incomplete human

There was a quiet noise behind him and Bam stopped his pacing.

Silence.

He looked at the sky from the sliver of an opening at the top of his cell and the moon was full and bright tonight. Guards only came by during the day to deliver his daily meal so it was probably just a rat.

The noise repeated a little louder, and he was able to distinguish it as a whisper. Bam turned to stare into the darkness beyond his bars. “Are you the Irregular?”

It had been a long time since he had been called that.

He was most commonly called a monster. Sometimes they would append cursed or demon to that name, but they couldn’t decide on which one was worse since he never reacted to any.

A few decades ago, a fringe group had come by calling him a God. It was probably the most offensive name he’d been given because he was nothing close to holy with his inhuman appearance.

They wanted to use him for personal gain but it was pointless. The bars had been enchanted to keep him locked in there for exactly 1000 years and the spell was long lost to time by now. Once they figured that out, they faded away quickly. He wouldn’t have helped them anyway.

Still, he was very curious as to why the antiquated term for a shinsu user would come from a nameless stranger. It had been many decades since the idea of shinsu had faded into myth. Who were they?

“I am.” He hoped they would stay for a while. “May I ask who you are?”

There was a muted clank and shuffle of cloth as something pressed against the bars. “Someone who can help you.”

Help him? Bam looked around his cell.

The stone walls had been covered in scratched images of the night sky. He had mapped the stars and learned their names with the help of a servant girl who for a while had been tasked with delivering his food early in his imprisonment. The floor had a worn-down path where he liked to pace. Written on the wall next to his bed was the list of names of guards and jailers and knights he had befriended over time. He missed them all.

He turned back to the bars. “What is it that you think I need help with?”

“I know why you’re here.”

Bam blinked. Why was he here again?

Oh, right.

He had spent so many decades with a ball of anguish and rage lodged in his lungs, aching and burning with every breath he took until he finally became numb to it.

Recalling the memories he had pushed to the back of his mind took little effort as they sprung forth, flashing rapidly in his mind, clear as day.

His father’s severed head sat on the altar.

His mother’s throat freely poured blood onto the ground.

The rope burned his wrists as he trembled with fear.

Yellow eyes filled with greed and fanged teeth bared with glee.

A man plunged a knife into his chest, the force knocking the air out of his lungs.

The previous night, his mother had carved her revenge onto his back.

Those runes etched on his blistered skin burned hotter than the wound in his chest.

He had regained consciousness with bits of torn flesh clinging to his bloodied claws, no longer fingers. He counted six of the corpses of the ten so-called Family Heads that had sought to steal his family’s shinsu propensity to extend their own life and power.

Their power now thrummed through him.

He spent days hunting them down, having nothing but vengeance left to his name. He caught the first one while they slept. They hadn’t considered him a threat until his claws pierced their throat before they could scream.

The second one was trickier, as they had hidden away inside a fortress. He had become more proficient in his new powers by then and had blown the walls and their occupants to smithereens until he got the joy of ripping out their still beating heart from their chest.

The last two had teamed up and tricked him into stepping on a binding rune. A tower was built around him and had since been used to hide him and other prisoners.

He felt like remembering everything should have rekindled the anger that had blinded him back then. But it only took a few years for the blood rage to fade, leaving him only with the vivid memories of his carnage to haunt him.

What had terrified him was not what he had done—It was that he had no choice, driven mad by the curse and power he had consumed.

But sitting in this cell watching the world change without him felt empowering because it felt like the only one who dictated his next step from now on would be him. Well, once the spell on the bars wore off.

“And if I’ve already moved on?”

Silence stretched on as if his visitor had not considered an answer to this. Bam felt a bit of remorse. Will they leave if there was nothing to gain?

“It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? It would make sense for you to let the past go. But the past is still here.”

Bam stepped closer, making out a shape crouching in the corner against the bars.

“There’s a kingdom to the north where there’s an emperor who won’t show his face to hide the fact that he’s been the same ruler for over 500 years. He is a glutton, indulging in every sin you can think of at his people’s expense.” They pressed their face closer to the bars. “He treats people like sport, forcing them to fight to the death for his entertainment. Eventually, he started to run out of people. So you know what he did?” Their voice dropped low and they hissed through their teeth. “He made more. He raped the women and had his children fight too.”

Bam knelt in front of the visitor, able to more clearly discern the sharp angle of their jaw and high cheekbones. He could see the anxious determination in their dark eyes.

