A child was outside his house, playing with the insects that scuttled about instead of watching the sheep like his mother had commanded. He was struck with a stick to bring the sheep out to graze, and he will be struck with the stick again when he gets home, regardless whether he did a good job or not. Why try to do something so hard when it amounts to punishment anyway? Gabriel hated his family. His father would force him into hard labour, his mother would punish him for housework not done as well as she does, and his brother mimicked them and called him trash. Only his sister would treat him like an actual human being and a brother, secretly cleaning his wounds when their parents were asleep and stashing the best bits of her meal for Gabriel to eat later.
He knew Illina did not accept the way their parents acted, and when he wanted to run away, he asked her to join him. She refused, of course, saying how they needed to be filial children and stay with their parents regardless of their treatment. They were related by blood, after all. Illina promised she would find a way out for them, in the meantime, she encouraged Gabriel and urged him to endure things a little longer.
When Raziel Blacksun initiated the immortality spell he had coveted and the priests failed to use the proper incantation, his city was reduced to the mass of horror and destruction the Keltharian scouts report. Gabriel was one of the first to suffer the impact of the spell directly. Half-running, half-stumbling home, he opened the door met with shock. His parents were mutated by just a bit, while his sister and his younger brother were slightly affected.
Gabriel’s father quickly picked up the nearest weapon and aimed it at the stumbling Gabriel who was already half-mutated.
“Stay back! Stay back, you monster!” his father yelled, feinting a thrust with the coal poker. His mother gathered his toddler brother and older sister, his father between him and them. His parents had the same expression of disbelief and disgust, both of which were the same even in such a dire situation. Anger started to boil within Gabriel, and the want to hurt them… No… The want to kill them was growing. They had treated him like the dung from the sheep all these while, and they still treat him like so now. How he would love to pay them back for all he had suffered!
He gave a roar that resounded deafening in the small house, forcing everyone to raise their hands and cover their ears. His mother fell down with fright and had to be supported by his sister. This brother, however, felt excited by it. It seemed to be something awesome and it encouraged him to step towards the still mutating Gabriel, oblivious to the father who could only tremble on the spot.
This little one had also treated him like a mere toy as well, tossing all manners of disgusting sods at him. With a quick swipe of his elongated, claw-like fingers, Gabriel tore off his brother’s chest, exposing bits of his soft ribcage and internal organs. Fortunately for the toddler, his heart was slashed as well, ending in a quick death.
This prompted his father to action, picking up the coal poker, eager to use it. His father held his hand when Illina suddenly stepped in, blocking his way.
“Father please, this is my brother, Gabriel! There must be something that happened to him, we need to find him a cure!”
