A strained sigh left the young boy as he sat with his knees huddled on the hill he had been so used to spending his time upon before everything went south. His gauze wrapped hands tugged at the cloak around him that was there just to preserve warmth and nothing more as he felt a biting gust of wind blow against his shorter but still unkempt locks.
He was allowed again to get out of the house like he had once been before. Not due to earning back trust from his heinous actions or showing the reformation that was desired…But simply because the harsh fact was stated , that they were getting sick of the look of him and listening to his endless sulking from nearby.
Sick of witnessing the atrocious problem he was and that's why even if it wasn't in anyone's best interest , they let him out again.
Something he once wanted so dearly , but the action was nothing but cruel to him as he was forced again to go into that nightmarish plain waiting to hurt him , that once posed itself as world of opportunity and fulfilment in his eyes first , just for him to see that it was the furthest thing from it.
And he still didn't know why.
Of course though…Even if he was allowed the privilege of being out for reasons other than visiting those accursed grounds , the limits applied like before (or really even more harsh) and he wasn't allowed to go anywhere from the line of sight from where the ladies were.
Not that he would anyway.
He didn't even wish to really be out , but overtime the darkness , sorrow and just everything surrounding him in general had got to such an intensity that it genuinely felt suffocating. To the point that his chest would actually hurt , his head would spin , his throat would feel tight and his lungs would feel incapable as his stomach would start to churn not from being sick or malnourished anymore.
But being overwhelmed.
So the fact that he had been allowed to have a change in scenery from the depressing and dreary walls he had spent so long being caged in , some part of his mind did find the shift in atmosphere around him enjoyable.
Though…As his weary dark orbs looked over the view in front of him , witnessing the ever changing life of the world and how the colours around him had once again transformed from the greenery he had been tranced by to faded mixed hues that were falling…
The other part of his mind found this just another mockery upon him.
Having barely said a word to the outside world , he sat in silence , doing nothing but listening to the animation of the life around him as the height of autumn was enjoyed. His heart was beating steadily yet there was an edge to it now , because of the ever rooted fear inside him now that was just dreading when it would all develop for the worst again.
Not saying that he knew exactly for a fact that would happen.
But with all that he had gone through and all he had been made to think , his heart wasn't going to fall into a fool's trap again and believe that the paranoia in his mind was nothing but empty thoughts. It all held reasoning. It all held weight.
But how he wished that hadn't had to be the case.
His hazy bronze orbs looked up from the patch of grass that he was mindlessly staring at for so long whilst being drowned in his own dismal thoughts. Fingers curled in tighter to the thick cloaking material around himself as he huddled into his body deeper whilst his ever active mind started to go elsewhere with it's incessant sentiments.
Making him think back to the first time he actually sat down on this very hill , how the sky had been gleaming with vibrancy and hope , and he watched it in all it's measure. Thinking back to how his heart felt so alleviated from watching the life and colour around him , as it gave him hope in a way that his own life would start to become as animated and fruitful like that which was around him.
Become colourful.
Like the colours he had always been admiring. Like the colours he had always been mesmerised by. And finally add more to what he had known other than just dull and dark tones. Because everything was finally going to change for him.
A lone tear dripped down his still puffy and reddened skin underneath , though not as plentiful as the thick tears he had been shedding for a while now , but he still felt the sting of it in all it's entirety.
Another thought spurned further misery into him as he recalled the significance of this hill he was on now and what other meanings it held for him. Such as the fact that it was the very place where he had met his first ever companion.
Weight deepened his dimmed gaze as he turned his head and looked over at the hedge where his furry feline friend had been captive and he had come to rescue her. The memory brought a slither of a broken smile to his face as he reminisced about the small tabby , how she had been so frightened of him and how he took care of her , and how they grew so close and spent so much time with each other.
Just for him to leave her alone.
Again and again.
And now she left him alone.
Entirely.
No more visits to him in the night , not from her or her cat friends. Though with him being so unresponsive to her calls , he couldn't blame her for finally going. As he did tell himself he didn't wish to burden her with the wretched company he would give.
But…
Now he was seeing those words come to light. He felt so alone. He felt so abandoned , and some part of him was wishing to go back on his wishes and hope Hazel would come back to him and they would spend time again as she seemed like the only comfort he had now.
However with that selfish thought , came guilt that washed over him like a torrent. Guilt and feeling utterly pathetic. Because one minute he was saying he wanted her not to do anything with him , but because of his own inconveniences…Some part of him wanted to go against that and be selfish for nothing other than his own need.
