"Mom had a meeting with that woman in my house for a while, then she became her official supplier. She has a female companion with her all the time, as I remember. One day, mom did not have enough money to pay her goods. So when that woman asked me to be her payment, she agreed.
"She was getting drowned in drugs at the time." Alex lifted his face on the roof as he tried to relieve the past. He stopped patting the head of the two familiars with him and focused on the story. "Whenever they visit the house, they always tied me up on the bed from one of our guest rooms and started stripping me off of my clothes. Then---"
"Sire, please stop." Emily said as she covered his mouth. "It's okay. You don't have to force yourself to tell us the story."
Alex can feel her shaking, cold hand. She cant stop herself from crying once more. She felt the tight squeeze in her heart from hearing this story. Just what kind of people would do that to an 8-year old child!
He smiled and said, "Let me, Emily. I want the two of you to know. In a way, this is also my first step in leaving that darkness. So I want to relieve it for the last time...then let it all go slowly."
'He is so strong.' She thought. She sat on the other side of Alex and rested her head on his shoulder. Alex wrapped his other arm on her and hugged her close to him as he continued. "That was the first time that they raped me. Then for seven years, mom was not using money to pay them. The two women are my regular customers. They took turns on me. I seldomly have male customers as they are not interested in a young boy to be their toy.
"When things got intense, that same woman from last night plays more harsh, to the point that she chokes me. When I am about to lose consciousness, she will let go of my neck and will start moving on top of me."
Emily covered her mouth and Asher clenched his fist as he silently cried. The king on the other hand, stared at him intently while listening. His blood started to boil. He was thinking of the things that he will do to his new captures in the dungeon.
"I was always tied, so I can't do anything to stop her. It was a cycle. She will move on top of me and when I am about to cum, she will stop and will choke me."
"But what about your mom?" Emily asked. "Did she never felt sorry for what they are doing to you?" Alex smiled and gave a comforting kiss on top of her head. He can feel that she is starting to get angry. "I doubt she ever felt sorry. I pleaded with her once but she was never sober. I always felt her standing by the door. She once said to them that there is no need to cover my eyes because I cannot see."
"F*ck!" Asher said.
"I know." Alex replied as he ruffled his silver hair.
Now that he told them his story, he feels light. Like a heavy stone was lifted off his chest. He noticed that his muscles stopped shaking and he stopped being nervous even though he is hugging the two familiars. He is not sure if the reason was they were not really a living human, or if they are someone he trusted, but he feels fine with them hugging him.
"I am glad that you held on for so long." The king finally said. His red eyes are calmly looking at his dull blue ones.
All this time that Alex was telling his story, he never noticed that there was another unfamiliar presence with them.
"Oh, sire, we forgot to tell you. He is the king that helped us in the school before." Asher said. "His name is Kal Maximus, of the night creature."
Alex tried to stand up to give him a proper respect. He finally met the king of the night creatures that saved him before. Emily and Asher helped him in standing up. "Good evening, sir. I am sorry to bother you once more." Emily leaned in a little closer to him and whispered, "Sire, it is morning now!"
Alex was shocked to know that it is morning already so he corrected himself, "Ah--good morning, I mean." He bowed.
Kal stood up from the bed and came closer to Alex. He is about to touch his face when he remembered his reaction a while ago. He retracted his own hand and took a step back. "I remember seeing your eyes." Alex blurted out.
'Yeah, I was surprised myself to see another man's eyes when I thought that I am blind all this time.' He thought.
Asher and Emily stared at him, confused. "But you are blind." She said.
Alex tried to sense the king's presence and went a little closer to him. He felt the hands of his familiar fell from their hold on him. He stretched his right hand to reach his eyes. "Yeah, I thought I can never see again. But at that time, I saw your blue eyes. I was fascinated by it. I want to see it once more."
Kal made his red eyes glow bright blue, "Like this?"
The familiars saw how his red eyes slowly turned into bright blue. His eyes really stood out from his soul. For someone who has a shadow-like soul, these pair of eyes looked unnatural. "Yes, like that...How come you had a pair of eyes like that?"
Kal and Asher was surrounded by melancholy air. They both know the reason but they cant say it. "It was because---" The king tried to tell himself the story. But he can't proceed because the curse of the taboo fell on him. He fell on the floor and his breathing became heavy. He started coughing as his throat became itchy. Blood started to gather at the back of his throat when he tried to proceed further, "---in the past...*cough* " blood has splurted from his mouth.
Asher immediately rushed to his side and helped him to sit up. "Sir, please don't force yourself to say it. You know, it is a taboo to say it in front of the god involved! Tch!" He ran his fingers on his silver hair out of frustration. "The stronger your intention to say it, the harder the punishment is!"
"So you cannot say it as well in front of me..." Alex went closer to Kal and sat at the back of his feet. He touched the king's pale face and stared on the still, glowing blue eyes of his. "I do not know why I can see your eyes even though I cannot see at all the other things but, if I am really the god that has sinned..." Alex paused. "I want to learn my sin by myself and I do not wish to hear it from others. My king, this will be the last favor that I am going to ask of you. Will you hear it?"
He is going to face it all. His traumatic past, the truth and the sin that he committed from his past life. He won't run away from it.
The king has calmed down from coughing. He wiped the blood that spilled out from his mouth and said, "Yes, of course."
Alex gave him a warm smile, "Please help me remember my sin."
***
Ned, the god of earth, came back to Night Kiss bar after his encounter with the two other gods. He was surprised to know that when he came to look for Alex, he was told by one of his colleague that he was taken by the owner of the Bar.
