Gentle Eyes

His tears welled in his eyes. Grief struck like lightning, cradled in his sister's arms. Sobbing uncontrollably as the blue moonlight shone through the desolate church. Alexandris's blue eyes glimmered as the tears trickled like faucet. Regretting everything he had done to everyone around him. 

I'm a piece of rubbish…

One of his vivid memories was twenty years ago. The metallic smell of blood lingered in the air. He stared at his hands that was covered in red. He looked to his side, an animal was torn apart by some sort of sharp object.

It started with small animals at first. The duke led the little child in the garden of the mansion. First, he brought a tiny gerbil. It was encased in a metal cage as it tried to nibble out of its inevitable doom.

Thomas tensed up his fingers, pointing towards the rodent. An ethereal screech emanated from the rodent and started behaving oddly. Its body tensed to the point that it was standing on its two feet. The shrill of the gerbil filled the air as the duke's face remained cold and dark.

"Concentrate, feel the wind by your side and compress it into a ball." The duke pat the Alexandris's back. While blood still dripping from his hands, the child closed his eyes. His blond hair swayed as the wind gusts accumulated to his front. It swirled into a concentrated mass of wind.

"Good, now… release it to this animal." The duke smiled creepily as he instructed his son to shoot the wind blast onto the innocent rodent. 

Alexandris shook his head. His limbs trembled by the mere thought of killing the animal. He protested, "Father, i can't… Hazel said I can't use my powers for killing innocent people."

The duke's face darkened for a moment, to Alexandris, it was terrifying. But he smiled sweetly to his son and said: "My son, these creatures are not people. They're lower than people, lower than slaves. Whatever your sister taught you, killing things lower than humans are permissible."

The child nodded, not because he agreed to killing the gerbil but because he understood what his father meant. As a child, he was always taught the value of status, him being the young lord of Rosea means he had the authority to punish anyone he pleased. But, Alexandris was a gentle child, maybe because he was with Hazel growing up. He could never do that.

But, since his father said it was alright to do so, he fired the mass of wind to the gerbil.

He saw how the gerbil was reduced into a red mist and splatter of blood. The duke clapped, he was satisfied by the result.

"I'm so proud of you, my son." Duke Thomas lurched towards Alexandris, his hand had a loadstone ring. Alexandris with his little hand clasped the ring. The duke smiled and led him to a room inside the mansion.

He knew what the lodestone ring was. When casting magic, his world would always invert due to how exhausting the focus of the aether was. He waited until he could get his own ring, but he could never realized what it was for.

It started with small animals, from rats, gerbils, birds and dogs. But he began to force him to murder humans.

All the furniture was cleared out, their footsteps echoed. The duke pivoted his body, revealing a young woman bound to a chair. The duke gestured to him, the young noble backed away in fear. Understandably so.

"Now son, this slave was caught escaping. As the young lord of this house, you need to know how to punish these vermins" The duke callously explained, as if he did not know the value of life. He pulled him back to the chaired woman. Led his hand to point at her. "Don't worry, it's easy."

The meek child shook in fear, he looked at the bearded duke "F-father… Hazel said I shouldn't hurt people…" 

He closed the door, then said. "Nonsense, didn't I tell you? Killing anyone lower than humans is permissible, and slaves are subhuman"

"N-no… she's… a human being"

His face twitched, trembling as he glared at the young nobleman. He stretched both of his arms over the horizon. "I said do it!" The duke's voice roared, Alexandris's whimpered as he tried to cast another spell.

Wind gathered into a single bullet, he looked at the woman jittered. Rapidly breathing, his hand shook, it whirred while it barely hit the woman.

"What are you doing? Didn't I tell you to hit her?" The duke craned his neck to Alexandris. His hand on his shoulder. He could feel the anvils on both of his shoulders. The duke's disappointment pierced through his skull.

Even as a child, this was a common occurrence. A lesson to man him up, to prepare him to take over him. But, Alexandris rejected any of this. Maybe, because of Hazel, or that he desired a normal childhood. 

The duke wound his arm, plunged his palm onto Alexandris's face. The wall thud as he flung against the wall. Tears welled in his eyes as the red bruise on his face flared up. 

Thomas held him on the collar of his garment, creasing it while he shook in fear. "What did I tell you? I told you to do it, why can't you?" 

Sobbing could be heard in the room, tears befell on the carpet. "Stop crying, you're my son, stop bringing shame on the family."

The duke sighed, he withdrew from the child as he left the room. Alexandris huddled himself in the corner, the sunlight pierced through the window as the woman was silenced, a pebble was lodged into her skull. Her blood pooled under the chair. Her lifeless gaze swept through the room.

