My name is Dantius Malius, and I am a Cineran.
Some people hate me because of this fact. I don't blame them. I hate all Cinerans, including myself. The one exception is Irrikus, whom I met after I came to Iridine, and is my one friend.
But I am getting ahead of myself. I was born to a family who had strong ties to the Cineran military, so it was assumed that I, too, would join. My father was the most demanding, enrolling me in military training when I was only three. However, I did not speak out against this. I was resigned to the fact that my dad expected only the best from me.
When I was 12, I was placed in a company within the Cineran army. However, I soon learned that my suffering had not even begun. It seemed that my commanding officer liked small boys more than he should. I remember being forced to spend sevral nights with him. I still have trouble speaking of the insident today.
I tried to tell my parents, but they wouldn't listen. They said that I was trying to ruin the family name, so I did the only thing I could. One night, after everyone was asleep, I took my dagger, snuck into the officer's quarters, and slit the pervert's throat. Then I ran. I ran as fast as I could, for as long as I could. The only things I had were my clothes and my knife.
For several years, I journyed through the wilderness. I didn't know where to go. Icouldn't show my face in Cinera, and the Republic had been occupied. Then, one day, I heard someone on a nearby road say that the Cinerans had been beaten back out of the Republic. With the end of the occupation, I could finally find sanctuary. I gathered what little things I had, and made my way toward the Eternal City, Iridine...