After a while, there was silence. I had been waiting for someone to say something, just so the silence would end. Hasan had returned to his seat after the guests had left, and he was just watching me. Then he started talking.

"It's really interesting, that guy, the one who beats his wife and daughter, the alcoholic, but he stopped himself from hitting you right in the face. You've got some guts. For a moment, I thought you actually stopped the big man's slap." After saying this, he started laughing. The voice in my head was speaking.

Look at this bastard. He's looking down on us. We'll make them all pay for what they did!

He stopped laughing and started talking again.

"Taşkın, what did you talk about with that girl outside? Did you ask them to save you, saying they're torturing you? Hahaha."

"No, I didn't say anything."

"Even if you did, it wouldn't change a damn thing. That girl can't even save herself, how could she save you, idiot?"

"I really liked the dress the girl was wearing. It made my mouth water, you know. I wouldn't mind tasting that too."

He grinned nastily and looked at me. I wasn't looking at the ground anymore. I was staring straight into his eyes.

"What's up, are you going to threaten me too, you son of a bitch? Did your ass get excited just seeing a couple of human faces?"

His face was getting angrier by the moment. There was no smile left on his face now.

He stood up and turned to Melis.

"Go get the chains now."

Melis started walking without hesitation, I could tell from the sound of her footsteps that she was going upstairs. I had a lot of bad thoughts running through my mind. Chains? What chains? What are they going to do to me?

Melis was coming downstairs with noisy steps. She had the chains. Hasan started walking, and he called out to me.

"Walk to your hut." I followed behind him. Melis was also coming behind me with the chains in her hands.

We entered the hut. Hasan turned to me.

"Take off your clothes now!"

Involuntarily and with a loud voice, I said, "No!" I was trembling and sweating coldly. My eyes were filled with tears. Not again! I don't want this. Disgusting!

Melis started swinging the chains in her hand and hit me with them.

"Don't scream in the evening, you bastard, I'll kill you here!" Hasan started advancing towards me. He raised his right hand. He was going to punch me. I tried to stop the blow like I did with Mehmet, but I thought my hand would break. He hit my chest. I couldn't stop the punch in any way. But why!? What had I done wrong?

I was writhing on the ground and coughing. My stomach was nauseous. I vomited a bit, but it was just water anyway. I wasn't eating properly, so what else could I vomit. While I was writhing on the ground, both of them were looking at me. Melis wrinkled her face.

"You disgusting creature. You're making me sick."

She hit me again with the chain in her hand. It hurt a lot. The coldness of the metal and the pain it caused to my body were unbearable.

Hasan came up to me and lifted me up. He started taking off my clothes. I had no strength left to defend myself. It hurt so much. After a while, I had no clothes left on me. Hasan turned to Melis and started talking.

"Chain this bastard to the wall by both arms. Leave a bit of room for movement, don't stretch too much. After all, he's our pet." They both started laughing.

I hadn't mentioned it before, but the hut was filled with old, worn-out items. Most likely, they were all useless and unnecessary items from the house. Also, there were large iron pipes on the walls. They extended upwards. I don't know why there were these iron pipes in a wooden hut.

Melis grabbed me and dragged me to where the pipe was. "Raise your arms," she said. I lifted my arms, struggling. She first chained my right arm, then my left, winding the chain around the iron pipe behind me and locking it with a key and a padlock.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Go home and fill a bucket with water," Melis said, without hesitating, and Hasan went home.

"Please, just leave me alone. Why am I like this? Why do I even live?"

"We might have been too lenient with you, I guess? Now you'll face the consequences," Melis returned to the hut with a bucket. Hasan took the bucket full of water and poured it over me. Then he began to remove his belt. The memory of a similar moment flashed through my mind. I recalled those dreadful moments vividly.

I could hardly move properly; I was completely powerless. But I managed to move my legs a little and kept saying no.

After Hasan removed his belt, he started hitting me with all his might. Each blow felt like my flesh was boiling. At least he didn't do what I thought he would. I was resigned to being beaten rather than the alternative.

I lost track of time, but it couldn't have been long before he was still hitting me. I couldn't even scream anymore; I couldn't move; I just stood there. I could hear Melis's voice.

"That's enough. If you hit him any more, he'll die."

"Let him die, the bastard!"

"If he dies, who will we have fun with? Enough now, you can beat him again after he heals a bit."

He stopped hitting me. "Fine," he said, and spat towards me. Then they both left the hut.

It was very cold, and I was soaked. I was shivering intensely. The chains on my wrists were burning me. Where is the voice that always spoke to me? Why aren't you talking now?

So now you remember me. You never paid attention to me, never responded to what I said. Did getting beaten like this remind you of me?

Are you just a trick of my mind? Something that doesn't really exist? Just talking inside my head. You're useless.

