1.11 Ice-Claw Han

“Why do you still kill people?”

I looked at the one interrogating me, it was an old woman basically in her 60s, her white hair reached her waist and the wrinkles on her face gave the off the feeling of someone ancient.

I can’t reply to her, she sat on the ground looking at me, all around her were fallen men, some were shot in the head other were cleanly decapitated, though some were still alive rolling in pain while holding their shot limbs.

“Not answering?... at least before you kill me, show me the face of my killer.”

Following her last request, I removed my mask to expose a mutilated face with no lips, her face flinched seeing my face, but soon again a soothing smile spread on her face.

“I can understand that you may have lived a very tough life, and I am very sorry for all of that.”

If I had eyelids, they would have open wide at her comment. Because of you that I became like this.

“Now kill me! I don’t want to waste any more of your precious time.”

“SOLY…..M..O..h..er” Speaking these words she could see that I don’t have a tongue. Her eyes showed pity, but I won’t be fooled by those of you reactions anymore.

I went close to her and holding her neck between my wrists, jerked it, breaking her neck and instantly killing her.

Standing back again, my eyes were getting wet, something died inside me when I killed her. She was the reason for all the things that happened to me.

*

Sura laid on the bed, with tear dripping from her eyes, the pillow was drenched in tears, and the tears can’t seem to be stopping any time soon.

Feeling the cold due to his tears, he slowly opened his eyes, getting up he looked at the pillow then rubbed his face to find it have linings of salt formed.

“Why was I crying?”

When he got into bathroom to wash his face, he felt his wrist vibrate. Picking up the call which came from his friend Brohimir.

“Helius, it’s already been 1 week since your suspension….and you must be free right?.. Do you want to hang out?”

Sura wiping the tears on his cheeks replied.” No! I need to go to uncle Han to look for work, and don’t worry, I am earning a lot now… I will give you a treat in a high class restaurant soon, so just wait.”

And I know that your depraved stomach will agree to it instantly and you will stop bothering me, so win.. win!

“Promise… That old man really is great, if I fail, I will become one of his workers.”

“Haha!... now stop bothering me… I need to go!”

“Seems like somebody’s in a bad mood.. Alright goodbye!”

After washing his body, he checked his leg, to find it was completely healed up throwing some kick in the air, he can sense his speed increase. His regime of breaking his body and then rebuilding it with food was showing wonders. His strength has risen by leaps and bound for the last 1 week, and right now his apartment held more than 300 cans of the said meat.

I will take a break today!.. That Vulture guy is getting more brutal with me since I started fighting back. And Uncle Han said to first thing to do is come to his shop.

Picking up the spirit essence conductor and a glass tube with strange lining drawn on it, he left for Old Han’s place. As the last time Sura went there, Old Han asked him to come his shop as the first thing in the morning.

“What kind of work is he going to give me this time? If it was that urgent, he should have just handed it over me yesterday.”

Sura rode his bicycle as he thought about yesterday’s talk. Some people looked at him with weird gaze as usual considering he rode a bicycle, but they soon ignored.

Different people different taste, that’s what the people in the streets thought.

Reaching the old run-down shop, Sura locked his bicycle to a pole and entered the shop, what he saw entering was nothing new, Old Han was selling his stuff to a group of young couple.

Sura waited in a corner, waiting for the couple to get the fuck out.

Why am I getting jealous over them.. the girl is not that beautiful too? For some reason he thought it may be the thoughts of the person from his dreams. All the time! That guy got sodomized in every way possible, and I never once saw him in a relationship. Maybe they are the deep thoughts of that guy.

For Sura, these thoughts were the result of the jealousy the man inside him felt toward the boy, but he in reality knows that it was actually him who was feeling jealous, not some ghost possessing him, it was his way to deal with things like these.

Soon the couple brought a love meter and left the shop.

“Uncle!” Sura as usual called out first, but this time instead of his warm gaze that Han always looked at Sura with, it was replaced with a stern gaze, making Sura understand that the matter of today’s talk will be important.

“Helius! You have been fighting a lot lately.”

Hearing Old Han’s words, Sura clammed up. He looked at Old Han as if he has seen a ghost. How did he know… does he also come to see fight in the arena, but I never once took off my mask.

“Idiot! Even a stupid guy can tell this if they meet you every day.” Shaking his head in disappointment, Old Han got up and went to Sura.

Sura just nodded.

“Listen kiddo! I don’t know your reason.. if you have entered a whole new world in which pain gives you pleasure like a pervert, or you just like fighting, but stop it.”

Sura again nodded, Old Han was his senior, and he cared for Sura like a son. But feeling everyday his body getting stronger, Sura still can’t help but go to fight the next day again and ignore Old Han’s words.

And I am not a pervert Uncle, that’s Brohimir’s specialty.

“I know you won’t listen to me.. As I see! You always have new injuries every day, and for some reasons the old injuries on your bodies disappear the next day.”

FUCK!!.... I knew I should have hid my injuries properly.

“And if you think you should have hid your injuries, I check your body everyday with my essence, I know how serious those injuries have always been..” Stopping for a while and then continuing in a questioning tone. “Broken bones aren’t mend in just 12hours.. and considering your new injuries every day, it is even faster, care to tell me what’s all this is about?”

