Chapter 5 Keeping the Flame Alive

In a world where names carried deep meaning and would no doubt shape anyone's fate.

'Nulla Dikaiosune' is the name on Dunkin's birth certificate before he would change it after entering the army years later.

The certificate was filled out using black ink, including the signatures of both his parents under the blood moon.

Despite his mother, Empusa intentions of bestowing wisdom and justice upon her son through his name, as not only was she a fan of languages but in her twisted mind, the name was always meant to be more then that.

However this had greatly back fired as Nulla struggled though his childhood trying to understand and shape his own identity.

It was hard enough that he was born as a Onocentaur and not a full blooded Minotaur like his father. A great shame and mark on his family.

It became worse when humans and other mutant children finally learn the meaning of the word, then would used it as a reason to bully him in kindergarten until the end of third grade. Ironic that such a meaningless word held so much power over his life.

Even Nulla learned to hate his own name once he found out the definition for it.

The name, his curse, Is Italian for: "nothing" or "nothingness."

The heavy burden of that name had shaped his destiny forever more.

Yet despite everything against him, his family still supported him though out this time. His father even agreed to train him in combat while his mother taught him ways to survive in the wild.

By age ten, Nulla had grown accustomed to playing on his own as his family would often be away either aiding in the war or hunting for food. Most days it didn't bother him anymore.

Most days.

Yet, today was a scorching day under the relentless apocalypse weather. His father had been drafted away from home during this time while his mother was out buying school supplies for the new year.

So, Nulla found himself wandering towards the park, trying to enjoy his last day of summer break. As the young Onocentaur trudged along the dusty path, a feeling of boredom and frustration growing within his very soul as his hoofs scraped against the dirt which lead to the small and almost lifeless park of the village. The sight of the open park offered a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos that surrounded him, beckoning him to seek solace in its serene embrace.

He stepped into the park and continued aimlessly through the park, until he spotted a puff of beautiful chestnut curly hair with golden eyes that sat beneath the thick dark eyelashes.

It was a young human boy sitting all alone dressed in rags while using a small stick to draw pictures in the dense and wet dirt.

Nulla stopped, captivated by the boy's serene focus, and without being able to control himself, he felt himself drawing in closer with his hooves scraping against the dirt, attracted like a firefly to the mesmerizing flicker of a flame on a warm summer night.

When he neared, the other boy looked up, his eyes of gold widening with a blend of interest and amazement.

"Hello," the boy in a soft voice greeted Nulla, a warm smile gracing his lips as the young human admits innocently, "I didn't think anyone else played here, what's your name?"

Nulla hesitated, his mouth suddenly dry as cotton, as the familiar weight of the question settled upon him.

It was always the same question that he had feared throughout his life that ended all hope of having a friendship. Taking a deep breath, he mutters preparing for the worse, as his short fluffy ears laid back behind his head while he twisted his tail nervously in his hands, "Nulla," the half young mule said, a hint of veritably in his voice as Nulla struggled to meet the other's gaze, "Nulla Dikaiosune."

To Nulla's surprise, the boy's smile only brighten, his eyes shining with genuine interest in the hot sun.

"Nulla Dikaiosune," the young human boy repeated in a soft voice as if wanting to commit it to memory, "That's a beautiful name. I'm Johnny. It's nice to meet you."

The half mule felt breath caught in his throat with his tail wiping fast after hearing those words.

Nulla remembers feeling his heart beating in his chest as Johnny spoke so sweetie and honestly about his name.

It was the first time in his life that someone other than his own family had accepted his birth name. It should have been the beginning of a lovely friendship that may have developed into something more significant. However, that had become a distant memory now.

Johnny would be eventually betrayed, getting bullied daily and abandoned by Dunkin years later. Which lead to Dunkin's choice to join the army and start over under a new identity.

He was no longer Nulla but Dunkin.

Yet, after all these years creating this new identity, piece by piece. It seems Dunkin could not fully escape the life or the curse he tried to burn in his wake.

Johnny Thumb was living proof of that. The young boy had become a man now and is standing before him years later, right now, not much taller however possibly more curvy and beautiful with his large doe golden eyes studying Dunkin while his wild chestnut hair stood out on every end.

