The Very Beginning

10 years ago

When Leo, a 7 year old boy, woke up, he quickly found he was in an abandoned mine in the middle of Desolate Valley. Ju-On mine was a large mine nestled in the middle of the valley which was built during the Iron Rush decades ago. It was quickly abandoned after many accidents occurred within it's walls.

Leo was currently in a creepy dark tunnel, which seemed to stretch deeper inside the mountain, twisting and turning into the void. It was as if time stood still in this place, and Leo could still hear the clanging of pickaxes and forging of iron tools.
But right now there was only silence. And the sound of someone crying.

Leo quickly turned behind, startled.
There was a starved looking boy, about his age, crying in front of a woman's dead body.
Leo, unnerved, slowly began to approach the boy and put a hand on his shoulder before speaking.

"Uh, what happened?"

The boy responded through his tears. "Mom... Is not waking up."

"What happened to her?"

"She hasn't eaten for weeks. And now she's... She-"

Leo stayed quiet for a moment before speaking in a low voice. "We can't leave the body-"

"What?"

"We can't leave the body like this. We need to bury her. Or the rats will get to it."

The boy took a moment to process this before wiping off his tears and responding. "You're right. That's what happened to my sister's body."

"We need to look for tools. I'm sure they'll be some digging material around here. This is a mine after all."

The boys started to search through the tunnels, and returned after finding some digging equipment: A shovel found by Leo and a small knife.
They started to dig a hole, throwing dirt to the side as they went deeper and deeper through the mud. Once they finished, they tossed the body inside.

"Now we just need to seal it up," said Leo.

"Wait. There's something to do before that."

Saying this, the boy jumped down the pit next to his mother's body.
He then took out the knife.

"What are you doing?" Shouted Leo.

"It's for food... It's to survive."

The boy lifted the mother's arm, which had barely any flesh, and started to cut it off with the knife. He sawed back and forth at the shoulder joint with the small, dull blade, blood flowing down his body. All the while, he was crying uncontrollably. He started to speak while crying.

"You know... Mom refused to eat my sister... So she... I was..."

"It's okay. It's all over now."

When he was done, the arm separated from the body in his hands. It was a horrible sight. But it was for survival. The boy climbed out of the pit and started to fill it in.

"Do you have any other family?" Asked Leo.

"A father... an interspace away... Me, my mother and my sister were separated from him in the Ninth war. We found ourselves in the other side of the country, and we went looking for him. By foot. He didn't know where we were, but he told us he would be in the Black Bog before we split."

"The Black... Bog?"

"It's where us Abolished live. People unwanted by the kingdom."

Leo didn't respond.

"What about your family? Do you have one?"

"I don't know."

"That's fine. Many orphans find families in the Bog. You can find one, too."

"A family... I don't remember anything before this. You're the first person I'm talking to, ...?"

"Drago. My name is Drago. You must have hit your head hard somewhere to forget things."

"Drago. Shall we get going?"

For 3 days the boys travelled, through mountains and forests with only the mother's hand as food until they finally reached the Bog. They headed towards Drago's father's shack among the many in the region.

"Leo, I'm scared," said Drago, standing before the entrance.

"It's fine. I'm here with you."

Drago opened the door slowly. There was a grown man lying down on the floor. Hearing the door open, he shot up and looked towards the door.
Leo was surprised to see tears roll down his eyes.

"D-Drago?"

"Dad."

Drago's father threw himself towards Drago, his hands around him.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're alive."

Drago remained silent. Drago's father looked up at Drago and looked behind him.

"Where are they?"

Drago remained silent.

"Drago, where are they?"

Leo heard Drago mutter in a low voice. "...your fault..."

"OH GOD, WHERE ARE THEY, DRAGO?"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU COME LOOKING FOR US, DAD?"

Drago's father erupted in tears. "Jennifer... Jessica..." He slammed his head to the ground and screamed. Blood began to spray from his busted nose. "IT WAS YOUR ROLE TO PROTECT THEM!"

Drago remained silent while Drago's dad stood up. He was still crying.

"Why did you let it happen, Drago?"

Drago didn't respond?

"WHY?" Saying this, Drago's father shoved Drago backwards, causing what was left of his mother's fist to fall out of his pockets. Drago's father stared at it in shock and disbelief.

"Those fingers... Drago, what is this?"

Drago stared to cry on the ground. 

"Drago, it's just someone else's, right? You probably stole it from somewhere, right? Because there's no way it is..."

"Dad... You don't know..."

"Drago, why is it severed? What happened to the rest?"

"You don't know what we went through..."

Drago's father curled his fists. "Drago, ANSWER ME! What fucking happened to the rest? What did you-"
THUD!!
Drago's father fell over after the impact of the metal rod on his head. Leo had found it on the floor and had slammed him in the head with it. Blood spurted everywhere as the father fell to his knees, instantly dead after the impact. Drago stared in shock as Leo wiped his hands against his rags.

"Drago, you don't to worry anymore. This bastard doesn't know what you went through. You don't deserve a father like him. From now on, you're your own family. And don't worry. I'll always be there by your side."

"Leo-"

"We need to bury the body now. Or someone will find out. I'll clean off the blood first."

"Leo."

"What?"

"Who are you?"