The next time the boy woke up, he was atop a bed, covered in bandages. He sat up and frowned before immediately scanning his surroundings. Although the room was small, the walls were covered with many exotic paintings, but the boy was far from the mood to appreciate any of them. He also noticed a small black wolf cub peacefully sleeping on a couch next to him.

  "Eh...what is this place?" He asked himself as he slowly got up. "I should be dead..."

  The boy limped through the door and noticed a small table in the middle of the house and a corridor which led to a few other rooms. From his position, he could see through the window and realised he was in a mountainous region surrounded by trees. Without delaying any longer, the boy gathered resolve and started limping towards the door.

  Suddenly, a deep voice sounded from behind him, "Oh, you're awake? How do you feel? You've been asleep for a week."

  The boy didn't spare him a single glance and kept on limping towards the door. As he mustered the strength to walk onwards, his legs gave in, and he fell face-first near the entrance.

  ***BAM!***

  Just as he got up again, he felt a hand touch his shoulder, "Are you okay-"

  The boy's eyes contracted, and he furiously swatted away the man's arm. Only now did he get a clear look at the person. He was a seemingly old man given his white hair, beard and old azure pupils, yet his body and face didn't seem to have aged in the slightest. He wore black trousers which reached just past his knees and a black tank top which outlined his muscular and vigorous frame.

  "Don't fucking touch me!" The boy growled before glaring at him threateningly.

  The old man looked shocked but not the least bit frightened. He chuckled lightly, "Hahahah! Alright then, kid. Tell me your name."

  The boy didn't reply and simply got up and carried on walking. A sudden boost of adrenaline he felt when the man touched him gave him enough perseverance. The moment he stepped outside, the cold winter breeze washed over him, and the smell of sea spray wafted onto his nose. He walked further down, past trees which were teeming with cicadas and the large boulders. As he walked through an opening amongst the mass of trees, he was greeted with the sound of waves crashing over each other. He carried on limping until he reached the tip of the cliff, and he finally stopped.

  From here, the view seemed immaculate; he could see an ocean which spread on for as far as his eyes could see. The blue waves rolled viciously under the cloudy sky, and a cold breeze ripped past him, lifting his messy bangs to reveal his dark purple eyes.

  He prepared himself and took a deep breath.

  "Don't jump." The old man's voice called out to him. The boy stopped his motion and slowly turned back, his face as cold as ice.

  The old man was leaning beside a tree a couple of metres away from him, his arms crossed, "No matter what you've been through, you don't need to end your life to escape it. Whatever happened has already happened. You can't change it. Just accept it and start fresh."

  The winds blew past the duo again, sending their clothes fluttering in the winter breeze. The boy then took his gaze back to the ocean, "What do you know about me? Even if I live, nothing will change. It's not like I have anyone to go back to - anyone to trust. It's not like anyone would be sad or cry if I just jumped off. At the very least, I can end living this shit life."

  The man stared hard at him, "How do you know that?"

  Confusion filled the boy's face, and he turned to look at the old man again.

  "Maybe there will be a day when you have someone to go home to and have people you can trust. How do you know a day won’t come when someone cries for you? How do you know that your shitty life may not just become a life worth living one day?" said the old man very seriously. He broke his stance and slowly walked towards the boy.

  Though his eyes were concealed by his hair, when the breeze blew again, the man noticed a rivulet of tears being carried away by the wind, "That doesn't exist, old man... People are evil; some even worse than wild animals. Once you trust them, they betray you. Once you have a place to call home, that home becomes a place of disaster. They may cry for you at first, but that cry could easily become laughter behind an evil face. Despite all this, you say this life could be better off living. I'm better off dead."

  The old man's expression grew serious, and he immediately shot forward.

  Cruel memories of everything that his life had been flashed before his eyes, and the boy fell forward, his eyes closed. He felt the wind batter into his back as he let go of his footing, and he began to free-fall toward the ocean.

  ***SLAP**!*

  All of a sudden, pain shot through the boy's arm as his momentum suddenly stopped. He slowly opened his eyes again to see the old man grabbing onto his wrist. "Then I'll become your home. I'll become the person you can trust, and I won't ever betray you! I'll even cry for you if you fall and perish right now!"

  The boy stared at him apathetically.

  "I'll show you that your shitty life is worth living!" The old man said, "Just come stay with me. It's not like you've got anything to lose."

  Despite his cold visage when he heard the man utter these words, his heart felt a tinge of warmth.

  The faintest of whispers echoed in his mind, ‘Should I trust…’

  The boy found himself back at the old man's house. He sat down on a chair, particularly thoughtless, when the black furred wolf cub came and started nuzzling against him joyously. The boy knelt and started ruffling its fur.

  "Isn't he cute?" The old man asked as he sat down at the table with two glasses of coffee.

  The boy continued playing with the wolf cub. Its eyes were red like the moon, and its jet black fur was darker than the night sky. Its left eye seemed to have a claw mark, which the boy found somewhat familiar.

  "He's the reason I found you on that day." The man said, then sipped his cup of coffee, "I was walking back home after finishing business at a nearby market when he suddenly ran to me barking and biting on my trousers, so I followed him, and that's when I found you on the ground full of injuries."

