Chapter 1 To Kill a Balloon Man
folie à deux
/ˌfɒli a ˈdəː/
noun
A delusion or mental illness shared by two people in close association.
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"A Dragon has 3 Heads." One to spread lies, one to spread murder and one to conquer the world. A conquerer…. I am that monster~
The boy choked on his words,
His face turned bright pink in embarrassment… He was shy, this sounded like the script of a cartoon, it was childish…
The mirror fogs as he speaks, staring at himself, a boy in animal pajamas, dark-skinned, hair a mess,
he clutched a wrinkled piece of notebook paper like it
held the secrets of the universe or at least a passing grade in 4th year drama class.
As his mother stepped into the room dark haired with ragged clothing,
she smiled and adjusted his bow tie hearing his lines she asked him.
"A conqueror? A king? And how are you going to do that, young man?"
she teased.
He smiled, innocent and bright. "One day I'll have my own army, a group of friends and family who believe in me. We'll change everything.
Mommy will never have to struggle to eat again."
"Oh really?" she said, proud of her little chipmunk tugging at his cheeks. "And what will your group be called?" she asked.
His eyes lit up "It will represent a perfect world, We will call it."
"Nirvana,"
As his eyes flickered with a strange light, the television in the living room crackled to life.
**Breaking News:** "Active *terrorist* revolutionary
group Nirvana has severed ties between the
United States and their strongest ally killing 40,000—
His mother blinked, as her brain hyperfocused, she tried to comprehend the words she just heard slowly turning around to her child Issak.
At first, she frowned—confused, her eyebrows tilted, unsure if this was some late-night drama or an emergency broadcast.
Then she heard it again. It clicked *Nirvana?*
Her face was drained of color.
"This couldn't be a coincidence?" Logically, her heart should have been pounding, screaming in her chest.
But it wasn't.
It wasn't beating at all.
20 years later
Breaking News: "Active terrorist revolutionary group Nirvana has severed ties between the United States and their strongest ally, Greenland.
Their leader, known only as Mr. N, has broken into a maximum-security prison and stolen a-
Mr. N stepped over the half-dead man, careful not to dirty his polished shoes.
"You won't get away with this, you— you fucking terrorist…" the man wheezed.
Mr. N paused mid-stride, visibly offended, beneath the mask a vein pops in his forehead.
"I am not… a terrorist." he paused. "God, I hate that word. It's so… toxic."
Mr. N tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Let's see… I consider myself more of a Peace-keeper? Peace-achiever? I think I'm moreso a "Peace… man"? Yeah. Facts.
The dying man tried to say something back, but only managed a weak cough. "Im glad we agree, " Mr. N said, straightening his tie with satisfaction. "Derogatory term, honestly."
'I didnt work for 10+ years to be called a terrorist..'
Voice no longer cracking, hair no longer a mess but neatly groomed, he was put together in a suit and tie.
Unmasked he was revealed, The boy was now grown.
He walked into the final compartment of the prison.
Finally finding the person he's been searching for, one of the people who can idealize his dream. One of the 3 people he's been searching for his entire life. His dragon laid dormant in a cage on greenland. One of the most wanted fugitives on the planet, not for what he had done, but for what he was.
A human weapon of mass destruction, described as a natural disaster.
Nicknamed "Noi De Armageddon"
Singlehandedly opening the door he laid eyes on him. Chained and enslaved. His hair burning red, burning with so much intensity it could burn the entire world to the ground. But his spirit? Long extinguished.
The seven-foot "monster" didn't move a muscle. His dead eyes met the gaze of Mr. N, as "monster" thought to himself,
'The air of madness is strong with this one, he's powerful, Liam rattled mumbling
'He's just like Mother. '
'M-my MOTHER–'
The chains rattled — the ceiling cracked, the walls shattered, the ground split beneath him.
In a desperate attempt to fight it, his chains shook harder as his heartbeat quickened.
" No… no more, please…" panicked.
His breath came short and frantic as he began to hyperventilate.
Mr. N saw the panic set in as he threw a suspicious liquid on Liam, a sedative, it quickly calmed him down. Mr. N calmly and gently put his hand on his shoulder adapting to the situation saying quietly, "I'm here to help you."
The man breathed slowly, in and out, steadying himself.
"What's your name?" Mr. N asked gently, hoping to humanize him, to learn more.
"You already know," the man replied. "You all know. 'Monster.' 'Disaster.' 'Reaper.' 'Red.'"
He let out a faint sigh. "Whatever you want."
….
0.0 'God he is such a victim…' Mr. N thought to himself.
"No," Mr. N said softly. "Your real name."
… No response.
Mr. N already did his research and he knew who he was.
His biology is his lineage, but he wanted conversation as a means to further his understanding of this
"Monster" named "Liam" he heard so much about.
So Mr. N gave his speech.
"Three times."
"When I was twelve years old… I ran into oncoming traffic. Three times."
"The first time, I got hit."
"The second, I destroyed his windshield."
"The third…" He paused, eyes distant. "The third time, I got sent over a bridge. An SUV ran me over."
He exhaled slowly. "And that's when it happened."
"Something broke — not in me… but in the world."
"They followed. Hundreds of them."
"One after another, running into the road as if pulled by something unseen."
His voice fell to a whisper. "Over three hundred people died that day."
"Why are you telling me this?" Liam felt disconnected.
Pointing towards his head, smiling Mr. N said.
"It's because I have a GOD living inside my head." "And you do too," Mr. N held his hands out expressively, his medium lengthened hair falling over on his face a little before he pushed it back. He smiled crazy looking. Giving an offer that would change the course of reality forever.