Return of the Demon Sovereign (Book 1) [MxM]

5. A Meeting in Nothingness

A seven-year-old Eri Themis was kneeling in front of his father, Earl Tartus Themis, with tears streaming down his face.  His brothers looked down at him in disgust.

"The day of awakening is always a proud day for the Themis family, but then you emerged, Eri. The Themis family has celebrated the prestige and glory of being fire cultivators, our blood blessed with the history of kings.  So how can you, my son, be a Shadow Cultivator?  A rat of society."

The young Eri sobbed, trying to wipe the tears.  "I'm sorry, father. I can change."

The Earl scoffed at him.  "Change?  You're too weak. Weak-minded and weak-willed. Even your mana was graded as weak.  You are an abomination of the Themis family.  We are dragons! And dragons do not tolerate shadow rats!"

The Earl never cared for his youngest son.  He was a walking contradiction of the Themis family.  While they had blonde hair and golden eyes, Eri was the opposite, with black hair and dark grey eyes.

The Earl always looked at Eri with disdain, but now he was branded as a disgrace and embarrassment from when his mana core awakened. Instead of being nurtured and cultivated, Eri was laid to waste.  He was neglected and treated as trash who was incapable of contributing to the family.

The only kindness in his world was his mother, Selene, the Earl's third wife.  The Earl had three sons, Terran, Tomas, and Eri, but only Eri was born from Selene.  She wished she could protect him, but she was sickly and had been confined to a bed all his life.  He would seek her out for comfort, and she gently held him.  She would tell him sweet words to soothe his heart.

"You are not weak. The Earl does not know how powerful kindness could be."

"You are blessed by the shadows, which move and dance like smoke.  Your powers can accentuate the light, or it could swallow it."

"The darkness is beauty, and you are its personification."

"Those born of the shadows may walk a different path than those of the light. But this does not make your path any less meaningful."

"Be proud of your powers, my child.  Be proud of your nature and stand tall."

But her words were always drowned out by the scorn of his father. Out of desperation, he poisoned himself and locked away his mana. He had lost all powers but still bore the stigma of a Shadow Cultivator. He could never earn his father's acceptance.

He was cast out and banished to a boarding school for the powerless. The day he was forced to leave, his mother tried to plead with the Earl. When her cries were brushed aside, she crawled out of her room to stop Eri from leaving.

"You will not send my son away!"  She cried out.  Her weakened body could not take her far, and his brothers picked her up and carried her back to her room. She screamed and clawed at them, her tears turning to blood that stained her cheeks.

This was his last image of his mother—a nightmare that plagued him every time he closed his eyes.  He was never allowed back inside the house.  Every time he returned, his brothers would beat him senseless. Then, he was forced to kneel in front of the gate if he did not fall unconscious, hoping to be let in.  However, he was never able to enter the premises.

He suffered through every attack and came back for more.  All he wanted was the family who used to tolerate him before his Mana Awakening.  He was desperate and kneeled in front of the manor countless times. He asked for forgiveness for being born as a Shadow Cultivator and begged to see his mother.

When he turned 14 years old, his mother passed away.  He went home to attend the funeral but found himself in the same position as before, kneeling in front of the door.  His voice was raw from begging his family to let him in, but he was completely ignored.  They didn't even come out to beat him. He found that the cold door was a more formidable torment than the physical pain they had inflicted.  He stayed on the desolate doorstep with silent tears and his head pressed against the ground.