"Why must I be born?"
Standing on a bridge looking into the river flowing beneath, a young boy stands with a depressed expression.
How long has it been since I've felt free, free from this hell? Everywhere I go, it's the same thing. I'm treated as an outsider, no matter what; it's always the same.
Looking up at the night sky with an empty expression and resolved in his heart, for he knew what would happen in the next few minutes to come.
Well, tonight this horrid life ends. I can't take it anymore, I have to escape… somehow
The boy straightened his posture, looking straight to where the river would lead, then climbed onto the side handles.
This is it, no more pain
As the boy was about to let his balance go to fall into the rive,r he was interrupted by an unfamiliar voice.
"Are you gonna jump?"
The young female's voice surprised the young boy, causing him to lose his balance and fall back on the bridge.
Holding the back of his head in pain while getting up, he asked, "Who are you?"
A young, beautiful girl stood there in a crimson dress and deep, dark eyes with long black hair and replied, " Me, I'm just someone who was passing by and was intrigued by you. So who are you?"
"I don't know why you'd be intrigued by me, but I'm Lloyd."
With a confused expression and a smile, the young crimson-dressed girl asked, "No last name, or are you an orphan ?"
"No, I'm not an orphan, just someone who isn't wanted, so why are you here, really?"
"Well, it's as I said before, you're interesting"
With an empty look in his eyes, Lloyd looked at her and thought, So another one, huh, someone that wants to make me into their toy, just a play thing…
"Well, what you think of me doesn't matter anymore. This is where it ends," Lloyd said with a determined expression.
"Yeah, I know, I can tell that you've suffered a lot. Look over there," the crimson-dressed girl said as she pointed north.
Lloyd turned his head, looking in the pointed direction seeing a bright light from a fire and smoke just above the forest.
As he looked at the fire, he still had his blank expression, feeling nothing, even if it was a village or kingdom burning, for he had noticed the bright light and smoke early, but he just didn't care.
"Are you from there?" Lloyd asked
"Yeah, it's a kingdom, would you believe me if I told you I was a princess?" she asked
"Are you?" Lloyd replied with his blank look, thinking that she was being sarcastic.
The crimson-dressed girl chuckled, then said, "I guess it doesn't matter right now, does it?"
Lloyd didn't answer; instead, he turned to the river once again and stared, feeling annoyed that he was interrupted on the only thing he could find freedom from.
After a few seconds of silence, Lloyd sighed and then said, "You can stay if you want, I don't care, just leave me alone."
With a faint smile, the crimson-dressed girl said, "Well, what you're about to do might bring you the freedom and peace you desire, but how do you know that you won't just end up in another hell?"
Lloyd froze for a moment, feeling even more annoyed that someone who couldn't possibly understand what he was going through was talking like they understood everything.
"So then what would you have me do, huh? Be your toy like I was to the others, nothing but something to be used, then thrown away when you get bored!" Lloyd yelled in an annoyed and frustrated voice.
"No…" said the crimson dressed girl with a serious look as she walks closer to Lloyd stop only an inch away and with a smile continued, "You're more than a toy, you're someone special and now you're someone special to me but the first gift I'll ever give you is going to be hard and I hope that after you finally learn to live that you'll find me."
After those words like light, the crimson-dressed girl placed her hand on Lloyd's head, making him feel more and more until he fell unconscious.
As Llyod falls unconscious, he thought to himself, Is this it? Am I finally gonna be… free?…
With that last thought, Lloyd fell to sleep.
After a few hours, Lloyd woke up, seeing it was morning, he was confused about what had happened as he got up from the floor of the wooden bridge.
I guess I didn't die, huh? Lloyd thought, feeling depressed, he then looked at the river and saw that it was not the same savage beast as it was in the night. Seeing the calm river, although still flowing, he knew that it was pointless to try it now, for he feared dying while feeling pain, and with the calm river, he would have to force himself to drown.
Lloyd then sighed, looking around, he thought to himself that the crimson-dressed girl from the night before would return.
That's when Lloyd remembers that he had seen poisonous berries in the forest, which he had planned as a backup if the river didn't.
After a few minutes of walking, Lloyd finally reached the poisonous berry tree located deeper in the forest. It didn't take long since the bridge where Lloyd was before was located in the middle of the forest.
Picking three berries from the tree, Lloyd had a sudden thought, I didn't want to take these because it'd be a painful way to go, but it would be less painful than having to drown myself if only the river was gushing like it was last night, then I would've been knocked out by the current… Looking down in anger, he continued, Damn her, what did she do to me anyway? Well, I guess it doesn't matter. I just hope I don't run into her again, not that I have much left anyway.
Lloyd later looked at the berries in his hand and waited for a moment to see if he had a new fear of death or any regrets, but nothing came to mind, and with a grin on his face placed the berries in his mouth, chewed them for a mere second, then swallowed them.
Suddenly, Lloyd felt as if his body was both burning and freezing, ripping him into billions of pieces, while also molding him like a vase. He fell to the ground, screaming in pain with only one thought on his mind: Finally, this is it.
After a few minutes of suffering, the pain suddenly started to cease, and his body started to feel warm, like a calm flame that is used to warm up a house. After the pain had fully disappeared, he sat up on the ground using his hands to balance himself while sweating heavily.
Pat pat pat
"What happened? The pain stopped, but I'm still alive…"
Lloyd suddenly tried to lift himself off the ground and stand. After successfully standing, he slid his hands on each other, brushing off the dirt from the ground, and then he suddenly froze after seeing a strange symbol on his right palm.
Feeling a bit of panic and anger, Lloyd blurted out, "What the hell? Is this why I survived the poison? What did that girl do to me?"