In all honesty, whenever Sora found himself opening up about his origins to someone, he always felt less and less pitiful.
The amount of times he's had to disclose his tale was probably more than he could recall based on his memory, a majority of the telling having to be when he was a young teenager.
He wasn't particularly secretive about what occurred to him, and whenever someone asked he was more than likely to tell them if he wasn't in a foul mood. However, there was always that one detail in his own story he omitted no matter who he was speaking to.
It was a single factor that he tried to push back for the sake of his own strength. The factor was marred his brain for the shame it caused him, for the weakness it gave him.
Because how could the merciless, deadly Crimson Prince of the Seas have a weakness as pitiful as his own?
A pathetic infatuation with the son of the man who took away everything he held dear.
The simple thought of Riku VanSinclair had been able to bring his mind into a haze when he first started his pirating career as a member of Highwind, but with the constant kills and torture he'd been pulled through, the name thankfully lost a majority of the effect it held into his brain.
He tried not to focus on the name of the Prince of Radiant Garden anymore. Every time he thought about him, he tried not to take notice that his heart beat turned up a bit faster than he'd liked.
After so many times of trying, he gave up on attempting to change his childish admiration into hatred.
It couldn't be done. So he simply settled on ignoring the fact the oblivious male even existed. It wasn't as though their paths would cross.
Ironically enough, that was the exact opposite of what he would have thought back a few years in time…
Whenever Sora thought back on it, to be fair, he couldn't blame himself for being the kind of child with nothing more big dreams. When you had nothing but dreams, you learn to live your life through them to give yourself a purpose.
From the time the last Messian VanSinclair ruler had been declared on the brink of death and the whole kingdom had been buzzing over the fact a Messian King would step forward, Sora remembered the first time he caught a look at the soon-to-be royal's picture.
The Prince appeared his age and had the most gorgeous smile Sora had ever seen. He had heard more about the new royals—the prince in particular— from the other village children who all had crushes on the silver haired lad as well.
Sora could remember he was never jealous whenever those neighborhood girls went on and on about how Riku would grow up to be their Prince Charming… The only reason he hadn't been jealous was because he had been so firm in believing that he and Prince Riku were soul mates.
He had been so sure that those girls were nothing and that when he and the Prince first saw each other, they'd be in love.
Puppy-love and childish ignorance apparently blinded his eyes.
Ever so slowly, his rights had been stripped from him and his family, along with the others in the Radiant Garden.
They were discriminated against and it came to a point where they didn't even have permission to run their Bakery business.
At that point, Sora was still too young to understand why it was all happening.
He remembered his mother crying a lot more often, Leon had been more irritated that usual, and the kids in the village didn't play outside as much…
Food was scarce but Sora didn't complain because he was more concerned about his mother who seemed more stressed as the days went on. Leon on hir own hardly even ate what little bread he was given, instead insisting that Sora and their mom take his share.
Sora had gotten mad because Leon was acting like a grown up when he wasn't even that much older than him.
The two had ignored one another for less than a day before they reconciled with Leon finally breaking down and crying because he was scared for their future.
Back then, Sora pretended that he understood why. He truly didn't though, at the time.
He only wanted the two people he loved to stop being so sad.
His mother reassured the two that everything would be alright and Sora found himself growing more confused.
Why would they think otherwise? Sure, things were a little tough but what was the worst that could happen? They weren't bad people at all. Nothing terrible would have happened to them, right?
The Great Massacre was a bloody event that took place over a period of four days throughout the entire Massacre.
News traveled slowly in their little village and when the riots ended up right in their front yard…
Sora wish he could go back in time and convince his mother not to go outside of the safety of their little bedroom from the safety of the closet where he and Leon had stayed quivering fearfully while outside, the sound of screams and gunshots filled the air.
He tried not to remember the exact moment he knew his mother had been shot.
Through the thin walls and doors of their small cottage simultaneous sound of his mother's defensive shout followed by the sound of three gunshots and a loud 'thump' against the ground immediately told Leon and Sora that they were both parentless.
Sora remembered Leon hugging over him tightly, whispering reassuring words to him while her back faced the closet's opening. Hisr last words longer than their mom's simple but effective 'I love you both' instead an 'I'm sorry I won't be here to protect you anymore. I'm sorry. I love your happiness, Sora so please turn it into strength when I'm not here.'
