Uh…

Wait…

Hold up for a minute.

How..

What?

Alright, let’s not mention her pupils turning into literal hearts – what the hell is up with me?

Deviated from normal?

Huh!?!

The woman in front of me tilted her head and said “You’re interesting, Livestock~"

Yes, Mommy?

Wait… wait! Wait! What the hell is happening to me!? Since when did I become such a person?

The cannibal pouted. "Livestock, are you ignoring me~?"

No, maybe I'm just crazy? The events I encountered recently was too weird that even I couldn't believe it myself.

"Hey~ Livestock~!"

Indeed, I'm just dreaming, that's it. This is all just an outlandish wet dream and I should wake up any minute now.

"Livestock! Listen to me, I say!"

Come on, Darman. Focus! Ignore that sexy man-eater with a MILF body. Inhale.. Exhale..

Abruptly, a bulky matter struck me smack-dab in the face. It crushed me from above after I fell down with it.

Still closing my eyes due to the pain: drops of liquid pelted my lips. I moved my tongue and licked it off and it's surprisingly sugary…. I don't know why I did that, please believe me.

I opened my eyes and saw my bloodied one-eyed face, slowly inching towards me as though we are a couple on a shitty romantic selfcest movie. My face twitched, seeing blood on my mouth; I hurriedly shoved the body which wore the same face, skin, and clothes that I currently have on, to the side, away from me.

"What~?" She questioned obliviously when I glared at her. Honestly, what an eccentric individual. Her face was stoic and her voice sounded sweet but grating to the ears at the same time. It was like listening to a song called "Japanese Goburin" in repeat for 69,420 times.

"Hey~!" Her voice rose as if expressing her anger. But her face was still analogous to that of a small green one-eyed monster which got face-swapped with his big blue furry friend. Could it be that she can hear my inner grousing?

"For a cannibal who ate my eyeball and threw my own body at me as if it's trash; you sure are in such a bad mood," I scoffed while getting back on my feet.

"For an ungrateful bastard whose ass got save and couldn't even repay his own saviour, not to mention ignoring such a beauty like me; you sure are in a foul mood~," she snapped back, emotionlessly.

What…

Are all beings who wielded great power mad? The girl from before has 8th grader's syndrome while this one was suddenly acting like a little brat. God!

She smiled. "Why so agitated~?"

It was unbelievably stunning, ditto a fancy portrait. Her stolid eyes along with her dearly smile was a perfect yin and yang…. Like the Mona Lisa or something but I want to rip it apart.

I furrowed my brows and gave my face a palm strike. I sighed as I contemplated. But a cute chuckle was heard beside me, literally.

Startled, I saw the buxom girl by my side. I backed away a few steps and cautiously leered at her.

"Calm down, Livestock~," smirking, she crossed her arms which accentuated her big boobas… Yeah so what if I ogled huh?!

She gave me a blank stare, asking: "Really, have you even observed where you are at all~?"

Wait, she's right. Where am I?

I'm somewhere similar to the space of the obscure humongous wheel that used its chains like those tentacles from certain cartoons except everything was white – the kind of white which isn't blinding to the eye. It instead gave the feeling of comfort, as if I was in an empty heaven. There was also a ground of the same color which I could step onto, an gravity that could help me differentiate what was up and down.

In sheer bewilderment, I gave the catatonic girl a questioning look. She, nevertheless, ignored me instead. She neared my corpse and sat on my stomach comfortably – gently stroking my hair as she then fricking reaped my left ear off and chewed on it like it's jerky.

…

..

.

Full of shock, it took me sometime before I got my composure back. Gathering all of my might to not shiver but give her a glare alternatively.

My lower at her didn't waver, or at least it didn't after a few minutes. Not to mention her still heart-shaped pupils.. how is that even possible? She was so enraptured in eating my corpse like it's a five-star delicacy.

Now that I pondered more about it, the drops of blood I 'accidentally' licked was uncannily sweet.

Suspicions blossomed as I further observed the girl. Her once white gown was now wet and bloodred. The dress sticked onto her body bodaciously, like a fujoshi friend shipping you with a guy. But she was unfazed, still continuing the devouring process as though possessed by that one dude who does mukbang while also doing the longest suicide attempt.

Things are starting to feel fishy. Why would she be so engrossed on eating a normal mortal body? Could it be simply because she was too hungry? Or are there benefits in it for her: enough to even have her appear like a savage in front of a 'livestock'? Plus it seemed inconceivable for her to just be hungry for some meal as she has the power to even revive me.

