Breaking the Ice (Book 1)

Chapter Thirty-Two

ZODIAC

"Mother?" a crying boy called. A dark haired woman turned around to face him, her face was blurred. "Why don't the other kids like me?"

There was a tug at her lips, possibly a sad smile. "They don't hate you, little lightning bolt. They're just....nervous. You're a very special boy, you see."

The boy frowned, "I don't want to be special."

"No one does," Mother replied. "But we get to choose how to live with it. How will you use your talents, Zodiac?"

Zodiac didn't know how to respond, he just scurried away.

This was an old memory, one that played on loop in the assassin's mind. Perhaps it was because he never wanted to use his talents to become what everyone wanted him to be. The naive child that once was believed that he could be good, and help others. But that boy died long ago.

He now saw the beauty in the art of killing.

What do you wish to do with your life?

An old mentor asked him this a few years ago. Why was that coming to mind now? Doubt to the mind was like fog to the eyes, one began to question their senses and where they stood in the world. Something an assassin could never do.

But....what did he want to do? Images appeared before him, the forest he had wandered through. He'd never seen such tall trees, such a tranquil atmosphere. I want to see more, his treacherous heart whispered. I want to see the jungles, I want to see the seas.

But the darkness had him leashed, muzzled, and shackled. His voice nor his body were his own at the moment. While mysterious dark spirits possessed him, his consciousness was stuck in flashbacks. And the worst part was that he knew what was happening in the waking world, but he couldn't do anything about it.

Another wave of memories tackled him. Ones he wasn't quite fond of. Visions showed him of his younger self being brutally trained by the Clan Chief himself. Others revealed Yin's endless attempts to murder him. As a child, his sister had a demented idea that if she killed him, she'd prove her worth to their parents and be deemed as the "special one".

Suddenly, a tug from the sternum came to his attention. It was as if his rib cage was being torn apart. If he had control of his mouth, he'd have been yelling. If he had control of his hands, he'd have been clawing at his chest. The sensation was painful yet familiar. Suddenly, he knew why.

Like calls to like.
The Nightling.

Whatever kind of invisible bond they shared, it was making Zodiac more aware. He could suddenly feel his fingers, the rising and falling of his chest. But it was only momentarily.

He felt....fear and confusion that wasn't his own. Things were becoming too painfully clear. He'd question the bond later, for he sensed the Nightling was in danger.

She needed him.