My life was one of misery and lack of luck. Born into the camp, I was treated as a slave the moment I could walk. With just a few pieces of cloth and the cold night sky, I had to sleep on the hard ground. Food was scarce and wasn't guaranteed, only when we gathered enough were we given the resources to survive. We were all treated that way, which brought us together, but there was just a single issue.
I was born from a mother that died not long after my birth, she wasn't beautiful, but compared to the others in the camp, she was a shining diamond. My father on the other hand, was the one person who put us all in this mess.
The adults told me Brutus, the leader of the camp raped one of the women and accidentally impregnated her. The child's existence was horrible, she was weak, small and was hated and loved, seen as a person and a cost.
Some adults took it upon themselves to help her out and gathered enough to give her something to eat, but others found that to be a waste of crystals. I was a stain, someone unwanted, a miserable life was ahead of me. The rare kindness shown by the adults was truly the only thing that kept me alive.
It didn't take long before Brutus heard of me, I was dragged to his home by the guards. They were rough and threw me in front of his door. Entering it I was so scared and confused, the adults always cautioned me towards the man who was supposed to be my father.
But they were all wrong....or at least at first. The first thing I saw were the red eyes of a hurt man.
Brutus took me inside and tried to care for me, he gave me food and water, a bed to sleep on....he gave me warmth I never felt. He made my living hell into heaven. Of course, I was scared of him, rarely did I even speak to him, but that was mostly because I didn't know how to yet. People didn't have the time to teach me.
A year or two went by where I was actually happy. I didn't see my previous friends again, but I got everything served on a silver platter. Delicious food, clean water, a warm and soft bed, a guarantee that I would be fulfilled at the end of the day.
Surprisingly it was Brutus who taught me most things, he taught me how to speak, how to think, how to act, he was a mentor. I didn't understand why everyone hated him so much, it was only after realizing that all my friends were still working to the bone that I started to feel bad.
Brutus also started to care less and less about me, he was preoccupied with something, rambling about reaching something very soon. I didn't go outside, but even I could feel that the atmosphere in the camp darkened. The guards didn't have their playful smiles anymore, they looked serious.
I never saw anything, but some guards or advisors didn't appear anymore, only leaving an irony smell behind. I never got used to a single face since I didn't know if he would last. That's also when Brutus started to act a lot more emotionally. If things didn't go his way he would throw objects around the room, he would hurt the guards reporting to him. The ugly side of him was shown to me more often than not.
Things truly took a turn for the worst when Brutus said that I looked a lot like my mother. There was nothing I could do to stop him, he overpowered me and did whatever he wanted. At first, he wanted me to stay with him, but the look he gave me after the fact was filled with something strange.
It felt like anger, frustration, disappointment and love were being mixed into a toxic mess that made him turn from a distant father to an abusive one. It only took a few days before I was thrown back out and lived with the slaves again.
The first thing I noticed was the fact that a lot of the adults were gone, only a few were left, but they weren't the ones that used to be kind to me. I was abandoned again, alone again, nobody looked at me, nobody reached their hand towards me when I fell. Nobody helped me, it was a punishment from the Goddess for living so well for such a long time while ignoring the people who helped me survive in the first place.
They could see I didn't live with just a few pieces of bread to survive, no, they could even smell it. While most smelled like sweat and dirt, I smelled of perfume, it didn't take long before I got rid of that smell, however.
My life was back as it was in the beginning, living in the cold, eating scraps or nothing, being a useless mess. It was hard, a lot harder even, since I knew what I had lost. I was desperate, extremely so. A few days had gone by where food was nonexistent. I was alone, isolated from the group. I offered myself up.
Brutus didn't know what to do with me, he gave me food, his scraps, but it was a lot more than nothing. If his urges got the best of him, I would try to distance myself from reality. It was wrong, very so, but it kept me alive. If no one wanted to help me, I would have to fight for myself...
Time passed, adults were taken away, and a new group was being formed, one of mostly children. They didn't hold the prejudice of the adults, but were weak on their own. They were nice to me, but weren't strong enough to gather enough crystals.
