NEZHA

Families are supposed to take care of each other. That is what I first thought. That’s what my mom told me when she gave me away. With a tap on the shoulder and a kiss on the cheek before she walked away from me.

He wasn’t what I expected him to be. Tall, blonde with a charming grin on his face. Going down to his knees as he cupped my right cheek. I could see his rose tattoo and the ciel uniform he was hiding behind his silver coat. An actual priest in front of me.

‘’I will take care of you now’’He said softly and winced with his eyes closed.

I nodded quickly before turning to see if my mom would return. But instead, the man took my hand and walked me inside the building.

Ao Bing was in the room I would sleep in. His pale eyes stared at me up and down if I was something peculiar. He had hai long until his neck, pale white. He was thin with dark circles underneath his eyes. His left arm was dressed with purple marks but he immediately covered them up with a blue coat. But my eyes turned to the collar he had on his neck. Silver with a red dot.

At first, I went to a school. The teacher was nice, and sweet, teaching us how to read, write, and math and other times, she was giving us food she made herself. Warm food. Clothes. Other kids were like me, parents giving them up to other buildings, giving them to people but they did not seem sad when they were in school. They were happy.

I had friends. I had Ao Bing. He took care of me. When I was on the Fourth Circle, I could even see Mammon smiling at me honestly. For a moment I thought that I had a family.

One day, a strange woman came out of his room with sharp eyes looking at me.

‘’My’’She sighed.’’You are a pretty one aren’t you?’’

Two months later Mammon called me in his room inside his office.

His face was the same but something was far different.

And then I saw what his hand had. A collar. A collar just like Ao Bing’s.

It hurt. It hurt so much that I could not breathe.

‘’Mammon get it out’’I cried.

‘’Your schooling is over kid’’He mouthed cruel.’’It is time to work for me.’’

‘’What?’’I cried as the air started becoming less and less.

He got on his knees once again and with his finger, he tilted my chin up.

‘’Your poor mother gave up on you. She gave you to me.’’He sighed with a devious grin.’’To take care of you to own you. And I will do it, I swore to her.’’ He walked up.’’But will you help your own mother?’’

I stood up and noticed a contract on his desk, having my name. Having my mom sign the paper.

I sniffed and tried to read it.

‘’You will be my property now until you pay for every little thing she does.’’He sat back in the chair.’’No matter what I will say pretty boy’’His hand reached for mine.’’You will do as I say, like a good son. Won’t you?’’

‘’You are a priest’’I shouted in pain.’’You were supposed to help people.’’

There was a deep sigh.’’I do help them, child. And I will help you. But nothing comes free in this world. Not even prayers.’’

Then there was it. The cold in his eyes. The sharp teeth, everything. The kind man was gone. Maybe he never existed.

The woman came days after. And it happened.

I could not feel anything for days. I could not smell, I did not want to be touched. I just wanted to cry. But nothing was coming off.

Then, Ao Bing finally talked to me.

‘’Are you alright?’’

‘’Why didn’t you warn me?’’I asked breathlessly. I did not even think that he heard me. But he responds with a shrug.

‘’Why didn’t you tell me?’’

‘’Would it change anything?’’

I tried to get out of bed but instead, I fell down.

‘’We are nothing more than Spectres’’He said coldly.’’We will live as servants, we will die as one. None will ever remember us.’’His hand ever so slightly cupped my cheek. Just like Mammon did. Just like so many…

I pushed him away with a scream and a tight knot in my stomach.

‘’No, it won’t’’I cried.’’It won’t happen, I will get out.’’

His eyes opened wide and then Ao Bing relaxed.’’You will see the truth soon’’

Family takes care of each other. If it wasn’t my mother taking care of me, I would take care of her. And I could take care of the rest. Everyone that was like me.

Then, Mara came to the house.

Ao Bing ignored her completely. He never ignored someone.

But I could not ignore her. I tried to ease her down to speak to her. She was a strange child even then with her eyes always so empty of emotions as if they were fake. But every time Mammon called her she was following. There was something about her when she was looking at him. She was afraid of him. Everyone was. But she had something else on it. Something that made her watch him almost as if she was admiring him.

I could see her getting hurt over and over again by him or his men. By the collar or harsh words. But she was still following him. Even after she learned how to speak, and how to read nothing changed from her.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Then the escapes were happening. And then the lessons. And escapes again. She was trying to escape sometimes. Even I got tired of hunting her down.

One day she ran so fast, faster than the rest. Everyone that was after her was far away. I lost every power in my body. But she kept running and running. Until she was at the exit of Diyu. Mammon was out that day while the men tried to reach her. He commanded them to stop and they obliged. We just watched her staring at the dark void with people entering the area with fear on their bodies.

She stopped. She waited for a while.

Then, she walked back to the road where Mammon was waiting for her. He stared at her and she stared back. For seconds they both said nothing.

After that, Mara fell on his body and the man wrapped his arms around her. There was a hidden smile coming from him. A triumph one.

‘’You are my daughter’’He said to her softly and stroked the top of her hair.’’Do not forget that.’’

‘’Why didn’t you escape?’’I asked her as she walked out of Mammon’s office.

She turned to me with that empty gaze.

‘’Where would I go?’’She replied.

Where would she?

My eyes were watering as I felt my body falling into different dreams and strange rooms. A pair of hands touching me. Then more hands were touching everywhere, revealing me naked, tongues licking me eyes watching me, and then…

‘’Nezha’’Arsu whispered to my ear. Opening my eyes I saw nothing more than darkness. But I could listen only to two types of breathing. Arsu’s heavy husky one. And mine quickly.

We were inside a big room and it seemed that Arsu was standing above me.