The memories he wanted to forget came back as he gazed at Johnny's fearful yet curious face. It was a look that struck a chord deep within him, resonating a flame that the half mule thought had died out years ago.

Johnny on the other hand, couldn't believe that this was Nulla, his first crush and his old bully from high school, who made his life miserable every day. Johnny never understood the reason behind the bullying. However, it was clear that time had been rough to Nulla over the years. The once youthful Onocentaur had now grown up and was covered in scars on his well-built chest and abs. His two gray eyes had dwindled to one, and that solitary eye conveyed countless tales, leading Johnny to believe it had lost faith in humanity. It wasn't the only thing he lost with addition that the mutant had lost his lower legs which Nulla had once taken great pride in during his youth.

"Nulla?" Johnny's voice repeats his name again in disbelief as he stared at his once childhood friend with mixed of now worry and in shock, "Is that really you?"

The fallen solider didn't blame him for his reaction. It had been years since they last seen each other and the number done on his body thanks to the gods was just another reminder of his situation.

Dunkin opened his mouth as he started harshly, "I go by Dunkin now," his gaze flickering away from Johnny's, unable to bear the worry of the other man's gaze.

Johnny, still couldn't believe the transformation of the boy he once knew into this scarred and broken warrior, struggling to process the information, he finally finds his voice, "Dunkin?" he echoed, the name rolling off his tongue with a strange, unfamiliar cadence. "why? " he paused a moment before asking, "What happened to you, Nulla?"

The way that Johnny speaks his name after so many years, his voice is filled with such tenderness and familiarity.

Yet it hit Dunkin like a physical blow, bringing back more unwanted trauma. Breaking the walls he had created around his heart to save him from the world and all the years of misery. In that moment, Dunkin's carefully constructed identity crumbled, and the old Nulla Dikaiosune – the youth he had once been burst to the surface. Yet, it was only for a moment.

"What happened?" he repeated sarcastically before answering his tone firm and bitter, "The gods and war happened, Johnny. They took everything from me all because this name has brought me nothing but pain and misery!" his voice was thick with emotion, his single eye glistening with unshed tears.

Johnny looked taken aback by the intensity of Dunkin's response. Even The raven, Corvus, perched on his shoulder, shifted uncomfortably before leaning in and speaks softly with Johnny, "It's seems the gods have taken everything from him but he doesn't realize, by avoiding the past like this. He will never be free"

Johnny nods agreeing with his feathered friend, his expression softening before turning back and addressing the broken mutant soldier again. "I never knew, Nulla-I mean, Dunkin," he corrected himself gently, trying to acknowledge the change even as he grappled with the shock of seeing his old friend so transformed and different.

Dunkin's breath hitched, the old anger and pain surfacing despite his best efforts to suppress it. "You couldn't have known," he speaks, his voice quieter now. Showing his new identity was back in full force.

Johnny paused as if trying to find the right words before speaking openly and honestly as to not push him,"I always assumed you left because you wanted something better, not because you were running away from who you were."

Dunkin scoffs hearing those words and shifted back to Johnny. He finally grabs the apple Johnny was holding that the smug raven had stolen from him earlier and takes a big bite of it before giving retort.

his tone becoming defensive but he doesn't deny it, "So what if I am? Dunkin is who I need to be to survive in this ruthless world ruled by the gods"

Johnny nodded slowly letting him take the apple, his eyes still locked on Dunkin's face, searching for the friend he once knew. "Maybe so," he conceded before placing a hand on Dunkin's shoulder, trying to comfort him, "yet, survival doesn't mean you have to erase who you were. You can be Dunkin, yet Nulla is a part of you, too. He's the reason you're strong, why you have survived. Don't let the gods take that away from you as well"

Dunkin's good gray eye, the one that had seen too much, glistened with the threat of tears while he takes another bite of his apple.

It seems Johnny's words had struck a chord, a painful reminder of the innocence and hope he once held and lost thanks to the war and gods.

He could feel the fire in his soul that he swore was buried under layers of pain and anger, yet, it was still there, a faint flicker within him. It felt as though Dunkin's very soul resembled a flickering flame struggling to survive in a harsh winter, while Johnny tenaciously worked to keep the faint spark alive against all odds.