Despite the fact he had abandoned her so many times before.
Despite the fact that he shouldn't have been one to be complaining about this.
As he practically asked for this.
Yet then why…
He felt pain seize his heart again as he couldn't deny how affected he was by the cat's absence. By the fact that she must have abandoned him. Like everything else. Everyone else. Even if it was out of his own wishes. Even if it was out of the fact he didn't want her to be burdened by him.
He felt so alone.
So alone.
And so pathetic.
His teeth grit inside his mouth as another wave of heaviness came over him from those subsequent thoughts. More burning dripped down his face as his mind was trapped back into that rotation of self loathing that he barely caught a break from. This time focusing on how many things he was feeling and that he hated feeling like.
Flaws that he was feeling.
The fact he was feeling so alone.
So pathetic.
So weak.
So desperate.
So hopele-
"Look who's back out again…"
Jellal's body and mind came to a halt as his ears registered a low sneer travelling in the air from nearby and soon a bunch of footsteps were approaching in his direction. Immediately a tremble rooted in his entire being as the voice that spoke to him was one he instantly recognised just from the bare words that were said to him.
And he hated the fact that he did.
The following kids whom were behind their oh so conniving and confident leader started to surround the young bluenet , who had literally turned to stone from the honey eyed boy's returning presence which caused a sadistic glee to roil inside him as he used his feet to kick down the child into the grass underneath.
"Wasn't it clear how no one wanted to see your ugly face again?"
It felt hard to breathe again as he could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest with cruelty he had been expecting to appear sometime or later. So caught off guard by the sudden appearance of these faces that haunted him , his mind didn't even register the fact he had been hit until he saw that the view he had been staring at was now facing upwards at the sky and he was being towered over and surrounded by all sides.
"He didn't even have the decency to hide that disgusting face of his this time."
Lars scoffed as he himself gave a little kick towards the boy's appendages . To which all he got from the young bluenet was rasps of fear as he tried to aimlessly scramble back with the bare strength he could muster. A laugh broke out from the light haired boy as his derisive gaze pinned down on the tattooed child along with everyone else's.
"I know…"
"I'm starting to think he likes being bullied."
Marik remarked with a pleased smirk as he took the initiative to close in on Jellal , watching how the boy could scarcely move due to being paralysed by growing fear. A cackle sounded from the older boy's lips as he kicked again at his quivering legs , putting a small stop in his actions to move back before he resumed again out of desperation.
His patheticness brought another bout of laughter out from the majority of the kids around.
"Considering what a freak he is…"
Zekiel trailed off as he got the ammunition of rocks that had been collected beforehand ready in his palm before shooting the first fire at the young boy's body , prompting others with their ordered shots as he finished his comment alongside the eruption of pain that was being forced out of the azure haired boy as he fell victim to a stony wrath.
"It wouldn't be surprising if he was a masochist alongside that."
All Jellal could do was watch with sheer horror as he felt small rocks from all directions being pelted his way. Barely possessing the strength to shield himself from the volley , his quivering hands held up against his face and his body tried to tuck into itself.
"How disgusting."
Trying to cover his limbs from the attack that he could do nothing to save himself from , his body literally turning numb as his mind was the one that bore the brunt of the attack.
"He's so weird."
As the words and insults that were thrown at him extracted a deeper pain than any stone thrown at him could have.
"Repulsive shit."
And as a result he could feel himself starting to cry again. With his shaggy and roughed up azure bangs just barely covering his face as his body wracked violently and visibly from the torment he was put through.
From which he heard that his evident pain and sorrow simply erupted further laughter from his bullies , who in turn threw their ammunition at him more brutally , hitting parts of his healing limbs , his head and even what he failed to cover of his face.
His healing body once again put under the brunt of cruelty , feeling old wounds starting to unravel and bring forth the subdued pain which had him wracked in agony even more , and all he could think of at that moment.
"Fucking scum."
Was not the fact that he wanted them to stop.
"Degenerate."
But the same question which had been bothering him endlessly now.
"Abnormal devil."
Since the day the cruelty began.
Since the day they revealed their true colours.
"...W…Why?"
Jellal choked the question out of his burning throat as he couldn't take being left in the dark anymore like this. He swallowed his tears as silence took over and he used it as the chance to pose the question yet again to his tormentors.
"W..Why?"
