It was so cold.

In place of the warm weather that would grace the province was frigid rain. The shower was light and gentle, yet each drop bit cruelly at his pale skin. Curled up in a small ball, back pressed to the wall of a dark alley, and fruitlessly breathing into his numb hands to heat them up, the little boy tried with all his might to restrain a shudder. His thin, torn clothing was soaked to the bone and clung to his malnourished body. His dull amber eyes stole desperate glances to the open road, hoping that a passing stranger would notice his condition and generously lend him a blanket or coat.

"P-please," he whimpered. He was not even sure if the plea had escaped his own trembling lips. Another violent tremor traveled up his spine and he curled even further into himself in retaliation.

Of all days—a day in which he lacked food and shelter—today's weather had to be so merciless...

No. He could not think so negatively.

With a loud sniffle, the little boy sat up and threw his shoulders back. A determined look crossed his round face.

"I'll b-be f-f-fine."

He whipped his head to the right and repeated more sternly, "I'll be fine."

Then to the left.

"I'll be fine!"

He spoke with such finality, that it was a shame that no ears were present to hear it. It had all been a show of frantic self-assurance. He would be fine.

Another drawn out sniffle.

"I-I'll be fine, you'll all see..."

He had to be fine.

The sheen of goosebumps ghosting over his skin betrayed his words. The boy roughly rubbed his arms in hopes of fending off the chill before directing one last gaze to the street. Not very many pedestrians were passing by since it was raining but a spark of hope valiantly flickered in his heart. Some kind person would walk by, stop at the sight him, feel some level of pity, and offer help.

Endless minutes passed by and yet no one appeared.

His wide vision zoned in on the cobble-stone road until all of his focus was latched onto a single spot. Liquid defeat licked dangerously close to the flame within him—a human face, a voice, anything resembling that of a savior; the boy just needed something to cling onto as a lifeline.

He stared.

And he stared some more, not flinching in the slightest as rain pooled over his lashes.

And then a soft thump reached his ears.

His entire body went rigid as the series of thumps became louder and louder.

Something was coming, no—he recognized happily—someone was coming. The elation adorning his face shifted to confusion when he realized the sound was coming from above. He looked to the crying heavens and waited with bated breath.

The noise ceased with a final, loud thump.

His heart pounded wildly against his ribs as he searched for a sign of life.

Innocent eyes widened in awe as they locked onto their target.

Perched atop the building was the thin form of a girl who looked young enough to be a teenager. A dark cloak hung limply around her hunched frame, the hood covering a majority of her face and only revealing a pair of smirking blood red lips. Beneath the cloak was a simple beige tunic but it seemed to have been made from the finest of silk. Pointed, dark-brown boots reached up to her shins and engulfed the ends of her billowing pants. The mysterious woman stood from her kneeling position and stared down at the boy, almost as if she was mocking his pitiful stature. Gaping, the little boy stood and reached a hand towards his unreachable gift from Ra. His voice was softer than a gasp.

"Please—"

Thump!

A mere few inches separated his face from hers.

The little boy stumbled back with a yelp and nearly had his feet slip out from beneath him. A sturdy grip on his wrist prevented it from happening. He looked at the elder girl, mouth flapping away in an attempt to form a coherent response. His desire to do so dwindled when a grimace graced his savior's beautiful lips.

"You're a citizen of Sphinx Nation, the greatest province in all of Egypt. Stand and act like you at least have a speck of pride." Her voice was cold, calculated, and sharp. Yet, to him, it was strong, guiding, and dependable. Raw reassurance coursed through his limbs, providing a warmth that nulled his chills.

Yes, he was certain that she had been sent for him.

"Y-you..." The boy's voice cracked but he pushed on to finish timidly, "Are you...m-my guardian s-s-spirit?"

A tense silence followed.

She gradually released the boy, allowing him to stand, and tilted her head as an amused grin spread across her cheeks. She raised one hand to the boy's face and dragged a dangerously filed nail down his left temple, over the eyelashes, all the way to his soft jawline.

Her expression—what little of it was visible—was unreadable.

"You think I'm your guardian spirit, hm?" Her voice was sickly sweet and deceiving, and it poured into the boy's mind like thick honey.

"Let me make it clear to you now, boy...I am not and will never be your guardian spirit. I do not protect, I kill. I do not make you feel safe—" She gripped a fistful of his collar and yanked him closer. She hissed menacingly, "I make you feel fear."

An audible gulp escaped the boy. Satisfaction radiated from the female as she drank in his shaking, frightened form. She picked him apart piece-by-piece with her hidden eyes. The subtle contraction of his pupils, his labored breaths wafting feebly across her face, the depleting strength in his short, scrawny legs, and knowing that she herself was the cause was so deliciously empowering.

Pride tickled the base of her stomach as she saw the boy's eyes flitter and twitch, a sure sign that he was on the brink of panic. She inhaled to release a caustic, taunting cackle—

Only for it to be caught in her suddenly warm throat.

Wet, quivering, thin little arms had the girl's neck in a vise grip, and it took her well beyond a few seconds to decipher the fact that the little boy was hugging her. A mildly disturbed feeling twisted in her gut and, after enduring the sensation for an agonizing few seconds, gained back enough of her wits to shove the boy away with a disgusted snarl. Each word she spat oozed with venom.

"What. Do. You. Think. You're. Doing."

The boy's twinkling eyes and warm smile mingled oddly with his shivering form. Something that bordered victorious spoke in the child's body language. It effectively blew the teen girl's anger to oblivion. In its place was confusion hidden behind a mask of distaste.

"I...I was really scared—of you, I mean," the boy babbled. "B-but I know you wouldn't hurt me because you're my g-guardian spirit."

"I already told you that I instill fear," she retorted, a breathy growl distorting her voice. However, unlike before, her intimidation methods did little to serve their purpose. She was rewarded with that same, ever-annoying smile of his.

"But not in me, guardian spirit. You're my savior, I know it!"

"You're delusional from hunger," she said with a scoff. Before the boy could argue, his beacon of hope stood to her full height and gazed down at him. "Turn around."

Again, the child attempted to protest but was immediately stripped of that ability when the teen's gloved hands peeled away her hood. A piercing, fierce glare with a color tone resembling his own eyes rammed through the boy's very soul. Her smooth, tan skin and angular face screamed of a perfection that could only result from years of constant pampering. Midnight black locks framed the sides of her face in loose curls while the rest was pulled back into a fluffed ponytail. The girl—either choosing to ignore his shock or didn't notice it—repeated in an annoyed grumble, "I said...turn...around." Unlike last time, the boy obeyed and literally spun on his heels, gut twisting nervously as he wondered what his horrifying blessing had planned.

Suddenly, the world was dark.

"W-what?" the boy sputtered in surprise as a heavy weight fell upon him. However, it wasn't a moment later until he realized that the world wasn't engulfed in darkness—just his vision. He quickly pulled the cloak off his head and turned about in wild circles, searching for his guardian spirit.

She was nowhere to be seen.

"Guardian s-spirit?" he called out feebly yet there was no reply. He directed his longing gaze to the sky once more while unconsciously snuggling into the cloak, which was remarkably warm and comforting. Instead of succumbing to the disappointment tingling in the hind corners of his mind, he pulled from his boundless determination and inhaled deeply.

"My name is Kazue!" His scream echoed throughout the streets. "One day I will find you, guardian spirit! Wait for me!"

From that day forward, the homeless child's determination morphed into a fervent passion.

He will find her.