Only the red of blood pertains.
From the crack, I glimpse at the outside world. There's a blue orb in the skies, and the weather is clouded by clouds and fogs below.
It appears I'm inside some cathedral or citadel or castle of sorts. Judging from the height, I'm currently on the second floor.
There are chirps of unfamiliar birds zig-zagging through the faraway mountains and zip-zaps of crickets.
The light peers through the glassy auroras in the skies, tracing the walls in greens and purples and basking me in blue.
Blue. Her eyes are blue.
Bright. Brighter than the skies.
A pair of sapphires streaming the raining moonlight.
They drown in melancholy upstreaming from deep within the rivers of her heart.
The tears, crystal.
So clear. So innocent.
So pure not a single ray of malevolence or a drop of malice can be sought within.
They, flow, unceasingly, fast, unceasingly fast, as fast as the blood that ways its course through the protrusion on her broad forehead.
She sucks in quick breaths between sobs.
Her lips twist, and tremble.
Her throat gulps, and swallows, and hiccups, in wails.
Tears well well.
Her face scrunches. Her voice pitches, warbling. Her fists clench, but the tears, they keep coming. The cries burst and fade into sniffles yet burst yet again.
Did I… raise my hand to a kid?
I look back. There, at the mutilated corpses lying on the stone floor.
Did I… just eat… them?
I barely keep my composure, resisting the urge to vomit. Then I look at the girl, who's sneakily trying to reach for a book dropped a few steps away from her.
"Don't even think," I say calmly, staring holes through her.
She hitches and raises her hands into the air, surrendering.
"Good," I say, standing and extending my hand to her. "Can you somehow heal the protrusion on your head? The wound is quite dangerous if left untreated."
Her eyes don't move as she stares straight ahead in fright, my words going in one ear and out the other.
"Hey!" I call. "You wouldn't want to die like they did, now, do you?"
She finally snaps back into reality, blinking repeatedly, then scrubbing her tears away.
The kid stands on her own, shaking, then flailing to the ground once again, hitting her head on the floor once more.
Is this really the kid who stormed bullets through my back? Come to think of…
I look down at my heart. The once large hole is now merely a tiny gap, my skin stitching itself back with incredible regeneration. Although weak, I can hear my heartbeats.
I look at the girl, who has blues glowing out of her shaky palms, her hands a reach away from her forehead.
Heal |F+|
It heals, though slowly in comparison to the regeneration I possess.
Interesting. She's not using the book this time, then how can she perform her… sorcery?
Is the book required only for attack spells? I want to ask, yet instead, I calmly watch her. The girl is clearly shaken, understandably so.
I did beat the living shit out of her, and beat the life out of her friends…
I feel bad. Not about the killing. That I'm accustomed to. What I feel bad about is my disgusting thoughts accompanied by actions. I let the strange forces take hold of me, and I relished them.
It did save my life, but at what cost?
If I didn't stop in time, what kind of unspeakable deeds would I commit against this kid?
It might sound presumptuous and hypocritical after depriving two lives and grinding their skin against my teeth. But no, I'm just racist. Why would I give a shit about goblins and elves? I've lived as a human, and I'm a human at heart.
Yes, I'm a hypocrite. But who isn't, really? I have yet to develop sympathy for the extraterrestrial beings. For now, they're just like animals to me.
Mere food.
Food?
I slap my face. There's someone else thinking for me. These thoughts aren't mine. Rather, they've been implanted into my mind by some forces. It doesn't help that I don't remember much of my past life.
So, essentially, I have no identity.
Who am I really? A human? A demon? Both?
"Umm…" The girl finally speaks. "You can… speak?"
"Are you fucking blind?!" I shout at her. Fuck, I didn't mean to shout that! "Are you fucking deaf?!" No! That's not it! I didn't mean to shout altogether!
She shivers, bowing her head. "Please forgive me, oh Great Demon!"
"What the fuck is with the Great Demon thing?" I ask, frowning.
"Umm… Are you not?"
"Do I look like I have a fucking clue?!" I shout at her. I didn't mean to be this loud. Calm down; it's just a kid.
Her shivers intensify. She freezes, speechless.
Her eyes accidentally fall on the corpse of the elf, and she swells up, and bloats.
Then she bends over, and throws up.
Fucking hell. I can't have a normal discussion with this moron.
Yes, let's just be patient and tread calmly. It's just a kid, better give her some room for breathing.
"If you pull any funny shit once more, I'm tearing apart your arm!"
No, not like that! Not just an arm—
She attempts to close her mouth, yet instead pukes more.
That's it, I'm killing this bi—
NO!
Lord give me patience, because if you give me strength, I'm gonna kill this bi—
I breathe in and out. In and out. Patience is a virtue. I must cultivate it. I must be patient. I, must be patient. Come on, inner peace. I don't have all day.
