#hiroi

Freedom.

It's something many wanted, many were desperate for, many were fortunate to obtain.

It was something Hiori had never known, but had desired since he understood what the concept was. From the day he was born, his life was written in permanent ink. Take over his fathers title, become the head of his company, marry another noblewoman from a wealthy family, and have children to carry on the family name and business. But he didn't wish for such a life, no one had asked him what he, so wished for. It was only told, expected, and sealed. Each expectation, each assumption, each concrete decision that was out of his hands pushed him only further to the deep end of suffering and despair. 

He looked at the face of the stranger he was supposed to marry, and it was as if his whole world had been tipped upside down. 

He flinched as a hand placed itself on his shoulder— his mother. She whispered in his ear, dragging on about how he was of age, about how this—stranger was the daughter of a fellow Baron, about how she was a perfect fit in the family, for him–

His mind was yonderly, and before he could think about what he was doing, he had spun on his heel, already running, sprinting. He ignored the distant yelling and shouting for him to return. His lungs burned for air and the ache in his feet licked up his legs, yet he didn't stop. He forced his body to keep moving until he reached a familiar door, almost tripping over himself before slamming it shut behind him. His room, shrouded in the darkness of the moonlight, and numb with the cold, was the only quiet place he could clear his mind.

This wasn't what he wanted, never what he asked for.

That's how he found himself where he was, huddled in the shadowed corner of his room, his eyes stung with unshed tears, his breathing coming out winded and uneven. This pure feeling of despair, it gnawed and clawed at his insides, like a disgusting parasite under his skin, in his mind. His blunt fingernails dug into the flesh of his biceps, leaving crescent indentations full of frustration in their wake. Yet, with more time passing alone, that hopelessness and despair festered into malice, white hot fury that was just narrowly contained. His parents were merely strangers in his eyes, heartless people who controlled him like their little puppet–like their next prodigy. He hated himself for letting it go on for so long, to allow others to place the bricks of a path in his life rather than doing it himself.

His icy baby blue eyes blurred over as warm frustrated tears flowed down his reddened cheeks. His fingers fumbled to find the cross on his neck, clenching it so tightly it almost broke. He was made to believe in God, put all his faith and trust into this so-called ‘God.’ Yet if such a thing was true, then surely God would know how miserable he was, or he simply isn't a good God at all. Hiori wanted to get rid of everyone, everything, until his life just a blank state. It would be the way–the only way–for him to find some kind of peace, even if it meant destroying everything he knows, even if it means killing–

The hairs on his neck suddenly pricked up, a pressure, an almost downright ominous aura weighed heavily around him, unsettling him so deeply he lost his train of thought. His head slowly rose up, only to see he was in the middle of what looked like a snowfield, but he didn’t feel an ounce of cold. Snowflakes obscured his vision, softly settling on his pale blue lashes and hair, only darkness in the sky.

“Goodness me, what a miserable little Baron you are.” Your voice spoke out, almost as if all around him, barely on the edge of taunting and fiend amazement. His eyes darted to the right at the sudden flash of colour that appeared in his peripheral vision, his breath hitching in his throat. He blinked, once twice in shock.

A…sheep?

A black one at that. It was laughably odd, the fact his favourite animal is in front of him. It was even more ironic that it was a black sheep, awfully known for its idiom of a family member who is different from the rest of the family and doesn't fit in. It was just staring at him straight, eerily unmoving in the snow.

“You have summoned me here.” Your voice called out again. It was almost as if it was coming from the sheep, yet it was as still as a statue. Hiori’s mouth hung open for a moment, too many questions all scrambled together in his mind dying in his throat. 

The sheep tilted its head, before blinking ever so slowly. 

“You wish to cause bloodshed to those who have taken away your right to freedom. Those kinds of feelings make a perfectly delicious soul, don’t you think?” 

Your voice was sounding more human-like by the minute, almost sweet with the way it talked to him, as if trying to comfort him from the tragedy he was so tied to. It was like an unknown force beckoning him forward to something he was destined for. As if instead of going towards the light, he was purposely blanketing himself in the traces of darkness. It felt like he had been in a dream for an eternity–was he dreaming? He very well could be, but the snow under him felt too real, and the flakes falling on his nose tickled too much. He hadn’t said a word, yet he felt like he owed the voice his full desires, his simple wish. However, before he could even get a word out, your voice spoke out again.

“Once one has rejected faith, it is impossible to pass through the gates of heaven.”

Hiori scoffed, something that would get him scolded by his parents.

“There is no god,” he declared, eyes hardening as they examined the sheep with caution. There was a silence that filled the atmosphere for a moment, almost like you were trying to think of what to say.

There was amusement in your tone as you replied, “You are wrong, the bastard exists, he just doesn't care for you.”

His eyes widened. Hiori felt his body stiffen at the blunt confession he had just been given. His mouth dried up, and as the words confirmed his worst fears. Yet a small part of him was almost relieved he had been told the truth.

“So what do I do?” he croaked quietly, vulnerability spilling in his tone.

There was a silence, and something that almost sounded like a huff from the sheep.

“Surrender your soul, and I'll grant you everything you wish, everything you want to erase, the freedom you so desire.”

It honestly sounded like he was in a fever dream. Yet whatever this thing was speaking off, if it was true, then…could he be selfish this once? Could he really be as free as a bird? He looked up from his knees, meeting the sheeps hard stare straight on.

“I'll do it,” He growled, almost shocked at his own sudden impulsive decision. 

You could almost laugh at this young man's thought process of freedom, but his determination almost impressed you. There was almost a pick up of wind in his answer, as if silently letting him know you were satisfied with your answer. The sheep blinked again, once, twice. Your next words sounded more honeyed, almost like an older woman's voice spilling through.

“Do we have terms?”

There was a silence in the atmosphere as Hiroi bit his tongue, nodding.

“We have terms.” He uttered, standing up as he noticed the wind picking up heavily.

He barely took a step forward in the sheep's direction before he paused, his eyes widening at the seemingly harsh beginning of a snow storm collecting up around the sheep, almost breathless in awe as it undeniably began to take a different shape, more feminine, more…humanoid.

“Perfect, shall we get started eliminating those who oppose your desire, yes?”