Caelris decided that today was a good day to die. Or at least that was how it seemed to the surrounding citizens of Valin’s Crest. Likely this was due to the broad grin that seemed to be permanently plastered on his face as he gazed around the courtyard, seeming to suggest in a mere glance that the entire world surrounding him was nothing more than a joke, a farce on a scale far larger than anyone would imagine. Or maybe it was because as soon as the priest beside him began to speak to the crowd of the criminal’s despicable actions Caelris began to laugh maniacally, uncaring of the indignant guard nearby nor the horrified expressions of the citizens scattered before him. Just as suddenly his laughter stopped and he cleared his throat.

“My apologies for interrupting you, I just remembered something somewhat funny,” he said, looking completely unapologetic as he attempted to reposition himself on the headsman’s block.

Glancing at the man, the priest continued as if he had never been interrupted. “This man, this Caelris”, he sneered as if speaking of something unmentionably disgusting, “is guilty of the murder of our town’s beloved Lord, a man whose only desire was to aid in the welfare of the citizens of our fair town. How many among you know those who attracted the eye of our late Lord, and were personally escorted to his side so that he could ease their lives by making them a part of his household!” The priest exclaimed loudly to the fervent nods of the common folk standing below him.

Caelris’s face momentarily lost it’s mad grin as a wave of despondency crashed over his shattered psyche. “What a jest…” he muttered quietly, suddenly looking as if he had aged a thousand years and lived through countless sorrows.

-\o/-

“Brother!” A young twelve year-old girl exclaimed happily as she rushed headlong into a decrepit one room shack which they had lived in since the death of their mother.

“Ithrin, I keep telling you that you need to be more careful when hanging around our home, you know how unsafe this place is,” Caelris chided as he shook his head in exasperation of his little sister’s antics.

“Sorry Caelris, I was just so excited.” She attempted to explain hurriedly.

Only slightly curious about what could have caused his half-sister to be so upbeat, Caelris questioned his sister in a somewhat uninterested fashion “Oh, something good happen?” as he continued preparing the food for the day.

“I managed to get the position in Lord Valin’s household as a junior housekeeper!” she exclaimed triumphantly, crossing her arms in a pose that bespoke of her great authority. Caelris was instantly ecstatic as they were in great financial straits after the death of their mother and Lord Valin was widely known to be a generous and benevolent Lord. The two seemed to have stars in their eyes as they spoke late throughout the night of what fantastic wonders the future would hold for them.

A time after his sister had left in the morning following her announcement, Caelris was happily humming as he walked down the cobbled road towards the manor Ithrin had entered earlier in the day. In his hand he carried a basket containing the lunch his sister had absentmindedly left behind when she headed off for the Lord’s manor in the morning.

Arriving at the gates, Caelris continued to walk despite the forbidding presence of the guards.

“You may not enter without an invitation” the guard at the gate said whilst contemptuously looking down on the man before him who was dressed in tattered clothes which had obviously seen better days.

“I just want to deliver this to my sister, she’s a new member of this household as of today” Caelris hurriedly explained. Snorting disdainfully, the guard continued to ignore the man in front of him until he finally turned to leave. Frustrated, Caelris walked away dejectedly until he was out the guard’s sight, then in a few well practiced motions nimbly began to ascend the manor’s surrounding wall. Landing gracefully, Caelris praised himself silently and continued on his way as if he had been invited properly.

Glancing curiously at his surroundings as he entered the manor without incident, his previous caution disappeared as he seemed to be in the clear. Caelris leisurely rounded the corner as he wondered where in this lavish estate he could find his sister.

“Oomph!” He cried out, falling backwards to the floor as he inadvertently walked right into someone. Cringing, he looked upwards toward the man he had collided with, expecting to be questioned about his presence. However, rather than speaking out, the manservant just continued to look blankly forward, his eyes seeming to only contain a few remaining sparks of the last vestiges of a fading humanity.

Tilting his head slightly to the side, Caelris couldn’t help but be curious about how such an indifferent figure came about. “Hel-” he began, but was interrupted  by the muffled sound of a girl’s scream, followed by soon after by the echoes of wretched wheezing from a distance.

