**Author's Note:**
The writing will only get better and better as the chapters go by. So please be patient and look forward to the novel.
Please support my work, and if you are interested, you can join my Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/CelestialMountain
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Kael's world was an endless swirl of pain and darkness. The brutal reality of his current predicament merged with the haunting memories of a past life that refused to stay buried. As his consciousness drifted in and out, the vivid recollections of his previous existence began to resurface, tormenting him in the stillness of the night.
Kael's childhood had been a relentless storm of abuse and neglect. He was the only child of a single mother, a woman who had once been beautiful and full of hope but had been shattered by betrayal and despair. Kael's father had vanished the moment he learned of the pregnancy, leaving his mother to face the harsh reality alone. She had initially clung to the hope that the birth of her son would bring her lover back, but when that hope proved futile, her love turned to resentment and hatred.
PA PA PA
"You're the reason he left!" she would scream, her face twisted in anger as she struck Kael with whatever was at hand. "If you weren't born, he would've stayed!"
BAM BAM BAM
Kael, a small boy with wide, innocent eyes, could never understand why his mother hated him so much. He loved her dearly, despite the bruises and the constant fear. He would try to comfort her, his tiny hands reaching out to wipe away her tears, only to be shoved away violently.
One particularly grim night, the air thick with the scent of alcohol and despair, Kael's mother stood over him, her eyes bloodshot and vacant. "I should've gotten rid of you when I had the chance," she muttered, her voice slurred. "You're nothing but a burden."
Kael cowered in the corner, his body trembling. "Mama, please," he whispered, tears streaming down his face. "I love you."
But his words fell on deaf ears. His mother had descended into a spiral of drug addiction, using substances to numb the pain of her shattered dreams. Her behavior grew increasingly erratic, and her fits of rage became more violent.
No matter how harshly Kael was treated, he always thought the fault was his, and his mother was only loving him.
'Today is Mother's Day,' Kael thought. 'Mom always puts a rose in her hair when she goes to work. I will buy her a rose.'
Kael went to the market near the slums to find a job so he could earn money to buy his mom a rose. But no one gave him a chance, thinking he was a beggar. Dejected from all the refusals, Kael wandered the market. He remembered seeing a botanical garden. Passing through the busy crowd, Kael reached the Botanical Garden.
"STOP!" Kael heard a shout. He subconsciously sat down while covering his head with his weak hands. He started apologizing.
"I wam swarry. Pwease don't hit mwe." Hearing the child in front of her cry, Lily was flustered. She just wanted to stop him because he looked like a beggar.
Lily looked at the boy and was terrified to see his condition.
He had long, greasy hair that looked like it hadn't been washed for a year or more. He wore a shirt with patches all over, twice his size. He wore pants that were too long for his legs. He had no footwear either. Feeling sympathy for the kid, Lily came close to Kael. Gently brushing his hair, she said, "Don't fret, brat. I am not hitting you."
Hearing this, Kael peeked from his hands and asked innocently, "Really?"
At a closer look, Lily could see the scars on the boy's face, neck, palms, arms, and legs. Even though she guessed what had happened to him, she asked regardless, "Who hit you?"
"No one!" Kael said hurriedly. "I fall down a lot, so hehe."
Kael gave her the excuses his mother taught him to say when he was asked about the bruises. Seeing that Kael did not want to answer her question, Lily asked Kael his name and the reason for his visit to her garden.
"My name is Kael. I am here to get some work. Sister, can you give me some work?" Hearing his words, Lily made a surprised expression. Thinking that Lily would reject his request, Kael said hurriedly, "Pwease don't refuse my request. I will do anything. Pwease. Pwease."
"Just tell me how much money you want, boy. I will give it to you. I can't let a toddler work for me, can I?" Lily said gently. Kael shook his head, rejecting her reasoning. He said he would only take money if he worked. He said he didn't want anything without work, as he wanted to give his mom a rose for Mother's Day.
"A rose? What a filial child you are. Okay, let's do this. Water all the plants in the greenhouse and pluck out all the weeds too. I will give you two roses and lunch as a bonus. What do you say?"
Kael tilted his head and asked what lunch was. Hearing this, Lily was surprised.
'What kind of life did this boy go through?'
"You are so pitiful, my boy," she said with pity in her eyes.
PA
Kael's dream was abruptly interrupted by a sharp, stinging pain on his cheek. His eyes flew open, and he found himself staring into the angry face of a guard. The slap had brought him back to the harsh reality of the slave camp.
"Wake up, worm!" the guard snarled, his grip tight on Kael's arm. "Darion wants to see you."
Kael's body ached with every movement, the pain from his previous beating still fresh. But he forced himself to stand, his mind already working on a plan. He couldn't let despair take hold. He had to find a way to escape, to survive. The memories of his past, as painful as they were, had also made him resilient. He would use that resilience now, in this new hell he found himself in.
As the guard dragged him towards Darion's tent, Kael's thoughts turned inward. The shadow power that had once surged through him was gone, leaving him feeling more vulnerable than ever. But he couldn't let that stop him. He had survived worse before, and he would survive this.
Darion's tent loomed ahead, the flickering light from within casting ominous shadows on the ground. Kael took a deep breath, steeling himself for whatever was to come. He would find a way to escape this place. He would find a way to avenge his parents and reclaim his life. And he would make Darion pay for every moment of suffering he had inflicted.
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Author's note
The writing will only get better and better as the chapters go by. So please be patient and look forward to the novel.
Please support my work, and if you are interested, you can join my Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/CelestialMountain