"That body of mine. It's not normal isn't it?"

"Whaddyu mewm?" She asked while still busy chewing. She appeared adorable with the ketchup all over her face. Yes, I'm being sarcastic.

Anyhow. Damn it, this girl is still trying to lie. Let me try something else in lieu.

"Oh, then, can I have a bite too? Pretty please~?"

I mustered all of my strength to desperately give her my best puppy eyes for a convincing pleading look. And no, I wouldn't really do it… well… maybe a little bite wouldn't hurt…. right?

"Nyo~." The flat out rejection without even sparing me a glance ticked me off, not to mention that her voice at that very time sounded like the chimpmunks.

"You… Ah fuck it. Give me the body!" I got my mouth open, ready to take a huge bite.

The girl unexpectedly raised my body, the dead one, with one hand up in the air. Right in front of her so she could sip on the now mangled neck comfortably while giving me an eyebrow raise at the same time. My body was like a Stellardollar coffee to be honest.

Yep, I knew it. That beeg wheel is probably some Outer God bullshit that blessed me, the handsome main character.

This means that this girl is the thot in my story and she should die a horrible painful death!!!

Sorry. I'm reading a novel with an annoying and shameless female villain so I couldn't control myself from exploding.

I strode with a dignified face. I want my justice and I would get it!

Yeah. That's what I thought before she snapped her fingers. My vision spun like a baby on a ceiling fan, and the once white walls were now being slowly filled with dirty poop.

And then there's a stop.

Dazed, I was. But again, drops of liquid shot to my lips. A feeling of déjà vu assaulted me, prompting me to lick the liquid once again. This time though, it wasn't sweet – it tasted weird. My actions seemed to have triggered something as shouts, jeers, and laughs was heard in front of me.

It was Grass and his gang. The sky was still dead yet they were very much alive. They showed various kinds of gazes ranging from schadenfreude and disgust to disbelief and uh… approval?

Grass was of the latter. He was in disbelief to be precise. This, though, didn't stop him from recording the whole thing. I saw his fingers move in a way that seemed to be him stopping the video which he followed with furious taps and finally, a ding sound was heard.

Removing his gaze on the phone, he looked at me and said. "From now on, you'll be known as Saliva Boy. Good job, Darman.. err— Saliva Boy, I mean."

His sudden fluency in speaking the Oldem language almost brought a tear to my eyes but it instead widened in incredulity. I shouted at him. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!"

"Nah bruh. Wut da frick did ya do? Y u lick ma spit man? Why you do that!?" He asked aloud, creeped-out.

"I.."

I do not know what to say.

What should I do?

No….

What the fuck did I do?

Why did I do that?

WHY DID I DO THAT?

"Bleuuuurghhh!!"

***

"You're going to delete the video." I said flat out. I'm currently sitting on the cold hard ground and was finally able to calm down a little— hurried running was heard from my right. They're trying to escape.

"Oh give me a fucking break you bitches!!"

I pulled myself up, full of exasperation as I started my chase. In a moment, my body was bursting with adrenaline. Superfluous energy was pumping throughout my veins with every rapid step I made. My thumping echoed across the street. With a new found zealotry, my sprint seemed to have broken personal records as I slowly but surely made my way to them.

"Shit! Since when did he became so fast!?"

"Isn't he a high negative? How the hell could he catch up to us!?"

"Hurry up! Run as fast as you can! He surely couldn’t have the same stamina as us right?"

The chased then was akin to a firework lit up. Their speed increased by several bounds. Unfortunately for them, it is clear that they aren't the most equal bunch – the power of their outburst was parallel to their position in the hierarchy of Grass' little group.

With Grass as the leading runner withholding his phone which is my pet cause for this little marathon, followed by his left and right hand men: Match and Stick or so what I called them. Match is a muscular obese kind of guy with a red-dyed hair, he was slightly being overrun by Stick, a bald and skinny dude which seemed to be the tallest among the uniformed roadrunners. The rest of the group which were visibly having a hard time in catching up were Lackeys Number One, Two, and Three. Their numbers signifying their current placing. A total of six people was running away from an unassuming guy, me, Darman Moplesin.

I have to say that such a comedic sight was pretty rare for me, an average joe living an normal life. Though I too was surprised by my unanticipated power-up in speed. The euphoric feeling that squeezed into my brain hindered me from further deliberation.

Fear and delight, the former was what Lackey Number Three felt when his body made him halt while the latter was mine – a continuous improvement of positivity and happiness was transpiring in my head the more the chase continued.

