《Demons in the Mirror》


 Chapter 1 - Prologue

    There were two different worlds with the exact same faces. One was human and the other was a demon.


    They were meant to be separated, never crossed with one another, living their own life with choices of their own.


    Each world had its own story, tragedy, and calamity. Mirroring their own movement with each other and ironically separated by a mirror.


    Humans would look at the mirror for its reflection, unaware of what was on the other side. Demons would ignore the mirror for its futile, unaware of what was on the other side.


    Corruptions, manipulations, and wars danced with the two worlds, surrounding them with the music of tragedies and deaths. Everyone was hungry for power and thirsty for blood just to vomit them and yearned for them more.


    Though some were just trying to live in the bitter world they slept through, watching their own world with colored glasses of a rainbow to ignore the red of blood and the black of corruption.


    Humans fought with their minds and with their dirty hands covered with clean expensive gloves. Men with positions would win and those who had no power would obey. The rich became richer and the poor stayed poor.


    Demons fought with their power and with their bloody hands covered with those they killed. Demons with positions would win and those who had no power would obey. The strong became stronger and the weak stayed weak.


    That was when the Vergessene family stepped in.


    Oh no, no you were wrong, they were no heroes. They were the living nightmare of those who had positions and the monster of those who had no power.


    In the human world, they were criminals. They operated behind the scene, hidden from the world.


    The head of the family, the father was a hitman. He killed anyone for a lot of money, going blind for those he killed. You would be fooled by his kind smile and gentleness, finding warmth within his presence.


    The oldest child, the only daughter was an assassin. She killed the important people of the society, taking down the governments. You would be fooled by her beauty and coldness, finding yourself staring at her without knowing.


    The second child, the first son was a mercenary. He was hired to take a part in an armed conflict, fighting for money just like his father but never got his hand bloody. You would be fooled by his charisma and sweet words, finding the trust between his lies.


    The youngest child, the last son was a murderer. He did the dirty job for his brother, killing the people his brother ordered him to. You would be fooled by his nervous smile and clumsiness, finding naiveness inside him.


    In the demon world, they were anarchists. They operated on the scene, exposed to the world.


    The head of the family, the father was the leader. His presence would make anyone trembled in fear, fluttering open his wing and he would send people miles away. You would see his kind smile and gentleness, knowing how deadly those fa?ade was.


    The oldest child, the only daughter was the fighter. She killed for the family, showing off her beautiful wing just to devour you. You would see her beauty and coldness, knowing how you would die staring at her beautiful presence.


    The second child, the first son was the brain. He planned their attacks for the family, hiding his wing just to show up unexpectedly. You would feel his charisma and sweet words, knowing the manipulation for each word he spoke.


    The youngest child, the last son was different. He ran away from his family, hating his wing because it reminded him of them. You would see his nervous smile and clumsiness, knowing the fragile heart inside him.


    Different world, different stories, different choices, and a different ending.


    The demon world lost the youngest child of the Vergessene family. The family mourned. They kept mourning and mourning every day, every second. They would do anything to get him back.


    Mirror was perfect, showing your true self within it. The thing was, no matter how perfect a mirror was, you would always find a crack inside.


    The demons found them,


    And they became the demons in the mirror.

 Chapter 2 - The Death Of A Kid : Part 1

    The sky turned red as the world fell into chaos. Demons were fighting for their lives. They roared, cried, screamed, and died. It was not a beautiful sight for a 16-year-old boy who was too young to stand in the middle of a war.


    The demon boy scanned his surrounding in a daze. His mind was too preoccupied, trying to take what was happening. He stood like a statue in wreaking havoc, frozen in place. A short intake of breath followed his lips.


    His lips began to tremble lightly as the world around him got all blurry. He felt something warm fall on his pale face, running along his cheek at a fast speed.


    Oh, oh.


    He touched his face and realized those were tears streaming down his face. He wiped them with his sleeve but could not stop them from coming out even more. He blinked the tears away, trying to cease them, ignoring the pain he was feeling in his chest as doing so.


    He could feel the mixed emotions within him. Anger, betrayal, hurt, and devastation. He could not focus on any emotions, he could not focus on anything.


    Someone pushed him to the ground and ran past the poor kid. His breath hitched as he took the impact. His black wing fluttered in distress, covering him like a cocoon.


