Scars ran deep.
As far as Julius could remember, which was not very far into the past, misfortune and mishap piled on one after the other, akin to a sick, twisted tower of fate.
At birth, he almost caused his mother's death, although she always refused to admit it. He grew up, and he noticed hints that led to this truth. Whenever she limped around with that cane of hers, she always gave him a dark look.
That cane - it wasn't very sturdy. They weren't very rich, after all.
In fact, the family of three lived in constant, everlasting hunger.
Why were they three?
Well, his father was a failure, a waste of space and resources. The little bread that the family put on the table, he squandered into prostitutes and alcohol. Julius didn't know what a prostitute meant. Nonetheless, as he analyzed his parent's expressions whenever they spouted it out, he slowly came to associate it with problems, and the failures of his father as a husband, and well, a father.
One day, he wandered the forest, as the lonely kids did. There, he found a double-edged sword. Literally. The two thin edges of the sword were a constant reminder to be careful, as not to cut himself and others. Soon, he raised his sword and hunted with it, saving his family from the constant starvation they were facing.
The world wasn't kind to the kid, either.
Around him, smiles turned into frowns, as bars turned into military bases. This was war.
Who they were at war with, the kid did not know, but that did not matter, as the proof remained in the butchery his city turned into.
However, there was one thing he knew very well. They were losing. Stacks of corpses dotted the streets like barricades, and even the sky turned crimson when the drums of war began their march in the distance.
It was a total massacre. The enemies left them no chances to scream or beg for help before their sword impaled them from all directions.
Soon, it was his turn to die.
He recalled a dark afternoon particularly well. He strolled in the forest, searching for prey when he caught sight of them. The men with the white hats. They were the enemies, the symbol of terror.
"Stop right there!"
Julius did not stop, for he instinctively knew that, if he did, it was his last everything.
Running uphill, he attempted to lure the enemies into the cliffside, before he would go back to his home.
"Huff..." Inhaling much and exhaling little, exhaustion washed over him like an ice-cold bucket.
Fortunately, no one followed him anymore.
Everything was safe.
He would go back home, eat meat with his mother and little sister, and then go to sleep.
That was not what happened.
The past was past, they often said.
That was 6 months ago.
Unfortunately, the present was not better for him.
Julius scanned the premises. Thick iron shackles restricted his little arms and rubbed against his skin - it hurt him."
"What is he staring at?" Julius mumbled. On the opposite side of the plaza, a red-haired boy, one that looked to be about his age, stared at him fixedly.
"Citizens of Azoria."
If looks could kill, then Julius would be a mass murderer by now. He glared with great intensity at the man who had begun speaking. For him, this only announced tragedy.
He knew what they were discussing.
They would decide whether he died or not.
He loathed this.
It was not that he didn't wish to die - that was more debatable, but he disliked, he hated, and he loathed that his life was in their control, not his.
He wished to die under his own terms, but he had a specific set of conditions for his death.
Julius did not wish to end his life purposefully.
He wanted a perfect opportunity - an armed burglary, a kid drowning, or an enemy attack.
Then, he would launch himself onto the scene, and he'd die, a hero.
He did not wish to be a hero, he only wanted to impart some meaning to his life, and death - maybe they mattered in the slightest.
While he buried himself in the soils of contemplation, the man had finished his speech and planted seeds of admiration in the people around Julius.
The hangman looked at him with excitement. Julius spit in his direction. He had seen too many of these kinds of humans.
Suddenly...
"Halt!"