My father told me stories,
Before there were any gods or spirits, before there was anything,
there was nothing,
and before there was nothing the world and everything we know was created with nothing but Dust and Ash.
These thing that made up every living being across everything we know, yet this story was unlike any I've been told before as this one was real, a story filled with hope.
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A small kingdom existed far out in the west, a land known as the Kingdom of Vern, a land made for new beginnings a land of peace, yet far in the outskirts in the city far from any luxuries lived a frail young kid he looked like he couldn't have been over the age of ten, he wore rags and had no shoes causing his feet to be all bruised up with cuts, he had eye bags under his eyes probably from his insomnia, the boy was clearly malnourished, you couldn't have told the kid apart from a skeleton if you were to see the kid in person.
The frail kid started staggering through the streets of the slums full of diseases and vermin crawling around the ground, people in the same position as the kid begging on the streets for any amount of food they can spare yet the answers were all the same. the kid finally reached the end of the street to a sort of wall, sounds of cheers and trumpets started to play in a melodic tone as plentiful colours of light filled the air. It was the coronation of the new king of the land, the frail kid put his eye in a crack in the wall and glared at the parade, there were smiles on everybody's faces, a clear contrast on how it usually in the outskirts. The boy could see a clown walk up to a kid, his hands started to glow in a green colour and a lavender orchid appeared out of thin air, the clown bent down and gave the kid the flower and smiled while the kid grinned with excitement, the child's parents held the kid in a big hug and kissed him on his forehead as the crowed grew by the second.
The frail child looked at the family for a few seconds in awe then quickly dismissed it as the royal family have started to pass down the road, the frail child was staring at the platinum chariot as it glistened as the sun rays hit off of it almost blinding anyone who stared directly at it, knights surrounding the chariot like a safe protecting the key to the world. Everybody cheering and holding their gratitude for the royal family keeping peace in the nation. The frail child see's the respect and love the King has through the cacophony of praise being thrown at the Ruler causing the frail child to want to have that kind of respect.
The King was a man in his mid forties, he has a blond beard that matched his golden hair, the jewellery the man wore radiated off his body yet nothing compared to his breath taking crown, it sat upon his head like the world being carried on Atlases back . The frail child believed that anybody who owned the crown will inherit all the love the world has to offer, any worries the child had would be taken away with the just the crown being placed upon his head. There was also a baby the queen was carrying. she was sat beside the king and had long silver hair just like a goddess, the baby in the queens hands had blond hair with eyes as green as an emerald, or at least that's what the frail boy has heard from throughout the slums, the boy was infatuated by the thought of royalty yet his attention was diverted yet again. As the frail boy looked up through the crack in the wall he saw a giant castle towering over the land. The frail boy has only heard myths about what opulent food might be eaten in there. The castle was isolated on a giant hill which separated itself from the rest of the kingdom, only the absolute elites were allowed to be near it and the ones even higher than the elites are allowed inside the castle, a place full of harmony and wealth, or so the boy was told.
Frail child: "one day I will own a castle like that... and be loved just like the king"
---
As the parade ended the noise started to die down, and yet again the streets were quiet and empty, only the sounds of poverty remained on the other side of the parade, on the side the frail boy was on. Groans and children crying due to hunger started to ring through the young child's ears, the stench of sludge and filth also lingered around the streets, as the frail child sat down with his back towards the wall he pulled out a chunk of mouldy bread out of his ripped shirt, it was green and aged with a few bugs crawling around it but desperate times come to desperate measures. The boys clothes were covered in dirt and it looked like he hasn't washed in ages. Before the frail boy could take a bite out of the bread a man who looked like he was in his twenties was standing over him. The man looked like he hasn't eaten in a long time and with this hunger came madness, this hunger has driven him to his most primal instincts, no longer man but more resembling an animal on his hunt.
Hungry man: "please kid, I just need a bit of food I have a family to feed..."
as the man crept closer The frail boy clutched his bread in fear and twitched rapidly. The Hungry man then pulled out a knife and lunged at the Frail Kid, he successfully manged to dodge and tries to run away but due to the Hungry mans size he couldn't escape. The hungry man grabs the Frail child's leg causing him to fall, the Hungry man walks over to the mouldy bread on the floor and picks it up with only hunger in his eyes. The frail child was gasping for air as he was still malnourished, he crawled over to the Hungry man and bit his leg in desperation as that was the only bit of food the child had for the week. The Hungry man flinched back in pain and kicked the frail boy in the stomach away while yelling his heart out in anger.
Hungry man: "OW YOU DAMN BRAT, THAT HURT LIKE HELL!"
The hungry man then walked over to the frail boy that was on the floor and started kicking him like a ragdoll even more until he was unrecognisable.
