The moon was a silver sliver in the sky, casting eerie shadows through the trees as they danced in the cool evening breeze. The leaves rustled softly, their whispers the only company to the solitary figure that moved with quiet determination along the moonlit path. The figure was a young boy, in the prime of his youth, with a hood drawn tightly around his face. His eyes were red-rimmed and swollen, a silent testament to the tears he'd shed earlier.
He carried a rope with him, the coarse fibers cutting into his palms as he clutched it tightly. His breaths grew ragged as he approached the towering oak that stood sentinel in the heart of the forest, a silent witness to countless midnight confessions and the keeper of a million secrets. The tree looked ancient and unyielding, its branches like gnarled fingers reaching out to the night sky. The boy took a deep breath and stepped closer, his heart hammering against his ribcage like a trapped bird desperate for escape.
The climb was swift and sure, muscles trained from a lifetime of chores and errands. He'd spent so many hours in these woods, seeking refuge from his pain, that they had become an extension of himself. The rough bark scraped against his skin as he ascended, each notch and knot familiar from countless previous visits. When he reached the thick branch that stretched out like a twisted arm, he paused, his gaze drifting over the quiet, slumbering forest below. For a moment, he felt a pang of regret, a sudden yearning to stay in this place where he'd felt free from the torments of his life.
Kael knelt and tied the rope into a noose, his trembling fingers fumbling with the knot. The rope was cold and unforgiving, a stark contrast to the warm embrace of the tree beneath him. As he secured the loop around his neck, his thoughts turned to his mother. She had always been his strength, his reason to endure Elowen's cruelty. The fear of leaving her alone to face the wrath of the Everglaves had kept him going, but tonight, the pain was too much. He tightened the noose and whispered a silent apology, his voice barely carrying on the wind.
Here, amidst the oppressive silence, a solitary figure swayed gently in the breeze. Kael, a boy burdened by the weight of his tragic past and the cruelty of his present, dangled from a tree with a noose around his neck, his life slipping away like sand through an hourglass. His face, once full of youthful hope, was now pale and gaunt, the light in his eyes dimming as he hovered on the brink of death. The noose, rough and unyielding, bit into his flesh, a final cruel reminder of the world that had forsaken him.
***
Kael, a name lost in the annals of the noble Duke's manor, was but a mere servant's son destined for a life of toil and hardship. From a young age, he had labored alongside his mother, the maid of the manor, his hands calloused and his spirit unbroken. The Duke's manor was a grand, imposing structure, its stone walls rising high above the surrounding village. To the common folk, it was a symbol of power and wealth, but to Kael, it was a prison—a place where dreams were crushed under the weight of servitude.
The manor's halls were cold and unwelcoming, the flickering candlelight casting long shadows that seemed to mock those who walked within. The servants, dressed in plain uniforms, moved about with a quiet efficiency, their eyes downcast, their voices hushed. They were invisible to the nobles, mere tools to be used and discarded at will. Kael was no different—another faceless boy among the throngs of servants who toiled day and night to maintain the opulence of the manor.
That soon ended after he met Elowen Everglade, the third child of the Duke. Kael wasn't aware of what he had done to offend her, but for whatever reason she had decided to make his life hell at every opportunity she got. She mocked and belittled him whenever they crossed paths, and eventually started to hit him. Kael couldn't retaliate as he would probably be executed on the spot, but he remained unfazed after all even though she was older than him, as a young girl she could barely do any damage.
Kael endured her torment in silence, his pride and determination preventing him from breaking under the weight of her cruelty. He had worked too hard, sacrificed too much, to let the whims of a spoiled noble girl destroy everything he had fought for. Yet, as the days turned into months, and the months into years, the cracks in his resolve began to show. Elowen's torment grew more creative, more relentless, she really is a bonafide sadist pushing him to the very edge of his endurance. At this point Elowen had become an awakened, and the blows he could once stand against now left him begging for mercy.
Even with all the pain and suffering Kael endured because of the lingering hope that on the Ascension Day, he would also become an awakened and finally be able to change his life. June 21—Asencion Day…
It was this realization that led Kael to the edge of the abyss. The weight of his suffering, the endless cycle of pain and humiliation, became too much to bear. He could no longer see a way forward, no longer find the strength to continue the fight. The fire that had once burned so brightly within him was now nothing more than smoldering embers, suffocated by the cruel reality of his existence.
And so, on a night shrouded in darkness, Kael made a decision that would alter the course of his life forever. He wrote a note to his mom and slipped away from the manor, unseen by the guards, unnoticed by the other servants, and made his way to the forest-the place where the lost and the damned went to disappear. The trees loomed tall and foreboding, their branches like skeletal arms reaching out to claim him.
As he walked deeper into the forest, the weight of his decision pressed down on him, each step heavier than the last. The silence of the night was deafening, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves and the distant hoot of an owl. Kael's heart pounded in his chest, a frantic drumbeat that echoed the turmoil in his mind.
Finally, he came to a clearing, a place where the moonlight broke through the canopy of trees, casting an eerie glow on the ground below. It was here that he would end it, here that he would finally find peace.
With trembling hands, he fashioned a noose from the length of rope he had brought with him. He had never done this before, but he had seen enough during his time in the manor to know how it was done. The rope was coarse, rough against his skin, but he hardly noticed. His mind was numb, his thoughts focused on the single act that would bring an end to his suffering.
He tied the rope securely to a low-hanging branch, testing it to ensure it would hold his weight. Then, with a deep, shuddering breath, he placed the noose around his neck. The rope was heavy, a tangible representation of the burden he had carried for so long.
For a moment, he hesitated, a flicker of doubt passing through his mind. Was this truly the only way? Was there no other path he could take? But as quickly as the doubt appeared, it vanished, replaced by a cold certainty. He had tried everything, had given everything, and yet he was still nothing-a worthless pawn in a game he could never hope to win.
With that final thought, Kael closed his eyes, and with a swift, decisive movement, he stepped off the edge of the branch.
The noose tightened around his neck, cutting off his breath, the world around him fading into darkness. The pain was sharp, intense, but it was fleeting, quickly replaced by a strange sense of calm, a numbness that spread through his body like a soothing balm. His thoughts began to drift, the memories of his life slipping away like fragments of a dream.
With tears streaming down his cheeks and his mind growing hazy, he struggles in vain. Just as he draws his final breath, a bolt of lightning strikes the tree from which he hangs.