"I'll hold him, remember me brothers!" Number Three roared heroically as he decided to be the sacrificial lamb.

Number Three wasn't on a good condition. His haggard face could be seen, drops of sweat could be clearly noticed even with the little moonlight. Catching his breath, he faced me with a crooked posture.

"You're done for man. Cardio won't help you in fisticuffs," he sneered.

As it could be pried within his words, Lackey Number Three wasn't really a bright person. His head, the same as Stick, is also bald yet his cranium was a bit deformed compared to others: the top resembled a mountain— a spear even. His built was comparable to that of a tank made of flesh. Match and him was alike with him being a little leaner.

He exuded confidence which wasn't astonishing. Unlike me, he was a superhuman or specifically, a human breed more powerful than a normal mortal.

High Negative, Zero Percenters, Mortals, and lastly, Purebloods. These terms are what people like me are called in the modern day society, with the latter-most being used by a certain group of humans with extreme pride and xenophobia, though, the one with the bigger fist was always the crowning king. Although I want to consider myself as unfortunate for being powerless, there are more luckless individuals than me.

"Don't blame me for being rough!" The little time that Number Three stopped was enough for him to regain his lost stamina. Rightful ire and jealousy was something that these kind of people usually get for such cheats. This feat was definitely abnormal considering that we ran for a few minutes with aberrant speed.

"I have to say, you startled me very much, Darman. Not only have you not been left to dust – you're not even tired or anything!" Number Three grinned. "Say, how did you reach such heights huh?"

I flinched. He's right. Not only am I not tired, I'm still full of energy. How?

"Did you perhaps used drugs hmm? That isn't very nice you know? It's very bad for your health, those kinds of enhancers I mean," he opened his arms wide while his eyes gleamed with a certain light.

I raised my brows at him. Was this guy trying to vie for time?

I snickered and slowly walked toward him with a cheeky smile. "I can't believe you're using your brain now, Lackey Number Three."

A question mark appeared on his face figuratively. "What? Darman, My name is—"

With a whooshing sound, I jumped upwards, to the roof of a small house and dashed forward to where Grass and company was headed to, rudely interrupting him. A faint scream of the word 'How?' could be heard vaguely from behind, noise of which was slowly decreasing in volume as I madly bounced from the uneven rooftops – something I'm incapable of initially.

Pitter-patters interrupted by occasional loud bangs erupted from the roofs of houses bereft of any light. Iron, wood, cement, or tiles, the chaotic hymn's sound varied for every roof stepped on. Exhilaration filled me, the excess made me shout in excitement – destroying the remaining silence as wind caressed my face wildly.

The blissfulness made me forget my goal until I saw a lone humanoid shadow on the streets. It was on the ground in all fours with its back and head repeatedly bobbing.

It was actually Lackey Number One. He was undeniably exhausted, his stamina was the second-to-lowest of the group it seemed. He was practically wheezing with how tired he was.

I jumped off the five-meter high roof and landed on the ground in front of him gracefully. Dust and dirt carried by the sudden wind. Flabbergasted, Lackey Number One looked up to me as his mouth moved yet not a word was heard.

He took a deep breath seconds after. I noticed that his hand was quivering while slowly forming into a fist. Teeth gritting, he stared at me with acrimoniousness, addling me in return.

"You…" He again took several deep breaths. "Why are you using enhancers!?"

Lackey Number One cannonballed and readying his fist, aiming to struck me down. It was so fast that the time to dodge was insufficient, thus, I raised both of my arms and used it as a shield.

The punch was heavy, or atleast considering his body, it was weighty in such regard. When I received the punch, I took a few steps back to shook the force off me.

My eyes contracted. I adapted a fighting stance of that of a boxer, and a smile of that of a maniac. Oh what a joy! My first fight!

"You dumb bastard!!" Lackey Number One howled when he saw my current state. His teeth was about to be pulverized with all that friction he was giving it. He stomped his left feet and used the force it gave to once again rush at me, this time with his right feet up high. A slight sound similar to cutting of air was heard as the downward kick approached me with a flash. It was much more powerful compared to the punch afore.

However, I am now steeled. I crouched antecedently then blasted by applying my strength on both of my feet.

Now under him, the kick, like a guillotine, was about to chop me in half. Everything was in slow motion in my eyes, was this the cause of adrenaline?

The beam on my visage was still there. The question of what was my main goal has been entirely forgotten temporarily yet again. My jocund self was overwrought in my first battle of fist.

