Jun 9: Write an important backstory scene for one of your original antagonists
{Joseph}
...I sat lazily on the throne of the king of Shu. I was fiddling with the small bottle containing the green fluid I was to use and poison the king. The leather covered book I stole from the secret library in Horei sat harmlessly on a small table in front of me. I glanced at it but then I held my gaze for a few seconds.
Guilt flooded through me suddenly and I felt Auda scrunch his face up. He made me get down from the throne. I wasn't sure if the emotion was from me or Auda but he didn't really care. He just didn't want to feel anything other than anger and resentment.
But I was fine with it and as I struggled to understand who exactly was feeling it and why I suddenly realised that I had gained the power to tap into Auda's mind and all his feelings, memories and desires. It was fair, I guess. There should be a perk for being the body inhabiting a spirit.
Auda felt pity for all the innocent people suffering from all the angst that had built up through the years and was now being projected outward maliciously.
The memories from his past started flooding into my mind like movie scenes. I saw himself as a little boy walking though Old Reina near some bushes, crafting toys and weapons from the materials he found lying around.
A lady came up to him as he was in the middle of crafting a small stick man. She had brown hair in a pixie haircut and very light blue eyes. She donned a long, white, sleeveless gown with a gold rope tied around her waist area.
"What are you doing here all alone Auda?"
He looked up from his pile of sticks.
"The other kids are in the palace having dinner already."
"Oh, sorry ma. I'll be right there!"
He packed up his sticks and other materials and placed them under his secret bush once the woman was out of sight.
I saw a new scene. Auda was much older. He was indoors, crafting a wooden sword. Some adults were chatting outside just by the window he was sitting beside. He wasn't paying that much attention to them until he heard a word that made him sit upright.
"Yes, I'm excited! The planning of the coronation has begun."
The coronation. The biggest event in Reina. The time when the current king has decided that his reign is over and felt that one of his sons was ready to take the throne from him.Usually, it was the first son that was chosen but there were a few times in history that a younger one was chosen. It wasn't always about age. Discipline and leadership skills were important too.
That was one thing that added to the excitement of the day. No one knew who was going to be chosen.
Auda had always dreamt of being the new king ever since he was young. He was the first child of his father. Well, he did have a twin that was younger than he was by an hour but still, he thought.
He knew very well that the chances of him getting that crown were slim. He was unfortunately, the shortest of all his six brothers and he was always getting teased by them. Anytime he tried to stand up for himself, no one listened and instead, he got mocked the more.
It won't be fair, he thought, if he didn't get chosen. He had always been obedient, respectful and he did all his duties efficiency and perfectly. He was always on time for training unlike his unruly brothers and others who would show up some minutes before it's over somedays. Looking past his size, he felt he was the one who deserved that crown.
The scene changed and it was the coronation day. It was indeed a big event in the kingdom. Decorations were everywhere, food was surplus and even some important people from the neighboring kingdom, Horei, came. People from Shu would've come but, you know, they were evil.
Fast forward to the time when the king was about to announce the new king. I could feel how tense Auda felt as he waited for his father to call out the name of Reina's new king.
Auda's heart dropped when his twin brother's name was called. It was at that moment that the devil in him was created. Auda didn't wait for the ceremony to end. He left immediately, the sound of cheering making him more and more angry as he stormed off.
Not like anyone will look for him anyway, he thought.The next day was the day the box containing the seven spirits of Reina would be handed over to their new king to officially crown him ruler of the kingdom.
But the box was missing. The entire kingdom was searched but it wasn't found. There was a commotion.
A new scene. Auda was alone in his room with the box in his hands. He gripped it tightly as thoughts flashed through his mind.
The power, recognition, importance he craved, he'd get it once he opened the box and take all the spirits into himself.
But he also considered that it might be dangerous...but all the anger took over his brain and he couldn't think sensibily anymore. Plus, he remembered, the evil spirit that coerced him to steal it was counting on him, waiting for him. And so he opened the box.
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Crossroads readers will finally understand!!!