so hard like that. The kick to his stomach hurt like hell too.

"You want it back?" Takeshi asked while pointing towards the book in his hand. His smile soon turned cruel which made Yoshi's blood run cold, "Alright. Here you go."

He grabbed the book in both his hands and tore it down in front of Yoshi. If that wasn't enough, he even threw the pieces of the book in the air as it scattered all around the backyard.

Yoshi couldn't believe his eyes. His book, his treasure...his mother's last momentum... was destroyed just like that?

He couldn't hold it back anymore. He cried. He cried as his snot mixed with his blood. He felt as if his mother died all over again.

Takeshi after seeing the reaction he got from Yoshi through his action, smirked victoriously as he kicked Yoshi one last time as he said

"Aww, look at you. How does it feel being so weak? You are a freak, your parents died because of you." Takeshi crouched down in front of Yoshi as he looked into his teary eyes, "You should have died alongside them."

Just as those words left Takeshi's mouth, he became a witness to it. A witness as well as a victim to something supernatural.

Yoshi's blue eyes changed colour, they turned violet as he glared at Takeshi with hatred in his eyes. He should have died alongside them he said? The one who should die is not Yoshi, but Takeshi!

Just as that thought crossed Yoshi's mind, Takeshi's eyes started bleeding. His voice got caught in his throat as he started wheezing on the ground while making choking noises. He forgot... He forgot how to breathe!

The instant Yoshi saw the state Takeshi was in, his eyes turned back to their original colour. But Takeshi was still wheezing uncontrollably on the ground, as his face started turning pale.

He was dying!

"W-wait-...no...I didn't.." Yoshi stuttered as his face turned pale. He didn't mean to. He didn't want to kill Takeshi. He didn't want to hurt anybody.

'Stop lying to yourself. You wanted to kill him.' A dark part of his head whispered in Yoshi's mind as the realisation hit him.

He actually meant for this to happen.

Before Yoshi could do anything to stop what he started, the wheezing stopped as Takeshi's body went completely limp.

Takeshi was dead.

There was a sound of lightning, as raindrops started pouring on the ground. It was a small drizzle at first, as it eventually turned into a full blown rainfall, making Yoshi's body completely wet from the rain water.

Yet, he didn't move.

There was no sound coming out of Yoshi's mouth. He just stared at Takeshi's body with an unreadable expression on his face. The only sound that can be heard were the sound of heavy rain as well as the sound of occasional thunder in the night sky.

"Haha- hahaha-" Yoshi looked at the ground as his eyes lost all colour. He had a mad look on his face as he started laughing like a mad man.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

His fit of laughter was put to a halt as he heard the sound of a familiar melodic voice calling out to him with a worry filled tone,

"Yoshi!? Takeshi?! Are you both out there? Answer me if you are!" Yoshi stiffened after hearing her voice, he couldn't let her see him. He couldn't let her find him. "You guys, please answer me!"

Upon seeing the reflection of her coming towards him and the dead body, Yoshi did the only thing that came to his mind.

He ran. He ran away as far as he could.

He didn't stop even after hearing the blood curdling scream of the woman who was like a second mother to him.

He didn't stop when the kids of the orphanage ran towards the backyard to check on their mother.

He didn't stop when the cars on the road almost hit him.

He ran, he continued to run.

Stopping for a second to get a hold of himself, he began panting and looked at his surroundings. He was in a forest. It was still heavily raining, and judging by the vastness of the forest, he was sure to find some wild animals in here.

Yoshi balanced himself on a tree and sat down. He couldn't feel anything. He didn't know what to feel. Then the first emotion that he felt after today's event was the same emotion he felt when his parents died-

Despair.

The first action that he did after running for so long was something that humans do when they feel despair.

He screamed.

1 year later,

Despair was walking down the lonely street of London. A cool breeze was flowing and

the leaves rustled beneath its weight. The wind was not the problem for Despair , but

the real problem was what should he do? He didn't have a family. He just knew he had

to survive in this world alone. Neither did he go to school nor was he accustomed to

the comforts of a family or a home.

Despair just had one thing he treasured - his ability to brainwash

people. He had used it to get food from the shopkeepers by changing their thinking in

the mind. But, he had never used his ability to the fullest and neither he wanted to do

so. He was scared about its result. The lonely street looked like a graveyard

enveloped by a scarf of mist. That scarf made the street desolate , perfect for Despair

to trod onto. Suddenly he heard a scream from the adjacent street. He rushed towards

it, with all the energy his capable legs could provide.

As soon as he reached the street , he saw a man holding a knife

stained in blood and a man lying there about to die. The killer looked up and saw

Despair. Now running away was not an option , it was purely do or die. The killer , with

a grin on his face, approached slowly towards Despair. Despair knew it was not good.

But he trusted his power. As soon as the killer was as close as to be clung onto,

Despair jumped , caught his sleeve of his coat, and activated his brainwashing power.

The killer felt his mind dizzy and after the contact broke between him

and Despair , he had forgotten whom and why he had killed that man. He only

remembered that he had to kill Despair. Despair shrieked because he knew that he

was not able to clear all his objectives from his mind. The killer rushed towards him

and struck , but a shield formed between the knife and Despair. Both were shocked to

see that. The knife fell from the killer's hand.

