About fifteen years ago, inside a humble small town by the riverside.
It was a beautiful sunny day and the sky is blue.
People of the city, neighbors carried on with their everyday lives, conversing and joking with one another as if they were family. Since the town was so small, with at most 400 people living inside, everyone knew each other.
Just then, the people's attention was attracted to a young boy walking lazily.
The young boy has short black hair, a frail figure, and piercing green eyes. He's slightly over the age of fifteen, and it seems he was quite famous amongst the people. Not in a good way famous, but in a bad way famous judging from the people's expressions when they see the young boy.
"Daughter, don't get too close to him or you'll get sick"
"Shouldn't the mayor do something about him?"
"Hey, don't say that out loud. His deceased father is close with the mayor"
Listening to the people talking badly about him, the young boy didn't have any reaction.
Clearly for the young boy, this kind of thing is a regular occurrence for him, and he doesn't mind their words and mind his own business, wanting to reach home as quickly as possible to get out of the sun.
This started recently, about a month ago.
Unexpectedly during a regular day, green smoke comes out of the young boy's body.
It happened abruptly and he doesn't know what to do.
But he couldn't deny the fact that something must've happened to him as this is clearly not normal. Since both of his parents has deceased in a car accident, he went over to the local family physician alone to check if they know what was wrong with his body.
Although hopeful, he didn't get an answer. Nobody knows what happened to him.
Some attributed it to the work of the devils.
Additionally, the green smoke brought along a couple of side effects. One that he instantly felt was the fact that he feels tired all the time, he also becomes thinner, and he couldn't gain any substantial weight no matter how much he eats.
Just these side effects alone are bad already, but there's one that's worse than the others.
Due to the green smoke coming out of him and stopping randomly, the people that was around him that got too close would fall ill. It was because of that, people started to avoid him as if he was a plague.
Of course, the young boy didn't blame them, he would also do the same.
"Sigh... I'll get some sleep after I got home"
Coursing through the street with steady steps and curved back with a plastic bag in his hand, the young boy suddenly stopped, his eyes darted to the side when a lively voice called him from the side, he knew exactly who it is.
"Cristian!"
"A-Aunt Kayla?"
Running lightly from the side was a middle-aged blond-haired woman in her middle thirties.
Aunt Kayla stopped in front of Cristian breathing heavily before she puts both of her hands on her waist tiredly, and this made Cristian chuckle, "You don't need to run, Aunt Kayla. I'm not going anywhere"
"It's hard to meet you, you know. You always stayed home" Aunt Kayla replied.
Getting her breaths steady again, Aunt Kayla then raises a plastic bag in her hand and puts a bright smile on her face, "I packed you some home-cooked food, I accidentally made too much so here you go. I know you're always eating bad stuff" She gave a look at the items inside the plastic bag Cristian is holding.
Cristian cold only puts the plastic bag behind him, putting on a wry smile.
"Just look at yourself, all skin and bones. Learn to cook, I can teach you" Aunt Kayla added.
Smiling lightly, Cristian knows that he couldn't shake off Aunt Kayla, so he decided to follow along, "W-Well, I don't think I can refuse so I'll take it. As for learning to cook, I'll give it a thought. Thanks, Aunty" Cristian replied.
Upon hearing this the smile on Aunt Kayla's face blooms even wider.
Nodding her head in agreement, she then stretched her hand to give the plastic bag to Cristian. But seeing this, he smiled again as he can't get it like this, "Put it on the ground, Aunty. I don't want you to be sick"
"Just take it already., I'm not that frail" She shoved the plastic bag to Cristian.
Receiving the warm plastic bag, Cristian thanked her again before she bids her goodbye. Out of the people of this town, she was the only one that doesn't treat him like somekind of monster.
She was a kind person, she was like this to everyone in the town.
But this is why Cristian appreciates and cherishes her, she treated him like a normal person.
About a week later from that day, an unexpected incident happened.
Mayhem ensued as the small town was attacked by weird animals, these animals looks like dogs and cows, yet they doesn't seem like regular animals. Aside from their bigger sizes, some even have shocking abilities.
There were not many of them, about 10 in total, yet the damage done is destructive.
Cristian wasn't going to come out of his house as he was scared, but the attack happened in his part of the town. One of the mutated dogs came barging into his house and has no choice but to fight back.
It was then, he realized that his power come in handy, he could defeat the mutated dog.
Sensing that one of them has died, the mutated dogs and cows came running into Cristian's house like a tide of carnage, forcing him to fight again. But as the fight continues, the citizen of the town thought that the mutated animals were gone.
Until one of them noticed the fight in Cristian's house, blood splattered everywhere.
"N- No! Someone, please help him!" Aunt Kayla screamed in terror.
Even though she tries to garner the others' to help Cristian as the fight is happening inside Cristian's house, the other citizen didn't move from their spots. It was then Aunty Kayla tries to do it herself, but she was held back by one of the citizens.
