《Noir》


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1


    <hr>


    In a faraway land on a remotely placed village lived a couple who were very much in love with each other. They married and build a small house to spend the rest of their lives together in. The husband was a farmer who spent his days tilling land and growing crops while the wife stayed at home and looked after the children.


    Today, the wife was joyous when she found out that she was once again pregnant with their fourth child and the husband a bit reluctant to share her happiness since they were not doing well financially.


    When the baby came, the couple was horrified. His skin was purely white all over and his eyes were red like that of a wild beast. It did not take long for them to realise that his hair was not coloured normally as well. They could not deny that the baby was born as an Abnormal.


    The couple was careful not to let any of the villagers find out about the baby¡¯s existence, as it could bring about grave consequences to the whole family. The husband warned his children not to tell anyone about the fourth child no matter what happens.


    If they do, the mother will be forced to kill the child, as her punishment for giving birth to a tribulation. The father¡¯s genitalia would scissored and burned so that they could no longer procreate. That was how awful the consequences were.


    The wife could not even imagine killing her own flesh and blood, not even if he was to bring the world to an end. She would much rather kill herself than lay a hand on the innocent baby she was holding in her arms. Her husband was the same, he could never harm the child he was taught to love.


    The child soon turned 1, and started walking on his two little feet. The mother named him after her late father, Cain, that carried the meaning ¡®hope¡¯ in their language.


    Cain was a happy child, brought in a very happy family. Although he was somewhat quiet, rarely cried for his parents and there were times when the mother found him reading the eldest brother¡¯s school book at the tender age of mere months. It frightened her, knowing full well of his destiny as an Abnormal. She could only hope to educate her son to at least live like the Normals for as long as he was alive, for the sake of his powerless family.


    ¡°Can I go outside and play with sister, mother?¡± Cain, who talked like an adult despite being a toddler, asked his mother who was cooking in the kitchen.


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t Cain.¡± His mother replied calmly. ¡°We already talked about this.¡±


    ¡°...but--,¡±


    ¡°No buts, now go red your books.¡± His mother interrupted and scurried him away.


    As the days go by, Cain kept asking to go outside, wanting to explore the world like the rest of the children in the village--and his mother would always disallow him for reasons Cain has yet to learn about.


    This was all until one day, Cain secretly went outside at midnight when his family members were all deeply asleep.


    He had turned 3 by the time he learned how to disobey his parents. Cain was dying to venture out to the outdoors and meet new people. After all, the only ones he has talked to so far was his family members and himself.


    Cain was very careful not to make any noise on his way out the door. Fortunately, his body was light enough to smoothly walk across the room without creaking the wooden floor and managed to reach the door without waking anyone up.


    He had purposely moved a stack of books near the door since his height was not suitable to open the door as easily. His mother had not suspect a thing, since she knew Cain was an unpredictable child in the first place. He can read anywhere he wishes toas long as he remained in the house, she thought.


    He opened the door as slowly as he could and took his first steps outside the house he spent threeyears cooped up in. Cain could feel his heart beating quicker. He was both ecstatic and afraid-- afraid of the dark world that surrounded him and his home. He knew nothing of what laid out there, the books he read never explained it in great detail. His mother would always avoid answering those types of questions when he did ask. He only knew that there were cities and blue seas as well as people that looked like him all over the world.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    He mustered up enough courage to step outside his house gate. Although dark, Cain could make up of his surroundings. he had no trouble walking down the pathway embraced by lush trees and bushes. He saw how his father walked down these paths every morning, that was how Cain reached the farm. Here was where his father spent most of his time and was also the source of his income. He grew all kinds of edible plants. Cain recognised most of the plants as his breakfast, lunch and dinner. Cain also rememberedhis eldest brother walking to school, that was how Cain reached the only school in the village.


    The school provided the children of the village with informal as well as formal education, although the latter was taught with many discretions.


    Cain spent the night exploringthe school, sitting on the students'' chairs and playingwith chalks. His eldest brother would occasionally talk about his day in school and his friends. His stories would always bring laughter into his family. This was the reason Cain yearned to have friends that he could talk about. He became excited imagining himself sitting on one of these desks, listening to the teacher and spend time with all the other children.


    Lost in these happy thoughts, Cain began to feel sleepy as a result of missing a good night''s rest. A few moments later, he fell asleep as dawn approached.


    .


    .


    The husband wakes up at dawn every day, preparing himself to tend the farm until night. He first checks on his wife, still sleeping beside him. He then checks on his four children, whom he expects will still be fast asleep in the next room.


