711492

Chapter 6 - Beginnings

I was born 711492; or Elbereth. I was told my name is based on the Elvish word elberen meaning "ebony" like how Valka's name is based on the word valk'rý or "glory". My parents always said they gave me this name due to my dark complexion, kind of like how Rhistel's name was based off his "spirit of fire" persona.

In truth, the druids didn't want the citizens giving the new generations names in the language of our lord and savior, Atlas Eukanova. In the language we spoke more than the language native of elves, Celestial, the word for "ebony" is elb. Naming me that would have landed them on the chopping block for treason against Atlas. I never figured out why giving your children names in our language was such a big deal. Atlas was dead. We worshipped a supposed reincarnation of him. I heard once that Celestial was "Atlas' language" for the fact that he'd written all the messages of the true elven gods in that language. The druids made it a stupid rule. They made all sorts of stupid rules Ettraillians were willing to comply with.

None of the druids were particularly happy when I was named for reasons that should be obvious but considering my parents did technically follow guidelines by adding onto the original word, the druids couldn't really do anything about it. I was Elbereth then and I am Elbereth now. My name still has a piece of a Celestial word. Just because the druids set boundaries on naming the new generations, doesn't mean my father didn't still call me Elb. I wish I could've recorded images of the druids' pure vexation every single time they heard him call me by that nickname.

I am Elbereth Eukanova and I was born with eyes greener than the greenest forest you've ever seen. My family often made jokes about the gods stealing the souls of every tree, bush and leaf and handing them to me as if they were saying I were being gifted the embodiment of nature. The irony of the situation is my mother had eyes as deep blue as the sea on a stormy day and Father's were a light blue-gray of clouds that just didn't have any energy to rain. Due to this little hiccup in my genetics, I was nicknamed Emerald by my mother. The name stuck and soon the whole city was referring to baby me as Emerald. As I grew older, I made it clear that calling me that was a privilege reserved for my friends and family but it seems like the name only stuck with my mother.

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Please acknowledge the fact that before anything else, I must start from the beginning for you to truly understand who I am and what fires forged me. You do not get the right to say you know me if you have not known every version of me. The child me was quite different from the adult me.

Before anything else, I was an Ettraillian. The son of Kratos and Ciel. The son of farmers who were considered weak to the rest of the clan. Someone who didn't seem to have any real purpose. And for a long time I was nothing but the son of Kratos and Ciel.

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I was almost seven when this story really began. Beforehand isn't really important as I was just a small child and those memories have long escaped me.

Time was closing on my November birthday and it was mid to late September. It was the time of year when the sky prepared for the grays of winter, oftentimes being listlessly cloudy with hints of blue.

As a young child, I spent a lot of time playing with the other children, even if they didn't understand me or made off-handed comments about my weird behavior.

I have always understood that I don't express my emotions as frequently as others. My parents noticed it early on. I wasn't like all the other children born in my generation. Before assassin's training, they made sure I knew it was okay to be different. They explained that there was absolutely nothing wrong with me. Thanks to them, I never felt too bad about being unusual.