In the year 617 of the great Beruvuan Era, the kingdom of Denta was faced with rainstorms. Many locals believed that it was the anger of the Seven for the sins of the world, but the scholars disagreed, stating that it was just an intense weather system that would soon pass. While the debates continued in a certain noble household, a woman was giving birth. The childbirth process was so long, and she seemed to be at her limit when a soft cry filled the room and the voice of the midwife followed.
"Congratulations to the lady and master; it's a boy." Helena, the midwife, was dressed in a long, loose-fitting linen dress with an apron over it. In her arms, she held a child still covered in blood and a thick, creamy substance. Taking a cloth, she wiped the blood and the substance off the child. The mother of the child looked at Helena tiredly before turning to her husband with a smile, but her smile turned into a frown when she noticed her husband's distant gaze.
"What is it, my lord?" she asked tiredly.
Her husband, Lord Arin, turned to her and spoke with a weak smile on his face. "Have you not noticed it yet?" he asked. Seeing the confusion on his wife's face, he was about to continue when the midwife spoke.
"How strange, he did not even cry for long, and his skin is still so pale." Helena spoke in a low tone. After years of being a midwife and helping countless women deliver, it was her first time meeting such an anomaly. The child was breathing, but it seemed so weak, like its life would extinguish at any given moment. Hearing Helena's words, the mother of the child, Lady Charlotte's, eyes trembled, and tears threatened to fall. Both she and Lord Arin knew what this meant. Helena pinched the baby's behind to get a reaction, but all she got was a faint hum.
Exchanging a weighted glance with his wife, he murmured, "After four hundred years... the curse has returned." Helena heard the words but did not understand what curse it was or what was happening. Lady Charlotte screamed pitifully as she began crying. Her tired form trembled with each sob, and with the great weight of childbirth, she slept while sobbing in her husband's arms. The child opened his eyes, and the deep blue eyes seemed to be holding a tempest inside. Helena stared at the child who was now moving his limbs in a jerky manner and cooed at Helena. Helena smiled and stroked the child's upper lip, and he turned his head toward the finger with his mouth open. Helena was about to giggle, but then Lord Arin's voice brought her out of her relaxed state.
"You can name the child, Helena. He is our son, but he will be your responsibility. You will move into the manor with us. He will know that I am his father, but he can never get attached to me or any member of his family. I know my words are cruel, but trust me when I say this is the only way. That is his curse, and he must own it." The last part of his words were a whisper. Helena stared at him dumbfounded. Judging from the tone, she could see he was serious. His blue eyes showed nothing but resolve. Helena nodded. Wrapping the baby up in a warm cloth, she left with the newborn to her guest room, leaving the room with only Lord Arin and his sleeping wife.
"The great tempest approaches, and it is coming for her son." Lord Arin murmured, his voice filled with sadness.
In the guest room, Helena stared at the newborn on the bed, still thinking about Lord Arin's words. She could see that the child was sick, and she wasn't sure it would live past three months, but she still smiled and decided to name him.
"I will name you Nigel after my brother that disappeared years ago. Let's make this little time that we have matter, okay?" Helena spoke lovingly to the child with a smile. The baby cooed again, and she took it as a yes. She was truly happy because even though she had helped many women deliver, she had never had a child of her own. She thought that the Provider was punishing her for aborting her pregnancy when she was still a naughty teenager, and now she lived her life helping women get what she would never get in this lifetime. But now the Provider had provided her with a sick baby boy, and she silently vowed to love him until his last breath.
...
Fifteen years after his birth, Nigel stood by the balcony of his room with his walking cane in hand, staring at the sky. The clouds were dark with heavy winds strong enough to fling him off the balcony. Today, the fourteenth of August, marked the day since his mother Helena had passed away due to chronic illness two years ago. The year was now 633 of the great Beruvuan Era, and the rainstorms that had been plaguing Denta fifteen years ago still persisted.