‘’Where are…’’I tried to remember everything, the monster, the smoke, the people dragging us.

‘’Where are the-’’

‘’I don’t know’’He panted heavily.’’I woke up few minutes ago and you were screaming….’’

Screaming. Of course, I was screaming.

Suddenly footsteps approached us with the door opening all so slightly. my throat closed as I stepped away with Arsu holding my hand tight.

The light came out, making my eyes hurt. I could now see what I was wearing. Plane old clothes. They were filthy. But Spirits I could feel my breath release as I realized that I was clothed.

And Ao Bing entered the room with a smile. His shirt looked clean and expensive and his long hair was pushed back to a bun. His eyes are cold and with a grin on his charming face.

‘’Nezha, Arsu’’He raised his hands as if he wanted to hug us.’’Spirits you are awake.’’

I opened my hand as if I was trying to reach for a weapon. But I had nothing.

Ao Bing’s gaze softened.’’You are upset, I know but’’

‘’No,’’I barked with my eyes twitching’’Don’t do that. Not to me, not again. Tell me where the others are.’’

‘’Petbe is safe for now’’He waved his palms.

Petbe…he knew.

‘’But Mara is back to Mammon.’’He explained.’’Minerva seems to have vanished.

So she was not dead. She was hidden. And if both of them were alive…Mara tried to run but Minerva couldn’t vanish alone.

Where would she go? Where would-

Somewhere Minerva wouldn’t dare to go.

‘’You know where she is don’t you?’’He jerked his head.

I did not realize that I was smiling until it was too late.

‘’It is alright’’Ao Bing smiled.’’Just tell me where Minerva is and everything will be fine.`’’

‘’How it will be exactly/’’Arsu spoke up.’’Why are we here?’’

Ao Bing looked up with a surprised grin.’’My finally thinking for your own?’’He scoffed.’’Seems that your brother was pushing you down.’’

That’s how he was. Pushing buttons. If Mara was Mammon’s daughter, Ao Bing was Mammon’s son. He was younger than everyone when he was taken in. And that was the reason he was the right-hand man of Mammon. Because he was the spitting image of him.

Arsu’s grip on my hand became tighter as his panting even worse. Like he could not breathe properly. If he wanted he could take my hand out.

I finally spoke‘’Ao Bing what is happening?’’

‘’I am giving you an offer. A job’’He explained.’’A cleaner version of what we all did. Mammon will have to pay the money for the contracts that I printed’’He explained.’’He will fall and you can either work like you used to’’He look at me narrowed. With pity.

‘’Or proper. Small errands, serving at the bar carrying some boxes. No information, no whoring, no killing.

‘’I thought that we could be free?’’Arsu sighed.

‘’None can be free’’Ao Bing corrected. ‘’They will find you, they will drag you back. And they don’t you won’t escape what has happened to you’’

‘’You don’t know that?’’

His brow arched cockingly.’’Just tell me where Minerva is. And everything will be done’’There was his smile again.

Arsu let my hand go and turned on me with a soft gaze. A proper job. Propper money. Propper life. Where would I go after all?

‘’What about Petbe?’’I asked.

‘’I spoke with Stolas, telling that Pete’’He sighed.’’Isn’t as useful as you. So she will be free. She can still get out.’’

And we can’t? Then again, she was lucky enough to survive.

We could do it. I could tell where Minerva was hiding. I could do it.

‘’Come on now, be smart for once’’He sighed.

‘’Mara’’I gasped.

Ao Bing giggled.’’The girl? What about her?’’

‘’What will happen to her?’’ I rasped.

‘’Oh, absolutely nothing’’Ao Bing hissed. ‘’She will stay right where she was. She is Mammon’s child isn’t she?’’

If Mammon is destroyed then what will happen to her? Everything and far worse. Fear conquered my body in every possible scenario of her ending.

‘’She will die’’I spat. ‘’Ao Bing please talk to Stolas he will’’

There was his grin again. That grin that sometimes made me hate him. He almost looked like Mammon.

‘’Ao Bing why?’’

‘’She is not like us,’’ He walked even closer now, and then I saw a pistol on his belt.’’Not like Arsu, not like Minerva, not like you, not like me. Don’t you get it?’’

I shook my head.

Ao Bing looked impatient.‘’Now Nezha please tell me where Minerva is.’’ His form returned to a serious one, strategic, almost intimidating. ‘’Or all of you will have far worse things to worry about than Mammon and Lilith.’’

And it hit me. Where could she go? Where would anyone go?

All of us were trapped. We would go to a different cage than the one we had. A wider cage. But still a cage, We would die as servants. None would ever remember us.

No, I would get out. And I would take everyone with me. Even Mara. Even him.

A long pause.

‘’I will tell you noth-’’

‘’She is at the Garden’’ Arsu ratted.

How could he? How could he know? And why?

I turned on him whose face was looking down, face shaken, tears flooding.

But I could imagine Ao Bing grinning.

‘’I am sorry. I am sorry, I am..’’

‘’Good, you did the smart thing’’Ao Bing clapped his hand.’’I will send men to take her.’’

‘’Ao Bing’’I rushed to him before he turned his back.

Then there was a gun aimed at me. I stopped. He was quicker, older, and stronger than me.

My voice shook.’’Please, please don’t do this.’’

‘’Then what?’’He shouted.’’I cannot take you out, it would never ‘’His other hand covered his mouth.’’It would never work. None gets out.’’

When the door closed there was a sound of Arsu weeping.

‘’I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry. ‘’ He kept crying. ‘’I don’t want to lose anyone else.

‘’I know.’’I sighed with anger in my heart.