My fiery disposition made me angle my fist while I asked my self 'Where to hit him? His legs? His stomach? Maybe his crotch? Where? Where!?'

I wasn't capable of presenting an answer anymore as the slash from the sky finally smacked my rear, directly hitting my spine.

Even with the pain, the fight wasn't over or at least my adrenaline wasn't. Like a Time Lord of which sight differed from mortals, the speed of everything was still in a decelerated state. My body was sluggishly going back to the ground with the help of the merciless kick still on my back.

I released my fist and used both of my hands to once again leap upwards. Like a dolphin showing a trick, a frog doing its jump, and a dragon rising to the skies.

The power released from my hands were implausible even for me as what should've happened was either of my lower limb hitting the ground. What instead happened was that I launched diagonally – made possible with my previous launch which in any way wasn't lacking in power compared to the deviation of flight caused by my hands.

My rock hard skull was now a rocket that directly hit the solar plexus of the poor lad, Lackey Number One, in front of me, knocking him out.

Or so what I thought….

"Gu.. gu.. gu," he groaned but his groan was interrupted everytime because of the pain. Like a drunk heartbroken koreian guy crying because he got NTRed by his koreian girlfriend… well, ex-girlfriend.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

I calmed down, seeing what I did to him. After all we were just students and not some psychopath who would massacre an entire clan just because some arrogant young master, which in truth was just a lad not raised properly by his parents, was love-stricken when he saw the murderhobo's cold jade beauty with extreme yin physique.

Anyways, the point is, I'm not as dense as some isekai'd japaneise beta male that's also a harem magnet. That's right, I'm actually a giga sigma chad and not in anyway jealous of the fucking bastard for his harem. I know that my fellow male classmate was actually suffering and that I should help him.

"Oh no! Are you okay?" I worriedly asked. I'm such a good guy as you could see. I kneeled in one knee as I check-up on him. Lackey Number One was a thin man with long black hair. His eyes were cloudy and lifeless, lying on a fetal position and looking extremely pathetic.

I didn't do this to him right?

I was getting worried but luckily, his mouth moved. I laid him down properly so I could hear his final words unhindered.

"Dog girl drug use die man man iron donkey.."

"....huh?"

"Punch dead now halt you bird uncle.."

".....what?"

"Alive now guy injured die stop…"

Is he… is he talking in MTL? No way! Could it be that this guy has succumbed to his heart devil? He wasn't able to resist the temptations!

"Lackey Number One! Why didn't you wait for the proper translations! Why won't you have patience? Why do you have to resort to such ways? It's not even worth it, damn it!"

My eyes turned red as tears welled up. My classmate has turned insane and I could've stopped it. But I didn't do anything!

"I'm a failure!!" I screamed loudly as I eyed the dark heaven indignantly. My hands, which were spread apart, shook. I was so sad and the heavens seemed to be too. It started to cry along with me, its hundreds of thousands of tears landed on me.

"Thank you…" I murmured quietly. Gratitude flashed on my eyes as I slowly closed them. The heavens have eyes, this statement was indeed true.

"Gru.. Guh.. Hurh.."

I heard sounds of someone choking or drowning but really, how could that even happen in this rain that was only a little heavy? Could a person really die in such a way? I guess it's possible if you could only say incoherent words that sounded gibberish, your sense of perception was non-functioning, you're completely paralyzed, and was reposed on the cold hard earth. But such a thing probably won't occur if you ask me, especially anywhere near me.

"Huruhh.. Urug.. Urururu.."

Anyways, I was so touched by the camaraderie that the sky have showed. I felt my connection to it have grown which made me happy. The thought of the sky actually caring for my own feelings was rhapsodical. The ceaseless water drop fibbing of the firmament above me only served as a fuel to the gaiety in my heart.

"Urruuu…"

I unclosed my eyes and with a dignified look, I regarded the heavens as I pointed at it.

"From now on, you are my brother!"

"Or sister!"

"Or.. whatever you want to be…"

"No, actually, be my sister! Yes, yes, that'll be good… he.. hehe."

Don't blame me. I'm in puberty and I couldn’t help but imagine how gorgeous the heaven would be if it became a woman. Not to mention, she'll be my little-junior-sister too! Uoooohh!!!

… I think I should barred myself from watching Japaneise cartoons, Ameirican 'step' live-actions, and reading You-dare-junior!? 'gege' novels now – lest I might be unaccepted by the whole world with the exception of Alarbarma.

