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Chapter One

Another punch came down and it collided into the boy's face, he cried out in bewilderment as his back slammed against the wall brutally.

"What a monster!" The tallest boy hissed, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Disgusting, he should leave." A girl scoffed, covering her mouth with her hand in disgust.

"I-I am not!" Xenovix shouted back.

The group of boys and girls moved backwards, kicking the dust at their feet in Xenovix's direction all at the same time. He shielded his eyes from the fray.

"Throw rocks at him! Kick him out!" Another boy shouted, pointing at the poor child who had been beaten to the ground. Xenovix couldn't help but tremble, he was terrified and timid.

The crowd was gradually starting to get larger as Xenovix was now surrounded.

"Kick him out! Kick him out!"

The crowd started to chant out rude remarks, name-calling and throwing nearby stones at the helpless boy who embraced himself, readying himself for another strike to the head until he faintly heard his mother's cry.

"Xenovix!"

He looked up, whilst still afraid to lift his head. His mother kneeled down beside him, grasping him tightly.

"Go home!" She yelled at the crowd, causing them to snicker and whisper amongst themselves.

He could even feel his strong yet fragile mother quivering beside him.

She was also afraid.

Xenovix kept his head lower than usual, hiding behind his mother's slim figure. They hadn't eaten a decent meal for days as the villagers wouldn't allow sending food to a 'monster'.

Xenovix could feel piercing stares going his way as the two made their way back to the dull and fallen-apart house, clenching onto his mother's hands tightly. He couldn't help but sneak a peek at the village streets. Everywhere, there were flowers and the shop doors would open and close as customers hurried in and out. The village used to be calm and relaxing, it was his home.

"Why on earth are they so rough with a child!" Xenovix's mother said, her eyebrows furrowed as she examined the bruise on Xenovix's pale face.

Xenovix looked up at his mother, he watched her movements carefully as she gently brushed away a piece of hair that had made its way to his face. Her eyebags had gotten worse and her voice was strained more than usual. He could feel her hand tremble as it caressed his check gently, as if careful not to cause more pain. Strands of her grey hair fell to her eyes.

"Mother, do you hate me?"

The words were blurted out before he could stop himself.

"Stupid child! What are you saying?! I do not. You are not a monster, do not listen to them."

She huffed, swiftly wiping a tear that had rolled down her bony check.

The two ate in silence. The room seemed dimmer than ever. They didn't have enough money for the candles sold on main street anymore. It felt like ages since their previous meal. Xenovix was nowhere near full. He licked up any signs of leftovers on his plate, making sure every bit of his food was gone.

"Xenovix, have this."

His mother pushed her plate towards him, giving him a weak smile. Xenovix didn't reject it, although he felt extremely guilty for it. She hadn't eaten a single bite of her food and instead was watching her only son eat away at his meal. The bread felt drier in his mouth and the honey wasn't as sweet as usual. After the plate was clean, the two headed out, ready to visit the center of the village to confront the villagers. They couldn't live on like this, not for long.

Before the mother and son could make it, a crowd had gathered, once again surrounding the two as their shouts began.

"He is a demon!" somebody shrieked, as the crowd surrounded the small boy and his distressed mother.

Xenovix warily inched away from the roaring crowd as his mother embraced him, trying to protect him as she made her way through the hostile mob of enraged villagers.

"My son is not a monster!"

Her usually soft and tender voice was now strained and cracked, but his mother's desperate cry could not be heard over the many shouts and protests of the loud mob. All the poor boy and his mother could see was furious and frustrated villagers that were trying to get to the scared boy to throw more threatening words at him.

"Who knows if he is or not? He may even be a demon that is disguised as a human!" A woman that clutched a pair of twins tightly in her arms exclaimed, her jade eyes filled with deep hatred and fear.

Xenovix tried his best to hide behind his exhausted mother, to not be seen by the furious civilians.

"He is my son and I will watch him mature with a mother's love, I do not intend on leaving him out in the wild. He is only a ten year old boy, he will die out there!" Xenovix's mother's pleading only made the villagers more suspicious than they originally were. The crowd destituted out in accusing whispers, every word muttered underneath their breath, every snide comment was aimed at the demon boy and his caring mother.

Xenovix had no clue what was going on, but the constant ballowed of demon and monster was like a blow to his heart, each worse than the last.

"Maybe even the mother is a demon too!" someone from the back of the mob shouted, causing even more chaos amongst the crowd. The snide comments became harsher, the frowning civilians sneered at both the mother and Xenovix. The sharp stares became death glares, all aimed at the small family of two. Fueled by the crowd's loud cries and protests, three guards strutted over towards the helpless mother and the terrified son. One of them grabbed onto Xenovix's arm and roughly pulled him away from his mother. Xenovix's mother desperately tried to reach out, but her heartbroken wails were drowned out by the many enraged and fearful voices of the villagers. Xenovix was helplessly pulled away from his loving mother.

"Throw him out!"

"No! Kill him instead!"

"Die demon!" were all that was heard.

The shouting filled the air to the point where Xenovix could not make out a proper word. Everyone was shouting, everyone was stamping their feet or raising whatever that occupied their firmly, gripped hands.

"Just get rid of him already!"

The villagers had concluded and that was that. The crowd went unfazed as they watched the poor ten year old boy get thrown out of the village gates. They wanted to do more, as their pained expressions could be read easily. They were afraid of Xenovix the ten year-old boy.

The guards forced him outside, not caring if they hurt him or not. Forcefully, they shoved him out into the terrors of the outside world and wilderness, where dangerous creatures made life.