His deep blue eyes reflected the distant sky above. He missed his mother. Even though he knew Helena was not his real mother but instead it was Lady Charlotte, he still loved the woman who raised him. Helena made sure he was well-educated, well-fed, and that he would take his medications on time, while his biological mother, Lady Charlotte, mostly stared at him with pity. The first time she ever spoke to him was at his mother's funeral two years ago, and it was also the last. Since then, he had been on his own. His father, Lord Arin, had never even spared him a glance before, and he wondered why. Was it because he was sick? He had been sick his whole life, and no doctor had been able to diagnose him. His skin was deathly pale, and his body was underdeveloped. He was currently fifteen but had the build of an eleven-year-old. His facial features resembled those of Lady Charlotte, but his hair and eye color were both similar to Lord Arin's, even though his eyes had a darker shade. If it was not for the sickness, no one would deny his good looks.
Lord Arin and Lady Charlotte also had four other children who were all younger than him, with the eldest being a girl who resembled her mother, Sophia. The second was another girl, a scholar just like her father, Sebrina. Thirdly, a boy who hated him and always made fun of his condition and was more of a photocopy of Lord Arin, Jacob. The fourth one was still a toddler named Derrick. These were all his "siblings." Two of them, namely Jacob and Sophia, seemed to hate him, while Sebrina was much more kind toward him and acknowledged him as her elder brother. She enjoyed his company since he too was extremely smart despite being homeschooled by his mother. She would come to his room, and they would discuss stars or the existence of gods, which they both found ridiculous, and many other topics. Her parents would always scold her for getting too close to him, but she did not mind the scolding despite Nigel telling her to stop hanging out with him.
As Nigel stood by the balcony, the storm's winds howled, and the dark clouds seemed to mirror the turmoil within his heart. He tightened his grip on the walking cane, feeling its familiar weight in his hand. He sighed and turned away from the balcony, returning to his room. The room was small, filled with books and charts of stars and sketches of various flora and fauna—tokens of the knowledge Helena had instilled in him. He approached a small desk, where a candle flickered in the dim light, and sat down.
In this big manor, he was all alone. Two weeks ago, Lord Arin came home in a troubled state. He also called a family meeting to which he was invited. The lord had revealed to them that the storms have been growing more and more relentless. Scholars and clergy alike failed to provide answers, and the people were now restless. A famous scholar, Robert Galloway, who was dedicated to studying the nature of storms, had said that a great tempest was approaching their city, Delin. Even a famous clergy from their home city had also said that he had been shown a vision where the city was destroyed. Both of these influential figures had suggested for the people to relocate to another city. Many people had already started evacuating the city, and they too were supposed to go. Everyone agreed with the lord except for Nigel, who gently refused to leave.
"Lord Arin, Lady Charlotte, thank you for alerting me about the danger that is approaching, but I will be staying here." Nigel spoke with his head down, showcasing his respect for the master and the lady of the house. Jacob sneered.
"That's a great decision. After all, you would only be a burden to the family." Jacob stared straight at him. Sophia nodded in agreement.
"That is kind of you, Nigel. I would surely do the same if I was in your situation. Sometimes death is better than life." Everyone at the table understood what she was saying, well, except for young Derrick, who was happily playing with a wooden block.
He was now constantly used to hearing those types of remarks, so he did not mind them. He got up before Lord Arin or Lady Charlotte could even say a word. Walking away with the help of his cane, suddenly a loud bang resounded throughout the manor, making him stop in his tracks. Looking back, Sebrina was standing with tears in her eyes.
"What has he ever done to you? He is your child, he is part of this family too, but you all avoid him like he is a walking disease, and now both of you, mother and father, are going to let your eldest child die just like that? How cold could your hearts be?" Sebrina spoke with tears falling down. She was three years younger than Nigel, but the words she spoke now made a lot of sense. But sadly for her, neither of her parents nor siblings reacted to her words except for young Derrick, who began crying. Nigel and Sebrina exchanged glances, with the former smiling. Nigel left the dining hall, and that was the last day he had seen his family. The following morning, they were all gone. Having left him in the Belling manor all alone, with no servants, he had to cook for himself, and the food was so bad, but he would eat it with a soft smile on his face. But now he had run out of food and medication. He suspected he would die before the tempest reached Delin.
Blowing out the candle, his room was now covered in darkness. Closing his eyes to rest.
"Mother is coming." A soft and gentle breeze brushed against his ear. Opening his eyes in horror, he looked around, but he could not see anything since he had blown out the candle. His heart was beating fast, and for the first time in life, he felt... fear, such a disturbing feeling that is.
Calming himself down, he told himself it was just him hallucinating because of hunger and lack of medicine. But in the depths of his eyes, the fear lingered.