It hurts!
Painful!
It hurts a lot!
Why does it hurt!?
Enduring the unimaginable pain, which made every fiber of my muscles scream in protest, I slowly opened my eyes.
And was greeted by darkness.
Is it still night?
More importantly, why does it hurt? Did I hit my head somewhere?
Amidst the burning headache, I tried to recall the last memory.
I was executed... my arms were cut off, and my eyes were gouged out. In the end, my head was served.
My last memory was of curses shouted at me and the absolute darkness.
My body shivered.
Did I die?
Then why am I conscious?
I tried to move my body, but it felt like it was tied to a heavy rock.
Was I spared? But... they served my head.
Slowly, my senses returned, only making it even more painful. I felt like I was being sliced into small pieces, only to have them stuck back together.
Why?
I touched beneath, but instead of a warm, soft blanket, a sensation of cold, hard floor greeted my hand.
Why can't I move my body?
The fear crept under my skin, but for some reason, my heart was calm.
Why am I like this? Guards
I jerked my body left and right, trying to shout. I needed to call someone.
But I couldn't move this damn body.
Terrified and irritated, I continued to jerk my body.
Move! Move! MOVE!
Suddenly,
As if all the strings were cut loose, my body jolted forward.
What?
But I couldn't rejoin as mind-numbing pain assaulted my head. An unexpected rush of memories flooded my mind.
Image after Image. A life after life.
RUSSSSH!
"Where are we going?"
A small boy asked the woman, who was holding his hand. Instead of replying, the woman continued to walk with a hurried step, dragging the boy with her.
The boy, as if used to her behaviour, lowered his head quietly and tightened the scarf around his neck... hiding his scars.
The woman turned to dark alley and finally stopped. A harsh voice came out of her mouth.
"Here, take this thing, and give me my money."
Saying that she tossed the boy foward making him fall on the dirty floor.
Startled, the boy looked at the hand that was holding his. But he didn't utter a word of complaint.
"Mom..."
Instead, he just tilted his head, not understanding what was going on.
The woman looked at the boy in utter disguise.
"I am not your mother! You filthy thing!"
The boy's eye trembled unnaturally, and panic surged through his body.
Until,
"It's alright."
Until a hand grabbed him from behind.
"No, need to be afraid," said the calm and soothing voice.
For some reason, the boy stopped trembling.
"Hurry up! and hand over the money," Demanded the woman in irritation.
The voice remained silent, then a bag was crudely tossed to the woman.
Grabbing the bag, the woman didn't even bother looking inside and just rushed out of the alley.
"Some people just don't deserve to be loved," the voice from behind spoke again.
A hand was placed on the boy's head. A gesture full of affection, he never felt.
The boy looked up with a blank expression.
A figure full of darkness. That's how the boy perceives that entity.
The humanoid shadow patted his head.
"Come with me," said the shadow, "I know a perfect place for you."
Entranced with the care he never felt, the boy nodded.
"Haha!" the shadow laughed, "Good boy! I have a feeling we would get along very well."
The boy held his scarf in a tight grip as he followed the shadow.
"Hmm~Oh! little divine."
The shadow started to hum a lullaby. A beautiful voice.
~don't you fear the light,
A song it would sing every day.
~Every tremor, every cry,
~Helps your fragile wings to fly.
Every day, before it breaks him.
~They call it fate. They call it law.
Every day, before it builds him.
~But cowards was all I saw.
A beautiful, eerie voice.
~let the pain be your guide.
Soon, the boy realized. It wasn't care or affection.
~Will you kill the gods, little divine?
It was the madness.
RUSSHHH!
"AHRghhh!"
I gasped as my back arched upward. For the first time after awakening, my heart beat loudly, loud enough to reach my ears.
"W-What did I just see?"
No, 'saw' wasn't the right word.
"I-I!! What was that!!?"
I felt every single moment of a life that wasn't mine... or was it?
"Argh!!"
I groaned; the pain inside my body intensified. I felt a strange tightness inside my chest.
Drip!
Didn't know when, but the tears started streaming down my cheeks.
That's right!
I remember now. I remember this life.
I was sold by my mother. And was bought by a demon.
I clenched my fist tightly.
I was an experiment.
I was torn, piece by piece. Then I was built anew.
It hurts!
Then I was torn again. Until I became an empty puppet.
It hurts so much!
And in the end, I was discarded as a... defective product.
And I remembered my past life.
I was an average assassin.
No ambitions. Just a plain, simple life.
How did I die?
I was executed for the assassination of a minister.
Slowly, the pain started to subside as my body relaxed a little.
I stared blankly at the darkness. My mind is in a jumbled mess.
So, Who am I?
The pain of this life collided with the emptiness of the past life.
BOOOOM!
Suddenly, the heavy metal door blasted open.
My ears vibrated, and I covered my eyes from the sudden rush of wind and light.
Kreeeee!
Outside the door stood a monster he didn't recognize.