Sora had been too busy trembling in terror to even respond before the door to the closet was opened and Leon had been shot in the back repeatedly. If Sora recalled, he counted a total of thirteen times.
His body then collapsed on top of his and Sora had only laid there on the small closet ground, too afraid to speak because if he did, the man who just murdered his brother and his mother would be back, realizing Sora was still alive.
He laid there hearing the sounds of cries and gunshots continue on outside.
The kids he played with, their parents, their family, they were all dying from what his ears could hear.
A part of him thought of it all as a nightmare, one where he'd wake up in bed in between his mom and brother on their bed and then his mom would hug him while reassuring everything was alright, and then Leon would call his a baby for still having nightmares.
When Leon's blood from his back had started to drip on him, Sora had been reminded everything was happening.
His sobs came out silently. His tears fell silently. His body quaked beneath his brother silently.
Sora couldn't remember how long he stayed like that, but eventually he left the house when it night time.
He took one last look at his mom, and went over and picked up the scarf that was lying on top of her. He quickly placed on and headed outside. Outside in the stillness of night, large flames covered the houses of the village as several men began burning them down.
Within his head, he knew eventually they'd get to his home.
When one of them noticed him, he ran straight into the surrounding forest by the cottage, avoiding the gunshots fired his way by the angry adults that eventually gave up, voicing out their wishes of death on him.
Sora just kept running. He was already a frail child after so many months of hardly getting enough to eat, but the situation of everything burned in his head.
Leon's death. His mom's death.
Everything just remained there.
His feet grew tired but he kept going ahead as the weight of everything suddenly began to rest on him.
The more he ran forward, the heavier everything suddenly became.
He was without a family. He was without a home.
Sora was truly alone.
Minutes shifted into hours. Hours shifted into days. Days became months. Months transformed into years.
Sora could remember nothing but rain.
It seemed like every day was filled with gray clouds and precipitation that continuously beat down on his skin. His feet, so blistered and sore from his constant wandering when he found himself traveling from city to city. Town to town.
What exactly did he do to survive during these Empty Years?
It would forever remain a mystery because he had no one to tell him.
The main thing was, at this point in time, Sora could recall a majority of his thoughts revolved around the fact that nothing had a purpose anymore.
He missed his mom and he missed his rbother.
He missed everything he had before they were taken from him.
He cried so much until his body began to ache.
Everything he had was gone and he was alone. The fact plagued him at the most random times, it was unbearable on him and it led him to more crying where he just held himself and sobbed. Leon wasn't there to protect him and his mum wasn't there to love him.
So how does one go on in life, when you have nothing left?
Getting offered to be on the notorious ship, Highwind had been something that was entirely a spur of the moment thing.
How was he, a simple street rat orphan, even given an opportunity to ride the seas with the most infamous pirate ship at the time?
He didn't know.
When Sora later asked Captain Highwind what made him so special that he was blessed with a chance to actually get somewhere farther than where he was in life… The Captain said he saw potential.
To this day, Sora didn't know what potential could possibly be seen in a blank faced, skinny to the bone, dirtied kid from the gutters of the town.
His first year as a pirate brightened his eyes in a way Sora couldn't have ever imagined.
He was taught how to fight, he was taught how to be strong, and most importantly, he was taught how to survive.
He became a warrior of the sea. His skills kept up to point.
And after that first year as a pirate, Sora knew this was his calling.
He wanted to be the best pirate out there. Settling for second best wasn't even an option. He wanted to be the strongest and there was no doubt in his mind that he would be.
Aging into a teen, the true causes of his family's ends finally began making sense to him and it did nothing short but make his hatred for the royal's that were already his ships' heads grow infinitely stronger.
But…
Not for Riku.
Against his slowly freezing heart, there was still that spot, warm and emotional, that was reserved for the Prince that Sora still had burned in mind. The many pictures he'd seen from his childhood remained intact, and with the newer pictures he saw of the Prince while on the Highwind made him feel more than he wanted.
Prince Riku was the exception to his complete and utter loathing to the Crown, especially as his knowledge grew of the other people of Radiant Garden who suffered at the King's hands.
Some cases were bad, or even worse than what Sora had to experience.
