Veiled Shadows of the Past

Year 1182 AES (After Empire of Shadows)

In a desolate orphanage, a young boy with white hair and red eyes, aged four, endured a life of misery. The meager meals served three times a day were cold, consisting of a watery stew with bits of meat and vegetables. But for this boy, life was even harsher. He was treated with disdain, subjected to bullying and mistreatment by the other children and even the nuns who were meant to care for them all, ignored him most of the time. His appearance, with his unique white hair and red eyes, marked him as different, and that was a constant torment for him.

However, this young boy had not always known such despair. Just a year ago, he had a loving family, a comfortable home, and enough food to sustain them. His father, a respected knight in their small kingdom, had a good reputation. But everything changed when the Empire of Shadows attacked their land, engulfing it in darkness and bloodshed. The boy witnessed the horrors unfold before his innocent eyes. His mother suffered unspeakable acts at the hands of the shadow soldiers, and was like the other women taken to the shadow empire as a slave. His father was mercilessly killed in front of him.

In the chaos that followed, the boy managed to escape with a few others who survived the onslaught. Seeking refuge in the neighboring Bohvisk kingdom, he was eventually placed in the orphanage. The few remaining survivors scattered in the kingdom. The boy endured years of suffering, his days and nights filled with the torment of the orphanage. The thought of running away had crossed his mind countless times, but he always hesitated, unsure of where he could run and how he would sustain himself.

Eight years passed, and it was now the year 1190 AES. The boy, now a teenager, found himself in the same wretched situation. On this particular day, as he longed to buy a meager piece of bread with the few coins he earned from his quests from the adventurer guild, but he fell victim once again to the cruelty of his bullies. They again destroyed his progress, throwing rocks at him and insult him. And in that moment of despair, he saw her.

A young girl, approximately eleven years old, stood before him. Her beauty radiated like a ray of light in the darkness. Her blond hair flowed, framing her captivating blue eyes—features common to the kingdom he lived in. But what caught his attention was the inexplicable power she possessed. He never saw magic, but with a force unknown to him, she hurled a rock at his tormentors, causing them to flee in fear and frustration. He couldn't comprehend what he had witnessed, but in that moment, she became his angel, his savior.

Cloud knew in that moment, that he wants to get revenge at the empire of shadows.

The boy, who had been saved from the clutches of his bullies, was none other than Cloud.