---------------------- “Do you remember your name?” The boy paused for a minute, then shook his head. “Well, then, do you remember anything about your life before the swamp?” He furrowed his brow, thinking back. Finally, he spoke. “Candles. Long sleepless nights. Silence. And screaming.” “Like..some sort of vigil...?” “Vigil.” He echoed. The word felt strange on his lips, as if it was almost right. But not quite. Vigils usually commemorated the dead. No, these rituals mourned the boy who was yet to be killed. Like a sort of pre-vigil. Yes..that’s what it was.. —————------- Okay so I've been thinking about this for four days straight and finally here he is! I'll probably add more to this later but have this for now ^^ —————------- Press Space/Click: 1. Drawing I spent way too long on 2. Ref 3. Moodboard —————------- Name- Vigil Age- He was 11 when sacrificed and has been in the swamp for roughly 110 years. Cause of Death- Burning Team- Team Lock —————------- Vigil's mother had a twin sister and a younger brother. She watched her brother be sacrificed to the swamp when she was nine years old. Ever since, she stated that if she was queen, she would never enforce the sacrifices. Many years later, her sister became queen. Despite the fact she was technically younger, the priests chose to put her in power, wary of Vigil's mother's defiance. Vigil's mother implored her sister to remember the pain their brother's death had caused and stop the sacrifices but naturally she refused. Vigil was six years old when the swamp first demanded the sacrifice. The priests claimed to have received specific instructions on how to go about it- Vigil was to be a burnt sacrifice. A horrific, painful death. Naturally, Vigil's mother fought with everything she had so that her son would be spared. She protected him with her life and in the end, it cost her her life. She was publicly executed as an example for anyone else who tried to rebel. Vigil watched it happen. There was a terrible fear that gripped the kingdom. No one dared step out of line. Vigil's father was a wreck. He was so torn up by his wife's death he stopped taking care of himself. Vigil was forced to be independent and care for his father from a very young age. At night, Vigil set out candles and stuck his fingers in the flame. He forced the sadness away. He forced the fear away. He wanted to become numb. To all the pain he experienced and all that was yet to come. Some nights, his father would watch him from the doorway. He told Vigil he would fight it, but Vigil simply shook his head. He didn't want his father to get hurt. It was his problem, his pain. He didn't want anyone he cared about getting caught in the crossfire. Not again. The day of the sacrifice was a solemn day. He didn't scream. He didn't fight. He just let the flames engulf him. For the first time, he let a single tear fall and sizzle on the burning platform beneath him. His father laid Vigil's body by the swamp, whispering, "I wish I could be as brave as you were." In the years that followed, Vigil spent most of his time off by himself. He became somewhat bitter. He let himself be broken, filled with the weight of everything. He was sick and tired of caring for people. Of being brave. He didn't want to be brave. He didn't have to be. Not anymore. —————------- Design: Vigil was pretty much burnt to a crisp. Most of his skin is blackened. He probably looks much creepier than how I drew him but I'm a sheltered child and can't draw creepy things haha. He wears a circlet that melted to his skin in the fire. Since he was standing in the fire, his feet took the most damage and pretty much completely burnt off. —————------- "Escape? Break the curse?" He bit back the tears gathering in his eyes. "Do you..do you have any idea what happens to those who try to fight the swamp?" It's pretty obvious that Vigil isn't much for rebellion or resistance, so yes, team Lock all the way. It's possible for a little bit he considered joining Mist but he eventually dies with Lock, falling into the same pattern as in his lifetime, except now it's less of "I will go in peace because I have to choice" and more of "why bother" —————------- Wow I'm proud of myself for not exceeding the word limit- anyway, I hope you like him :D
