The aroma of perfume, cigarette smoke, and bodily fluids filled Raza's nose as the environment around him changed. He wasn't in the room with the succubus anymore. The scene before him was the brothel he once frequented in his previous life. He walked through the foul-smelling hallway until he reached a familiar door. He didn't bother to knock and opened it.
There he saw a familiar, beautiful face. A woman, sitting by the windowsill, turned and smiled at Raza. Her mouth moved to call his name. It was nostalgic to hear the angelic voice call his name once more. She used his old name, however.
This was a tragic story for Raza. This brothel was unique. They didn't only hire prostitutes, but anyone that the mafia boss thought was attractive. Whether it was through blackmail, threats, or straight-up kidnapping, if the mafia had eyes on you, you would join the brothel. The woman before him was a victim of this. Raza's former boss ruined her marriage to get her to become a prostitute. When she was hired, she quickly became a very famous worker.
"Fumi," Raza walked in.
Ironically, Raza only slept with her once. Every other time that he visited, he would spend an hour talking to her. This was one of two people that he felt… safe with. That was the best word Raza could describe their relationship. The other person was his Little Brother, the one who killed him. Fumi always had a sad look in her eyes, and she would openly express her pain and hatred for her job. That never stopped anyone, unfortunately.
"How are you today? You seemed tired," Fumi said with her usual sad smile.
Raza sat on the floor. He knew that this was an illusion, but he also didn't want to leave. Raza reasoned that since the succubus didn't feel any lust for him, she sent Raza into a fantasy. He sighed.
"Work was work. Fumi, how was your day?"
This was how their conversations usually started.
"Painful. I feel more and more like filth with each passing day," She smiled. This was her usual response.
The normal pattern would be that they would sit in silence for 15 minutes. Sometimes, Raza would lay in her lap. Raza never knew why he would keep visiting her, but after living with his family for 18 years, he believed that he may have an inkling of an understanding.
"Fumi, I remembered that your husband left you and took your kids. I may have kept coming in order to have an idea of what maternal care felt like. Even if it was artificial," Raza coldly said.
Once again, she said his former name.
"Why are you telling me now? You say that like you won't come back again," She looked worried.
Raza stood back up. The reason why they never saw each other again was because Raza killed her. The last time he saw her, he slept with her and then finished her off. To this day, Raza still didn't fully understand why he wanted to end things like that. He sighed.
"Fumi, you may not be real, but," Raza bowed his head.
"I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you. You always told me that things get better, but they never did for you. It feels wrong that I got a second chance while you were forced to live through hell. You were a light to me," Raza confessed.
A single tear fell down Fumi's face. She didn't say anything, but she looked back out the window. There was a moment of silence that filled the room.
"I wanted to go out of this prison with you. Even if it was just once," She finally muttered.
"I know."
Raza walked up to her. A gun formed in his hand, and he pressed the nozzle against her head.
"Thank you for everything. I hope that old man gave you the paradise that you deserved."
BANG!
Suddenly, Raza was back in the room with the succubus. She was staring at Raza with wide eyes. The mutant was shedding tears since she witnessed this interaction and probed at Raza's memories.
"I-I'm sorry," She softly said.
When she said this, something hit Raza. His chest tightened, his head began to hurt, and his breath quickened. A mixture of conflicted feelings and emotions all hit Raza as once as his heart raced.
Raza was not yet able to understand, but Fumi was his first love. It may have been a twisted sense of love, but it was the closest thing he ever got to a mother and lover. The only thing that Raza could understand was that he was livid and that this witch caused it.
He walked towards her, but she tried to crawl away. Her grief was very quickly replaced with pure fear.
"I-I-I said that I was sor… blugh!"
Raza grabbed her by the neck. His eyes were dim and cold as he looked at his target. At that moment, he was no different than he was in his previous life. He only had one thing on his mind.
…
"How much are you betting that he'll be alive?" One of the guards pulled out some coins.
Some of them laughed while others also pulled out their purses. They began betting on if Raza was alive or not, and some of them were betting on how bad the condition would be. One guard decided to risk everything by betting that Raza was completely fine. He was a gambling addict.
"Commander Krieg, it has been 4 minutes and 20 seconds," The lieutenant reported.
"Thank you, Ron. Just 10 more seconds," Krieg chuckled.
'That snot nose brat should have learned that this is no joking matter by now. I'm sure he will look up to me as his senior by now!' Krieg thought to himself.
All of the guards gathered around the door in excitement. They all began to count down.
"5…4…3…2…1…"
A guard opened the door. All of their jaws dropped when they saw the scene before them. Raza was squatting on the floor near a succubus who was beaten to the brink of death. They couldn't tell if she was conscious or not. Raza looked over his shoulders and glared at everyone.
A wave of fear hit everyone when they saw his cold eyes. Despite being hired swords, they knew that this man had seen the worst of the worst. None of them dared to speak.
"You are 1 minute and 30 seconds late. Are you a fucking idiot or did your fat go straight to your brain?" Raza stood up, still pissed.
This snapped Krieg out of his trance. He was livid that the man before him was even more rude than he was before. So what he defeated a succubus! She was the weakest of the group, and she was already starved.
"Watch your tone, boy! Don't act all high and mighty just because you…"
BANG!
A loud noise echoed through the entire building. When the men looked down, they saw a smoking hold right between Krieg's feet. The fear that they felt multiplied.
"I will give you two options. Tell me where the Succumbus camp is or, I will kill you all and then find the camp myself," Raza said in a voice oozing with malice.
Everyone had different reactions to fear, but for young men, that reaction can turn into the desire to preserve their genes. Knowing this, Raza picked the succubus up and threw her over his shoulders. He was calm enough to know that he shouldn't leave her to be endangered.
"They are located West of here. Just about 30 Cubits away in an abandoned warehouse. You will be able to smell it before you see it," Krieg confessed.
For older men, fear came out as the desire to preserve their own lives. He did not want to die in this forsaken town surrounded by men! He refused to!
"Good. I'll be back."
Raza began to leave, but Ron stepped in front of him.
"Leave her he…"
BANG!
The lieutenant fell on the floor, screaming and yelling while holding his knee. Raza stepped over his body and continued walking.
"Oops. My gun misfired."
No one else dared to stop him after that. They all watched in silence as Raza walked downstairs. It was only after they heard the door close when someone spoke.
"I… I won the bet," the gambling guard muttered.
While Raza was walking in the direction in the camp, he bgan to calm down. His anger was replaced with an unfamiliar feeling. It felt like someone shot a hole in his chest. He didn't feel anything when he killed the original Fumi, but this time, something was different. Raza didn't know what he should do with this feeling. He then looked at the woman that was over his shoulders. Stopping at another abandoned building, Raza began to nurse her back to health.