Tabula Rasa (The End)

Donellan entered the drawing room and took a seat next to the Asmodeus. 

"So? Why bring me here?" He asked, eyeing the King intently.

Asmodeus let out a loud sigh, his young face marred with exhaustion. "This entire incident has drained me. There will certainly be talk about all of this and this is exactly why I wanted to avoid a direct confrontation." 

"It needed to be done." Donellan replied with a shrug. 

"It amazes me how carefree you can be. You realize this situation will affect you as well? All eyes will be on you now since you were the one to expose Ferdinand's deeds. People will think you wanted to take his place." 

"I don't see why people would come to that conclusion. I simply did my due diligence. Whether people want to see that as an act of revolt is up to them." 

Asmodeus stayed quiet for awhile. A complicated expression taking over his handsome face. 

"I know what you're thinking and whatever it is, don't. I have never once felt used nor have I regretted the decisions I've made. I am a Grey. We've always been on the King's side no matter what." 

"I know...But maybe its time for you to set those duties aside. At least for now. Also you should really consider getting promoted. The title of Earl is beneath you." 

"There's no need for that. I perfectly content with my position. Besides, it would be weird if people suddenly started calling me Duke Grey. Earl Grey sounds a lot better don't you think?" 

"Right. It really does now that you mention it." 

Two years later.... 

Simuel woke up and was greeting by Gwendolyn who informed her that his guest would be arriving shortly. 

He got out of his soft duvet, stretching his sore body as he gazed out the window, the sun shining brightly in the sky. It was a beautiful spring morning, and he was finally turning 8 years old. As Gwendolyn was helping him get dressed in his best ensemble, Simuel couldn't help but think back to everything that had happened in the past three years. 

Duke Ferdinand as well as Mithridates and everyone else that was involved in the coup were charged for treason and were therefore sentenced to death. And Matthias who was one of the core reasons for Simuel Grey's trauma and abuse had also been sentenced, but instead of death, he was sent away to a labour camp, exiled from the Kingdom never to return. If he was ever to set foot in Novellus, he would be executed on the spot.

Before Matthias was sent away, he was allowed to visit Sylvia's grave. It was the first time Simuel had ever seen a grown man weep that much in his life, the sight of the poor decrepit man almost made him feel sympathy but then he remembered the emotional scars this man had left Simuel. Though his motives might've seemed noble at the time, abuse was still abuse, and nothing excused that. 

By Donellan's command, Matthias was ordered to restore his mind and break all forms of control over his psyche. He was finally free and after a year had fully recovered thanks to Ms. Levinseon's help. Simuel was able to sleep peacefully at night and now with his strength fully restored, he could now practice the sword. 

Today was his 8th birthday and his father had begrudgingly agreed to have a small birthday party with the staff as well as his friends. He had grown quite close to Amethyst and Johannes over the years and was excited to see them for the first time in months. As Simuel made his way downstairs, he was greeted by his father, Donallan who had a smile on his face upon seeing his son. 

"Happy birthday Simuel." 

"Thank you dad!" He said while jumping into his arms. 

"Are you ready for your party? I believe your friend's will be arriving any minute now." 

Simuel gave his father a kiss on the cheek, his bright smile never leaving his face. "Yes I am dad. Thank you for letting me have a small gathering." 

"Of course son, anything for you. But know that next year you will be having a bigger party as we've agreed." He said sternly but there was a glint of amusement in his eyes. 

Simuel pouted his lips but still nodded his head. "Yes father." 

Donellan let out a low chuckle, patting his son on the head. They both heard the door open as the voices of his friends entered the home. 

The two looked at each other and made their way towards the door. 

"Ugh your birthday just had to be in the spring. My allergies are acting up!" Amethyst complained. 

"I told you to take your allergy medicine before coming here. You should've listened to me." Johannes said calmly. 

"Whatever, Simuel why are we still at the entrance? Let's hurry and get inside, I need some tea to soothe my throat." 

  ......

"Here you go son, your gift. I hope you like it." Donellan said, handing him a large box that had been carefully wrapped. 

The party had ended and his guests had gone home. He was now in the drawing room, enjoying a cup of tea, a slice of cake in hand. 

Simuel looked up as he saw his father handing him his gift. He had wondered why his father hadn't given him anything when they were exchanging gifts a while ago. Simuel took the gift graciously in his hand, carefully opening up the box and gasped when seeing its contents. 

Inside the box was an exquisite sword that shined beautifully in the dimply lit room making it look serene and imposing. It had intricate designs around its hilt and a large diamond incrusted on the handle.

With shaky hands, Simuel grabbed the sword holding it into his hands as he admired the weapon in awe. His big pale eyes shined brightly as he grazed the sword. He looked up at his father who had been watching him intently, gauging his expression. 

"D-dad does this mean?" 

Donellan sat next to his son, rubbing his head gently. "Yes it does. You can now learn the sword officially. This will be your weapon from now on Simuel. Take good care of it and it will take good care of you." He said with a smile. 

