<u>Akuma Tiryns</u>


    I think I was about four years old when my mother read me my first bedtime story. Or maybe she’d done it before, and my brain just wasn’t developed enough to remember it. Whatever the case, I’ll just have to trust that I was four.


    All in all, it wasn’t the best story ever, but for a child it might’ve been the coolest thing to ever grace my ears.


    It went like this:


    There was once a time when people all around the world lived in a constant war, sparked by a difference in opinion. That being who exactly is the man we call “God” and how should people, being created in his image, go about living in the world that he created.


    On one side were people who saw him as a supreme being, one who possessed infinite power and knowledge, the pinnacle of all things. They believed that humans, being born in his image, had to be the rightful rulers of the world he created.


    On the other side were people who saw him as a bystander, one who possessed the power to do anything, but ultimately does nothing. He was a man who created the world in hopes of seeing how it would turn out by itself. They believed that the ones born from his image, humans, should also be bystanders. Merely observers as the world takes its own shape.


    Naturally, having no way to figure which side was right, the battle waged on for centuries, ultimately splitting the world into two halves.


    But then they realized something. You see, in this world there are two rare blessings humans can be born with:


    A divine blessing – Whether it be their hair, eyes or any other part of their body, humans born with pure white features had the power to harm the divine, standing up to even the Angels. These humans were referred to as “Demi-Gods”.


    A divine constellation – It is said that when God created this world, fragments of his power seeped into it. We refer to those fragments as “constellations”. It’s rare, but there are times when a child will be chosen by one of those constellations, resulting in a birthmark somewhere on their body. Unlike a divine blessing, it isn’t divinity that they interact with but concepts, and while they are able to harm the deities with their power, that is only a byproduct of attacking their concept. We refer to these individuals as “Saints -humans chosen by God.”


    So, what exactly was it that humans realized, and what did it have to do with these people you might ask? Well, if they were to be born with the power of the divine despite being humans then it could only mean one thing. That they were closer to God, than any other.


    The side who saw God as the pinnacle of everything, believed these children to be holy beings sent by God himself. And so, kings from all around the world would ask mere children who was more fit to be ruler, doing anything to curry their favor.


    On the other, the ones who saw God as a bystander, believed these children to be heretics, ones who should not exist in this world.


    To summarize everything thus far… absolute chaos.


    But then, as if a miracle itself had manifested into visible form, he descended upon the world. His hair reached down his back in radiant golden waves, shimmering like the bright sun. He was clad in pure white, futuristic armor, and accompanied by two majestic wings that seemed to glide effortlessly beside him. Above his head, a resplendent golden halo glowed with an ethereal light. He wore futuristic armor as well as two enormous wings that followed him closely. And then there was his halo, a magnificent gold. With a waved of his hand, order was restored, peace had been revived and segregation lived no longer.


    The story doesn’t go into detail on how he accomplished it, but somehow, he managed to create peace between both sides. Ever since that day, the moment I heard that story for the first time, I’ve thought God was the most awesome guy in the whole wide world and devoted myself to being God’s best friend, following all of his teachings. Or at least, as much as I could.


    <h2>***</h2>


    The year is currently 2010, which would make me about 7 years old. And as is the fate of all 7-year-olds, I was forced to attend school.


    “Are you ready for school, Akuma dear?” said my mother, her hands firmly on the steering wheel. Such a model driver.


    “Uhh… yeah sure.”


    Truth is, I’d rather watch paint dry than go to school. Schoolwork isn’t the problem. In fact, I’m such a genius that even though I attend higher level classes, I have to purposefully get lower scores just to fit in.Stolen novel; please report.


    The problem is the disgusting kids whose dopamine receptors only fly off when talking about my white hair. The idea of punching them until they cried crossed my mind a couple times, but some strange angel figure kept stopping me.


    Plus, God says to forgive all, so I will.


    “We’re here!”


    “Hooray…”


    (She acts like this every day. We’re like half a year in and she’s still acting like it’s my first day.)


    Speaking of “first days”, mine couldn’t have been better. For those who don’t know what an “icebreaker” is, basically one by one, students take turns introducing themselves to the class. You’d typically say stuff like your favorite color, dreams and so on.


    Well, my turn came around and can you guess what my corny ass said to those kids? Heh-Heh-heh. I still chuckle just thinking about it.


