Chapter 04: The beginning!

Chapter 04: The beginning!    

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POV: A confused little boy called Marshall

*

I think my mom's a little weird sometimes.

"Mars, dinner will be elk steak, okay?"

"But Mom... We eat meat every day!"

"Hoh? Does it look like someone's implying that I don't know how to make anything but meat? Listen here, brat, it doesn't make sense for us to eat anything but meat, since vegetables and fruit are almost toxic to our bodies. That's why we eat the animals that eat these fruits and vegetables, because all the nutrients our bodies need are in meat!"

Even a normal 8-year-old boy like me realizes that she seems to have a few screws loose in her head... or maybe she doesn't even have them to begin with.

"But Mom, I saw the other kids at school eating fruit! And even leaves!"

"W-well... It's because those people are edible too, okay? They're humanity's emergency stocks, in case we need to feed on meat other than animals."

"Ah! Now I get it! They're idiots, hahaha!"

It sounds a bit strange, but my mother has never lied to me.

The reason I find her strange?

She wears a doctor's coat all day, but her only job is to be my mom.

As I said, very strange...

Fortunately I'm not affected by her. 

*

"Mom, why is my skin gray? Is it because I have a disease? Are you a witch?"

" Sigh, Marshall, my sweet... Gray skin is very common in Asia, especially in Australia. Actually, the children here are strange, not you."

Wait a minute, is that true? Then why are the people at this school so afraid and hateful of my color? Are Australians evil? 

Urgh, I hope I don't have to fight someone from there. 

Well, whatever. Looks like she's forgotten why we're here! That's good-

"But that's not the point, so don't try to change the subject, okay? Tell me the truth, did you really break the other children's arms?"

Damn, she hadn't forgotten that...

"B-but mom... They said you were a witch! And because you did some evil spell, it made my skin turn gray. Obviously I was going to hit them, especially Travis, he has that disgusting hair color... Urgh, disgusting yellow!"

For some reason, people with that color of hair irritate me deeply, almost as if by instinct.

Oh, and I also don't like bananas, orange juice, the sun-

"Mars, do you think that's going to solve anything?"

I'm pulled back to reality by my mother's strange question.

Actually, I don't care what other people say about my color, or rather, they have several colors too. Why is only gray bad? Yellow is bad! Wait, I think that's a bit weird...

Anyway, if they like pointing fingers so much, then I just need to break their arms. If Travis talks badly about my mother next time, I just need to knock his teeth out.

If they continue anyway... "Just use more violence."

"Violence, huh... You think physical violence is the answer to everything?"

Damn, she heard!

"O-of course not, Mom! Dialogue is-"

"Exactly, psychological terror is more effective. It leaves no visible marks, plus you can hurt them even when you're not around. The sensation of breaking your victims' minds... The effect improves even more if- I mean, be nice to them, okay?"

"...."

My mom had a strange look on her face as she explained to me how I should act with other people... But I'll remember that, since she always seems to know what she's talking about.

"C-Changing the subject! The boy called Travis is in hospital in serious condition, since you broke his rib, causing internal bleeding... You almost killed him, Mars. Don't you feel bad about doing that?" 

"Huh? But if it was internal, what's the problem? That's where the blood has to be, Mom. I saw it on TV." 

Hahaha, you can't fool me, Mom! I remember the policeman saying that on TV! 

"... I don't even know how to refute that."

My mom's a bit weird sometimes. 

*

Unfortunately, we had to move town again, since apparently we can't beat someone up for talking shit about our mothers. 

What an unfair world!

Fortunately, my mom agreed with me, as I heard her cursing and swearing at us as we fled in the early hours of the morning.

I'm not sure where we are, since most of the time, the school tells lies, but fortunately, my mom always tells me the truth when I get home.

How do I know who's telling the truth? Very easily.

My mom wears a doctor's coat, my teachers don't.

Besides, I slept through the whole trip.

Now we're living in a hut, on the 'outside' of a gigantic forest, with the nearest town 2 kilometers away from us, because of the distance and because I was expelled from the previous one, I can't go to school or anything.

My mom says it's no problem, since she didn't go to school either and was taught everything she knows without having to attend one. She seemed strangely excited about the idea of being a teacher.

