Today was a bit more exciting than the usual day , as once again he wasn't simply enclosed in the dull grey walls of his home , no at this moment in time he had actually been given the permission to accompany one of the stone faced ladies to the market , where they would complete the errands required and stock up on supplies and such.

He could feel his heart beating brightly in his chest as his eyes remained watching the ground , observing the patches of grass and greenery that had surrounded the outside of their home slowly transforming into hard stone work , which announced the closing distance that was to be met when arriving into the nation's capital ; Taïr.

A place that he recognized to be a lot more busy and energetic compared to the lands that he usually was surrounded by. It wasn't as pretty looking or vibrant as the outside world he was used to watching from his windows , but there was a different sense of life in Taïr that was foreign to him.

Every time he was allowed out for this particular purpose , there was never a shortage of people around , there was always movement , he just needed to take a step into the atmosphere and he could feel himself already being in awe of it's animation.

Instead of plains of grass and a multitude of trees to decorate the surrounding areas of the space , there were a multitude of buildings of towering heights soon lined up almost all where the eyes could see. Buildings that could have been either homes , lodgings , establishments and then alongside having markets pitched outside where he saw a great deal of people bustling around and creating a buzz like a hive of bees.

Instead of being serene and captivating , the nature of the city was occupied and urgent. There was a definite distinction even just by the air that lingered around the capital which made him well aware of the change between what he usually knew and what other aspects of the nation thrived without him realising.

He rubbed his fingers together to give himself something to do as he followed quietly behind the lady with the bandages that had asked if he wished to accompany her to the capital.

Which of course he couldn't resist but jump at the chance given the offer , however…

If he had to be honest , he didn't expect that he'd be allowed out again so soon. Especially not after what happened recently between him and the lady after she had scolded him for his behaviour.

And even now he still didn't know what he had been doing wrong , all he could really recall from the incident is that he had been watching the kids play from the spot of the window above his bed like he was known to usually do , and he could remember becoming really engrossed in the things that they were doing , the fun they were having and the games that they had been playing with each other.

All the while in his mind he had been silently wishing that one day that would be him with them too , and he could also have friends and have fun like the others his age and laugh and smile with them.

But whilst he was in the midst of observing them , he must not have realised when the stone faced lady with the bandages had opened up the door to his room again , and when he came back to reality and noted her presence , he found that she had been watching him for some time with those dark and cold eyes that he knew her to possess.

She was probably the scariest stone faced lady to his knowledge. Mika being her name. She usually took charge of leading his punishments and giving him harsh beatings when they'd say he'd do something 'wrong' or when he realised she'd be angry / irritated already and he was set to be the victim of her wrath.

Her behaviour was very unpredictable.

Of course he wouldn't say that aloud as he had a feeling that would just invite trouble.

And he could remember feeling his body turn unnaturally stiff when he had turned his attention from the joys he was witnessing from childhood innocence to the dark shortish haired , cold faced young woman that was staring at him with eyes that seemed to pierce straight into his soul.

He didn't know what exactly stirred inside that deep and unreadable stare , but it just felt incredibly intense and that alone was enough to have him shaking in apprehension for what she would do to him as he believed she was certainly angry with his ways and thinking something deeply.

But after being left in restless silence as he felt her gaze continuously hardening from the sight of him , what surprised him was the words that came from her.

"Your face is depressing…"

"Stop making yourself look like a victim."

A victim?

What did she mean by that? Rather than feeling hurt as he usually would from Mika's usual biting comments , he was more just confused by what that was actually meant to hold in meaning.

But either way he took the hint and took his attention away from the window , deducing that possibly she had some flare in her from watching his actions. His head had turned to hang in unexplainable shame , hoping that no further wrath would erupt at the hands of the pale skinned woman.

And to his gratitude , nothing more came from the encounter other than her walking into his room and leaving his tray of food on his bed haphazardly and taking a sudden yank of the back of his hair before the final words she spoke to him for the day were left in his mind to linger.

"Next time you make me wait on you like a maid , I'll let you go hungry for the night…"

After that Mika had left the room , and there were no prominent interactions between the two of them for quite a sum of days , until this afternoon she had randomly showed up in his confines with the offer of accompanying her.

It was really strange.

Out of all the stone faced ladies he was acquainted with , he never expected Mika to be the one who would ask him to do such , especially not after that questionable experience he recently had with her.