I rubbed my palms together as I looked somewhat perverted, I hope the heavens won't struck me down with some LEGENDARY HEAVENLY DEMONIC MYSTICAL MYSTERIOUS SUPER DEADLY DOMINEERING GHOSTLY BLACK ICE FIRE DRAGON-MARKED WAR DEMI-GOD TRIBULATION LIGHTNING LIGHT SWORD that only has 0.0000000000000000000001% survival rate just because of some vulgarities. Like that wouldn’t be so nice won't it? I'm so young, I don't want to die so early, though I have to say that as a gacha player, 0.0000000000000000000001% survival rate are pretty neat odds if you think about it. I mean I would've hesitated if it had a few more zeroes in it as then, that'll be completely illogical and unfair.

"Buh…"

"Huh, that sound seemed to have come from someone finally dying after drowning but was ignored by some degenerate with perverted thoughts about a completely lifeless construct."

"Oh hey, Lackey Number One. What's u— Holy Shi—!"

I pressed my hand gently to his stomach, and by gently, I meant him spewing out every water there were on his mouth plus awakening him, sending him to coma, then waking him up again all in a short amount of time. It was a great outcome for me. There's no way I'm going to give him a CPR, nuh uh.

So back to Lackey Number One. I was pretty sure that he would've coughed out blood if I was any more gentler, though, fortunately he was just coughing out water from his mouth… and nose… and ears… and.. is that tears?

What’s important for me at least was that he was alive and well… well, alive and unwell – but at the very least he's alive noh?

"Kogh! Kough!"

I helped him sit up by supporting him on his back while giving him occasional pats in hopes of easing him of his pain.

"Are you alright Lackey Number One?"

He seemed to have finally gained control of his body as he calmed down slowly. At the very end, he answered me.

"Yeah, thanks, Darman. You saved my life…. Who's Lackey Number One by the way?"

I laughed heartily. What a man, Lackey Number One! He could still joke around right after going through a life and death experience.

"Lackey Number One is Lackey Number One! Hahaha, you're funny!"

"Uh.. uhuh… um… well, care to tell me what happened? Why am I here? And.. I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but, you seemed… so animated today," he asked questions left and right, albeit he was a little weak. Seeing his figure, I felt bad and decided to recount what happened.

"You see, I was just walking around here and then I saw you. You seemed distraught and you didn't hear me when I called out to you."

"Suddenly, the heavens lit up and out came flying this err—" I was unsure of what to say but then I remembered what he said. "This… donkey… along with a.. bitch that's also a drug addict.."

"What?"

"Uh… A dog girl I mean. A dog girl with charges of drug abuse was riding this iron donkey along with two men, they… came out of the shining sky. They were running away from a… uh.. A bird uncle!"

"A bird uncle?" He looked at me incredulously.

"Yes, yes, a bird uncle was chasing them. He wanted them to stop so he punched, but that ended up killing them!"

"Oh my god!"

"Yeah! And that's when you come in. You're like me, an innocent bystander. But you are unlucky because you got seriously injured. Before, you're alive. After that, you were almost dying so I used all of my means to save you! I can't let you die after all." I nodded, finding what I said believable.

"Rea— really? Then I owe you my life then." A stroke of indebtedness appeared on his gaunt face. He acted like he seemed to have thought of something.

"I think I know what happened." He said seriously. "I didn't think that the Underworld Mafia could be this bloody, I thought there's a truce. This isn't good."

"... Un-underworld Mafia?" I inquired silly.

"This… you probably shouldn't know about it," he said after contemplating for a good while.

"Then.. uh.. random thought. I was wondering."

"Do you know what enhancers are? Also what would be your reaction if you see one using it?"

He frowned. "Why are you talking about enhancers? Are you planning to use one?"

"No, no, I just want to know more about them… so I could avoid them?"

His expression eased. "Enhancers are dangerous drugs that could kill you. If I saw you using one, I'd probably attack you while saying."

"'You bitch, man! Receive my iron horse kick!'"

"'You'll die not of old age if you don't stop. I'll punch you in the groin!'"

"'You might be alive now but you would surely get injured then die so stop!'"

"You see, someone I loved died because he used enhancers. So I don't want it to happen again."

The sudden release of the forlorn unco unleashed the blue devils in the atmosphere.

In times like this, we, mortals, who were unable to suspend the degeneration of the living cells which comprised our very life; mortals, who even flounder because of numerous little negative variables piling up on each other; mortals, who're at the mercy of the probabilities; us, mortals, would only grieve, could only grieve, and should only grieve.

It may seem heartless, hopeless, and even daunting to us and to fate itself, yet… this is the truth.

