Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"She was never afraid of his darkness or the demons that danced in his eyes. He thought no one could ever love him if he revealed what lurks inside. He always knew he was different, how could anyone understand? But she was never afraid of his darkness or the beast within the man."
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~~•~
Trigger Warning: verbal, physical abuse
WILLIAM was thirteen when he first met Julius, the man who turned his life around by giving him the mask that obscured his insecurities.
William was nine when he first dreamt of the memories from five hundred years ago, about elves living happily on the outskirts of the Clover Kingdom. For several years, it became the only thing that brought solace to him, until Patry awakened in him seven years later.
But before he met the two of them, he experienced a hellish childhood. All his life, he was treated as a cursed child-a mistake that should've never been born into this world. William suffered to hear people slandering him as if all the insults in the world were made just for him... just because of his appearance.
Nevertheless, for a brief moment, someone rescued him from the suffering he had when he was eight years old-even before he met Patry or Julius.
Once upon a time-well, perhaps his childhood wasn't much of a fairy tale-but eight years old William was sleeping in a stable in a remote village. He had no blankets, no bed, and the only thing serving as his pillow was a pile of hay. Suddenly, a splash of cold water hit him, causing him to wake up. Trembling, William looked at his master who was holding the bucket, arms crossed, and veins popping on his face.
"Wake up, scarface! Who do you think you are, sleeping soundly like that? Get to work!" His loud voice rang in his ears, marching away as he growled how useless William was.
Without even having any preparation, he got up and took his equipment. That morning, he cleaned the stables, splashing water on the ground, sweeping the horses' feces, wiping their pens, feeding them, and even bathing them. His stomach growled as he watched the horses eat, wiping off the sweat on his forehead. Then, he went to his master's house to report to him about his successful duties.
His master's house wasn't that huge, considering they were peasants. His family's only fortune was their horse farm, so they had to take care of them in order to sell them. And ever since William was ostracized into the Forsaken Realm, he had been tending to these horses and had been living with them.
When he went to the dining room of the house, he saw his masters having breakfast joyfully. Upon seeing the food, his stomach rumbled even more.
"U-Uhm, pardon me, Master... but, can I have some of your food? I have been starving since I've finished all my work." He said with a soft voice. His hands started to sweat, rubbing them together. He saw their features drop from happy to its opposite, their eyebrows raised as if they couldn't believe what he was saying.
