Warnings: Broken Minds.
Inspired by the songs "Engel", "Eifersucht" and "Bestrafe Mich" by Rammstein.
Part 1. Impurity.
Breathe, then exist. Exist before breathing. The transformations of matter. Destruction and creation. Start and finish. Ecosystems. Life and death. All these were mysteries, dilemmas, which occupied the mind of the little chameleon just at the moment that he acquired the reasoning; the intelligence of living beings. As a living creature, the function of each object composing the surroundings was asked, as well as the sense that such objects were in the appropriate time or place. But his race, in comparison to other reptiles in Venom, were possessors of the most aberrant taboos made flesh, made colonies, made society. Their congregations were the center of wickedness, which were so normal and important to their inhabitants; settlers who made it a tradition to hand over their children to the highest bidders in order to contain the fewest number of chameleons occupying a single area on the entire hostile planet.
Leon had even been born when he witnessed his first murder at the hands of his mother and ate the cold flesh that was given to her in feeding him, growing with need and twisted emotions. Fedora Powalski was a strong-willed female chameleon, insensitive to adversity, a figure cloaked in a suit of elegance and sagacity, which few malice could stand up to. Leon secretly admired her through the hard bars of his crib, where he lived imprisoned when the female who had sired him did not need his misfit presence.
Leon Powalski did not know a physical affection from her, much less an emotional one, because Fedora had established that he would not help his to be reborn to him world once he left the house in which he lived for eight years and seven months. For although Leon did not know what his next destination would be, he understood perfectly that his stay with his mother was a temporary refuge. And the nerves tightening under his scaly skin, warned him that he must engage in this if he wanted to continue breathing the poisonous oxygen that he learned to inhale and exhale for his latent organism.
And it was during a summer as acidic as rivers running through their home village that this reality became an irrefutable truth.
Fedora was cutting meat on a glass table -separating the diseased from the edible with the help of a knife- when someone knocked on the door. Leon stood up at the unmistakable sound of the creaking wood and approached the bars taking the firm metal between his fingers, not daring to lose sight of his mother as she left her activity to answer the call without getting rid of the kitchen appliance in her hands. The knocks on the door were loud and demanding, and inevitably Fedora Powalski braced herself for any unforeseen threat, signaling her baby what to do with just a serious look.
In a place as violent as the province of Katrhas, the best defense was the offensive, no option was more feasible than murdering the enemy before becoming the victim of an absurd carelessness. But Fedora was quick to recognize her visitors when she opened the door, allowing easy access to the two muscular adults dressed in neat military uniforms, after sharing a series of greetings to which the female did not respond. Leon narrowed his eyes at them as this was the first time he had seen them, instantly considering them intruders and paying special attention to the monkey walking next to the highest ranking alligator; he did not know his species from so close, so he was curious in front of the huge appearance that the primate did not bother to cover, he looked too flat for his liking. He did not like beings without scales.
"Is that the boy?" This same monkey questioned, pointing towards Leon's crib, who happened to simply cling to the bars, even as the monkey boldly approached his position in the center of the room. "Why is he caged?"
"I let Leon familiarize himself with captivity," his mother spoke for the first time. Leon felt as if his skin crawled when he heard her voice, for it was almost an eternity of silence before those subjects arrived at their abode."Leon is obedient. He knows that he should not go out if he is not ordered to do so. He sleeps, eats and drinks inside it, because inside is where he lives".
Leon looked back at the figure of his mother, forgetting for a moment the monkey who could not hide the grace that Fedora's words caused him, without knowing the emblematic meaning of these and taking it for simply poetry. On the other hand, the alligator was convinced with that statement, understanding what the female was trying to convey and also verifying that the rumors that Fedora Powalski followed a doctrine of few words were true, and that consequently she formulated strict and precise sentences while speaking. saved extensive explanations.
"And has he been trained?" The monkey insisted, mocking accent tickling the top of his throat, almost skimming the surface. "Excuse me if I act incredulous, but I don't feel comfortable paying so many credits for your son, don't be offended ... it's just a kid".
Fedora had the impulse to growl indignantly at the question and at the primate's comments, it should be considered blasphemous to doubt the capabilities of an infant chameleon, especially one whose veins runs Powalski blood. Still the disgust was spared in her voice, reflecting it only in the way she walked to the cradle of the little reptile, where she paused for a moment to carefully ponder her next prayer.
