The dark vigil

As the voiced raced past him, carried upon the shoulders of the wind, he felt his jaw clench as his heart froze. The context to the single word was not needed to understand it, one, if they cared enough, could read it as if it were a novel.

The pure agony spoke of the pain that the child held within, not allowing the world to view in fear of being condemned weak.

The sorrow that tore from his lips told anyone listening that he wished things had been different, that he never wanted this, that he was sorry for whatever it was people hated him for.

The fire that laced his voice warned of the anger and vengeance that burned deep within him that he now controlled but feared of its release as it would be as powerful as the hurt in his heart.

The whisper that carried the voice however spoke of not a presence but the true feelings of the child. The feelings that he so well hid in an attempt to be what he was expected to become. An attempt to mask what he felt that worked only too well.

Everyone believed this child to be invincible, indestructible and imperishable yet they failed to see the child behind the mask, the mask that was slowly controlling and destroying the old, becoming the new.

He'd seen the treatment inflicted upon the shield by all the others. The fear their eyes held as he past by, the hate that followed him as he trudged on seemingly uncaring and the respect for being strong, for standing up, for taking on the responsibility bestowed upon him. Everyone failed to allow their eyes to view the real child and that, not danger or vengeance, but the failure to look past what they wanted to see, would be the child's downfall.

However, he would not contribute to that, he refused to. He knew what happened when that last person who gave comfort and cared left, he knew how that effected and threatened the very foundations a person stands on. But after the last turns their back, you no longer remain a person, you become a creature that merely exists…a machine. And in his own personal instance, a killing instrument.