The Noose and Snake Scales of Sarcophagus Harbor

The rules of Sarcophagus Harbor are simple: being poor is a sin! On the day Joshua came of age, the noose was roughly placed around his neck. There were crowds of people watching under the gallows. People were talking about how many seconds this skinny boy could last. No one remembered him, they just thought he was a wild boy who stole fish from the slums. Three minutes later, the pirates attacked the city and the rope broke. He accidentally touched a reflective metal piece. In an instant, a voice exploded in his head. "Touch me and the contract is made." The pirates hunted him because he was a rare "kin-eating prey". The Navy wanted him because his left eye happened to be something the Navy had been studying for thirty years. The church wanted to purify him, slowly taking him apart to see what was inside him. Joshua has forgotten his last name, but he still remembers what his father and mother said to him when he was five and seven years old respectively. "Joshua, you must live!" Joshua touched the silver mark on his shoulder and thought: OK! Then live and see how bad this world is!