    His first son was very reliable, often helped his father in the farm whenever he could. He also acted his age and looked after his younger siblings a lot, which made parenting an easier job in most cases. He had very high hopes for the eldest, and sent him to school with all the coins he could raise from selling his crops. The second child was female, which meant that she was not allowed to attend school along with her brother. The girl spent most of her time at home and helping her mother with chores, which she would often escape from. The youngest sister was very kind, whenever her sister ran away from home, she would always take her place with helping out around the house.


    The youngest child loved to read. He was no different from any other child his age, despite being born an Abnormal. Although he could talk better than any other toddler, the parents thought of it simply as a talent gifted by God. He was not allowed to step outside the house, unfortunately, as his head full of white hair and eyes as red as fresh blood would scare all Normals upon sight. Inspite of that, he was as adorable as a white baby rabbit, much to his mother¡¯s and siblings¡¯ admiration.


    However, the rest of the world scorn him. Abnormals are beings that were not supposed to walk on this land or anywhere else for that matter. They were believed to be the epitome of misfortune. They are ill omens that have brought calamity into the world, starting wars, bring about the plague, murderers.


    At least that was what they were told to believe.


    But ever since Cain was born, there have been none of the sort occurring. In fact, the crops have yielded more harvest than it ever has and the family became much happier since Cain was born.


    The parents were starting to think that their child was not an Abnormal after all, but just an unlucky child that God and his Angels forgot to colour!


    The husband peeked through a gap between the door, careful not to wake any of his children. His eyes naturally gravitated towards the spot where the youngest child always slept, searching for that small body hugging his pillow.


    The husband¡¯s heart instantly sank when he could not find Cain on his bed. He quickly looked around the house, calling his name in the process. He checked the bathroom, the kitchen, the store room--no trace of Cain. He ran towards the his farm, the one place he had planned to show Cain to after he and his wife had finished telling him about the world and its nature towards children like him.


    By this time, every member of the family had been woken up. His wife looked at him wide-eyed, an ominous feeling creeping up her neck.


    The husband, covered in sweat, began speaking.


    ¡°It--it¡¯s Cain--he¡¯s gone!¡±


    The mother legs gave away from the shock, her thoughts clouded with scenarios that words cannot describe.


    The eldest sister shuddered in cold sweat. ¡°He couldn¡¯t have gone into the village--could he?¡±


    ¡°Le--let¡¯s take look around the village, I doubt anyone¡¯s awake at this time.¡± The eldest brother suggested, his mind also in turmoil as he fully knew what would happen if any of the villagers saw Cain. The whole family will be massacred.


    The mother, still out of it, could only stare at the backs of her husband and children as they disappear into the distance.

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2


    <hr>


    Cain awoke to the sound of birds chirping and roosters crowing. He jumped put from his seat, and quickly made his way out the school. His family will be worried if they did not find him on the bed.


    As soon as he stepped out the door of the classroom he was in, he was greeted with a piercing scream. Cain stopped in his tracks and saw a girl around his eldest brother¡¯s age staring directly at him, eyes similar to that of a deer caught in headlights. ¡°White hair. .¡±


    ¡°Yo--you¡¯re an Abnormal!¡± She shrieked at him, her voice filled with hostility. ¡°And why are you still alive?!¡±


    Although perplexed, Cain was happy to meet another person after three years. He naively thought that she could be his first friend.


    ¡°My name is Cain! Can we be--¡±


    ¡°It--it can talk! Who taught you how to speak?!¡± Another person yelled. ¡°Who in the world grew you?!¡±


    Cain immediately stopped talking, the smile he wore on his face slowly fading away from the antagonism he received from the two children.


    Before he realised it, a few villagers stared to gather, appalled by the sight of his figure. They started to grab farming tools and bulky pieces of wood, presumably to be used as weapons.


    Bloodlust filled the air.


    Cain who was confused as well as scared, ran home before more people came, zooming through the villagers as soon as he saw an opening. He could not digest their reactions.


    It was as if they despised his presence near them. Cain did not know what they meant when they called him an Abnormal at the time. He only thought that they hated him for being him.


    His mind clouded with pessimistic thoughts, he sought for the few people who did not look at him with eyes full of menace-- his family.


    His house was very far away from the village. They had no neighbors, and the occasional visitor would either be a merchant or a government slave who came to collect tax. This was how the husband and wife managed to rid Cain from the villagers awareness for three whole years.