The fact disgusted him to no end and he found his feelings beginning to solidify entirely into ice right after Captain Highwind announced his retirement.
He'd given Sora a large sum of money for him to continue on, because he knew Sora would make it big.
Sora remembered the first time he got the Kingdom Heart and his own name began to go around.
With every kill he made, he cared less and less.
His goal to be the best was practically a reality when he was dubbed The Crimson Prince of the Seas.
When he discovered his name had been passed along to every monarchy in Luminis and he was practically the most wanted man in all of the land, Sora would be lying if he said he wasn't entirely smug.
The pure satisfaction in knowing his very existence made the King of the Radiant Garden that angry was delightful.
Even so, even The Crimson Prince still had one part of him that remained open.
The part was small, nearly nonexistent…
But it was still there and Sora was reminded of it every time he found himself back in Vale, Radiant Garden once a year.
He walked past the dark and rusted metal gates, his feet carrying him along the cobblestone path.
It was cloudy, nothing much different than what he was used to in this country and the air around him was silent for about a mile around.
"Hey," Sora said lowly, his eyes glancing ahead sadly, despite the small smile on his face. He continued walking forward, the flowers in his hands ruffled along the sudden breeze that executed over him, "It's been a year already since I last visited." He noted the moment his footsteps halted.
In the distance, he could hear the familiar sound of crows screeching. Overhead, their wings flapped viciously as though they were angry with the curly haired pirate's presence.
He ignored it and grabbed his hat off the top of his head as he stared down at the dark gravestone.
A single blue gem stone shimmered in the center of the tombstone and it looked entirely identical to the two gemstones that decorated the right and left end of his scarf. Sora gave a bittersweet sigh, "I still have your gems. I'm happy no one's come to take mine from you."
His feet moved him to be positioned directly in front of the gravestone piece before Sora promptly took a seat, Indian-style to gaze at it noiselessly, already having placed the bouquet of white roses to his anterior end.
Sora stayed like that for the next few minutes, his eyes watching over the names.
In memory of Aeirith and Leon Caeleum
He remembered his mum's smiles, his brother's laughs, their hugs, their tears, he remembered when his mother kissed him good-night, and he remembered when his brother played whatever game he wanted over hers.
Sora remembered how his brother's eyes always lit up in joy whenever he began a story about how Prince Riku would think he was pretty and he and the Prince would buy her as many boats as he wanted so he could travel the world like he always wanted.
Sora remembered how his mother would always ruffle his hair and give him a hug whenever he started talking about giving her the biggest room in the palace after he married Prince Riku and they let her move in.
Most of all, Sora could remember their love.
Their love had been so warm, pure, and innocent.
A sinless and unconditional love free of fear, lies, evil, and murder.
It was a love that Sora missed so badly, he'd give everything he had just to experience it one last time.
Even after all he accomplished, even after he made a name for himself, even after all of this he was still a child that was pushed into a coffin that was slowly filling up with the sins of his actions.
He had become a Prince in his own right, but it wasn't the kind his mother and brother would have wanted.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I'm sorry, Leon. You wouldn't want this for me, I know, and I'm sorry." He muttered out, his hand grazed over the memorial stone longingly, and even though he could feel his heart begging to let down tears, they wouldn't fall.
So many years of crying dried the well, it would appear.
It hurt his heart.
He couldn't even cry over his own mother and brother.
The two most important people in the world to him that had both practically died before him and his own eyes couldn't formulate any shape of emotion to grieve for them as his heart did.
He was the living definition of a monster.
Sora bit his bottom lip as hard as he could while he fell to his knees on the soft grass beneath him, because he knew that if his mother and Leon were still alive, they would condemn him to hell for all that he's done.
They'd hate him for every single selfish action he'd committed.
But he was already too far in to turn back.
Not even all the water in the seas could wash away the blood that tainted his hands. He knew it because his fate was written and stained with the same blood that marked his hands.
Sorry for the delay guys. More of the story should be coming soon :) Also Luminis is basically the continent that Radiant Garden, the Twilight Republic and Traverse Port Island is on, you guys should be able to guess what those three places are base off of right? Don't forget to favorite and review it. Thanks guys! Oh and sorry for any confusion due to the grammar, the stupid autocorrect on my computer is really stupid and it's replacing words left and right.