Alden ran quickly, dodging and weaving inbetween trees. He ran as he struggled to keep the tears from falling to the ground.

The look his father gave him was engrained into his brain.

Everytime Alden closed his eyes, he heard his fathers deadly serious voice.

Everytime Alden closed his eyes, he felt the blows his father gave him.

Alden felt a tear slowly make its way to his chin, before falling down to the ground. Alden tightened his fists and sniffled, despretely trying to keep himself from breaking. He tried to focus on the rythmic beat of his feet on the ground as he ran, but he couldn't stop tears from falling. As much as he wanted to yell and scream at his fathers unjust treatment, that would be a lie. His fathers treatment towards him was deserved. Alden whispered to himself in his self loathing.

"Im so sorry . . . mom."

The tears began to fall in earnest, quickly making the ground damp behind him as he ran.

Am I really so much of a monster to hurt my own mother?

Alden remembered the look on his mothers face when he had lashed out in anger. He remembered how the flames sprung upwards with a roar, and began devouring the wood around the fireplace like a ravenous beast. He remembered how his mother had screamed, and felt regret. Just as fast as the flames sprung up, they died out, but the damage had already been done. His mothers right hand and forarm were burned. Some of her fingers were blackened from the heat.

Alden remembered balling his eyes out and saying he was sorry over and over again, but it wasn't enough. His mother was taken to the village healer, and thats when his father dealt with him.

His father didn't say anything. His eyes said everything. Alden dropped his eyes to the ground, but he could still feel the burning gaze of his father. Alden tried to open his mouth to say something, but his father cut him off with seething words.

How could you Alden?

I . . . I don't-

How could you hurt your mother? What the hell is wrong with you!

Alden felt a pain greater than any fire seize his heart as his father beat him. Every single blow hurt, but not as much as those words.

'What the hell is wrong with you!'

After a few minutes, one of the village people who was watching what was happening stopped his father, but nevertheless, he could still feel it. Alden could feel everyone's gazes burning holes into his body. Everyone hated him, or feared him. Everyone felt only negative things about him, but who could blame them?

At this moment, Alden felt that he truely was a monster, so he ran away. Monsters don't belong with people. Monsters deserve to be scewered by the hero, and then forgotten about and left to die. Alden felt hot tears drench his face as he ran through the forest.

Heroes often start from zero, and in this moment, Alden truely was at rock bottom.