Chapter 396 - Side Story (Dimitri)(2)(unedited)

At the little hut, an oil lamp is quietly burning. The little Dimitri was tucked away warmly on his bed. He was breathing evenly while he is sleeping. His mother was looking at him lovingly with affectionate eyes. She planted a kiss on her son's forehead and stood up and walked towards the table.

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The shabby hut was small. It only has one room that consists of the kitchen, dining and sleeping areas. It only has one bed where Dimitri and his mother sleep side by side.

Dimitri's mother took a sit on the chair by the table and sighed. She looked at her sleeping son who looked so peaceful.

"If only I could tell you that you are of Atlantian royal blood, then this things would have never happened to you." Dimitri's mother said that only she could hear. "If only your father had took you in as one of his children.

Dimitri's mother remembered the day when she took Dimitri to the palace as a baby. The king of Atlantia knew that the baby is his and granted audience to Dimitri's mother. She was a royal maid back then and was assigned inside the king's palace. She was a beautiful woman that can easily attract men with her beauty. At first, she had done her job without any incidents until one day when the king took a fancy on her.

The king at first was only sneaking glances at her, but after quite some time those glances leveled up to slight touches and then flirting. Dimitri's mother was a commoner, hence was scared of the king and cannot voicer her objections. These instances continued until one night when Dimitri's mother was inside the king's room doing her work, she was taken by the king then and there.

Dimitri's mother was frightened of the king and was not able to tell this to any maids she was working with. But even without her telling, the news that the king bedded her spread like wild fire inside the king's palace. Other maids were pitying her and others were jealous of her. They thought that Dimitri's mother had climb the social ladder after being bedded by the king.

The nightly duties had been going on often since that faithful night, until one day she found out she was pregnant. Dimitri's mother was frightened of what will happened with her child once the queen knew that she is pregnant with the king's child, and so she fled from the palace and came to live in the village. The villagers were welcoming of her, being this was where she grew up and was her home. But when she gave birth to Dimitri that had black hair and eyes, their kindness turned into cold stares.

Dimitri's mother did not want her son to live a life of being scorned, and so she took Dimitri to the palace when he was still a baby and presented him to the king. The king saw the black hair and eyes of Dimitri and looked at him with disdain. He knew that this was his son, but he has the features of someone that can give bad luck to the Atlantian royal family, hence the king who was Dimitri's father ordered his soldiers to kill him.

Dimitri's mother pleaded with the king but she was not given a chance to explain and was thrown into the dungeons with the baby. The soldiers were ordered to kill the mother and child that can bring ruin to the royal blood line. Dimitri's mother was crying holding her baby in her arms. She heard foot steps going to her cell and she was frightened to death that they will be executed. But when the doors open, a beautiful lady came in with a young lady in her early teens. It was the queen and princess Leticia.

The queen took pity of the mother and child and helped them to escape. Leticia looked at her sleeping half brother and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Dimitri's mother still remembers what the princess said before giving Dimitri a kiss.

<Flashback>

"I will give you a small gift my little brother." Princess Leticia said. "With the power I possess, I give you a charm. This charm will help you survive the dangers you face. I wish you well and I hope we see each other again in the future." The princess kissed the little baby. The place were the princess kissed glowed a dull light but then faded after a few seconds.

<Flashback end>

"I still cannot tell you that your own father tried to kill you, my little boy." Dimitri's mother started to cry. But then loud bangs was heard on their door.

*BANG BANG BANG*

"Come out!" I man's voice shouted. "I know you are in there."

Dimitri's mother wiped her tears and went to open the door. When she opened the door, she saw the village leader with some village folks holding torches.

"Village leader. Is it not a bit late to warrant a visit?" Dimitri's mother said. "What can I do for you?"

"What do you mean 'what can I do for you?'. Look… look what your son did to my boy!" The village leader said with an angry tone.

The village leader showed his son that had a swollen black eye and bruised face. He looked beaten up to a pulp.

