Night soon fell upon the city of Kaelmoor, its once-busy streets silent and deserted, the buildings reflecting the pale blue light of the moon back to the skies. A lone figure was seen walking calmly through the tranquil garden of the Orphanage, his golden eyes shining radiantly under the night sky. Aly was making his way towards his room in the orphanage alongside Vey. The two were walking slowly, almost as if they were savoring their moment of peace together.
(A.N.: I decided to change the name of the city from Eventua to Kaelmoor. Sounds better)
"Say, Aly, would you like to hear a joke?" Vey softly muttered, his clear, calming voice rippling and disturbing the peaceful silence between the two siblings.
"A joke? What kind of joke? And why now? Aly replied with a tinge of fatigue.
"Ah, well, you see,my lovely and innocent brother, I've heard that the best way for humans to break the ice is with a joke, and well, to be frank, I have this sudden urge to crack a joke. "
Aly grimaced while hearing his words, his smile slightly faltering. 'What sort of rubbish is going through that mind of his now? And who told him that nonsense?' he thought to himself.
Vey, however, hadn't been honest. He had sensed how troubled Aly truly was while in the Mess hall. From his brother's trembling hands to the detached look on his face. A look he makes whenever he wants to dissociate. He simply wanted to lift his brother's spirits up, and what better way than his world-famous jokes?
"Fine, go ahead," Aly said while tensing his body.
"What did one hat say to the other?
"Vey, please sto-'
"You wait here. I will go ahead."
Aly stopped in his tracks. His shoulders trembled, eyes brimming with tears. He fought to hold back laughter, but fate had other plans. "Pffftt-hehehehehe."
Aly really wished at this point that he was dead. He soon lost all control, and the two of them were now hunched over, laughing uncontrollably under the night sky. Their laughter resonated through the night's silence.
"See, I told you it would be a funny joke," Vey managed to utter after managing to control his laughter.
"Haaaa~, why don't you tell me more jokes, Vey?"
Much to the horror of their family, the pair of siblings shared a strange yet tragic sense of humour. They were the type who enjoyed and laughed at their own jokes, leaving the others to cringe as they remembered the times they were forced to laugh at Vey's jokes in order to make sure little Aly did not cry. Truly terrifying times.
Before Vey could deliver his next joke, however, a pale blond boy with blue eyes made his way into the garden. He was swiftly followed by two boys. One was fairly large and well-built with brown hair, his dark brown eyes glistening under the moonlight. On his right was a modest boy with glasses; he was fairly unattractive and seemed to be suffering from an acne breakout. Clearly, whatever skincare he was using was not working. It was Oscar and his gang.
"Looks like we have finally found the lunatic. Aly, I thought we were friends? How can you laugh without us!" the pale blond boy said confidently with a hint of venom in his tone.
"O-Oscar, what are you doing here?" Aly replied back, fear evident in his eyes.
"Well, what do you think we are here for, you fool? Have you forgotten? Well, let me remind you, since we are friends," his dreadful words lingered in the air, making the atmosphere heavy.
"Our money, where is it?" Oscar's voice echoing calmly in the darkness.
"I-i don't have enough. I p-promise I can give you the rest after the Ceremony."
Oscar looked at Aly's face. A hint of fear was visible in his eyes, but that smile, that damned smile of his, was still present on his face as if he did not realize the predicament he was currently in. It irked Oscar. It made him feel as if his very existence was insignificant, and he was repulsed by it.
'That repulsive smile of his I will make sure to get rid of it today...." Oscar thought to himself, a disgusting grin appearing on his face.
"Charles, Veyrith, pin the lunatic down, please." His voice oozed out.
The two boys lunged at Aly, who tried to escape. But Charles and Veyrith were quicker. Charles seized Aly by the collarbone, yanking him back so hard he crashed to the ground.
'Fuck...this is going to hurt.' Aly cursed silently.
Oscar's pale figure loomed above Aly's face, his sadistic grin seeming even more sinister under the moonlight. His hands were digging through his pockets, and he eventually pulled out a paper towel.
"Aly, you really should have gotten the money. Did you really think I would have given you a second chance?
"Just because we are friends, does not mean I am a fool." His figure was now directly over Aly's head. He moved his hand towards Aly's face, gently caressing it, though this gesture carried no traces of warmth. He then moved it towards his mouth, violently prying it open before stuffing the paper towel inside.
"Ah...we can finally start," his eyes carrying traces of excitement. Wasting no time, he slammed his fist into Aly's stomach, and soon a groan could be heard in the garden. Oscar paid no heed to the pained groan of Aly and relentlessly slammed his fists onto the boy's body, his golden eyes now filled with tears and blood slowly streaking down his mouth, staining his worn clothes. Punch after punch, Oscar was merciless. His once clear hands were now bruised. He paused slightly as if he was savoring this moment, his eyes slowly moving upwards towards Aly's face. Aly's face was now pale, his once joyous image erased, and instead of joy filling his eyes, nothing but pain and tears could be seen in them. However, Oscar's face soon turned red as he saw a sight that filled him with rage.
Aly was laughing. His face still had the same smile Oscar deeply hated, but now this lunatic was laughing. Oscar's face trembled with anger, and as if something had snapped inside his head, he tried swinging his fist in the direction of the smiling face, but Charles had finally managed to stop him and was now firmly grasping it in place.
"Stop it, Oscar, or he might just die," the boy whispered in his ear.
Oscar turned his head slowly, and only after seeing their fearful expressions did he stand up.
"You are right. We need to rest after all. Well then, Aly, I guess this is goodbye for now."
He turned and started walking towards his room, but paused as he was interrupted by Veyrith.
"Are we really leaving him here?" The boy questioned
Oscar did not reply and instead continued walking towards his room. The two other boys simply shrugged their shoulders and followed him.
On that night inside the orphanage, the motionless figure of a boy could be seen lying in the garden. The pale blue moonlight was shining on his face, illuminating it clearly. His face was bloody and filled with tears.