  He looked at the cub in shock. Who would have thought this strange wolf cub would save his life?

  The old man continued, "So, how about you introduce yourself to me? My name is Douzian. What's yours?"

  The boy's eyes suddenly became dark once again as he was reminded of Rosaria's introduction to him. She had asked him the same thing and had a smile on her face just like Duozian did.

  "I don't have one." He coldly spat.

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  Duozian almost spat out his coffee and looked at the boy in surprise, "Huh?"

  "I don't have a name. Tch." The boy repeated, kissing his teeth in frustration. He swiped his head aside, making his bangs cover his eyes.

  Duozian looked thoughtful for a moment before his face lit up with a grin, "How about we name you Eclipse?"

  The boy stared at him in awe. The last thing he expected to happen was for this strange man to name him.

  "That's right. I found you during the day of a blood moon eclipse, so let's call you Eclipse! Hahahahahah!" Duozian exclaimed before he laughed heartily. Soon, the smell of chicken wafted into the room. "Oh, the chicken soup is ready!"

  Saying so, Duozian hummed a tune and went into the kitchen, leaving the boy completely astonished.

  ***

  "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH OLD MAAAAAN! Wake up, wake up! WAKE UP, DAMN IT!" Eclipse roared at the top of his lungs as tears uncontrollably flooded down his cheeks for the first time since Duozian had taken him in. He shook the corpse in his red-dyed arms violently, "I'M BEGGING YOU! It’s me! THE BOY WHO YOU NAMED ECLIPSE!"

  At this point, his voice was completely cracked, but he didn't relent with his blood-curdling screams. The pool of blood underneath Duozian had completely soaked most of his clothes, but that was the least of his concerns as he hyperventilated between his roars.

  "ARRRRRRGHHHH PLEASE WAKE UP OLD MAN YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME! YOU PROMISED! YOU PROMISED THAT YOU WOULD BE MY NEW HOME! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!"

  Eclipse cried as loud as his vocal cords allowed him, but no amount of crying would budge Duozian's partially open eyes.

  "Ahhh... ahhh, you said that day...." Eclipse sobbed, "YOU SAID YOU'D SHOW ME HOW MY SHITTY LIFE IS WORTH LIVING! YOU SAID THAT YOU'D BE SAD AND CRY IF I DIED. SO WHAT ABOUT ME, HUH? Eh... eh... WHAT ABOUT WHEN I'M SAD, AND I CRY IF YOU DIE! AAAAAA---AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH WAKE UPPPPPPP, YOU STILL HAVE TO SHOW ME HOW MY SHITTY LIFE IS WORTH LIVING!"

  Just like the day he had reaped the life of his own parent's Eclipse cried miserably.

  Ever since Duozian had taken him into this village, the residents had treated him as nothing but a liability. He was violent, cold and most of all, his vicious eyes would scare the residents. Though most people didn't confront him about it, he would definitely notice them backing away in his presence.

  They weren't wrong to feel that way, and Eclipse had grown to accept it. After all, he was someone who had taken more than one life.

  Eclipse realised that despite everything, there was one person who refused to give up on him to the point that Eclipse found it strange. It was the same person who Eclipse had thought would give up on him after a few days of when he had taken Eclipse in. But not only did he not let go of him, but he treated him with the same love and kindness that he had longed for all his life.

  Taking care of someone like himself...

  This man was none other than Duozian.

  After having been treated like junk by his parents. After being betrayed by the woman he considered an older sister, after all he had been through, it was Duozian who had shown him the warmth of family.

  Eclipse's mind buzzed, and he ran out of breath, letting out a series of coughs. He clutched his chest with bloodstained hands and sweat, rainwater and tears dribbled down his chin. Throughout his life so far, the pain he had endured was far above what an average person could even imagine, so there weren't many things in this world that would make him act like he was now.

  Like lightning, several memories flashed in his mind. And each of them pierced Eclipse's heart like an arrow.

  ***

  "Oh, you’re back, Eclipse. Where have you been so late? I was waiting, all worried." Duozian's muscular self leaned against the front door with his arms crossed and a frown written over his face.

  ***

  "Eclipse, I got you this scarf. Here, put it on, it's getting colder now since it's winter." Duozian said as he gave Eclipse a purple scarf, who was blowing into his hands to warm them up.

  ***

  Duozian stared at Eclipse until he got irritated and shot him a look, "What?"

  With his mouth stuffed, Duozian made a thumbs-up gesture, "Your eyes remind me of distant stars and galaxies. You'll definitely be a ladies’ man when you’re older."

  ***

  The rain mercilessly pierced its way through the atmosphere and needled down on Eclipse's ghastly skin.

  "AAAAAAAAH!!" Eclipse sobbed, " Why? Why do things always have to end up like this? WHY? WHY? WHY?! OLD MAN... YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME! YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN ME GROW UP YET! I HAVEN'T EVEN CALLED YOU GRANDPA YET... YOU CAN'T LEAVE…"

  Due to his heart-rending grief and cries, Eclipse didn't realise that several villagers had walked up to him, their expressions dark and gloomy. They whispered amongst each other, and more and more people arrived until they had formed a circle around him. Their clenched fists and gritted teeth suggested ill intent.

