The devourer of darkness

Ichiro dropped the heavy pack basket with a loud metallic thud. He almost exhaled a sigh of relief, but it was cut short as a heavy hand smacked the back of his head. He shrieked, a mix of horror and embarrassment, as a loud peal of mocking laughter erupted behind him.

"You're weak and afraid" the perpetrator laughed, the sound grating against Ichiro's ears. Ichiro turned. And of course, it was his primary tormentor; Yuto Shibata. Ichiro swallowed his pride and bowed slightly. "Good day, Yuto-senpai." He knew the rules. A harvester could never disrespect a Hunter, especially one from a prestigious clan.

"All you do is pick and pick, like a beggar" Yuto sneered. He turned toward the other Hunters, who were busy stripping off their blood-stained armor and changing into casual clothes. "Everyone! Look at this!" He pointed a finger at Ichiro, who instinctively tried to shield his face. "Ichiro can never stop begging!". The Hunters glanced over. Most of them burst into laughter -- mostly those Yuto's age who found his cruelty entertaining. They were the same age, yet the gap between them was an ocean. Yuto came from a legendary clan; Ichiro came from a family of nobodies.

" 'Please, let me pick today...' " Yuto mocked, his voice high and whiny. " 'I am weak, and all I can do is pick... please, my father is crippled and we are poor nobodies...' "

The Hunters roared with laughter. Yuto punctuated his mockery by kicking Ichiro's basket, sending the glowing crystals scattering across the dirty floor.

"Go on," Yuto commanded. "Pick."

Ichiro nodded silently, dropping to his knees to gather the Mana crystals. But Yuto wasn't finished. " 'I'm a nobody, and I only pick Mana... my father is a nobody, I wish he could even kneel to pick Mana...' "

'Nobody. Nobody. Nobody.'

The word rang in Ichiro's ears, but something shifted inside him. Usually, he would be dying of shame, but today, he felt a strange, cold irritation. He was bored of it.

"Have you got nothing else to say?" Ichiro asked quietly. The laughter died instantly. Yuto froze, glancing at him in genuine shock. "Are-are you talking to me?"

"Yes" Ichiro replied, looking him in the eye. " 'Nobody, nobody, nobody...' Is that all you have?"

The air in the staging area turned cold. The Hunters stared at Ichiro as if he had grown a second head. Where did a harvester find such boldness? "I am all you joke about" Ichiro continued, his voice steady. "It's almost like you know everyone else is above you. If you weren't so inferior, you wouldn't need to pick on me just to feel better about yourself..."

A fist collided with Ichiro's jaw before he could finish. Yuto followed it with several more strikes, the laughter of the crowd resuming as Ichiro was driven into the dirt. The assault only stopped when a shadow loomed over the portal gate.

"What is going on here?"

Kenta's voice was like a hammer. Everyone straightened up instantly, especially Yuto, who stepped back from Ichiro's bruised form. "He said he had a headache, sir... I was just checking on him" he lied smoothly.

Captain Kenta narrowed his eyes, his gaze shifting to Ichiro who was gasping for air. "Is that correct?"

Ichiro shook his head, but a sharp look from Yuto silenced him.

"Well, Kenta-sama" Yuto interrupted "Ichiro dropped the basket of Mana. When I asked him to pick it up with a playful jest, he disrespected me. I took it upon myself to correct a junior. Is that wrong, sir?"

Kenta looked around. A few Hunters nodded, unwilling to cross the Shibata heir.

"Be easy on your juniors, Yuto" Kenta sighed. He looked down at Ichiro, who remained on his knees. "Move the crystals into the vehicle. Now."

Ichiro gathered the remaining crystals with trembling hands. The basket felt twice as heavy as before. As he hauled it into the van and shut the doors, the vehicle sped off immediately. He watched the Hunters climb into their luxury vans, leaving the harvesters behind to wait for their meager pay.

The new harvest supervisor, a bulky man with a smug that never left, stepped forward. "Do you want your pay or not?"

The harvesters scrambled into a queue. The man handed out two blue Mana crystals to each person -- a blatant cheat, as the pay was a crystal much more. When he reached Ichiro, he dropped a single crystal into his palm.

Ichiro stared at the lone crystal, then at the supervisor. "Sir?"

The supervisor patted his protruding belly, and his eyes darkened. "Get out of line. I have others to attend to."

Ichiro walked away, his disappointment curdling into a dark, suffocating rage. He looked at the single, dim crystal in his hand.

"Bastards."

************************

Emiko pulled open the door, only to find Ichiro standing there with a battered face. She gasped, her eyes widening in horror. "Papa! Ichiro got beaten again today!" she screamed.