The question he had been asking himself all this time to no avail. The question he asked the world but it gave him no understandable answer. The question he asked him when he showed his true face and intent and then blatantly ignored him.
And just like before , his words were not heeded and the kids continued to throw the stones at him , even going and picking up the ones that ricocheted and throwing them again his way.
But that wasn't going to work to silence him this time around.
With his fingers curling into his palms to quell his trembling , he tried to find the strength in him to ask again , not caring about if he got hit in the process or if they tried to ignore him as he wanted-
No.
He NEEDED to know.
"W-Why?"
Jellal rasped out again , this time the word coming out louder and not as hesitant as before. He felt a cease in fire as glares commenced to pin him down and intensify with each thing that came out of him.
"Are you trying to complain dev-"
Marik scoffed , getting ready to aim another rock at the boy , this time possibly a vital spot or somewhere that would cause pain quicker since it seemed the little spawn was a lot more resistant to breaking and bleeding than he assumed.
Though as he was about to , he stopped in his tracks as he was met by tear burned bronze orbs that looked up at him directly and was nothing but distraught.
"W-Why d-do y-you h-hate m-me s-so m-much?"
The bluenet cried with no hesitation , feeling his overwhelming anguish trying to hold him back as he could hear his words and ability to articulate himself becoming drowned by his growing sobs.
"I-I…t-thought of y-you all s-so well…"
"I…I t-thought you w-were actually m-my friends…"
"I-I t-thought y-you a-actually w-wanted g-good..."
His tears fell harder as his throat weighted thicker as he took a glance at all the children surrounding him , pained by the memory of the fact that once he genuinely did trust them and thought so highly of their intentions.
And thought he was accepted by them.
"B-But y-you all d-did that t-to me…"
"Y-You l-lied t-to me…"
"Y-You h-hurt m-me…"
"S-So m-much…"
He bit his bottom lip in an attempt to stifle the raw burn of his grief before he swallowed again and carried on. Still in disbelief even now that they plotted against him to such an extent and under such pretences.
Unable to fathom what sort of reason could possibly spurn anyone to do this to him. Someone who genuinely did not do any harm to anything or anyone. And nor did he wish to. Yet they deceived him and humiliated him and his heart , mind and soul so brutally.
So he asked again.
"W-Why?"
Because he deserved to know.
Determined to get an answer for the questions he had been left ruminating about in the dark for so long.
"W-Why did…y-you t-treat me…l-like t-this?"
And he wasn't going to stop asking until he got it.
"W-What d-did I-I d-do…"
"…T-to b-be t-treated l-like t-this?"
He asked with full sincerity even if he was nothing short of pathetic in their eyes. Yet his avid attempts to be listened to only ended with another volley of rocks pelted at him again , this time hitting harder than before as blood started to seep from his cheek and underneath bits of his clothing where the limbs were more impacted.
"Are we supposed to feel sorry for you or something?"
Asta remarked with disgust as he threw a stone at one of the hands that were barely shielding Jellal's face. Red started to leak through with his tears streaming down as he heard another distasteful comment spat at him from the younger sister.
"We don't need to answer you devil."
Who also threw another rock his way , grazing his forehead and breaking out more blood from the top of his eyebrow. Crimson started to obscure his vision as the hits were increasing in severity , even feeling a kick or two thrown his way , yet that didn't stop him from asking them more.
And this time what he questioned about had them stunned.
"W-Why…."
"...A-Am I-I a d-devil?"
The words just barely left him , almost crumpling on themselves as he spoke yet all of them heard it loud and clear. And they seemed to have become dumbfounded for a bit by the one who was asking this as it should have been common knowledge to anyone who saw him that he was abnormal.
Including himself.
"Haven't you seen what's on your face?"
"Don't you realise yet that no one normal has that?"
Marik sneered as he glared at the ominous tattoo which contrasted sharply on the boy's pale skin. His eyes burned with each second he took in the details of that disgusting abnormality , so much so that he wished to direct the next stone he would throw at that spot specifically.
"Are you that fucking dumb or something?"
With that he shot the next rock towards the young child's face , only just about scraping the right side of his face as his hands seemed to cover the target area before full impact.
"T-This…t-thing?"
The azure haired boy rasped as one hand went to touch the designated mark on the side of his face. His thoughts raced as he recalled all the different connotations he had heard about this tattoo he bore , and he recalled about the way that his mother reacted to him asking about it.
Was this why she didn't say anything about it to him?