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Caelris froze, his heart stopping in his chest as the sound seemed to resonate far too clearly within his heart. Looking once more at the dead eyes of the man in front of him, Caelris’s mind made a sudden leap and in a panic, he bounced back onto his feet and dashed towards where the noises had originated, fearing the worst.

Quickly dashing around the hall, he entered a room and nearly stumbled to the floor in shock as his mind attempted to deny what he was seeing. At the far side of the room, Lord Valin stood with his arms raised upwards in a position of supplication, a look of sheer ecstasy on his face. Caelris’s mind simply could not comprehend the scene in front of him. In fact, he could no longer think at all, for next to Lord Valin was Ithrin, her once mischievous and joyful expression replaced by one of horror as the ‘benevolent’ Lord of Valin’s crest slit her throat, sending her blood cascading down the unfamiliar altar.

Caelris’s vision turned red as he saw his sister’s lifeblood flow out before him, unable to do anything to save her. Taking the small kitchen knife out of the basket of food that would now no longer have the opportunity to be enjoyed, Caelris rushed forward and repeatedly drove the knife into the unsuspecting Valin, whose expression quickly changed from ecstasy into a look of astonishment as his own life left him too, further staining the surroundings in red.

The deed done, Caelris stood up without bothering to look around and began to slowly stumble out of the manor, uncaring that his bloodied form would seen leaving the manor, implicating him in the Lord’s death that would soon be discovered by the inhabitants of the manor and the city.

Deep in the manor, Ithrin’s blood slowly pooled across the altar, finally reaching a small moonstone that was placed nearby. As the blood reached towards the gem, seeming to have a life of its own, the surroundings momentarily took on an oppressive feel, shrouding the area in darkness. Afterwards, all that remained in the altar room was a small gemstone that gave off an ominous red aura, the light undulating to a rhythm much like that of a heartbeat.

-\o/-

Soon enough that mad grin descended once more as the priest began to extol the virtues of the deceased nobleman and curse the actions of the one who dared kill him and defile his good name.

The excitement of the crowd rose to a peak as the priest finished his monologue, signalling for the headsman to begin his bloody work. A hush fell over the crowd as the moment they had been waiting for seemed to arrive. Just as the crowd quieted, a tearful voice broke out before the throng.

“The day will come soon when the corruption that is hiding in the shadows of this land will be thrust into the light and eradicated…. It’s a pity I won’t be there to see it.”

The axe descended.

-\o/-

“Umph!” A little boy cried out, as he stumbled suddenly, falling to the ground to the amusement of the squirrels which chittered happily at him in the tree above. He turned around angrily and glared at the ancient root before him as if it should feel ashamed for tripping him. Huffing loudly, he began to dust himself off before continuing on his adventure through the undergrowth.

As he was about to leave, he paid a parting glare to the villainous root, daring it to attempt to subdue him again. It failed to respond, obviously terrified. While looking intently at the tree root, he noticed that he had dislodged it from its previous position, allowing him to see underneath the ancient fir. Curious as to what had caught his eye, he reached his immature hand into the crevice and pulled out what seemed to be  small orb-like stone. However, it did not seem to possess the same uniform slate gray colors that could be found among its neighboring rocks. Rather, it seemed to possess a strange iridescent quality.

“This is so cool!” he exclaimed excitedly as he brought the stone closer and closer in an attempt to gaze upon the wondrous object at a greater proximity. In childlike ecstasy, he peered at it so closely that it was nearly touching his eye itself. It continued to shift across all spectrums of color until suddenly it disappeared entirely.

“Aah!” he wailed when it vanished from his hand. Furrowing his brow, he frantically searched the ground for his precious find, but it seemed as if it never existed to begin with. Time passed and the child grew more and more frustrated due to being unable to figure out what happened to his new-found treasure.

“Sev, let’s go play over there!” A girl the same age as him cried out as she walked near. Immediately, the boy’s mind changed focus when he heard the word “play”. The strange stone forgotten, he and the girl left to begin their next adventure.