Simuel placed the blade gently on the table and grabbed his father, hugging him tightly. Tears were forming in his eyes as he thanked him and promised to take good care of his sword. 

Donellan rubbed his back as he hugged his son, happy that he liked his gift. He had carefully selected this sword for him and was glad it was a good fit. 

"We will begin lessons starting tomorrow so be prepared." 

"I will!" 

That night, Simuel had a dream for the first time in years. But this time it wasn't a nightmare.

He found himself in a white room with nothing in sight. As he walked around, the path seemed to extend, but there was no end in sight. Simuel started to wonder what this place was and why he was there. He kept walking in hopes he would encounter something when suddenly a bright light shined before him nearly blinding him. 

Simuel instinctively closed his eyes and only opened them when the bright light dimmed down. As he opened his eyes, they widened when he saw what was before him.

A white figure adorned with light was looking straight at him, peering into his soul. The figure had no face but for some reason, Simuel was under the illusion that the figure was smiling at him. Not sensing any malice or murderous intent from the figure, Simuel reached out to touch it. The figure extended its hand, holding Simuel gently. Its hands were both cold and warm to the touch and despite not knowing what this figure was, he felt safe and at ease. 

"Child." The figure spoke, its voice soft yet sonorous, ringing through his head. 

"Thou hast struggled too much and hast experienced pain that a child as young as yourself should'st not hast to bare. Never worry anymore Daus Moore for thou are free and hast broken out of the shackles that hast been bearing thou back."The figure started to say.

"Thou are now living a new life and are free to enjoy it to the fullest, yet the past keeps bearing thou back." As soon as the white figure spoke, flashes of Daus' past flowed into his brain.

The pain, the loneliness, the sadness, he could feel it all. A tear fell on his cheek as he continued to watch, his lips quivering as he remembered everything he had been through, everything Simuel had been through. 

"Thou never hast to be 'i pain anymore. Thy past can be erased, forgotten, if thou summon it. All thou want to try is let go, and thou find true happiness." 

Simuel could feel his painful memories slowly being erased from his mind and his heart started to feel lighter. He wanted more than anything to forget, to delete all the bad things that have happened in his life and to start fresh, to start a-new.

He knew that if he willed it, this figure could give him what he wanted. But a part of him knew that erasing everything wouldn't solve anything. His painful past was a part of him and though he didn't want to let his trauma define him, he knew that carrying this burden was important because it would remind him of who he was and where he came from.

Erasing his trauma would also be erasing Daus Moore. Though he was no longer in his old body and had grown used to being Simuel Grey, he was still Daus, nothing could ever change that nor did he want it to change. 

He knew it would be so much easier for him to let go, but he knew he couldn't. Life wasn't easy and sometimes we need to go through adversity in order to grow. Simuel decided he would learn to overcome his trauma slowly and one day, his past would no longer affect him. But this was something he would have to do on his own. 

Simuel turned to look at the white figure who had been waiting for his reply. Taking a deep breath, he squeezed the figure's hand. 

"I appreciate the help but I cannot let go of my past, at least not yet. I need to face my past first before erasing anything." He said with a smile. 

The white figure tilted its head and didn't say anything for awhile. Simuel was starting to feel a little nervous with the way it was looking at him. After some time had passed, the figure finally spoke. 

"If that is what thou hast decided, then so be it. Wherein thou are content to let go, i shall find thou again. Hitherto, take care of yourself child, and ne'r forget whom thou are." 

The figure then let go of Simuel's hand, and placed its long and slender finger on his forehead making Simuel who was awake and alert start to feel a little drowsy. It looked at him one more time before disappearing into a bright light. 

Simuel was jolted awake, his hand immediately touching his forehead as he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He didn't know why, but he felt a slight tingling sensation when touching the area.

Looking out the window once again, Simuel could see the sun rising as he sat there for an hour wondering what that dream was about. It was now morning and he heard the familiar knock at the door indicating that Gwendolyn needed to help him get ready. 

"Good morning young master Simuel. Is it alright if I come in?" She asked.

Still in a daze, Simuel directed his attention to the door, blinking his eyes several times. 

"Was that dream real?" He wondered out loud. Because if it was, that meant that he had lost his opportunity to start fresh with zero memories of his past life.

He started to question his decision when he heard Gwendolyn knock again. "Young master?" 

Right. There's no use in questioning and doubting myself. I made my decision and I should stick by it. I will live a happy life even with my stained past. 

"You can come in Gwendolyn." 

The door opened with Gwendolyn's head peeking through. "Goodness young master, I thought you were still asleep." 

"Nope, I'm wide awake." He said with a smile. 

"I'm glad to hear it. You have training with your father first thing in the morning, let's not waste a single second." Gwendolyn said while rushing to get the bath ready. 

Simuel gave her another smile feeling oddly content while looking at this familiar scene. 

I made the right decision.

"You are right Gwendolyn. We shouldn't keep father waiting." 

The End.