Invited Personas:

For hours, the monster walked on, not caring where he was going, only that it was forward. Day would turn to night, and night would turn to day several times before he finally stopped.

Or rather, he was stopped by someone else.

“You seem awfully wounded, mister.”

In a moment, the monster paused his stride mid-step; there was a child before him, seemingly have popped out of thin air.

A child that spoke to him.

Was this a trick? Was it an attempt to stop him, distract him so that someone could take his hard 'earned' gains? To put another knife into him? Another shuriken? Maybe something even worse?

A bigger knife? A bigger shuriken?

No. No.

He watched the child warily, taking a moment to carefully think on his choice of words. Each word was spoken in a childlike manner, save for the last one, which held the undertones of sarcasm. A light smile tugged at the monster's face as he dropped the bag that contained his stolen goods upon the ground. Those violet eyes peered at the child through the hair that fell over his face, taking note of his diminutive size comparable to the monster's own. His head tipped to the right, carefully considering his response and reaction to this child. The devious mind began to turn its gears, imagining out the child's death; perhaps Nova would open him like a book, each slice of flesh a page in a novel written on the subject of pain and suffering. Blood would be ink, his organs and bone be the bindings of the pages. A delicious idea; the monster actually took a step towards the child in order to begin acting this idea out.

“My injuries are none of your concern, child. But tell me... what is your name, child? I would like to know what needs to written upon your tombstone.” The smile was back, that delicious, wicked smile. The tongue snaked between the parted lips, licking away at a drop of blood that dripped near his mouth. If the voices did not want him to harm this child, then there was nothing against making afraid, no? He was curious as to how this child would respond to the 'threat', if he even were to perceive it as such; many would, but this child knew nothing of those whom spoke to Nova. Those terrible voices that stroked the madness that crept through his veins alongside and betwixt his blood; the song that lulled him to sleep, that woke him in the morning and drove to treat the people around him like toys, pieces of a deranged game that none knew they played in his presence.

No one else could know, no one else could comprehend it. Unbeknownst to Nova, it was his clan before death that focused so much on the art of casting illusions, or Genjutsu. Their minds didn't not work the same as most people -- their view of the world was askew, a bit off center, and they loved it. A mind that could not be understood that operated a body that contained a soul that was born of fury. It was a most interesting combination that made Nova an unpredictable person to be around.

“A tombstone is all you will get. This body of mine will never be buried six feet beneath the ground by the likes of you.”

Nova could not help but chuckle at this child's boldness. This child had balls as big as church bells, and made of brass, it would seem. He was brave, no doubt about this, but bravery would only carry him so far in this world.

“I would like to know the name of the person that is aiming to kill me, however. I will never forget it, even long after your death “

Oh? The Unspeakable Horror grinned even more now, head tipping again as the he took another step towards the child. The child thought of him as wanting to kill him? Good, good.

Trust no one, Nova.

Nova spoke again, staring at the child before as if looking through him. The expression on his face was that of amusement, as if he were remembering the funniest joke in the universe, but could not quite remember the punch line. Perhaps this child was the punch line? Perhaps not. Either way, it was amusing as hell to him.

“You ask the wrong question, child. I do not aim to kill you; more so to the point, you interest me.” A straight answer, something rare from his kind, but it was the truth. He could not help but be curious as to why the voices he heard specifically told him not to harm this child. There had to be something special about him, something worth seeing. “If you wish to try your question again, please, by all means.”

He would and could continue to amuse himself for hours on end with this child; toying with him through word play and the like. It was the most amusing game that one could play with another individual...

"I have a feeling you are not going to introduce yourself, I might as well introduce myself.”

Oh, but Nova was more than happy to introduce himself, but this child did not ask the correct question. He had previously asked Nova for the name of the person who was aiming to kill him; this was information that Nova could not provide, since Nova was not aiming to kill the child like he assumed. Not that Nova could blame him for assuming as such, as it was Nova's intention to be confusing with word play. But for this child, Nova could imagine him to be a source of great entertainment for some time.

