[b][color=FFFFF0]Luca[/color][/b]

Below the commotion of tears and loud discussion between the eldest orphans, the small and sickly Luca sat down on the grimy floor. His eyes were shut pensively, as were his quivering lips, giving the albino boy an appearance like pure white. He clutched his flask, a steel thing covered in scuffs and dents, tightly in his thin fingers, holding it close to his chest. He thought sometimes that even if he didn't drink the elixir within, just having it close might give him a modicum of strength.

Despite the room crowded with orphans like himself, Luca felt utterly alone. He had never known family besides Fritz, and though he was not the only foundling in the orphanage, he could not take the idea of solidarity with them as a comfort. They had their own strength to rely on; Luca was completely dependent on others to survive. He was a bright boy, and his mind worked quickly, but that sometimes meant that it traveled to dark places. Luca thought to himself that he would soon prove to be a burden to the rest, and that they would rid themselves of him when their goodwill ran thin.

Luca's eyes cracked open to glance about the room, his blood-red irises shimmering as tears welled up. Blinking them away, ruby tears slowly trickled over his cheeks, giving him the appearance that he was crying blood. This was not unusual for him, as the older orphans would already be aware, and was likely another benign effect of his illness. Luca sometimes thought that his own body mocked him with these peculiarities.

Like an icicle at the back of Luca's skull, a voice whispered into his mind, "[color=000000]It is only you and I now, Luca.[/color]" The voice had all the malice of a thousand daggers poised to strike. "[color=000000]Accept their good will while they offer it. When the times comes that they will no longer keep you, I shall guard you.[/color]" Luca thought, as he always did when this unseen entity came to him, to question its identity. "[color=000000]I shall be both father and mother to you. Teacher and priest. Shield and sword. Angel and demon.[/color]" With that, the voice said nothing more.

Luca's tears had run dry by now, and he wiped the red wetness from his cheeks, which streaked across his pale face like watery paint on a canvas. "[color=FFFFF0]We need a guardian.[/color]" Luca said in his small, wavering voice. "[color=FFFFF0]None of us are strong enough, but strength can be bought. Fritz is not dead to everyone yet. Where are his friends? His debtors? Reap what we can, then bargain with someone else. Should buy us some time.[/color]"