Mr. Pertan could do nothing.
He could not move his own body.
He could not control his lips as they spoke.
He could not even breathe on his own command.
'What... is happening?'
'I... am not in control?'
[You have always been in control of everything. And I am here to show those in control... just how it feels to be powerless.]
----
Larry Pertan.
When he was in high school, he was the top student in history class.
"And now, we will have Larry give his oral report on the lessons which we can learn from Vythguardian folklore. The topic which Larry has been assigned is... the fall of Hailey Perstilla."
A young handsome student with flowing golden hair stepped up in front of the class, carefully placing his papers onto the podium as he looked around with a smile.
The girls looked at him with eager expressions, and the boys looked to him with respect, as if they aspired to be like this boy.
"Evil... is abundant in this world."
Starting off with these words, the entire class was captivated in a moment as the boy pressed forward on the podium.
"It will always be easier to do what is wrong for the sake of yourself... than to do what is right."
Thinning his eyes, the smile on the boy's face vanished as he spoke with determination.
"Yet it is because it is more difficult to do what is heroic... that those who walk such a path are considered to be heroes in the first place."
Stepping away from the podium, the boy held out his hands as he addressed the class.
"Hailey Perstilla... an elven figure in the ancient legends of the Vythguard Empire... was designated as one of the heroes to save the human races from the Queen of Evil."
With a pause, the boy glazed his eyes on the crowd before continuing.
"She was weak. She was powerless. She was unable to do anything, and jealousy sparked within her of those classmates around her. Yet it was only when those classmates were slaughtered by that horrible half human and half spider monster... that she truly realized how petty she had been."
Closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath, the boy then opened them as he resumed his speech.
"Yet it was at that moment after she had lost everything that she was presented with a choice. She could either accept the power which the Queen of Evil presented to her... or she could die a hero, refusing the temptations of that terrible being."
Thinning his eyes in disgust, the boy spoke with clear distaste as he spat out the next statement.
"And she chose wrong."
Looking around the classroom, the boy could see that each of the children were holding their breath as they awaited his words.
"Rather than keeping on the straight path and refusing the temptation of evil, she accepted it under the false pretense that she would be able to make something of herself. And yet it was exactly that acceptance of evil... which led the world down a path of destruction."
Raising a finger, the boy paced back and forth as he spoke with determination.
"Her actions caused the Indeterminant - the hero of heroes who was destined to unite all nations - to lose not just one, but two heroes who should have been fighting by his side. And it was because of this, that he lost when faced with the Queen of Evil and her four antiheroes."
Grimacing, the student discredited the ones which he referred to.
"They used dirty tricks, cheap methods, and even took the entire world hostage. They ganged up on him, and yet even when facing numbers which far outweighed him... he took them on without complaint. Yet it was because of this... that he lost."
Pointing to the students before him, the boy then spoke up in a confident tone.
"Therefore I will ask each and every one of you. This may be only a story and a myth, but it is something which we should learn a lesson from. When you are faced with the decision to take the easy route at the cost of others, or to put your own life on the line in order to help them, which one will you choose?"
Lowering his tone, the boy presented the others with a question.
"Will you be like Hailey Perstilla... and cause the downfall of even those who are righteously trying to serve those around them?"
"Or will you be like the Indeterminant... and give your life trying to help others?"
Stepping off, the boy returned to his seat with a rain of applause.
"Well said, Larry!"
"What a great speech!"
"I was moved by it!"
With a grin, the boy sat down at his seat as he was praised by all those around him.
'Ah... this feels good.'
They clapped and they clapped.
The sounds of approval continuously surrounded the boy, causing him to smile all the more.
'They... love me.'
----
"Larry, you're so cool!"
"Do you want to hang out with us later tonight?"
"Ah... well if you insist... I suppose I could make time."
Surrounded by women, Larry started to become more and more popular.
He was outspoken.
He was a history nerd, but he spoke with such dedication on his interests that even the less intelligent students looked up to him.
He was given attention and praise by his teachers, and recommended as a top student by all.
And as he continued his studies, the attention only became greater and greater.
"Hey... could we hang out somewhere tonight?"
"Sure. Where do you want to go?"
"Hmm... why don't we head to my house? My parents aren't home after all... and I could cook something for you!"
"Oh... that would be great."
Larry found himself hanging out with more and more women, a different one each night.
He was beyond popular.
"Hey, what do you think of this?"
"It looks great on you."
On one particular night, Larry sat on a couch at the girl's home as she fluttered an apron before him, smiling gently as she tried to impress him.
'Haha... this is so much fun.'
"Does it really? Do you think... that I look better than any of the other girls?"
"I... do."
'Don't make me compare you to them. I'm with you now. Isn't that all that should matter?'
With a deceptive smile, Larry responded in a way which was opposite to the things he thought.
"I... see.... then, I'll get right to cooking!"
The girl walked off with a red face, leaving Larry to wait for her in the living room.
'Ah... this is a lot of fun.... but it would be even better if the girls weren't so concerned about each other. Why can't they just... enjoy me as I am?'