Sometimes I offered myself up to get access to some food, other times, the children gathered enough for me. Sadly, Brutus had gotten used to having me around that the moment the children provided for me, he started to pull me out of their group. I never truly belonged to the family, nor did Brutus take me in.
I was lost somewhere between. The children were too weak to stand up to the guards, so they always pulled me away. At a certain point, I didn't know what was better, to be with Brutus or to starve.
Years passed in that uncomfortable situation until something finally changed. Someone new entered the camp, Conrad, a blessing from the Goddess.
He was strong, smart, but most of all, caring. The warmth I had been craving for so long finally returned. He was sweet and kind, but never got pushy or needy. He kept his distance even when we all celebrated. Now, I can tell that those celebrations weren't for my well-being, but for the might that Conrad showed.
He was a guardian, an angel that came from the heavens, why else would his hair and irises be yellow? That's reserved for the Holy. He healed me back to my former self, and showed my a sight that I won't ever forget. The pool reflecting the tiny lights like stars was something out of a picture book.
The way he stood up to the guards and protected me made me think of the adults who were kind to me. The way he shouldered every burden and never let anything bring him down made me feel strange.
And yet, even with how amazing Conrad was, he told me that the camp would be destroyed tonight. I don't know how to feel or what to think, the only thing on my mind right now is how to survive.
If they fight, the entire camp will be destroyed, but I can't even run away. The guards dragged me all the way here, before his door once more. I can see old dried up blood staining the ground and door, the guards never bothered to clean it up.
"Go ahead, go inside, the Boss is waiting for you.", the current advisor had a tired looking face, as if he didn't want to deal with the mess.
Touching the doors there is a slight sticky feeling, I can't place my mind on whether it be from the grease or the old blood, either way, it distracted me for a moment before I got inside. Brutus wasn't anywhere to be seen, yet I didn't hold my hopes up. He liked to take his time and the night hadn't fallen yet. Still, I secretly looked forward to the feast that awaited me.
It was wrong of me to look forward to it, but compared to the meals I got served when they gathered enough crystals it was so much better. There was meat, cheese, milk, bread was merely the base for something a lot tastier. I wasn't always fed, and I wasn't always asked for, sometimes a week could go by without visiting him.
Those periods were the absolute worst. Not because I couldn't see my father, but the lack of food was what made it so hard.
I never told the family what I experience here... If I did, I'm scared to see what would happen.
I can hear someone approaching me, and it's not difficult to tell who it is. In the room there were doors to my back, leading outside, but they don't seem appealing. The sound of footsteps increase, the doors in front of me were about to open.
I clench my hands a bit, every confrontation with him has been... difficult. With my hands clenched, I feel something prick it, looking down there were two tiny little crystals pushed into my hand. These were definitely the ones Conrad gave me.
Looking at the doors again I start to get nervous and afraid, one wrong move, and we'll all be dead. The doors opened at a slower pace than usual.
"Welcome back, Sammy.", Brutus looked tired. His red eyes and cheeks surprised Sammy a bit.
"I… I have to tell you something Sammy, please come inside.", he looked downtrodden. Following orders as she was used to, Sammy went inside. The room was large and furnished. The splendid looking couches and a fireplace for warmth. There was a pleasant aroma inside and the long table covered in dishes made Sammy's stomach grumble instantly.
Brutus heard the growling whether he wanted to or not, and as a mage it was even harder not to. "Why don't we eat first? You must be hungry.", he pulled the seat back for Sammy before sitting at the opposite end.
The food as expected extremely delicious, compared to stale bread, the savory meat covered in small pieces of salt and fish with a few drops of lemon all melted her heart. It was a feast, one that was supposed to be shared with everyone, but was held only for two people.
She had long cast those feelings aside in order to enjoy the meal. After eating what felt like a ton Sammy looked at the plate of Brutus only to see a half-eaten potato and a full glass of wine. Before getting a chance to ask if he didn't like it, Brutus stood up.
"Sammy... I... I don't know how to say this.", he spoke slow with a heavy tone.
"The last couple of years must've been hard for you, I realize that. But I hope you'll understand my reasoning." Brutus looked Sammy right in the eyes, normally she would have looked away out of fear, but his eyes didn't contain the anger or frustration as usual, there was something else.
