The Beginning of a Misfortunate Childhood

A woman lay with a baby in her arms. Her eyes were full of love as she stared at the newborn baby. “A girl. . . Dear, I think we should name her Cliantha,” The woman whispered as she glanced at the man beside her. The man’s cold face didn’t even flinch.

“Do whatever you want.” The man glanced at the woman and the baby before leaving the room without a second look back.

“Don’t worry Cliantha. Your name’s meaning is glory. As long as you bring glory to the family your father will surely love you.” The woman’s eyes contained bottomless greed, and the love shown earlier seemed to just have been a mirage. As in many nobles' families, the marriage of the woman, Abigail, and the man, Claude, was merely an arranged one. They shared no love and only bore a child to be an heir to their family. But Abigail was charmed by Claude and wished to be a real family with him, but Claude had no interest in her. Abigail had hopes that their child would bridge the gap between them and thaw his frozen heart. But Cliantha would never be able to satisfy her mother’s dreams.

***

AHHHH! Abigail screamed. It was her daughter’s second birthday, but things weren’t going as planned. Abigail and Claude held a banquet to celebrate their child’s second birthday, but in the midst of the party Cliantha’s hair started to grow abnormally and flowers sprouted from her scalp. It was a terrifyingly beautiful sight.

“I-It can’t be! Cliantha! My baby!” Abigail approached her child and touched her hair, but the flowers remained. Abigail glanced back in horror as her husband glared at their child. Abigail had grown closer to Claude in the past couple of years, but all that seemed for naught as there was now a deep hatred in his eyes.

“You’ve failed as a mother. You’ve given birth to a monster. What kind of child’s hair grows flowers?” Claude’s face grew frosty as he called on a guard and took a sword. “This family was created to protect the empire, and I will not have this abomination be a part of this family for one moment longer.” Claude swiftly stepped toward Cliantha, but the child only smiled in return and raised her arms toward her father.

“Dada. . .” Claude froze before he could stab Cliantha. He was torn between his loyalty to the empire and his blood bonds. Claude dropped the sword and then glanced at Abigail.

“You. You’ve given birth to this abomination. You’re not suited to be the lady of this house or my wife. It’s over. From this moment on we have nothing to do with one another,” Claude dropped the sword to the ground and then turned his back on his now ex-wife Abigail. “This banquet is over!” Claude told the guards to escort the abomination and his ex-wife out of his mansion as they were no longer part of his family.

Abigail watched horrified as her husband abandoned her. Where would she go? How would she survive? Then she felt a tug on her sleeve and glanced down to see her daughter, the source of all her misfortune, tugging on her sleeve with a stupid smile on her face. Abigail laughed maniacally. She’d lost the one she loved, she’d given birth to an abomination, and there was nothing left for her.

Abigail grabbed the sword that Claude had tossed aside. “There’s nothing left for me in this world. You won’t love me, and I don’t love that child. My family won’t take me back. I won’t survive as a commoner! I curse you, Claude! I hope you never find happiness!” Abigail glared at her ex-husband and stabbed her stomach without a second glance at her young 2-year-old daughter.

Claude watched emotionlessly as his wife of 3 years killed herself. He told the guards to clean up the mess then glanced at the young child who’d witnessed her own mother’s death. She didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. She just sat on the ground and stared at her mother’s lifeless body with no emotion. Claude hesitated. “Send her to the villa on the outskirts of Roputa.” Roputa was on the edge of the empire’s territory. Sending the girl there was a death sentence, but Claude hesitated no longer. He couldn’t keep this child in his family. It would be seen as an act of treason because the flowers growing in her hair meant she had some connection to the spirits, but the empire that Claude protected was an enemy of the spirits. He wouldn’t become a traitor for a daughter that he couldn’t spare a glance at. Cliantha watched as her mother’s lifeless body bled out and turned pale and as her father abandoned her. She didn’t know what was going on, so all she could do was smile without a care in the world.

