Euthanasia

Chapter Two- A Desire for Death

"There were once two powerful kingdoms, led by the stars above, guided by their wisdom and power. They lived like this for centuries, until the stars fell from the sky and the kingdoms went astray. Until there was one, they battled under a black night sky, no light to guide them. One king ascended the throne, conquering universes, becoming the thing the kingdoms swore never to become. Ruthless... heartless... tyrants. The fall began as fast as the disappearance of the stars in the sky. Then there was no kingdom to celebrate, wiped from existence from those who cared the most.

This is the story of the two kingdom's fall..."

Three Days Earlier

Melancholy screams subsided as sunlight flitted through the slats of the venerable wooden door of the mine shaft where George slept. He was glad that he lived so far into the woods so that his pain couldn't be heard, and he could suffer alone, without the pity of others. He awoke to the usual forest sounds, birds chirping, bugs buzzing, and rivers slushing sluggishly downstream.

Though that morning seemed normal to George, it was the day he decided to leave Aerith. It was the day he hoped he would find a new life, he would live again, free from cages and invisible shackles. He planned to leave in three days' time. Over the years he lived in the forest he began to know the route to the border well. He traveled it many times in order to try and memorize the schedule the guards patrolled. In three days, there would be an opening, where shifts changed. It would only be a few minutes though, so he knew he would have to hurry.

He was giving himself three days to prepare. This meant he had to get supplies to travel for possible weeks. He didn't know exactly what was beyond the border, and he knew it would take days of walking before he could reach any civilization, longer since he didn't have a horse to start with. But these were the kinds of risks he would have to take.

On the first day of preparation, he went into the city. Hopping from one run down shop to the next, he spent all his silver on food and supplies. Though he didn't have a lot, he had enough to last him six days, seven or eight if he rationed properly. He was hoping to have enough for a couple of weeks, but the silver he saved wasn't enough, so he made do with what he had. His trek throughout the city lasted all day and gathering everything he needed was mentally draining, especially when he had the tendency to overthink his actions, like whether he made a good purchase or not.

On the second day, he traveled to the edge of the forest, where he could see the Blood King's guard posted and alert, bloodthirsty and cruel. George could see the violence in their eyes, and the viciousness in the curves of their vile lips as they twisted them into smiles. Waiting on the outskirts of the woods, he made sure he knew the routes the guards took and how long it took them to change shifts. He needed to make completely sure he knew what he was doing, or else he was going to get caught.

On the final day, George rose early to the sounds of a woodpecker hitting its beak noisily against a nearby tree outside the mine shaft. The sun was just beginning to rise, turning the sky a bright orange in the distance and a soft bush pink overhead. George breathed in the crisp forest air, it was the last time he would be able to enjoy the woods where he grew up, whether he got caught or not. After eating a small breakfast of bread and berries—which he picked himself—he changed his clothes, new for the journey. He pulled a light blue shirt over his head and tucked his white goggles onto his messy hair.

Later that day he packed up his supplies into a worn backpack he kept safe through the years after his family's death. His mother had hand made it for him long ago and it was something he didn't want to let go of. His mother made hundreds of beautiful blankets and intricate clothing that she would sell for handfuls of silver in the markets. But all of that burned to ash as the moon hung low in the sky and a shamed king lost his humanity.