Time passed, and eventually the boy heard a squeal.
"Agh!"
The sound of clattering metal resounded in his ears as the boy stood up, bursting into the kitchen to see what was wrong.
And when he walked in, he witnessed the girl in her apron sucking on a bloodied finger.
"Ah!! I'm sorry to have made you come all the way here! I was clumsy and cut myself, so-"
Grabbing the hand of the woman, Larry took a look at it.
"This... you cut yourself because you were trying to cook for me. Isn't that right?"
"Eh? Ah... um... I... suppose that's-"
"Beautiful."
The girl was cut off as the boy stared straight at her bloodied finger with amazement.
"Eh?"
"It's... beautiful. Isn't it?"
"What... is beautiful?"
"For someone to get hurt... for the sake of another.... it... is enough to bring me to tears."
The boy smiled as he held the girl's hand, not looking her in the eyes - but rather filled with a strange fascination for the cut on her finger.
"Ah... do... do you really mean that?"
"Would you... be willing to hurt yourself for me?"
"Eh?"
Bending down, the man picked up the bloodied knife, looking directly at the stain on it.
"This is the blood that you shed... for my sake... doesn't that mean that this is a measure of your love for me?"
"My... love for you?"
Grabbing the head of the girl, Larry looked her straight in the eyes mere inches from her face.
"How much do you love me compared to the other girls?"
"I.... love you a lot. More... than any of them."
"Will you show me?"
"Eh?"
First pressing his hand to her forehead as if he were taking her temperature, the boy then intertwined his free hand with her hands as he laid them together on the table.
"Will you show me... how much you love me?"
"How... will I do that?"
The girl seemed to gulp as she looked down with shame, then looked up with a gentle smile.
"Do you want me to.... remove my clothes?"
"Do you think that would show me anything?"
"Eh?"
The girl looked to the boy with confusion, then he pulled away from her as he twiddled the knife about in his other hand.
"Something like that... couldn't you do that for anyone? How would that prove your love?"
"Any- No! I would only do such a thing for you!"
"Do you think I could believe that? Where is the proof?"
"Proof!?"
The girl seemed to become scared as she was rebuked by the one she loved, stepping back as she held her hand to her heart.
"Do you need proof... to know that I love you?"
Her eyes started to tear up, however the boy then looked her into the eyes once more.
"There are so many who have told me such words. Do you think I could understand which ones are telling the truth... and which ones are merely saying that?"
"I... what do you want me to do?"
"Bleed for me."
With a completely straight face, the boy said these words which took the breath straight out of the woman.
"If you become scarred from the wounds that are inflicted... then it will be proof that you love me, and that you have endured pain for me... and me alone. You don't have any scars... which you have endured from another... right?"
"Eh!?"
The girl felt a flurry of emotions as the boy said such insane things.
She didn't know whether to feel fear, concern, or disgust.
But in her weakness, she couldn't feel anything but insufficiency.
She was in love.
And that poison known as love stopped her from acting in any rational manner.
"I... will do it."
Stepping forth, the boy looked down on her with a disturbing smile.
"You will?"
"I will. For.... your sake."
Then, looking up with an innocent smile, the girl wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Because I love you... more than any of the other girls."
----
The body of a girl was found in her home a week later when her parents returned.
Her wounds were beyond anything they could have possibly imagined.
Over 100 lacerations.
Teeth were pulled out. Fingernails ripped off. Hair torn from her head.
And when the parents returned to see such a frightening scene, it was enough to make both of them pass out on the spot.
Blood covered the kitchen, and the girl was spread out on the table with eyes completely devoid of life.
Like an angel, her arms were spread.
Yet there was not an exposed piece of flesh which had not been penetrated by a blade.
The police were called, however a culprit was never named.
"Sir... we have completed the DNA tests. There is evidence that a boy named Larry Pertan was present on the night of the murder. His fingerprints were all over the girl, and without a doubt he must have been the killer."
The police chief pulled the young investigator to the side, glancing around and making sure nobody was around. In a low whisper, he said:
"Keep this a secret for now. The principal of the school is a good friend of mine, so we must do what is necessary to keep this event out of the public's ears."
The police chief said such things to the inspector, who dropped his jaw in surprise.
"Sir, what are you saying!? Are you telling me that-"
"I am giving you an order, Rookie. That is all."
Faced with the deadly stare of his superior, the inspector was left in a position where there was nothing to be said.
"If it were to get out that a top student of a prestigious school were to be involved in such a scandal... it would be the end of the school. And that school happens to support us greatly. Now return to your duties. And should I hear another word about this case... then I will personally see that you take the blame for this incident."
Faced with a harsh and unreasonable reality, there was nothing to be done.
The corruption of society and the politics of those who were successful were enough to distort this world.
'How could such a thing... be allowed?'
That inspector was forced to grit his teeth, knowing that a psychopathic murderer would be let loose upon the world on that day.
'I... don't care what it takes. Even if it is not today... one day I will get to the bottom of this.'
With determination, this young inspector looked down, unable to put his chin up with pride given his failures.