Hungry man: "That oughta teach you, you dirty scum"
as the man walked away eating the mouldy bread we see the Frail child all bruised up with his head bleeding some blood seeping into his right eye, the blood on the floor mixed in with the sludge from the street causing it to look like some concoction only found in sewers. The frail boy kept gasping for air through his mouth and kept trying to stand up but he always just kept tripping back onto the floor until he finally stood up, in a really muffled voice the frail boy started speaking to himself through his battered mouth.
Frail boy: "I'm going to be late again..."
The frail boy then stared limping down the streets while occasionally tripping over himself and having to spend a few seconds standing back up while the beggars on the streets keep putting out their money trying to grab any sort of items the boy has, until he finally reaches a giant cathedral, it was ominous with pointy spikes at the top, the boy always thought the spikes were there to keep the birds from standing on the cathedral but the priests keep telling him "it's because the cathedral is gothic" yet the boy never really understood what the word "gothic" meant, as the boy climbed the steps to the gate really slowly he eventually fell on the stairs causing him to have to crawl up, the frail boy held the ring of the door knocker to pull himself up, the door knocker had a black colour and was made with brass which was shapes as a bull with a ring around its mouth used to knock at the door of the cathedral, as the frail boy knocked at the door three times an old priest in a red robe opened the door, the old priest had completely white hair and looked fed, which was a hard contrast to the residents living in the outskirts, the old priest held a questionable look on his face and his head wandered to his sides trying to see who knocked at the door as he slowly looked down to see the frail boy, the boy muttered out through his bloodied mouth trying to form a coherent sentence.
Frail boy: "I'm sorry father Benedict, I was late again for the curfew..."
The old priest held a lackluster smile almost robotic then grabbed his hand, suggesting to come inside while the beggars outside just watched everything unfold.
Father Benedict: "Just come inside now, It's getting dark, you don't want to be even more late do you?"
As the frail boy entered the cathedral he started to shake in fear, a sort of fear only one who knows what is going to happen next will understand, like a man who has been sentenced to death the frail boy starts to plead.
Frail boy: "please father, I wont be late again I swear, please believe m-"
yet the frail boy was silenced quickly by the words of the priest, as the gate was closed he spoke in a serious and deep tone even for a man his age, as the priest glared down at the boy he put his hand on his shoulder and started to push him towards a certain direction inside the cathedral.
Father Benedict: "It is alright young man, Lady Laura will purify your sins and you will find Salvation through this, and you will learn not to go against the fate that was given upon you"
The frail boys pleads slowly came to an end when he realised that there was no room for reasoning as he is lead down a pathway of stairs in the cathedral by the priest, with each step he see's flashes of the life he could of had if he was born royalty, if he could of at least been born with a family or if he could of at least had some delicious food that was rumoured to be in the castle, as they grew closer to the bottom of the stairs the frail boy could see a dim candle illuminating the dungeon he lived in. The place was no better than the slums out in the outskirts or the streets the only difference being is that the children slept on hay and that there were blankets to keep them warm at night.
The frail boy kept marching down hallway with the priest behind him holding his shoulder, you could hear mice squeaking in the walls and if you listened any closer you could hear water dripping from somewhere but no one can ever pin point to where that sound really came from, the other children looked as if they were in the same position of the young boy. They were all bruised up and were in rags, all of them also looked malnourished and were on the brink of death, some of the children grew closer to their gates to see what would happen to the frail boy, others just laid on floor awaiting their deaths, a place meant to bring people closer to liberation and freedom yet none of that could be found here, this was a place devoid of any hope.
as both of them reached the end of the hallway the priest hurried the frail boy to go inside a sort of insignia on the floor and started chanting something, as the boy entered the circle, the symbol started to glow yellow in a sort of divine light. Around the room there were holy books written in a language that was forgotten long ago by any normal human, but is still kept alive by the ones following the Religion of the Septs, there was a table with some bread and fruit on it and a painting with Goddess with brown hair giving bread to some children in a meadow, the sky clear as day and the children smiling ear to ear almost soulless. In the middle of the room there was a statue of the same goddess that was in the painting with a vase in her hands, her beautify was even more striking than the queen he saw earlier today.
As the priest started to chant faster and faster the insignia on the ground started to glow even brighter yet a sudden pain started to boil up in the frail boys skin, the boy started to scream and shout, it felt like his entire body was on fire yet no burns would show on his skin, almost as if his soul was being burnt instead. The priest closed the door behind him so his screams wouldn't reach the other children then he walks over to another side of a room to get a whip. The old priest chants even more causing the whip to glow in the same golden yellow colour the insignia had and he walked towards the frail boy then he started whipping him, as burns on his body started to form from the whips the sound of the burns drowned out the frail boys screams and cries.
Father Benedict: "I am doing this out of love my child... this is so you can enter Lady Laura's sanctuary, so you can be free of sin!"
the Frail boy starts holding knocking on air seeming to not be able to leave the circle around the insignia as tears flow down his eyes he grits his teeth and tells to himself while struggling to inhale.
Frail boy: "One day.. One day I will be truly loved, I will be respected and maybe even find a family for myself... One day.."