"T…This m-means…I-I'm…"
Was this why she couldn't say anything about it to him?
"...A devil….?"
He asked in the midst of unpassing shock , still struggling to process what was being said to him.
"T…That's w-what t-this m-means…?"
His gaze morphed into something distant as his fingertips traced around the middle of his facial mark , feeling horrifically self conscious out of nowhere as his first reaction to hearing this cruel truth made him want to hide that side of his face , but he couldn't bring himself to do that with the harshness came forth and made him frozen on the spot.
"No one ever told you that?"
Marik exclaimed with genuine disbelief , honestly surprised that this was the first time for the abomination to be told the sorry truth about himself and his wretched kind.
"Gods , no wonder you don't know to cover that ugly face of yours…"
The ebony haired boy spat with venom as he got another throw ready again , but just as he was about to shoot his aim at the face of the bluenet , another round of questions came from the said devil which started to irk him.
"B-But…"
"W-Why d-do I-I have it…?"
Jellal asked with growing confusion as this reasoning did nothing but bewilder him further. As from what he knew , devils were incredibly evil and atrocious beings , responsible for great sins that upset both the people and the gods. Things that his father had been accountable for. Things that his mother had become accountable for due to what she did with his father.
But in the same breath ,
"T-That d-doesn't a-answer a-anything…"
Nothing that he could be held culpable for either.
"W-Why a-am I a d-devil?"
The azure haired Fernandes posed again , this time his voice stabilising from being wrung with waves of sorrow and now frustration was beginning to root as he sounded the injustices he had witnessed to the world.
"I…I-I've done n-nothing to hurt anyone…"
"I…I n-never w-wanted t-to e-either…"
"D-Devils h-hurt people…d-devils do bad t-things…"
"R-Really b-bad t-things..."
"D-Devils are c-cruel beings…"
"B-But…"
"I-I'm n-nothing l-like t-that…"
"I-I've a-always t-tried t-to b-be a-a g-good b-boy..."
As Jellal relayed the fragments of his broken heart to his bullies , uncaring of how pitiful he must have seemed , his body shook as his body was wracked violently through his growing sobs and chokes.
"I-I've a-always t-tried t-to b-be k-kind…"
"I-I've a-always t-tried t-to l-listen…"
"I-I n-never w-wanted p-problems w-with a-anyone…"
Recalling every injustice and cruelty done to him in front of them was weighing down on his heart like nothing he could contrive , it felt like each word he gasped out was killing him inside , killing him as he processed that unfair truth once more than he already had.
"S-So t-then…"
"...W-Why?"
However as he was in the midst of breaking down , his emotions did nothing but elicit irritation in the surrounding children's steel-like gaze. Marik especially , who couldn't bear to watch the blue haired brat's pity party any longer.
And he made it apparent how annoyed his behaviour was making all of them.
"You think that lying will make you look better in our eyes, you devil blood?"
Marik scoffed before chucking another stone at the bluenet's way , watching him come to a still as blood seeped down from the side of his face , collecting gradually , yet that pain didn't seem to be the one on the mind of the young child as he turned to spurn another question on them.
"W…Why d-do you t-think…"
"….I-I'm l-lying?"
He asked in all earnesty , unable to fathom why they would think he would fib about his feelings when they were seeing him in such a wreck of a state. He swallowed again thickly , irritation growing in him from that claim but unable to show due to all that was going on in him at the moment.
Though his glazed up puffy bronze orbs stilled on the older boy who was his tormentor , the only answer he heard in response was a meek voice from within the crowd that immediately Jellal recognised.
"B-Because d-devils a-are l-liars!"
"T-They aren't g-good!"
"T-They can n-never be g-good!"
His sight turned to the owner of the voice , initially stunned for a bit that the normally quiet boy in this group was finally speaking up , and out of all things it had to be about this.
"A-All t-they c-care about is t-themselves!"
Kaden blurted out with a matching frail voice of the bluenet yet he was growing with sharpness as he recalled that which had been burned into him due to his own mistake.
"A-All they w-want to d-do is h-hurt people!"
He screeched with his intensifying conviction as his hands balled up into small fists for his own support , clenching against the rocks he held before he looked at the bluenet's watery gaze with a burning visage of his own.
"A-All t-they do is d-deceive and c-cause p-problems!"
With that the murky eyed child ended his piece , leaving the tattooed child speechless for a few moments before he recovered from the initial shock as he realised that all these claims and information being said still did not relate to anything about him as a person.