It was more evident now. Though the current men of this age were more powerful than before; able to wield even greater puissance than the purebloods of the yore; have higher life expectancy than never before… we are still weak…. Us, humans, along with the invaders who had became one of us…. were still weak.

In my opinion, whoso could say that he has attained complete immortality must be a cunning deviant, or a complete delusional fool. For we, hominids, are fragile creatures like the ants and animals on faunae and floras that we feasted upon.

Yes, we have gained new and powerful DNAs from the various creatures that once attacked us, by procreation. Indeed, we have advanced our scientific knowledge greatly with the help of their ways of conjuring this natural property called 'mana' along with their crystals and evolved beasts. Yet, with all of this been said, there were still deaths, or more precisely, everyone were still vulnerable from death. Elevating another level on the Kardeshev scale doesn't change anything.

The rain continued its downpour yet we remained on our positions. The exact latitude and longitude of us didn't even change at the slightest. We were drenched on the storm but we were silent like rocks battered by the waves; with one standing and another sitting.

"I'm sorry to ruin the mood. I'm actually long over it you know? It's just… what happened to him has been etched on the deepest part of my cerebellum. I just couldn't forget it. The tragedy that my brother undergone was seen by me from beginning to the very end."

"From… from this powerful young man who seemed to could hold the sky with one finger… to this moribund patient wishing for death."

"If you don't mind… could you tell me more about it?" I asked softly, the deluge almost covered the sound I made but Lackey Number One still heard it.

"You're cruel, Darman," he smiled with a pained expression. The cloudburst created a sea which he sat upon.

"But since I owe you my life… and I don't want you to suffer the same fate as him.. I will tell you."

Not sparing me a glance, he begun his dreadful and solemn narration. The water from the sky became his tears in my point of view.

"My father was a high negative. My mother however is the complete opposite. Even with the huge difference, they still live and love in harmony."

"My mother got pregnant one day, and a few months later, she gave birth to two healthy boys. Unfortunately, one was blessed while the other was… cursed." He brushed his wet hair off, his face being a bit bitter.

"According to my own investigations, my mother began to change when she saw his sons."

"She wished for both of them to be cursed. She proceeded to blame my father who was clearly the underdog in their relationship. She hated him for being useless, that if not for him – both of her sons would've been cursed and thus, she would be happy."

"Days passed, and so do weeks, then months. The blessed brother was utterly ignored by her own mother. Hell, some sources says that he hadn't even received the marginal nutrients from her mammae."

"My father, of course, cared for the blessed child, or at least at the very start. Even him has grown colder over the years to his own blood and flesh. He seemed to think that if not for the blessed child being born, his wife wouldn't change her temperament apropos of him."

"Years became yesteryears, as infants became teens. I was but a wee lad so I couldn't fathom how my brother received the red marks all around him everytime. I thought that it was some kind of skin decoration and asked him if I could get one too," a weird nostalgia was seen from Lackey Number One's face.

"Well, I received a beating which I thought of now as fully deserved."

"In any case, my brother and I were different from each other. I have two brains you see." He pointed at his head. "One here." He put his finger on his stomach. "And one here."

"Of course, that doesn’t make my IQ higher than the average," he chuckled.

"I'm still normal on my eyes. My brother, however, was very jealous of me. Not that I could blame him. Because of how much he had suffered on the hands of his 'creators', a smile won't even appear when I tickled him. I guess you could say that he became a sociopath. Our parents made him a sociopath."

"He yearned for power, he dearth attention from his parents whom he wanted to love. He wanted them to be aware that he was their child too, and not a punching bag, or a slave, but a child who they should love, hug, and kiss good night. The lack of affection made him wonder what it even meant. He desperately desire for things which he doesn't have."

"After pondering for a few days, he came up with an answer. He somehow thought that… he should become like me, a cursed child, but he was a blessed one – a high negative, so he resorted to using enhancers."

"Enhancers are dangerous and illegal drugs which could increase the body performance output by several bounds. It could accelerate the heartbeat by thousands. This miracle nostrum was heavily prohibited by the government but is openly in circulation around the world with the assistance of the Underworld Mafia."

"The reason why this drug was proscribed was because of its effect and creation process. Once used, the drug would give a mortal a power-up in exchange of his life. It wasn't wrong to say that it would devour one's life force and convert it into strength. It could be considered as an ultimate trump card, for it could save lives – with the exception of yours. Ironically, the processing of this drug requires the blood of superhumans to be created. Not the ordinary blood flowing on our veins, what was needed were the blood from the heart and brain of a superhuman in lieu."

