Chapter 3: Runaway
As Fu Bin played his violent game, the sudden voice behind him startled him. Having just finished his exams, he had been holed up in his bedroom playing a game he had secretly bought. His mother, unable to tolerate his father's violent temper, had divorced and left when he was just a few years old, leaving Fu Bin to live with his increasingly volatile father.
Usually, his father ignored him, but whenever something went wrong—like when Fu Bin got bullied at school and reported it to a teacher, who then called his father—regardless of who was right or wrong, it would result in a beating when they got home. This constant fear was the root of Fu Bin's timid nature.
His father forbade him from playing these games, considering them a waste of money. If he were caught, Fu Bin would be beaten again, and all his "collection" would likely be destroyed.
However, when Fu Bin turned around, it wasn't his disheveled father he saw but a strange figure. This person, dressed entirely in black, wore a single-horned mask and held another black mask wrapped in dark bandages.
Seeing the intruder, Fu Bin's reaction was even more pitiful. His first thought was that it was a home invasion. Who else would dress like this? But then he realized that no robber would know his name or call it out.
Despite these thoughts, Fu Bin cowered under his computer desk, clutching his head and softly begging for mercy, not wanting to alert his father outside the room. Fear had become his nature.
"I wonder why someone like you was chosen as a host," the shadow assassin remarked, throwing the black mask towards Fu Bin, who fumbled and caught it.
"From today, you are its host. Use it to unleash your inner desires," the shadow assassin declared before a flash of his dart shattered the overhead light, plunging the room into darkness. Using the brief change in lighting, he vanished.
Under the glow of the computer, Fu Bin stared blankly at the black mask. Its hollow eye sockets seemed alive, with a will flowing through it, making Fu Bin forget the eerie events and slowly lift the mask towards his face.
He didn't notice the black particles spreading over his hands, attaching to his skin like gloves. These shadowy plankton absorbed his blood, sensing his traits while shadow magic seeped into his mind, awakening his long-suppressed brutality.
The sound of the light bulb shattering must have startled his father outside, who pushed open the door to see the dark room lit only by the violent game on the computer. His son was putting something on his face.
"You little brat! What have you done now? Do you need another beating?" the disheveled middle-aged man roared, storming into the room. His anger flared further when he stepped on the broken glass of the light bulb.
He reached Fu Bin, swearing profusely, and grabbed him. "You even broke the light! It's been a few days since I beat you, and you think you can hide? Get out here!"
But as he yanked Fu Bin out, the black mask was already on his face. Black material emitted from the mask, wrapping around Fu Bin, infusing his frail body with strength. The chaotic will of the plankton flooded his mind.
"Kill him! Haven't you always wanted to? Why hesitate? He's old and weak, just a drunken slob. Follow your desires, like in your games. Grab his head, yank his filthy hair, your desk corner is sharp..."
A voice echoed in his mind, accompanied by the chaotic will of the plankton, disrupting Fu Bin's consciousness. His long-repressed emotions erupted.
The middle-aged man was startled by the black mask, but his anger quickly returned. He grabbed Fu Bin's shirt again, spewing even harsher words. "Just like that slut of a mother! Trying to scare me? Want to betray me too?"
Fueled by alcohol, he didn't notice his son's strange behavior. He raised his hand to slap Fu Bin, but it was caught by a young, strong, blackened hand. Black material spread over Fu Bin, turning him into a black humanoid figure.
Fu Bin held his father's hand and stood up from under the desk, laughing maniacally. His mouth, now blackened, moved with the mask.
"You! Die!" he shouted, his voice muffled by the black material. He saw his father's frightened face, and the shadow magic-enhanced strength in his body was boosted further by the plankton.
He reversed his grip, choking his father, who struggled and coughed. Fu Bin slammed him against the wall, then grabbed a chair and repeatedly smashed it down, the splattering blood further stimulating his nerves.
Years of being bullied by his father and others had left Fu Bin with no outlet except violent games. Now, the mask's will and the plankton's chaotic influence muddled his mind, making him confuse reality with his games. His long-suppressed emotions erupted as he ruthlessly attacked his father.
Eventually, the black plankton sank into his skin, and Fu Bin's chaotic mind cleared. Seeing his father, disfigured and bloody, lying on the ground, he trembled and checked for breathing. Finding none, he collapsed in tears, masking his twisted sense of satisfaction.
Outside, the shadow assassin quietly disappeared, leaving behind other summoned assassins to monitor the mask hosts...