"It isn't my fault. You know that, don't you? You know it is my love. You love me and I love you."
Nothing is more romantic than being stabbed by a polearm while a crazy Chosen shouts sweet nothing into your ears. Man-man is the luck one here to be going though such an event.
His right arm is broken, few of his bones are broken too and even his weapon is broken. Everything in his life currently broken and in a very fragile place at the moment.
Skin's emotional state is chaos and destructive. Man-man can't even begin to understand what is happening.
He has tried fighting and hoping that he maybe able to overpower her in such a state. But no, he needs to try something else. Maybe try to talk.
"Back with everyone else. You will feel right at home. We will be together for-"
Man-man interrupts her.
"I don't think beautiful and cute are the right adjectives to describe you, Skin."
Skin is confused by Man-man words.
"What the fuck... are you talking about?"
He answers.
"Your first question. I still can't determine what those mean. So, I thought of different adjectives to describe you. Would that work?"
Skin pushes her polearm even deeper into his flesh. She isn't going to be tricked by his words.
"Are you hoping that I won't rip your limbs after hearing some sweet words? And what do you mean by 'Right adjective'? Are you incapable of understanding what I want? I want to be loved? Tell me that you love me. That is all you will get. My love is all that you deserve."
Man-man sighs in his head and then replies. His eyes look heartless and unsympathetic towards her.
"So, that is how you killed your mom and dad?"
Skin's red eyes radiate with bloodlust. She takes her polearm and slams it near his head.
"Are you a fucking moron? What was I saying? Did you not here? Can't you see my tears? My pain?"
Her emotions are a mess. Man-man is going to stir them even more.
"So, you did kill them? Why? Were they also not willing to love you and so you tore their limbs apart? But because they were humans they just died. That just mean you kill them."
Her body is shaking and her tears are flowing and kept on flowing from her eyes onto Man-man. Skin closes her ears but she can still hear it.
His words are kept on echoing in her brain.
Her mental state is a mess. Maybe in any other time, this strategy wouldn't work. But right now, she is the most vulnerable. His words will affect her in some way. He just has to say the right words to break her even further.
"What happened then? Were they screaming in agony while they were being torn apart by their own daughter? To them, you probably were just taking revenge for how they treated. They didn't see love in your action whatsoever."
Skin grinds her teeth and screams.
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I'll rip your mouth so you won't-"
Man-man interrupts with his cold voice.
"Did you thought of that doing to your mom and dad too? Or maybe you already did? At that point, even your blessing isn't enough to keep an ordinary human alive. You kill them. Maybe unknowingly. But you did."
Skin stares at Man-man with anger and distress. She can't seem to control her emotions. She rips her own hair apart just to stop her own pain in the heart.
Skin tries to speak in defense but she can't. Her words aren't coming out. She is scared. She doesn't want to hear his words.
"What was the trigger?"
Skin shivers. She feels real fear and horror. She tries to say something but it is so hard to hear.
"Ple…ase…don't"
He continues.
"Were you replaced? Replaced by another child? They had another daughter or son because they didn't want someone who was a Chosen. So, did you kill your own sibling. An innocent little child was killed by you. Your mom and dad only saw a monster. A monster."
Skin screams and screams. Those memories aren't real. She kept on repeating to herself. But how many times she can deny reality?
She is a monster.
That is right.
She killed her parents.
That is right.
She killed her sibling.
That is right.
She killed them all.
That is not right. She doesn't want it to be right. She didn't do it. She is innocent. She just wanted love.
Skin screams and there is only pain to be heard. Her shame, her sin, her pain and her love.
She is a mess and can't even hold herself up straight.
Man-man takes this opportunity and gets a grip of her polearm. Then uses it to stand up and then throws Skin on the floor. He accomplished this without much resistance. Then he stands on top of her. Ready to stab her at any sign of movement. Even if it won't kill her. It will give him some time to run away.
But no, he doesn't do that. There is just no movement. She is solid as a rock and her face is sad. No, it is a mess of sadness, shame and self-hate.
She hates herself. She regrets it all.
Her face is a mess. Blood on her face, burnt skin and now these tears. It is hard to look at her. Even Man-man can't help but be sad.
Sad? Is he sad? Why? He can't feel emotions, so why now? His actions are justifiable. He said those things to survive and that is what he wanted to accomplish, isn't it? She is down and now he can live. He is free to leave with his body in single piece.
