Chapter 2: Change

  The humid summer air flows in a gentle breeze, softly ruffling her and tickling the feline ears on the top of her head. Io pauses the tilling of earth to wipe the sweat from her brow and takes a refreshing gulp from her water skin. Farming is back breaking work, but the true treasure of fruits and vegetables at the end of the season makes it all worthwhile. Ria Lima’s heat never ceases to amaze; and at high noon in a sea of tilled farmland, it is exceptional. But - it is unavoidable. Heat simply comes with the job.

  The smell of fresh dirt and sweat is accompanied by the fragrant aroma of freshly plucked strawberries and decadent pears.

  “Lunch time, Io!” Shouts her little sister who emerges onto the field of dirt.

  Io flashes a warm smile as she combs the blonde hair out of her face and turns to greet her sister, "Thank you, Inoue!”

  Io’s bright yellow eyes mirror her sister’s perfectly, along with her full lips and small stature. At eighteen, Io is ready to be married off to the son of some nice Ria Lima family, so she is enjoying spending time with her own family while she still can.

  Io and Inoue sit right there in the field to eat, yet before they are even able to take a second bite, a horn blows in the distance, its deep and ominous tone alarming Io. She has never heard the sound before, thus she has no reference for how to feel, yet she can’t help but feel uneasy.

  “What’s that?” Asks Inoue, pointing into the neighboring forest from which the sound emanated.

  Then suddenly, they hear it:

  Yelling and screaming erupt in the distance, shattering their solitude. Io immediately stands up, grabs her sister and runs to their house that sits at the bottom of the plateau on which they farm. Then, she sees them - Felina warriors draped in leather armor and brandishing spears, daggers and swords, with which they effortlessly carve and slash through her people.

  Io’s mother runs through the trees followed close behind by the sound of hysterical laughing, as the pursuing men catch up and cut her down, her daughter watching in horror as she falls to her demise.

  Io rushes into her small wooden home, locking the doors and using whatever she can find to quickly barricade the entrance from within. In seconds, she hears the warriors outside attempting to pry the door open with their weapons. Before she can even think, Io instinctively rips up the carpet, opens the cellar door beneath and forces Inoue inside.

  Still standing outside the cellar, she holds a finger to her mouth as Inoue cries quietly, and says, "Stay quiet. No matter what you hear, do not make a sound.”

  Inoue nods her head as the door closes and the lock snaps shut over it. Io pulls the carpet back over the entrance, just as the men manage to breach the door.

  Io grabs a knife, swings at the first warrior, and misses, causing him to smirk as he jeers, ”Woah there, little cutie!” Simultaneously, another man grabs the hand that wields the knife, pulling her arm roughly behind her.

  As the knife clatters to the floor, more men flood in. Another warrior with a lion’s mane of hair punches her in the face, instantly splitting her lip and drawing blood. They continue their assault, beating her until her body goes limp.

  The warriors scavenge through the cupboards and rummage inside closets looking for riches, as the lion’s mane warrior eyes Io seductively.

  “No! Please, don’t!”

  “Shut up!”

  He slaps her across the face and begins tearing her clothes off, one layer at a time. Tears pour from her eyes as her virginity is violently stolen from her. The pain. The absolute horror of it all is overwhelming.

  She feels like she is being split in two, as the other warriors watch.

  “Save some for me…” says another man.

  ”Stop it!”

  No… no, no, no, anything but this.

  As the lion’s mane warrior climaxes, his buddies rip up the carpet and smash their way through the wooden door, the lock doing little to stop their assault.

  “P-please,” pleads Io. “Please, leave her alone! She is just a little girl!”

  “Oh…” says the warrior that first spots Inoue, a sickening grin spread across his face. “I actually prefer them young… what do you say, boss? Pass her around?”

  “Do let’s,” says the lion’s maned warrior as he buttons up his trousers and looks at Inoue, just like a lion eyeing down a lamb.