But somehow this was reality , and he didn't know what to make of it.

He had really thought she was thinking up some sort of punishment or was looking out for some time to corner him off and then commence the abuse she was known to give , but that strangely wasn't the case.

A sigh left the azure haired boy's lips as he could hear the arrival they were making to the marketplace which was their decided destination. His eyes watching his bare feet and taking glances up here and there whilst surveying the changes of his surroundings as the thick hooded cloth that was thrown onto him slightly obscured a bit of his vision.

He wanted to move it so he could get a better view of things , but Mika had demanded that his face had to remain covered if he wished to accompany her. To which he didn't wish to argue with even though he didn't really make sense of why she made him do that.

But that was one of the conditions that had been set out for him to accept if he wished to come outside.

Others also had to be met , and to him they were the stranger ones which he didn't understand even more.

The condition that he shouldn't try to speak to anyone even if they tried to speak with him , the condition he shouldn't try to touch anything when they would be outside and especially in the marketplace, the condition that he shouldn't make a fuss about anything , the condition he shouldn't try and walk off anywhere and then the one that he really found very strange ;

The condition to be held by a leash.

His wrists felt a burn forming from the leather that had been used to tightly bound them together before him as they naturally rubbed against each other , whilst the length of the leash was held by Mika in one hand as she walked on and pulled him alongside.

Though he was happy to be outside and away from his room once again , this aspect of the visitations dampened his eagerness and spirits quite a bit.

If he had to be brutally honest , this condition was one he disliked the most of all. Something about it seemed incredibly embarrassing and weird. And he noticed the uncomfortable looks that he would get once he was in the midst of people with her in this state from which he couldn't help but want to look down and shield himself from the judging gazes that probed him.

He disliked it to the extent he actually went to the level of pleading against the condition , trying to convince the young woman that it didn't need to be put on him and he would keep his hands to himself and keep close to her at all times.

But all of that fell on deaf ears.

And what was told to him in response to his appeals were none other than these cold words ,

"Consider to be grateful you're even being allowed to do this you insolent brat."

To which he knew he was on the way of agitating the dark haired woman , and despite the fact her words did sting him and he felt he was being a bit wronged with being told such , he kept his grievances to himself lest she would take back the offer and he'd be left accompanied by his lonely and dull walls again.

Besides, it wasn't something too demanding , and he believed that eventually he would get over it if he didn't put his mind to it too much. He shouldn't have focused on the negatives but rather tried to salvage the rare occasion of finally being allowed to see the outside world from somewhere that wasn't just a barred window.

And from what he could see now , it seemed incredibly vast. He didn't know how long they had been walking , the last time he checked their surroundings , they had just got to the place where the greenery had started to transform into heavy buildings , oh and not to mention he could see now there were a lot more men in the uniform that lined the entrance gates and walls of the capital.

Men who he would see here and there even from his own chamber , different to the ones whom he would know to visit his mother , though that being said he had seen a few men in uniform also being amongst the horde in some visits. But not as much as the other men who were more frequent and less strong looking as these men he could see now and saw from time to time.

He didn't know what they exactly did , other than the fact that they walked a lot to places , and their faces looked rather unfriendly or emotionless. Something that made him recognise them was the fact they dressed a lot more different compared to other people that he would come across.

Long coats with many buttons , layers of clothing , big trousers that were tucked into chunky footwear , long dark gloves ,and there would be something usually hanging to the side of their waist or such which looked convenient for access, Not all of these sort of men wore the exact same thing , some wore hats on their heads , some more buttons and shiny things on them than the rest , some wore more dreary tones whilst others more lighter but just as plain , but they all held one thing in common.

They looked very important.

And they all had this same image imprinted somewhere on their clothes which he recognised instantly.

He could even tell that with how even other people seemed to be on edge around them as they would make brief eye contact with those sort of men , who in return would give an awkward turn of their lips or sometimes not even that.

He remembered one of them once looked him dead in the eye when he had been in the midst looking outside his window , one minute enjoying the scenic and peaceful view in front of him and then the next , shadowed by a chilling presence as a tall man in uniform with exceedingly dark hair , pale skin and sharp greyish green eyes loomed in front and took focus for what seemed like a never ending moment.

Though he had witnessed the same man and many others alike having walked around the area without stopping , that specific instance scared him as he didn't expect someone to come so close to him , practically meters away from the window , and turning to stare at him.

