Child of Doom

Legacy of the Shackled.

Kiyo was hesitant to reveal whether he had the knife. Initially, he planned to deny possessing it since he had just met Seraphina and didn't trust her. However, he reconsidered for a couple of sensible reasons.

One, Seraphina was hiding, and now that Kiyo knew her hiding place, there was a high possibility that she would kill him to prevent the information from leaking out.

The second reason was that he needed allies.

Originally, Kiyo's thoughts would have been more towards gaining pawns than allies, but he quickly realised that this place was ruled by strength. Of course, intelligence was important, but no one would follow someone who was weak.

And Kiyo was weak compared to the monsters out there. He might excel at treachery and lies, but how far would that get him? He needed strong allies.

'Seraphina is strong, I think?' Kiyo thought, questioning himself.

He had to build relationships, something he rarely considered on Earth, simply because he was better than everyone else.

But Kiyo was no fool; he knew that trust could lead to betrayal. He wanted to do things his way.

"I do indeed have the knife." Kiyo revealed.

Seraphina's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh, where is it?"

"Slow down, let me make a few things clear. I simply do not trust you." Kiyo's mistrust was not groundless; after all, he was a very logical person, definitely not someone who would consider mass genocide.

Anyway...

There were many reasons for his mistrust, the main one being that Seraphina could understand the monster's language, which meant that she was a monster herself or something close to it.

Other reasons included her alleged role in causing chaos, but her clumsy demeanour didn't fit someone responsible for such turmoil. Kiyo suspected it was a facade.

"Oh, I see, it's only natural that you're worried. Why don't you come closer?" Seraphina requested.

Kiyo looked at her confused. "I tell you I don't trust you and the first thing you ask me to do is come closer? Do you have an ass up there instead of a brain?" Kiyo asked comically.

Seraphina looked very offended by Kiyo's comment. "Excuse me! I do not have an an-ahem a bottom instead of a brain, and watch your language in the presence of Seraphina, the left hand of the Beast God."

'Weren't you his right hand a few minutes ago?' Kiyo decided to keep this thought to himself.

"I have no means to attack you with my original body; the only way I could harm you is through my puppets. Shouldn't revealing my weakness be enough to make you trust me?" Not only did Seraphina reveal her weakness, but also her strength. yet Kiyo was sceptical.

'What if she is lying?'

"You still doubt me, huh? If I intended to harm you, I would have done it already. I could have killed you when you were chained in the cell, but here you are, still alive."

Suddenly, it all made sense, as if the pieces finally came together. Mia, though a slave, had somehow managed to gather information and access multiple resources. She even provided him with the route he used to escape which ultimately led him here.

"I thought it was suspicious, too. I assume you can shape-shift into anyone you want?" Kiyo asked curiously.

Seraphina shook her head and replied, "Only the faces of the people my puppets have killed." Kiyo shifted his gaze to the boy who stood motionless, taking note of how Seraphina had called him a puppet on two separate occasions.