Zhou Shinto is a very sick boy. He has an illness that makes him weak most of the time. Not only that if he gets over stimulated or exhausted he blacks out.
Because of this Zhou often was bedridden. Zhou's 4 older brothers were all many years older then him and great warriors. He was the youngest by far, the unwanted child, the burden, the accident.
His eldest brother Shi was often gone on missions or with hunting parties, or just trying to get away from his family. He was a fire mage just like 90% of there lineage. Shi was an excellent hunter and professional monster hunter. He was also a great tracker.
The 2nd eldest was Makina. Makina was by far the strongest of the family. He was a physical mage (the only in the family for years). At the age of only 13 he had slain a beast of the yokai forest.
Of course they weren't real yokai, when the village was founded the belief of yokai's existence was rooted deep in there culture. They believed they had found a breeding ground for yokai.
To be fair the Beast Makina had defeated was already heavily wounded. It was also a lower level beast and blind. But still at the age of 13 it was a great accomplishment.
The 2nd youngest jin was the athlete of the family. His incredible speed was known by many. His physical prowess was second to none around these parts but jin was a very masterful swordsman and natural born fighter.
Then there was Zhou. Zhou was the pitiful sick little accidental boy. He had no particular skill and was barely allowed outside. He was much more intelligent then most his age but being cooped up in his room he had little knowledge of the outside world and was a bit ignorant to gow the world worked.
Zhou's father was a strong fire mage named Kovu who used to be one of the top warriors in the region. He was now elderly and had grown a bitter in his age.
Zhou's mother Suvsan was his father's polar opposite. His father was a strong flamboyant man while his mother was a nice kind silent woman who mostly stayed to herself. Opposites attract though so It worked somehow.
His mother had became very sick shortly after Zhou was born and passed not long after his 3rd birthday. His father without a wife to keep him grounded became overcome with emotions and took them out on Zhou. He never loved Zhou like his other sons.
Perhaps it was because he saw himself in Zhou. He loved his other sons because he saw his strength and prowess in them, but he hated Zhou because he saw the weaker more vulnerable part of himself in him. He tended to have that effect on people.
On his 7th birthday Zhou was once again bedridden. He was reading his favorite novel he had read many times when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs toward his door. He put the book under the covers and pretended to be asleep.
His dad had came in many times to "take out a little aggression". If he pretended he was asleep sometimes he went away. When he opened the door it wasn't the usual swing it was a slow creep open.
He walked over to the bed slowly his eyes filled with tears, his wrinkled face red with sadness. As he leaned in closer his breath was cold and out of its usual pattern. Each breathe was quick and sharp.
He reached behind Zhou's head and grabbed the pillow. Wait, no... no no no. The only words he spoke were "my son you have had a hard life, as have I but... different, in your short years you have been a huge burden on everyone around you, I have been terrible to you for something no one couldn't control. They say the truth will set you free, so I will tell you. I do not hate you. I hate me. I hate that I see myself in you, with my ae I have grown weak and I sympathize with you. I have only lived this life for 20 years so I won't make you endure it for the rest of your life. I live you son." With that the pillow came down on Zhou's head.
For a second he considered allowing him to do it. I have lived a terrible life and will continue to. I have often compilated doing it myself, maybe this is just what I need.
Yes, thank you father. In that moment he not only excepted his fate but he embraced it what could he do either way. This illness plaging his body makes him paralyzed during the day. At night he could move as much as he wanted.
His father pushed a little harder, then alot, it felt as if he was laying down on his body. The pillow slid off his face allowing him to see out of his left eye.
There he was, his father slumped over sprawled out across his body. A heart attack. His body was still convulsing a bit. Zhou tried to look away, out of the corner of his eye he saw the clock. It was only 7 am, he was gonna be hear a long time.
One thing, I COULDN'T EVEN HAVE ONE THING. The morbidity of the moment was overcome for a moment by the hilarious irony that his one wish was something other's would pleade against and he couldn't even have that
In that moment he remembered the day his mother died, that was the day his father turned into whatever this was...