What he couldn't forget was the hardening gaze that consisted through those few moments of eye contact held with the strange man. If he had to liken it to anyone , it was similar to how Mika or any other stone-faced lady would look at him , but with this man he didn't feel just coldness , but something else…

And his gaze had lingered for quite some time , as if taking a good look at him from the other side. Stony eyes that sought to absorb every detail present ; from the azure locks that covered his head , to the small features that made his face , to the wide brown eyes he possessed and had turned still from the encounter.

All the while the man's face seemed to turn even more stone-like as his eyes glared with something burning inside before he finally took a good look at the right side of his face. Looking at the dark marking with something seething underneath before he finally made his way off , breaking their eye contact and leaving the boy bewildered by what just happened.

Sure nothing concerning happened to him and it didn't really ever occur again after that , but it was surely a weird experience. But given the other men he saw were similar in mannerisms to that man now and how they stared at people in such an unsettling manner , he thought maybe that was something they did generally and he shouldn't have thought it to be personal or anything.

"Walk faster."

Mika's voice sounded against his ears , gruff like usual as he was broken out of his thoughts and put his sights forth on the stalls that the both of them were arriving at. Picking up the pace with his small feet , he kept his body compact and tried to follow the dark haired woman as she pulled him tighter through the lead she had at hand , his features wincing a bit as the pain bit into his wrists but he remembered not to make a fuss as it was one of the conditions needing to be met.

As he tried to keep up with her , he heard the sound of excitement and energy coming to a strange subdue. Not a complete stop , but it wasn't as loud nor unconstrained as before. Rather it had turned rather quiet and he could feel the once ignorant and carefree atmosphere having it's attention turned elsewhere.

"Come on!"

Her voice demanded as she tugged harder , effectively yanking him to close the distance before she came to stop at one of the stalls that were situated at the entrance of town. From what he could see it was one of the stalls where they sold produce and food from , food that ranged from things like fruits and vegetables , even beverages to other things he didn't really know as of yet.

Abiding to instruction , Jellal kept his hands close to himself , his nimble fingers rubbing over the sores on his wrist and joined Mika in accompanying her errands. Though there wasn't really much to do given she ordered him not to get involved , so he entertained himself through observing the new environment he was in and following her when told as she was soon to start collecting items for purchase.

His head gently lifted to survey his surroundings as he took note of the different things that he was not used to seeing .

And that was a lot of things.

For starters the clothing that a lot of people wore seemed to look a lot nicer compared to what he was used to wearing , what he had seen his mother wear and even he'd say the stone faced ladies. They were more colourful and radiant , they had a lot more going on them and overall were a lot more pleasing to look at and more intact compared to what he'd usually see.

And there were a lot of things around in the streets of Taïr that were nowhere to be seen from his limited view normally. And new things kept emerging every time he visited. Such as the number of intricate and developed buildings that lined the pavements , the lights which made up for the obstructed view of the sky and burned brightly as the skies turned darker , winding streets that he couldn't help but wonder what destination they would lead to as they trailed further than the eye could see , and most most notably.

The statues.

Impressive structures that he could see fitted around even around the market square , carved of marble and towering over heights yet the majority of them weren't as looming as the buildings which overshadowed all of them.

The only one really of the greatest magnitude was the one in the middle of the town , so great in size he could view a generous amount of it from even the restricted view he had.

The statue of whom the people called Seren.

An incredulously tall , exceedingly beautiful woman looking figure who was visibly very voluminous. Her body draped with clothes that barely concealed her feminine beauty as her long hair flowed behind in carved curls whilst her hands had been depicted almost to resemble a balancing scale , one hand possessing what seemed to hold the sun whilst the other hand held a floating crescent moon.

From what he knew from both the sayings of the people and the book he read , Seren was said to be one of the deities that were worshipped greatly in Almeta. Not just that , but the one who was undoubtedly revered the most.

The goddess who bestowed protection and serenity on the people , that's what he had heard. Her presence has been said to live in the hearts of those who revered her and she promised nothing but peace and bliss to those she took under her protection.

That being the people of the land.

Though…he couldn't really speak for himself regarding the presence of Seren as he was yet to feel it or even believe in it , from the acts of devotion he saw people enjoin in to please the pronounced goddess , he imagined that there must have been some weight in her promises.