"B-But…"
"…I-I'm n-nothing l-like t-that?"
His features crumpled with more confusion as the distant and broken look in his eyes morphed with further puzzlement as he looked at the charcoal haired child alone and rasped the next words to him.
"W-Who t-told y-you t-this?"
The question was generally posed for all of them as they all seemed to hold the same view on him , but his focus singled out on Kaden , genuinely staggered by the boy's change in behaviour and wanting to know why all of a sudden he was saying things like that after he'd been so mum about it all.
After he had been the one who tried to warn him.
Though as his attention on the young boy solidified and started to intimate the child into looking down , the voice of the leader erupted once again in his ears as he took precedence in the matter.
And what he said made Jellal even more dumb founded.
"The gods deem you as a devil so you are one."
"There's no arguing with that."
"They know what your kind is capable of better than anyone."
"That's why they want you to suffer."
Marik said with finality , hoping that would be enough to shut the brat up as he was getting sick and tired of his questioning. Unfortunately for him though , the reaction brought forth was not one of conclusion as the bluenet's features scrunched on themselves from hearing this.
"T-The….g-gods?"
What was he being told?
"T-They…"
"T-They w-want m-me t-to s-suffer…?"
The gods were the ones behind him being marked as a devil? Why?! He came to them for help and for his prayers to be accepted. He thought of them well and believed that through them his life would be changed for the better. He thought that they would be there for him like the promise they made to the people said they would.
"T-That c-can't b-be!"
Then why was he being told that they were behind his state as of now? Weren't they the ones who were answering his prayers then? Was he really just being fooled all this time?
"I-I n-never d-did a-anything!"
"N-Neither t-to t-them o-or a-anyone!"
"T-They s-should k-know t-that!"
Why would they do that to him when he did nothing to anger them? When he acted so that he could earn their favour?
Why would they do that to him?!
Why would they deem him as something he never wanted to be?!
Why would they deem him as something he hated?!
"That's what you are to them regardless of what you thin-"
"T-They're w-wrong!"
Jellal spat out fiercely , completely cutting off the older boy's words in desperation. Overcome by a sudden intensity of ire from this realisation as his brain was slowly starting to understand the dismal truth against him and what odds were truly working against him too.
Gritting his teeth as his nails started to dig into his palms , he could feel himself shaking as he felt so betrayed again and now on a different scale , but this time he wasn't going to be quiet about it.
He just couldn't.
"W-What sin have I-I committed to b-be treated l-like this?!"
His voice rumbled as the shaking of his tone embodied the surfacing storm inside him as the injustice against him was being processed slowly.
"W-What c-crime have I-I done to be c-called a d-devil?"
He questioned lowly , not even knowing whom he was speaking to , whether the children in front of him or the gods themselves who had apparently condemned him to this life as he could feel the tightness in his chest increasing with each surge of frustration coming forth.
"W-What g-great e-evil have I-I done to h-have this p-put on m-me?!"
The question sounded louder than anything before it as he looked up with broken anger swirling in his reddened bronze gaze , looking for an answer in any who could tell him as he seriously could not fathom what he could have done to have such cruelty against him justified.
"I-Is i-it j-just b-because of h-how I-I l-look?!"
He asked bitterly as the first thing that came to the depths of his mind was how much contempt there was against his face and being in general.
"B-Because…I-I l-look l-like t-the d-devil?"
Something he knew was directly related to the devil that everyone despised , yet he couldn't do anything about it because it's not like he asked to look this way.
"I-Is t-that m-my s-sin?"
"I-Is t-that m-my c-crime?"
But then why would the gods deem him evil for something that he could have had no intention of?
Was that really a sin in their eyes?
Something they hated so much that they justified doing this to him as a result of it?
"T-That i-isn't f-fair!"
Jellal cried , uncaring of how disrespectful it would have been in the eyes of those 'all knowing' and 'powerful' gods , because now he had no reason to think of them well considering what they had been doing to him. They were allowing him to get hated and suffer just because of something he never could control. Or something he didn't even know if it could be changed.
"I-Isn't f-fair a-at a-all!"
How could they be so unjust to him?
Though as the azure haired Fernandes was in the midst of a vicious realisation , Marik's blood boiled from listening to the wretched child complain as he despised the fact that he was claiming such against their beloved gods when he was the spawn of such a heinous being who couldn't even be considered human.
And he was going to remind him that.
"Do you know what that bastard did?!"
