十三** (Chapter 13)
eng: All I knew as a child was evil

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A/n: Probably the longest chapter in this book! Wither's childhood in a nutshell lol-

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Wither

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Ten years ago, in the Lord's Realm of the Nether...

I stare outside my window, wondering when my parents would finally return home. My parents were part of the Lord's Guard, something I often boasted about.

I loved my home. We were under the protection of the Lord and his Queen from all the evil of the outside. We were all safe.

"Don't ever go near the border, Ash," my mother would warn every time I'd go out to play with my friends, "Nothing but danger lies outside. We're all safer in here, under his majesty's protection."

"I know, mom!" I'd exclaim, "Why would I ever want to leave? I love it here! It's my home!" She'd smile, gently patting my head. "That's my boy."

Earlier that morning before mom and dad left, they seemed rather distressed. I didn't understand; what was wrong? I run to dad, gripping his leg. "Dad! What's wrong?" He exchanges glances with mom, changing his expression completely. "Nothing at all, son! Watch the house while we're gone, okay?"

I nod, not knowing better than to trust my father.

Fast forward to present time. I sat alone in my room, staring outside my window. Mom and Dad are usually back by now... What's taking them so long?

Maybe they got lost! I hop out of bed, running downstairs and outside the front door. The sky was much darker than usual.

I whimper, scared of the unfamiliar darkness. Still, though, I continued to walk towards the Lord's fortress.

"Mom? Dad?!" I shout. The streets were much quieter than usual. I was the only mob outside.

"M-Mom?" Tears filled my eyes. I shouldn't have left home. Now I'm lost...

"Are you okay?" An unfamiliar voice calls out. I jolt at the sudden noise, my whole figure freezing.

I'm so scared... I should've stayed home...

"Are you lost?" The voice's figure finally came to view. He was a wither skeleton just like me.

"W-Who are you?" My voice shook as he calmly approached me.

"I... I can't say." I study him for a few moments. I was still timid, my bones softly rattling at his presence.

"Relax," he says, "I won't hurt you. Besides, I think we're of similar age." The way he spoke was odd. None of my friends nor playmates spoke so elegantly. I wasn't used to such complex wording.

"What are you doing out here, so late during the day?" I finally glance up at him. "I... I can't find my mom..."

"Any idea where she could've gone?"

"My mom and dad work for the Lord's Guard. Usually they're home by now..."

"Is that so? Do you not like being alone?"

"No...," I admit. I've never been alone for more than a few hours.

"I'll stay with you, then." I was hesitant, but I nod. Anything is better than being alone, I conclude. "C-Can... Can you help me find my parents?"

"Sure! I know my way around the kingdom pretty well, so I'm sure we'll find them in no time." His confidence gave me a peace of mind as he lead me towards the tall and dark fortress.

Then, we heard shouting.

In a blink of an eye, the skeleton pulls out an iron sword. "Stay behind me. Don't let anyone see you, okay?" I nod, cowering behind the older skeleton.

The shouting becomes louder, the rumbling of footsteps sounding like a stampede of angry horses.

"Come with me," he whispers, grabbing onto my arm and dragging me along with him. He sprinted past the royal gates without hesitation.

"W-Wait!" I exclaim, "We can't go past the gates! We aren't royals!" The older skeleton makes no response, running right past the guards and knights. I was in a state of shock— according to my mother, anyone who wasn't a royal couldn't enter the fortress. Entering without the upmost permission could lead to exile.

He closes the fortress' gates, a subtle yet noticeable creaking sound made by the heavy wooden doors. He sighs, placing his sword back into his inventory.

"S-Sir... We can't be in here...," I whisper, my voice shaking. If my parents were to find out about me sneaking into the Lord's fortress, I'd be punished so greatly...

"Don't worry. We're allowed in here." His voice was as confident as ever. He extends his hand and says, "Come with me. I'll show you around."

"W-Wait, but-!" He ignores my protests, touring us around the magnificent stronghold. The rooms were all beyond huge, all luxurious and beautiful.

