How to Make a Sinner Sleep

03 | loneliness; the bleeding sun

Kaden had a habit of waking up early.

In the slums, day and night didn't matter and danger followed every second, every minute and every hour.

One had to be prepared to be attacked when they slept, and any scraps of food had to be swallowed immediately lest somebody steal them away from unwilling arms.

It was a battle for survival.

Even in that entirely different reality where he lived, studied, and experience a scene unlike any other, certain habits never fell away. The modern world, however, was a peaceful solace to the sinner whose mind had worn away over years.

In the new life of nobility during his first life, Kaden learned it was still a struggle for survival.

Another battle, just on a different playing field.

With intelligent humans that possessed knowledge beyond what a hungry child from the slums could ever. It was trickery and deceit, more vicious than he'd ever witnessed.

He didn't really sleep much, studying to catch up on the years of missing knowledge.

To prove himself, to show that he wasn't worthless even if that was all that anybody could think of him as. However, his desire and quick learning only created harsher expectations for himself.

The King, once, caught him reading late into the night.

The man in his empty, emotionless words had quizzed him on the book he was reading.

Mathematics a level higher than his age, something that he didn't need to learn for another few years. Not that the ten-year-old had been aware of that, assuming that he had to know everything.

Unsurprisingly, he failed to answer the quiz correctly.

He was beaten until a permanent scar ran up his leg, adding to the collection and then thrown into the Room.

The Room was a dark cell with cold metal floors, worse than a prison. Completely black, where not even the tiniest sliver of light could enter. For the young child, it was a manifestation of the worst hell imaginable.

That was their most common punishment.

And he would lose his mind over a few nights, crying, sobbing to be released. He'd slam his fingers against the walls, scratch until blood seeped from under his nails before curling up with infected wounds, muttering consolidations to himself.

'I'll be okay, I'll be okay, I'll be okay.'

'I can survive.'

'This is nothing.'

The man rubbed his temples, shoving away the intrusive memories. He was sitting up with his hair in uncommon, messy tangles, sitting in a wild nest on his head while he blearily stared into the distance, dozing off.

Not that he'd go back to sleep even if he wanted to.

He yawned with a wide mouth, revealing a clean row of white, before he licked his dry lips. Although he had a habit of waking early, that didn't mean he was a pretty waker.

Breakfast wasn't something he was used to eating, so he opted to skip it and wait for lunch.

If there were any perks about entering the Academy, it was that they cooked the food to perfection, skillfully made by professionals that threw their passion into easy but unique dishes.

Kaden always envied their skill and was intrigued by what went on within the clamoring kitchen.

He made for the building after slipping his uniform over, prepared for class. Sure, his hair was tied back a little more messily than usual, but he was tired and couldn't be bothered fixing it. A second life meant throwing all reservations out of the window.