After responding to myself I took one of the teacups and joined it with my lips.
-...Bastard, you copied the tea of Molly...
My words supported by a disgusted expression.
-According to your recollections, this is your new favorite flavor.
-...
The screen in front of us changed at the moment that I tasted the drink for the first time.
It was kind of weird to look at a movie of my memories knowing that the camera in first person was me some months ago.
-Ah, I see. It is because of your feelings for that woman. That is very good, a king needs to inherit his strength to the next generations.
-...
I placed the teacup back in its place and got up from my seat.
-Hoho?
The dead king eyed me with curiosity about my purposes.
I proceeded to show a friendly smile.
-Fucker...
Crash! *
Right after that. The tiny table of candies flew away thanks to my kick. Nothing touched the ground, since everything disappeared before that could happen.
-So much rudeness, and also with such a nice smile. Does your cruelty know no bounds?
His question was more for his enjoyment than to seek an answer.
I, on the other hand, tried to rush into his neck, but the wipes of tar holding me prevented me from doing so.
-... Don´t talk about her as if she was some kind of incubator, you son of a bitch.
The room began to distort, it seemed like my emotional state had some influence on the same.
-Hohoho... If that is the face you show to your victims, then it doesn´t surprise me why they were overwhelmed by the fear. Your talent to impose it´s without a doubt, magnific.
This time I didn´t have an excuse, I was sure that my face was an authentic atrocity.
And I was fine with that as long as he was the only one seeing me this way.
Even with all the bloodthirst bathing him, the dead king stayed immutable as he spoke again.
-My words are one thing, your interpretation is another. If you understood it that way is because your values differ a lot from mine, which is obvious considering our worlds and ages. Nevertheless, I must tell you that it was not my intention to speak ill about the lady, I was just taking into consideration her role as possible queen and mother.
His expression was calm, his voice soft, a tiny mechanic smirk making its job on his face.
I despised it.
After a time I calmed down, the wipes returned to being part of the walls and floors.
-... This doesn´t change anything... I´ll kill you...
-Hohoho. As long as you keep strengthening this body you are free to try as many times as you please.
-... Tch.
My frustration was at its peak. Either because this guy spoke with the face of Francisco, or because I knew that the confidence he had in his victory was not unjustified at all.
-I have to add that your life has been hard, young prince. Among all my previous vessels, you would be the one that has experienced more horror without breaking. You have my respect for that.
I returned to the couch, my arms and legs crossed in an attempt to not jump over him, and began a fight that I wasn´t sure I would win.
-Respect eh. Keep it. I don´t need something like that from you. Much less when is for something so stupid as had endured a hell that I never wanted to live.
With his head resting on his hand, the dead king continued, his eyes with a strange and disturbing spark of curiosity.
-You mean that, if you could have had a choice, Then you would have enjoyed your situation?
-...
An annoying question, with an answer not impossible to give, but difficult to some extent.
-Not at all. I think it would have been much worse if I had a choice.
-Hoho? Care to explain your logic?
-You can see my memories, Do you really need me to do so?
-The projections of your past gives a why to your present and a path to your future, yes. But what you do now might not be the same tomorrow. And what you thought some hours ago could change in what's left of the day.
Nothing is written in stone... Something like that?
It seemed like I had met another person that likes to beat around the bush before being concise.
I replaced my posture and rested my head on my hand.
-By taking a decision you make yourself directly responsible for the consequences, either they´re nice or not. The feelings of guilt or joy comes as part of those consequences. It depends on each person to being afflicted by one of those sensations.
-Certainly, the human has the characteristic of experience and express a great variety of emotions, just as it also has the capability to ignore and repress them. A person that commits an atrocity can see itself consumed in a void of repentance, or, on the contrary, it can enjoy the sin with all the rejoicing of its soul. I guess that the nature of each will define the result.
-Nature eh... Do we truly have something like that?... I don´t think so.
-Hohoho?! Do you deny that the human has nature? Even though we are beings that have evolved to reach the top of the food chain?
We have climbed to the top, though I´m not sure if the food chain is one of those.
-Yhea, I do. At least in the sense of nature as a determinant of behavior.
-Ohohoho! Please! Tell me your thoughts, young prince!
The guy was plenty enjoying this talk, being honest, I was too at a certain point.
It may be that, in other circumstances, the presence before me could have been an interesting existence to keep close.
Shame that life had other plans.
-Well, just look at me. Born on the lowest place of the pyramid, surrounded by violence, grief, abuses and, vices. Although I somehow had established a tiny number of good values, my surroundings wouldn´t stop bombarding me with atrocities that eventually became part of me.
