In a rusty metal cage, lit only by a dying candle, a scrawny Kestis sat.
He sat in the darkest corner with his face buried between his shriveled legs.
Raising his head, Kestis looked at the dying candle. His face was bone white, the circles under his eyes darker than the shadows he sought comfort in, his skin clung to his bones.
Focusing his darting eyes on the dying candle, a smile parted Kestis's dried and bloodied lips. 'Finally.' He thought.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Kestis heard footsteps approaching, his weak smile grew. 'Food.' He thought, already salivating.
Focusing his drowsy eyes on the metal door of the rusty cage, Kestis watched as it opened. His heartbeat grew erratic.
Straining his husk of a body, Kestis stood up, holding his body against the metal.
The cage's door slid open, letting in blinding bright light. Blinking, Kestis tried to adjust his eyes to the light.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Kestis heard the steps more clearly, and as he did, his heart skipped a beat. The weak smile on his lips crumbled.
'No....no.' He thought, trembling.
Raising his head, Kestis's eyes met his father's: Cassian Sol, Head of the Sol family and leader of the Sols. His tall figure loomed over Kestis.
Cassian resembled a healthier, older, more muscular Kestis, with a full beard and brown eyes.
Trembling beneath his father, Kestis dropped to his knees on the cage's cold metal.
His lips shivered as he smashed his forehead endlessly on the floor, blood flooding down his face.
Summoning all the strength he could, Kestis cried. "I'm sorry Father, I'm truly sorry, I will never do such again." He paused, his blood and tears merging. "P-please Father, I was mistaken." He whispered, the summoned strength waning.
Cassian watched Kestis's pathetic display, his face contorted in disdainful anger. 'Pathetic child.' He thought.
"I am beyond disappointed in you, child." He snarled, extending his hand to the two servants behind him. A whip was placed in it.
"A hierarchy exists, my dear child." He spoke tone flat, as he gripped the whip in both hands.
"Those above you, you must worship like Gods." He continued, whipping the space beside him. "Those below you are trash, that must serve or be killed."
His raging eyes trailed down to the sobbing boy. "However you, my son, cannot fathom such a simple affair." He roared, striking Kestis's back.
Kestis cried out, voice choking in agony.
Scrambling himself together, Kestis scurried back into the shadows with a bleeding back.
Taking slow, measured steps, Cassian followed after Kestis. "Look at your brother and sister." He declared, whipping Kestis again. His cries grew louder.
"They treat trash like trash, and Gods like Gods." He struck again.
"They are trash, trash Kestis." He struck, harder, again and again.
Kestis's cries grew quieter, his back a mess of flesh and blood, the corner he crawled into painted by a new layer of crimson.
Returning the whip, Cassian kneeled.
Raising Kestis's face, he sighed. "Do you understand now, son." He wiped the blood on his son's face. "I do not wish to treat you like them, but you force my hand." He whispered with a soft, almost fatherly tone.
Trembling, Kestis forced his eyes to meet his punisher's. "Y-y-yes." he trembled, tears falling lifelessly down his bloody cheeks.
Cassian gave him a cold, predatory smile. "Prove it." He whispered, his cold breath lingering on Kestis's face.
Standing up, Cassian walked to the cage's door. "Pick him up and follow me." He ordered, without a glance.
The two servants rushed into the cage, both freezing upon witnessing the state Cassian had left Kestis in.
Noticing their hesitation, Cassian grew furious. "What insolence." He roared, jolting both servants into action.
They picked up Kestis gently, with heavy hearts.
After all, in the entirety of House Sol, only the youngest child, Kestis Sol, treated the servants like people. He would laugh, sleep, eat, and even play with them. He was the only light in the darkness of House Sol, and today that light dimmed.
"Young master, I plead with you, do as the lord commands." James whispered.
Hearing his whisper, Kestis raised his bloody face, smiling, his white teeth crimson. "W-worry not James.. I a- ." He coughed, dark blood.
Hearing Kestis's voice, Cassian stopped, turning around. "Silence." He demanded with an icy tone.
After a few turns around the metal castle of the Sols, they arrived at one of the many underground training halls.
Once inside the hall, Cassian spoke. "There." He pointed to the center of the hall.
Gently placing the half-dead Scion of the Sols, both servants stepped back.
Unsheathing a dagger from his Hexagon battle suit, Cassian tossed it at Kestis.
Glancing at James. "You, there." He commanded, pointing in front of Kestis.
Hesitantly, James obeyed.
Seeing that, Cassian smiled, a sadistic smile. "Kill. It." He uttered.
His voice echoing through the training hall, while his words hung heavy like a guillotine's blade.
The sound of erratic heartbeats syncing echoed after Cassian's voice.
Kestis's senses flooded back into his battered body. Looking up, he saw James's ashen face. He remembered all their time together, all the laughter, all the smiles.
All of it crumbled like broken glass before him.
Gritting his teeth, Kestis glared at Cassian. "No." He answered, his eyes focused and defiant.
Cassian's face darkened at his son's disrespect, his smile disappeared. "This is a matter you have no choice in, Son." He said, extending his hand.
Cassian waited, but nothing was placed in his hands. His iris and pupil turned red, he roared. "Is death's lure that strong today."
