I write this account of my past to make clear my motivations and
past.
Let history be my judge.

I was raised in Estelbar. My mother and father were appointed, sometimesby the
village council, sometimes by the various ruling cities or communes, which were
often untainted ones, to observe the tainting of Acknor and the road. They were
to make sure no Geomancer or natural force allows the Taint to spread too close
to the village and thus aid a strike by Tainted forces on the village, or allow
the crops to be diseased, as they put it, by the Taint. Loyally performing
their duties, my mother and father often slept in a tent near the edge of the
Tainted areas of the road or of Acknor Studying the taint, measuring it, and
looking for signs of it's expansion. One long night, likely as not on the edge
of these Tainted areas, I was conceived. Some months later, my mother and
father, Furrikin and Aslaran respectively, could be heard across the village,
shouting in terror and dismay. My mother gave birth to me, a Viscanti, as clear
as day. Red skin, an odd skeletal strcture, strangely coloured eyes - An
abomniation, beyond the shadow of a doubt.

And yet, can parents fully deny their child? They can not. The meager hopes
that it is some childhood disease melted away as the years passed. The habit of
hastily slapping away my hand when I seemed to touch the soil too much, or
appeared too interested in a rock, or came too close to the Tainted grounds, on
the very verge of walking on them sometimes, was replaced by both wary and weary
glances in my direction, soft sighs and stifled sobs at night, which I was not
supposed to hear, I hope. If I was, well, that most assuredly makes me sad. No
other siblings were attempted after me, and when the fear of pregnancy crept,
somtimes, my mother ate the right herbs to nip the fetus in the bud, before any
painful complications can arise, such as another monster being born.

But, I studied with the children of my village, that I did. I ran and played
with them, sometimes, when they didn't throw rocks at me, or point and laugh
and call me names. I had a childhood, one can not truly deny his child that.
But a shadow was cast over the sunlight of my youth, and it became darker and
more apparent as I grew up - I was attracted towards soil and Taint.

It started, simply enough, by an apparent interest in the soil and Taint. Often
I would play in the dirt, thrusting my hands into it and closing my eyes,
abosrbed in thoughts. Some nights, when I could not sleep, I went outside and
covered myself in dirt - Sleep came quickly, then, and was often filled with
half-remembered, yet oddly comforting, dreams. And always, all of these
things, I would do ever closer to the Tainted ground, ever closer to the red
soil.
Once I even secretly stole a bit of the red, tainted earth and put
it in my water - I drank them deeply, and to this day I remember the
exquisite feeling. Often I found myself staring Southwards, towards the horizon
and the red clouds rising over Magnagora. I held long vigils on a hilltop near
the southern edge of the village, and made sure to occur "by chance" on the
road whenever a Geomancer or Nihilist happened to travel the road, helping them
carry their things and talking to them, finally slinking away, back to the
village whenever the hour got late or I thought someone from
the village spotted me.

Such a time brought on the breaking point. I was escorting a Nihilist I've
escorted several times before, and he was telling me of the Lords of Nil. I
recall being pleased he would speak to me, a boy of mere sixteen, as if I were
an adult, who's opinions mattered. When we came near the village, he stopped,
glanced at it thoughtfully, and said, "You know, Helion, I seem to recall I
have a sweet I made myself, back home - I pride myself in my candy making
abilities, I am considered quite the Chef in the Dominion, did you know?
Anyway, I ramble - It's quite the treat for the children there, they like it a
lot. How about you give it to one of the kids from your village? I want to know
what they think of it, perhaps I'll start selling it all across the Basin!" He
said, his smile three kinds of sweetness and innocence. "Also", he mentioned,
as if as an afterthought, "Lead him back to me - I want to hear his opinion in
person".

"Oh, and finally", he added, "Don't come along with whoever you bring. I don't
want your opinion to influence his - I know you always did like me, and you
won't tell me my sweets don't taste good, even if they're disgusting. So, run
along now, Helion, I'll wait here", he said, shoving a small circular object
into my palm and smiling in parting. I glanced at him briefly before shrugging
and turning to run back towards the village. Between panted breathes I looked
down in my hand to see what the treat was, and I was surprised indeed to find
out it was a sweet like no other - A sugar coated Chokeberry! We all knew these
things were delicious, and no child, not even most adults, would refuse them.
Why would he tell me I might not like it, I wandered briefly, but finally
decided I won't question him. When I finally got to the village square I saw a
friend of mine, Drom - A large, friendly Tae'dae - One of the few who didn't
mind me being a Viscanti so much.

