THE LIFE OF A TRAITOR'S SON 2

"The fact that you cannot read me, doesn't mean I'll lie to you. I swear with my life leader I do not wield any sorcery. My mother, when she had me in her womb - she messed with the wrong people and I had to pay the price. A curse was cast upon me even before I was born, I was born without a conscience, a shadow and my footsteps make no sound."

"Marvellous!" The leader's eyes widened. "Child this is not a curse, it's a gift! You have defied all odds Leomere of Gaza, you're a chosen one. I think we're done here." She held him tight. "Now go get ready you have a ceremony waiting for you. And tomorrow you shall be announced as the princess's royal body guard! Come now, leave us."

He nodded and walked towards the door.

She stopped him. "Boy! What happens in the room of mages stay within these walls, no soul shall hear of what transpired today."

He left without a word, he sunk unto his bed as soon as he entered his room. Sighing, he stood up and looked in the mirror, scrutinizing every detail of his face. His long, aquiline nose, the bruises and freckles that dotted his skin, the fading wounds from the contest, his piercing gray eyes, his neatly shaved head, just like his father's.

"Tomorrow the traitor's son JOSEPHUS NOA is going to be announced as the princess's royal body guard. JUST LIKE HIM." Leomere enunciated. "I'm just like him aren't I? The chosen one they say, but I'm I really? I have achieved so much, but my heart still yearns and cries."

Leomere had never known happiness. He had always felt empty, a void inside him that could not be filled. "My father killed the queen, and now I must serve her daughter. What a cruel twist of fate," he said to his reflection in the mirror. He sat on the floor and peered into the mirror, and saw a vision of his five-year-old self. The look of pain and fear on his face was still as clear as the day his parents were executed for treason.

His mind flashed back to eighteen years ago, when his Bhabu had fled the kingdom rather than take a stand. Bhabu had left everything behind - his family, his fortune, and his legacy. "And now, I must serve the very family that destroyed my own."

He had that same look.

The look he had on his face when Bhabu murdered his own wife and daughter - the look of pure rage and madness - still haunted Leomere's dreams.

... FLASHBACK...

After Noa's confession, anyone with ties to him was to be executed. In the midst of the chaos, Sir Aeneus Ceaus (bhabu) made a split-second decision to save the life of a young child - the son of his best friend. Years ago, bhabu had saved the king's life, which had earned him a royal seal that granted him one wish from the king. It was time to use that seal. Bhabu knew it was impossible to save his friend's life after what he had done, but he could at least try to save his son. He requested the king spared the life of a young child. "I beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty," bhabu said, falling to his knees before the king. The king was still in a daze, still reeling from the loss of his beloved wife. "Aeneus! Why did he do it? Why did he have to kill her? She had just given birth. Why?" The king sobbed.

"Your Majesty, please, I implore you to show mercy," bhabu pleaded, his voice breaking. The kingdom had suffered a great loss.

The queen was an icon of kindness, always putting the needs of her subjects first and guiding her husband with a wise and steady hand. She was known for her compassion and caring nature, treating everyone with the same dignity and respect as family. Her friendship with Noa's wife had been strong and unshakable, but that had not been enough to prevent the tragedy that had befallen them all.

"Your Majesty, the child is just five years old. He has so much life ahead of him. Please, I beg you..."

"And because of his father, my daughter will grow up without the love of a mother!" the king shouted, his voice cracking with pain.

"Your Majesty, please, grant me my wish. I have your royal seal - please show mercy!"

The king took a deep breath, fighting back the tears. "Aeneus, you have my royal seal, and I cannot go back on my word. But I have one condition: take the child far away from here. I never want to see you or that child ever again. If he ever returns to YHÀKADÉI, I cannot promise that I will not do something I'll regret."

"No sire! Please don't push me away!"

"Aeneus you can leave, get out of my SIGHT!"

That same night, the Fangs saw the king's grief as an opportunity to strike, convinced that they could overthrow him. But even at its lowest point, YHÀKADÉI fought back with a ferocity that they had not expected. The Fangs were defeated, but at a great cost.

It was a terrible stroke of fate that, on the very night of the queen's death, a terrible plague struck the inhabitants of the palace. Known as "Oue," the disease was a terrifying, incurable affliction that slowly and painfully destroyed the heart and respiratory system. Leaving its victims longing for death. And yet, death was not as simple as it seemed, for those afflicted by the disease often lingered on for 69 days in agony.

The victims of "Oue" described the feeling of being infected as like slowly drowning, gasping for air and unable to breathe. Over the course of 69 days, the disease would inflict unspeakable pain on its victims, until, on the 70th day, death would finally bring an end to the suffering. Some victims chose to end their lives rather than endure the disease, finding death to be a kinder option than a prolonged, agonizing demise.

Bhabu packed his belongings and, along with Leomere, went to his wife and daughter's quarters. He asked the child to wait outside while he went in to say his final goodbyes. When Bhabu emerged, his eyes were dull and empty, as if his soul had been ripped from his body. He locked the door behind him, then set the room ablaze, leaving his family to suffer an agonizing and horrifying death. He stood in the shadows, unheeding of the heartrending screams that filled the night.

That night, Bhabu's soul burned along with his family. The innocence and light within him were snuffed out, leaving only a cold, empty shell. Leomere stood, frozen in terror, watching as Bhabu's whole world went up in flames. Even eighteen years later, he still could not bring himself to ask Bhabu why. Why had he killed his wife and daughter? Why had he stood by and watched them die? The horror and confusion of that night had scarred the boy's heart.

Leomere remember how Bhabu acted as if nothing had happened, changing Josephus's name to Leomere and giving him a new family history. "Josephus is no more, only Leomere Gaza. Remains. 'Gaza' meaning an island. Child you'll live alone, grow alone and die alone, that's your fate. You're not meant to be with anyone." Bhabu said. "Do you want to become a great swordsman?"

The boy nodded, and that was how his new life began - as a warrior, forged in the fires of tragedy.

Bhabu's cold disregard for what had happened was chilling. He acted as if nothing had changed, but Leomere knew the truth. He had been forced to leave his old life behind. Now he was Leomere Gaza, a boy with no past and no family. Bhabu offered to train him in the art of swordsmanship, and the boy accepted. He threw himself into his training, determined to become strong enough to face the world alone.

Leomere gazed into the mirror, seeing not his own reflection but the ghosts of his past. A soft laugh escaped his lips, and tears streamed down his face. He whispered to himself, "You owe your life to that man, don't you, LEOMERE GAZA?" The next day would be a momentous one, a day that would change everything.