    Cain took fast and short breaths as he was not accustomed to running long distances. He ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, dashed under the shades of trees and dodging tree branches. A few moments later, he reached the path he earlier took and proceeded to make his way home, panting heavily along the way.


    He opened the door to be greeted with a dark and cold living room. ¡°Mother?¡± Cain called in desperation. ¡°Mother, where are you?¡±


    Nothing but grim silence. That was when he decided to check his parents¡¯ room.


    ¡°Mother?¡± He asked again.


    A silhouette perked up from under the bed. ¡°Is that you, son?¡±


    The voice sounded meek yet rough-- nothing like the strong and beautiful voice Cain loved about his mother.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, mother?¡± He asked, worried about the unnatural behaviour his mother was showing. ¡°Are you sick?¡±


    The figure suddenly scrambled towards Cain, engulfing him in a tight hug.


    ¡°Oh, Cain, my son. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re safe!¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Cain returned her embrace, finally feeling safe after being chased around like a wild beast.


    ¡°Why do they chase me, mother? Is it because I played in brother¡¯s school without permission?¡±


    ¡°You did nothing wrong. .¡± She cooed, running her fingers through Cain¡¯s white hair. "I''m so sorry. ."


    "For what, mother?"


    "I''m so sorry. ."


    His mother continued to repeat her words, her embrace tightening word after word.


    "Moth. .er?"


    Cain stuttered on his words, not because he was out of breath from his mother''s hold, but because of a sudden pain he felt on his heart--both physically and mentally.


    Cain looked up to his mother, like he always did whenever he needed answers. Instead of those compassionate eyes he was used to, he received dead eyes that looked at him like he was some kind of filth.


    "I should have never given born to you."


    The mother pulled out her knife from Cain''s heart, only to stab it again until she was convinced that the little bastard was dead. He writhed in agony for one moment, and cried for help in the other. Blood splattered acrossthe floor, the bed, on the walls--she continued to dig her knife until the body stopped moving, relieved when it did.


    She dragged its body towards the door, leaving a trail of blood on the floor. She continued to drag all the way to the center of the village to put it on display.


    "I killed it, I killed the Abnormal!"


    She dropped itsbody on the ground for the villagers to see, as proof that it was her hands that freed them from their fear.


    She was their saviour.


    The villagers were not cynical of her actions. They had no way of knowing that the Abnormal''s own mother killed him, and believed that the Abnormal was not a oneraised by a local in the village when the mother told them so. Cain''s body was burned on a stake, his ashes collected andthrown away. The mother disposed of traces of the Abnormal from her house--going as far as burning his umbilical cord. This was all so that her family would be free from any form of punishments when the government investigated their house. The Heavens was on the mother''s side. Her family was deemed not guilty.


    Only memories of Cain remained in the household, though none dared to speak of him. The father could only cry out his regret alone, of not telling his son about the truth earlier. His actions had led both his wife and sons to do the unthinkable.


    Now, there was no longer a fourth child in his family.


    .


    .


    .


    There stood a man with long, white hair, in a room purely painted in white that stretched out as far as his eyes could perceive.


    ¡°I am what is known as Noir,¡± the man began to speak to the young boy.


    ¡°And you are a Noir candidate and this is your destiny. We are beings of similar value and vision.¡±


    The boy stared at the man, confused. ¡°. . But I am not Noir, I am called. . ¡± the boy pausedbefore he could finish his sentence.


    ¡°Child, Noir is not just a name. We are a deity, we exist in all yet different universes and challenge fate itself. God is our equal-- do you call God by a name? God''s name is God. Noir''s name is Noir.¡±


    ¡°We take the form of Manbecause we do not seer others from above, we seer eye to eye. After all, we praise equal standing between humanoids.¡±


    The boy could not reply, he was lost in everything the man said to him. The man noticed this and continued his speech.


    ¡°Humanoids are egoistical beings, they heed their false, illusionary selfidentity. They naturally incline towards selfishness rather than selflessness--,¡±


    ¡°They kill because it makes them feel powerful, they kill because of their selfish needs, they kill because it makes them feel safe--¡±


    ¡°And most evidently, they kill because you are a threat to this world¡¯s balance.¡±


    ¡°My mother. . she. betrayed me.¡± The boy spoke, sadness and grief apparentfrom the tone of his voice.


    ¡°You have no mother. You are a seed we planted inside the womb of what humanoids consider a lowly female-- to expose you to the world of mistreatment from the lowest part of the hierarchy. Your anger should not be directed at the female, she acted so because she simply had to. The ones you should seek revenge on are the ones who drove her into a state of dread, the humanoid government.¡±


    ". . ."