A man all dressed in black came towards the killer.

"What do you think you are doing Mr. Killer?" The black man said

"Who … who exactly are you?" The killer asked with astonishment .

"I am Terror . An agent from Screan Inter-Dimensional Detective Agency. I am here to

end you so get ready." The black man replied.

Terror clapped twice and with a groan, the killer evaporated.

"Now boy , I know you have a lot of questions , but because you showed magic in

front of the people, you have to go in arrest of The Magical Liberation Of London

(TMLOL) . But, I ensure you I will come to take you out from jail. Soon. Soon it will be

dome and you will be free."

And with a clap Terror disappeared, as he had never existed. In a moment the agents

of TMLOL came and arrested Despair. But , Despair had just one thing on his mind, '

soon it will be done and you will be free.'.

5 months later,

The reek of unwashed bodies filled Terror's nose. Fortunately, he wouldn't be here for

long. The prison was dark, lit only by the lantern in his hands. Brackets lined the walls

between cells. Once, according to Reynolds , the wardens had made sure the halls

were lit and the prisoners washed daily, but that was long ago when TMLOL

prospered. Now, Terror supposed Despair was lucky to have been kept alive.

Terror paused before cell number 124.

"You came." Terror nodded, masking his relief at the sound of his best- his onlyfriend's voice. Despair moved into the light, resting his arms between the bars of the

cell. He was thinner than Terror remembered. Time in prison had taken its toll. And

yet, there was still a familiar glimmer in his eyes. Five months in prison had not

broken him. Good. Friend or no, the Agency had no use for broken men.

"I told you you'd get caught." Best to address Despair's foolhardiness right away.

"Word around here is, you came to get me out." Bingo. Despair had never been one totalk around an issue. Now, if he just played his cards right…

"My team has an opening."

"No."

"You haven't even heard my offer.""I don't need to. I have no desire to trade one prison for another." The same argument

they'd been having for 5 months. But this time, Terror had the upper hand. There was

a reason he'd waited five months before showing up. He'd needed leverage.

"I have some documents that might interest you." Terror pulled a sheet of paper from

his coat pocket.

"A legal statement? What?" Terror waited. A curse echoed through the cells.

Prisoners stirred, crawling forward. He'd have to be careful of what he said, now that

so many ears were listening.

"That's not all." Terror pulled the second document from his jacket. Despair shut his

eyes, as though it could keep the information from being true.

"No. They can't-"

"It's already been drawn up." Transfer papers. Exactly what Terror had been waiting

for. But not just any transfer papers. No, Despair was being transferred to SCREAM .

The place their kind spoke of only in whispers. Where they not only would know what

Despair was, but also how to deal with him.

"How long?" Despair's voice was bleak, "How long in exchange for getting out of

here?" Terror kept the smile from his face as Despair handed back the documents. He

had him now.

"Ten years."

"Ten…" Despair couldn't finish. Ten years. Ten years having no say in his life. Ten

years doing whatever the Agency wanted.

"Their initial offer was twenty. I talked them down." Terror could see the wheels

turning in Despair's head as he looked for a way- any way to escape the fate Terror

had accepted years ago. Despair had always cherished his freedom, always done

everything he could to preserve it. But he wasn't stupid. Despair would accept. He

didn't have a choice. Ten years was better than twenty, was better than the lifelong

contract Terror had foolishly signed.

Despair took a deep breath, gathering his resolve. He could survive ten years.

Anything but going back.

"I accept."

Terror smiled, "As witness, I seal this contract."

Despair nodded gravely. Terror unlocked the cell, clasping his friend's hand. Together,

they walked up and up the spiraling stairs. Away from the prison, towards bondage.

Present time,

These thoughts of Despair were interrupted with a phone ringing. Despair was

standing beside his Harley Davidson doing nothing at all. Upon inspection, his eyes

widened a little bit upon realising who had called him.

"... Hello?" He spoke in an uncertain voice. Why was 'that man' contacting him?

There was a sound of shuffling on the other side of the phone. He was about to cut

the call when the person on the other side started speaking

[ Hey Despair. Where are you? ] The person on the other side of the call asked with a

tinge of curiosity in his voice. 'Despair' cracked a smirk after hearing the voice of his friend as he replied.[Don't waste your time . I am sending you the coordinates to the place where I am

right now. Come fast. Oh yeah, before I forget, come in a suit, pant and tie. ] The man

said in a hurried tone of voice.

"...Why? What's the reason you are calling me? And why do I need to wear a stupid

suit?" Despair asked in a serious tone of voice. Is there a problem?

[ The reason? It's simple really, the reason is you are pretty good in English and I

have a job for you. How do you feel about being an English teacher? ] The man on the

other end of the phone said. Despair had a feeling it wasn't so simple as just being an

English teacher. But he decided to not question it for now.

"...Roger that." He replied before ending the call and took out his sunglasses.

The light blue eyes of the man stared ahead at the barren sight in front of him with a

thoughtful look on his face. After a few moments of contemplation, he turned around

and moved towards his bike. Oh, There was something different about him though.

The colour of his eyes was violet.