The servant trembled, tears staining his toned face. He wanted to keep the whip, he didn't wish to witness either of their deaths, however, the fear of his lord was stronger than his desire. Involuntarily, he walked to the lord, handing him the whip.
Feeling the cold metal of the whip's handle, he smiled. Using the raw strength of an Admiral, he whipped the defiant servant.
The whip pulverized the servant in half. Chunks of meat danced in the air, blood sprayed from both sides of the once whole body, bathing the cold metal floors of the training hall.
A familiar, sickening metallic stench nested in the hall.
Watching as the servant's dead body fell, Kestis whispered in a trance. "No no no no." His eyes dead, hands trembling.
Hesitantly James dragged his feet to his young master, he kneeled. His hands dangling by his side, tears flowed uncontrollably like a broken dam. But there was no cry.
Cassian turned, his brown eyes on Kestis and James, his face now painted with Kestis and the servant's blood, he smiled. "Kill it, son, or a similar fate awaits." He chuckled.
Instantly, James jerked back to life.
Placing his hands on Kestis's face, he whispered. "Listen, young master." Glancing at the approaching Cassian, he continued. "You have to kill me."
Life finally jumped back into young Kestis. He looked back at James, panicking. "No James, I cannot kill you." He whispered.
"You are only fourteen, and the kindest Sol I've ever seen in my short lifetime." He paused, looking back at Cassian who was a few steps away. James grabbed the dagger, placing it in Kestis's hands, as he guided it to his heart.
"I won't ever blame you for this, young master." With his hands over Kestis's on the dagger, he pushed it slowly into his heart. His body jerked as the dagger invaded. He groaned, but kept pushing, smiling.
"Not..your....fault....young master." He whispered, drawing in his last breath. His body grew heavy as it hit the metal floor with a thud, blood slowly flowing out of him.
As James body hit the floor, an invisible string in his heart broke, he was gone, only his tears and bleeding pores remained alive.
Watching James's dead body hit the floor, Cassian smiled with satisfaction. "Excellent, son, you are well on your way to becoming a true Sol." He declared, laughing like a madman.
But Kestis could not hear his father's praise or celebration. He had long fainted.
That day was only the prologue, Kestis's hell stretched out for years.
His scars piled, his cries grew louder and yet at the same time lifeless, his body grew numb to the pain of all the torture he was subjected to.
But Kestis resisted, refusing to kill servants. However, he was only a boy. Eventually, he could no longer resist and gave in.
"Die." He roared, stabbing an old woman to death.
He began killing them, repressing his true self to birth a true Sol.
Nevertheless, that was not enough for Cassian.
He pushed Kestis further, truly breaking him and rebuilding him. "Your heart refuses to be that of a Sol." Cassian roared, electrocuting Kestis to near death, as usual.
Cassian kept going, not growing tired or less enthusiastic, until finally he broke Kestis and rebuilt him.
He rebuilt him into the monster he titled a true Sol.
Holding onto his snake sword, Kestis smiled a predatory smile. "Disgusting trash, die." He roared, massacring a hall of defenseless servants.
....
Kestis screamed, jolting awake. He sat drenched in cold sweat. Using a trembling hand, he attempted to wipe the sweat and memories away. "N-not that a-again." He whispered, gulping down his trembles.
He remained sitting until his body and mind calmed.
Standing up, Kestis walked to a small pool of still water. Seeing his scarred reflection in the pool, flashes of his past flooded in.
'That's no longer me.' He thought, suppressing all his torture, and James, deep in the back of his mind, with a clenched fist.
Cleaning his face, Kestis took a deep breath. His hands no longer trembled, the flashes were no more.
He wore his mask.
Standing up, Kestis heard feathers rustling. A predatory smile appeared on his face. "You have finally awoken from your slumber, Bird of Plague."
Walking to the cave edge, Kestis hid. Glancing up, he saw the Bird of Plague spreading its large wings, flying away, the wind rustling his hair.
With a savage smile on his face, he walked out of the cave, towards the mountain nesting the Bird of Plague. "Talen. Valen. Henry. Lillian. You are all nothing but trash. This should take care of you all." He spoke their names, like a curse. Nothing but pure disdain oozing from his words.
Slipping into the Zone, Kestis began climbing the mountain. 'Soon all the trash would be digesting in its stomach.' He thought, chuckling.
....
Walking with a noble posture, knight sword in one hand, was Calistis. Her face was passive, while her vigilant eyes scanned her surroundings.
She walked through the dense forest in search of the previous night's roar.
She walked in silence, only the forest's natural melody broke it, when suddenly she heard movement in the bushes ahead of her.
Instantly, she held her knight sword in a defensive position.
Stepping into the Zone, her mind went into overdrive. She kept her eyes locked on the bushes, waiting patiently for an attack.
Rather, there was silence, absolute silence, as if whatever lay beyond the forest had retreated. 'Must have been a Wretched.' Calistis thought, relaxing her stance.
Then, suddenly, the rustling returned, louder.
Calistis flinched back into a defensive stance, her eyes radiating blue again. She waited for a Chaos Monster.
However, what came out of the bush was not a Chaos Monster.