Demon Being System

When Kaden entered the tent, he saw his sister sitting up weakly, rubbing her tired eyes. Lila's once-blonde hair, now darkened by grime and neglect, hung in tangled strands around her face. Her frail frame seemed almost too small beneath the thin blankets they shared. Despite everything, the moment she noticed Kaden, a smile broke out on her face, soft and warm. It was the kind of smile that managed to make the shadows of their tiny shelter feel a little less heavy.

Kaden's heart lifted, even if only for a second, as he moved closer and sat beside her. He reached into his shirt and carefully pulled out the bread he'd hidden there. It was smeared with a bit of dirt from his escape, and he brushed it off gently with his fingers. The smell of it filled the cramped space, a simple, dusty aroma of bread that might have seemed ordinary to others, but here, it felt like a rare treasure.

"Here," he said softly, offering it to her.

Lila's eyes immediately went to the bruises on his arms and neck. Her smile faded, replaced by concern. "What happened?" she asked, her voice quiet but laced with worry. "Did... did someone hurt you?"

Kaden forced a chuckle, though his voice came out a little too rough. "Nothing happened. I just... fell. You know how clumsy I am when I'm running around," he replied, trying to sound casual.

She tilted her head, studying him, but then let out a soft "oh," though he could see in her gaze she didn't fully believe him. Lila took the bread, but instead of devouring it herself, she broke it in half and held out one of the pieces for him.

"Here," she said, her small hand shaking slightly as she held it out.

Kaden shook his head. "I've already eaten," he said, though even he could hear the emptiness in his voice. His stomach immediately betrayed him, rumbling loudly in the quiet of their makeshift home.

Lila's eyes grew watery, and she looked at him with a sadness that felt almost too heavy for her small face. Kaden's heart ached as he put a hand on her head, giving her a reassuring smile. "Oi oi oi, everything will be alright soon," he said, trying to keep his tone light. "I'll be sixteen soon, remember? When that happens, I'll be able to go to the Grave Garden. I'll get a flower, and... I promise, things will get better. Just a little more time."

He rubbed the small chain tattoo on her forehead with his thumb, the mark that branded her as an outcast—it was a brand of shame, a permanent reminder of their place beneath the rest of society.

"They didn't even spare a kid like you," Kaden muttered bitterly under his breath.

Lila nodded, wiping away a stray tear with the back of her hand. She took a small bite of the bread, savoring it slowly, but suddenly, she began to cough, choking a little on the stale piece. Kaden quickly grabbed a worn, chipped cup from beside their bed, filling it with the small amount of water they had left, and held it to her lips. She sipped gratefully, her cough subsiding as she leaned back against him, visibly tired.

Once she'd finished her meal, Lila nestled into his lap, her breathing softening as she drifted off to sleep. Kaden stroked her tangled hair, watching the rise and fall of her chest. His mind wandered, the weight of all his thoughts pressing down on him. He wanted to believe his own words, that the Grave Garden would change everything. That one day, they'd leave this tent behind, and he'd never have to see Lila hungry or hurting again.

Outside, the sounds of the outskirts faded into the night: distant shouting, the rustling of footsteps on broken pavement, and the occasional cry of a child in the darkness. Kaden could feel the cold seeping in through the torn fabric walls of their shelter, but he ignored it, focusing on the warmth of his sister in his lap. He kept his gaze fixed on the worn cloth ceiling above, the only roof they had.

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Deep into the night, Kaden lay beside Lila, her small frame nestled against his as he used his body to shield her from the biting cold wind that seeped through the torn fabric walls. Sleep eluded him, the sharp pain of hunger gnawing at his insides.

He stared at the stars through one of the many holes in their makeshift roof, his thoughts wandering to a world far from the one they lived in now. In his daydreams, he saw a life where they didn't have to scavenge for food, where Lila could smile without worry, where their home wasn't just scraps of fabric and cardboard.

The Grave Garden... it was the only chance they had. If he could just make it there, and get a good flower and awaken an amazing ability, everything would change. No more hunger. No more shame. He closed his eyes, clinging to the hope that the Grave Garden could offer salvation.

But then, piercing through the stillness of the night, a deafening alarm shattered his thoughts.

Kaden bolted upright, his heart pounding in his chest.

"No," he whispered, his voice trembling. "Why... why now? Why that damned alarm again?"

The sound was unmistakable, an ear-splitting wail that reverberated across the city. It wasn't just any alarm. It was that alarm. The same one he'd heard five years ago, just before his parents died.

His body froze, memories flooding back with brutal clarity. The screams, the chaos, the blood... and the sight of his parents being ripped away from him.

"Lila..." he muttered, shaking her gently. She stirred, her eyes fluttering open in confusion.

"Kaden... what's happening?" she asked, her voice small and frightened.

He forced himself to push aside his fear, his hand gripping hers tightly. "We need to move. Now."

Answer for the previous riddle: "Keyboard".

Riddle of the Day: "What has hands but cannot clap?"