Arbiter's Tale: Young Blood

Arbiter's Tale: Young Blood is a prequel to Arbiter's entire prescence within the Villains Multiverse. This will consist of a few short stories that chronicle the events of Arbiter's childhood.

Story 1: Half-Breed
Kagami was wandering through the streets of the Underground, a vast, subterranian section of the Golden City that was directly above it. Her silvery hair shone a tint of gold from the yellow light of the streetlamps that lit the Underground roads.

"Jason told me not to walk through the Underground alone..." she thought to herself. ''"He says it's dangerous for eight-year olds... but what he doesn't know won't hurt him, right? But I'll bet that he's gonna get mad... I hate it when he gets mad... but I don't have to tell him, right?" ''

Kagami continued this battle within her mind as she continued walking down the roads. She loved to explore and wander about, never seeming content to be in one place for too long.

"But what if he finds out that I left? I'll... I'll just tell him that I got lost-"

Kagami's thought was interrupted by a small movement she caught from the corner of her eye. She spun around quickly, seeing the dark alleyway that the movement came from.

"That's funny... I could've sworn I saw a... in that alley..."

It only took a moment for Kagami's curiosity to overtake her as she darted into the alleyway. Soon enough, she saw a small figure running into an abandoned warehouse.

"It's a person... a kid, like me..."

Itching to know what another child like her was doing alone in the streets, Kagami entered the warehouse, only to hear a shrill, sobbing voice shout "GO AWAY!"

"It's okay!" Kagami shouted, taken aback by the child's shout. "I won't hurt you!"

"GO AWAY!" cried the voice. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Kagami followed the sound of the child's sobs through a doorframe into a room barely lit by the outside light. In a corner covered in shadows, she could she the silhouette of the child, curled up into a ball, face buried in his hands. The child looked up for a moment, and, seeing Kagami, quickly hid his face, holding himself even tighter.

"GET AWAY! GET AWAY FROM ME!" the child shrieked, with terror now present in his voice.

"It's okay!" Kagami repeated. "I just want to help you!"

Ignoring the cries and protests, Kagami approached the child, and placed her arms around it. The child struggled meekly, screaming and shrieking, but Kagami held on. Eventually, the child quit squirming, and buried it's face into Kagami's shoulder, sobbing.

"There, there." Kagami said softly. "I just want to help you. I'm your friend." She gently led the child out into the middle of the room, into the light. "Come out where I can see you."

The child, at first reluctant, slowly walked out, holding onto Kagami's hand tightly as if it's life depended on it. Now out in the light, Kagami could see the face of a boy who appeared to be about six. He was dressed in nothing but rags, and his whole figure appeared emaciated. His gaunt, tear-stricken face was barely visible underneath his long, emerald hair. Kagami brushed the boy's hair out of his face, and saw his golden eyes. Yet the boy's eyes held a sunken, hollow, and defeated look.

"What is your name?" she asked.

The boy began to sob again. "I don't... know... I don't know..." he cried.

"Where are you from?"

"I don't know..." the boy stammered. "A scary place... covered with... with blood..."

"What?" Kagami questioned. "That's impos-"

At this point, Kagami noticed, with horror, that the boy's rags were indeed darkened up to his chest with the crimson hue of dried blood.

"Please... I don't want to go back there... I don't want to go back there ever again!" the boy cried, throwing his arms around Kagami and holding onto her tightly, as if letting go meant he would go back to that nightmarish place.

Kagami, taken aback, embraced the boy again. "Come with me." she said. "I'll take you someplace safe."

In the living room of an abandoned house paced Jason, a fourteen year-old boy with restless eyes and jet black hair.

"Dammit, Kagami..." he fumed.

"Did Kagami run off again?" said a ten year old boy, reading a ragged old book and sitting on a moth-eaten couch.

"Yeah Malovus, she did." Jason responded.

(edit below: basically, the situation is that Jason, an orphan, lives in this abandoned house, taking care of a few other orphaned children all about ten or younger; basically, they have formed their own family and are all living together. To join, create a character between the ages of five and ten, who lives in this "family". Keep in mind that time will pass and these characters will grow older as the story moves along.)