From the prayers he would hear being sung for Seren's pleasure , to the books that he would hear the stone faced ladies read which would make mention of Seren's name continuously (a book he also possessed but was far too difficult for him to start reading but he had been told to start looking more at) , to the travels people would make that he heard just to bask in Seren's blessings on given nights when it was said for her fortune to be spread throughout the land.

Even now in the midst of commotion , he could hear people venerating Seren , their hands clasped in prayer and eyes closed with utmost focus as their lips movement softly , speaking inaudible words against themselves before falling at the feet of the mountainous statue before they would present alms to the said goddess.

And there was never a cease of this , no matter what time he would visit the town , there would always be people who were engaged in reverence of Seren.

In fact he could even vaguely remember his mother being one of the devout worshippers of Seren , someone who called to her through days and nights on end and would give her own songs of praise to the deity despite the fact he could remember her being incredibly tearful and distraught when doing so.

Even more than the people calling out to Seren now.

That made him wonder though…

If Seren was truly such a kind and benevolent being , why didn't she listen to his mother's prayers and calls? She wasn't a bad person from what he could remember , well not until she had changed in the recent couple of years. Did Seren not like her maybe? Was his mother not a good follower of Seren and that's why she let her suffer like this?

Was Seren jealous of his mother?

Did she not care about his mother?

And if she did not…

Why was that?

Was that because of 'The Devil' too?

And what about the other gods who were said to be revered alongside?

Alzïr , Ursa , Itri , Zerith…

Did none of them like his mother either?

Did none of them hear her prayers and cries of desperation?

Why were such beings revered when they let his mother suffer the way she was?

And what about him?

Before he could go further down that train of thought , he felt his a pressure on his wrists being tugged yet again , his attention turning from viewing the statue of Seren to now the dark eyed woman who was staring down at him , hands filled with a number of bags , all that looked rather weighty as he realised that the visitation was coming to an end.

"We're leaving now."

Mika announced , taking his attention from his previously rambling thoughts entirely as she walked ahead and pulled him along once again. He could feel a great deal of looks shooting his way as the both of them slowly made their way back out of the town's stony walls and eventually introduced back to the vast plains of greenery and nature that replaced the stony structures which had been cornering his sight previously.

The sky had now taken a tone of cool violet mixed with warmer hues , the stars beginning to prick out through the blanket of approaching darkness , a breeze brushing down his skin as he felt his body wanting to huddle closer into itself to keep out the cold.

With his head lifting to see the stars , the front of his hood had slipped back slightly , allowing his bangs to peak through more and making his sight less obstructed as his eyes widened with immediate awe from the grandiose sight that unfolded before him.

With where he was now , he could see the beauty of the settling night sky in more of it's entirety. And he couldn't help but marvel at how truly radiant the sight was with how free and majestic the heavenly bodies truly were.

It must have been nice to be a star or the moon , shining so brightly , having the world in astonishment from the sheer beauty and magnificence they radiated , being so high and free and allowed to see everything and anything without anything constraining them…

He didn't know why exactly he had such an affinity for such things , from the longest time he knew he just always would be interested and entranced by the cosmics but given the train of thought he had been having now , maybe that was one of the reasons why he had grown such a connection to them?

Because they reminded him of what he wanted.

They reminded him of what he wanted to be.

Instead of locked up in a room with nothing to keep him company other than a few things , and having the world going and scorning him , he wanted to be marvelled and revered and be surrounded with as much companionship that the stars had themselves.

And not just that ,

But he wanted to be seen with the same awe that he looked at those same stars and other heavenly bodies he loved to view and admire.

And most importantly.

He wanted to be free.

But that wasn't going to happen for some time unfortunately , no matter how much he hated that thought , he was aware how far off from reality that dream really was.

Especially given the small change of routine he had today would come to an end by the time he'd be back to the house , and then he'd be once again back to staring at blank walls and waiting for hours to go by trying to entertain himself whilst doing his best not to give a reason for the stone faced ladies to come and be angry or upset with him.

A sigh left his lips as he could feel his feet were starting to hurt a decent bit , probably from walking such a distance after a long time. It felt like there were some things sticking into his feet , making the skin sting a little to which was a decent bit uncomfortable , but since they were approaching back home , he would deal with the issue then on his own rather than breaking the condition of making a fuss.

