The night was supposed to be beautiful.
A full moon hung high above the Stoneford estate, its pale light spilling through tall windows and casting silver across the cold marble floors.
But inside, there was no beauty—only screams.
"Useless!"
The crack of a hand echoed through the hall.
Selion's small body hit the ground, his vision spinning as pain exploded across his face. At barely five years old, he didn't even understand what he had done wrong.
"I-I'm sorry… f-father…" his voice trembled, barely louder than a whisper.
Another strike.
"Don't speak!"
The man looming over him. The Baron of this estate, Audric Stoneford—reeked of alcohol, his eyes of that a demonic human. To him, Selion was not a son. He was a stain.
A disappointment to this estate who could not even handle basic circle one magic.
"Please, stop!"
A figure rushed forward. His mother.
She threw herself between them, arms wrapping around Selion as if her body alone could shield him from the storm.
"He's just a child!"
She cried, her voice breaking with fear and despair.
"He hasn't even awakened properly—please, give him time!"
"Time?" the Baron looked in disgust, his expression twisting, eyebrows frowning into what seemed to be that of a demon.
"We've had generations of failure. I don't have the luxury of giving time to somebody as worthless as slaves."
The blow meant for Selion landed on her instead.
She gasped, her body breaking—bones crackling like thunder, but she didn't move away.
Selion clutched her clothes, shaking in desperation as he struggled to form words.
"M-Mother… please… it hurts…"
"I know…" she whispered, her voice trembling as she held him tighter. "I'm here… I'm here…"
But she couldn't protect him.
The strikes kept coming.
Again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again , and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again.
Time blurred. Minutes stretched into something endless, suffocating. The sound of impact, the cries, the desperate pleas—it all blended into a nightmare Selion couldn't escape. And all the while…They watched. From the edge of the hall, his brothers stood in silence.
No—Not silence.One of them cackled.
"Pathetic."
Another leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"Is that really our brother?"
"Half-blood trash," one muttered.
Their eyes held no warmth. No hesitation. Only disgust. Selion's chest tightened, something deep inside him twisting painfully not just from the blows, but from the realization that no one would help him.
No one cared.
"Please…" his mother begged, her voice growing weaker. "Please, just—stop…"
But the Baron didn't stop. Not until she could no longer stand. Her body collapsed beside Selion, unmoving.
For a moment, there was silence.— Then the silence broke
"Take her."
The Baron grabbed her by the hair, dragging her across the floor like she weighed nothing.
Selion's fingers reached out weakly.
"M…mother…"
But she didn't respond. She couldn't. And just like that, she was gone. The door slammed shut behind them leaving Selion alone.
…Or so he thought. A shadow fell over him.
"Well… that was entertaining."
Selion's breath hitched. His brothers, they stepped forward slowly, their expressions amused, almost bored.
"Still breathing?" one said, crouching down beside him.
"Guess we should fix that."
Selion tried to crawl away, his small hands trembling against the cold floor. But he was too weak. Too slow.
The first kick landed.
Pain erupted through his side, another followed. And another.
"Look at him squirm."
"Disgusting."
"Why is he even part of this family?"
Their voices blurred together as the beating continued. Selion couldn't even scream anymore—his voice had long since given out.
All he could do was endure. His world faded in and out, darkness creeping at the edges of his vision.He didn't know how long it lasted.
Only that eventually—It stopped.
"This was less amusing than I thought."
"Let's go."
Footsteps echoed away, their laughter fading into the distance. And then...
Silence.
Selion lay there, broken, his small body barely rising with each shallow breath. The cold floor beneath him felt endless. Empty.
Alone.
Tears slid down his face, but his eyes…They weren't soft anymore.They burned—
something inside him—something fragile—had shattered.
And in its place…Something darker took root.
His fingers curled weakly against the stone.
His voice was barely a whisper—hoarse, broken, trembling with something far deeper than pain.
"…I'll kill you…"
The words lingered in the air, fragile but real.
"…every single fucker in this house…"
His breathing grew uneven, but his eyes—his eyes burned with a quiet, terrifying fury.
"I swear it on the Aurelius Empire…"
The moonlight above remained cold and distant, casting its pale glow over the boy who lay on the floor.
Watching.
As something in him began to change.