The Chameleon

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October 11th Childhood Fear

Cazmilan Fin’endal, as he was known at the time, had an interesting childhood as he would refer to it now.  Little did he know that he had been born into a very specific lineage in which he was expected to uphold despite his personal wants.  The training and the shaping began the moment he could walk in order to mold him into the best of the best.  

While there was no shortage of love among his little family which included just his mother, father and himself, there was no shortage of discipline either.  Proper etiquette was expected at all times as were perfect grades.  If he slipped in any way there would always be punishment.  He learned very quickly to be perfect.

He did have one imperfection that had developed slowly over time.  Every time he got a question incorrect there would be snap of a belt, every time his attention waned he would be on the ground. Mistakes, no matter how minor, were punished by pain or humiliation. Sometimes both.  

He had learned to fear imperfection.

Atelophobia, as he would learn later.  It had taken over his life to the point of committing all of his waking hours to his studies and training.  If he didn’t get that 100% on his test his father didn’t even need to punish him at this point, he would punish himself and then study even harder for the next test.  If someone bested him in sparring, he would spend four more hours training. He was physically and mentally exhausted but he couldn’t rest, he still had so much to prove!

As he grew older he became more and more accustomed to the cruel hours and high standards he had set for himself.  He also started noticing just how much he had missed out on:   He had no friends, he never indulged in frivolous activities, and junk food was a foreign thing to him.  It continued to pile up over the years and he grew more and more resentful towards not only himself, but more so towards his father.

He was the one that had forced him into this lifestyle. He was the one who punished and humiliated. He was the one that kept him from having a real childhood.

And a year later after Cazmilan was ‘gifted’ the title of The Chameleon, his father would be the first one to die at the end of his blade.

@cazthechameleon