December 31st, 49th Ether Era(E.E).
Tomorrow makes it fiftieth year since the first hero's appearance:
Light sat on the bare ground of a filthy alleyway, leaning against a cracked wall.
He looked frail and sickly pale, as though a hard shove might send him tumbling over.
The stench clinging to the alley was strong enough to wrinkle his nose, even though he had long grown used to it.
A few steps away, a group of kids squatted on the wet, cracked ground, relieving themselves without a care in the world.
'Man… how can kids' crap smell this strong? That's like ten times worse than mine.
He didn't stay any longer. Light stood up and walked away with his head lowered, hands in his pockets and shoulders slightly hunched.
"Hey, Light! We're going to Mr. Nna's house. You need to apologise again—now!"
The tiny voice echoed through the alley.
'Lyra really doesn't want to grow up, huh?'
Light looked up and saw a light-skinned girl running toward him. She stopped a step away, breathless, placing her palms on her knees as she tried to steady her breathing.
She still had the soft cheeks of a child despite already being fifteen—the same age as Light.
"Why do I have to apologise?" Light asked with clear annoyance. "I didn't even see him, so how the hell did I offend him?"
He already knew what Mr. Nna's motives were, but he asked anyway.
"Our lives in the slums will be threatened if you don't apologise," she said anxiously. "Let's just go, Light."
She didn't wait for his answer and simply grabbed his arm, dragging him along.
'Damn you, Nna. You'll regret making my life difficult here.'
Light's anger was justified. The slums were the only place he could afford to stay, and Nna was the boss here. No one stole anything without paying him a tax.
Light had been thrown out of countless orphanages like a rag. They all believed he was cursed, since misfortune seemed to follow anyone connected to him.
But for some reason, Lyra still followed him.
The misfortune never affected her.
She had been with him since his first orphanage until today. Every time he was expelled, she simply followed him out.
Light could never bring himself to tell her the truth—that feeding two people was slowly becoming too heavy for him.
She was like a clingy worm that demanded warmth.
Lyra was also an orphan.
According to the story she once told him, they used to be a family of three. Her parents were journalists from the United States. They died during a Dread incident, and she was later taken to the orphanage where she met Light.
He had asked her many times why she kept following him.
Her answer was always the same.
You'd probably die in a sewer somewhere if I left you alone.
The two of them soon stopped in front of an old, dirty two-storey building.
They didn't even need to knock before a tall, muscular man stepped out.
His face was already wrinkled, but the deep frown made him look even uglier, with a nose big enough to inhale a person's happiness. His gaze was filled with open contempt.
"If it isn't Darkness… I mean Lightless," the man sneered.
"I thought you two wouldn't show up tonight, since you'll both be sixteen tomorrow.
Most kids would grow arrogant, believing they would stand above the world once they awakened."
Nna didn't bother hiding the hostility in his deep voice.
"We're really sorry, sir," Lyra said quickly. "Light didn't mean to offend you. He needed today's money to buy some medicine. He hasn't been feeling well."
She reached up and pushed Light's head down slightly.
'It's just malaria. Nothing worth worrying about. I'll quietly adapt.'
Light swallowed his thoughts and forced out a reluctant apology.
Mr. Nna, being the asshole he was, still took money from Light as the day's tax.
It was a new rule that every slum dweller who did "business" had to pay taxes to Nna after each day's theft.
Later that night, Light lay on a few pieces of clothes spread underneath, he was staring at the ceiling.
He kept wiping his nose in disgust even after showering.
Nna had spat on him before they left. It wasn't the first time, but it didn't make it any less disgusting.
Light tightened his jaw as the memory returned.
That man had been making life miserable for him.
Now he not only had to feed himself and Lyra, he also had to pay taxes to a lazy good-for-nothing who paraded himself as the slum boss.
He didn't even realize when he fell asleep.
The loud crowing of roosters finally dragged him awake, announcing the beginning of a new day.
Light opened his eyes immediately.
He had been waiting for this day his entire life.
Today was different... It was the day he would turn sixteen.
He believed he would awaken, even though he wasn't certain.
That belief mostly came from Lyra, who had always insisted that he would.
Light carefully got up, he was gentle to avoid ruffling the clothes they slept on.
Lyra was still sleeping beside him.
He gently adjusted the worn bedsheet over her, before moving to the corner and retrieving the remaining bread they would be using for breakfast.
In districts like theirs, awakening wasn't a celebration, It was like an inevitable gamble.
A gamble between becoming useful… or forgotten.
Those who failed to awaken were treated worse than the trash they already were.
In some slums, the failures didn't survive long enough to see another year... They simply took their own lives.
Smoke from cheap cooking fires drifted through the alleys as the two of them rushed to catch the bus after breakfast.
The bus was guarded by a hero who ensured the passengers reached the city safely, free from the threat of Villains or Dreads.
Light glanced at the hero.
The man's flashy costume looked ridiculous to him.
Light never hated heroes, he just noticed something strange.
They never visited places like this on normal days.
They only appeared once every year.
Lyra kept shaking him excitedly, pointing at every tall building the bus passed.
The journey lasted several long hours as the bus broke down a few times along the way, each repair only making the friction noises louder.
Eventually, they arrived at their destination.
The teenagers inside the bus began stepping out one by one, trying their best not to embarrass themselves in such an open area.
This scene was honestly nothing like what Light had imagined. There were many men and women in business suits and press equipment looking from left to right, obviously waiting for something or someone.
"I heard in the news that three of the city's famous guild leaders would be showing up as guests in today's awakening ceremony. I would be so honored to see them!"
Excited chatter and acknowledgments followed as the crowd started discussing the news further. The shrill voices made Light's ears ache, causing him to tilt his head away from the screaming teenagers.
Light looked to his left as another bus stopped nearby. It appeared unfairly luxurious compared to their old, scratched vehicle. The people descending from the new bus were all his age, dressed to the nines, highlighting a clear difference in class.
But the new bus wasn't even the last one to arrive. Suddenly, as if a bomb had been dropped, the media people all rushed toward a private car that had not even parked yet. Light's curiosity was piqued, but his group was already moving before the new Idol hero could even step out of their car.
Lyra suddenly started acting far more civilized, which actually surprised Light.
He guessed the memories of her time in the United States were still vivid enough to influence her behavior.
They passed several tall buildings that made some of the other teenagers gasp in amazement.
Finally, they entered one.
The silver interior was enormous.
Light felt like the space could easily hold an entire football field with neatly arranged seats with a wide enough space in every four sectors. Only a few massive pillars interrupted the open area, supporting the weight of the building above.
The air smelled clean and refreshing.
For a moment, Light wished he could stay somewhere like this forever, even the seat he sat on felt like heaven.
He was still lost in that thought and track of time, when a voice suddenly echoed through the hall.