  “No, please! I can offer far more than she! Leave her alone!”

  Io sobs as she watches her worst nightmares come to fruition, and feels her life shatter under the weight of this cruelty and brutal sexual assault.

  “I’ll fucking murder you!” Shouts Io, mustering the last reserves of her strength. She is forced down yet again by another man. He only laughs mirthlessly in response. They all watch on as Inoue’s innocence is desecrated. No one comes to their aid. No one plays the hero. Because there are none. How could the gods allow such a tragedy?

  There are no gods. There couldn’t be.

  As abruptly as they entered, they are gone. She is alone in this world, with only her anger and rage remaining, for her dear young sister lay lifeless on the cold, hard ground beside her.

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  ***

  Kiro has always hated this place. It reeks of alcohol, vomit and sex, yet he trusts that being in this garbage dump of scummy elves is a better option than trusting his fellow assassins to support him in any way.

  Men and women play with bright flames, dancing around frenziedly, heedless of their capacity to burn. Even Kiro struggles to tear his focus away from the performers. Women stand outside their brothels, whisking away young men with alluring smiles and enticing curves. Gambling dens belch out a haze of opium smoke as the young and old puff away their lives while selling their souls to Flyleaf, the ruling gang that has been granted control over this part of the forest that is run by the Atreus clan. Atreus rules the southern forests of Elren and under their jurisdiction, Flyleaf has found notable success in their illegal endeavors.

  Gang members act like guards, prowling the streets on a perpetual hunt for those with deep pockets and gullible minds. If you aren’t careful, they will guide you away from the crowd and potentially rob you for profit and then murder you for fun.

  Some performers and magical masters show off their skills, turning sticks into snakes and the snakes into their staffs. Kiro never liked magic. Magic is an unknown, which means Kiro lacks control over it. And Kiro prefers control over chaos, and nothing speaks to chaos more than embracing something without an understanding of it.

  Kiro wears his Silencer - a cloak designed to conceal the aura of whoever wears it. He drapes the hood, hiding his face, yet that does not stop the incessant onslaught of beggars grasping and pleading, annoying him to no end. “Be gone!” Demands Kiro, scattering them.

  Kiro watches a group of gang members dragging two lines of chained up slaves making their way through the crowds. They had just been purchased from a shop a few paces down that deals in slavery and all things debaucherous.

  Kiro makes his way into the establishment. “Can I help you find anything?” Asks a sleazy elf draped in jewels and golden chains.

  “I am looking for a slave,” he replies.

  “Excellent!” Declares the elf, motioning to the barred cages that house his present stock of slaves. Inside, gang members are examining them one by one, lifting their chins to analyze their gums and teeth.

  Suddenly, Kiro hears screaming and swearing coming from one of the lines of newly delivered slaves, and sees an elf clasping the side of his head where his ear once was.

  “She bit my fucking ear off!” He growls.

  The offending slave catches Kiro’s eyes as she spits out the ear and lets out a spiteful hiss. The maimed elf grabs the felina by her cat ears and brings her to her knees but she wrenches herself free and attacks again, going for his throat and biting off a chunk of his neck, causing him to howl in pain. Another elf grabs her by the tail and yanks her away.

  Gang members surround the felina, forcing her to the ground where, accepting her powerlessness in the moment, she curls her body, trying at least to protect her face with her hands as they begin beating her with clubs and sticks and kicking her repeatedly until she finally lay completely still.

  As she lays there, the elf she took two bites out of dies; she had managed to bite right through his jugular vein. But her gaze is focused on the glowing silver eyes barely visible from within Kiro’s Silencer.

  Her previously blonde hair is now painted with mud, blood and dirt, but her eyes are full of fire and speak all of the words Kiro has come to hear.

  “I’ll take her,” says Kiro, as one of the gang members locks a muzzle around the girl’s mouth.

