Under the flickering, washed out lights, the restaurant looked less like a place to eat and more of a prison. Grease clung to every possible surface; even the air, thick enough to taste with every breath.
A middle aged man loomed over Bane, his shadow encompassing the boy as he knelt on the stained floor tiles.
"You little shit!", the man hissed, barely able to contain his anger "Do you even know what you're doing?! You're useless! You can't even sweep the floor properly!", the man spat.
Bane knew that eye contact would make everything worse.
"I'm sorry, I'm really trying. I'll sweep the entire floor again"
The apology came out automatically. It didn't matter if he actually meant it. It was what the man wanted to hear.
He swept the same patch of floor, pushing dirt that wasn't even there back and forth. The broom was missing half its bristles - but replacing it would cost money - and to his employer, money mattered more than anything else.
Even as a child, Bane learnt the art of minding his own business. In the slums, blood curdling screams were a daily occurrence, so if he wanted to stay alive, he had to stay out of it.
Bane had been alone since ten years old, leaving him alone in the cold world which was consumed by greed and the Index.
All he could do was cower under the miserable old man - and he could definitely not afford to lose this job.
However, today…
"You know what, you filthy brat, get out of my store. You're fired."
..
Bane knew that the old man was trying to find an excuse to fire him, but he did not expect it to happen so soon, especially a day before his sixteenth birthday.
Letting out a heavy sign, Bane sat onto a bench in the city park.
Bane's mind became overcrowded with thoughts.
He knew he wasn't gonna be coming back here for a while. Finding a job in the city wasn't exactly easy, especially for an uneducated kid…
Without a job, rent would be unpaid again. His landlord hated him, like everyone else seemed to, and she certainly wasn't the forgiving type. The thought of seeing her face made his stomach slightly twist..
At least he could enjoy the warmth of a bed for one final time… For one final night. Though, he couldn't help but laugh at the irony of getting kicked out on his birthday.
'Maybe it'd be better if the Index took me..'
This thought, however, made his mind shudder:
What fate would the Index give him?
The Index is the mysterious power which decides the fate of humans. On their sixteenth birthday, a select few humans are chosen who are deemed worthy are forced to overcome grueling trials, named "Scenarios". Upon completion, immense potential for power is granted to the challenger. However, in the case of failure; death.
Of course, most of the time it's the prosperous that are chosen. Cases of slum rats being chosen to undergo the harrowing Scenarios set by the Index were very far in between.
Shaking his head, he quickly snapped out of this thought.
"Yeah, right."
There's no way that a person like Bane could get chosen by the Index, much less survive a Scenario set by the Index, he'd get killed off by the weakest creature immediately. Hell, knowing his luck, he'd probably end up with the most useless power…
Standing up from the decrepit bench, Bane started walking home.
As he walked through the pitch black night, he couldn't help but notice the towering skyscrapers illuminating the city in the distance, filling him with a sense of envy. The thought about living in one of them made the right side of his mouth slightly curl up.
The cities were cleaner than the slums, at least. The air still had a metallic taste on his tongue, but at least it wasn't the terrible stench of rot and smoke he grew up breathing. Even so, this place wasn't made for him.
As the streets narrowed, a familiar, foul stench hit him.
…
Standing before Bane was an old, dilapidated and small apartment.
He had arrived home. This was where Bane belonged.
He hurried to his cupboard but only to be disappointed; the only thing there was a moldy slice of bread. His stomach churned.
"I guess I won't be eating today", he muttered.
He thought about the city, where the buildings reached the skies, where the people didn't have to worry about their next meal. A person like him could never belong there.
…Especially now that he was jobless.
Quickly opening his door, Bane rushed inside his home and fell into the warm embrace of his makeshift bed. Bane was extremely tired. It was a really long day, and he wanted to enjoy the warm embrace of his bed for as long as possible, before inevitably getting kicked out tomorrow.
As the sound of a ticking clock reverberated throughout Bane's dead-silent apartment, he was reminded that tomorrow was his birthday. He could not help but lament his luck.
But there was no time to sulk - tomorrow, he would no longer have a home.
His eyes started to close on their own and with that the world around him seemed to slow down. The clock seemed to get louder and louder - until it reached its apex.
*CRASH*
The sudden sound tore through the long silence and with it came an unbearable white light.
The reality around him shattered like glass, cracking into thousand fragments that then dissolved into nothing.
"Bane.. your fate begins"
Panic clawed at his chest. He tried to scream, to move - but the world itself seemed to resist him. He was descending.. no, he was being pulled through a void that had no floor, walls or ceiling. A cold pressure was applied to him from seemingly nowhere and everywhere and the darkness seemed to wrap around his limbs.
It all disappeared in an instant - the world had taken him and he was going to have to fight to get back.
He gritted his teeth and forced his eyes open. A figure appeared, radiant yet impossibly cold, hovering in the void.
A cold, unyielding voice spoke to him
"Survive, or be consumed."