"Drom!", I called out, "Look what I brought you!" I yelled at him, running
happily towards my friend, extending my arm and opening my palm to reveal the
Chokeberry. Drom's response was no surprise as he spotted my offering. His eyes
widened in delight and he clapped his hands merrily. "Helion!", he exclaimed,
"Wow! How'd you get that?". "A wandering Candyman gave it to, I smiled between
panted breathes, as I finally reached him. "He wants to know how you like it!
Come, I'll lead you to him!". "How I like it?" Drom muttered questioningly
between bites, having already quickly grabbed the treat out of my hands, and
already hard at work chewing it, "It's a Chokeberry, and with Sugar, too! It's
great! How else could it..." Drom paused for a moment, his speech slowing and
his eyes becoming slightly glazed "...taste?". I didn't notice Drom's odd
reaction, at the time, though now I think I should have. "Come!", I shouted
excitedly at him, "Tell the candyman you liked it!". "Come...Candy..." Drom
muttered, hurriedly lumbering after me as I raced down the path towards the
road and the waiting Nihilist. Just a little bit before the Nihilist came into
sight, I dived quickly into the bushes, and hastily scrambled to find a vantage
point from underneath the shrubbery. Drom lumbered heavily past me, moving down
the road and towards the Nihilist.

I smiled as I saw Drom running towards the Nihilist, the Nihilist beaming
broadly at him, obviously sure his candy was well liked. I settled to watch the
joy I was certain was about to engulf them both when a horrified scream pierced
the air. "Drom, No!" yelled a voice which I quickly recongnized as that of
Drom's mother, a round, hearty woman. Her voice was soon accompanied by the
many voices of the other villagers, close at her heels. As they spotted the
grinning Nihilist their shouts of terror suddenly carried an undertone of rage,
and many of the village men started running towards him, their gardening tools
held high, ready to be coloured red with Tainted blood.

The images I recall from the massacre are spotty. The cold, toothy smile of the
Nihilist, suddenly displaying fangs. The hideous Archdemon leaping out of the
ground, his red eyes blazing cold murder. The hair thin stream of bright, white
fire, dissolving Korr, the village teacher, who always told me it's what you do
that counts, not what you are. The great Crucifix rising from the ground to
impale Admon, the large boy who always threw rocks at me. The cruel metal
devices popping out of the demon with a horrible hiss, thudding wetly into the
body of Drom's mother, as Drom himself, standing near the Nihilist, watched
impassively, drooling. Soon, all was silent. There was no sound except the
cries of the wounded and dying, drowned out by the oddly loud chuckle of the
Nihilist, who was calmly petting Drom on his head, and, somehow, looking
directly towards my hiding place in the bushes. His voice carried to me,
ringing hollowly, "Your blood calls to the Taint, Helion. The Taint knows it's
own. Stop denying it - It will do you no good". With that, he turned and
started walking down the road, towards Acknor, with Drom at his heels.
I never saw them again.

A moment might have passed, a year might have passed, a decade. I sat
in the bushes, staring, tears streaming down my cheeks. Why did I not act? What
could I have done? How could I listen to this Nihilist? I asked myself. And yet,
how can I not listen to him? asked a small, terrible voice in my mind. It was
talking like Parrot, cawing like a Crow - "blood calls to blood, blood calls to
blood, blood calls to ..." "Bloodmek?", the voice of my father carried well
through the suddenly silent air. I turned my head and looked towards his voice,
standing up from the foliage, to see him kneeling down near the body of
Bloodmek, the village grocer. "Bloodmek, answer me!" He cried. As I stood up
from the bushes, my father looked up, as if sensing me. "Helion!", He roared,
his voice overcome with grief, his eyes clouded with rage, "This is all your
doing, Helion! You tainted little monster, you little freak! I should have
killed you when you were born, I should have left you to die and allow you to
live and become a murdrer!", Only the other villagers restrained my father from
lunging at me, from killing me. "You are no son of mine!" He roared. "I do not
know you, I hate you, I... " blood "..will.." calls "..have your.." to blood
"..blood..". Blood calls to blood.
My father called for mine. I ran.