Connecting to the theories already presented, this is mine:
A man (let's call him Tony), probably a prince or king of some sort, has handpicked 11 orphans (or littermates, if you will) to become assassins (or knights, or something like that). Nine is the smartest, most talented of the bunch. He becomes so powerful, he leaves the "pack" and announces that he is going to kill Tony, and then the rest of the littermates, one by one.
Tony uses the littermates as obstacles for him ("I leave the baits, the night awaits/Snare well hidden for the littermate."). He manages to trick or get past all but one; not kill them but force them to retreat. The one he could not get past was the only girl in the group. She was in love with him. He couldn't bring himself to hurt or deceive her; love was his one weakness. He tells her, "Don't love me! Hate me, like all the others! Love...love is a hindrance! Besides, haven't you seen the horrible things I've done?!" ...well, something like that. But she doesn't listen. She insists. And she kisses him. "Kisses burn the paperthin wings away," symbolizes how her love sort of humbled him and he realizes he's not as strong as he thought. She was his Achilles' heel.
He spares her, and ends up running away from them, as opposed to killing Tony. He traveled far away to train his mind and soul. He ends up meeting an actual assassin, who agrees to take him under his wing. This assassin wore an eyepatch, leading 9 to assume that he was half-blind. The assassin confirmed this, and taught him how to do many things relying on hearing instead of sight. Then, sense of touch instead of hearing and sight. The assassin told 9 that he had become very good at it. 9 believed he was so good, he could easily kill the littermates and Tony if he were blind and deaf.
Just as the assassin had planned. The littermate had become cocky.
The assassin offered to tear out the littermate's eyes. He agreed to it. He was fine with it. "without my eyes, they failed me...I turned my weakness into a fine profession" talks about this. Then (i still can't figure out how), the assassin literally deafens him.
"more I hear, more I see" is irony. "I can feel the path I choose" refers to his only active sense being touch. "Faced the music, away from the light, alone...Without a view." supports this more.
"Someone thought to know me well
Drowned me in a wishing well...
Making mistakes, we all do,
Worst of mine was trusting in a stranger."
I don't know about "drowned", but I believe the assassin threw 9 into a well to die. 9 realizes his mistake in trusting this stranger.
"For now I'm feeling fine
Drank poison, like the sign
Now touch the greatest fear
Impaired, to look sincere."
I think at this part, 9 is kind of slowly dying. As for the "impaired to look sincere" part, I think it's either about 9, whose faded eyes (from being blind) make him seem innocent; or about the assassin, who looks more nice than he really is.
"One step behind you, turn around and I am gone with what I need.
The essence of timely death, cold and dark, loveless heart"
Here he reminisces about how he used to be. Clever, sneaky, hardy...this is all gone.
Connecting to the theories already presented, this is mine:
A man (let's call him Tony), probably a prince or king of some sort, has handpicked 11 orphans (or littermates, if you will) to become assassins (or knights, or something like that). Nine is the smartest, most talented of the bunch. He becomes so powerful, he leaves the "pack" and announces that he is going to kill Tony, and then the rest of the littermates, one by one.
Tony uses the littermates as obstacles for him ("I leave the baits, the night awaits/Snare well hidden for the littermate."). He manages to trick or get past all but one; not kill them but force them to retreat. The one he could not get past was the only girl in the group. She was in love with him. He couldn't bring himself to hurt or deceive her; love was his one weakness. He tells her, "Don't love me! Hate me, like all the others! Love...love is a hindrance! Besides, haven't you seen the horrible things I've done?!" ...well, something like that. But she doesn't listen. She insists. And she kisses him. "Kisses burn the paperthin wings away," symbolizes how her love sort of humbled him and he realizes he's not as strong as he thought. She was his Achilles' heel.
He spares her, and ends up running away from them, as opposed to killing Tony. He traveled far away to train his mind and soul. He ends up meeting an actual assassin, who agrees to take him under his wing. This assassin wore an eyepatch, leading 9 to assume that he was half-blind. The assassin confirmed this, and taught him how to do many things relying on hearing instead of sight. Then, sense of touch instead of hearing and sight. The assassin told 9 that he had become very good at it. 9 believed he was so good, he could easily kill the littermates and Tony if he were blind and deaf.
Just as the assassin had planned. The littermate had become cocky.
The assassin offered to tear out the littermate's eyes. He agreed to it. He was fine with it. "without my eyes, they failed me...I turned my weakness into a fine profession" talks about this. Then (i still can't figure out how), the assassin literally deafens him.
"more I hear, more I see" is irony. "I can feel the path I choose" refers to his only active sense being touch. "Faced the music, away from the light, alone...Without a view." supports this more.
"Someone thought to know me well Drowned me in a wishing well... Making mistakes, we all do, Worst of mine was trusting in a stranger."
I don't know about "drowned", but I believe the assassin threw 9 into a well to die. 9 realizes his mistake in trusting this stranger.
"For now I'm feeling fine Drank poison, like the sign Now touch the greatest fear Impaired, to look sincere."
I think at this part, 9 is kind of slowly dying. As for the "impaired to look sincere" part, I think it's either about 9, whose faded eyes (from being blind) make him seem innocent; or about the assassin, who looks more nice than he really is.
"One step behind you, turn around and I am gone with what I need. The essence of timely death, cold and dark, loveless heart" Here he reminisces about how he used to be. Clever, sneaky, hardy...this is all gone.
And then he dies.
Thoughts?