The archive of the forgotten

The wound

I once was beautiful. I know that all too well, I was admired by people, we all know that it is good for a powerful man to be beautiful. I had their respect, their admiration, their adoration. I was the teacher everyone wanted to become. There are three ways of your power, with the power of  how you perceive yourself, the power of how the world perceives yourself or shutting off your emotions. Every student needs to choose one, you are blessed by one of the gods. And although that one comes naturally the others can be taught. 

You can be blessed by these: The sun god, the water goddess, the goddess of the sky, The war god, the death god, the fertility godess, the wisdom godess or the god of trickery.

I was blessed by the death god, but I was a fast learner. I can control all of the blessings and can switch mediums, although I mostly just use the medium of shutting off my emotions. It helps me to deal with the pain I feel and I do not have to worry about the fact anybody perceives me differently. After the accident with the warchild I have never been brave enough to look how they perceive me. I used to, it would make me even stronger because all my students thought I was so incredibly strong. How could I not be? I am their most talented teacher, but now they only see a monster, someone to be afraid of. They are all so afraid.

I have been forbidden to teach the first years. The young children used to cry when I come into the room, why would somebody with such a scary face be a good guy? That isn't possible is it? Somebody with a mouth that looks like it is perpetually bleeding, revealing the bone beneath it. How could somebody where you can see part of his skull around his eye be a good teacher? Who could focus on the things he has to learn when he is so hideous. I am only hideous because of cowardice. The cowardice of the man they all admire now.

I might say that it doesn't matter, that I know what I am worth but that is a lie. I have come to hate myself, everyday I see the half decimated face in the mirror I stare at it with disgust and abhorrence. To think that once was a beautiful soft skin, even my black hair that reaches the ground cannot distract from the incredible ugliness of my once so beautiful face.

I am teaching the last years, they all listen to me as I show them the elegant martial art of the blessed. They carefully copy the movements. "Concentrate on your medium and focus all your strength on that one move. Some people even pray to their assigned god to help them. I would say you have to pray to yourself and your concentration. Be careful with every little movement you make."

After the lesson most of the students thank me, some even take a deep bow. I smile. It is a talented class, How could they not be? I have taught them for five years. They take pride in being trained by me even now that I look like a monster. They are the last class that knew me before the accident. Maybe that is why they still have respect for me and the other classes only have fear. Even though I have never been mean to their clasmates, I might be strict but I am not mean.

My best friend, also a death blessed and the teacher for the healing class (I know ironic, the death blessed are actually great doctors), walks into the classroom and says "Riven, The new headmistress wants to speak to you." "Aeron, She's hardly new. she's been here for two weeks." I respond. "Well, regardless, she has asked you to her office." He says with a smile as he plays with his short brown hair. "Why does she always want to talk to me?" "She doesn't seem to be very fond of you. Or maybe she has a crush on you" Aeron says with a smirk. "With this face?" I say with one eyebrows raised, he bites his lip. "Sorry, you are still beautiful Riven, just only on one side. Maybe she only has a half crush." He says jokingly. I laugh, Aeron is the only one who is allowed to joke about he accident and my appearance. Because I know he'll always be my friend. I smile,

I knock on the door. "Come in" She says. I step into the room. She is wearing a beautiful emerald green dress. "Riven, great to see you. I need to talk about something." I smile. "You look good Ingrid. How is your father?" I ask. Her father is the prime minister of the blessed country, which is also why Ingrid got this job. She has never been very talented. I have been avoiding her for the last two weeks, why? Her parents have fostered me for half my life, untill they wanted to adopt me and Ingrid threw a fit. I was placed in another foster family, I must thank her, because of her I hardly feel it when someone hits me. "You don't look good brother. But my father is good." She says with a smirk. "I am not your brother. What do you want to tell me Ingrid?" I say while I sit down in front of her. Looking at the greyish white long hair. He smiles, he red lipstick reveals her perfect teeth. "As talented as you are Riven I am afraid you are no longer a good fit for the blessed control" "Why not?" I say with a frown. "Your.....current state, distracts both students and teachers." "So are you suggesting that I hide away somewhere in a cave far away from society?" "I never said that. I just said that a face as horrible as yours has no place in my school." "But.....this is my passion." "Find a new one" She simply says while standing up. "Ingrid you don't understand! Every time I step out of the school I am afraid what people will think of me. I am scared of the outside world, this school is the only thing keeping me alive." "I don't care, I am firing you." She says. "I teach these children succesfully." I yell. "Why would I want a teacher heavily injured by an eleven year old." She shoots back.

"That is not how it happened........" I say. "He was possesed by the god of sickness.....it was a divine power, not the one of a child." "Are you sure or is that the story you tell you so you don't hurt your own ego?" she says with a smirk.

"Where am I?" She says "Shhhh, everything will be fine. The blindness will only be temporary." "Is that you Riven?" The shadowy figure shushes her again. "Don't worry you won't remember anything, it will only hurt a lot." The knife digs into the flesh, revealing the blood and muscles in her face, carefully cutting away her beautiful feature. the only thing that remains is a face showcasing how the muscles in your face work. "All done" The figure whispers. He snaps in his fingers and the women disappears.

He secures the face of skin on a wooden board and mounts it to the wall. "One down, so many more to go." He says as he takes off his gloves. He sits down at the beautiful desk in front of the wall. He puts on a candle, revealing his long black hair and a porcelain mask that looks as if it is crying blood, the mask crosses out a name on a long list. The mask seems to lightly smirk. Hiding away in a cave far away from society wasn't a bad idea after all.