    Demons and the undead ran past his body, some of them almost stepped on the boy as they fought. They ignored the boy that was wrapped in his own wing who laid helplessly on the ground.


    The dark wing opened slightly, revealing a bundle of fluffy black hair inside of it. The kid opened his eyes slowly, giving out a pair of damp red eyes that used to be bright as the sun. He tried to stand up but quickly got shoved away.


    Dirt was covering his pale skin as the boy fell for the second time. He grimaced at himself, noticing the cuts on his hands. He gritted his teeth and wiped his last tear harshly. The boy stood up again and quickly spread his wing, flying to the air.


    His ears perked at a maniacal laugh that filled the air. The boy turned his head over to the source of the sound. His bloodshot eyes caught the sight of his brother on top of the highest building in the city.


    His brother was holding a hand on his face like a mad man, his other hand gripped the back of his own hair, and his brother Kiaran cackled in triumphant. The boy could see the madness filled in Kiaran''s red eyes as he watched the world burn.


    The kid''s eyes moved over to the demons who stood alongside his brother. The identical black wings proudly stretched behind them.


    His sister''s long black hair danced with the wind as she coldly stared down at the demons. Yet, you could find a hint of madness behind Adreanna''s beautiful red ruby eyes.


    His father stood between Adreanna and Kiaran. The fury behind his red eyes was showing as he faced the king who struggled in his grip, trying to catch a breath while his father choked the man even more.


    A kind smile formed on his father''s face, yet a hint of dark wicked madness flashed in his eyes.


    "This is what you get for picking a fight with the Vergessene family." His father spoke sternly to the demon king.


    His father took off and flew to the air, holding the king''s neck and bringing the man with him. The boy watched as his father went even higher in the sky, wings that were bigger than him flapped in the air. The king desperately gripped his father''s hand in distress, eyes wide as he looked down.


    "You want a fight, right?" The father darted, he tilted his head as he stared at the king''s teary eyes. "Here, I''ll give you a war."


    He let go of the king''s neck. The man screamed and tried to grab ahold of the father but missed. The boy jolted at the sight, breath hitched as he quickly flew over to catch the man.


    The wind fought with him, blowing his messy hair as he tried to hold the king who was still falling down. His heartbeat thumped loudly as he stretched his hand out to the king. He widened his eyes as the man got closer to the ground. He bit the inside of his mouth and put more speed.


    He caught the man right before he hit the earth in a swift move. He lowered his feathers down and landed on the ground slowly, letting go of the king who quickly ran away to his people before looking at him with a look of gratitude.


    The boy''s chest heaved up and down as he stared at the madness that had befallen him. He could not help but tremble at the sight.


    The boy turned around to the sound of wings blowing behind him. He was met face to face with his family who was staring at him like he was the lowest person in the world.


    "Axel, you keep betraying us," Adreanna spoke, her red ruby eyes staring coldly at her youngest brother. The sound of yelling and screaming surrounded them, yet the family stood there like the world was silent.


    "Me? I''m the one who betrayed you?" He asked in disbelief, his pale face was glowering in anger.


    Axel gritted his teeth, ignoring the lump in his throat. "You are the one who left me to die." He spat. His sister''s face stayed emotionless at the statement, gawking at him.


    "You," Axel paused, he pointed an accusing finger to his father. "You abandoned me." He continued as his breath ragged in fury.


    "And you manipulated me." He moved his finger to Kiaran.


    "I''m tired-" Axel brushed his hair in distress, eyes glassy as he watched the three people he used to be willing to die for. "-I''m so tired with this family''s bullshit."


    His brother took a step forward, reaching a hand to Axel. Kiaran smiled softly with his pleading eyes as if he was not the one who went mad the moment before. "You know I still love you, Axel. You can always come back."


    His sweet words had been spoken, a mask of a loving brother stared at Axel in patience. It was ironic how Axel would believe it before. It was foolish how na?ve the boy was.


    "Look, you''re doing it again," Axel darted, the face of a broken boy staring tiredly at Kiaran. "You''re doing the manipulation." He stated flatly.


    "Oh, you know I still love you, Axel." Axel mocked, mimicking his brother''s words. His eyes flashed with disappointment as he stared at his brother.


