Five men were sprawled on the ground, drenched in their own blood. Their arms were bent in unimaginable directions and they whimpered in pain like dying dogs. A normal person would have fainted from the gruesome sight, and yet a young thirteen year old boy stood in the centre of the carnage, seemingly in deep thought.
'Are they dead?
They attacked me first, so it's only natural for me to defend myself, right?
I haven't eaten in days, so taking some of their money should be enough for my compensation. Yah, they're still breathing, so they'll probably be fine.
Hmmm… should I just end their suffering? Oh well, I'll knock them out for now. I wonder how much money they have.'
He looked down at the large man who squirmed beneath his feat. In a world filled with supernatural abilities it wasn't totally unbelievable for a child to possess unprecedented strength, but even then, the sight of a skinny little boy crushing a fully grown adult was definitely not normal. However, to Ian, this was just what an average day looked like. In order to survive on the streets where power governed everything, bloody battles were simply a way of life. Plus, beating up thugs was a good way of making money!
Unbeknownst to Ian, the leader of the five attackers had already pissed his pants three times.
And in the depths of despair, only one thought crossed his mind: I am going to die….
'I am going to die.
I am going to die.
I am going to die.'
The thug would never have a good night's sleep ever again. He was no longer the tycoon that he once thought he was, but a petrified animal in the presence of an overwhelming predator; the predator being a cute little boy.
Ian on the other hand, paid no heed to his assailant's inner turmoil and prepared to send the five men to a temporary rest.
A purple mist surrounded him, illuminating his jet black hair in a purple glow. He walked towards the man who he presumed to be the leader of the group and condensed the purple fog around him into a small sphere. It continued to compress into the size of a raindrop until it started to convulse from the overwhelming pressure. The ball gravitated to the top of his index finger and fired off towards the man's head.
BANG!
A blinding purple light streaked across the dark alleyway, and at the same time, the gangster's eyes rolled backwards.
Ignoring the burly man at his feet, Ian knocked out the other 4 men with the same technique and started patting them down from head to toe. He wasn't expecting anything too great, but after 10 minutes of foraging, Ian was delightfully surprised by the bundles of cash hidden in their leather jackets. The small boy's eyes sparkled gleefully for the first time in days.
'Damn, these guys are loaded! They probably stole it all, but oh well, it's mine now!'
The young child drooled while imaging the stacks of meat that he would soon be able to buy. He decided that after eating dinner, he would get new clothes and a new bag with the left over money. Then, he would indulge in some apple pie for dessert before going to bed. With his night planned out, Ian grinned sheepishly and struck a shameless pose on top of the unconscious gang leader.
His baggy t-shirt already stank of blood, and he could tell that the next few nights would be cold. He was already starting to shiver from the chilly wind, and, by the looks of it, London would soon see snow. A woolly jumper would do him well in this weather.
Normally, a white Christmas would make kids his age ecstatic, but all Ian could think about was how to survive. After making sure that all the remaining money had been safely stashed away, Ian giggled and stood up. Dinner was waiting for him!
However, before he could even take one step, he was stopped in the middle of his tracks by the sound of graceful footsteps clicking against the pavement.
A beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes in an elegant brown coat arrived in front of him.
She smiled at the little boy who only reached her waist and performed a relaxed bow. Ian, on the other hand, didn't let his guard down and instantly leapt a few steps backwards.
'Was she here this entire time? Why couldn't I feel her sneak up on me? Either way, this woman is dangerous. She should've bolted away the instant she saw the pool of blood, and yet she looks so calm. Who in the world is she?'
He would not let such a suspicious woman steal his hard-earned cash. His dinner was on the line.
If the strange woman had an equally strange psychic ability, his chances would be significantly lowered. Ian released a ball of the same purple mist from before, cutting through the air like a bullet. It then exploded at point blank range before releasing a shower of purple sparks. Ian braced himself, expecting to see the woman collapsed on the floor.
Yet the exact opposite happened.
She was perfectly fine, adopting the same relaxed stance as before. The only difference was the metal shield that was now covering her entire body. Beautiful carvings were engraved on its smooth surface and its lustrous shine made it look like a holy artefact straight out of a fairytale, but the thing that stood out the most was its size. Ian questioned how the woman could even carry such a heavy thing, let alone wield it with only one hand.
"Well, aren't you a feisty little kitten?" she exclaimed while licking her plump red lips.
Then out of nowhere something ridiculous happened.
"Can I become your mummy? Pleeassse… Can I?"
As if the previous battle was just an illusion, a pair of shameless puppy dog eyes greeted Ian's shocked gaze.
"Eh!?"
He let out a weird cry at the absurdity of his current predicament. How did the situation derail so quickly? Ian could only ponder whether the ridiculously suspicious woman was in her right mind.
'…. Just what in the world is happening? What have I gotten myself into?'
And thus, this was the start of an unexpectedly loving relationship between a mother and her 'son'.