Kai Macha glared as he trudged through the city. He pulled his the hood of his black hoodie as low as he possibly could. If anyone saw that it was him under that hood, then he was destined to clash with the Imperial soldiers again. And he really didn't want to deal with the likes of them today. He already hated them as much as it was possible to hate. Then again Kai had nothing to love. Kai made a beeline for the backstreets as soon as he saw an opening. They would be much easier to navigate and the chance of someone recognizing who he was and calling the Imperials on him was slim. No one traversed these streets, they often had unexpected routes. Kai didn't really care where he went, he just walked around. He didn't know what he was going to do in his life yet, he was nine years old and all alone. Well maybe not entirely alone. There was that voice inside him, the one that told him to do certain things to protect himself. Yes, he had that voice with him all the time. And Kai supposed that the voice was the only one that gave a damn about him. Yes the voiced had helped him escape death that fateful evening...

Kai had been at home with his parents on that fateful day, three years ago. His teacher had sent a very strange message to his parents and then to someone else. Kai hadn't done anything wrong...all he had done was point out a very weird marking on his left forearm. It was an innocent act of curiosity on Kai's part, as he was a very curious little boy who loved to talk and laugh. So Kai was surprised when he was promptly sent home, like he'd been a bad little boy who hurt someone and got suspended. Kai's parents looked at the mark and didn't seem to know what it meant or they did know what it meant and they didn't want Kai to know. Little did Kai know that this very mark would change his life forever...

That night Kai straightened up in bed. He had heard screaming.

"Mommy?" he asked, moving his hand to the right of him, feeling around for his mom. Her space on the bed was empty.

"Daddy?" Kai asked, feeling, had felt nothing and was worried. His mommy and daddy were never both gone at this time of night. Kai yawned, moving some of his snow-white hair out of his eyes. He was walking down the hallway and stopped dead in his tracks. He heard weird voices...not his daddy's voice at all, and not one of daddy's friends voices...strangers' voices.

"Search the area...we need to find that boy." One of the voices said. Kai tiptoed away but a man in weird armor...Imperial armor turned the corner into the hallway and grabbed him, putting a hand over his mouth.

"Got him!" The guy yelled. Kai struggled. He...couldn't...breathe.

"Just kill it quickly...there's no telling what that thing could do to you if you don't get rid of it." one of the weird armored men said. The guy clamped his hands around Kai's neck, shaking him. Kai's lungs felt like they were going to burst and everything began to blur. Kai kicked his legs wildly in response, struggling to live.

"Kai..." he heard a voice say. Kai's eyes drifted to the floor of the other room. It was his dad...laying in an awful lot of red stuff that Kai knew wasn't paint. Kai stopped trying to kick the man.

"Mom and I love you Kai...don't ever forget." his dad said. Kai felt a tear run down his cheek. One of the armored guys kicked his dad.

"No one authorized you to talk." the man snarled.

Kai felt a burst of something really strong. He was really angry, angrier than he had ever been in his life. With an almost superhuman effort Kai wrenched himself from the man's grip. The man tried to regain his grip but Kai bit the man on the arm as hard as he could.

"DAMN! It bit me!" the man yelled. One came to get Kai but then Kai heard the voice...telling him what to do...so he listened to it because he had no choice. He bounced off the wall, which seemed surprisingly easier than usual. He was in the air behind the man for a moment. Then he was given another order, so Kai obeyed. He grabbed the man and twisted his neck sharply. Kai heard a crack and the man fell, lifeless to the ground. The others rushed towards him. And so he kept listening to the voice...

The men were dead around Kai...as were his parents. After mourning over his parents for a moment, the voice told Kai what to do next.

"Get out of here...don't use the front door...escape out of the bathroom window." The voice told him. Kai obeyed, because so far the voice had ensured his safety. Kai easily scaled the wall.

"How am I able to do this?" he asked.

"You have had your awakening...now quick...get out of this city...go through backyards if you must." the voice told him. And Kai obeyed...so far the voice had been right about everything.

