Blood splattered aimlessly as if trying to make an abstract.
The high-pitch squeals seemed to excite the people gathered around. As the pained screams go louder, the cheers escalated as well. They were all gathered around the fire as if a ritual is being offered.
First, the limbs were cut off.
Next, off with the head.
Then, the inner organs were pulled forcefully.
She felt the warm sticky liquid slapped on her icy cold cheeks. "Tonight, we'll be having a feast-like dinner", her father's voice made her feel less guilty for the butcher they created. "That was Mr. Rozen's precious pig. I heard he took good care of it for five years", Eleanor, the long blonde-haired woman with ocean blue orbs smiled hesitantly. "Yes, my beloved Ellie. But you do understand why we needed to butcher it, right?", Rex patted the 10-year-old child.
"The wall in Shiganshina fell and there are lots of refugees, we killed Mr. Rozen's cherished pig for us to keep as our week's supply while the dried meat mother and I worked for will be sent to the military regiment", Eleanor quoted as if she memorized it from a passage his father would repeat every now and then. Rex wiped the scarlet stain on her face and pinched her cheek causing her to wince. "That hurt", she complained.
Glancing across the room, Eleanor saw an old man with a weak smile on his face. He always put a gentle expression so Eleanor never expected to see him with a frustrated face. "Mr. Rozen", she called out his name and walked towards him. With her eyes warmed up, he bowed very low. "Sorry, I knew you were looking forward to Oggia's babies this year", Eleanor apologized. The calloused hand of the old man reached to silky, well-taken cared blonde locks. "I believe Oggia would chose to fill in your stomach than to starve you to death", Rozen chuckled giving the young girl a relieved sigh. "You wouldn't hate us for that, right?", Eleanor shyly asked. Rozen laughed again. "Young lady, that is the fate of pig. Just like humans, they also have to fulfill a greater purpose than to just exist", Rozen's voice echoed in Eleanor's ears like a bell.
"Do you mean, we will also get fattened and be eaten?", another child joined the conversation. "Aiden, that's rather an inappropriate thing to say", Rozen felt like sweating. "Wall Shina fell and those low-life are being feasted on", he said in a distasteful tone. "Sorry for my son, he's babbling nonsense again", a stunningly beautiful woman with curly coffee brown hair nervously pleaded for his son's statement to be ignored. "Aiden is just 13 and yet he's got a wider grasp of reality", Rex raised a raw pig's meat with blood still dripping. "Take this home, Aiden", Rex looked at the young lad's burning eyes.
"This is too much, Sir. Please take it back", Belladonna bowed very low dragging Aiden away before he mutter another nonsense. "Sir. I want to join the military training", Aiden stood tall and confident. Rex's eyes widened. "What did you say?", his gentle face suddenly changed expression. It turned furious for hearing such an unforgivable statement. Belladonna knelt down with her face on the ground. "Please forgive my son. He doesn't mean what he is saying", Belladonna cried. "Aiden, the very words I marked in that young brain of yours is to never let your mother cry", Rex said with a stern voice. Aiden looked down on the pitiful woman.
"I don't want to keep on living like pigs, Sir. Right now, I feel nothing more than a crawling bug. With no name, with no power, with no prestige. Someone like you will never understand. One day, you will grow older or you might also die from illness at a younger age", he uttered like a prophecy. Eleanor held tightly on Rex's arms tightly hoping that Aiden's prophecy would be dispelled of she clung closer to Rex.
"I want the power to protect my mother on my own", Aiden finally toned down. The crowd's hostile look on the young lad suddenly shifted into pity and some, awe. "Aiden. You were bought by the Master from the underground. Be grateful that you were able to see the sun", Rozen patted the young boy's shoulder. "You wouldn't like your daughter to join the military, I believe. She knew nothing but the comfort of life", Aiden looked at Eleanor with no intention to offend her but to give an accurate description.
_________________________________________________________________________
Aiden spread his arms widely as he lies down the grassy plains looking at the sky. He closed his eyes just letting the sun warm his unnatural pale skin. He suddenly felt cold again once more and peeked to see a silhouette hovering above him.
"Father said I can now call you brother", Eleanor playfully sway from one side to the other. "What? Go bother that old man. I am not in the mood", Aiden shifted his position to the left and saw the horses eating grasses. "Moey and Sharon are always hungry. I worry that they would have indigestion", Eleanor sighed. "You have the habit of naming animals", Aiden sat properly. "Mother's habit", Eleanor chuckled. "She's also the one who gave you your name, right?", Eleanor titled her head, something that Aiden would always find adorable.
"That's your mother's habit. You don't have to do it as well", Aiden stood up and walked towards the swing. "Brat. For you to give name to something also means you will be responsible for it", the young lad remembered his nameless days.
"You want someone to push you, right?", Aiden clicked his tongue. Eleanor had a wide smile and sat on the swing that Rozen created for her. "Reading books already bored you to death?", Aiden asked.
"I never wanted to read books in the first place. But, I will be your teacher in reading the alphabet so pay close attention to my teaching", Eleanor said proudly. "What can a midget like you teach me", Aiden also laughed in a reserved manner. "Aiden, you will come back, right? After your training, you will come home first. After your first fight, you will come back. After your second fight, you will come back. After the third-", Eleanor was interrupted when Aiden cover her mouth. As young as she is, the reality of soldiers unable to return home is a known fact to her.
"If I won't, who will take care of my clumsy mother", Aiden breathed in deeply.
"I won't do the impossible. I will not go out the walls. All I have to do is to gain enough strength to protect my mother and to pay forward all my debts to your parents", Aiden looked at Eleanor's curious eyes.
"Why would people want to go out of the walls?", Eleanor was mortified to hear it. Though she never been there before, she knew that demons are lurking outside the walls just like she heard from younger kids roaming around their farm.
"Because they are all blockheads. What could pitiful humans like us do with humongous monsters", Aiden commented but Eleanor felt like he wasn't degrading their idea of going outside the wall. His eyes showed the opposite of disgust and disappointment.
"But you won't join them, right?", Eleanor looked at the sky.
"Because of all the people I knew, you're the one who hated being called blockhead the most", Eleanor gave a smile.
Chapter end.
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Re: The Entity Called Human
Fanfiction"No matter what skin we wear, underneath, we are still greedy, unpredictable, cruel, and selfish creature". For years, I never understood what he meant with those words. For ever since I was born, I was surrounded with loving, caring, and selfless...
