Chapter 1 : the rupture

Late in the night, a naked man is running and crying with fear in his eyes. A shot can then be heard, and the man falls on the ground. A second man approaches the naked and now bloody one, a smoking gun in his right hand. He stops next to him, and immediately starts talking.

I sometimes hate to admit it, but this story starts in a desperately banal way. Take a young boy, living with his loving parents in a small house lost in a big city. Life if not easy, but they are happy as it is. Both his parents have decent and honest works, which is kind of a privilege at the time, and they are grateful for it. 

The young lad himself is nothing extraordinary. Average in pretty much everything, he is kind-hearted and trying his best to please the ones around him. Such naiveness and innocence... I feel some kind of nostalgia just talking about it in a way. But, eh, I am actually glad to simply remember these days too, considering what followed.

He takes a big breath before carrying on. The bloody lad on the ground really does not understand the situation, and tries to crawl away from the other one, who simply proceeds to calmly follow him while continuing his story.

However, as you have probably noticed by now, things rarely go as planned. You find a way to build a home, a good situation, you have plans... But the world never stops to find his ways to thwart them. Our world works like that. Some people blame the Mafiosi, others blame the government, the destiny, a god, karma, their stepmother even... and they would all be correct. The world itself is kind of rotten in my opinion, but it makes it full of opportunities too for the ones for are not afraid to get their hands dirty.

Anyway, the fact is, that day, the boy's nice and cosy bubble exploded violently. They all were at the wrong place and at the wrong time. Humans intrinsically all have the ability to be monsters. Little children torture animals for pleasure, and these children eventually become adults with a far worst character. Mafiosi are no exception. They are trained to be merciful, and anyone seeing their dirty business usually end up dead. Anyone.

That day, each of us all took a bullet in the head. No witness, no problems. This is their philosophy. Except that, ironically, the boy survived, despite the bullet having entered deep in his skull.

As you can imagine, he was in a pretty poor condition though. He was collected by a... Well, a circus clown whose family was staying in the city for the week. He had been observing the scene from a safe distance and I guess he felt some pity for the boy after reaching the scene. Simple minded people do not think thoroughly to the consequences of their actions, they just do it. 

I guess that, at that point, I should tell you that I am that boy. You know, sometimes, I still think he should just have let me die there eventually, young and happy. But I am also grateful for the opportunity that he gave to me. To us.

He smiles lightly, taking some time to gather his thoughts. Meanwhile, the other guy have stopped to try to flee away, having realized his injuries were quite serious and that he was losing blood rapidly. He finally decides to listen to his aggressor, despite the pain and the weird situation.

The circus members were not happy to see him bringing such kind of nuisance though. They had learned about the shooting meanwhile, they also knew the Mafiosi would search after the "missing boy", and perhaps more importantly, from their perspective, I was in no way part of their family. There is very little space for being sentimental when times are though. Cruelty, however, always find its way. It was suggested to just throw me in the lions' cage. I would surely get eaten. Some food spared and a problem solved. It sounded perfect.

The possibility that I could survive was not even mentioned. It sounded ridiculous.

I was just a piece of bleeding meat when being thrown down there. I have no idea what made it possible, how I could survive. It does not really matter actually. What happens to someone who is left in the darkest, the most disgusting and the most dangerous rat hole you can imagine is nothing to bother about.

What you should worry about, though, is what that person has become if they ever get out of it.

 

Chapter 2 : a lion is born

He smiles while looking at his terrified victim, who is still bleeding abundantly. It seems to both make him happy and impatient. 

Well, I'll try to avoid digressing too much. I mean, at this rate, you will not last a long time. So, where was I ? Ah, yes.

I was talking about him.

One of the lioness happened to have lost a newborn cub shortly before he was thrown in the cage. Nature has its own ways sometimes : she adopted him as its own, fed him and protected him for the next three years. As a consequence, during that time, he was truly considered as a member of the pride. 

Physically speaking, we were actually doing pretty well, despite still having a bullet in the brain. It was a miracle in itself that it did not kill us. But we were still mentally broken. I mean, I did not really wish to live at that time, while he was eager to grow bigger, more powerful, like a true lion. I let him do, watching days passing by. Watching him grow. I started to actually like him, in the end. I enjoyed being a spectator.

We had one body for two very different and distinct entities, but we were complementary. He had this burning wish to live, while I had a body I did not care about. We could have fought, annihilated each other. But it was not the case. On the contrary, his beastly spirit merged with my disillusioned remains. What do you obtain when you take nature's effectiveness, determination, bloody skills and fuse it with what became, over the years, a vengeful human soul, one who grew capable of extreme cruelty ? Well.

Still holding the gun, he now seems lost in his mind, which scares the bleeding lad even more. Laying on the ground, feeling that his end is closer and closer, he still feels a bit relieved after a few seconds seeing that his assailant finally gathers his thoughts and continues rather than shooting him on the spot.

He had become an local attraction meanwhile : the lion boy. A true lion in a human body. People are so eager to see curiosities like him. But after the three years, the lioness left him be ; she considered he was big enough to live his life, like any other lion cub would be after that period of time. However, he may have had a lion spirit, but he was still trapped in a human body. My body. With the protection of his lioness mother, he was tolerated, but once left on his own, he became a nuisance for them, for the pride. Something was wrong, and they all felt it. This is when I decided to come back. To play a role. Not for me. For him.

