Author's note: Thank you all for the amazing reviews. I've also noticed there are some questions. The enchantress is going to be Hevlaska. I've also changed the rating from T to M and you'll see why later in the chapter So without further ado let's get into the story. Thank you Hanashi o suru ɷɷ
*Warnings: Mentions of child abuse and mentions of underage sexual abuse*
Hours had gone by since Tyki Mikk and Wisely Kamelot had left the sickly man to the elements, and his fever. Mana found himself wondering, more than once in that span of time, of what would do him in first. The illness that was left untreated, the elements of mother nature, or the wolves he could just barely make out in the distance. Mana was in far worse a state than he was in the dungeons he was previously held captive in.
He would be far from surprised to know how close to death he must've been. Everything was cold. Dull. He had no energy to try and get out of the bindings that held him.
"My sweet Allen…" He coughed here, as his eyelids grew heavy with his fatigue, "I'm sorry…I-I'm unable to s-save you this time…"
The guilt he felt was great, first he had lost his brother, and now Allen would be losing him? It was too much for him to bear, he didn't wish to die with such unfinished business…
The day he found Allen…he wasn't Allen, but 'Red'. The poor child, barely able to walk and speak at the time was introduced to such a cruel world. "…I can still…remember when I saved you from the abuse of that circus and that you lived on the streets from the age of two".
Flashback
"You! You, worthless peace of shit! I've only asked you to do one thing and that's to perform!" Shouted Cosmo while whipping an eight-year-old child mercilessly.
"I'm sorry master but I'm not a girl! Pleaded the too-small youngling. Silver eyes were crying relentlessly with each 'fwip-lash' of the whip
Red, for that was the name he'd given that ungrateful urchin, only pissed him off further with his whining. With each unholy lash against the orphan, came another cry of anguish. This went on for too long before someone finally cleared their throat, alerting the assailant of another person being there. "Link, take Red back to his cage."
The blonde-haired male, who was barely only four years older than the wounded younger meekly nodded, quickly hurrying to his only friend's side. "It's going to be okay," He whispered so only the crying boy could hear him.
"Put his chains on him, and don't bother with his clothes. He needs to get his dues after all." It didn't go over either of the boys the disgusting message Cosmo insinuated.
Link looks at the man in repugnance. Link wasn't exactly sure of Red's previous upbringings, but long before he was picked up by the circus, the child's left arm was already burnt to the point of barely able to move his limb. It didn't take an intellectual to know someone had forced the kid's then paralyzed into an open fire.
It didn't take any longer for Cosmo to leave his own mark on the little boy, and forced him to have a pentagram tattoo over his brow, and then a jagged scar soon followed in the weeks that came after. It was because of these situations where Red had been known as the devil's child.
"Come on Allen let's take you back to your cage." Link begrudgingly said. "Things can't stay like this forever…I-I'm sure of it…"
Link had never been so unsure of his own statement in his almost thirteen years of life.
) * (
Hours after a new hell was unleashed upon the unnamed child, Red found himself crying harder than he ever had in all his life.
What caused such a thing to have happened to him? Why him? He had never felt as disgusting as he did after what Cosmo did to him. Being treated like an animal was one thing…but on top of being locked up and chained in his cage, his body was now covered in semen and blood. Allen was silently crying and muttered "I-I'm a demon sp-spawn and I don't b-belong here…" Unknown to Red at the time, two brothers saw the abuse the poor child was going through.
No. Abuse was too light a word. The child was raped by a sick man with no morals. It made them sick, and they found themselves full of regret of being unable to stop anything.
"Mana, we have to save him. He's only but a child!" Neah said in that moment, voicing his concerns. Neah was actually a bit taller than his elder brother, and his black unruly hair wasn't something he could tame even if he tried. His eyes which were almost golden-brown were normally shining, though in that moment, they were dark, stormy, murderous for the man that did such a thing to an innocent child. His attire consisted of a button-down white shirt, a dark brown-gray vest with a tan pair a slacks tucked into a pair of winter boots for the season. He wore an overcoat open, though still
"Neah, while I do agree with you, there's the fact we don't know what we should do." Mana was quick to point out. Mana tipped his top hat, a habit he had picked up while he and his brother had been traveling. He was dressed, perhaps, a little too dapper for anything.
