The night was absolute. The sky was covered with nimbostratus clouds. It was pouring heavily since evening; on roads, there was already knee-deep water in some places.
The intense flashes of lightning mixed with the sound of thunder made the atmosphere even more mysterious.
The entire village was silent; no one went out on such a disastrous night except... one person.
He was walking along the deserted road, stepping incoherently, drenched in the rain. The blood dripping from his body was being washed away and mixed with the stagnant water in the street.
For the first time in his life, he loved rain. Because it was perfectly hiding the tears rolling down his eyes.
He was Calyx; Calyx Ryder — the third young master of the Imperial clan.
....
Calyx was the third child of his family. Born in the most powerful families in the village, his life had to be comfortable since his childhood, at least according to many people.
But it was not. It was totally the opposite.
Calyx was never wanted.
After giving birth to two sons, the Ryder family wanted a daughter.
So when his younger sister, the only daughter in the family, was born, she became the apple of their eye.
Their territory was ruled by five clans. Among them, the most powerful ones were the two — the Imperial clan and the Ravenwood clan.
The Ryder family wanted a daughter to marry her off to the Ravenwood clan to strengthen the bond between the two clans and secure their position, eliminating the potential threat of rivalry.
But instead of a daughter, Calyx was born. On the day of his birth, he became a disappointment to his parents, his family, and the whole clan!
All his childhood was spent alone. His brothers were six and nine years older than him respectively; their world was completely different from Calyx, and they never let him join them.
His sister was the most cherished and the most pampered child in his family, the whole clan treated her like a goddess; and with time she also had created her own world, with her friends and admirers.
Only Calyx was left alone.
When he was a child, he thought, maybe the fault was his, that was why he was always deprived of love!
Everyday, he craved for love, he craved for attention.
He thought, maybe being better would bring him all the thing that he wanted.
So he worked hard. Tirelessly. Night and day. To become the best. To become the hero whom everyone appreciated.
And he succeeded also! He became the youngest best warrior of his clan. But that didn't earn him the love and respect he wanted. Well, the look of disappointment was eased a bit.
.....
Calyx reached the river walking. The river was flowing wild, the rain dropping in the river was creating a rhythmic sound.
He sat by the river bank. He was running out of his strength.
With trembling hands, he pulled out the dagger embedded in his stomach. Immediately, a spurt of blood came out of his body, and he felt a sharp pain.
Enduring the pain, he smiled softly. This was the reward for his unconditional duty and love for so long, given by the two people whom he trusted the most in this world.
....
He threw the dagger into the river, who knew whether it sank or was swept away.
He sat quietly, staring at the dark, muddy river. Blood was continuously flowing from the wound, but he didn't care.
He didn't know how he had walked all this way with such a large dagger stuck in his stomach. He didn't know how he endured all the pain.
Because, the pain in his heart was much greater than that.
....
Growing up, the situation of him changed a bit. As a result of so many years' hard training, he became one of the best warriors, and a crucial part of his clan army.
This achievement helped him to grow closer to his older brother Caleb, the second young master of the Ryder family.
The ice between the brothers since childhood had melted away, and he began to trust him a little more everyday.
It was when he met Kaida — the love of hus life, the daughter of one of the ministers of the minister council of Imperial clan.
Kaida caught his heart off guard since the first day they met, and he fell for her. He fell in love harder with every passing day!
Calyx thought, finally everything was falling in place. Finally, he was not considered as a disappointment by his family, the relationship between the brothers had softened, and he met the love of his life — until everything fell apart!
The last week, he was sent to a mission, to the mountainous range of the territory. The whole week was pretty hectic, the mission was dangerous, but he could get through it finally.
As he returned home, ecstatic with victory, he thought, this time, he'll get the marriage done. He was going to propose to Kaida.
He barely knew, all his dreams were going to be shattered into pieces!
It is of great joy for me to announce that I accept Kaida to be Caleb's wife, and my daughter-in-law!
The moment he saw his father toasting and announcing in the middle of the celebration and Kaida's shy smile, he realized that all the dreams he had been shown so far was a big lie.
As soon as the ceremony was over, he rushed to her house.
"Why did you do this?" Grabbing her wrist, he questioned. His eyes were burning in hatred, anger, and.. disbelief!
"Leave her." Suddenly, he heard a very well known voice behind him.
He looked back, and his eyes widened in shock! "Brother!"
Caleb walked forward, and pulled Kaida by his side, grabbing her waist.
"Yeah, it's me. So?"
"Why did you do this!" He barely talked.
"What did he do? Nothing!", Kaida replied. Smile played in her lips.
"What did you think Calyx! I'll be yours! What a fool. You wanted to know why I chose Caleb, didn't you?
Well, being a prince's wife is always much better than being a warrior's wife."
....
It was still raining. His body became cold, and he looked extremely weak from the constant loss of blood.
Calyx still sat beside the river.
He remembered how they had locked lips in front of his eyes, how the simplicity of Kaida's face had turned to deviousness, the words she whispered as she plunged the dagger into his stomach;
"You were never worthy, Calyx!"
His vision gradually blurred, his breathing slowed; he could no longer sit up, his body collapsed to the ground.
Before closing his eyes for the last time, he saw death with his own eyes for the first time; he stood there, covered in a black cloak, right in front of his head.