"Congratulations, a healthy child!" The doctor cheerily declared as he examined the newborn. Holding the child, he noted some variations likely related to the child's powers.
"Now let's see… Yes, quite unique indeed. No mouth, so they must take in nutrition in some other way. Nothing downstairs either, so they must have an alternative way to reproduce." As the doctor examined further, he saw the small hands and feet send out some small tendrils that looked like roots searching for soil. He gently touched the finger and felt the tendril burrow in, but no pain. It was a strange sensation and as it continued, the doctor felt like he could feel the newborn’s emotions. The fear gradually calmed down and was replaced by a sense of security. Shortly after, the doctor began to feel a weakness in the hand the tendril had entered. “So that must be how you eat! Good to figure that out early on. Now that we have some a good evaluation of your health, let’s see if we can identify your powers.
A nurse wheeled in a measurement device and the doctor gently placed the child on it. As he pulled his hand away that was still attached, he felt a small tinge of fear return to the newborn. He tried to exude a soothing and confident emotion as he retracted his hand and the tendril came out leaving his hand unblemished, but still slightly weak. He powered up the machine and the diagnostics quickly started. The nurse began reading out the data as it was produced. “Analyzing Primary Power… Primary Power is Soul Flux… Determining Magnitude… Power’s Magnitude is S Rank. Starting analysis of Secondary Power… Secondary Power is Bio-Matter Conversion also an S Rank Magnitude. Healthy height, healthy weight, markers for male bio-signatures.”
“Looks like you have a healthy boy miss with a promising future.” Said the doctor as he swaddled the boy and handed him over to his mother. She smiled and thanked the doctor as he and the nurse left for her to have time to bond with her child. When the door clicked shut, her smile slowly faded as she took in the face of the boy. “A face not even a mother could love.” she muttered. She slowly unwrapped him and touched a finger to his hand. The boy gently reached out and felt for her and made a small connection. As he did, she frowned in disgust, and he could feel her thoughts.
He is like a parasite. He is a Parasite. Taking all my energy even now. Leaving me weak and bedridden my whole pregnancy. What kind of a child doesn’t even cry. I sculpt bodies for a living! Bringing people closer to the perfect physique, face, but even I am not a miracle worker. My reputation cannot recover from this. All he can do is take. Sapping first my health and energy, it took so much effort to keep up appearance for these past nine months. Now threatening to sap my livelihood, no. I cannot allow this.
****
All he knew was darkness for the longest time. Darkness and so much negativity with flashes of false sincerity. He didn’t know who he was, but he got impressions that he was growing and would be born soon but he was still famished. He used a super power called Absorb in order to try to whet his appetite.
Absorb 1 C – Pull Bio-Matter indiscriminately from target in physical contact. Thoughts, emotions, physical tissue, anything from the physical MIND or BODY can be pulled in to consume for personal growth up to 200% of your natural physical state. (Absorbed Bio-Matter can be converted to sustenance in place of need food or water.)
At first it was involuntary, a natural process to sustain him in the womb, but slowly he became aware of his existence way before any child should. He pulled memories and knowledge from his mother and with this already had the mental maturity of an adult, but his emotional state was in disarray from all the negativity stemming from his mother viewing him as just a burden. As he matured, before even being born, he learned to control ABSORB and could was better able to restrain himself to use it only when he needed and more efficiently.
Nine months of darkness. Nine months feeling like a monster in his own skin drawing constantly on his mother’s thoughts and emotions.
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Suddenly things shifted and he felt new emotions, and it started to get brighter. He felt excitement, focus, determination, satisfaction. He was afraid of these new emotions, but through blurry eyes, seeing for the first time he looked upon the doctor. He heard a muffled “Congratulations, a healthy child!” He heard the doctor continue to speak but was disoriented and afraid. Then the doctor reached out a finger to his hand and touched it. He reached out to the doctor sending a small cautious tendril through his finger sensing what the doctor was feeling. At first, he could sense the doctor was shocked and he almost pulled back afraid of someone else’s negative emotions toward him. Then before he could do anything the doctor smiled and he could feel amusement and reassurance coming from him.