"We get him the hell out of here." The younger brother stated, as though it were the most obvious thing in the whole damn world. And Mana realized, with a quick look to the child who was still sobbing in the cage, that his little brother was correct in that plan.
"Let's." Mana agreed with determination. "But I will not be giving my hard-earn cash to someone like that."
"Kidnap him?"
"Let's call it a rescue." Mana corrected. "We're going to break him out, and he'll be our little boy."
"I'm fine with uncle." Neah offered.
"Then I'll be his father."
"You…you two are going to take Red away from this hell?" The men looked behind them, beore looking down, and seeing the blonde-haired boy from earlier. "Then let me help you! He's my friend, it's the lst I could ever do for him!"
Mana and Neah looked to each other, and then to the young teenager. They nodded. It was time Red lived a way that a child should.
End of flashback
That boy…he never did get his name…he wondered what ever happened to him…
"It's so cold now…" Mana muttered. It was very apparent that he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. It was very difficult, taking so much of his energy. He fell into unconsciousness, a tear falling from his eyes. "I'm sorry…Allen…"
A woman came across the unconscious man only a few minutes later. She was from the village, never quite as sociable to those around her, but on the other hand, not many were always aware of her being there, as she often preferred to observe more than anything. Mana Walker…Mana Campbell, really, was a man who deserved nothing of what he had just been through.
Tyki Mikk was truly the worst kind of man. Pulling out a hunting knife, from the pouch at her hip, the nameless woman sawed through the rope, freeing the man from his binds. "It is far too soon for you leave this world." She whispered, before finally getting the current deadweight's arm over her shoulder. "You still have much to live for." Using her free hand to brush her long silver hair out of her face, she slowly started to move Mana from his previous spot, heading towards and area of the forest she herself had often visited.
) * (
"That was delicious~" Allen preened, patting his stomach. "I feel like I could die happy after that meal!"
"We don't really cater well to someone who passes on." Komui chuckled. "You don't look in the least bit tired."
"Well, it's not every day I get to see an enchanted castle." Allen pointed out with a grin. "It's really amazing, and kinda like a book I read once."
"You read a lot?" Reever decided to query.
"Yes, a lot, actually!" The younger gleefully admitted, "It's one of the beset things ever!"
"We do have a library, if you're interested." Komui said with a smile. "I'm sure I can even lead you there if you wish."
"Can I get a tour while I'm here too?"
"I don't see why not…" Reever said. "The cleaning staff are already taking care of cleaning up, we can show you the way to the library."
"I can't wait~!" Allen found himself giddily saying. "What's the library like?"
"We'll leave it as a surprise." Komui decided, rather enjoying the pout the white-haired male had received.
Neah twitched his nose, looking to his nephew. Wasn't the library the same direction as the West Wing?
Shrugging it off, Neah quickly hopped after the trio, unwilling to be left behind.
) * (
"This castle was built hundreds of years ago," Komui began to explain as they entered a new hall. "There are some pretty fun secrets within these walls, I once came across a hidden passage that lead to the gardens when I was but a wee lad. Lenalee was barely able to walk back then, now I think of it."
"You really think fondly of your sister, Komui." Allen said with a smile. "Must be nice having a sibling…"
"Live around here awhile, you'll be glad to be an only child." Reever sighed. "Trust me, I would know." He pointedly looked at Komui, who chuckled, and shrugged.
"Ah! Here's a place you should know about." Komui said, pointing to a set of stairs. Allen drew his attention to where Komui pointed, and took note of the solemn look on the otherwise energetic candlestick holder.
"What's that?" Allen asked.
"The West Wing." Reever answered. "No one is allowed up there."
A spark of curiosity was visible in the twin orbs of silver, and it didn't go missed by the duo giving Allen the tour. "That wing is entirely forbidden, Allen." Komui sternly told the boy.
"What's up there to make it forbidden?"
Neah looked to the staircase, gulping. He knew Allen only too well. When the boy was curious, there was nothing that would stop him from satisfying it. A cute trait at some points, but in this case, it was dangerous. Neah nudged Allen's ankle. The boy picked up his furry companion, "Are you okay, Neah?"