    “My name is Akuma Tiryns. When I grow up I wanna be God’s best friend. I hope that when he gets married, he’ll call me to be his best man.”


    …They laughed at me. And it was around then that the bullying started.


    As the thought of soon reaching that blasted school seeped into my mind, I let out an almost distasteful sigh, before getting out of the car and dawdling to the entrance.


    “Gooood Mornin’ Akuma!” A bird suddenly chirped.


    “Good morning to you too, Jacob.”


    This high-spirited homo sapien is Jacob. And he’s the only person in this entire school who doesn’t seem to care that I’m 7 years old. He treats me the same way he treats all his classmates. When we met, I accidentally mistook him for a girl. “You sound pretty groggy, Akuma. Did you not sleep well?” And it doesn’t help that he sounds just like one when he gets all worried like that.


    “Tsk-tsk-tsk. There’s no need to sleep. God will carry me through!”


    “Hm… I’m not so sure about this one. You must’ve forgot we had a test today in last period. And I hear this one is supposed to be the hardest one yet.”


    “……..…………”


    “You know part of me wishes this school could just burn down.” I thought aloud, the thought of that stupid test dawning on me.


    “Dude, you can’t say that.”


    (Man, he really does sound like a girl when he pouts like that.)


    “Anyway, this is my class, so I’ll see you at lunch.”


    “Cya.”


    The school I attend is known as “Studio Academy”. A middle school meant for students who show exceptional abilities from a young age -whether it be sports or academics. Meaning most students here are around 13-15 years old.


    But even among these geniuses -and while holding back I might add- I was in a class of my own. Mathematics, language, history, chemistry, sports, and even something as mundane as ethics. No matter how difficult the exam, if those students were certain of one thing, I’d be that I’d sure as hell come in first.


    Okay maybe not ethics but that’s a rare exception.


    Room 302. My third period class, one that happens to be about ethics. The teacher was the average baldie, though a bit lanky if you ask me. Or perhaps that was just because I was shorter than all the other kids.


    He rambled on and one about… well… you guessed it, ethics. However, I had more pressing issues to worry about, like what would be the best sleeping position in these uncomfortable chairs. My poor butt felt like ground beef.


    Should I just rest on one arm, tilting my body to the side to relieve my butt’s stress? Maybe hunch over a bit and rest my head on my hand? Then again, the classic head in a box never lets me down. Sigh. What to choose, what to choose.


    “Excuse me class. Akuma here thinks he can just sleep through my lesson.” Came the baldie, turning the class’s attention to me. I have a sneaking suspicion he’s jealous of my genius. Or maybe he just doesn’t have anything better to do with his life.


    (Crap. I hate when this happens…)


    “Since he’s soooo much better than you all, I’m sure he can answer the question on the board.”


    Had this been any other class, I would’ve answered that question before the bastard had a chance to finish talking. But I’ll admit I hesitated a bit. Apparently, Akuma and Ethics simply can’t be mixed.


    The board read:


    “You and a classmate have been kidnapped. In a trembling voice, he asks; Please save me. What do you do?”


    (Surely this is a no brainer. Even a baldie could guess this.)


    “I save him obviously.”


    I could’ve sworn that was the right answer. I mean, what else could it be? When someone needs help, you save them. Right? Yeah, there’s no doubt about it. That’s the right thing to do…


    So then why was the entire class laughing at me…?


    “For a kid who skipped grades, you’re pretty stupid!” a random student shouted out.


    “You’re just a kid, what do you think you can do?” another added on.


    I was beginning to grow impatient. So impatient that I slammed my hand on my desk and in a blind rage I shouted back, “I-I COULD SAVE HIM! BECAUSE GOD IS WITH ME!!”


    Unfortunately, this only fueled their laughter. Even the teacher joined in.


    To say my head was fuming would be an understatement. Hell, I bet if this was some video game and I got a chance to look at myself in 3^rd person, I’d see a boiling tomato with steam coming out two ends.


    I’ll be the first to admit, I had half a mind to attack the first laughing kid I saw, when without warning…


    *BOOM!!


    A sudden loud bang rang through my ears and with it, the ground beneath my feet started to vibrate as if crying out in pain.


    (An explosion?!) I thought.


    My vision went dark, but it wasn’t the lights that had gone out, it was more like there was something keeping my eyelids closed. I knew instantly that I wasn’t the only one, because everyone around me began shrieking in absolute terror.