"It could give him power. He would die if he took these but so what? He wasn’t living, so why be afraid of dying?"

"So he took the drug, and then killed our parents. I didn't stop him for I don't have the capability to do so. By that time, I have the proper knowledge to know what's right and wrong, thus I knew that my brother suffered from the abuse."

"I didn't help him at those times so in what right should I stop him? I deluded myself that what he was doing was justice, that he was justice. But the very justice I made myself believe to, has crumbled in front of me."

"Right there, behind the window where the moon and its light has shone; besides the two unidentifiable corpses, whose blood, flesh, and bones, had mixed up – my brother stood. I looked at him in the eye, and so did he to mine."

"We didn't say anything, we didn't do anything, we just met eye-to-eye and understood our own feelings at that very time."

"I was about to say something but I was interrupted by the sudden creaking. It wasn't the floor but his bones. I heard popping. But it weren't the bubbles from a child and her toy, playing below – but rather from his capillaries. I saw a tint of red. But it didn't came from the celebratory wine used to commemorate my birthday, our birthday, but from his mouth instead."

My hand clenched into fist and quivered as I imagined the bloody scene. I seemed to have smelled the blood as I stand in between the two brothers separated by fate.

"He was my brother… and he died from using enhancers. So Darman, please don't use those." He pleaded to me, the drops of water were still flowing on his cheeks, yet the rainstorm has already desisted.

My fist unclenched. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, I've gotten over it," he said as he put his gaze back to the ground.

I put my palm, forward. Towards him as if asking him for a handshake. He glanced back to me, smiled, and grabbed my hand. He propelled himself up.

Lackey Number One was once again standing, when I myself have thought that I knocked him out.

"This may sound insensible, but your narration has piqued my interest towards this Underworld Mafia."

The dead of the night continued to approach as we walked on the mute suburban street side-by-side. We conversed with each other with our wrinkly, dirty, and wet clothes in order to fight the eerie silence pervading about.

"There are things better not known. Curiosity kills the cat, you know this Darman," he reprimanded.

There were tiny splashes whenever we stepped on a stray puddle. Bringing a seemingly creepy alien vibe to the atmosphere.

"It is so. But I'm not a cat, I'm a human. The difference between the two were more than meets the eye." I said as I beheld the massive pearl-like rock amid the clouds. I have forgotten my goal already. Grass? The phone? The video? I lost all of my interest in these things and concluded to not care anymore.

He gloomed, "Even still, you couldn't deny one single fact. Both of them can die, and would die."

"Why so negative? With how repulsed you are at the thought of me entering this hell hole, I assume that you know a few inside jokes." I grinned before continuing. "I do not wish to know how much a sex slave cost or anything illegal like that. Anecdotes, stories, rumours – anything to break the quietude would suffice. Do you not get the creeps with how still our surroundings are?"

Lackey Number One paused before he sighed in defeat. He cautiously surveyed the surroundings until finally deciding to open his mouth seeing not a living soul in sight.

He pursed his lips and thought for awhile. "Fine, fine. I guess a little quotidian tale wouldn't get you killed."

—————

The clock hit twelve of midnight. Its dings and dongs accompanied the high-pitched shriek of a newborn. The mother smiled weakly, hearing the loud cry of the child as if flaunting its vitality. The boy was named John by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Doe.

John Doe was an introvert. He was very timid especially when socializing with other peers. His meekness only increased when his mother sent a Dear John to his father who was, at that time, fighting for the country.

Growing up without a father figure was hard on the little boy. What made things worse was that he once have it, meaning he once felt it. He was unused to such circumstances but he doesn't have any choice.

John Doe was a highschooler on his teenage years when he finally decided to lose his virginity. The pent-up kid finally couldn't hold the incrementing testosterone on his body.

He knew a schoolmate who he had a crush on and thought that he should confess his love to her, and maybe even get the chance to abandon his path to wizardy and sageness.

He was about to announce his love when this random guy ran first and did what he should've done. With all bad luck, the girl actually agreed for the random guy to court her.

It was lunchtime at school, and the unknown guy confessed in the cafeteria which garnered hundreds of teasing and whistles from their fellow teens.

John was devastated. His fists were quivering and his teeth were grinding. His eyes were maddened and his thinking was muddled. Faint indescribable groans sounded from his mouth, it was like a shrill cut off too early.

"John?"

And then, someone called up to him.

It was the girl, followed by the guy.