"W-Wow..." I was in awe. Nothing I've ever laid eye on was this magnificent and colorful. I was used to seeing mahogany red, black, and orange. There were an assortment of colors in the fortress, containing many that even I couldn't name.

"There we have it," he says, "This is what the legendary stronghold looks like."

"It's amazing!" I exclaim, "How do you know so much about it?" He opens his mouth to reply, but gets interrupted by the sound of the door slamming open.

"Mi amor, time for your bath~!" The voice was soft and angel-like, almost hypnotic. The skeleton looked horrified.

"Who's this...?" A feminine voice asks. A skeleton about the height of my mother bent down to examine me before smiling sweetly.

"What's your name, little one?"

"I-I'm Ash...," I mumble.

"Mom," the skeleton says, "This is my new friend."

"Friend?" She says, narrowing her eyes, "Mi amor, what has your father and I told you over and over?"

"I... I know," He whispers, "I'm sorry... I've just, been lonely... Dad hasn't returned for a while..." She sighs softly, gently rubbing her son's head. "Don't worry, my love. I understand the feeling quite well."

"M-Miss?" I say suddenly. She turns her head to me. "Yes, little one?"

"I can't find my parents... Could you please help me?" She smiles sweetly, gently lifting me up and placing me onto a soft chair. "Of course, sweetie. Where did you last see them?"

"Mom," the skeleton whispers, "His parents are apart of the guard..."

"...I see. Ash, was it? Don't worry, sweetie. You can stay with us until we find your parents, alright?"

"O-Okay..."

~

A few weeks went by, and my parents were never found.

"Hey, Ash, don't worry," the skeleton says gently, patting my shoulder, "I'm sure they're alright."

"Mi amor! Your father has returned!" An excited look fills the skeleton's face. "Coming!" He grabs my hand, gently dragging me behind him.

"Dad!"

My eyes widened at the sight.

His dad... His dad is the Lord?!

I was in a state of shock, unable to move. It was indeed the Lord that stood before me.

Wait... If his father's the Lord, then that means...

His mother is the Queen!

I had never seen the Queen before, so I didn't realize it at first. My friend, that skeleton... He must be the Prince...

"Son, who's that?" The Lord asks, striding towards me. I stumble back a bit, fearful.

"Dad, this is my friend, Ash! His parents are apart of your Guard and he hasn't seen them for weeks."

"Son, what did I tell you about making friends with commoners-!"

"Honey," the Queen says, "Give the child a break. He's been alone for so long, missing his father. It's only right that we let him have a single friend."

The Lord sighs. "You're right, you're right. And as for my Guard..." He leans closer to his Queen's ear, "Most of them were killed during the battle."

She gasps softly, eyeing me. I was confused about what they were whispering about. Are they talking about me?

"Our son said his name was Ash, wasn't it? His parents were some of my finest soldiers. Unfortunately, both of them were slaughtered by the vicious skeletons."

"Then what do we do about the boy?" She asks, "We can't just leave him alone. He's only seven years old!"

"That isn't our problem, Leonora. We can just force any household to take him in."

"Honey... Look how well he gets along with our son. I've never seen our boy this happy..." The Lord sighs. "What are you suggesting then?"

"We have plenty of space in this fortress. We can raise him as our own." The Lord was taken aback.

"Raise him?!" He booms, "Leonora, you've lost your mind!"

"It's bad enough that the poor child lost his parents. We have plenty of supplies in this fortress to take care of him. This isn't up for debate."

"Fine then. But I will take no part in raising a child that isn't mine. Are we clear?"

"Crystal."

~

Before I knew it, I was considered the Lord and Queen's second son. Years went by, and I lived comfortably with the Prince. He never told me his name, though.

"Ash! Father needs me to come with him. It's those skeletons again," he says one day. My expression turns into a worried one. Skeletons, strays. The ones that brutally killed my parents. My real parents.

"Must you go?" I whisper, "I don't want to lose you too..."

"Lose me?" He says, "You couldn't get rid of me even if you tried." He was as confident as ever, his signature smile spread across his face. He was truly a brother to me. I didn't know what I'd do if I ever lost him.