For Old Han he knew various ways that make it possible to mend the broken bones and injuries, but considering Sura’s capital, who can’t afford those high class pills and medicine, even if we talked about the medicinal liquid tank, which may heal a person overnight, the general public was only rich enough to use it during serious injuries and accidents and only 1 time during the whole year.

Check my body with his essence?

“Uncle.. how can one check other’s body by essence, I thought it doesn’t leave body.”

“Don’t change the subject, and tell me immediately, you are not doing any shady business behind my back. Right?” Being the elder of Sura, it was his duty to keep him on the right path, Old Han has seen the hard work Sura did to afford his going to his academy, and if for some reason he tried underhanded method to earn money, Old Han needed to fix that.

“Nah!...” Shaking his hand in denial. “No! Uncle.. It was just a gift for my late father, I am not doing anything shady.”

Sura was smart in fixing things, but he was stupid in socializing, that’s why he befriended a blabber mouth like Brohimir. And so he did a stupid mistake to tell his secret to a person.

Old Han looked in Sura’s eyes, trying to discern whether he was saying the truth or not.

Seeing Sura’s undulating eyes, Old Han sighed. He punched Sura in the head so fast that Sura couldn’t even see the attack coming.

“Stupid kid…! If someone ask questions like these you need to deny it…! You should have just said that you are not doing anything shady, that’s it… it wasn’t important for you to tell me the reason.”

Sura got up silently and nodded.

“I don’t know how that father of yours raise you up. I won’t ask you what kind of gift it was.” Sura can see the disappointment in Old Han’s face.

“Yes uncle.. I will remember it.”

“Ok!! Now that this thing is out of the way, I will go to the next topic…” Old Han didn’t speak again.

He strongly punched Sura in the stomach throwing his whole body flying and collide with wall. Sura didn’t had any time to react, but suddenly his hand was lifted up and then instantly he felt it broke in 15 different parts.

The pain was so unbearable that he couldn’t even made a single sound. What is happening?......Why is Uncle beating me?

He turned to look at his bloodied hands, next without giving him anytime, the bones of his fingers were turned into dust, they flailed in the air like a string.

“Uc…le wh..omph?”

Before he could speak, his mouth was closed by the giant hands of Old Han, he could feel the coldness enter his mouth through Old Han’s hand.

He was lifted by one hand of Old Han, he can hear his jaw creaking and on the verge of breaking. He looked at the eyes of Han, he can see no remorse nor was pity, and the only thing that can be seen in his eyes was curiosity.

Old Han looked at the other hand of Sura, and before Sura know it, the whole hand was broken into pieces, and both of his hands have turned into spineless snakes.

Sura howled in pain for the first time, his mind was getting crazy, he start remembering the dreams he saw and even if he tried to apply that knowledge here, without hands, he can’t even lift a finger.

It didn’t take long before he was thrown in the air and before he reached the floor, his stomach felt as if a mountain has hit it, his body flew in the air and got struck in the ceiling.

Hearing all the commotion in the shop, some passerby’s curiosity lit up, they tried to look in, but suddenly all the windows were covered in ice.

All they can do is hear grunt noises coming from inside the shop, some already has called the police, only 3 minutes and they may arrive.

Inside the Shop, Sura laid on the ground, he didn’t had the strength to stand up, and thinking it may be over now, he felt both of his leg stepped by a huge boulder and get crushed, with a broken jaw he cannot even scream anymore.

Every bone in his body was now shattered into pieces, the pain made him numb to the surrounding, and even though he heard more of his bones getting broken up by Old Han, he ignored them, but concentrated on keeping himself awake.

After the banging start coming from the shop door, Old Han left the body of Sura on the floor and returned to the door, removing the ice layering and opening it.

“What is it officer?”

Seeing the blood covered face of Han, the Police officers got intimated, they backed up and taking the peak inside and finding the bloodied body of Sura took out their gun. But remembering the ice covering the door, silently put it in the back and looked at Han.

“Sir! I would like to take a look inside the shop.”

Next to him the other officer already called for backup, knowing full well why his superior put the gun back.

“Officer, don’t worry, he is fine, and you will see him walking on his feet tomorrow, he is my student and I was just giving him some pointers.”

Peaking at the bloodied body of Sura again, the officer didn’t know what kind of pointers the man in front of him was giving the kid.

“Sir!..” seeing his junior calling him, the officer turned around and heard his juniors words that made him a little perplexed.

He looked at Old Han and seeing his knowing smile, he asked. “Can I at least see if the kid is alive?”

Old Han nodded and get out of the way of the officer, entering the shop the officer saw the whole place in shambles, the boy’s body was shaking as if the flame of his life will soon die, but remembering what he was told and knowing the boy to be alive. He turned to look at Han and said. “Please take this kid to hospital soon, if something happens to him, I will be forced to take you to jail.”

Saying this much, the officer left with sweat dripping from his body, he felt bad for the kid in the shop, and for some reason he thought that he needed to go and empty a cell to put Han in it, he didn’t considered that the kid can even survive.

Old Han closed the door, and put a sign that it is closed due to issues.

He then stood in front of Sura looking at the unyielding eyes of his.

“You pass!”

Was the only word Sura remembered before falling into darkness.