rot and zoeys upbringing (violence, sexism, hanging, tragic shit, not everything zoey did but w/e)
rot and zoey have always loved, cared for and protected one another, ever since birth. they were identical twins. rot, the god, at an early age of his stolen vessel (zoeys brother) revealed what he was; a god, a god of rot, decay, disease.
zoey, a little girl at the time, also alienated from her parents and.. off, in general, accepted rot with enthusiasm and open arms, much to rots surprise, and even hugged him close. rot immediately held her close emotionally, doing small.. acts as a god, that kept her alive and healthy.
he observed her slightly sick behavior, killing small animals… leading up to human villagers, and rewarded her for doing so.
the town was sick with mad, extremely violent and hateful morals, and rot had no issue watching his sister take lives.
the day of her execution, he did watch. the village priest, their father, asked zoey if she had anything to say. zoey spat on him and grinned, ramming her knee into the face of the executioner so violently, that said executioner died on the spot, then and there. she was hanged by the panicked and disgusted priest.
rot could not actively come to her aid lest he be found out as a malevolent god and not a human, and it did hurt him. he was furious. and he brought her back. initially she panicked but upon seeing her brother, she calmed down.
He told her what happened. he told her what he was. he was shocked a bit when her reaction was that of hateful, violent retaliation, but only against their father.
Not that she had no reason to hate their father. he was a sexist, violent and horrid man who punished zoey for being female. rot was also born female, but early on in lie, he confessed to feeling like a boy, not a girl. this led to their father scrabbling for a son in any way, and zoey being mistreated for being a girl. rot was named joseph, after the father, when he came out as a male. rot (he already had his name, as a god, duh) was disgusted by the bigotry.
rot already HATED is "father" for tons of reasons; abusing his sister, being sexist, forcing his "wife" to give birth, forcing zoey to be.. basically a slave.
So the day on zoeys hanging, he attended. he stood staring forward. every other villager attempted to get his attention and he ignored, or shouted at them.
"Get the Hell away from me, you FILTH," was all he spat at the people that came to him, as tears flooded his eyes, staring at his sisters body. Rot was full of rage. he possessed a fetus to be born, sure. he was born alongside zoey. and day one, he LOVED his sister. even as a god, he loved his sister, and he'd do anything for her that he possibly could.
-fast forward into the day after zoey's execution-
the priest kneeled at he altar, cleaning something up, and he looked up. there was a humanoid shadow cast across him.
"The church is closed," he stated, going to stand. the shadow didn't move.
"I said, the church..is.." was all he got out before the figure in the door charged him, slamming him to he floor.
"Y-YOU-" was the last gasp he managed. his daughter... the one who was executed, grasped his throat and grinned.
"You." Rot began and walked over to Zoey and their father. Rot sneered down in disgust.
"SON- Son- s-son, he-he-h-help," the priest choked.
"I am not your son. I am a GOD. I took the body of your unborn and made it mine."
"Th..there is only ONE G-Go-"
rot kneeled and gripped the priests chin.
"WRONG. and I am the God of sickness, of illness, disease, plague."
the priest coughed up blood, zoey's nails dug so far into his neck, they pierced his neck. rot laughed.
"i am your God now, you false prophet. i know what you've done." rot stood up and looked to his sister. the pupils of the priest widened, and is face became horrified in recognition and rot laughed, cruelly.
there was rage in rot's eyes.
"so. Who do you think brought. her. back." he spat into his "Fathers" eyes", and pointed to zoey before standing up and walking of, leaving him and zoey together. rot looked at his hands. He did.. Love their mother (even though rot was an implanted god). zoey did too. her passing... infuriated rot. his eyes pricked with tears and his throat closed up, but he choked out,
"zoey...sister...make him SUFFER, as much as you can." with a small "please" whispered at the end.
zoey did not need a second before she ripped the priest apart..in ways.. but collected his clothes and put them on after. She was dressed in rags, after all.
a few hours in, a scream rang from the church. the villagers ran to see what was going on.. to be met by the disemboweled, strung up parts of their priest. To their horror.. he was still alive. he looked up, with a mouthful of blood,
"She..she's...back... run,"
they turned to see a grinning shadow (zoey) toss a torch onto oil that the church had been doused in, and slam the doors closed with an iron bar between the handles as the flames enveloped the entire building.
rot stared and motioned for zoey to embrace him, and she sighed, running into him. Rot made a face at the burning people at their feet in disgust, and let out a breath as well, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.
"...No one is going to hurt you again. I'll make sure of it." he said, kissing the top of her head.
“I will destroy anyone who tries to.”
zoey went to his side again. she knew he meant it. her smile wavered as he clung her tighter.
he murmured a declaration of love against the top of his sisters head as his eyes glowed in the darkness to every other body the life just drained out of. he sneered to himself again as he watched the last parts of life escape the villagers that reached for them before collapsing. he scoffed again at their efforts.
“..i’m proud of you, zoey.”