"Leon doesn't need to be protected or fed, he can hunt his own prey and eat it raw. He knows how to turn useless artifacts into weapons". Fedora stroked the top of the cage that kept Leon in check, circling him like a flock of vultures would surround carrion. "He can track anything. Punish, torture, and murder anyone. He's capable of staying awake for a long period of time without ingesting any medicine or drug. He is susceptible to all kinds of orders, he's used to living for his master. You will not find a better option than a chameleon for your military activities, much less someone as prepared as Leon ". The female reptile stopped her gait abruptly, glancing at her visitors, emphasizing her next words with singular arrogance as a superb gleam settled in her deep amber eyes. "Actually, I am the one who doubts that you are worthy of having my son in your hands."
"How dare you!?"
The monkey jumped irritably but did not even approach Fedora, being stopped by the firm arm of the alligator that until then had remained expectant. The monkey reluctantly backed away, and the alligator stepped forward toward the female, who stood still, undaunted by the menacing bearing of the plump reptile.
"It's okay, Powalski," the alligator said to the surprise of his partner. A cheeky smirk formed on the chameleon's lips, "I'll pay your price. I will trust your word and I will take Leon to our facilities in Titania. You'll never see us again, neither us nor the son for whom you are so proud, although I doubt you have a special attachment to the child that you yourself have given birth". The sergeant lifted his chin self-sufficiently and mockingly added. "I bet your husband won't squirm in his grave again, knowing that the beast he helped feed with his meat has finally gotten out of here."
The monkey was impressed with what the sergeant's words suggested, but the stoic gesture that governed the chameleon's features did not change one iota.
"Deal done," replied Fedora, throwing back the cape of psychedelic colors with which she was dressed her silhouette, revealing in the movement a black key that she soon used to open the child's crib.
The child came out of it without receiving help from his mother, standing in front of her, and patiently waited for her instructions. The female took him roughly by the nape to pull it back, arching the small reptile's neck as she leaned a few inches from his infantile lips. Leon saw his mother's sharp teeth and felt her eyes devour him one last time. But nothing drew his attention so much as those cold pupils releasing from the center emotions of melancholy from her, which he never witnessed in the mechanical gestures of the female. The slender fingers of her mother's right hand cupped his cheek sadly, drawing the edge of their pores together with hypocritical tenderness. Fedora for the first time was trying to be sweet with her son but, although it seemed somewhat pointless to Leon, he enjoyed this unusual contact by closing his eyes for an instant, whose eyelids opened when his mother's voice vibrated for the last time for him.
"As promised, I have sold you. You will go to a place far away, a place where Xhamhalak is crueller and more ruthless to those who question his existence. From now on you will obey everything they tell you, you will turn an order from them into an absolute law that you will follow no matter how close you are to death. But remember that if your master betrays you, it is your duty to kill him. "The monkey and the alligator reacted, not being far enough away to ignore what Fedora was saying to her son. However, the female did not bother to cover the sense of her instructions, since she really didn't care if outsiders listened, "Never become on the prey. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, mother." Leon nodded and savored his own words with delight, feeling the honey filling his lips; This was also the first time that he called Fedora that way, so he didn't want to deprive himself of the opportunity, being aware that this would be the last time he would see her.
Regardless, it had been because of her that he breathed Venom's poisoned atmosphere, it was because of her that he did not die during the complicated birthing process. She had risked a lot to raise him. She sacrificed herself to keep him clinging to life no matter what the cost. As the firstborn and heir to the Powalski surname, he was prepared to go his own way; fill with wounds in favor of survival; embrace each trace of toxicity that represented a life in captivity.
However, walking away from the residence with his head held high did not prevent Leon from feeling bitter at the idea of separating from the village indefinitely: perhaps he would be away forever. He looked behind him without breaking the rhythm at which his new masters walked, noting with disappointment that -in the frame of the open door- there was no silhouette of his mother. He wondered if she had been frozen in the same place where he left her, before following the passage of both soldiers towards the exit, towards that dark four-thruster ship that lay parked by the river.
Little Powalski did not mention a word, following all indications that the monkey growled without concealing even a little his growing dislike of his presence, but Leon obeyed to the letter, showing himself accessible to those who had been sold. The alligator didn't seem worried or irritable, he seemed indifferent so Leon observed him carefully, after climbing aboard the ship and sitting in the seat next to a grumpy primate. He listened to the engines vibrate beneath his feet, before hearing the ship's energy lift it over his village, kicking off the planet, where the toxic gases in the atmosphere grew increasingly dense.