    "What happened to you was simply a grain of sand in the desert--there are those facing much worser than yours, and it is happening everywhere in this vast universe."


    The boy was shown thecries, emotions of suffering, agonizing screams of people he did not recognize. As he watches the painful images playing inside his head, the man continued to speak.


    ¡°But we are different, we are the ones who can better the world, but the humanoid government do not want that,"


    A foreign emotion muddled the boy''s thoughts, he was angry. He wanted them to suffer.


    ¡°So share my name, join me on my quest, let us make this world--yourworld, a better place, for the people victim of fate.¡±


    ¡°You are no longer Cain--You are now Noir. You will travel through this world, obtain aid from trustworthy companions along your way, fix the way of evil, find the ruler of this world, destroy his hierarchy, kill him the way he killed you.¡±


    "Make him know his place in your world. Better the world, Noir."


    The innocent boy who they once called Cain, was reincarnated in the same world. Only now, he was a completely different person.

 Chapter 3

    <u>Chapter 3</u>


    <hr>


    ¡°Argh, nothing but garbage! These upper level bastards are getting stingier by the day..¡±


    The man spoke to himself, directing his frustrations not only at the people above him, but also at his fate as a lowly Vassal. He laid on a pile of filthy trash, his eyes staring at the ceiling of complete darkness. He could not help but compare the utter darkness above him to his very dim future.


    He placed his hands on his grumbling stomach in hopes of relieving a little bit of the hunger that was the result of not being able to eat a full meal for 6 days.


    ¡°I¡¯m so hungry! Please, someone or anyone, just give me something to eat. God. . . Angels. . ¡±


    His begging only received silence as a reply. The miracle he subtly hoped for was just simply not there.


    Soon the silence inside the garbage dump was filled with sobs and grunts. If the man knew this was where he was going to die, he would never try to challenge God and change His story. He would never have put his trust on that Angel who betrayed him. He would have never left home.


    The man continued to bawl his eyes out without any trace of care for the world, since he thought nobody was there to witness his pitiful life. He constantly yelled out how hungry he was, like a child whose mother ignores simply because he or she was being a brat. Despite how terrible fate has treated him, the man still wanted to live.


    He was not the only one in the garbage dump, however. A boy with coldeyes was also there, catching up on the sleep he could not get on his way before being woken up by the man¡¯s pathetic crying. He could no longer tolerate the noise he wasto endure, more so that of a male adult throwing a tantrum like a snot nosed brat and took action.


    ¡°Hey bastard, would you shut up and let me sleep for one goddamn second?!¡± The boy yelled, shoving a piece of whole-wheat bread in the man¡¯s mouth. ¡°Eat this and get lost!¡±


    The sudden appearance of the boy startled the man, but he was still grateful. After all, the man gobbled the bread in mere seconds and a little bit of his hunger was relieved.


    ¡°Thank you, oh thank you, kind boy! How can I repay your good deed?¡±


    He did not reply.


    Although it was dark, the man could see that the boy had only a box and a tattered piece of rag to sleep with. He was dressed in dirty clothes; ones that have not been washed for days, similar to what the man wore on a daily basis. He tried to make out his face, but the darkness of the room made it impossible to do so.


    He cannot help but feel sorry for the child despite him being in the same situation.


    After a long moment of silence, the man decided to lay down next to the boy and start a chat.


    ¡°My name is Dionad Vance Kaywillan Fromorth Louisel de Sans, but you can just call me Dio.¡± He started. ¡°I was born under a full moon 25 years ago. . .as a beautiful baby boy. So beautiful, they though I was an Angel! Ha ha ha!¡±


    ¡°Since I was so beautiful, I decided to become a wandering bard and ran away from home--because I loved to make music.¡±


    ¡±I would play a song for you if I could . . . but my banjo got stolen by some mean thugs, I lost all my only source of income and now I¡¯m here!¡±


    ¡°Ah, honestly I really want to play my banjo right now. . .¡±


    Dio continued to speak to himself, but it did not bother him in the least. Since reminiscing about the old days brought him so much joy. In fact, he appreciated the silence he was given. He started to hum his favourite song, soon the quiet atnomsphere in the dumpster was refined by a beautiful melody.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "Lovely tune, isn''t it? I was able to create it with my late wife in mind." There was a momentary silence before Dio broke it himself.


