Ethelia

Ethelia was never a normal child with normal parents, but she knew she was well loved and cared for. Her mother always went out of her way to spoil her, she wanted an allowance? 1,000 gold, go and buy the whole store baby girl. She wanted a puppy? Here, you can have the whole litter, nay, the whole pet shop. Don't worry, N will help you take care of them and he loves his job. But what Ethelia couldn't figure out was why she was so spoiled, her mother kept her in line of course and taught her morals and all that so she wouldn't become a self righteous brat. If she got into fights she got into trouble but what was the point of pampering her?

Ethelia tried to figure this out, she tried to ask her mother through questions and games and all sorts of other things... She even got grounded once for "borrowing" her mother's journal. She swears she was going to give it back!

It would be many years before Ethelia learned about her mother's depression and her concerns of an enemy ambush. Ethelia's father, Angel, was the sweetest thing to her as well. He was always encouraging, always kind and he would never raise a hand at her. No spankings, just sitting in a corner for forever, no yelling, just a calm and corrective correction whenever she stepped out of line. Often followed up with a loving hug of support. However, Ethelia could sense something deeper in him, something full of pain and neglect and longing.

She tried to figure him out as well, but he kept his secrets close to his chest and it would only be through his own volition that she would learn anything about him. Oh, imagine her shock when she learned who his father was, imagine her shock when she learned he was less man and more beast, imagine her fear when she learned of his upbringing. The neglect, the abuse, the crushing of an innocent soul who was tempered for nothing more than lethal combat when all he wanted to do was help others. Ethelia could really feel for her parents then.

This wouldn't hold her back from trying to help them though, her mother needed the emotional support and her father had some.... sadistic tendencies towards their enemies. He was never cruel towards his family but when bandits showed up demanding her brother Ike things went to hell. Angel never wanted her to see him like that but these men, they had the audacity of targeting his child and their home. The bandit's deaths were swift from her mother, but her father lingered on the bandit chief, making his death slow and excruciating with memories of his horrendous past coming to light.

Angel had plucked the eyes from the chief's sockets, he had impaled him on his sword but was keeping him alive and he was tormenting him with horrific illusions for hours on end. Illusions of death, of the chief's greatest fears... and all Ethelia could do was listen to the screams "I want you to live with what you've done. I want you to know that it was your fault your men died here today. Instead of killing you you're going to become an example to all bandits around. From now on they will be able to see what happens when you mess with this family." Angel dropped the incohesive bandit after this, retracting his blade and leaving the eyeless soldier to rot in his newfound insanity. Her mother walked forward next, but she didn't heal the man either. "Why let you suffer young man?" she questioned as he flailed around, the heel of her foot pinging him to the ground from it's place between his shoulder blades "N-no, I don't want to die! Please, I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean a thing I said before."

Ethelia watched as her mother's head tilted for a brief second in reply. The frown on her face was calm as she leaned down and whispered into the bandit's ear. "Then you should have thought twice before calling our son your property." Her blade slipped between the bandit's ribs and just like that, he was gone with nothing more than a ragged gasp. "Sweetheart, he could have been a deterrent to others." Angel sighed calmly, as though this had all happened before "I know, love, but if it were me then.... well, let's just say there are fates which are worse than death."

Ethelia had never seen her parents like this, she never knew what they were capable of as the two worked together to clear the bodies. Angel wanted to chuck them in the forest, let the wolves and the bears have at them, but Allison demanded a proper burial. The men were despicable, sure, but they likely had families who cared for them. Their systematic approach on how to handle this bandit attack scared her, it made Ethelia nervous, but she knew her parents well enough to tell that this was all for the family's own good.

"Honey" her father called out, a tiny smidget of blood still stuck to the side of his cheek as he struggled to maintain eye contact with his child "I'm... I'm so sorry you had to see me like that. I promise you baby girl, daddy isn't always like this." he coddled her, bending down on one knee and gently caressing her cheek with the back of his white glove "Just remember that... ok?" "O... k" Ethelia murmured before Allison walked up beside them. "Listen, baby girl, I think it's time you knew about The Organization... Ok?" "But sweetheart!" Angel whispered, alarmed at where their conversation would go. "It's alright Angel, don't worry. She knows now that this family isn't" the female hesitated, looking away for a brief moment and staring out into the horizon "as innocent and pure as it seems. We all have darker roots in the people that raised us and those who brought us into the world."

After a long pause Angel surrendered "Fine, I understand... Tell me Ethelia, do you know who your grandparents are?" Ethelia shook her head, and Angel knew, they were going to be here for awhile. "Well, let me tell you about my father. It's time you learn about this viciously cruel old man."

Ethelia hesitated, her father's gaze was so powerful and filled with rage, despite his calm expression, that his daughter had to look away. "It's ok Ethelia, we're only going to tell you who your enemies are. Who you need to avoid if you want to stay safe." Her mother, who Ethelia had turned to, explained before gesturing towards the bandits from before. "For example, those people there, are from The Organization.... and it's Angel's own father who has sent them for us."

Note to Adopter
If you ever get bored of this derg the owner of the Temporal Rifters thread would be happy to repurchase them. Please keep this in mind if you ever plan to sell, trade or exalt.