"Do you know why I've asked you all to gather Magic Crystals?", Brutus didn't wait for an answer, he didn't even want one.
"At first, I wanted to grow powerful using the crystals, but after I reached Rank 2, the crystals didn't improve me anymore. And yet, I kept asking for them...
You see... I... I realized something when I achieved Rank 2. I… I can perceive the dead. I don't know if this is a natural power or gift bestowed upon me by the Goddess, but... I saw Chrysia again.. your mother, Sammy."
Brutus stared at an empty spot in the room, Sammy didn't see anything besides an old bookshelf filled with storybooks that Brutus used to read to her.
"After I saw her, I immediately went to work. I knew I could bring her back. I tried for months on end to resurrect her, but nothing happened. Out of anger and frustration, I was aggressive to one of my guards. I didn't want to, but I never got used to my power and I accidentally ended his life. These accidents still happen, despite my best efforts.
After I saw Chrysia again, I couldn't help but long for her touch. And you look so much like your mother.... I'm sorry Sammy.", Brutus wanted to step closer to her, but distended himself out of disgust for himself.
"After what I did to you, I couldn't face you again Sammy, I'm sorry for what I did. I was desperate and lonely and...
What I did was unforgivable, I realize that now, Sammy."
Brutus walked over to an antique cabinet decorated with plenty of golden arcs. Atop of it was a small altar with a rough crystal ball. It looked like someone tried to forcibly combine the crystals into each other, the ball had small spikes coming from all sides in a random pattern.
"This… This is what I have been working on. This is the accumulation of months, no, years of work of everyone here. A sphere that can gather an enormous amount of energy, enough to bring the dead back to the realm of the living.
No longer will I just be capable of seeing them, this one-sided communication will end. The only issue is that it requires a lot of Magic Crystals to power it up. I hope you understand my reasoning... my actions… No... never mind."
Brutus looked at the same empty spot once more. His hand was resting on the sphere, even if it felt uncomfortable due to the tiny spikes, he felt relieved. Sammy was a mere spectator, but her heart had been going down a rollercoaster. She never saw her own mother, and her father didn't look like the monster he had always been.
They both stayed silent for some time, before Brutus grabs the ball and sits down on the floor, placing it on front of him.
"I know what I did is unforgivable, I'm not seeking forgiveness from you or the other recruits. My obsession with Chrysia has turned me astray, it made me give up my humanity to reach my goal. People died due to my incapability to control my strength, the children starved for no other reason than my incompetence.
My advisors, each and every single one, were afraid of me, but used their own fear to trick me into things I didn't agree with. They said that harsh circumstances would motivate you all to work hard, to reach the top of your potential... I never once thought about it, all I could think of was my project.
I don't know what you heard of your mother Sammy, what the others in the camp made up or speculated. You might not know Sammy, but Chrysia was the only person who could look at me without fear. Everyone was always afraid of me, like I would kill them the moment they angered me.
At the beginning I found it great, the power and might I gave off. People bowed and licked my boots if I commanded them to do so! I was great! The Crystals satisfied my greed, it made me feel important.
And then, slow, creeping towards me, was the loneliness of being so strong.
People wanted to run away from me, stay away from me. I could order them to stay, but they never dared to say anything.
Chrysia was the only one with the guts to look at me in the eye and insult me.", Brutus started to laugh loudly recounting the scene.
Sammy was taken aback, and couldn't even imagine herself doing so. She thought her mother was a great woman if she dared to bluntly insult the strongest person in the camp despite her situation. On the other hand that was a move so bold it could've resulted in her death.
"Her rebellious nature was so fantastic, I couldn't help but keep her around. It didn't take long before we lived together. Life was great for me, the hole of my loneliness was finally filled.
The only thing I needed to worry about was making sure I never used too much force, or I would accidentally hurt her. Hahaha, just the fact that I had to worry about something again felt great, even if it did come with its frustrations."
Sammy started to wonder about her, how did she look, what did her voice sound like, was she pretty, was she strong? Her mind dreamt of what she was or could be.
Then, Brutus lost his glimmer and smile, the story was about to take a sad turn.