'I will make sure that someday... we live in a world where greed and status are not the ideologies which rule over this world.'
----
Years passed.
Parents who had lost their children were forced to be silent, threatened with arrest should they make such news public.
A spiral of evil begun, and it was an unstoppable one which became more and more demented.
One killing led to another. Girl after girl, students found themselves mutilated and killed.
Soon enough, the scandal was getting too big for even the police to handle.
"We must... negotiate with him."
The chief police admitted this to the inspector who was assigned to the case, to the great displeasure of the man.
"Negotiate... with a criminal like that?"
"You should know well that he is not a mere criminal. He is an important figure. In these few years, he has given many public talks on the direction of our nation and the mistakes of the past, and he is now adored by the people. And with the state of the war, his existence is important for both morale and patriotism."
With a grave tone, the chief reminded the inspector of the situation.
"Not a single family knows that he is the one who has been performing such... acts. And do you know how detrimental it would be if he were to be revealed as a psychopath?"
"So you intend to keep things this way?"
The investigator, who was no longer a rookie after his years of experience in the force, looked to his chief with evident disgust.
"Yes. However... a different approach must be taken."
"I will have no part in such negotiations."
The inspector stormed out of the room, flinging open the door before the chief got one final word in.
"Understand well what will happen should you leak anything."
Gritting his teeth, the man slammed the door shut.
As he walked through the halls of the police station on that day, the man let out a whisper of desperation.
"I know that much... but even so...."
Clenching his fist with such pressure that his hand began to bleed, the man wanted to punch the wall.
"Why can't I do anything about this?"
----
"Ahem... Principal. Mr. Pertan. I am so glad to see you both here on this fine day to meet with me. Please, have a seat."
"Ah, how wonderful it is to meet you, Chief Hergar. I have been told that it is only because of you that I have been able to do so much work around me without hindrance. As a History teacher, I can only thank you that you have allowed me to instruct my students in the most intimate way possible."
The prettyboy who was now an athletic man firmly shook the hand of the police chief, who smiled as he nodded.
"Of course. However it is becoming increasingly difficult to hide your... actions. Therefore I would like you to cease your... home visits."
"Eh? How could I do such a thing? It is only through visiting my students in person that I can-"
"We will not tell you to stop.", The police chief stated with the raise of his hand. "However, you must take precautions. The principal has set up an area within the school where you may... perform your activities. You must ensure that the girls do not tell their parents anything about you, or where they are going. Rather than a series of murders, a series of disappearances will be much easier to handle."
"Oh.... I see.... thank you both very much. I will ensure that my work in the public will also be... to your benefit. And of course... to the benefit of this great nation."
With this statement, the three men smiled deviously.
"As many issues as it may have brought... the benefits still outweigh them. Public opinion is perhaps the greatest form of power, and it is on our side because of how popular you have become as a speaker and as an instructor. It is almost unbelievable that someone with the mere profession of teacher could do such a thing."
"It is only because I wish to promote... morality. And I wish to rid these girls of the corruption which the other men would like to bring them."
"I... see."
Thus, the three men plotted and planned.
And as they did so, a psychopath was placed upon a pedestal.
The evils which he hid were shoved into a deep corner of society, and he was praised as a hero by all.
On that day, the young inspector who had pleaded time and time again not to allow such a man to exist found himself at a bar, drunk off his worries as he stared blankly to the ceiling.
"Hey buddy. You alright there?"
The bartender waved his hand before the man, who didn't so much as respond.
Shrugging his shoulders, the bartender turned around as he begun to clean a glass.
"There is nothing more evil... than a villain who is seen as a hero."
With this light whisper, the bartender overheard the man speak as he turned around with confusion.
"You say something, George?"
"No. Give me another drink. And a cigarette if you got one."
----
[Human girl. You're coming with me. I don't care who you are, or what brought you here to this school. You're coming with me.]
"Hey... what are you doing?"
"Let go of us, Number 7..."
[Heh. I refuse.]
As Number 7 had exited that equipment shack, standing before Stella with two struggling boys slung across his back who were barely regaining their consciousness, the monster grinned with arrogance as he spoke to the girl, who looked at him with her jaw dropped.
'What is this thing?', she thought.
However in an instant, she felt something hit the back of her head.
The monster had disappeared from in front of her, only to reappear behind her.
'Where... is Mr. Pertan?'
The girl fell to the ground unconscious, unable to even realize what had happened in that instant as the monster glanced at the two boys.
[Enough of your useless struggling, humans. I have a job to do. And I will have none of your ill mannered morals get in my way.]
As Gordon slowly opened his eyes at the words of the monster, he looked around in confusion to see the girl laying on the ground, unconscious.
'Now that I think about it...'
'There... were a bunch of girls who disappeared recently... weren't there?'
It was then that he felt a swift hand to the back of his head, and the desire to sleep once more overcame him.
'Ah... I was so focused on my own struggles....'
'Did I fail to notice those around me who were in pain as well?'
With this thought, the boy fell into the realm of sleep.
----