Useless? How do you think you stopped Mehmet's slap? Could a puny, weak child like you stop a slap from a grown man? I helped you. You're a strong kid. There's ferocity, anger, and thirst for revenge within you.

Then why didn't you do something about what just happened? You could have helped me again! Why didn't you help!?

You stopped Mehmet's slap with a burst of anger from within, and of course, with my help. h̵̜̰̯̲̮̳͕̎̍̎a͇̪̣͒̄̃͂̕h̵̪̘̜̫ͦ̽a͇̪̣͒̄̃͂̕h̵̪̘̜̫ͦ̽à̶̖͓͕ͥͩ̊

You're still a little kid, Taşkın. Your body has limits to its strength. But here's the interesting thing. A normal child, even with my help, couldn't have stopped the slap Mehmet threw. The reason I say you're strong is that. You're not like other people. These tragedies you've experienced are only making you stronger, and as you get stronger, I become stronger with you.

So you're not just in my head, you're really helping me, aren't you?

I don't have a specific form or body, not yet. h̵̜̰̯̲̮̳͕̎̍̎a͇̪̣͒̄̃͂̕h̵̪̘̜̫ͦ̽à̶̖͓͕ͥͩ̊. For now, I'm in your head, but yes, I'm helping you. And I'll always be with you. In fact, I've been with you from the very beginning, since your birth. I've always watched over you.

Are you helping me!? When did you ever help me!? You've been with me since I was born, but you only helped me once, why!? Also, why were you watching me? What's your purpose!?

Actually, I've always been helping you. I've been helping you since you were born, and I'm still helping you now, you just don't realize it.

H-How so?

Taşkın, as I said, you're just a little kid. Do you think your body could withstand all that torture and pain without help? You may not realize it, but you have extraordinary resilience. And that resilience is because of me. Right now, you're alive because of me. If you were a normal child, you would have died long ago.

S-So why are you helping me?

Because as you grow stronger, so do I. We both benefit from this. There's no special reason.

What's your name then? What should I call you?

My name is Milaz.

Milaz... So you'll always be with me, until I die, right?

Yes.

Tears started rolling down my cheeks. My wrists were burning from the chains. I tried to move my arms, but it hurt. I tried to move my legs, but I couldn't. There was unbearable pain in my stomach.

Milaz... Why did you save me? I'm always in pain. Why are they doing this to me!? Am I a bad person? Did I do something to someone? Did I unintentionally hurt someone? Why, why!? Why are they treating me like this!? I wish you hadn't helped me and let me die.

Do you really want to know why they're doing this to you?

Tell me, yes! I want to know!

There's no reason. They just want to. Because they can, and because you're weak and powerless. You haven't done anything wrong. They enjoy inflicting pain on you. That's all there is to it. That's how people are, Taşkın.

S-So their only reason is to enjoy it. They enjoy my struggles and screams, all my begging, right?

...Yes.

Then when I get stronger, I can do whatever I want to them, right?

... h̵̜̰̯̲̮̳͕̎̍̎a͇̪̣͒̄̃͂̕h̵̪̘̜̫ͦ̽à̶̖͓͕ͥͩ̊

Yes, of course. Together, we can do anything.

Then why did you say you've been watching me since I was born earlier? Why were you watching me?

I was trying to decide if you were ready.

Ready for what?

To become a bad person. h̵̜̰̯̲̮̳͕̎̍̎a͇̪̣͒̄̃͂̕h̵̪̘̜̫ͦ̽à̶̖͓͕ͥͩ̊

What? What do you mean?

Taşkın, you just asked me, “Am I a bad person?” Remember?

Y-Yes?

You're not a bad person, but you will be. You'll be the worst. h̵̜̰̯̲̮̳͕̎̍̎a͇̪̣͒̄̃͂̕h̵̪̘̜̫ͦ̽à̶̖͓͕ͥͩ̊. Those who harm you, those who hurt you, they will all pay the price in the most severe way. We will massacre them! They will regret it! We will do such things to them that they will beg for death to take them. A long, agonizing, and painful death awaits them!

Milaz's words left me confused. Am I going to be a bad person? Will I cause pain to people? But why? Did I have to endure so much pain and oppression? The anger and desire for revenge inside me suddenly flared up. Yes, maybe I was a child now, but I wanted to become stronger. I had to be strong, I had to stand against them.

With the power Milaz gave me, the anger inside me grew. I had to make those who harmed me pay the price. Right now, I was lying in the cabin, chained and helpless. But one day, one day I would become stronger to hold them accountable.

Each of those who hurt me would cry out in agony. I wanted to make them suffer. I had to scare them, upset them, make them suffer. I had to make them feel helpless.

I closed my eyes and breathed with the anger inside me. I would wait for the time to become stronger. Then, when the time came, I would take revenge!