Chapter 29: Intermission: Siren (I)
Note: As the title states, this will be a chapter about Siren. (You can skip this if you want). I will be calling Siren, Siren in their backstory, even though their name is Perditor. (I did not want to confuse anyone).
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Before the war between the four clans:
Siren was sitting in a dark, cold dungeon that smells horrible. Their clothes were rags that had tears in them while dirt spots turned the once white piece to a brown one. Their white hair was long—long to the point of touching their feet.
Surprisingly, the hair was not matted.
Bruises were present all over Siren's body as long glowing chains (that were on their arms and legs) kept them rooted in their jail cell, with nowhere to go.
Siren did not move for a while as they had their arms wrapped around their legs. They pushed their legs up so that they could rest their head on them.
When the sound of clicking heels resounded in the area Siren was in, they still did not move their head up to see who was coming.
Siren knew it was Mother since she was the only one to visit them.
Mother was the same person who captured them long ago.
The sound of heels kept going until they stopped in front of Siren's cell, "Perditor, I have a job for you; a well-thought-out scheme that would lead me to what I want."
Siren finally looked up because they knew that Mother would find another way to torture them if they did not.
Bright red eyes, they were dead but yet still had a hint of fire in them, glared at Mother. "What is the job?"
Siren's voice sounded deader than they looked and had a hint of a hoarse sound in it, but it could be due to barely receiving water (and food).
Siren was thin to the point of looking like a skeleton in an undead army.
Mother smirked, showing off her sharp teeth while her black eyes glistened at what's to come, "The people here have grown complacent. I am tired and bored with it. I want you to start a war amongst the four clans then once this world turns ugly, with my help, we will convince them to invade another."
Siren moved from their position, landing on their hands and knees as they slowly crawled towards Mother. Their hair and chains dragged on the ground while their arms and legs shook from the small weight as they held no strength.
Stopping at the bars that separated them, Siren looked at Mother. 'If I were free, I would have killed this woman in an instant.' They thought each time Mother would see them.
But they were not free and could only do the woman's bidding since they were forced to become Mother's weapon.
So, the only words that left Siren's mouth were, "I am hungry."
Mother crouched down until she was face to face with her prisoner; her weapon. She touched Siren's face, and it took all that Siren had not to bite the woman's hand and take the blood for themselves.
Siren did that the last time which ended with Mother sewing their mouth shut before skinning (and healing them) for fifteen days straight with zero breaks.
"Perditor, my sweet weapon, if I feed you, you will only run away."
"How can I start a war without food?" Siren tried to persuade, almost close to begging.
They were not happy with what they became; once upon a time, Siren was the most powerful weapon that brought destruction with one hit, only to fall for a trick and get captured by Mother.
That was why Siren's name was Perditor, but they grew to hate it for the last millennium because they became more of a dog than a destroyer.
Mother chuckled before grabbing Siren's chin in a tight grip as her long, sharp nails began to sink into their sunken cheeks. Small drops of blood landed on Mother's hand and Siren's clothes.
Her eyes turned sharp, "Do not push your luck, dog. Good weapons know their place."
She let him go, licking the blood clean off her hand before moving back and standing up. Siren watched her with hate-filled eyes, 'I will kill this woman one day.' They took their small vow into their heart and locked it there.
Mother turned around, not sparing Siren any glance as she spoke before walking away, "I will send someone to clean you up before you do my mission. Remember to behave, or I will show you that skinning is only child's play."
Siren used their dirty outfit to wipe the blood off their cheek before moving back to their corner when Mother walked away.
Siren positioned themselves the same way they did before Mother came. They will not move unless they have to.
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Siren walked down the road, wanting to enjoy their "freedom" of being outside, but could not due to the glowing collar causing them to itch.
Even though the chains were gone and Siren was in fresh clothes, the collar proved that they were still a caged dog.
They pushed back their shorter hair that Mother told her servants to cut as they made their way to their first stop: Lynai Clan.
Lynai Clan was the clan of blood-sucking creatures, and the practitioners of the undead rested. If Mother did not own Siren, and if they wanted to be with people, they would have been a part of this clan because Siren's abilities grow with blood.
When Siren made it a few feet from Lynai Clan's entrance, they moved to a blind spot before transforming themselves into a snake.
It is a befitting image for what they are about to do, but the main reason for being a snake is Conla Clan.
Conla Clan is where monsters that are reptiles or have reptile's abilities rested. They were not far from Lynai, so it was easier to use them to start a war between them.
Plus, Gerna Clan supports Lynai, and Dedia Clan supports Conla; if a war breaks out between Lynai and Conla, the other two will join in, without hesitation, to help.
Siren slithered left and right, trying to get used to being a snake before making their way past the guards and entrance.
The snake form was a brownish-green color, making it easier to blend it with the ground. Plus, due to Siren's thinness, the reptile was small.
And even though it was small, the snake was still deadly.
Siren made their way to the fifth floor of the building; the higher-levels and essential monsters were there. To start a war, Siren needed to kill the ones that mattered.
They made sure to stir clear of the people in the building as they made their way up. Every time Siren saw someone; they would squeeze themselves into a small area and wait until the other person was gone.
The hard part of the mission was resisting that smell of blood that seemed to be everywhere. Siren even saw a room where some monsters were feeding on their servants.
Siren's stomach would silently growl, and their mouth would salivate at the smell, but the reminder of the collar on them stopped them from going any further.
If Siren fell into their greed, the collar would kill them, and even if they hated being a tortured dog, Siren did not want to die.
'One day. One day.' Siren told themselves before continuing.
When Siren reached the fifth floor, they looked at each door, wondering where to go. Mother told them that the children would be the easiest to kill and create the most reactions out of the monsters.
She mentioned that the children would all be in a room together, playing as they wait for their parents to get them. The parents would be in a meeting and will finish the session when the sun began to go down.
There were no windows in the hall, so Siren could not watch the sky for the time being. But, they did know that it was still daylight. Meaning, the timing was not right for the kill yet.
'I have to find where the children are before I think about timing.' Siren thought as they slithered across the hall, glancing at each door, wondering which one held the kids.
A few minutes passed when Siren heard the sound of a doorknob twisting. They quickly looked around for a hiding spot and saw a potted plant on the ground. Siren made their way there, hiding behind the pot as they peeked over.
A few feet from the plant, a door opened, and out walked a Nrach that looked to be a newborn one (it has not eaten flesh to grow, yet; it is a freshly made undead).
The Nrach did not get far as someone grabbed it, bringing it back inside. "It is not time for you to leave, little one." Siren heard the person who captured the Nrach say.
'That must be where the kids are.' Siren thought as they quickly moved and raced over when they saw the door closing.
Siren reached it in time as the door closed behind them, almost slamming their tail.
No one seemed to have caught them as the person, and the Nrach walked back to the other children. And seeing the other children, Siren has made it to where they needed to be.
They looked around and saw a window as they silently hid in a shaded area. Siren rested in the spot while waiting.
'Once the sun looks like it is going to go down, that is when I will strike.' Siren told themselves as they looked through the window, watching the sky.