72 Chien Dai [1]

"What do you mean ?" I ask him in threatening tone.

"I'm Chien Dai.. Quint Rauss.. Death Stalker," the boy answers then smirks. "Who are you ?" He asks in mocking tone,

"I am the owner of this body who is about to kill you,: I answer him coldly then chokes his neck and about to twist it when he shouts,

"No !! Don't kill !! You can not kill me !!"

"Why not ?"

"Because you will also be death if you kill me," he says.

I smirk. "I doubt that."

"It's.. it's true !!" the boy shrieks, this time in full of fear as my hand strengthen its force onto his neck.

"I can live without my past. I have done it before, obviously I can do it again," I say unchantantly.

"I.. I am not just your past," the boy quickly replies. "I am YOU. Let me show it to you.."

I do not give him any response.

"Please.. I know I have been erased from your memory repeatedly since you were young. But I am still here, because I am not just merely a memory. I am you," the boy continues his words then persuades me, "Don't you wanna know who you really are ?"

Slowly, as I still battling inwardly, my hand releases its choke from the boy. The boy stands on his feet then grabs my hand. "Come on," he says with a wide grin.

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"Chien Dai ... Chien Dai !!" a woman's voice was heard in the air as the owner of the voice walked rapidly into the wood. There was a relieve expression on her face when her gaze finally found a three years old boy who was squatting on the ground with his back facing her.

"Chien Dai.. come .. God!!" The woman halted her words and shouted in fear when she knew what was the boy busy playing with. "Chien Dai a.. what.. what are you.. doing, son ?" she whispers in fear.

The boy raised his head toward her. "Mother, I met new friend !" he said excitedly then gently lifted a tiny snake from the ground and caressed it in his arm like a baby. It was actually a baby snake. But it was not a common snake. It was actually a king cobra snake.

"Boy.. boy.. you.. you should just leave it here. Its mother must be looking at it right now," The woman whispered to him. Her goosebumps were raising as she imagined how a wrath cobra might attack her son because he stole its child.

"But.. Mother.. its mother is dead," the boy said in sadness. He pointed at a mound of soil few meters from where he stood. "I found this tiny thing under its body when I was about to bury it," he continued his explanation. The boy then looked at his mother with teary eyes. "Can I bring it home, Mother ? He has no one in this world."

The woman was speechless. This was not the first time her boy brought home animals into their humble home, and they were not any ordinary animals. Instead of kitten or maybe rabbit, her boy brought home wild animal, no.. not animal.. creature would be more like it. There was a big spider, lizard, and now this cobra.

"Please, Mother.." the boy pleaded one more time. The woman sighed then nodded heavily.

"Okay. Just make sure it won't come out of the house," she said. The boy raised a wide smile on his face. "Come. Let's go home. Father will be home soon," his mother urged him once more. This time the boy didn't refuse and just walked beside her while his whole attention was on the baby cobra.

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Almost a year later, in the middle of the night, the boy was already in a deep sleep when suddenly his mother woke him up, "Chien Dai.. Chien Dai.. Wake up, my boy !!"

Chien Dai heavily opened his eyes. "Mother.."

"Wake up, Quick !" Her mother hissed. and dragged him to stand.

"They are he..." His father could not finish his words when the door of his house was just broke by a kick. "Quick ! run !!"

Chien Dai was finally full awoken by all the noise and instantly surrounded by fear. He was dragged by his mother to the back of their house. They were merely in the kitchen when they heard a barge of gun shots followed with a short shout of pain from the boy's father. Chien Dai could feel his mother's hand was trembling hard. He was too little to figure out what was going on.

"Quick, Hide there !!" His mother suddenly pushed him to an empty whole in the ground and before he could react, she already put the cover back. Less then ten second later, he heard some steps barged into the kitchen. His mother was screaming in shock and horror. before he heard a something fell on top of where he hid.

Chien Dai kneeled him self in the pit. His tears were running down on his face, while he tried not to make a sound. He knew his mother deliberately pushed him here to protect him. Something sleek was creeping up his skin. He grabbed tight.

It was the baby cobra he found a year ago. Well, it was not a baby now. The pit was actually a trash bin where his mother used to throw away kitchen trash or leftover food. Thus, it was the cobra's favorite place.

Chien Dai held the cobra and pet it to calm it down. He knew it wanted to go up and attack the men. But it would only mean to reveal his hid.

The men above were suddenly laughing loudly while something was torn. Soon he heard his mother was shouting and crying in pain in the same time with sounds of wet slaps, men's groans, scratches, hits, and other undefined sounds. The longer the time, the weaker his mother's cry was heard. For the last few minutes, all he could hear was the wet slaps and men's groans.

After that, he heard a single gun shot seemed like aimed right on top of him, followed by several kicks. Hearing the gunshot, Chien Dai could only stunned. He felt like his heart was fonned. He didn't notice the cobra had already slipped from his grasp.

"Check what's under her," a man ordered someone, maybe his underling. Someone dragged something away from the lid of where Chien Dai hid. Before that man could opened the lid, something hissed and crept over the lid. Less than a second later a man's curse was heard, "Something bite me ! No, it's a cobra !!"

Another barge of gun shots, this time followed by screams and cursed were now heard. "Shit ! something crawls on my back! Arrg!"

"No! What is this ! It bites me !!"

The noise was heard for another five minutes and there was a total silent after. The four years old Chien Dai could only hug his knees and cried in fear. This pit is narrow and deep. He couldn't reach its lid even when he stood up.

Al though he still had a vaguely definition of death, he knew his mother and father were no longer there to help him. He didn't dare to shout, afraid that maybe the evil men were still around. So Chien Dai could only cry. He didn't know how long he cried before he fainted.

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Slowly, Chien Dai opened his eyes. He frowned to realize the unfamiliar room he was now. A little girl's face was in front of him, giving him a wide smile.

"Good, you're awake," the girl said.

"Where am I ?" Chien Dai asked. The girl stared at him for a second before throwing her glance to the left.

"Shelter. Bootcamp. Orphanage," the girl answered with uncertainty that made Chien Dai deepened his frown. The girl exhaled. "You can call whatever you like. It is a home for me though," she continued then shrugged, "Anyway, you were brought here by the elders three days ago. they said your village is destroyed and you are the only survival."

Chien Dai could not hold his sob to hear the news.

"Sorry," the girl said then patted the boy's shoulder. "If it makes you feel better, my parents were also killed four months ago. That's why I end up here," she said it with a very indifferent tone. It made Chien Dai cried louder. "Ssshhh.. don't make a noise. The elder might hear .."

Steps were heard from outside. The girl's face became stiff and pale. She immediately covered Chien Dai with a thin sheet right up onto his head.

"Has the boy woke up, Girl?" A man's loud voice is heard from the door.

"Y.. Yes, Elder brother. But.. But he is still.."

"Good," the man said then walked toward the girl that stood in front of Chien Dai's bed. He uncovered the thin sheet that hid Chien Dai. He patted Chien Dai's cheek a couple of times. "Prepare yourself for tomorrow's training, Boy," he said then walked away. The girl watched Chien Dai with pity look.