June 28, 37
The sound of a baby's cry echoed as a new life came into the world.
"Look, dear, our child is finally born. He looks so adorable when crying."
"Yes, he's as cute as his father, hahaha."
The mother holding the baby chuckled softly at her husband's joke, then asked,
"What's a good name for him?"
"How about Clusius?" suggested the father.
"Isn't that the name of that beautiful blue flower? I love it; that's a wonderful name."
"I'm glad you like it. Alright, from now on, his name is Clusius, and he will be a great adventurer, just like his father, of course."
"A great adventurer? From any angle, you don't look like one," the woman joked lightly and laughed at her husband, and her husband also joined in the laughter.
The newborn was named Clusius. He was a child born into a very simple family in a deme¹ called Night Sky Deme. He was born with a permanently blind left eye, and a curse mark upon it.
Initially, Clusius's parents thought the black line on their child's left eye was just a birthmark. However, due to its unusual shape, they called a healer to examine it.
At first, the healer didn't know if it was merely a birthmark or something else. But after consulting several books, he finally recalled that the mark on Clusius's left eye was the Curse Mark, a sign foretelling the birth of a potential successor to the Demon King.
He was shocked and immediately stepped back in fear. He advised Clusius's parents to kill their child before he grew up, fearing the child might truly become the Demon King one day.
Clusius's parents flatly refused.
"Why should we kill our own child? We absolutely will not do it! Besides, it's just a myth. There's no proof that it's actually a curse," said Clusius's mother, unable to bear the thought of taking her newborn's life.
"If you won't kill that child, then you and the child must be prepared to be shunned by society! You will be seen as raising a demon and bringing misfortune to those around you!"
The healer warned of the great risk Clusius's parents would have to bear.
"I don't care! To me, my son will not become the Demon King or anything that harms others. We believe our child will grow into a true man with a sincere heart. After all, that curse is just a myth passed down by word of mouth. There is no concrete evidence to prove it. And we will prove to everyone that the myth they've believed all this time is wrong!"
Clusius's father stared firmly at the healer, unafraid of his threat.
"That's right! We believe our child will become a great adventurer who will one day save the world from the danger of the Demon King and restore the peace long lost from this world!" added the mother with full conviction.
"I have warned you. Do whatever you want with that demon child. But remember, I will not help if something happens someday," said the healer before leaving.
Clusius's parents were now truly worried about what would happen to their child in the future. They knew news of the curse mark on their child's eye would soon spread throughout the deme. And they feared everyone would be afraid of them, or even drive them out. Yet, they still decided to raise Clusius until adulthood, believing he would grow into a good child and one day become a great adventurer.
¹ Deme = Greek word for village.