He went to the manager's office to know who is the owner of the bar and why did he took Alex, but he was more surprised when he saw a different man sitting on the chair. Instead of seeing a fat man, he saw a tall, slim man with short, brunette hair and red eyes. He is wearing a black suit and is sitting comfortably on the black, leather chair. The previous decors of the room are gone. Instead, were replaced by white couch, white little coffee table, brown, mahogany office table and a mini-bookshelf on his right.
A night creature in the manager's office?! "Where is master Raven?"
The man on the chair watched him intently. He tilted his head on the side and answered, "He was replaced by me."
Ned inhaled sharply and his mouth opened and closed as he took in the information. "What...why was he replaced?"
The new manager of the bar leaned forward, placing his elbows on the mahogany table and his chin on his clasped fingers, "He was the rat according to boss."
Ned was now getting more confused. "Rat? What did he do? Where is he?"
The man stood up on his seat and went near Ned to face him properly. His eyes glowed red, "I am going to tell you, as I respect your position, god of earth. Your predecessor gave us an opportunity that we will be forever thankful for.
"Master Raven was a rat because it was proven that he participated in the gruesome thing against Sir Alex. So the owner of this bar, Master Kal Maximus, placed me here to keep an eye on this place and he took Sir Alex with him in his castle. I believe, the old master Raven is in his dungeon right now."
His eyes grew wide, "The king was here?!"
"Yes, he came in here. I believe you are no where to be found when everything happened. So if you have no other questions, please go back to your work. Or you can leave the bar. Though I don't really understand why you would work in here."
Ned went out dejected, and closed the door of the office. He did everything so that he can't get his hands on Alex and yet...
A year ago, he won three games of shogi against Azheni, the god of destiny. Since he was the loser, he was obliged to tell him where is the god that has sinned, and what is his name in this lifetime.
Azheni told him that his current name is Alex Chen, and he will work on one of the red district bar, The Night Kiss.
That is why he is working in here. But he never mentioned to him that this bar was owned by the king of the night creatures, and certainly, he did not expect that he is going to visit tonight and take him away! It seems that everything was too convenient for the king, as if the destiny was going along with his plan.
Ned stopped walking. "This is your plan, isn't it? Azheni." He whispered to himself. He thinks that the reason why that sly god called him to his shrine and have a drink, was to get rid of his presence in this place.
He went in the back alley of the bar, where the light of the early morning hid him. The surrounding was empty of humans because some of the customers went home already. Day is starting and the life in the red district started to die down.
"Zenai." He whispered in the air.
A fox spirit appeared beside him and said, "You called me, master?"
With his jaw clenched tightly and his patience gone, "Tonight, help me track him down."
***
"Aah, I wish you could see my body sire! I have the same hair and eyes as yours! How did that happen?! We just noticed that all of a sudden, we don't have our usual astral bodies." Emily asked as she finger combed her waist-length silver hair.
It is 7:30 in the morning. The sun just got up and the air was still cold when they left the castle. The estimated drive from the castle to his house is at least three, long hours without traffic. They are currently sitting in the black limousine that Kal has prepared. Asher and Emily are sitting on both sides of Alex and he has no choice but to sit on their opposite side. With this two constantly around him, he can't make his move to him.
They are going back to his home to retrieve his belongings. He made a proposal with Alex. He is going to help him remember his sin from his past life, but in exchange, he will not work in his bar and will work as one of the staff of his castle instead. He will stay in the guest room next to his and he will arrange a place for her mother in the rehabilitation center. Kal can't leave him in his mother's care anymore after hearing his story. And he can't certainly let him work in dangerous places.
Alex gently caressed her hair, like a father would do to their daughter. He felt that her hair was soft and smooth. The strands are straight. 'Indeed, how come they had human flesh?' He thought.
'Familiar bindings.' the child-like voice in his mind whispered. It feels like it has been a while since he heard this voice inside his head. 'The master decides what would their familiars look like and what is going to be their role. Every gods do that.'
"Familiar bindings." He said as he still caressed her hair. "Like the other gods, I decide what would you look like and what would be your role."
All of them paused with their own thoughts and stared at Alex. "Sire, did you...remember a few things from your past?" Asher asked. "How did you know familiar bindings?"
Alex turned his head towards him. "Huh? I just know it. It feels like the things at the back of my mind was being whispered to me by a child-like voice inside my head."
"Did it tell you as well any information about your past?" Kal asked as he leaned forward, indicating that he is interested with this news.
He shook his head slightly, "It never mentioned anything about that. I guess, I really forgot all of the things regarding my past life."
All of them fell silent. They all thought that he finally remembered a tiny-bit of information about his taboo sin.
In an attempt to steer the topic away from his past, Emily asked in a cheerful voice, "So, what is our role? And why did you choose for us to look after you?" She imagine herself holding a microphone and having an interview with her master.
"Ah, that. Your role is to be humans that can fight. As for your looks, that is the only look I know. Mom once told me what I look like. Since I am blind and never had a chance to see another human, I had designed you after my features." He replied nonchalantly.
The two familiars fell silent suddenly and the mood in the limousine has dropped down. Emily felt that she just insulted him for asking that question. Of course, he can't see! He could only design them after his own features because he has never seen another human! She felt stupid for asking that.
Alex, however, misunderstood that their sudden silence meant that they didn't like how he designed them. "Why? You don't like it? You can tell me if you want to change anything---"
"NO!" Both of the familiars said at the same time. "We are happy that we look like you sire." Asher said.
"Yes, that is true sire. If anything, we are glad that we are close enough to you to make us look after yourself! And if we are going to have a chance to be reborn as a human, we would still choose you sire." Emily touched his hand firmly. He can feel the heat emanating from her flesh, just like a human. "We would follow your steps as long as you want us to."
Asher was feeling the same with her. He hugged his other arm and said, "We would still choose to be your familiars, sire. We swear on our life that we will be your loyal servants until our time is up."
Alex felt happy.
He finally had someone that won't betray him.