Over the years, I became more and more attached to my beastly friend. He helped me survived and get over what happened in a way. He truly inspired me. It was time to return the favour, before we both get killed. So that night, before the evening show, I escaped. I ran as far as I could towards the distant lights of the cities. I ran towards a new life for both of us.

It was time. Time to see what the lion boy could accomplish in this world, time to work together to take over the said world. The crown was waiting for us.

 

Chapter 3 : the chase

He then decides to sit next to the dying man, which is now surrounded by an important quantity of blood. He does not seem to care at all about his clothes being stained. He sits there like a friend could have done, gently smiling to an other friend who is slowly leaving this world. Somehow, he seems to care about him. But at the same time, he still has this murderous aura. It is definitely disturbing.

We stayed in the city from that point. We both felt it was where we should carry on, the place where we should prove ourselves. We had such resolve and ease to kill to get what we wanted that we were rapidly noticed. Our set of skills are always something useful to shadowy organizations. People with nothing to lose are perhaps the most dangerous thing you could find on Earth. That is the precise reason why they are so precious.

So, without surprise, we ended up in the Mafia. Bloodbaths after bloodbaths, we climbed up the organization ladder. He accomplished things that could have made any other person sick, and as soon as the job was finished, I took back control to perfect my human education, which was necessary to both of us. A cold blooded, excessively assassin mixed with a scholar. The contrast was baffling. Other members were disgusted, fascinated and scared at the same time, but it was a normal thing to us. 

Seeing that the man is feeling less and less well, he decides to continue his story more rapidly. It seems to bother him, but he does not really have the choice. To the other guy, it still really makes no sense though.

So, at some point, we became important enough in the organization to be allowed to ask some questions. Questions about the organization's history, questions about the organization's ramifications and questions about the organization's members. It took some time, these people are particularly suspicious, I am sure you are aware of it, but eventually, I found the precise information I was after. What I have been seeking for quite a lot of time.

I guess it's time for me to tell you why I am here. Why I shot you to tell you this long story. Right ? I am sure you wonder why your pitiful life will end today.

Well, we pursue two main objectives : the first one is for my beastly friend, that is, trying to reach the top of this world of ours. It is his instinct, his wish. I am glad to help him. I feel it makes him happy. It is his way of expressing himself, his way of feeling alive. He cannot do that in the lion world, so he does it in the human world, using me as a tool, a catalyst. And I really enjoy it.

Indirectly, it also allowed me to pursue a much more personal desire. That something I have wished for for a very long time. You see, that boy's life was ruined back then. I do not regret what I have become, really, but I still feel like something has to be done about the past me. Some form of... tribute. For the little, innocent boy who disappeared that day. I wanted to find the person responsible for the shooting.

I wanted to find you. 

Chapter 4 : the conclusion

At that point, his face is already whitish due to the loss of blood. At the moment when he hears that last sentence though, it turns out more pallid than ever. He is slowly realizing what is happening. After such a long time, after the many people he killed during his life, after the shock of being shot at, it did not strike him at first, but now he remembers. The shooting. The little boy who mysteriously went missing. He was slowly accepting his fate up to that revelation, but now, he somehow feels more terrified than ever.

Meanwhile, the lion boy is still sitting right next to him, perfectly calm. He continues.

I have the certainty that you were the one behind the shooting at the beginning of my story, mister. More specifically, I know you were the one who shot the three bullets in our heads. I do not really care if you remember it. I do not really care if you feel remorse. I do not really care if what I will do to you could have consequences either. It really does not matter. I have made a deal with myself. 

The truth is, I do not think I personally could torture you the way I wish it to be done. I wish for something too violent, too grandiose. I do not only want to see despair in your eyes, no, I want to see your soul dislocating while your body is being torn out. My beastly friend assured me he could do that, though, which is very kind of him.

On the other hand, he cannot fulfil his dreams without me. It has always been like that since that day : as I have told you, we are complementary. We might be misunderstood, found weird by other people, if not completely crazy, we might be rejected and hated, but deep inside, we both know it is a strength. We both know it is what will make a difference in accomplishing what we desire for. We have reached a point where we both are in complement agreement.

He finally stands up and look at his suit covered in blood. While laughing, he adds :

Oh boy, you have made such a mess with my clothes. Bah, it does not really matter now. It will only gets worse at that point.

All of a sudden, he drops on his hands and knees, furiously shaking, before adding, in the last moments when he still has a bit of self-control :

Let me introduce you to the lion boy. He was really impatient to meet you, you know. You might be close to death, but do not worry, he will make sure you do not leave this world peacefully. In exchange, I have accepted to carry on our live like before and to achieve his goals for him. For us. Before I leave, I shall thank you to have listened to me too. It eases my mind to have been able to tell this story at least once, you know. 

Farewell. Before definitely leaving though, I shall leave you with a citation I particularly appreciate. Dante imagined it being written on the gates of hell, which you will reach soon enough.

He manages to slip some more words before unleashing the beast, which is now excessively impatient.

But since you are entering... his own territory now... Be warned...

Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.

Iocaste- What is your view on disrespect being down at the funerals of the fallen?

Disrespect being down? Eh?