A strangled sob escaped the boy’s throat, the blood dripping off his cheeks mingled with tears. Icy blue eyes watched over him, unmoved by tears; he’d seen them too many times. The boy finally raised his head, a hand over his right eye, trying to stop the blood flow, the other, obsidian eye wide in fear and pain. Blood caught at the tips of his sandy blonde hair that was much too long for the man’s liking; it’d have to be cut much shorter. “Is..” the boy started. “Is this much blood…”

“Normal?” the man finished. He moved forward. His movements were very slow; age had taken it’s toll on him. He hesitated moving any closer than a few feet from the boy; his white floors were already dyed with the blood; he did not need his bright white clothing following suit. “Very much so.” He studied the boy for a moment, before apparently being satisfied and turning away. “I expect you to be in the garden in twenty minutes.” He started for the door, stopping before leaving. “Also, as a new cleaning boy, I expect you to have this place the same way you found it. He patted a package on the marble table near the door before leaving, closing the boy in. He scrambled to his feet, hesitating as he move his hand away from his disgraceful right eye. His breath caught in his throat; he could see, he could see-

He snapped that eye shut, covering it again, wincing in pain; whatever he had done, it was painful. He looked around the room for something to clean the mess with. He found nothing but the rags he was wearing, so he tugged the dirty old shirt off his back, lowering himself to his hands and knees, wiping up the red against the white. When the task was completed he stood, wiping away any blood or tears on his cheeks, before looking to see what the package he’d been left was.

The boy found an outfit nicer than any he’d ever touched, ever seen, intended for him to wear. At the bottom of the package, he found an eye patch; one with a bold, black “x” on it; the darkest part of any of his newly received outfit. He took it into his hands, turning to the mirror across the room.

A pale, scrawny boy with messy, dirty, sandy blonde hair was looking back, right eye closed, dark eye wide in shock. He hesitated, before opening the right eye.

Clear blue peered back, before-

The boy saw black.

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A/N: Sorry for it cutting off and being so short. This is just the prologue, the teaser, until the first part is out. Expect it sometime in January, probably towards the beginning.