"T-There must be some mistake." Dimitri's mother tried to reason out. "Dimitri is only five years old. Yes, he may have thrown a few punches to your boy but my son's little hands could not have made such a damage."

"That is not true. I saw it with my own eyes." One of the children that were with the village leader's son said. "Dimitri was so strong that we cannot stop him. We, who tried to stop him were thrown all over the place. He is so strong that you will not think he was a five year old boy."

"Did you hear what the children said? Your boy is a monster!" The village leader said. "He should be killed before any curse befall us!"

"NO! You are wrong!" Dimitri's mother cried hysterically. "My son is just a normal child!"

"It was your fault that he became that way. If you did not shared the bed of someone who you should not have, then the heavens would not have cursed your son." The village leader said. "Do you think I will not know. Word has come into my ear that he is the son of the king, and the king himself had said he is a cursed child and ordered to be killed!!"

"No, no please. I beg of you, spare my son." Dimitri's mother kneeled in front of the village leader. "He is just a child. He had done nothing wrong."

"The king himself ordered that child to be killed. He is a monster, you have seen what he had done." The village leader said. "What else will happen if we let him live?" The village leader gestured to the other villagers to go inside and get Dimitri.

"NO… DON'T!" Dimitri's mother ran towards the door.

"Mother, what is happening? Why is it noisy outside." The small Dimitri came out while rubbing his eyes.

"Kill him. Kill him now!" The village leader shouted.

One of the villagers readied his bow and arrow and aimed towards Dimitri. When he released the arrow, it fle at the direction of the little boy. When Dimitri was about to get shot, his mother ran towards him and hugged him tightly.

"Ugh…" Dimitri's mother g.r.o.a.n.e.d.

"M-Mother?" Dimitri was shocked. He saw his mother spit out blood from her mouth and dropped to the ground. "No, mother… mother."

"My… beautiful boy." Dimitri's mother c.a.r.e.s.sed his cheeks and was stained with blood. Dimitri saw her clothes were starting to soak in blood.

"No… mother please. Don't leave me." Dimitri started to cry.

"I… I am sorry that mother will leave you. But please, live." Dimitri's mother said. "Whatever others say, you are still my most precious little boy." After her words, she breathed her last.

"Mother… no, no, no. MOTHER!" Dimitri yelled in pain.

"What are you waiting for? Kill him!" The village leader said.

When the other villager was about to fire another arrow, the ground started to move violently.

"What is this? An earthquake?" One villager asked.

The earth rumbled violently as if it will open a hole on the ground. The villagers looked at Dimitri and he was being surrounded by a black void. He had blank eyes devoid of feelings and he looked their way sending shivers on the villagers' spine. The black void started to spread towards them.

"Ahhh…!"

"RUN!

"We are going to die!"

The villagers ran away to save their lives.

"What are you doing?! You just need to kill that monster to stop this." The village leader yelled.

The villagers that were caught up with the black void was s.u.c.k.e.d in while they were screaming in fear. Others ran to save their lives. The village leader found the bow and arrow the other villager dropped and aimed for Dimitri. The little boy was still holding his dead mother in his arms.

"I will kill you now, monster." The village leader said. "This is also the will of the king."

But before he can fire the arrow in his hand, he felt his feet being restrained. When he looked down, he saw that his feet were being enveloped by a rock like substance. It is crawling its way up his body, as if he is starting to get petrified.

"No, stop this!" The village leader said. He shot the arrow towards Dimitri but before it hit the boy, a black swirl came out from the void and stopped the flying arrow.

"No… no, no NO!" The village leader yelled. "You monster!"

The rock started to envelope the whole body of the village leader from feet up. He was screaming until the rock envelopes his head and whole body.

Dimitri was left with his dead mother in his arms. The black void started to retract back to him slowly.

"I will live mother. I will not let anyone trample on me ever again." Dimitri said.

The black void swallowed Dimitri's dead mother slowly until it vanished. Dimitri was now alone in the dark of night. The cold wind started to blow in silence.