Ichiro walked past her, ignoring the shout. Emiko stood frozen, still clutching the doorknob as she watched him shamble toward the stairs. Hitoro, their father, self-propelled his wheelchair out of the dining area. He glanced at the stairs, then at Emiko.

"You should help him treat his wounds, Emiko" Hitoro suggested quietly. Emiko frowned, her frustration bubbling over. "Why does he always get beaten?" she snapped. She was tired of being the one to patch him up every time he came home looking like a human punching bag.

"Because Ichiro is built for peace, not war" Hitoro replied softly.

"I'll just say he's lazy" Emiko spat, her voice sharp as ever.

"You should respect your elder brother" Hitoro advised.

"You side with him all the time, Papa!" shegrumbled, stomping toward the stairs. "Ichiro is a man... even boys know how to stand up for themselves. He needs to be better."

Upstairs, Ichiro was already in his room. "You can't come in without my permission" he called out as Emiko poked her head through the door.

She scoffed, pushing her way inside anyway. "Do they ask for your permission before feeding you all the punches they can offer?"

Ichiro sighed, offering no riposte. His silence was her green light. She went straight to the shabby looking cupboard beside his bed and began ransacking it. "The ointment was here... I can't find the bandages either" she lamented.

Ichiro looked at his reflection in the cracked mirror. "I threw them away" he murmured.

"Huh? Threw what away?" Emiko asked, standing up straight.

"The ointment and the bandages. I don't need them anymore."

Emiko's face contorted into an irritated sneer. "You look very much like you do."

"I don't. Today is the last day I ever get hit" Ichiro said firmly.

Emiko chuckled, her eyes glistening with mockery. "You watch too much anime. I hope you threw them in the bin and not the toilet?"

Ichiro's resolve wavered for a second, but he kept his jaw tight. He offered no reply. Emiko's expression softened slightly, her scowl returning. "Even if you think you don't need them, how are we supposed to keep your current wounds from getting infected?"

Ichiro's expression softened as the reality of his situation set in. He realized how impulsive his decision had been. He sat on the bed, his shoulders slumped. "I forgot..."

Emiko cut him off with a burst of annoying laughter, one of the many things Ichiro hated

about her. That, and her sarcasm.

"Aha! I see your 'determination' is as strong as ever" she teased. She held out her hand. "Where is today's pay?"

Ichiro inhaled deeply, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out the single crystal and handed it to her.

"It's blue" she said quietly, her excitement vanishing. He nodded. "Where are the other two?"

"I only got this one."

"One blue Mana crystal? And you came home with just this?" she asked, shoving the crystal toward his face. "This isn't even enough to pay the electricity bill!"

Ichiro squinted, a natural reflex to the threat. "I know. But it's all I got."

"Why didn't you work harder?" she demanded.

"I did! Who told you I didn't?"

Emiko's eyes widened. "Then why did you let them cheat you? Mama is going to eat you alive."

****

Hina puffed out a massive cloud of smoke, chuckling as she waved the haze away. Ichiro

looked at the empty sake bottles littering the floor, then up at his mother. She opened her arms for an embrace, but then laughed, knowing he wouldn't touch her in her current state.

"How was the harvest?" she asked.

Ichiro avoided her gaze. He couldn't predict her reaction, and that uncertainty made his stomach churn. "Fine..."

"Have you exchanged the crystals yet? I need more sake" she said, gesturing to the empty bottles.

"I have" he replied.

"Good, good... give me the money" she ordered, her hand outstretched. He took a breath. "I don't have any to spare for sake, Mama."

"Why? Three crystals should be sixty thousand yen. Surely there's enough for one bottle" she said with a giggle. Ichiro felt a surge of irritation. A woman who couldn't remember her own name could still do maths when it came to alcohol. He had to tell her the truth. "I only got one Mana crystal today."

Her chuckle turned dry as bone. "One?"

"Yes."

"Twenty thousand yen? Or was it a red crystal -- fifty thousand?" she asked, her eyes fluttering shut.

"Twenty thousa..."

Before he could finish, she flicked her cigarette butt at him and snatched an empty bottle from the floor. She hurled it with surprising force. In her intoxicated state, her aim was off, and the bottle shattered against the wall behind him.

"You bastard!" she screamed. "You want to kill me, don't you? We have bills to pay!"

"I'm sorry, Mama" Ichiro apologized, his voice trembling.

Hina threw another bottle. "Don't 'Mama' me, you good-for-nothing assbag! You puny, dirty..." She groaned in frustration. "Go! Get me two bottles of sake!"

"It won't be enough for..."

"And that is why I need a drink, you murderer!" She threw a third bottle, and Ichiro had to scramble for his life. "Ugly thing" she spat as he fled. "You look like you're hiding a rice ball in that swollen mouth of yours!"