The blond lady walked into the room, cradling Alexandris onto her arms as she led him out of the room. The whole time, her eyes avoided the deceased woman. Hazel saw another death that her father caused. She gritted her teeth as she led her brother outside, it infuriated her. 

Hazel guided her to his bedroom. She laid him to his bed and covered him with the soft fabric. The candles flickered in the air. Her gentle voice confined within the room.

"Shhh, just don't think about it. It'll be okay." Hazel whispered to the child. Her blue eyes glimmered while Alexandris cooed under her care.

On certain days, Alexandris would stay in the gardens of the mansion. The butterfly fluttered with the breeze, the soil provided a sense of cool that radiated during the hot summers of June. He would sip his violet evergarden tea while listening to the tweet of birds, perching on the trees. It was his favorite recreation activity. Since he had no friends, he would spend his time here alone or with Hazel or his cousin, Prince Harriet of Soren.

This way was different however because he met a young boy dressed in rags. Exploring the mansion on his own. They both locked gazes.

"I haven't seen you before?" Alexandris spoke with curiosity. He clasped the ceramic mug as the servant teetered behind the walls to the entrance of the garden. 

His gray eyes were gentle as he flinched on Alexandris's voice. He retreated behind the wall, his heart pounding in rhythm. The wind picked up as his brown locks swayed. 

"What a strange person." He placed the mug down, he closed the gap between him and the boy. He flashed a friendly smile as he held his hand up. "My name's Alexandris, and you are?"

The boy reached to Alexandris's hand, however he pulled behind then faced away. Alexandris tilted his head, this child was confusing him. He ran away across the winding hallways as he disappeared in the distance. His handshake was left hanging while he stared at it. "Am I scary?"

The nobleman tried to follow him. The boy ran inside the kitchen, he could hear the clang of pans and utensils as the yelped of the maids working inside. Then, he came out of the main dining area to the library. 

Alexandris lumbered as he caught his breath. The boy was too fast for his own good.

"Wait for me! Huff huff" Alexandris yelled as he chased the boy. The boy panted as he saw Alexandris chasing him like a wild animal. "I said wait for me! I'm not gonna eat you or anything."

Alexandris beamed, they ran across the house as the child continued to avoid him. Hazel smiled when they passed her, it seems like Alexandris found a friend.

The young noble jumped and caught the boy. They both rammed onto the carpet thudding as Alexandris muffled laugh against the carpet echoed.

"HAhahahahaha, that's so fun! Can we do it again?" Alexandris clutched the boy's hand. He looked at Alexandris with worry, looking at other directions before locking onto his face. 

He resigned, Alexandris was too much for him. He meekly said. "N-no… please"

Alexandris invited him into the garden. The boy sat uncomfortably on the metal chair under the garden veranda. He learned that this boy was named Collin. He was the son of a new servant serving Hazel. While his twin was brought the same time as him, Rosie would always stick to her mother while Collin would explore the mansion.

"So, your dream is to open a shop in the Rolsen district? Why not dream higher?" 

"M-my lord… I possibly could not dream of dreaming higher than that."

"Awww, I said call me Alexandris, we're friends you know?" 

"But-"

Alexandris loomed above the boy. "I won't accept that, we're friends, we should be equal!"

Collin's eyes radiated with warmth, then it turned cold as he muttered under his breath. "A noble like you should be above commoners like us."

"Ughh, not that again! My sister said we're all equal in one way or another."

"I apologize for my callousness but… she's naive." Collin huddled under his cold demeanor. Alexandris looked at him with intent, causing him to look away from the radiance.

"I don't mind it, I'm sure she won't either." Alexandris laughter could be heard outside the garden.

Collin slightly smiled, he felt a fuzzy feeling in his chest. He reached on the cup as Alexandris taught him basic manners on the table. "Sister said you can put the cup on your right side. She said it was a symbol of luck, symbolizing the church of Qunas, the goddess of luck."

"Do you think she exists?" Collin asked in curiosity.

"Of course, I've heard about stories of her valiant deeds! She helped Prodimia drive the demons out of this land!" His blond hair swayed with the wind, his fingers teetered on the ceramic plate. He had a persistent smile as he faced Collin. It was his first friend, outside of his siblings.

"Interesting right!?" Alexandris leaned onto Collin then in a rashed manner, raised his arms as the sunlight phased on its gap.

The boy smiled at Alexandris.

He seems comfortable with my presence now. That's good.

Alexandris giggled inwardly, he finally made his first friend who was other not an immediate family member. He felt satisfied as he listened to the stories Collin had. 

Commoners do live a fascinating life.