The older boy roared as his body became stiff with anger of his own when he recalled the sheer atrocities of the man that this child descended from.
"How many people died because of him?"
"How much chaos was caused in our country only due to your scum of a dad?!"
"How much fear people was in?"
"Do you even know what he planned to do to all of us because of how sick and twisted he is?"
"What hell he was willing to put us all through for nothing other than his selfish gain?"
Marik's rage heightened with each point pressed , feeling his own veins surge with potent hatred for the bastard and everything he was and had because of how much he had taken from innocent and good people that wanted nothing but peace.
And the fucking devil wanted to take that away and destroy all of it.
The questions sounded in Jellal's ears as he could feel the genuine black fire that was burning inside of the older boy from mention of his father. There was certainly a deep hatred towards that man from him too , just like with everyone else , and honestly with all that he had heard about his genitor and the heinous sins he had committed , he was for the first time hearing about it in more detail than usual.
That being said though…Even with these points being taken into consideration , none of it answered the bluenet's queries and he wasn't going to be mum about that.
"B-But t-that w-was h-him…."
"I-I d-didn't d-do a-any o-of t-that..."
He trailed off , feeling his own blood flare from the sound of this man being brought up in the conversation , yet as that happened the grittiness in his voice also increased with incoming anger of his own.
"I-I'm a-asking y-you w-what I did…"
The boy rasped , practically getting sick of having to reiterate the same question over and over as he wasn't being given a plausible answer. And honestly with how much frustration , darkness and confusion he could feel amounting in himself , he really wanted nothing more than to have it all cleared with something meaningful and understanding.
"W-What's my c-crime…?"
And it was getting to the point he didn't have the strength to be patient about it anymore.
"W-WHAT D-DID I D-DO F-DOR Y-YOU T-TO H-HATE M-ME L-LIKE T-THIS?!"
"W-WHAT S-SIN D-DID I D-DO?!"
"N-NOT R-RAIS!"
"N-NOT M-MY F-FATHER!"
"B-BUT M-ME!"
"W-WHAT D-DID I D-DO?!"
He stressed firmly with each ragged breath he rasped out in his unexpected tantrum , making it more than obvious what sort of answer he was looking for , something that related to him alone for him to be justified to be deemed as a devil , something that he could have his treatment by the gods justified too.
Though as the heat of his frustration dissipated and his words were left to linger , all that was met with his rabid questions were looks of disgust and scoffs of disapproval as he was met with yet another unleashing of cruelty.
A choked gasp left the livid bluenet as he was kicked into a tree behind him , feeling his back collide with the hardwood , splinters impaling into his back as he was met with a dismal truth that was spoken to him lowly.
"The fact his blood runs through your veins makes you automatically a devil."
"You've got his blood so you're like him."
"Or probably going to be even worse."
Marik droned as he gave another kick to the boy's legs , honey eyes blazing with venom as he took the leisure of starting to throw another volley of the remaining rocks at him whilst he let the young child know the cruel reality he embodied.
"That's why we hate you."
He felt his body becoming victim to another throwing of stones , this time feeling blood break through more readily as skin bruised underneath and his clothing stuck to him uncomfortably.
"That's why everyone hates you."
Tears seeped down his face as his head hung forward with messy and slightly blood matted bangs , unable to look anywhere but the ground before him as the cruel truth he already knew was relayed to him over and over.
"That's why you're meant to be hated."
Though whilst that was happening and he felt the pelting of the rocks on his being , his mind remained frozen from hearing that one reason as his body lost all will to move and seemed to just allow the abuse to happen to him.
"Nothing but hated."
No matter how unjust it was.
"And cursed."
"Like the people want."
"Like the gods want."
He just let his bullies have their way.
As he didn't have the mind to defend himself anymore.
Not with all that breaking inside him.
He sobbed silently to himself as his frail fingers grabbed the grass around him , looking for some form of support yet then faltering not long after as the torment on his heart and soul was not finished at their hands.
"Disgusting devil blood."
"Why don't you go do the world a favour and go fall down a deep ditch or something."
"It would be a much better place without your kind ruining it."
With those harsh words came the end of the cruelty they unleashed on him. He listened to their footsteps receding away , pleased with what they had reduced him to as he simply sat slumped against the bark of the tree with all sorts of pain that were erupting and gushing from him.
But the one that burned in him the deepest was from the thought that rooted in him the most.
As he couldn't help but wonder to himself about those last words said,
Was that the truth?