The house groaned with age.
Rot clung to the walls, and mildew stained the corners. Rainwater had seeped in through the cracks, giving everything a perpetual stink of dampness and rot. In the heart of that ruin, a young boy stood in the kitchen—barefoot, thin, clothed in filthy rags. His black hair clung to his face with grime and sweat as he scrubbed a plate, water barely trickling from the tap.
Then—crash.
The plate slipped from his hands, shattering into jagged pieces on the dirty floor.
Velian froze.
His breathing hitched. "No… no, no, no…"
The floorboards creaked behind him.
"You useless brat!"
Velian didn't turn. He didn't need to.
The man's voice sliced through him like a dagger.
A belt lashed across his back. Then again. And again. Each strike ripping open skin and nerves like paper. Velian screamed as he curled into himself, trying to shield his head with his arms.
"You know how much that plate cost?! Do you think anything in this house is yours to break?" the man bellowed, veins bulging from his red, drunk face.
Velian sobbed. He didn't speak. He didn't dare. Not even when the man kicked him once—twice—then spat and turned away.
"No food tonight either," the man sneered. "Maybe next time, you'll learn your place."
Velian remained on the floor long after the door slammed.
Blood soaked through his shirt. His hands trembled. Every breath hurt.
Then—a whisper.
"You can't keep doing this forever," a voice said.
Velian's eyes widened.
A mirror image of himself stood across the room, chained at the wrists and ankles. But this version's eyes… they weren't soft or scared. They were sharp. Cold. Cruel.
"Let me out," the chained Velian whispered. "I'll make it all stop. We can be free."
Velian clutched his ears. "No. Shut up."
The other grinned wide, baring bloodstained teeth. "You'll beg me eventually."
"Shut up!"
Footsteps. A voice.
"Velian! Velian!"
The door creaked open and a small girl, maybe eight years old, peeked in.
"Lily…"
She rushed to his side, concern creasing her young face. "I heard shouting. Are you okay?"
Velian sniffed, wiping tears from his face. "I'm fine. Just… soap got in my eye."
"Let me see."
Before he could protest, she gently lifted his chin, blew softly into his eye.
He smiled weakly.
She smiled back. "Better?"
"Yeah." He ruffled her hair. The only light in this damn house is her, he thought. She's not even my blood. I was adopted. Maybe that's why Dad… no, he's not a dad. He's a monster.
"Go to your room," Velian said. "Dinner will be ready soon."
She skipped off cheerfully.
Velian crouched again, gathering shards of the broken plate. A piece sliced his palm open. Blood dripped, warm and vivid. He stared at it a moment longer than he should have—almost mesmerized. Then he shook his head, washed it off, and finished the dishes.
---
Dinner came.
Lily and their "father" sat at the table. Velian served them quietly.
When he neared the man, a growl escaped the drunkard's throat.
"Big brother, come eat with me!" Lily chirped.
Velian forced a smile. "I'm not hungry."
The man grunted. "He's got chores. He'll eat later."
Velian bowed slightly and turned to leave.
---
Later that night…
Velian's stomach growled, curling in on itself. He lay on the bed, arms crossed tightly.
I'm starving…
The door creaked.
He sat up quickly, tense—until he saw Lily, clutching a plate.
"Shhh," she whispered, closing the door.
"You… why did you bring that?"
"Because I know you didn't eat. I'm not a child anymore. I know Dad's lying when he says you're busy."
Velian hesitated. "But where did you get this from? There was nothing left in the kitchen."
She only smiled and nudged the plate closer.
Tears welled up in his eyes. "Lily…"
He devoured the food, trying not to cry, trying not to feel shame.
Then—
Bang!
The door burst open.
Their father stormed in, half-drunk, enraged.
"Velian! Did you take the food I—" He stopped. His eyes locked on the scene. Velian eating. Lily beside him.
"You…" the man seethed.
Velian's face paled. "Lily, did you—?"
Before he could finish, Lily ran to the man's side, crying. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Big brother told me to! He said he'd hurt me if I didn't!"
The words hit like a hammer.
"Lily… no. No, I didn't…"
"You rotten little…" The man slapped Velian so hard, the boy's head snapped sideways.
He was dragged off the bed, thrown down.
"How dare you! Turning my daughter into a thief?! You'll pay for this!"
A stick. Thick. Splintered.
The beatings returned, worse than ever. Every inch of his skin flared with agony. One hit struck his head—crack!—and Velian's vision went dark.
Am I… going to die here…?
---
He lay still.
The man turned with a scowl, stepping toward the door as he dragged Lily along.
Lily whispered, "Dad… is he… is he dead?"
"Let's go, my princess. He's just pretending."
Then it happened.
Schkkk—!
The wooden stick plunged deep into his back.
He froze. Eyes wide.
Then—cough! Blood erupted from his mouth like a fountain—thick, dark, and hot. The pressure sent a spray flying—
Right into Lily's face.
She screamed.
A raw, high-pitched, soul-twisting sound. Her tiny hands clawed at her cheeks as warm red drenched her eyes, nose, mouth. She stumbled back, fell, scrambling away like an insect, gasping through sobs as she screamed again and again.
"DAD!! VELIAN!! STOP!!"
The man staggered, choking on his own blood, eyes rolling.
"Y-You brat…"
He reached for Velian.
But another stab—this time through his outstretched hand.
"GAAAAAH!"
Velian didn't speak.
He just grinned.
He pounced, tackling the man to the floor, straddling his chest. His arms raised high. The stick shaking in his grip, soaked in red.
Then—
STAB.
STAB.
STAB.
Over and over.
The man screamed, gargled, then gasped as blood bubbled from his lips. He whispered with his last breath:
"I can't believe… I let a… monster… in my house…"
Then nothing.
But Velian didn't stop.
He was humming now. Quiet. Almost peacefully. His face—glassy-eyed, blood-smeared, completely detached.
STAB.
He gouged out one eye.
STAB.
The tongue.
STAB. STAB. STAB.
The cheeks. The temple. The chest. The ribs.
Lily sat there, paralyzed, her screams ripping through the air like broken glass. Her tiny hands clutched her face, stained with her father's blood. She staggered to her feet, trembling, her knees buckling beneath her as she turned and bolted out of the room, shrieking in terror.
This wasn't her brother.
This wasn't human.
This was…
A monster.
But Velian didn't follow.
He didn't even flinch.
His wide, blood-soaked grin stretched unnaturally as he turned back to the lifeless body beneath him. His father's chest barely rose now—only shallow, dying gasps.
He stabbed his father again —this time into the open mouth, shattering teeth and again, into the skull. Over and over. The face became nothing but pulped bone and blood. He didn't stop. Not when the body twitched. Not when it went limp.
He just kept stabbing.
Until the man wasn't a man anymore. Just a broken, ruined shape soaked in crimson.
---
Later that night…
Villagers arrived with torches and weapons, led by Lily, still crying and shaking.
The smell hit them first—iron and rot.
Then they saw the body.
Most recoiled. Some vomited.
What remained of the man was unrecognizable. His body was caved in. Tongue missing. Eyes gouged. Limbs twisted. Head smashed.
And in the corner…
Velian sat—cross-legged, silent.
A wide grin on his face.
His entire body drenched in blood and torn flesh.
Someone dropped their torch.
Another whispered, "He's not human…"
Lily, pale and trembling, could only whisper through her sobs:
"He's a monster…"