Chapter 1
November 15th, 2004,
The sky was draped in dark clouds, heavy with the threat of thunder and lightning. As the storm raged outside, a small clinic stood firm against the wind and rain. Inside, a young woman cried out in agony, while a midwife rushed to her side. Despite the chaos of the storm, a new life was about to enter the world. The child's name would be...
****
His only noticeable feature aside from his fair tender skin and brown hair was his glowing golden-red eyes.
The marriage between his father and mother was a pure organized one from both their family. As soon as he was born, the father left the mother and him because he never loved her and eloped with his concubine.
No one got to hear of it as it was going to bring humiliation to the two big nobles' families if words got out about it.
But the heavens still favoured the boy as his grandmother adopted him. Spoiling him with all he ever wished for.
"Grandma, can I get some cupcakes please?" A cute 5-year-old Morningstar asked as he stared at his grandmother who smiled back gently with her wrinkle, a testament of her fulfilling life.
"Of course my morning sun. Anything for you. Go get my car key so we can head to the town for some cupcakes."
Morningstar is her favourite child out of all. She always sees her younger version in him. So she made sure to spoil him with gifts even though she was oblivion to all the jealous stares his cousins and uncles gave him. But sadly age caught up to her and she could barely move as time passed by.
****
"Grandma, can we go to the zoo?" He asked again another time.
"Hahaha, of course, my morning sun. Just wait let me rest for a while. Meanwhile, is your uncle back from work? You know I'm getting old and will hardly move around. It will be nice if he follows us."
At the mention of his uncle's name. Morningstar couldn't help but feel downcast. All the excitement he has suddenly vanishes like steam from the pot. With his head lower, Morningstar fidgets with the keys and says with a tiny voice, "Grandma, can we please go without him? You know he doesn't like me."
"Sigh..."
There's nothing she can do here. Due to how constantly she spoiled him, her son has developed an ill feeling for Morningstar and didn't treat him the same way he treated his kids. Heck, he always called Morningstar a bastard and other bad names.
"Okay, my morning sun. Let's go without him." She said with a smile to which Morningstar bobbed his head in happiness.
But sadly happy times never last as when he finally became 9 years old. His grandmother passed away. As swift as mood swings. The entire family's attitude towards him took a drastic change.
The once spoiled young master suddenly turned into a pauper.
He was chased away from his room and forced to stay in a store without a window or toilet. Filled with dirty and abandoned clothes with rats, cockroaches and mosquitoes moving about. The only light in it was an old dim light hanging above the ceiling.
"But I never did anything..." He mumbled with teary eyes as he lay on the hard wooden bed.
"Morningstar..."
Suddenly a voice called him. Turning around he saw his uncle walking towards him with a broom.
"Take," he let out coldly. "Clean up this room as I don't wanna come back and see dirties in it. Also, don't break or scatter what your poor mother can't afford."
With that, he walked away. Morningstar couldn't help but cry and after that, he forcefully cleaned up the room with a hungry stomach.
Just then, his favourite aunt came in with a plate.
At the sight of it, Morningstar's eyes lit up, he eagerly collected the plate but as soon as he saw the leftover fish, rotten egg and watery soup, he couldn't help but look at his aunt in confusion.
"This is your food from now henceforth. Better get used to it, little bastard." With disdain, she said those cold unfeeling words and walked away.
Morningstar couldn't understand the sudden change in attitude. He always thought he might have made a mistake somewhere but no matter how hard he apologised, his uncle either slapped and sent him away or beat him to the point he fainted.
Although he is just a kid the hard laborious work he does at home is so tiring that even an adult will complain, but he never does.
And just like that, it becomes his daily lifestyle.
Each time he faces this, he always cries himself to sleep. His only time of happiness is when his mother visits him secretly and tells him happy stories which he ends up dreaming of. The thing is, it's not like it was his mother's choice to let him suffer but his uncles don't want to let her leave with him as they always claim.
"It's our responsibility to take care of him and we can't allow you both to go out there and be begging for food just to tarnish this great family's name."
And so she and him suffered for something they know nothing of.
But soon he grew numb to it. He never cried or got hurt anytime they treated him that way.
****
At School ~
Being one of the most intelligent students in his class despite him not actively participating in school's activities, Morningstar literally made enemies.
Soon some students even tried bullying him after discovering his situation at home.
*Kick*
"Look at his poor face. Hahaha, he always tries acting all brilliant and bright while in truth he is only a beggar."
*Punch*
"What? You wanna fight me? Do you feel pain? You wanna cry?"
*Punch*
"Call your daddy to come save you. Wait I forgot... You are nothing but a useless bastard! Hahaha."
*Kick*
"I still can't believe this son of a bitch tried behaving like one of us. Kiddo you don't belong to this society... Hahaha."
*Punch*
*Kick*
*Kick*
"Gosh, such a useless being dares act all mighty in class. I wanna puke thinking bout it."
*Punch*
Morningstar barely stood up with his golden red eyes a little brighter than usual. With blood dripping from his nose, he calmly questions them, "What do y'all want from me?"
"Nothing," one of the big bullies replies with a toothy grin. "I always get that accomplished sensation when I see you down and being beaten like the punch bag you are. Your family abandoned you, your dad left the country because of your useless mom and guess what? You will never be loved!"
With those words, he pushed Morningstar down the ground, making him to mistakenly crash into a block and sustain an injury.
"I... I... I never did anything wrong to you guys, why?... Why attacking me?" He shutters without knowing, his eyes suddenly start warping, the gold was completely covered with pure red.
Just when one of them wanted to kick him in the stomach, Morningstar grabbed his leg and pulled the shocked biggest bully down the ground.
With vacant red eyes, he picked up the block and lifted it.
The boy was horrified seeing Morningstar's blazing red eyes, he was even more scared shitless when he saw Morningstar lifting a block.
"Don't dare..."
*Thud*
*Squelch*
Blood splatters on Morningstar's white shirt as he smashes the brick into the boy's head.
The boy couldn't help but scream like a pig about to be slaughtered, with blood dripping down his head, he looked at Morningstar and yelled.
"How... How dare you?! Stop it!!!"
"If I was the one asking you to stop, would you stop? Why not have a taste of how it feels like getting beaten up?" With those monotone words, Morningstar lifts the block without a hint of emotions in his eyes and continues pounding his head.
*Thud*
*Thud*
*Squelch*
*Thud*
*Squelch*
The others couldn't help but run away after seeing the unconscious boy lying in his pool of blood and urine. After some minutes, Morningstar finally returned back to himself.
"Did I do all this?" He muttered as he looked at the bloody scene but strangely he didn't feel frightened but rather, satisfied. He felt like a monarch and couldn't help but smile for the first time in a long while but the smile looked horrifying with the bloody block in his hand and bloodstain face. Unbeknownst to him, his alter ego took over some minutes ago.
That very day as soon as the news abou
t what happened got to his uncle, he was beaten to the point he also passed out but strangely it didn't hurt, rather he felt like a sleeping emperor.