The Origin Part 2

From the cracks in between my fingers, I watched as the slavers ran down that little boy, Sky, and dragged him back to where I was. Yet, when I saw his eyes, expecting them to be clouded in fear or despair, I saw confidence, and an unwavering will to live. It was then that my view on him started to change. How could he, such a little boy, in the face of unsurmountable odds and in the face of possible death, remain so confident? 'Perhaps he has an ace up his sleeve.' I remember thinking to myself back then.

But, after waiting for many hours, the dark cover of night being upon us and the slavers already having dumped us in a cage where we were being transported to Goddess know where, he finally made his move after I had started to give up hope. He managed to peel off the metal bindings of the water bucket they gave us and used it as a saw, sawing through the wooden beams of the cage.

One leg, both legs, he eventually managed to slip out. Then, with a hand, he beckoned at me. "Psst! Are you coming? Come on, I'll help you out of the cage! If we're noticed, you run and get help, I'll hold them off!" My eyes widened. How could this boy, having only lived 7 years at most, be so compassionate and kind? Only a few hours ago, I outed him in the hopes of escaping myself! Incredulous, I couldn't help but ask:

"But why? Y-you know I was the one that told the slavers that you were there to try to save my own hide?! Why would you help me?!" Near the end, I was shouting in self-mockery at how disgusting of a person (slime) I was.

"Why? Because mommy always told me that we should always protect those who can't protect themselves!" He smiled. "Now, come on! Let's get out of here!"

Ah. It was at that moment that I knew. I knew that I unquestionably, without a shadow of a doubt, that this boy, Sky, was my destiny. Such a pure and kind soul. Nothing like the fake smiles I've observed humans put on when interacting with others of their kind. I would be his shield and his sword, and protect him from all the evils in the world. It was at that time that I knew. That I love him. I love him. I love him. I love him. I love him. I love him. I love him. I love him. I love him. I love him. I love him. I love him. I love him. I love him. I love him. I love him. I love him. I LOVE HIM!

"What are you spacing out for? Come on!" He suddenly clutched my hand, breaking me out of my thoughts, as he pulled me out of the cage and into the cool cover of night. I flushed a deep crimson, as I let myself be pulled along by Sky, and further and further away from the camp. We were almost free! But, in that moment of thoughtlessness, I triggered a tripwire, laid around the perimeter of the camp, sounding off the alarm and quickly waking the 3 slavers. There was no chance two small children could outrun 3 grown men, and we were quickly re-captured and tossed unceremoniously on the dirt floor.

"Heh. Y'all think you guys can try to escape? Seems like y'all need to be… educated… on what good manners are." One slaver cracked his knuckles and grinned, showing his yellow teeth. Saying that, his fist flew outwards and towards me. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the blow that never came. That's right. Darling took it for me, and immediately was sent tumbling.

"Hoh~? Little boy trying to play knight now is he? Heheh. Seems you haven't learnt your lesson, right?!"

Upon seeing Darling lying on the ground, unresponsive, my eyes lost their light, dulling and turning into two pitch black voids. "You hurt Darling. You hurt Darling. You hurt Darling. You hurt Darling. You hurt Darling. You hurt Darling. You hurt Darling. YOU HURT DARLING!" I screeched and it was then that I seemed to have gone through a change. My hair started to float, and the tips seemed to have crystallized, glinting in the light cast by the singular lantern.

"UNFORGIVABLE!" My hair was sent in the direction of the slavers, like an onslaught of snakes, where they were repeatedly skewered until they looked more pincushion than man. "AHAHAHAHAH!!! THAT'S WHAT YOU DESERVE!" I laughed maniacally, reveling in the adrenaline pumping through my body. (Now that I think about it, the newly-acquired ability was probably because of my unfathomable love for Darling~)

Then I realized Darling was still on the dusty, cold floor, knocked out cold. How could I have forgotten about Darling?! I rushed to his side, picking him up and taking him to a slaver's nearby tent and lie him down carefully, where I stripped him of his clothes and washed his body (with pure intentions of course~). When day broke, Darling groggily rubbed his eyes:

"W-where am I?" He barely had the chance to mumble before I chopped his neck, knocking him out again. 'Sorry Darling, but you can't wake up now! Sorry for my selfishness but I don't want you to see me like this and I don't want you to witness such ugly pincushions!'

I took him out of Yokai Forest where I lay him down in a nearby park's bench, where I watched from the shadows, a smile on my face, making sure he was eventually reunited with his parents once more. Once Darling was out of my sights, my face immediately turned cold and expressionless. 'It's time to get to work.' I thought. For the next 10 years, I honed my abilities in seduction, assassination and espionage to the absolute peak, and completed many a mission for different organizations under different aliases.

During those long 10 years where I only had roughly an hour each day to watch Darling, I realized an important ability that seemed to have developed upon being in contact with Darling: Upon assimilating others, not only would I gain their memories and the ability to transform into them, but I would also gain their strongest skill or ability.

Realizing this, I left behind a trail of bodies. Michelin-Star Chefs, Dukes, Presidents, Dictators, Drug Kingpins, even other monsters, all perished when in contact with me for the sake of increasing my strength as Darling's sword, and of course, so I could take care of Darling in the future. After all, to 'conquer a man, start with the stomach'~!

Eventually, whispers in the Underworld started talking about an assassin with a "Thousand Faces". Guess who that is? That's me~!