After glancing through the cockpit windows, Leon returned to his first activity which consisted of keeping an eye on whoever sat right in front of him. He didn't divert his attention from the other reptile, not even when the sergeant looked back at him; Leon was intrigued by him, as he had not directed any orders and was impatient to hear some from his lips, perhaps because he was also a being with scales. But his gaze was so penetrating that the sergeant couldn't help speaking to him.
"You don't care what just happened either, do you?" Said the alligator, in response Leon wagged his tail a little without losing sight of him. The sergeant chuckled briefly as the monkey gave the little lizard a puzzled look.
"Can't you answer 'yes' or 'no'?" The soldier questioned the chameleon sharply, but Leon didn't even look at him.
"I suppose he does not join the conversation because neither of us has given him that permission, or has given him that mandate. His mother must have treated him very harshly. There is no doubt that he received lethal training compared to the military itinerary. ".
"I used to think that your race was unpleasant, now that I have met these chameleons I can assure you that there is nothing worse in the entire galaxy." The monkey leaned against the back of the seat. "But what I can't understand is your fascination with this brat. Why did you submit to Fedora's demands so easily? there were still chameleons in that village willing to sell. "
Leon glanced at the monkey when he heard his mother's name on the primate's lips, causing the soldier's irritability to regain strength when he looked at it, for the little lizard had not been willing to even glance at it after they had emerged from his old abode. He wasn't stupid, the monkey had realized instantly that the brat hadn't liked him just the moment he saw him up close.
"Fedora Powalski," Leon looked back at the alligator, "... she is renowned for being an artistic mercenary without comparison. She has participated in countless massacres throughout the Lylat System, making herself known from the moment Venom's surface became a well of contamination, where only a few species have adapted. She was believed to be dead, as her murders suddenly stopped after the latest legislative reform. Since the Cornerians have taken possession of the galactic laws, and appropriated much of the planetary codes, many mercenary groups have become illegal. It is still unknown under what schemes the Corneria government works, so I was very surprised that someone as famous as Fedora Powalski was transformed into a shadow overnight, that only makes me think that she was forced to use her best influences to go unnoticed by a movement as large as the army of the fourth planet. "
"You speak as if you had known her personally before our little business," the primate observed, further intriguing the youngest of the three passengers. The sergeant was silent for a few seconds, before encouraging himself to speak again.
"She volunteered during a showdown on Venom. Back then I was just a warrior who feared losing his life in battle. However, Fedora was different. Despite not being a soldier, she and her followers faced the invaders without fear of death, as demons whose sole purpose is to shed blood. They killed hundreds without even trembling, breaking through enemy formations and ripping out their hearts with their bare hands, as if convinced that this was their only destiny. No ... dare I say they even seemed to have fun murdering. Chameleons are a creepy tribe, I can tell when I see this kid's eyes. "Leon sat up in his seat as the alligator looked him straight in the eye, and he stared back with greater intensity. No matter how much time passed, Leon did not break the contact at any time, disturbing even who seemed the strongest military man. "Despite being so young, this child seems to know hell. When I see him I cannot help but see the eyes of a bloody murderer. He can become in a hope or a curse. The fate that awaits us with him will depend on us. "The sergeant broke eye contact." And I'm sure he knows it too. "
"That's ridiculous," replied the monkey, taking a careless posture on the seat.
"You can call me gullible, but I've seen enough to believe the impossible."
"What I think is that those chameleons have brainwashed you. Maybe it's your fascination with Fedora that made you lose your mind".
The alligator allowed himself to laugh at his friend's inconsiderate comment, not knowing that Leon had never stopped attending to every gesture that his two companions made, while they flew over the stratosphere of the infected planet. There was a feeling of mistrust even in him that prevented him from neglecting the movements of others, however insignificant they were. The trip was longer than expected, but Leon did not give up exhaustion, instead, he admired that field of emptiness that represented outer space at the time that the ship had emerged out of Venom. Because he had never seen it with his own eyes, amazement took possession of his small body every time a new constellation of stars appeared through the crystals or he observed the impressive nebulae shining in the distance, one of the which was shaped like a Z. Many times he felt the urge to get up from his seat to take a better position, which would allow him to admire the allusating scenery more comfortably, but he abstained because he was not in the right situation, although perhaps he would not return to see it so closely.
"Take a look, kid," suggested the alligator, startling Leon who, as a first reaction, regained his upright posture. "It's your first time, isn't it?"