Kai turned away...remembering that. But Kai had come to do many things under the influence of the voice. Abandon emotions, it had told him, for those only make you vulnerable. Abandon trust, it had said, for that only allowed you to become a potential victim. Never hesitate unless the voice told him otherwise, it had said, for hesitation had killed even the strongest of warriors. So Kai had obliged. One time a school full of kids had tried to trap him in the building so the Imperial soldiers could come and take him away. Kai had tried to escape on his own, without harming them to no avail...there was too many of them. Kill them, the voice had said. Kai wanted to say no, or wanted to ignore or deeply think about the situation but he remembered one of his earlier and more permanent instructions, Never hesitate unless the voice tells you so. The voice had not made any hesitation...so neither did Kai. Kai was not a bad person...but he felt he owed his life to this voice and he was stuck with the voice forever. The Imperial soldiers of course, declared him the most wanted person...seeing as he had killed a school full of their future helpers.

Kai still felt guilt about this, but he hid it very deep under the surface, burying it in his orders. And of course he had new regulations to follow as well. Care about nobody but yourself, he had been told, for nobody cared about him so he should only serve himself. Do not show fear especially, the voice had also said, because fear was a sign of weakness. Avoid all contact with the humans, the voice had said, because according to the voice Kai himself was not a human, he was a demon so he should not mingle with them because they were his inferiors. Kai privately agreed.

Of course, so long as Kai followed his guidelines then not only would he still be alive the next day but he was also free to do anything that was not prohibited by his regulations. Kai was allowed to kill if he so truly desired it, so long as he did not get caught because getting caught was prohibited. Kai could beat up any of the human children he met, which he found quite relaxing when he was in a mood where he wanted badly to punch someone...of course he saved these beatings for the ones that deserved them most. So long as the voice did not tell him to do otherwise Kai could do many things wherever and whenever he wanted. He could eat whatever he wanted, sleep wherever he wanted and at whatever time he desired. He could take whatever he wanted, even if it was stealing so long as he was not caught. He could go wherever he wanted to go. Kai had no right and wrong in his book anymore...for the people he often found himself killing were the same people associated with the ones that killed his parents, who did nothing wrong and killing people who did nothing wrong in the first place was wrong.

Kai had only physically aged up to nine. He grew no more and no less, and was the same height and weight every time now. Kai used to straighten his snow-white hair so it lay neatly lay on his head but he saw no point anymore so his hair simply stuck up everywhere now. Kai no longer wore shirts that he had liked for their colors. He usually wore mostly black, sometimes a touch of red and some white here and there. The color black was very practical and helped him with blending. Of course Kai also realized that since his "awakening" he was rapidly picking up his demon powers and his demon traits to go with them. His teeth grew sharper each day until almost like sharp little animal teeth. His nails grew to a point and became so tough that they never broke, nor could he cut them by any means, which was all right, seeing as they were short but sharp and never grew any more than that.

Killing a human would be an easy feat now, now that he could depend on his demonic powers and no longer just quick volleys of melee attacks. He could run on all fours for extra speed if he so desired. He could climb up walls quickly and easily now, even without handholds as his nails could cut into just about anything to give him a boost.

The transformations from the body of a normal boy to young demon had not been the most comfortable transition in Kai's life but he grew used to it. He was still a developing demon and once he was done with the transitions he would be more powerful. But it could take many years, the voice had told him so Kai had simply prepared himself to get better situated with the changes that would take place in his still somewhat human body in the years to come. Kai was ready for it. Demonic maturity meant more strength. And more strength meant more things he could do. Maybe as a mature demon he would have enough power to send the Imperials crashing to their knees. That would certainly be worth its wait time. Kai literally dreamed of wiping them off the planet for good with his own hands. It was his hope for the future, his solemn and permanent goal.

But what Kai was really seeking was his people. Fellow demons like himself that he did not have to hide from. Kai would have killed a city of humans just to meet another like him, someone besides the voice that he could confide in and travel with. He did not care if the demon was an idiot, so long as he had similar views and good intentions he would be willingly accepted. Kai wandered around this particular city so often, despite the dangers of being caught, because he hoped that amidst that dense and dull aura of humans and the other acceptable races he would find an aura like his, an aura that was something more. To be honest Kai did not care who he became friends with, he just wanted some non-human companions that were similarily shunned by the humans, other accepted races and by the Imperials. That would give them the common interest in wiping out the Imperials for good. Though Kai liked most Khajiit and Argonian people he met, it wasn't the same, because their races were still culturally accepted by those filthy Imperials.