"Mom, are you sure I need to do this? Track and hunt rabbits in this huge forest? Are you sure this is a practical geography lesson?"

My mom has a strange way of teaching something.

We've been living in this hut for about a year now.

During that time, my lessons have consisted of two things. 

Physical education: Where I was beaten up with the justification of training my body and chased through the forest to defend myself from bad people; Oh, at the end of the day, I would have to find her without being noticed, as training to capture... good people? I didn't understand that part either.

Basic education: Where my mother taught me various useful things, such as:

Sneaking, something I always used in PE lessons; How to imitate voices, essential for fooling NPCs in Mom's games; Lying and realizing when you're lying, this one was particularly difficult at first, among other cool things.

At the end of every lesson, I would have to play a game called "RPG", and my aim was to fool the NPCs with all the things she taught me, with the most varied objectives.

When I was 'discovered', I would inevitably have to fight or flee successfully.  

In my spare time, she asked me what I would like to do and, almost by instinct, I said "Play the guitar!"

She was surprised by my choice, but told me that if I could learn on my own, she would give me a guitar as a present in the future!

It was shocking how easy it was, hahaha! ...Am I a genius? 

Heh, her look of astonishment was nice, since he usually has this 'I know everything' look that irritates me sometimes.

But those moments are over, since I've practically mastered, or almost mastered, the basic subjects.

She's realized this, since my tests will no longer be to fight her - which, by the way, I've never won - but against the animals in this forest.

"Do you think you have time to daydream? You seem far too relaxed for someone who should be planning how to find the rabbit and get it here by the end of the day."

Ah, I'd forgotten about the test! Or rather, I don't even know how to do it!

"*Urgh*, I'm only 9, Mom!"

"Age is just a number, kid."

"...I feel there's something very wrong with your speech, Mom."

"All right, if you don't leave now, you'll miss dinner. Besides, if you don't fulfill your mission- I mean, this test, all the food and even the drinks will be yellow. Delicious, don't you agree?" 

Looking at that frightening smile, I feel a shiver run down my spine at the thought of eating something with that unholy color. 

Without looking back, I run as fast as I can, without forgetting to shout:

"YOU DEMOOOON!!!"

★★

Watching her son run recklessly into the forest, Lilian shakes her head in disappointment at Marshall's lack of planning and his inability to remain calm in situations where he is pressured to act. 

"How impulsive. It's obvious I'd never do that to you, sweetie."

As she knits her long dark purple hair into a bun, her violet eyes are temporarily clouded with a little nostalgia as she murmurs to herself.

"Actually, it's your father who's a demon, not me..."

Then her nostalgic look quickly turns to panic as she realizes she's forgotten something important.

"Ah, I forgot to tell you the truth about his origin! Damn it, I didn't even hand over the stupid book that guy left behind. I-I hope it's not important."

Sighing as she returned to the cabin, Lilian began to review all the training she intended to put little Marshall through over the coming months, or even years.

"I want to establish a basis for his development in the future, as well as making his morale as malleable as possible, so absurd things won't surprise him so easily... I hope I'm not being too hasty with him. But this war... fortunately we're far enough away from the sites of conflict."

Unfortunately, she won't have as much time as she thinks, as it will soon be raining mushrooms. 

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Hello, kind people of the internet~

How are you? I hope so, since I'm glad I don't have to work today.

I was thinking that when I had a break from work, I'd write several chapters for this story... 

But the truth is that I've become addicted to playing Stardew Valley again.

Anyway, this chapter was more of a development of things that I think will justify the MC's actions in the future and why he has a slightly strange worldview at times. 

The MC's current world is a parallel universe to Adventure Time, so there will be some related things, but don't be fooled, it's a place totally outside the canon, okay?

I have a 'story skeleton' in my head about where the plot is going, but since I might change my mind, I'd better leave it cooking.

Random trivia: The protagonist's aversion to the color yellow is because it's the same color as Julia's hair, something he doesn't remember, but it's engraved in the core of his being. This will be relevant in the future, I swear! 

That's all... Have a good weekend everyone! (Maybe a new chapter tomorrow or Monday)

Arrivederci~