“Ikari Uchiha is the name. You did not introduce yourself previously, either. So it is only natural that now, you do the same. “

Ah, now he was playing correctly, and asking the correct questions and making the correct requests. He wanted to know Nova's name, then fine. At that moment, he had no inkling of an idea of the history and legacy of this child's name, nor did he care. He only know the Uchiha clan to be summarily as this child that stood before him, and it satisfied him. He would be told the larger male's name, since he asked ever so nicely. The larger male's lips curled back, revealing teeth that seemed to be a bit too sharp for a normal man, in a wide grin. He was about to part his lips and address the child's concerns as to his identity, but then the child opened his mouth and bumped his gums together again, tongue twisting and moving within its home to formulate yet another question for the Unspeakable Horror to answer.

“Other than that, what is a man like you doing here? With those wounds, at all. They look pretty fresh.”

Again with the concern for his wounds? For a rude child, he seemed to have a bleeding heart – perhaps this was something that could be exploited at a later date when the time was right. For the moment, the larger male did not respond; instead his right hand moved, with his left index finger extended. Said digit would find the wound that once contained the kunai and disappeared into the bleeding orifice, a soft sigh escaping from betwixt his lips as his fingertip curled within and tugged on the edge, stretching the wound another half inch across to the sound of flesh ripping and another sign of pleasure from the Unspeakable Horror. The entire time that Nova did this, he stared directly at this child, his gaze never wavering. Those violet eyes would lock with those of the child if possible, as if searching his mind for something. After all, the eyes were the windows to the soul.

After freeing his finger with a wet sound, the male would move the blood-stained digit to his mouth, licking the vitae from it before he began to respond to the child's question. “These wounds...? They are scratches from a desperate animal, one fighting to keep his own life.” Eyebrows would raise, that too sharp grin spreading wider like a Cheshire Cat who found a new toy to torment. He would not tell this child that the animal that inflicted them upon Nova was another persona – he did not lie to the child, but rather neglected to give him to the full story. Man was just another animal in the world, after all. “But as for my name, it is Nova. Unfortunately, I do not know my last name, nor anything before this time yesterday...”

Why did he reveal this to the child? Why reveal a weakness to someone who could potentially be an enemy? Simple; to lower their guard, to make them believe they possessed the upper hand, to make them feel as if they were in control. That way, if and when the tables had to turn, Nova would be the last person suspected.

Thats right, Nova. Keep them from suspecting you, keep them guessing. Never reveal your true hand; never show your full power. Play the part of the poor, pitiful lunatic. Keep them guessing.

“As for me being here, well... I was just passing through the area. That is, until I was attacked by that pack of animals. Now that I've taken care of them, I suppose that I can continue on...”

The larger male would shift his body some, bending over to retrieve the sag of supplies that he'd 'won' and lifting them to his shoulder, despite the wounds on his torso. “Do you have any more questions, Ikari of the Uchiha clan, or shall I be on my way?”

"Your behavior has made a slight adjustment since a few moments ago. You were the silent type and intimidating, yet now you share with me the information that you don’t know your last name. Let alone the fact that you, what I assume, are blackouts. Perhaps.. Did the warmth of an innocent child such as myself open up your heart, old man?”

At that point, something clicked within the mind of the monster, and the world tilted slightly. A sense of realization flooded his mind, and the voices spoke to him again.

Pay the apriration no mind, Nova. The child is not real.

What..? His mind was playing tricks upon him once again? As the body halted, the eyes blinked and the mind of the monster cleared itself. With the bit of clarity he gained, came the vanishing of the small child. The monster frowned and growled in a frustrated manner, turning away and continuing down his path. He had to stop falling in these mental traps, and get to where he was going. To where he was going, he had no clue. But he would take his time, and make no haste to reach his destination. He would arrive there when ever he did. He would not be late, nor would he be early.

He would arrive precisely when he wanted.

For hours more, the monster walked through the darkness, ignoring the world around him until he came to a cave. Despite not being the ideal place to stop for the night, it was where he would enter, taking note that there did not seem to be anyone or anything within the cavern. When the male was satisfied that the cavern was empty, he would settle himself inside of it, not bothering to light a fire for warmth or protection. As far as he was concerned, he was the most terrifying thing in the forest at the moment, given his state...