"Aahh!!"
*gasping* "This is hard!"
I collapse on my knees.

"You seem to be doing really well! Except, you just have to endure the pain before you healing ability kicks in." Dr. Sakaki reported.

"Well, I just acres through my training!" Venom just had go and enrage me.

"Good for you. Otherwise you'd be easily taken out by the Azure King." I simply reply back.

"Damn you Jin!"

Before we could start the fight, Dr. Sakaki interrupted.
"He's here!"

The switched on the news. Indeed, it was the Azure King.
From what we could see, he was sturdy man, about 47 years old, and seeing his sturdy build and he was he handles weapons, we could conclude he was a war veteran.
But there was something odd.

As Dr. Sakaki said, he had come to make a deal with a few local thugs, but instead killed them all and returned whatever they stole to their respective owners.

"I though he was evil..?" Venom asked.
"We believed he was. Untill now, he has killed many. But no civilians were reported dead or murdered." Dr. Sakaki said.

"Interesting!"
I had to meet this person. Whatever he was fighting for, whatever the reason he had for killing thugs and wrong-doers.. I had to know.

Finally after tracking his movements for three days, we met the Azure King. Indeed. He was a war veteran. His posture revealed it all.

"So, you're the Azure King!" Venom clenched his fists and was walking towards the man, but one glare from that man stopped him in his tracks.

"Sir, can we know your name?" I asked.

"Sir? Do I deserve respect?" He scoffed at me.

"I don't know about it. Why you kill these wrong-doers, we don't know. You have your reasons. I'm just here to know about them."

"I see." There was pause. "Follow me." The Azure King made his way to a mansion.

People can be so desperate sometimes, especially when it comes to vengeance.
Why this Man only kills wrongdoers and leaves others, when never came to know, as we entered the mansion, we were ambushed.


A group of mercenaries dressed all in black, and who looked like c-ops started firing at us from all directions. Immediately, I transformed into the demonic state and started taking out most of the men, but it seemed endless. They kept coming.

After fending ourselves for almost an hour, (Venom made sure he and Dr. Sakaki were safe. They hid behind a collapsed wall. And Mr. Army man also transformed and assisted me) their leader showed up.

"How nice of you all to come meet me. Let me introduce myself. I am the Azure King!" We were shocked.
If the man who showed up was the Azure King, who was this army man?
Before we could even ask, we saw it. The man being controlled by the Azure King.

"You see, there were a total of 11 cases of the Aires Mutations. 8, including you were registered. This army man, was unregistered. And me and my brother are two more. Unfortunately, this Man killed my brother the other day. I saw an opportunity in having him be my dog, so I control him." And he gave out a devilish laugh.

"Just exactly what kind of power do you possess?" I asked, bracing myself for the worst.

"Ah yes!! My apologies for an incomplete introduction! My ability is called "Ingrain". It allows me to override any person's brain within 1 km radius from me and control their mind, me being the centre. And that is how my friend-" he points to all the commandos around him "- is how I have this much force with me!" Another evil laugh.

"Damn you!" Gritting my teeth, I plunged towards him. But I was stopped right in my tracks, like something invisible was stopping me.
Slowly I begin to feel like I'm losing consciousness.

"Ah! You're quite strong. It never took me this long to control someone's mind before. Plus, this happens before they can even realise. Unfortunately, you realised you were being overridden. But what can you do? You cannot escape it." The Azure King was steadily gazing upon me.

I was trying desperately to not fall into his command. I even cut off the eye contact, but that even worsened the condition. I began to lose control over my body. Slowly, all my senses began to fade away. A dark room. I understood that I was totally possessed by that man...

In that dark room, I saw him. The Azure King. I knew it. If I can defeat him here in this subconscious mind, (that is the black and dark room: my subconscious. Note that everyone's subconscious becomes dark when being manipulated or controlled.) I can break free of his possession.

The fight began. He hit me with memories, the darkest ones I never wanted to see. Never wanted to live them again. He tested my will power, my strength to withstand. Everything. I hung in there, and finally it was my turn. That's when I realised the power of imagination. It was my subconscious. My wish, my rules.

After what seemed like an hour of struggling, I finally made it. I broke free of his possession.

But I was shocked at what I saw. Millions of dead bodies around me. A while city destroyed. It wasn't even my country. It was somewhere else.

"So! You broke free!" He grinned. The more I talk to him, higher is the risk that I'll fall prey to his command again. I didn't hesitate this time. Transform. Fought him for fifteen minutes. Saw an opening. Stabbed him with a broken glass piece right into the heart.

Maybe it was little extreme but, I went a bit berserk with that and tore his heart out. He died instantly. Maybe because deep down, I actually am a demon.

It took me a while to realise I'm a world wide wanted criminal. As you can guess, FBI doesn't waste time. But luckily just before they arrived, I was able to meet Venom and Dr. Sakaki. Knowing the situation, Venom brought along Maya too.
She came and hugged me tight.

"....... You probably realise I'll be gone for a while now. I can't even say I'll be gone. I might be executed or hanged."
I said with a heavy heart.
Years started to roll down my eyes.

"You don't have to state the obvious." Maya replied, crying.

"Dont worry, Mr. Jin, I'll bail you out."
Dr. Sakaki assured me.
Venom also gave a nod of approval.

"Is this a new dawn? A new future that awaits me after my prison sentence?" I asked Dr.

"Maybe. What do you hope to do after I bail you out?" He asked. But after seeing the look of doubt in my eyes, he said: "Do no worry. I surely will bail you out. Please rest assured."

I smiled.

"Ill kill this demon I side me. I'll go incognito once I come out. And reform myself. And after my reformation, I hope to dedicate myself to research and to Maya. Hopefully, I and Maya may get married and..... "

She giggled at this and blushed.

"Very well. Then it is a new beginning alright!" Dr. Sakaki smiled.

I turned to the only bulletin board that was still working after the destruction I had caused.

"Guess I did too much damage." I said.

"Technically, that bastard did. But he used you." Venom stated the reality.

"Well, I guess it's time to go." I said, with the FBI squad arriving at the finish if the sentence.

"Just hang in there. We'll get you out soon!" Venom smiled. So did Dr. Sakaki. Before the FBI could close in, Maya gave me a small kiss.

"Stay safe!" She whispered.
"Sure." I replied.

The FBI agents got in on me. I surrendered without any force.

"Aww! Out of juice?" One agent kicked me in the stomach.
Before Venom could do anything, I requested I be taken away.
Soon, everything would return to normal.

As I was being walked towards the van, I turned around to face Maya one last time. And whispered something.

She was shocked. And at the same time, happy.

She looked at me with teary eyes as I was being taken away for a long time to come, only to return to the world to set things right, and to create a new future.






© Jeevan