Times Long Faded
Deep within the icy stone walls of the castle, a boy named Vecillious existed unseen and unloved. He was the Emperor's son—though no one would speak it aloud—a child born into silence and darkness. Neglected by those who should have cherished him, he grew up with only loneliness and pain as his friend.
His frame was gaunt with starvation, his soul beaten by the inhumanity of those who dictated his life with brutality and hardness. No comforting words ever came to him, no soft touch. Only leftover bits of compassion flung his way, as if he were something less than human. Yet somehow, he lived—grasping on to life with determination, even when all was lost.
One evening, when the burden of grief had become too much to carry, Vecillious did what no one had anticipated: he fled. He escaped through the gates of the castle, away from the gossips and the sanctions, pursuing a liberty he hardly comprehended. But in the open, the world was too much—too loud, too bright, and too full of happiness that he couldn't be a part of. His heart quivered under the waves of new vibrations and light.
Lost among the throng of an active festival, Vecillious found no solace. Rather, he stepped into a silent, black alleyway where the tears he had held in reserve broke forth at last. He wept not because he was feeble, but because his unspoken struggles had exhausted him.
It was there that fortune had its way. Acheros, a young boy who was kind and mild but bore his own silent pain, discovered Vecillious. The gentle light of a lantern illuminated their encounter, and with cautious tone, Acheros extended himself.
It was in that vulnerable instant that two lonely hearts met. Vecillious, with all his well-concealed wounds and his secrets, and Acheros, with goodness that required nothing back. Through shattered sentences and their common sorrow, Vecillious's reality was revealed—not as shame, but as something alive and palpable.
They were not alone, for the first time, perhaps.
But even in that little light, one question suspended between them—when two broken boys collide, will they discover salvation in one another… or awaken the storm that may alter everything?
And what if the road they are on is paved with blunders that cannot be reversed? How does one walk with regret and somehow manage to move onward?
