His breath hitched and the world slowly melted together like watching the world through water. He opened his eyes but immediately shut them, feeling a sting from the sensitivity. He moved to wipe his eyes but found he could budge them from their position.
Death the Kid finally opened his eyes, ignoring the pain and the panic set in. His hands were shackled above him and his feet lightly dangled inches from the ground. Dark stains were made out on the floorboards, though it was hard to tell in the dark if it was his or not.
He looked around the room, his mind still foggy with exhaustion. It was simple with a single window that had bars. Outside, he could see the moon, the only thing that gave him light in that hell hole he was in.
There was a work bench to his left with tools he hadn't seen before. Some were rusty, and he thought he saw blood on a few of them. Another work area across the room had pieces of lab equipment and vials filled with liquids and gases Kid didn't want to stick around to know what it was.
Kid yanked at his hands only for a shock to go through his arms and he let out a yell. His body fell limp and he had to stop himself from passing out. He began to panic, looking at his shackles and around the room.
Memories began to flood back and he remembered how he had come to a village on his own after hearing about paranormal circumstances and found himself in a black smith's shop. The man had been kind enough when questioned, and when asked if Kid could stay for tea he didn't decline. It was too late when Kid realized that his drink had been poisoned, and he made a last ditch effort to fight with what he had.
Obviously, the struggle was futile. The room he was in didn't remind him of the village he had been in, and the mountains outside told him he was farther away than his original destination.
Kid hated to admit it, but he needed time to come up with a plan. His robes had been stripped and he was left in his slacks and button up white shirt. Even his shoes were removed and his skateboard was nowhere to be seen. Shit.
The door across the room creaked open and Kid straightened himself out as much as he could and gave a glare. The blacksmith entered with what looked like porridge and Kid's stomach growled embarrassingly.
"Hello!"
"Who are you, where am I?"
"So many questions!" The man walked up to Kid, a warm smile on his face. He looked like anyone's father: a little bit of a belly, stubble, and dark hair groomed with simple clothes.
"Your at my home, and I'm Abraham. You look hungry, I bet you are after all you've gone through." His voice was so sweet, Kid scowled. It reminded him too much of Medusa.
"Let me go."
"Now, why would I do that? A Reaper waltzes into my village and you expect me to just give up this opportunity? You're insane! I'm not planning on letting you go until I perform a few...experiments."
Kid lightly flinched. "You're a blacksmith, what are you going to do, see my sword fighting skills? Make me make weapons? I'm trembling."
Abraham laughed. "Cute. But no, I plan on creating whatever I can out of your soul, body, and status as a god.
Kid looked from the man to the far table and it clicked. "You're an alchemist."
"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! Look how sharp this kid is! We can talk more later, you should eat and rest up. We have a long day ahead of us..."
Abraham lifted his spoon and Kid spat in his eye. The man's kind demeanor melted away and he smacks Kid hard with the plate, the food spilling everywhere, the plate dropping to the ground.
"You know, I WAS going to let you go, but with that I might as well not. Let's see what the true power of a god really is." His last few words came out as a hiss and he turned and left, the door slamming and locking behind him.
Kid hung there, dazed, the pain was much worse than he had expected. He had taken so many beatings, something like that shouldn't have hurt. But it did. And that scared him more than things being asymmetrical back at home.
Something was draining him and he didn't know what, but the more time ticked by the more he knew the pain would only get worse and suddenly, Kid wondered if maybe, just maybe, this would really be the end for him.
