The boy remembered it all too well, as his mind was going blank.
He could recall his time in a different city entirely, A Land far off into the west of Salvandi. A couple of houses that surrounded the riverside. He could recall his parents looking upon him with expectations, homeschooling the boy. He could recall the numerous books they wanted him to read, all for the purpose of teaching him. He could recall papers being passed between them to act as tests for Solomon to answer. He could recall their expressions being disappointed when he fails, and having him read through the books again, or being full of joy whenever he passes those tests and rewards him with Ice Cream and some bonding at long last. He remembered all this at the age of 7, where his life from that point on was on autopilot. Every day felt the same to him. Every day felt like it was repeating itself over and over, with the loop being almost catatonic, constantly either accelerating or slowing itself, as if time was either lagging behind, or catching up too quickly. It was monotonous. It was hell. A Cycle that the young boy wanted to break.
Thus, he would do something different. Around the dead of night, starting when he was 9, he would wait for his parents to go to sleep. Then, when they did, Solomon would wake himself up early and go outside. It was dangerous, walking around at the dead of night, and yet, it felt soothing to him. It felt like the Darkness was a veil, a shield that wished to protect him. It made him feel at ease the more he explored the world's very shadow under the pale moon. He keep his explorations to himself, looking around his small town, noticing the strange phenomena whenever he gets a chance, and no longer needing to learn from it. Instead, he'd simply watch it in absolute awe. It was a beautiful sight. It did came at a risk, however, as he was not used to staying up so much, so he would often sleep atop the roof of a building, or around a tree branch, with the sun acting as his alarm. His parents, every time, would try to find the boy and retrieve him back home safely, as well as asking him numerous questions. "The hell were you doing all the way out here?" They would ask. "You could've gotten yourself hurt! What's the matter with you?" They would quiz. "Are you feeling ok?" They would question.
Solomon, not wanting to give away his plan for leaving the cycle, replied with a simple answer. "I don't know how I got here. Must've sleepwalked..."
Somehow, that excuse worked, though at the cost of the parents keeping a close eye on the boy. Cameras were made to track his movements, yet every so often, Solomon would find a way to deactivate them under the parent's notice, thanks to his knowledge he gained from the many books he read. He'd use these teachings to ensure he can leave the house every so often, and every so often after that, his parents would try to devise new means to keep their child safe. One fateful night, however, would have his life change more dramatically. When venturing out at night, he'd felt he wanted to keep something to himself. A Gift to him for being able to integrate such a life he has been given, one where he is somewhat out of the catatonic loop. The Gift of his choice came in the form of a book that was recently discovered by some local explorers. A Book that is said to weigh as much as 3 men. Solomon would prepare for this, having a wagon made to be big and strong enough to carry the book. Alas, when he supposedly reached the destination, he couldn't do it. He tried and tried, pushed and pulled, putting his very back into carrying the book, yet no such results would show. The boy would sigh and decide that, if he wasn't going to take it home, he should at least read its contents.
Opening the pages would showcase to Solomon many more stories, yet they weren't ones that are bound by logic and history. They were tales. Fables. Stories of people that are given lives beyond their understanding, all under the name of God. His investment was so much towards this book, he couldn't look away. He wanted to read each page without stop. So much investment he wanted to give would cause the book itself to glow. It shined like a diamond towards Solomon, and before the boy knew it....it shrunk! It became the size of a standard picture book, and it was light enough for him to take it home! When he ran back and went to sleep soundly, he did it with the book in his arms, holding it tightly close to his chest.
Come the crack of dawn, a screech would be heard. His Mother's voice. Alarmed and frightened, the boy ran towards the source of the sound, noticing something peculiar: His shadow was gone. The lights and the sun casted down on Solomon, yet there was no shadow in sight. Only a small sliver of darkness. He'd follow that trail, and what would be met was of a shadow-like creature, chastising his parents, being too visceral to comprehend what it was saying, growing in size more and more, and looking as if it was about to leap out of the wall and attack them. Solomon's fears grew and grew, causing him to leap forward and get in the way of the monster. The Parents looked in shock and fear as they realized the monster was stemmed from Solomon, and so he'd try to confess what has happened. He explained to them everything: His desire to be free, his desire to play and have fun, rather than be cooped up in a small home and be forced to live life out on repeat.
"I just want to LIVE! Y'now? To walk with you two! To play with you two! To be a PERSON! I'm sorry....Really, I am..."
As he finished his confession, his parents would look at each other, and nodded in agreement. They knew what must be done.
Within mere moments, The boy was thrown out of the house, Book and all. "IF YOU WANTED TO BE FREE, THEN NEVER COME BACK TO THIS HOME AGAIN! I thought we were raising a Scholar! A Teacher! Not a MONSTER!" Solomon would hear these words from his own mother, and in that moment, he'd cry a bit. He'd whimper, being hurt by the impact of his knee hitting the book's edge, but it paled in comparison to his real pain within him. His heart was hurting. He thought he was actually being loved. He thought he was actually cared for as a son.
That was when the Monster spoke to the boy. "Hey now....Its alright. Screw those people! They clearly missed out on what a great kid you are!" Solomon would be confused and look up a bit, seeing the shadow face to face. Despite looking demonic, it had a friendly face. It had a warm expression. It was smiling, and it would be trying to hug him, like the gentle night always did. "Here....Lemme take care of you! I can prolly do better at parentin' than those bozo's! Just say the name, and we'll go there!" The Shadow would state in pride, and for a moment, the boy smiled, and laughed a bit.
"How do I know you're not some big, scary, monster?"
"Well...would a monster do THIS!?" The Shadow would tickle the boy, with laughter being even more prevalent, and the boy realizing he wasn't alone anymore. He'd smile, and tried to give a hug to his new guardian.
"Thank you....Mr. Monster." Was all the boy said.