Leon didn't respond, but he was tempted to accept the suggestion. But in his mind it was obvious that it must be a trap, and he did not intend to make such a mistake; not again. It was possible that it was nothing more than naivety on the part of those who had bought him. Therefore, he gave the sergeant a challenging look, smiling maliciously, transmitting to his recipient a strange confusion that irritated the soldier next to him.
"What's with that look? Do you think I'm trying to deceive you? Answer, you are allowed to speak freely, "the sergeant offered.
"Obviously this is my first time in space, First Master," Leon said, his voice-though high-pitched like any baby his age-emitted an elegant accent that betrayed a high dose of arrogance. The monkey wondered if he was making fun of them. "But, to be frank, I beg you please don't make the mistake of treating me gently, nor do I want you to be compassionate with me. I am not going to break easily, I guarantee it."
"Oh". The sergeant didn't bother to cover his surprise, "I didn't expect you to be so civilized, since when I saw you you were locked in that cage like a wild animal. I thought you couldn't even speak. So you were pretending?"
"Oral language and written vocabulary are not options, it is necessary for communication, otherwise I would not understand your orders even if you said them, don't you think?"
"I'm the one asking the questions," the alligator declared, hardening his tone of voice. Leon lowered his head submissively but the monkey next to him caught a glimpse of the smile that formed on the little reptile's lips, and this was a detail that disturbed him. "So you can talk, feed yourself and follow orders without opposition," he reviewed, "what other surprises do you have for us? For example, are you capable of committing suicide if ordered?"
Leon looked up, offering the alligator a smile that showed his sharp teeth from start to finish, which was enough answer for the monkey, who could not help but swallow hard as he wondered what kind of phenomenon was on board the ship together with them. The sergeant hadn't wanted the chameleon to answer such an extreme question, but neither had he expected such a reaction from Leon. He inevitably felt chills and also avoided pressing for a concrete answer.
"Well, I can see that you're not afraid of death and that's good enough for me. Stay within my expectations and you will receive all the benefits that can be offered to a dead-end brat like you. You better be true all the qualities your mother attributed to you. "
"If you're the one, I'll be willing to lick your feet," Leon replied and lowered his head to the astonishment of his interlocutors, grinning". Respectfully".
"Dare to tell that joke again and I'll beat you to death."
"I apologize, First Master," Leon nodded with a serious accent, but he was not at all sorry for his audacity, it could be seen in the sneaky smile that still curved his lips under his bow, which this time the monkey did not notice.
The long trajectory found its end after some time that Leon did not count, he was only aware of the vision of a new planet with a red surface, then a series of clouds that indicated the entrance to the nine atmospheric layers of this mysterious sphere, covered with a ring of asteroids and cosmic dust spinning around it. Later he was able to visualize a vast desert of coppery lands, which soon became fertile land full of trees and vegetation of yellow colors mixed with a very dark green. And it was in the eye of all that wilderness, where the metal construction that Leon had never seen resided, accustomed to the structures with scratchy minerals that made up the huts of his village.
The ship landed parallel to the area, where many other crude flying machines were parked. The chameleon left the ship with a couple of jumps after his masters, observing with greater attention the immense construction, which from the sky was nothing more than a black spot in the center of the deserted territory. The monkey told him to keep pace with them, and Leon obeyed without losing sight of everything that moved or entered his range of vision, quickly identifying all kinds of beings without scales moving around the site, alone, with company or on other machines of less mass compared to those that remained immobile.
After they entered the base, a gate and a robotic voice intercepted them before allowing them access to the interior of the great building.
Everything was so new that it was impossible for Leon to be distracted by everything that crossed his path, especially when the soldiers were aware of his presence and didn't bother to hide their astonishment at seeing him. Since Leon was dressed in the native clothes of his planet and village, he could hardly go unnoticed when everything around him oscillated in dark colors. The hurried steps of his masters took him to an ascending platform that functioned as an elevator, offering Leon the opportunity to better visualize all those structures composing that building that would from that moment on be his new cradle. Although he didn't intend to be enthusiastic, a smile formed on the lips of the little reptile, feeling the emotions run through all his nerves and veins, just as fast as the venom of the cobra tribe that chameleons had once fought in their fight for them territory, the substance of which his mother had given him to drink so many times.
*Xhamhalak will be the name of the venomian god, in fact, there will be thousands of references to the religion of the natives of venom during the development.
Final Notes: I translated my own story. My language is spanish, so I want to apologize for any inconsistency or error in reading, I will try to check it regularly.
Additional Comments: Updates will be slow but without a doubt I will continue to publish the 14 chapters that I have ready. I'm not much of writing OC characters but for Leon's past it will be necessary.