"Kayla, are you insane?!" the man exclaimed.
Another then chimed in, "Think about your kids! If you go in there and die, what would they do?"
Aunt Kayla could not contain her fear and pain as the windows of Cristian's house were spattered with fresh blood and crashing noises echoed from within. Her trembling body was held by the man as she shed tears at the sound of mutated animals roaring and growling.
In the midst of the noises, she could also hear Cristian's struggling voice.
Despite the fight having been going on for more than ten minutes, none of the citizens dared venture inside. Instead, they are holding their guns outside, ready to shoot anything that comes out of the house.
Just then, footsteps echoed from the house as Cristian walked outside.
Looking at the crowd in front of his house, Cristian sighs as his body is trembling due to the grievous bloody cuts and scratches that he sustained from the fight. It was then, his body topple over and he fell down.
Breaking free, Aunt Kayla quickly rushes over to him before everything turned dark.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Cristian opens his eyes slowly and felt his entire body wrung with excruciating pain, he then blinks his eyes a couple of times and realizes that the ceiling is unfamiliar, it was not his house ceiling.
"Oh, you're awake?"
Glancing to the side, Cristian saw Aunt Kayla bringing in hot water and a cloth.
On top of that, he also saw a couple of children peeking from the door to see him. Upon realizing that he was inside Aunt Kayla's house, Cristian quickly forces himself to sit up on the bed, "Eugh... Aunt Kayla, I- I need to get back to my house"
"No you are not, stay here" She rebutted and puts the hot water on the desk.
Despite her insisting for him to stay here, Cristian couldn't do that as his body slowly emits green smoke again, "I don't want you or your children to be sick. Thank you for patching me up, but I need to go home"
Instead of letting him go, Aunt Kayla pushes his forehead and forces him to lie down again.
"Stop moving, you're still hurt" She said.
Cristian was at a loss for words, he couldn't grasp what Aunt Kayla is doing, being close to him is dangerous, "Just why are you being like this? Why are you so kind to me? I never did anything good for you"
"Well, firstly, you saved the town" Aunt Kayla replied as she dipped the cloth in hot water.
Upon hearing this, Cristian nodded in understanding, he remembered fighting those mutated animals so it must've been the reason Aunt Kayla is doing this. But unexpectedly, she continues, "Also, I'm the closest person to you in the town. Because of that, I have the responsibility to the people of the town to help you"
Albeit he was not expecting much, her answer slightly widen Cristian's eyes.
It makes Cristian looks up to Aunt Kayla even more for doing such a selfless act for the people, knowing that she might get sick by doing this. More than that, Cristian also learned something from her.
'Responsibility...?' he thought as his eyes darted to the green smoke his body emits.
Seeing Cristian's confusion, Aunt Kayla smiled softly and giggled, "It's hard to expect someone your age to comprehend responsibility. However, your power, it's not a curse. It's a Gift. In due time, you will also need to fulfill your responsibility"
"What would my responsibility will be?" Cristian asked, innocently.
But Aunt Kayla looks at him with a tender gaze, "I don't know, maybe you'll soon find out"
About a month passed since that incident.
Eerie silence covered the entire small town that has already been ransacked completely, heavy rain pours down from the sky, drenching Cristian who was now standing in the center of the town square, looking at the bloody mess in front of him that was being washed by the rain.
However, his eyes were not fixed on the blood but where the blood came from.
Looking down at the ground in front of him, there was a corpse.
Aunt Kayla lay motionless in the town square, she died on the town square, one of the victims of the latest attack. Not by mutated animals time, no - this time it was Demons from the depths of the underworld that had come to wreak havoc.
Their sole purpose is to spread evil in this peaceful town.
Unlike last time, Cristian couldn't do anything, he was powerless against the Demons.
No matter how much he tried, the Demons were invulnerable, he couldn't do anything to stop the inevitable destruction of the town. With his remaining power, he hides, turning into green smoke, and lay low until the Demons finished slaughtering the town.
When the Demons left, he instinctively searched for Aunt Kayla.
At last, he finds Aunt Kayla, yet she had gone on to a better place. Her sons were with her in her embrace, both having died together. The cruelty of the Demons was unbearable, they were merciless, "My responsibility... I still don't know and understand it, Aunt Kayla. Please, help me once more..." he said in a quiet voice.
Going to his knees, he grabbed Aunt Kayla's hand gently, begging her to answer.
But it was too late, she was gone, and no amount of pleading could bring her back to answer his confusion. Just as he was about to turn away, the corner of his eye noticed something from beneath the pouring rain.
Glancing to the side, there stood a small figure emerging from her cover, a young girl.
Cristian recognized this girl, she was Aunt Kayla's only daughter.
Upon seeing this, he chuckled and a smile bloomed on his face, "Ahh... even in death, you still helped me. I know now, my responsibility..." Cristian uttered with a smile, he walks over to the young girl and rubs her head gently.
'My responsibility... my responsibility is to secure the future'
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