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Not so long ago, but still some time back, two souls met in the world and soon merged into one.
He was the life of the party, who would occasionally skip work to play music and cheer up the others. She was a beautiful goddess, as if she had stepped out of a painting with a golden border, who explored the dungeons, describing and analyzing every little detail in them. And he was ready to listen to her for hours, bringing her ordinary stones or stolen fool's gold after work. For the first time, she saw someone who supported her without asking unnecessary questions and was ready to help her.
They — Lucius and Andromeda — became everything to each other. Andromeda was not afraid to speak out against their traditions and opposed cruelty. After some time and clear examples, Lucius began to agree with her, even though he still could not fully understand. They decided that the best option for them would be to run away. And they successfully escaped. At least, that's what they thought.
On the run, they found a beautiful forest that enchanted Andromeda and seemed to draw her there. At first, the inhabitants treated them with caution, even hostility, although the oldest residents treated Andromeda with indulgence, as if she were an old acquaintance. After some time and with Andromeda's help in ensuring the forest's well-being, most of the inhabitants began to accept them as their own.
Some time later, they had a son, whom they cherished above all else. Some of the community congratulated them with tears in their eyes, understanding what a miracle and happiness this was for them.
The boy was named Regulus. He grew up healthy and happy. He had everything he could ever want. He always reached for the sun and laughed when the neighbor kids fooled around. He loved it when his father played the flute and when his mother told him about what she had learned for her new book. He became a symbol of hope for many, especially for his parents.
When he started walking, he became practically uncatchable. He was interested in everything around him, and his mother ran along with him, telling him everything she knew, and if she didn't know something, she made it her goal to learn it. At such moments, Lucius watched them, playing his melody of happiness
Very soon, Andromeda taught him to read and count, and while he was only moderately successful at arithmetic, he immersed himself in reading. The only person who could tear him away from his books was his neighbor, with whom he periodically exchanged books.
Around that time, his father taught him to play the flute, promising that Regulus would soon get his own. His mother tried to get him to do better in arithmetic, and she even began to succeed.
Good luck, especially in the Amorte family, never lasted long. That was the case this time, too. The family was tracked down, publicly accused of treason, and killed in front of their son. Regulus was taken away, with the explanation that it was a prophecy and that he was important. For the first few days, he couldn't calm down, sobbing and clutching his mother's unfinished book, which was eventually taken away from him and replaced with books on religion and the righteous history of the drow.
After these events and daily reminders that his parents were traitors, he practically erased them from his memory, remembering only fragments of their names. He was placed in the care of the House of the Falling Sun, whose history sounded familiar and dear to him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why. Then he was sent to work. It was extremely difficult for him to get used to the dungeons, so he was often ridiculed by his colleagues. Since his name was mentioned in the prophecy, he was allowed to study the books that remained among their people, and along with them, propaganda about the superiority of the drow was poured into his head. And after a while, he believed it. He had no other choice; he saw with his own eyes what would happen to him if he questioned this teaching. And, unfortunately, all his dreams and desires for the future died along with his parents and the memory of them. The only thing he wanted to know now was why they had left him alive. Sometimes he felt the urge to look at the sun, and he hated himself for it. He shouldn't want that, and he hid it deep, deep inside himself.