  Unaware of all this, Eclipse continued to cry to the heavens with Duozian’s corpse in his arms, "Please, old man… How will I live without you? Grandpa?! GRANDPA TELL ME HOW! TELL ME HOW!!!"

  Eclipse seemed like he was on the brink of insanity. His trembling hands slowly left Duozian's body and made their way up and clutched his face, smearing blood all over it in the process. "Eh, eh, eh.... who's going to tell me to wear a scarf when it's cold outside...who's going to tell me not to stay out late? WHO'S GOING TO SCOLD ME AFTER I GET INTO A FIGHT!!! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! Ahhh, ah, ahhhh! You CAN’T!!! YOU CAN'T LEAVE WHEN I HAVEN'T EVEN TOLD YOU HOW MUCH YOU'VE DONE FOR ME! WHEN I HAVEN'T EVEN TOLD YOU HOW MUCH YOU MEAN TO ME! YOU SAVED ME, OLD MAN!!! AAAH!! YOU SAVED A DEMON LIKE ME SO PLEASE DON'T DIE OLD MAN!!!''

  Eclipse knew very well in the depths of his heart that no matter how much he screamed at Duozian, he would never respond. And that truly frightened him.

  In the blur of agony and denial, a cruel memory surfaced.

  He remembered something from merely less than a day ago when Duozian bought him outside for a walk to the cliff.

  Duozian chuckled lightly beside him, *“Haha, it wouldn’t hurt for you to call me grandfather for once in your life.”*

  The memory faded, swallowed by the cold reality of the present, leaving Eclipse trembling over the man he could never speak to again.

  Shuddering, he sobbed in lament and agony as despair crushed him like a tidal wave. His spirit was on the verge of collapse, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably, akin to that of a burst dam. "Grandpa... I- I haven't told you how much I loved you! AAAAAAAH!!!"

  His wails of sorrow resonated far away as the wind howled in sync with his grief.

  Soon enough, his tears had run out, and his voice had been fatigued. He knelt next to Duozian's corpse, hugging it as if the corpse were a part of him.

  As the flames finally diminished, Eclipse noticed countless people were standing around him in a circle - their expressions full of horror and disbelief.

  "MURDERER!" Out of the crowd, a person shouted and threw a stone at Eclipse.

  "You killed your own grandfather! Haven't you got any sense of empathy!" Another person shouted and threw a pebble right at Eclipse's head. He could've easily dodged it, but he didn't bother. A small trail of blood followed the stone, but the pain didn't compare in the slightest to the anguish and disbelief in his heart.

  Eclipse raised his head robotically and looked at these people in incredulity. Before long, more and more people started cursing him while assaulting him with any rocks and pebbles they found on the floor.

  "Die! You demon!"

  "You're better off dead!"

  "Damned outcast! We should've kicked you out of the village the moment you started causing trouble!"

  The cries and accusations of the villagers all tuned into one deafening ring and echoed into Eclipse's ears. He couldn't make out what any of them were saying as he continued to get stoned by the villagers. His fingernails dug into the earth, and blood seeped down all over his body.

  "Wait a second... HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS DOING!" Eclipse roared to the villagers at the top of his lungs, while defending Duozian's body from the attacks, "MY OLD MAN IS DYING! GO CALL A DOCTOR!"

  "How dare you act like nothing has happened after you killed your own grandfather?" A villager came up to Eclipse and tossed a larger rock at his head. Eclipse's perspective shook as his face hit the earth.

  "ARRRRGHHH!" Eclipse roared as he thrashed the earth with his bare fist, "Why… why? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? WHY TO ME?! WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY DAMN IT!"

  Eclipse shouted, his blood-curdling voice echoing in the ears of the citizens. He got to his feet and rushed towards the forest while barging his way out of the circle.

  His mind buzzed, and his soul wrenched.

  How could they believe he murdered his own grandfather?!

  No one followed him as he dashed through the woods, his posture edgy and robotic. He felt nothing else existed other than the echo of his slow footsteps and the vigourless thump of his heartbeat. He backed up against a large tree and slouched down mindlessly, his once determined eyes now completely deprived of any life.

  Slowly, he reached into his pocket and brought out the shiny orb. He stared at it thoughtlessly for a good while. Then slowly he started trembling.

  "Why?" He muttered slowly.

  "It's all because of the damned kindness that you ended up in this situation!" He roared as he threw the Cryptic Amethyst, which should be handled with utmost delicacy, at a nearby tree. Upon impact, it instantly shattered into hundreds of dazzling fragments.

  "How can you die off on your own and leave me alone. All of your teachings are bullshit if you can't even protect yourself!" Unaware that his words contained no logic, emotion welled up in his heart, and he shouted and wailed. The despairing cries echoed for several hundred metres before they were engulfed by the roaring sound of heavy rain.

  Before long, he became quiet once again. With his head slightly slouched, he sat there for another while before suddenly, the sound of the bush rustling came from the vicinity, causing Eclipse to immediately sharpen his perception in caution.