Emily's Character Backstory: -LeavyArts-

Instructions

Emily was born in a dark environment, where crime and hatred were just as common as the poverty that threatened the poor parts of the kingdom. Emily grew up distant from her siblings and everyday acquaintances, making up stories in her imagination to distract herself from sad, harsh reality. The only figure who Emily ever felt she could trust, as a child, was her mum Lisha. Emily would confide her deepest emotions and sensitivities to Lisha, a bond they both truly considered unbreakable. As Emily grew up, she gradually became more guarded and judgemental, though she never acted this way toward Lisha. However, their connection wasn't meant to last. One day, Emily traveled back home to visit Lisha for a couple of days - one of her annual, typical visits. All her siblings had moved out by that point, so it was just Emily and her mum. At least, it was supposed to be that way. Yet when she arrived, Emily discovered a horrible sight: her mum had been k!ll3d and left to d!3. Emily couldn't believe her eyes, even though stray murd3rs of the sort were very common in the poor town she had abandoned long ago. Starstruck and depressed, Emily's entire life began to transpire as she became fixed on the idea of revenge. Her grief and anger consumed her so entirely that she began to develop an odd power: complete control of shadows. Emily immediately took advantage of this strange ability, wielding shadows in such a way that they could become dangerous to others. Emily began to separate herself entirely from society and the public, concentrating all her energy on her newfound magic. She lived this way for several years, and no one ever bothered her - after all, Emily had lived such a secluded childhood, so why should anyone care about her in her adulthood? Emily didn't mind. But at last, this changed. It was a dark and soggy day, with lightning rupturing outside every window and hail cascading into every surface, every building. Bards, spreaders of oral tradition, liked to say that you could hear the moan of the deceased during that storm. Emily knew the storm was an unusually strong one - she could tell that much. Yet she had no idea that that day the king would be murd3r3d. Much less did she expect to be accused due to her shadow magery. At first, the accusation presented itself in the form of gossip: simple, quiet murmurs spreading throughout the kingdom. Gossip was quite common, therefore Emily refused to pay any heed of mind to the staring eyes or the angry looks. She assured herself that the rumors would pass eventually, as they always did. But instead, the rumors escalated over time. Within the month, there was no one around for miles who hadn't heard the rumor of Emily, daughter to Lisha and shadow mage, the murd3r3r of the king. On the rare occasion that Emily would go to town to purchase groceries or restock supplies, she'd be met with fleeting glances from every passerby. Shopkeepers became too frightened to perform transactions, little kids would whimper and hide behind their parents... Even the sky would darken at her approach. Enraged, Emily's shadow magery often got away from her, and she would destroy whatever she set her eyes on without even realizing it. Terror only continued to spread, until Emily grew so fed up with her reputation that she resolved never to leave home again. Unfortunately, the palace council had a different idea in mind. It was yet again a dark and stormy night, during one of the harshest winters the kingdom had ever faced. Emily stood in her hollow basement, keeled over a bubbling cauldron, musing to herself about the stupidity and childishness of the kingdom she'd left behind so long ago. As her dark thoughts overtook her mind once more, there came the knock on the door. The gruff, loud voices. The clashing of metal on stone. "There came the guards," Emily described years later. "Shiny metal, pointy swords, voices like the raging sea. They told me I was under arrest for murd3r3ring the king. I tried to explain but they wouldn't listen. All I remember after that was the shadows engulfing me entirely."