***

*SLAP* Cliantha’s head jerked as she was slapped by the only maid who stayed by her side. The maid didn’t stay out of the kindness of her heart though, she stayed because of the check and because of the sense of superiority she got from abusing a noble child who wasn’t cared for.

“Now Cliantha, what did I say about eating without permission?” The maid sneered as she glared down at the 10-year-old Cliantha.

“I-I’m sorry,” Cliantha stuttered and stared at the ground as her hands clenched her worn-out skirt that was clearly too big for her small frame due to malnourishment. “I know I should’ve waited, b-but I was just-!” *SLAP* Clinatha’s head jerked for a second time as she was slapped again by the maid.

The maid sternly talked to Cliantha, “Don’t talk back to me. You’ve been abandoned by everyone. Even the spirits seem to loathe you.” Most would think that the flowers growing in Cliantha’s hair meant the spirits had blessed her, but she hadn’t been able to summon any spirits. The maid thought she would be able to make a pretty penny off of Cliantha’s spirit skill, but she had no talent. Her father Claude had also fallen in love and remarried the one and only saintess of the empire who had been blessed by the gods.

This world was divided into many factions, but the two main religious ones were the spirit faction and the god faction. Spirits blessed people from birth and those blessed were usually able to summon spirits once they were old enough. They could then use these spirits to battle

the fallen. The fallen were lowly spirits and gods who had been corrupted. Of course, there was also the occasional high-ranking god or spirit that would be corrupted and they would wipe out nations before being stopped or pacified. The empire Cliantha belonged to was well isolated from other nations as there was a mountain range surrounding them. That was the only reason their empire had yet to be taken over. The people of the empire worshipped the gods for building this mountain range and protecting them from invaders and the fallen. While those blessed by the spirits could summon them and borrow their powers, those blessed by gods usually had holy power, and in rare cases, divine power. That was what the one and only saintess of their lowly empire had. It was unknown why she chose to stay in this small empire even though she had divine powers and would have a prestigious identity even in larger nations.

‘Are you spacing out?! Do you need me to hit you again?!” The maid shouted as Cliantha stood there with a blank look on her face. Cliantha was tired. Her mother had died in front of her when she was only a couple years old, her father had abandoned her and forgotten about her. Even the spirits that had supposedly ‘blessed’ her had abandoned her. No one wanted her. It was a shocking realization for a 10-year-old child. The maid raised her hand in preparation to hit Cliantha again, but the moment before impact Cliantha’s skin hardened and seemed to have a strange texture.

*SLAP* “AGHHH!” The maid screamed and clutched her hand after she slapped Cliantha for the third time. Her hand was cut up and had splinters in it. The maid looked up and horror took over her face as she watched Cliantha’s once gaunt face turn into what looked like the bark of a tree. The maid backed away in horror. “You- You’re a monster!” The maid turned and ran without a second look back at Cliantha.

Cliantha reached out towards the maid’s back which was getting further and further away. That maid was the only one who cared for her, who occasionally fed her? What was she to do now?

The night was approaching and Cliantha was starving. The kitchen was empty, the maid was supposed to restock today, but as she ran away Cliantha had no food. Her stomach grumbled, but she didn’t know what to do. She had no one. She knew nothing. She got up and wandered out of the mansion. There was nothing left here for her.

Cliantha wandered the streets of the small town of Roputa. She couldn’t return to the mansion, there was no food there, and there was no one waiting for her. Would anyone even notice if she died on the streets right now? She trudged through the town, up and down every street again and again with no destination in mind, until dawn arrived.

Cliantha couldn’t hold on much longer. She hadn’t eaten for a few days even before the maid left. She was desperate for food. Should she just steal from a vendor? She glanced at the bread that a baker was selling. Then she glanced at the baker. She saw his eyes and realized she had no chance of stealing food. She was a small girl with a gaunt face. No one would let her close enough to have a chance to steal food. Cliantha reached the corner of the town again. She sat outside the pub. She couldn’t keep walking. She was losing strength. This was the end. She was going to leave this world unwanted and unloved. Cliantha wanted to cry, but she couldn’t even muster the courage to do that.