Calmed down, he watched earnestly as the doctor and a nurse began to perform tests. He was comforted by the doctor’s smile and passive positive emotions he was feeling though the skin contact. Shortly after, he was wrapped up and given to his smiling mother. For a short moment, he thought things were getting better. Maybe his mother loved him now. He watched his mother smile as the doctor left, but it vanished as soon as the door clicked. She looked at him with a frown and he heard her mutter “A face not even a mother could love.” As she unwrapped him and placed her finger to his hand and he felt her think. He is like a parasite. He is a Parasite.
Parasite shut off all emotions.
He felt none of her disdain, none of her disgust, none of her rejection. She felt none of his sorrow, none of his pain, none of his anguish. Never loved by the only one he ever knew.
****
Days passed in the hospital as they went through outpatient care following his birth. He tried to take the bare minimum from his mother and through this developed a passive super power called Biostasis.
Biostasis 1 A – Absorb Bio-Matter from sources to solely maintain current levels of Bio-Matter. Used passively to maintain equilibrium with minimal impact on the self and surrounding living matter.
To Parasite, Biostasis was like breathing. He maintained this until they were able to leave the hospital. He saw his mother’s façade before the doctors, always smiling as they came into the room only to have it disappear as soon as they left. Several days later, he saw his mother smiling at him as he woke up. She whispered to him “We get to go home today sweetie. We won’t have to be in this stuffy room anymore.”
That afternoon, the doctor came in for one final checkup before being released. Parasite’s mother greeted him with her usual veneer of a smile and gently handed Parasite over to him. The doctor laid him down and gently unwrapped him. Reaching out a finger, Parasite gingerly took it while the doctor looked him over. As best as he could, Parasite tried to hold back all his emotions, but a small amount of sadness leaked out of him. The doctor gave a slight frown. “He is still a perfect picture of health for a baby boy and shows plenty of potential, but he seems to be distressed about something. Have you noticed anything that seemed to be troubling him over the past few days?”
He saw his mother’s smile crack with a look of disgust for a second at the phrase perfect picture of health, but she tried to play it off as a concerned frown and stated “He has seemed to be a bit restless the past couple of days. Maybe the room has gotten a bit stuffy for him as the walls have been getting a little close for me.” she said with a gentle chuckle. The doctor gave a slight nod before she continued “Maybe I will take him for a short walk on the way home give him a chance to stimulate his mind.”
“Hmm, well with a clean bill of health, you two are released. Just remember to continue to take it easy for a while and give yourselves plenty of time to bond with each other so you can develop a strong connection.”
His mother smiled broadly as she watched the doctor carefully wrap him back up in his blanket before she held him gently. He then wheeled them out of the hospital to a car waiting for them outside. “How would you like to see some nature on the way home?” she cooed to Parasite while she buckled him into the car seat. On the way to the next town where she lived, she had the driver stop at a small trail next to a pull off area. She told the driver, “We’ll be back shortly.” as she unhitched the carrier from the car and placed it onto a stroller. “Just want to take him for a quick walk. Get us out of that sterile environment for once and back to our roots.” she said wryly.
She casually walked down the trail with Parasite as her driver stepped out for a quick smoke while he waited. As she walked, she began to hum, and a smile continued to grow on her face. Once they were far enough away and out of sight, she whispered to Parasite, “I’ve got good news for you child. While I cannot stand you, there was someone willing to adopt you. Now I couldn’t say this in front of the doctors because we wanted to keep this discreet. After all, we can’t have you going around hurting my reputation now, can we? So, you have got a new mother waiting for you. She can be quite strict, but I am sure you two will learn to get along. Are you ready to meet her?”
“Her name is Mother Nature.”
There she left him. Off the path in the hollow of a tree. Alone and uncovered as the way he came into this world. She silently arranged the blanket back in the carrier and lowered the visor as he silently screamed helplessly in the tree. She was free of her Parasite, and he was lost in the woods as she gingerly made her way out of the woods and back to her driver patiently waiting none the wiser. Never hearing a noise from the baby who never cried.