</FONTFACE></COLOR><COLOR color="#ac7f37"><FONTFACE fontface="georgia">A tapping noise woke the slumbering child as his golden orbs looked around the room. At first, he thought it was the window, then looking around he realized it was the mirror. He tried to push off his mother's embrace; her body had grown quite stiff over the past few days. Instead, he was forced to squeeze underneath her arm to escape her. It was to be expected; she had been dead for a while after all.
Walking to the mirror, he saw himself. Except, it was darker, colder, with a wicked smile replacing his heavy frown.
"Are you afraid?" the deep voice resonated through his being, causing a chill to come down his spine.
"Daddy hurt mommy...I'm alone now."<i></i> the boy responded, tears streaming down his face. Looking back he saw his mothers headless corpse. The face at this point frightened him too much so he wouldn't put the head back on as he had done the first few days.
"Do you wish for me to be with you? Forever and always...with me, you will never be alone." the shadow responded once again. Upon closer inspection, it had no eyes this time — just black blood flowing from its empty sockets. Its teeth were jagged, sharp and full of some unknown tar staining them. It looked horrifying.
The boy quietly looked down. His mom was gone; he hadn't seen Umeko in a long while. Perhaps she left him too? He was alone. His heart was heavy and hurting. He had always been kind to others, but he stood out. His father would beat him and his mother daily, and his only friend had been missing for a while now. He couldn't remember the last time he ate, his skin was pale, and he was incredibly thin. His hair disheveled and unkempt; fingers halfway healed in broken positions from his father's parting gift. His mother tried to protect him, the last thing he saw was a white flash, and his mothers head flying into the air. He was sure his left foot was broken, possibly some ribs too from where his father kicked him after brutalizing his mother. His left eye was nearly closed from trauma, though he honestly couldn't remember which blow did that one. He couldn't remember much of anything that happened. Only darkness.
"No one loves you but me..."</GLOW><i></i> the voice repeated.
Tears streamed down Hak's eyes as he looked up at the mirror. He didn't want to be alone. He was in agony and had a difficult time moving.
"Yes...please be my friend."<i></i>
An ominous shadow appeared behind the boy instantly as he finished uttering those words. It slithered about, cloaking itself on the child as a large marking appeared on his arm. It burned horribly as if someone was flayed his arm and ignited his every nerve cell. A serpentine mark appeared on his arm as if wrapping itself around his arm, sinister and cold though beautiful in its own way. It tainted the boy, darkening his chakra significantly, corrupting him from the inside. It was if he suddenly became less - human. It continued to corrupt him as he agonized and convulsed in pain.
<GLOW glow="#FFFFFF">"Don't worry, All you have to do is give yourself to me. Let it all go, no one but me cares. No one is coming. It's just you and me little one."
Hak fainted. His last image was that of darkness.<i></i>