"Come, Allen, we have much more to show you!" Komui quickly told the boy. "The library, it has far more books than you could ever dream of having!"
"Huh? For real?" The boy's interest was piqued once more, and in thinking they had Allen's full attention, started heading towards the library.
But their guest had stayed put, of course he would love to see the library…but the mysteries of the West Wing were far more alluring to him. "Just a peek wouldn't hurt, would it, Neah?"
The poor rabbit could already see his life flashing before his eyes.
) * (
The wing itself was so cold, that Allen could see his breath, and Neah's. Tapestries were tattered by the works of massive claws, was this all the Beast's doing? If so, then why would he destroy this portion of the castle? It wasn't much longer before Allen came across a set of doors. Knowing he would need both his hands in order to push the doors open, he placed Neah on the ground, and then began to push at the doors.
What was hidden within the West Wing was what Allen could only assume was a bedroom. A bed room in just as bad a state as the rest of the Wing it rested in. "What a mess…"
The Bearer knew that was understated, but there wasn't anything else that would come to his mind that would've also worked. The room had the largest bed he had ever seen in his whole life. Was this a king bed? It was even bigger than the bed he was meant to rest his head on in his…room? And even that was larger than what he was used to. The frame was ornate, perhaps once upon a time being shiny and glistening within the evening light. A lot of the furniture matched very well with the bed, despite their decrepit states.
Other than the occasional pop of something that briefly caught his eye, nothing was nessciarly worth his time. As his eyes trailed around the room, he soon found himself eying something truly out of the ordinary.
A rose.
Something that Allen had seen pleanty a time, and received many for it was what he always asked of his father to bring him. Such a thing shouldn't have been able to grasp his attention so easily, and yet, there it was, suspended in midair within a glass that protected it from the outside elements.
Despite the efforts of the glass, the rose was wilting, and some of the petals were already resting at the base of the glass encasement. One, two, three…perhaps six already fell from the flower's stem. The odd flora was mesmerizing. Leaving Allen with strange sence of sorrow he couldn't understand.
He wasn't entirely certain when he had gotten so close to the glass, nor was he aware he had done what he did. At least until his hand was about to touch one of the petals from the very enclosure he had removed without him being aware of it.
His entrancement was broken suddenly when an angered voice of the Beast himself rang out just behind him. "What in the hell are you doing here?!"
Gasping in surprise, Allen retracted his hand just as the glass was replaced over the flower. None too gently with the loud thwank against the wooden surface. The young male ducked down, and got away from where two large arms covered in fur and muscle had temporarily trapped him.
"I-I was looking around and found this room," Allen stammered, truly fearful for the first time in a long while. "I-I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean t-to—"
"You could've destroyed it, dammit!" The Beast growled, cobalt eyes cold, glaring. He could see the fear in the human's eyes. "Get out."
"I-I swear, I didn't mean any—"
Unwilling to hear any pathetic excuses, the Beast roared with anger one final time. "GET OUT!"
Allen ran out of the room, quickly grabbing Neah in his hurry. He couldn't stay here! He had to leave! The frightened male passed by Lavi, who nearly screamed in surprise by the rushing boy.
"H-Hey! Allen, where ya going?!"
"I can't stay here!" Allen called over his shoulder. "I'm leaving!"
"Leaving!?" The coffee cup received no other response as Allen was already out the door.
He didn't bother grabbing his cloak, he didn't bother finding a bag for Neah. All he knew was that he had to get back home. Back to Mana.
"Tim!" Allen called out, rushing towards his trusted horse. Timcanpy perked up, and seeing the fear on his rider's face, whinnied and rushed over without a second to waste. Being mindful of Neah, Allen quickly mounted, Timcanpy ran into the raging storm.
Howls made themselves heard, but Allen had no time to react when a large body slammed right at him. Disoriented at first, Allen was soon able to realize that his attack was a wolf. One that seemed intent on killing him right then and there. Silver eyes widened in unadulterated fear, and he screamed from the top of his lungs as the wolf made a lunge for his jugular.