    "Well let us get past this story now, I wouldn''t want the atmosphere to become heavy again."He laughed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you a secret since you are such a good listener!¡±


    ¡°Ah-hem--," He cleared his throat. "This handsome, young man may be a Vassal now, but hewas also the child of a Noble once.¡±


    The boy suddenly got up from laying down, catching Dio by surprise.


    ¡°Is that true?¡± He asked.


    The boy looked straight into his eyes, demanding an answer although no word was spoken and inched his blade closer towards Dio¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Well. . . if I might ask, which answer will leave me unscathed?¡± Dio gulped, slowly raising his arm in the air. He began to regret his unnecessary friendliness with strangers.


    A wise man would have never started a conversation with a sword-wielding child in the first place!


    Within a sequence of erratic movements, Dio found himself pinned to the ground with his face buried in the pile of garbage while his clothes were getting ripped apart by a child.


    ¡°AH! What are you doing?! No, stop! I¡¯m ticklish!¡±


    Dio¡¯s cries did nothing as the boy continued to rub his body all over, checking every part of his body, as if he was looking for something. He could only let the boy with strength that could rival a bull strip him clean in total darkness.


    ¡°This marque is--!¡±


    Dio looked over to where the boy was touching. There was indeed a marque in his left thigh, in fact, all Normals have marques. It was melted into the skin as soon as the baby was born, it was to brand their place in the hierarchy. This marque will either allow or disallow them to pass certain walls in the King¡¯s Kingdom. If a Normal with a Vassal marque was found to be within the walls that only allowed those that were marque Impressio and above, he or she will be imprisoned and punished accordingly.


    Dio was telling the truth, he was indeed born into a family of Noblemen.However, the marque that proved he was a Noble was scarred as a result of laceration by a sharp weapon, meaning that he no longer had the rights of being one. He was demoted to become a Vassal for the remaining years in his lifetime.


    ¡°As you can see, I am now just a lowly Vassal,¡± Dio concluded after the long explanation about his marque. ¡°So you can¡¯t make me your hostage, since they were the ones who threw me away.¡±


    Dio was down on his knees, begging the hostile child to let him live. He knew very well that the child could kill him anytime he wished to. He had no other choice but to lower his dignity and beg for his life.


    While it was true that he was just a lowly Vassal, he valued his life greatly-- as he still had unfinished things to settle.


    The child let out a disappointed sigh and left Dio on the ground and went to gather his things.


    ¡°Where are you going? Are you leaving?¡±


    Dio asked but did not receive a reply. He watched the boy pick up the items he had used to sleep in and put it into his runsack. The boy then proceeded to walk towards the exit of the garbage dump.


    ¡°You¡¯re really leaving me here, alone? With absolutely no clothing? You¡¯re really leaving this lonely bard alone in this filthy dumpster? With nothing for him to eat or drink? You¡¯re really leaving me to die after I shared my secret with you?¡±


    Seeing how the boy had absolutely zero interest in him, Dio became tearful.


    ¡°You¡¯re so mean, take responsibility for the clothes you destroyed, bastard!¡±


    ¡°Would you prefer to die right now if you don¡¯t stop talking?¡± The boy snapped.


    ¡°I mean-- thank you for sparing my underwear, kind sir.¡±


    A tear rolled down Dio¡¯s face as he watched the boy leave. He thought he had a special connection with the child. He had a feeling that they both desired something different in this world. He could no longer hold it in, he was prepared to take the risk of dying. He just had to have someone who can protect him.


    He jumped from where he was sitting and onto lower ground, struggling to catch up to the boy who was walking under day light.


    ¡°Wait--let me come with you!¡± He hollered. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t become a burden, please just let me go with you!¡±


    Dio grabbed the boy¡¯s hood, and accidentally pulled it off-- uncovering his head full of white hair that went down to his shoulders. The boy looked at Dio, his blood-red eyes staring directly into his. ¡°What the hell are you--?!¡±


    ¡°Ab--abnormal? Dio asked shakily.


    The boy snatched his hood back from Dio¡¯s grasp and smiled. ¡°Now do you still want to come with me?¡± The boy asked calmly, already knowing the answer.


    ¡°You--what is your name?¡±


    He pondered for a while, as if he had forgotten his own name. The expression on his face puzzled Dio.


    ¡°Noir, that is my name.¡± He said simply, wanting to be rid of the man¡¯s pester.


    Noir then pulled his hood back on and planned to walk away, but was stopped when the ex-Noble grabbed his arm.


    ¡°Please, Noir.¡± He begged with unwavering eyes. ¡°Make me King!¡±