A stray cat stealthily prowled through the dark alley, its bright green eyes gleaming with an untamed wildness.
It exited the alley into a cul-de-sac. Amidst the flickering streetlights, it noticed a man floating above the pavement in a lotus position. A dark, oily liquid covering the man's body reflecting the flickers from the streetlight above him.
The cat scratched its head with its hind legs as it watched the man. A few minutes later, the man raised his head as he seemed to notice the cat. He stood up and planted his feet on the ground, the oily substance forming a gloopy pool around his feet.
Wary, the cat immediately stood up and stared hissing. It watched the man lift his hand above his head, conjuring something in the shape of a top-hat. The tip of a red feather peeked from beneath the oily sheen.
The man tipped his hat and bowed slightly. He suddenly dropped down and sank into the unpleasantly thick oily pool. After he disappeared, the body of liquid started shrinking, its final droplet dissipating into wisps of dark smoke.
The cat walked over to the ground where the oil originally was. After circling it and meowing for a bit, it eventually bounded off to hunt dinner when it saw nothing else happened.
* * *
A bottle bubbled behind the counter inside Carl's Bar. Noticing the bottle shaking, the silver-haired bartender pulled the cork out and set the bottle on the floor. Black, oily liquid oozed out of the bottle and formed a small puddle.
Faceless leapt out of the liquid, hat in hand. Despite coming out of the oily puddle, none of the liquid sticked to his clothes and body. Nevertheless, Faceless swiftly, but meticulously, brushed and straightened his clothing before bowing at the bartender.
"Thank you for your help, my Lady." The bartender nodded and smiled as she wiped a whiskey glass.
"How was your training," she asked in a melodious voice.
"It was educational." The lines on Faceless face shifted to form a smiling expression. He tried to stretch his arms, but they drooped slightly in a melting manner. He briefly panicked and tried to regain control.
"You still need more practice." The Lady pursed her lips. She poured some whiskey into a glass before sliding it over to Faceless. "Here, drink this."
As the black lines on Faceless' face emitted a dark-purplish light, a ripple spread from his head down to his feet. His body immediately became less fluid-like and more solid instead.
Faceless gratefully drank the glass of whiskey. He felt the amber liquid slid down his throat, its velvety rich flavours dancing upon his taste buds. The flavours shortly gave way to a smoky, robust essence with hints of oak and vanilla. As he swallowed, he felt a heat course down his throat and spread throughout his body.
However, Faceless quickly realised that what he thought were mere sensations was physically happening to him. He coughed violently, exhaling plumes of smoke and fiery sparks with each cough. Alarmed, the withered oak tree in the bar quickly scooted further away, dragging the saplings along in its branches. Faceless heard people hissing in annoyance, but he also heard the delighted roar of a dragon who spit more fire towards him.
Faceless knew he was causing a commotion, but he couldn't care less due to the burning pain he was experiencing. He screamed and rolled on the ground in agony. Except for a few curious onlookers, most of the patrons just shrugged and resumed their business.
The bartender plucked a feather from her wing and threw it towards Faceless. It increased in size as it gradually descended on him, eventually growing wide enough to wrap him up as tight as a cocoon. The feather, which now contained a burning and screaming Faceless, gently floated up and flew towards the bartender. She caught it between her fingers and covered it with a cup on the table.
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* * *
Faceless continued squirming and screaming inside the cocoon. He felt that everything was burning, from his clothes, all the way down to his cells. Instead of pumping blood, he felt as if molten lava was coursing through his veins, the scorching fire burning him from both inside and out.
As the waves of pain washed over him, he felt each wave blur into an one long unending sensation. It felt worse than the time his face was burned by Lee, at least the pain then was localised.
Faceless soon noticed that while he was on fire, his physical body and clothes were still relatively intact. However, he knew that the fire was not an illusion. Something else, something he cannot see, was being burnt into ashes. He was not sure whether it was his memories, his emotions, his soul, his spirit, or his powers. For all he know, it might even be all of them.
The fire continued burning on and on and on. Faceless suddenly felt a sense of lightness. It was not the welcome lightness when a burden is lifted, but more akin to the sensation of something heavy, yet important, being suddenly snatched away. Faceless clenched his teeth and pressed his hands to his head. He did not know what weight was it, but he knew that it must have been something dear to him.
Faceless felt a deep, gut-wrenching pain and a huge sense of loss. Before he could try figuring out why, the fiery pain kicked back in and he started screaming again.
The fire continued to burn and he continued to scream. He was not aware of the time, but he felt that he must have been burning for years and years. Faceless soon found himself standing on the precipice of delirium, the pain threatening to kick him right off the edge.
Just before he became mad, Faceless was jolted by a sudden memory. There were sounds of a man singing jovially and a woman humming along. As she gently rocked a wooden cot, a laughing baby girl lying inside lifted her small hands towards the man's thick finger.
The flashback gave Faceless a sudden surge of strength. He could not tell whose memory was it, but he instinctively knew that he must safeguard this even at the cost of his life. He locked the memory away deep within the recesses of his mind.
Despite still experiencing the burning pain, the moment of clarity was enough for Faceless to regain his focus. He experienced the fire burning wildly on his body. Rather than letting it run rampant, he forcefully sucked the fire in through his mouth and let it course through his veins. The veins on his body started glowing, tongues of fire also leaked through the lines on his face.
Faceless felt the excruciating pain from inside his body doubled in intensity. However, he felt that the fire was no longer destructive, but it cleansing and burning his physical imperfections away. Hidden injuries, physical and mental scars, even the worn sinews and muscles due to aging were gone.
The fire died down after what felt like eternity. Faceless could still feel something physically burning inside him, but the pain was much more bearable compared to the torture he experienced earlier.
The feather unwrapped and released Faceless. He grew back into his original size as he stepped out from the cup.
Faceless tried flexing and stretching. He felt more malleable, but also sensed the he has complete control over every cell in his body and every motion he was making. He could feel the actual surge of blood pumping through his veins, the expansion and contraction of his lungs as he breathed, even the tiny hairs on his arm moving due to the wind.
"How do you feel?" The bartender asked as she poured some whiskey into a glass. She passed it over to Faceless. He took the glass and raised it in a toast before gulping it all down.
"Perfect."
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Author's Notes
The scenes from the beginning of this chapter of Faceless being covered in black oil are inspired by stories of the Oily Man, a.k.a. Orang Minyak, which originates from Malaysia. It is usually depicted as a man covered in black oil who is usually naked but occasionally wears black swimming trunks. He can be either a warlock or the victim of a curse, and is said to prey and abduct young women, as well as exit and enter locked rooms.
Orang Minyak differs from the oily Man stories told in western cultures. The oily man in the stories of Stephen King and the X-Files are usually victims who turn into monsters by oil-like substances. However, the Orang Minyak is always bald, has black skin, is permanently covered in black grease, and is endowed with superhuman strength and speed. He can also climb walls and ceilings, as well as slip through rooms and escape by transforming its entire body into a body of oil.
While tales of the oily man are just nightmarish stories in the West, it is still comparatively new in Malaysia. It appeared in Malay folklore in the 1950s, and was officially mentioned in the newspaper Berita Harian dated 12 October 1957. Its most recent appearance is from a CCTV footage showing an 'Orang Minyak' breaking into a house on February 1, 2022.