After an unmeasured number of minutes had passed , between frequent star-gazing and trying to deal with the growing pains on the soles of his feet and wrists , they finally came to a stop as he found himself at the front of the small house he knew as his own , nothing impressive about the way it looked at all.

Especially in comparison to the buildings he had seen in Taïr not too long ago.

Their house was something rather small looking , and not just that but short too. Made of a dull stone which didn't look comforting nor homely like the buildings of Taïr , and also it just looked rather deprived of life in general. It looked so out of place for where it was located if he had to be frank. It was honestly surprising to anyone living here , but that was the home of him and his mother.

The home which many came and gone from with no end , whether that be the stone faced ladies…

Or those who were in the midst of leaving now.

Coming to the entrance of his house , he could feel his sense being attacked by that disgusting smell of foul potency again. His features turned on themselves as he noted that this time the men had come a lot earlier than usual , it still hadn't turned into a complete nightfall yet they had made their visit.

Which made him wonder…

Was this the reason why Mika asked him to accompany her today?

Swallowing thickly , he could feel his head spin as he heard a cacophony of unorganised movement coming to light as he watched from the doorway a bunch of men stumbling out of the room from his mother's quarters. Bile threatened to come up his throat from the surfacing intensity of the weird smell , but he kept himself composed as he hid behind the long skirt of his current companion , desiring to hide away from the leering gazes of such weird creatures.

Mika had also stopped in her tracks from the looks of it , her cold sight being trained on the men that were barely making their way out of the house , her fingers tightening on the leather leashed , pulling tighter onto his small wrists and causing him to wince as the men made their course out of the building slowly but surely.

Though as he was in the midst of watching the disheveled men leaving the confines of his home from behind the figure of the stone-faced lady , the sight of his being caught the attention of the horrid drunkards that shot him a contemptible glare.

Their eyes looked down from the slightly concealed face of the azure haired boy to the bounds that held him , causing the child to freeze up from the sudden attention as he heard the next distasteful words.

"He looks like a fucking dog…"

Those words were spat with no remorse , a harsh laugh accompanying not long after as Jellal couldn't help but feel incredibly uncomfortable from the tone of the man's voice and simply stared down at his reddened feet , just hoping that they would leave already.

"As he ought to…"

"Disgusting son of a bitch..."

The last words lingered in the air unnervingly , making his heart beat painfully from the spite he heard used to convey them. Jellal just kept his eyes downcast , his ears pricking up from the sound of the men finally leaving from the premises and away from where they were standing.

The breath he hadn't realised that was being held slowly breathed out as he felt Mika move once again , tugging him in with her before placing the bags that she had been holding on the floor and turning her attention to him to unfasten the leather that had rubbed away at his skin.

A sigh of relief left his lips as the immediate relief pierced through from the raw skin that had been unsubdued , however before he could bask in the moment the sound of weeping that was quickly evolving into something increasingly heart-breaking hit him.

His heart depressed as he couldn't help but feel incredibly saddened from those distressing cries. One night after another , they would only continue to erupt , only continue to seek relief and help in desperation. Only wanting nothing more than peace yet that was never given.

Only pain was allowed.

Only suffering is permitted.

Only sadness to be granted.

Why?

Was she not included in the promise made?

She was no devil was she?

She was not his father.

And neither was he.

Yet then why was she treated as such?

Why were they treated as such?

As he felt the hooded cloak being removed from the top of his head by the dark haired woman's cold fingers , he couldn't think back to the thought that had been bothering him not too long ago from their time in the marketplace after he had seen the statues again and their devotees and that had been brought forth from the current unfortunate events.

That being…

If they were so kind and merciful...

Why did the gods allow this…

If she helped those in need and promised safety and peace to those who called out to her...

Then why did…

…Seren allow this?

Author's Note:

Hi guys! I just wanted to tell you , that the first few chapters of the story are used to set the scenes and themes so it'll really tie into the grit and essence of the story I want to convey when it gets to it. I do apologise if the first few chapters of the story isn't as interesting as what is to come (especially because I need to write it from a limited kind of understanding due to how young Jellal is as of now) , but trust me it all has great significance for later plot and how it will all tie in so please do bear with me!

Thank you once again for taking the time to read this story , I am looking forward to craft the robust narrative I have in mind , and don't worry , I am still working on TBOS alongside (I just needed a bit of a break from how intense it got , but don't worry I will be right back to it)!

Have a great day / night and please stay safe! :D