“Khun Eduan. Does that name sound familiar?”

It didn’t. He remembered the faces of the two remaining Family Heads but no names. Not even his own from back then. “No.”

The visitor’s brows furrowed and Bam was tempted to touch them. It’d been a long time since anyone had let him get so close without backing away with fear.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s time for his reign to end. The people need to be free.”

Bam swept his hair over the front of his shoulder and sat back so he wouldn’t sit on it. It was long overdue for a cut but no one had offered him one yet.

“If I help you kill him, what will you do?”

Their hands slipped down the bar a few inches, brows knitting tighter. “Are you asking for what I’d give you as a reward?”

Bam let out a light laugh—a feeling and noise so foreign, he didn’t know he had been capable of it. “No, no. I mean, once you are free, what will you do? So much time has passed since I was last outside. I don’t know what a normal life is like today. What will that look like for you?”

Their expression softened, their mouth opening slightly as they stared at him.

The moon had run its course and the sun was starting to illuminate the cell now. Hues of yellows and reds were starting to filter the room. It was just enough to make out the pale shade of their hair and the deep color of their eyes.

Bam leaned in closer to see if he could distinguish their color and regretted it immediately when they jerked their head away.

“Uh…”

Grateful that they didn’t get up to leave, Bam crossed his hands on his lap and bowed his head. “I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t upset you.”

The visitor cleared their throat. “No, it’s—it’s fine. I was distracted. That’s all.” They hummed in thought for a moment. “I don’t know what I’ll do. I haven’t had a normal life, either. I guess I’ll figure it out afterward.”

Bam tilted his head. “What do you mean by that?”

Silence. Bam wondered if maybe he shouldn’t have asked.

“There’s a different kind of life for those born outside and inside the castle,” they said quieter. “I was someone who was born inside and raised to… to fight.”

Oh.

There was a twinge of something aggressive in his chest. A defensive reaction that made him want to bear his teeth and flex his claws. He suppressed it, instead squeezing his wrist with a hand to keep himself grounded.

“Okay.” He had made his decision. “I will help you.”

Their eyes widened and a corner of their mouth twitched up into a crooked grin. “Really?”

Bam scrambled to his feet, eager to get going already.

“Yes. Something needs to be done about that. And I have unfinished business with Mr. Eduan.”

It had been a long time since he had harnessed shinsu but it came to him effortlessly, like running fingers through the water to make it swirl in whatever direction one wanted.

“May I ask your name?” He watched as the shinsu condensed in the air in a clear mass around his fingers. There was a familiar heat building at his temples as his horns reacted to the flow of shinsu.

The visitor stepped away from the bars. “Khun Aguero Agnis. You may call me Aguero.” He cleared his throat and added a little tentatively. “The old scrolls call you Jyu Viole Grace, but… How do you wish to be addressed?”

Bam smiled. So that was his name. Was. “Please call me Bam. It’s the only name I remember.”

With a flick of his wrist, the shinsu impacted the bars and shattered them like brittle glass. They both stared at the mess on the ground.

To be honest, he didn’t expect that to happen. Maybe the material hadn’t lasted as long as the spell and he could have left ages ago.

No, there would have been no point. He only just now found a purpose in the form of Khun. He was exactly what he was waiting for.

He carefully balanced on one foot as he swept some of the bigger shards aside with the other so he could safely step forward. Maybe he could find some shoes in another room. And another set of clothes. And some scissors.

Bam blinked at the stretched-out hand that entered his vision.

“Here. Let me help so you don’t get hurt.”

Bam stretched out his hand but paused when his claws were made visible.

Irregular. Demon. Monster.

Khun took his hand without hesitation and started sweeping a safe path for him with his shoe. Bam’s heart warmed with a strange but invigorating feeling.

They worked together until they were free to reach the stairs leading out of the holding area.

Bam took one step and stopped, slowly turning his head. He looked at the stars on the wall and his throat tightened.

This cage was safe and familiar while the outside world was filled with new dangers and unknowns. It filled him with fear and hesitation as he wondered if this would be the last time he’d ever feel in control.

But a warm hand squeezed his, and his attention was drawn to Khun. Under the sun’s full strength, he could see the silvery blue of his hair, the deep azure of his focused eyes, and the infinite patience in his warm smile as he waited for him to make peace with his decision. “Take your time.”

He squeezed the hand back with a deep, resolute exhale. He was much too excited for whatever new adventures awaited them.