GoldenOnyx

-
"I WANT to fight!" Gold screamed and fluttered his wings as Mono tried to lift him onto his back. It was the dead of the night, and Gold was in pain. His chest was hurting badly, and moving any limb felt like it was pulling on the chest muscles. He was hurting badly right now, but he didn't want to leave the army and run away like a coward.

He fell limp as his head knocked harshly against the ground, and he didn't resist as Mono hauled him onto his back.

-

Gold wasn't his parents' first child, nor was he the last. But he knew that he was beloved for a long while. Before some other kid replaced him.

His father was a noble scholar scientist, and his mother came from a heavily militarily involved background. Following the traditions of her old clan, she trained their children to be soldiers for the Arcanist, while only a selected few remained home and studied with their father.

Gold was one of the special kids that got to stay home; he didn't want to head to war, and he loved reading. The stars fascinated him, and he thought that he would grow up to be a wise scholar, serving the Arcanist in his studies.

His plans were harshly shattered when he accidentally shattered Dad's telescope lens.

It was an ancient thing, the first valuable gift his father was given after settling down in the Arcane domain. Intricate runes were carved all over the surface of the beautiful thing, and it was heavy. It was rumored that if one looked into it, they could see their future.

He was a curious youth, and he stole it to see if he indeed became a wise scholar.

What he saw shocked him; he was not a scholar at all. In the vision, he wore a helmet and armors, and he gripped on a spear. He was bloodied, lying in a pile of blood, along with dozens and dozens of other soldiers. There were wounds on his freshly dead body, still red and raw, and his eyes were open in a forever glare.

He dropped the telescope, and the fragile lens crisply shattered.

-

He was exiled, sent to be a soldier in the army. And he thought that the vision was going to come true.

His older brother, MonochromeGold, aka Mono, went with him, taking special care that they didn't get separated from the other. Mono and Gold clung to each other for company and prayers.

-

A solution out of the army came to him, and if he could just fight hard enough, if he could just become an honorable soldier, he could possibly quit the army after those grand acts of service, and surely his parents would forgive him and welcome him home.

So that was exactly what he was doing. Fighting hard, praying harder. That, was all before Mono kidnapped him away.

-

"Back home, I was always jealous of you," he listened to Mono speak. They had a small camp fire, and right now they took shelter inside the mouth of a cave. He was half unconscious; his head and chest hurt badly, but the blankets around him felt so fluffy and comfortable... where did Mono get those from?

"Cause, I guess you got to stay homeundbewith Dad and Mum and belikea spoiled prince or whatever," Mono's words were slurring together and fading in and out, but they were clearer and clearer the longer Gold paid attention to them, "I dien't get that. Called me a freak; called me ugly. Trained me up since I was a kid to send me to war."

Mono turned his head over to Gold, watching him with his strange toad - like eyes.

"When they shoved us out, Mum told me to take care of you," Mono's eyes narrowed slightly, "So I guess that's what I was doing."

Gold listened quietly.

"And I guess," Mono's voice quieted, "I guess they just don't really care about us."

Gold closed his eyes; he didn't want to listen anymore. Of course Mum and Dad loved him; Mono was just having a phrase or something. He decided to get some rest, and then try to get back to the army in the morning.

Mono huffed, "Right, let's get some sleep. I'll see where we can get to in the morning."