  “B-but she is vulgar, my lord. She is violent and lacks all discipline. She must be broken, first.”

  “What is your name, woman?” Asks Kiro, ignoring the elf and walking straight up to the girl without hesitation. Kiro crouches down to her level and pulls some strands of hair out of her face.

  “Don’t touch me!” Demands the girl, eyes ablaze.

  “My name is Kiro. I admire your tenacity. Your eyes are ferocious and your violence is without compare. I want you. You are mine now.”

  The sleazy elf quickly interjects, "She will do you no good in the fields or even in bed. She is just a deranged felina.”

  Kiro tosses a bag of assorted coins to the man, and says, "That should cover her expenses. She is mine now, so unchain her.”

  The elf's eyes twinkle as he opens the small bag, before saying, "Yes, of course! Men, unchain her, but keep your eyes on her.”

  They unlock the chain from the wall and hand it to Kiro, the other end still attached to the shackles upon her wrists. ”She is your problem now,” they mutter.

  Kiro tugs the chain, bringing her to her feet, before telling her, "You are to be my guardian, understood? Now, we must travel to Ria Lima.”

  Noiselessly, the girl nods her head in agreement. Then, in a voice just above a whisper, she says, "My name is… Io.”

  ***

  The storm crashes as the waves rock and slam into the boat, yet Io is indifferent to the tempest around them as she glares at Kiro with eyes filled with disgust: she loathes every second she is in his presence.

  What kind of twelve year old boy buys slaves? Despicable.

  As Io contemplates how she is going to kill him and escape, Kiro looks her way and smiles like a fox to a hen. Kiro balances as the waves ascend from the depths; their small boat pitching and lurching relentlessly.

  The rain comes down in sheets and the lightning carves its way through the sky, lighting up the atmosphere for brief moments before darkness envelopes them once again. Io huddles up into a corner of the boat, now focusing all her energy towards not losing her stomach. Thoughts flit through her mind of slitting her own wrists in outrage of her predicament.

  There is something strange about this boy. He rarely sleeps, barely eats and Io can’t sense him at all. She doesn’t trust his icy gaze.

  When he smiles, instead of getting any sense of comfort, she only feels fear and unease. Who is this child, and why am I his guardian?

  As the waves settle, one of the deckhands approaches Io and asks, "Are you okay?”

  “Careful,” says Kiro. “She bites.”

  The sailor laughs off his comment, offering a hand to help the felina to her feet: Io slaps his hand out of her face. “I don’t need your help.”

  Another wave bludgeons the side of the boat and Io loses her balance, nearly falling out of the ship. Instantly, Kiro manifests by her side and catches her.

  Io shakes him off, ”Fuck off. Don’t touch me.”

  She grudgingly returns to her seat, her face painted with spite. Internally, she is contemplating how he had moved like that. One second he was on the other end of the boat, the next he is at her side.

  “Stay sitting,” demands Kiro, pulling her from her rumination. “You are of no use to me if you get lost out at sea. Remember, I own you, Io…”

  “How could I fucking forget a child owns me. Why are we going to my homeland? What do you expect of me?” She spits.

  ”All I wish is for you to stand by my side and to inform me of the governmental structure in Ria Lima. I am an assassin and have been stationed in your country.”

  “An assassin? But you’re just a child…”

  “I know. Scary, isn’t it?” He says, looking at her with that infuriating cheeky smirk.

  But then his eyes meet hers for a lingering moment, and her breath catches as she’s drawn into their silver depths, where the shadow of his demonic Abyss lurks. A demonic Abyss is a demon’s descent into the darkness festering within their cursed soul - Kiro’s is vast. Through his gaze, Io glimpses the horrors he has wrought upon others.

  His stare sends shivers down her spine, before she says, "Yes, I guess it is… You’re a demon? I suppose I could have guessed. I have never seen a demon with silver eyes though. I actually thought you were an angel.”

  “Well… I am… something like that.”