However, looking at her traumatic dead eyes make her look like him. He is seeing himself in her. He can understand her and her actions.
Why can he understand her actions? Because he is the same.
Without knowing, he unconsciously speaks with emotions. There are emotions on his face.
"I didn't have parents. I was raised by guardians. A lot of them, I found their presence comforting and safe. I didn't know why back then and still don't know now. But those comforting days didn't last forever."
Skin isn't sure what is happening. She just wants something or someone to cling to so desperately. She is so fragile right now. She needs someone to help her. She needs support of any kind.
In that desperate self-loathing state. She hears his words and watches the man who said such horrible things to her.
"I was actually a tool. A tool to make more Chosen. There thoughts were simple if they make children with a Chosen then the child would also be a Chosen. But there was a problem. A Chosen can't reproduce and they didn't know that. Or they ignored that fact. And so, they used my child body in sexual acts. It was an illogically process. But I didn't deny them. I also was innocent."
Skin can hear his words and emotions in his words. She can feel something so close to herself. His pain is so much like hers.
"At first, it happened every week. Then after every other day and finally every day. The sessions were also growing longer and I felt pain. There was no comfort anymore. It was torture and only pain. My guardians never cared about me. They only cared about themselves. But I still love them. However, my love didn't last forever."
Man-man stops for a moment and then continues.
"And so, I killed them. I put glass shavings inside of their drinks but only one guardian died. And so, the sinned soul rose from that body. It killed everyone else soon after. They cried in pain and for help but I ignored them. I hid myself in the house and waited for the sinned soul to go away."
Man-man is in pain. Skin can feel it. He also feels pain and shame for killing the people he loved, right? If they both can be support for each other then Skin can get something that she can cling on.
Some support that she desperately needs. She craves it so much. She needs his love. She begs for it. Skin wants to be loved.
But Man-man doesn't seem to be in that state. He just speaks. This time his emotions on the face is dead.
"I felt nothing after killing them. I didn't feel shame, guilt or self-hate after killing those who wronged me. Unlike you, I don't feel anything for killing those who hurt me."
Man-man feels disgust.
"Weren't you tortured by your parents? They threw you off the cliff, burnt you alive and even nailed you to the ground like an animal. But you still cling to them. Why? Are you that desperate for a little drop of love?"
Man-man finally sighs for real and continues.
"I don't love you. Not because of you but because I am incapable of loving anyone. However, that doesn't mean I don't see your accomplishments. I do admire your combat abilities, your ability to always find amusement in meaningless things like your polearm and you can even be an incredible companion. You are incredible because you survived in hell. So, why can't you love yourself?"
Skin repeats those words in her head.
'Love yourself.'
How many years has passed since she heard someone told her to do something like that? She wants to cling to something to survive. Someone who would love her and be with her.
So, she enforced her love on others. In hopes of mending her broken heart. She needs someone to be with her. But why does she want it?
There isn't really a reason. She just wants it and that desire has made her hate herself. She hates that she can't get love in return. Because of that, she started hating herself even more.
However, Man-man's words have made her realize something. That she can't love if she can't love herself. His words may sound harsh or heartless but there is care for Skin. She has never felt something like that.
So many Chosen and so many encounter but she finally found someone who actually wants her to improve and be happy.
Man-man also is a mess. Maybe even more of a mess than her. He is jealous of how she can cling to these human emotions. He calls them irrational and illogical. But he also wants to understand them.
His past has made him this way and he also want something to bring him back. But unlike Skin, he doesn't try to cling to anything. He is fine being alone.
Both are a mess, opposite of each other but quite similar in some ways.
There is quiet for few minutes and then Skin jumps and hugs him. He doesn't hug her back though. He can only hear her heart beat faster than his own. His own heartbeat isn't even heard by Skin.
But she knows he is here.
Skin is still shaking and is still quite a mess. She is strong and terrifying but right now, she looks so fragile. He could've killed her but he didn't why? He can't understand. His actions are so illogically.
"I would love myself. But if I do, would you love me in return?"
Man-man doesn't know what to say or do. Her words are illogically and doesn't make sense. But he finds them peaceful for some reason. He unconsciously holds her with his own arms and then.
Next thing he knows, one illogically word comes out of his mouth.
"Yes."
Skin find is so comforting. She can feel this strange feeling. It is love. A love that is from both sides.
Suddenly, Man-man notices something odd. Skin's burnt marks and injuries are healing.