All things are difficult before they become easy. Have patience. Okay.
Breathe… calmly… in… and… out…
In… and out… in… and out.
I'm calm.
"You finished, bitch?! Don't test my patience!"
She backs away instinctually, leaning against the wall, her hands clasped tight, terror washing over her.
"Good," I tell her, nodding my head. "First, it's fucking cold. Give me that robe of yours."
She shakes, watching in between my legs.
"That's inappropriate, kid."
Her eyes shoot up. She freezes momentarily, then takes her purplish robes with brownish linings off and hands them to me.
I take my time to wear it. Good. It barely covers. It'd be weird to lead a conversation with my goods hanging.
"How do I look?" I ask.
She nods her head, her teeth grinding from frost. Without the robe, she seems plainer, with a black and tight tunic and bruises over her neck.
"Speak, moron. Are you mute too?!"
Her legs teeter, her leggings barely warming her. Her arms shake, crossed together to cover herself. Whether from shame, fear, or cold or maybe everything altogether, I don't know. I don't care.
"Youuu looo-oo-kk fassci-nating-q-g."
"Bullshit! I was testing you," I shout, pointing at her. "Ingrain this into your mind. The first rule. That is, if you want to live. Don't ever lie to me! That's the first rule!"
"Tell me. The first rule. Is?!"
"Too-o-o no-ot everrr l-lie to Si-sir!"
"Don't stutter!"
"To no-o-o. To n-n-n." She blinks repeatedly, sobbing. "To not lie to Sir ever!"
"Good, good, good." I clap my hands, smiling. They say kids learn fast. It's true. I'm proud. "Now, tell me everything."
"Everything…?"
How stupid of me to praise her. Kids will remain dumb no matter. "Are you serious right now?!"
She looks at me questioningly.
Calm down… patience… tranquility… peace…
I aggressively remove the arrow hanging from the left side of my chest. Blood fountains. "DOES THIS GIVE ANY CLUES? PATIENCE HAS FUCKING LIMITS!"
"I WAKE THE FUCK UP AND THE NEXT THING I KNOW I GET A FILTHY FUCKING GOBLIN SHOVING ITSELF UP MY AS LIKE IT'S TRYING TO LAY BOTH ITS STICK AND HOSE IN ME. THEN THAT BITCH DECIDES TO TOSS A FUCKING ARROW AT MY RIGHT LIKE SHE'S PLAYING FUCKING DARTS AND THEN `NOTHER MOTHERFUCKER COMES ALONG AND TRIES TO STAKE MY HEART LIKE I'M A FUCKING VAMPIRE AT A MIDNIGHT MASSSTAKING! YET AFTER ALL THIS SHIT YOU STAND THERE TALKING `BOUT SELLING MY FUCKING CORPSE LIKE I'M A GODDAMN CHRISTMAS TREE ON CLEARANCE SALE! WHILE I LAY HERE SLURPING UP MY OWN FUCKING BLOOD OFF THIS SHITSTAINED FLOOR LIKE I AIN'T GOT NO GODDAMN SENSE! WHAT THE FUCK AM I A THANKSGIVING TURKEY? A RABID DOG?"
I forcefully grab at her hair, dragging her along the floor toward the elven corpse so that I can feed her ears to her.
She covers her ears, trembling.
"DON'T GET ME STARTED ON HOW YOU PERSONALLY FUCKED MORE HOLES INTO MY BODY THAN A NEWLYWED COUPLE ON THEIR FIRST FUCKFEST! I'VE SEEN PINCUSHIONS WITH BETTER INTEGRITY THAN THIS CLUSTERFUCK OF BONES I'M IN! MY BLOOD HAS BEEN SPILLED MORE TIMES THAN A MOTHERFUCKING BARTENDER DROPS DRINKS ON A FRIDAY NIGHT! YOU HAVE THE FUCKTONE OF AUDACITY TO STAND THERE TREMBLING LIKE A FUCKFACE CHIHUAHUA AND ACT LIKE I'M THE CRAZY FUCKHEAD?! FOR FUCK'S SAKE. ENOUGH FUCKERY. BITCH. I'LL SHOW YOU CRAZY!"
"I'm sowwyyyyyy—"
"NO YOU'RE NOT SORRY YER FUCKING STUPID"
I stand before the elven corpse, a smile creeping up my face.
Red glows appear on my body—
No!
With my other hand, I hit my face as hard as I can, blinding myself in my left eye.
"ARGHHHHHHH"
I drop the moron down and fall back, pressing hard on my bloodied eye.
"FUCK!"
Relax… Relax….
I'm relaxed… I'm relaxed… I'm relaxed…
Don't let the wrath consume you… Don't let the wrath…
"FUCK FUCK FUCK!"