Damien sat on his bed, staring mindlessly at the barren wall. A sigh heaved from his chest as he glanced over at the door that was cracked open. It was early in the morning, just now reaching the peak of dawn.
[[Why does this matter?->matters]]
<audio loop autoplay src="http://jolineblais.net/nmd443/wp-content/uploads/Relaxing-Zelda-Breath-of-the-Wild-Music-Night-Ambience-Sound-_-Vapidbobcat-128-kbps.mp3" style="width: 0; height: 0;"></audio>Knowing what this meant for him, he swallowed a bitter taste in his mouth, sliding off the side of his bed. He stood there, his gaze fixed towards his feet, shakily raising his hands.
[[Did you hear that?->listen]]The sound of footsteps approach from beyond the door that confines his bedroom. He shoots his gaze up when the door swings open, a familiar feminine figure casting a shadow on the [[floorboards->good morning]].
“Good morning, Damien.” The adult female spoke. She came into the thin stripes of light that cascaded across the room, her face glowing under so.
“...Morning.” Damien’s voice was soft and cautious of her.
[[Who is this?->maliya]]
[[Doesn't matter.->continue]]It was Maliya. The very blood that brought Damien into this world and she ever so could take him right out of it.
[[Anyways...->continue]]“...Morning.” Damien’s voice was soft and cautious of her.
“Come, we have much to do today. No time now for slacking. You know the routine by now.” [[Maliya->evil]] spoke with a stern tone, shooting Damien a glare as she grabs the edges of his blanket and fans it out, letting it lay smoothly across the bed.
[[Begin the day.->begin]]She did her motherly duties with a sense of irritation, as if she was being forced to do these things. Not like she had picked to live this lifestyle in the first [[place->begin]].
Damien watched her carefully before he spun around in his position, the feelings inside of him crumbling and dulling as he approached the kitchen area. He stops in his tracks as Maliya saunters past him, working around the table and chairs that sit beside the kitchen.
[[What was that?->look]]“Damien!” A laugh echoes from the table, bright eyes and a smile so wide. Damien looked towards the direction and feigned a smile.
“Good morning, [[Rufioh->rufioh]].” Damien replied, taking in the warmer presence. He made his way over to Rufioh, weaving through the room before halting before him.
[[Come evening...->evening]] The one with the smaller body was his brother. Younger in age and much more lively than Damien, he was the one that brought a small ounce of light that was needed for him to stay [[alive->evening]]. The moon shone brightly while at its peak. A soft blur of purples and whites coloring the land beneath it made for an empty and quiet atmosphere. Despair rained down among those said lands, making it an eerie hour. Beneath and on top of that land was [[chaos->damien]]. <img src="https://cdn.inprnt.com/thumbs/bb/27/bb27639fbf5b0be9b50a7debba13f1af.jpg?response-cache-control=max-age=2628000">
Damien whimpered loudly as he fell to his knees, raising his hands up to his face as tears rushed down his cheeks. He mustered up a groan of terror, a beast mauling a rabbit before him. Maliya stood behind him, her arms crossed as a frown rested on her face. She angled herself towards Damien, yanking one of his wrists away from his face and shoving him forward. She musters up a knife, placing the hilt in his palm.
[[Do it.->do it]]“Kill it, Damien. Kill it or it will be the end of you. Do it to survive.” Maliya’s words were dark and heavy with malicious intent. Damien faltered, gasping for air as he took hold of the blade with the both of his hands, holding it in front of his chest.
[[Do it.->kill]]“If you want to have any of my affection, you’ll do as I please.” Her words were sharp, belittling of Damien. He lowered his gaze, attempting to swallow with such a dry mouth. He took a step forward, his legs trembling as he faced the beast. It growled and sunk its claws into the earth, lurching its head forward towards the young frame.
[[DO IT.->kill it]]//Don’t fear it. Don’t fear it. Kill it. Kill it.//
[[...->snap]]These thoughts echoed in his head as he abruptly charged forward, closing his eyes as he closed in with the beast. The surge of liquids running down either side of his hands to his elbows. He takes a glimpse at the damage he has done, the knife lodged through the throat of the [[beast->mother]].
[[...->fear]]“Very good, Damien.” Maliya’s voice echoed from behind him, clapping her hands together.
[[...->fear]]She reaches forward, grabbing onto Damien’s collar and yanking him backwards from the scene. He stumbles backwards, his back pressing into the trunk of a tree. The knife thuds once it meets the grass, blood soiling the earth as it drips from Damien’s fingertips. He pants sharply, his hands wrapping around his chest as he tightly closes his eyes.
//I [[killed->death]] it. It’s over now. //
Maliya whips around after pummeling the beast with her heel, starting towards Damien.
“That won’t be the last one. This is the first of many, my sweet son. You’ll make me proud by the numbers.” She grins widely as she kneels down in front of him. She reaches out, running her hand along the side of his face, brushing it gently. She holds his face in her hands, shutting her eyes as she thinks to herself. She mumbles softly, “For now it’s over. Let’s get back to your brother and father, it’s time to celebrate your first kill.”
[[Home->home]]“Mother says you were strong last night! What happened?” Rufioh chimed in, his expression full of anticipation. Damien’s smile morphed into a frown as he hung his head at the thought.
“It wasn’t anything special.” Damien spoke with softness. He looked off to the side before making his way to the table and sliding down into a chair. He grit his teeth as the memory of what happened replayed over and over in his [[mind->expression]].
Rufioh’s expression fell flat as he watched his disturbed brother. He knew better not to bother him when he’s troubled with thoughts like so. Placing his hands on the table, he pushed himself up to his feet, meandering to the kitchen area where he was met with his father, Dalaf. When the room bustled enough with noise, he spoke quietly to him.
[[Now...->now]]“I think Mother did something bad…” He lowered his gaze to the sink, watching the spout drown out the cutlery. He peered up at Dalaf, his eyebrows furrowed. This caught Dalaf by surprise, him clearing his throat and mumbling something back to Rufioh. “Don’t speak of this. Not now, Rufioh. Just keep quiet about it.” He nudged him off to go back to the table, continuing with his busy work.
//It'll be okay... Right?//