Kai would be outside of the Imperial City soon. "Good." he thought to himself. As he walked on the outskirts on the exterior of town though he smelled something that stirred him. Blood, and a lot of it. Kai's spirits raised at once...only a monster like himself could be responsible for this incredible scent on the wind. No human would be able to pick it up but a non-human with a nose as sharp as Kai's would be able to smell it from far off. The scent was relatively close and night was falling, which was a good sign. The strong smell of a lot of blood along with the darkening sky could only be a beacon that some non-human was around here somewhere. Kai casually and quickly crossed the bridge that led towards the wilderness. Kai noticed the smell was coming from one of the four buildings in this area. Kai sniffed and found the smell at once. The door was ever so slightly ajar. Kai let himself in. The blood was coming from upstairs and he heard stirring. He rounded the stairs and let himself in the room. His heart took a hopeful beat as he recognized the aura around him.

In the room was a demon, only slightly older than himself and taller. This demon had white hair too, shorter and less crazier than his own. The demon had some blood on his hand, which he licked off. The demon turned to face him.

"Are you here to join in?" the slightly older demon asked him casually. Kai nodded.

"This guy deserved it...he tried to jip me." the demon boy said, a sneer on his face.

"Guess he won't be ripping kids off anymore." Kai said. The demon boy grinned.

"Yeah! No one tries to mess with Fury Hackins and gets away with it!" he said, getting in a triumphant pose.

"Fury Hackins, huh? My name is Kai Macha." Kai said, nodding.

"That's a cool name too." Fury said. "You on your own?"

Kai nodded.

"Imperials killed my parents." he said. Fury seemed to understand.

"They killed my family too, and they tried to do experiments on me." Fury said.

"They couldn't get me...I was about five years old when they tried...and I killed them." Kai said. Fury stared for a moment, then breaking into a grin.

"That's badass." he said. Kai felt slightly flustered...he wasn't used to flattery.

"It was n-nothing really. I suppose it's a normal thing for us demons." Kai said. The boy shrugged.

"I didn't know any demons besides my parents and they killed my parents." he said. Then he turned to look at Kai.

"Do you maybe...do you wanna travel together?" he asked casually. Kai nodded.

"We may as well, we probably won't find many others on our own."

So Kai silently congratulated himself as he and Fury were walking away. It was midnight by now.

"We aren't making any progress on foot..." Fury said.

"What do you have in mind?" Kai asked.

"See that ranch?" Fury asked.

"Yes." Kai said, still not sure about what Fury was getting at. Fury pulled Kai along behind him.

"Find one to your liking." he told Kai.

So Kai walked around the outside or the corral, looking to find a horse he liked or noticed more than the others. A white horse caught his eye. Kai hopped the small corral fence and crept past the other horses to the one he liked.

"Hello," Kai said internally to the horse, using his demonic powers to talk to the horse. The horse took a good look at Kai. Kai noticed that it seemed to know that he was not human and wondered why he was here.

"Do you want to be free?" Kai asked the horse. He did want to be free, so badly in fact.

"There we go, now just take him over that fence." Fury said, occupied with a black horse. Kai realized they were stealing the horses.

"Allow me to lead you to your freedom." Kai told the horse. He let Kai climb on top of him and Kai noticed Fury had done the same with his own horse.

"H-hey wait up!" a young voice cried. Kai stopped for a moment. Two little kids came running over.

"Can we come too?" the slightly older one asked. He looked about eight years old, with purple hair. He was wearing clothes that looked worn. The slightly younger boy, about seven years old, had wild black hair and was also wearing worn clothes.

"My name is Erek and this is my friend Trent." the purple haired boy said.

"I'm eight and he's seven. Please?" the boy begged Kai and Fury exchanged a look, the aura they gave off was familiar.

"Demon children...probably orphaned like we are. Filthy Imperials have orphaned many of our kind." Fury thought to Kai. Kai nodded to the children, helping the slightly smaller child, Trent onto a safe riding spot on the white horse. Fury did the same with the purple haired child, Erek. Kai heard a door nearby creak.

"C'mon, let's get outta here!" Fury hissed. His black horse charged forward and Kai told his white one to do the same.

"Hey!" an angry voice behind them yelled. Fury's black horse vaulted the fence and went riding off into the night. Kai's white horse quickly did the same and both horses went full speed off into the wilderness and the night, carrying their young orphaned riders...