"Just... Please be careful," I whisper. He smiles gently, patting my shoulder.

"Take this," he says, handing me a single peculiar gem. It was nothing I had ever seen before. It was a midnight-black gem the glimmered under even the scarcest of light. "Hold onto it until I come back, okay, Ash?"

"Okay..."

"And one last thing," he whispers, "It's Amir."

"Huh?"

And, with that, he was off. Little did I know that I'd never see him again.

~

When I got the news that he was gone, I didn't want to believe it.

I remember the Lord rushing into the fortress, distraught. The Queen rushes to his side.

"It's our son," the Lord whispers, "He... He didn't make it." A gasp. The Queen drops her glass of champagne, the cup shattering into thousands of tiny pieces. My whole body felt numb.

Maybe I just heard him wrong. Amir isn't dead. He can't be. He promised he'd return.

"M-Mother?" I whispered, "W-Where is he..."

She runs to my side, embracing me tight as she sobbed delicately. "My love," she whispers, "Your brother didn't make it..." Tears filled my eyes to the brim as I sobbed along with her. The Lord exits the room with an unreadable expression.

A week later, it was decided that I'd be crowned Prince of the Nether.

It was an honor, the Queen had said. It didn't feel like an honor, though. I just wanted him back. I didn't want the title of Prince. I just wanted things to go back to as they were.

Besides, being a Prince is not as lovely as it may seem.

After Amir's death, I was forced into many classes. Study about the Nether, this realm, and the Overworld. I didn't mind it though. I just wanted my parents to be happy. They took me in, after all.

~

"Ash!" My mother calls, "Could you be a darling and deliver this to the front guards? Your father is busy training the new Guard."

I nod, taking the clothed item in my hands as I cautiously made my way down the stairs. It had been over a year since Amir's death. I wasn't allowed outside under any circumstance.

Honestly, I hated it.

I took this chance to sneak out, running into town. I use the cloth as a cloak to hopefully hide my identity with.

The town was brightly lit and full of life. I watched in awe as I saw my kind group together into groups, fulfilling their daily tasks.

I sigh, memories of my parents flowing back all at once.

"Did you hear about that vicious skeleton?" I overheard gossip, curious. A skeleton?

"Yeah! The Lord took away his confidence right away. Those good-for-nothings, thinking they're so much better than us just because they roam the Overworld."

"Disgusting," another wither skeleton sneers, "I heard that they torture our kind just for the heck of it." After I've heard enough, I continue my stroll in town. I knew when I returned to the fortress I'd get a lecture from my mother, but for now I wasn't going to pass up such a rare opportunity.

There was an alleyway that I never spotted before. This caught my attention, curiosity taking over my better judgement. I walk through quietly, inspecting the unknown area.

Then, I saw a skeleton. A real, alive, skeleton.

He was clearly chained up, so I didn't feel threatened by his presence. By the looks of it, he looked bruised and battered.

"Ah, if it isn't the skeleton that has been making me work a lot harder lately." It was the gruff voice of my father. I hid behind an obsidian statue.

A skeleton? I thought skeletons couldn't enter our barrier! And what is my father doing here? Isn't he back on the training grounds?

"You and your evil army of wither skeletons will not lay a hand on our younglings," the skeleton seethed, "All you know is to terrorize the weak."

"Mm... You know, your 'younglings' would benefit greatly from joining us. A few injections of our elixir and they'd be considered one of us."

"You're sick!"

"Is that so?" He says, "Well, maybe before we test it on younger skeletons, we'll test it on you. How would you like to be our first lab rat?"

What?

I stare at the Lord in disbelief. An elixir? An injection?

Were... Were we the bad guys all along?

The thought made my stomach sink. All this time, it was just a deliberate plan for the Lord to kill off all non-wither skeletons?

From that day forward, I held a hatred for the Lord like I never had before. As a child I looked up to him, believing his intentions were true. Now I couldn't even look him in the eye.

Then, one day, I decided to take a leap of faith and make a run for it. To leave this evil kingdom once and for all.

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