'FAMILY'

Later that evening, in Lady Chan's room, while she was packing up hers and Noname's things, Noname, who had just recently received a bit of a treatment from Lady Chan herself, was now in a fully conscious state but still had a rather calm demeanour due to the recent incident. He was sitting upright on his bed with his head lowered in despair and a bit of regret. In this moment, he felt the urge to speak up and get the full understanding of himself; at this point, he could no longer bear keeping to himself his desperate wanting for the truth... So in a low and sickly tone, he asked his caretaker a simple but concerning question....

"...What.... am I?"

"...Get some rest Fuku, You still need to..." She tried to brush aside the question, but Noname rather persisted with a now emotional tone.

"I asked a question!....

.... 'What am I?!'.... 

....Why do people hate me so much?!!....

.... Why does even life itself hate me so much that it never shows me its good side?!!!... Even my very own parents despise me so much that their hearts burn with unthinkable anger upon my sight; Being rejected as a Prince or part of the Royal family isn't such a big deal, but now their sheer hatred for me has gotten so deep that they reject me as their son!? Tell me Lady Chan, what is it with me?"

Lady Chan, at this point, was deeply moved by the tears rolling down Noname's cheek and the trembling in his voice, she could not resist giving him an answer and gave in to his emotional expression. 

She fell silent for some seconds and finally spoke up.

"...Some say it's a curse, some say it's a demon, others say it's just an evil spirit, and those who have studied the kingdom's history say that it is 'Death' itself... yet no one knows exactly what it is. All we know is that if it is released, then a dark apocalypse will befall this kingdom and abruptly bring everything and everyone within to a horrific and tragic end..." 

She whimpered for a second, in tears, before uttering her next words, for she knew it was one that would break Noname entirely...

"....My Fuku, your very soul is naught but a cage for this curse, and the curse will stop at nothing, whatsoever, to break free from its confinement.... Of course, the human soul was purposefully designed to be a core, not a cage, and therefore has no keys for unlocking. The only way to break free.....

....is to destroy it!

If you die now my Fuku then we are all, without a doubt, doomed, but your very existence in itself is a threat to us – It is a foresight to destruction; a valid proof that no matter how blessed this kingdom may be, destruction awaits at the end!"

Noname, after hearing all that his caretaker had said, could not utter a single word, he just sat in his position in tears, as still as a lifeless object. He had finally found out the long-awaited truth about himself, a truth he had ever longed to hear, but THE truth he never wanted to hear.

Lady Chan finally packed up and left with Noname that same night.... They hurriedly left for the outskirts of the kingdom, into a deep forest where they started residing in Lady Chan's former home in which she had been living when she was just a new captive!

◆ ◆ ◆

Many years ago, when Lady Chan was just a little child, as naive and innocent as she was, she was taken as a captive into the Kingdom during a war between Shukufuku and a Chinese kingdom. She was later on bought and brought in by a poor family who, at that time, lived in that very house and took care of her. Upon their deaths, she, as innocent and naive as she was, remained in the house lonely and unattended to, until one fateful day, Noname's grandmother [Fuku VI], happened to find her on one of her royal hunting expeditions. 

Ever since then, she lived with the royal family as a maid and subsequently gained their trust and friendship, especially that of Noname's father himself. After some years, Lady Chan was eventually given the esteemed role of the headmaid. 

◆ ◆ ◆

* * *

Before Noname was given birth to, Lady Chan had knowledge of the fortune that would befall him, yet, after his birth, she took care of him like her own son. No one else in the whole kingdom, except the king, knew why she did this, and she would never stop! Instead, her love and care for him evolved every passing day, and eventually their bond became stronger and stronger, especially after they had been banished.

* * *

While living in the forest, Noname really learnt a lot from Lady Chan; she was a very good cook and had quite an athletic skill; this value did she never display until her banishment. 

Noname had subsequently started living 'LIFE'; He would go into the thick forest and hunt rodents and other livestock, which would then be prepared by Lady Chan. He also harvested fruits and vegetables on a weekly basis to meet their nutritional needs.

On a few occasions, Noname ran into wild animals, but thanks to Lady Chan's locomotive training, he always escaped. On one certain occasion, he single-handedly killed a bear, but of course, ended up with intense bleeding and broken bones, which were later treated by Lady Chan and eventually took weeks to fully heal. 

In the truth of the matter, Noname was very much happier in his new home, with his new life, and with his new baby brother!.....Yes!, After the incident, the Queen had planned with the King to have another baby, even though they knew that it would only result in another death-carrying vessel. They did this to provide false proof to the people that everything would be alright after dyeing the baby's hair permanently white!

After the whole matter had subsided (not completely though), they sent the baby to Lady Chan, but not without monthly supplies. 

This relieved Noname a bit, although he still loved his hobby of hunting and climbing trees. 

Three years passed since the exposure incident (His First Adversity), and Noname was 18 while Hope (the name given by the King to complement the false proof), was 3. A good look at 18-year-old Noname would depict a full-grown man, quite tall and well-built.

On this certain day, he wore only a vest on his upper body, which revealed his chiselled abs, his wide shoulders, and his broad chest, not forgetting his thick arms. He was not so densely muscular but had the body of a full-grown adult. His hair had grown long and was jokingly braided by Lady Chan, but he cared less about it since there was no one else in the woods who would be fortunate to see him that way. 

It happened so, that when the sun was setting, Noname was returning from a stroll in the thick forest when he spotted an anonymous figure dressed in a dark green silk cloak. From the slow and uncertain way the figure walked, Noname sensed that he... or she, was not familiar with the forest and was probably in search of something. So Noname snuck up on him, pulling out a rock-carved dagger from his pocket. 

He dashed quietly behind the anonymous figure and, with an unexpected and violent force, dragged off the silk robe, simultaneously pointing the dagger at his face, but to his very own surprise, the figure that was now standing right before him was naught.....

.... but his own twin brother!