As I spoke, the screen in front of us projected my words with the different scenarios that I have traveled.
Dirty streets with poor houses.
Rooms filled with blood and smelly corpses.
Vehicles being loaded with tons of drugs and weapons.
Dollars and naked bodies of all shapes and sizes.
It was the worst that humanity had to offer, and I was in the center of that half my life.
-But didn´t you accept those atrocities? Don´t you think that part of your being was already predisposed to progress that side?
The human being is evil by nature...
I accept that certain people have a tendency to do morally wrong acts, But then not all of us would be part of that group depending on what our surroundings taught us?
A kiss on the cheek may be seen as a greeting in occident, while in orient may be considered as an exaggerated invasion to the personal space, for not saying a complete attempt of harassment.
The notion of what's right and wrong is subjective. The variations depend on the surrounding that each individual experiments.
-Heh... As good as it may sound... You can´t expect a noble person to stay like that in a world of thieves... We, humans, are social beings, the interaction between us is necessary to maintain our sanity at acceptable measures. With that in mind, by interacting with people that predict one or another ideology, will somehow make inevitable an impression of said ideology. Whether is ignoring it and brand it out as useless or adapting it into your lifestyle.
-And what is your base for that adaptability? Which is the criterion for the ideology to reach your being?
-I´d say necessity.
-Necessity?
-Yes, in my case was surviving. I had to adapt to the horrors of that life of violence to survive.
-Interesting... But wasn´t survival reachable without making such acts of violence?
-Not with Francisco so close. He was the kind of person that doesn´t forgive mistakes, and his punishments were never soft, not even with me. And I was considered his right hand and bodyguard for a couple of years.
Francisco was qualitative, his punishments and rewards were in a perfect balance where no one had enough arguments to question or defy him.
That, among many other capabilities, was what gained the respect and fear of those below him.
Including mine, of course.
Or, at least, until I blew away his head.
-Hohoho~. I see~. I see~. You have a very interesting point. By being completely private from your individuality, of your mere existence as a thinking being, and treated like a tool, your surrounding modeled you in a way that you would become the most versatile and lethal tool. And everything under the supervision of a highly capable person without scruples nor limits.
-I guess that´s a way to say it, yhea.
Thinking about it, his words had an observation that I didn´t have done to myself.
Being a tool.
I´d say that it was due to the minimum preferential treat that Francisco had with me by calling me "son", but now that I think it again, is possible that the name was a small safe that he tried to put in the process of turning me into someone like him.
Being as it was, Francisco wouldn't doubt in using manipulations and mental strikes with the purpose of obtaining confidence and love from the people, I knew it very well since it was from him that I learned to do the same.
I guess that, in some part of me, I was already willing to give in as a human to completely become his tool and so get a bit of that fraternal love that I´ve wished for a long time.
-No... It´s useless to formulate about something that will never happen...
Francisco was dead, I ended his life. The implications behind his actions are now irrelevant. And for that, tormenting me with all those speculations will only result in something counterproductive.
And I didn´t need, nor wanted something like that.
The space began to distort again, this time strongly.
-My, I guess that´s it for the moment.
The room started to melt, my body submerged in the tar again.
This time I didn´t oppose.
-Answer me something, Are you my enemy?
The king returned to its original form, his huge shape didn´t feel as threatening after our talk.
-I´ll be waiting the night where we can meet each other again, my vessel. Hohoho~.
That answered nothing...
The dead king shook one of his hands in farewell, the other ready to snap.
-... GO EAT-
Click*
Everything became dark.
After a few seconds, I was able to feel my body rising from the bed at the same time I ended my insult.
-SHIT!
-WAH!
-...
My scream was followed by another more high-pitched. Looking at the source I saw a surprised woman with lion ears and tail to my right, while another with cat ears and tail was looking at me between disappointed and bothered at my left.
-... What kind of dream you had to end up saying that?...
-... A very annoying one...
-Ahaha... At least he seems to be in better shape than what we thought...
Remembering that my body needed some rest I lay down again, looking around I knew that I wasn´t inside my room, not even inside the castle.
The room was made of wood, white stone, and bamboo, the doors were slidable, ninja weapons were hanging on the walls, and the bed on the floor of tatami was keeping me safe from the cold of the morning.
I had already seen all of this in the lapse of these 2 months.
-Your room? I asked looking at Molly.
-Correct, the maid brought you here after you fainted, make sure to thank them later for the bother.
Molly answered me without the minor particle of care or consideration to my weak state, that by itself was enough indication to know that she was not content with me.