John's expression became pale, and then beamed. Of course, she only acquiesced to being courted! He still had a chance.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, a newfound confidence shone in his bright eyes. He smiled in a way which he thought would make him the most handsome and said self-assuredly.

"Jane, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever laid my eyes upon. Even at the first time that I saw you, I knew that you are the perfect girl for me…"

Everyone became silent. The guy turned serious and observed John's face, feeling threatened.

"I want to spend my days with you, and hope that you would give me the chance to show my love to you."

Not a squeak could be heard in the cafeteria as the crowd of teens bated their breaths. A slight killing intent could be felt from the guy.

John blushed and asked nervously. "Jane… could I court you?"

He looked at the girl expectantly. He knew that he might lose to his love rival because of the sense of danger that he felt from him. But it doesn't matter as long as he did his best.

Jane's mouth was agape. Her eyes became circles and her face was flushed, clearly embarrassed. The guy sneakily took a fork and hid it on his sleeves, his face was unemotional and cold-bloodedness glinted on his dark irises.

John saw Jane's reaction and couldn't stop his lips from arcing up. He thought to himself that yes, he has a chance!

"Jo— john…You.. you can't.. I'm… I am so sorry," she apologized with her head lowered.

The soft words that came out of Jane's red lips were like bombs which destroyed the usual calm but shy disposition of John. He staggered and seemed to have lost all life on his eyes.

He turned hysterical. He grabbed his hair and pulled it out of frustration. He couldn't find the words and even fumbled. Thinking of his current state and the sheer number of eyes observing him, cold sweat dripped from his back. He bit his lip until it bled. Through willpower alone, he managed to calm himself down.

Wobbling, he tittered addlepated, confused whether to feel infuriated or saddened.

"Jane… what do you mean?"

"Am I… is it because I'm not handsome enough? That I'm not extroverted enough?"

"Wha… what's the difference between me and this guy!"

"I can change! I can… fucking change! Whatever you want me to be! I could be it…" His voice became weaker by the second.

John's shouting appeared to have frightened Jane. She teared up but couldn't look in his eyes. Her little shoulders shook. "It is not because of that John… you.. you're sweet, handsome, and lovable.. it's just… we can't be together."

Jane's answer made his heart drop.

"My.. my name is Jane Doe… and we share the same father."

Laughter ensued after a moment of silence, and mocking jeers echoed around the building. John Doe was frozen and stood there alone, in the stage of shame which he, an introvert, couldn't handle.

He couldn't hear the clamouring of his schoolmates. He couldn't see the schadenfreude in the eyes of the random guy. He just stared at the girl and thought to himself.

"No…"

"This can't be happening."

"How…how could I even show my self to the world?"

"You.. If not for you…"

There was a snap inside him. A baleful aura enveloped John. The demon itself seemed to have risen from the pits of hell and whispered to him. Like a prayer, he repeated what the voice had told him.

"IF NOT FOR YOU, THIS WOULDN'T HAPPEN."

"IF NOT FOR YOU, I WOULDN'T HAVE SUFFERED."

"I… I WANT YOU TO FEEL PAIN."

"I WANT YOU TO FEEL MY HUMILIATION."

"HA… HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA"

In that fateful day, something broke within the young teen. It was unknown whether it was his moral compass or sense of righteousness.

All that was known was that at day, and at that time, John Doe, the patriarch of the current day Doe Family, one of the main pillars of the Underworld Mafia, has created and trained his very first sex slave, and started the now World-infamous Human Trafficking business and founded the Top-class Red Light District.

He became a legendary man who joined the Earth’s Most Wanted Criminal List and is being hunted by the government till this very day.

—————

"What…. What in the actual fuck?" I screeched at him.

He scowled and said: "What? You want to know about the treacheries within the Underworld Mafia but expects to see glitters and rainbows?"

I stomped my feet and angrily pointed at him. "No! But why do you have to tell me such a fucked-up story? Quick! Tell me what happened to Jane!"

He arced one of his eyebrows while looking at me. "Telling you the story behind a powerful man like John Doe is already pushing it beyond the line. I couldn’t tell you anymore than that."

"You…you motherfucker."

Lackey Number One waved his hands unaffectedly. "Enough. It's your turn now. I need to know if the dog girl and the bird uncle that you saw were from the Landlord Association and the Skyscraper Corporation respectively."

A heavy grumpy voice sounded from behind us.

"Oh, I sure do want to know what happened, Darman."

We both turned around. It was Lackey Number Three with his pyramid head.

"Could you please tell me more about you and your enhancer?"