Vaschel and Alexander

Two characters from an original story. The boy with the noose is Vaschel while the man is Alexander. A little blurb about the story:

Haunted by his past, Vaschel seeks refuge within his own mind. Occasionally seeing the reality of the destroyed palace and loneliness of his life, he continues to push it away for the memories of better times. Forcing himself to remember, he carries on from day to day as though nothing was wrong. Talking, dancing, and even entertaining the ghosts from his past as if they were his guests is how his days are usually spent. Interrupted by an unexpected visitor, Vaschel must relearn to interact with those who are real and come to terms with the reality of his situation. Making a friendship work has never been harder. With so much resemblance to the murderer of his clan, he fights hard to suppress the unwanted memories. However, the creeping thought in the back of his mind that keeps his families murderer alive has reason to be there. Will this new friend turn out to be a foe?

Vaschel must finally push away his fake world and stand strong against his fears. He must learn quickly how to defend himself and how to move on from the tragedies of his life. Will he be able to overcome his fears, or will he end up like the rest of his family?