    "No, no you fucking don''t." Hissed the boy as he desperately held the tears that were threatening to fall.


    "You never do." His voice went quiet at that.


    "You are siding with the king, Axel," His father spoke up, the kind smile that he always used was gone now. "You''re siding with the one man that almost killed your sister." He retorted darkly.


    "But you don''t have to kill him, you don''t have to kill them all!" Axel ventured, he stared at the man who was supposed to be there for him. "They are people, they have a family too just like us."


    "The king? He has a daughter too, there must be a way other than war, fath- Cain!" Axel tried to justify, ignoring how he almost called him a father again.


    "I never raised you to pick a side other than your family, Axel." Cain disapproved as he waged his wing wider.


    "That''s the thing, Cain," Axel chuckled bitterly as he showed his broken smile. "You never raised me at all."


    Cain was taken aback by the statement, he widened his eyes and quickly hid it well. "Well then, seems like our path ended here." The man spoke and turned his back on the boy, just like he always did before.


    Adreanna followed Cain right away, stealing a last glance at her brother with hidden emotions, something that the girl was never good at showing.


    Kiaran though, stood there a little longer, staring at his little brother who used to be so na?ve, so lovable, so loyal. The one thing he could control was gone now. He took a last glance and turned away from the boy.


    Everything was happening too fast.


    One second Axel was seeing his messed up family turn their back on him for the hundred times, the next second there was a heavy pain, as a rusty sharp black arrow found its mark in the boy''s heart.


    He staggered back, stood in shock, something was splashed on his face from the arrow. Axel touched his face, thinking it was his tears again, instead he was met with red liquid on his hand.


    Adreanna snapped her neck at the sound of something so close, too close to her was shot. She was always sharp with her surroundings. She watched Axel fall backward, achingly slow in her vision.


    It took a moment for her to snap out of her daze, and by then, Kiaran was screaming, a desperate scream that pierced everyone''s ears. It shook the world, screeching the reality all around them.


    "Axel!" Her father shouted, staggering as he ran to the boy''s limp body. Kiaran caught up with Cain as the both of them kneeled down to Axel.


    Adreanna just froze there, she only watched from afar. She could not take what was happening, she never felt this way before, it was too overwhelming, everything was wrong, this was wrong.


    No no no no no, this could not be happening. He was just there betraying his own family, screaming at their faces, accusing them like the little child that he was. So why would he- why would-


    Adreanna looked around, she could feel her anger boiling, she could feel something ached in her heart. It was new to her yet she was too busy searching for the person who caused this, the person who made her feel something.


    Axel on the other hand was trying his hard to open his eyes. He could not hear anything, everything hurt, it really hurt. His ears were ringing, someone was holding him, it was warm despite the coldness he felt in his heart.


    He opened his eyes to see his father with worry on his face. Something his father never showed to him before and he realized, his father cared right now. It was warm.


    Oh, that was nice. That felt really nice.


    He moved his teary eyes to the person beside him, holding his hand tightly as if he would go anytime soon. Oh, it was his brother. Axel saw his brother''s mouth move so fast. Was he talking to him?


    He tried to listen to his brother, furrowing his eyebrows as doing so. He could not hear a word, it was all vague. His eyes felt so heavy, it was really heavy, and he was tired.


    "You know I love you, Axel."


    He heard the words now. This time it sounded so genuine in his ears. No manipulation, just a brother''s word. It was really warm.


    Oh, that was nice too, that really felt nice.


    He needed to keep awake, his sister told him to. Oh? Adreanna? She''s here too? She was crying? He never saw her cry before, she still looked pretty though. Her tears that fell on his face were warm too.


    It was nice actually.


    He breathed slowly, trying to stay awake. He could not keep his eyes open. He knew he should. Because if he didn''t do it then he would-


    Kiaran hovered over him, something felt wrong in his chest. There was a pain in his heart as he saw how broken his brother''s face was. Axel was confused though, he thought he already felt pain before, could you feel pain all over again?


    He did not know though, no one really ever taught him anything other than Kiaran. His father abandoned him and always left with his favorite child, leaving him alone with his manipulative brother who made him do bad things.


    But they were here now, hugging him as his father lifted him up. He felt so loved, he never felt so loved. Everything was so warm.


    It was nice, he felt like he could take a nap.

 Chapter 3 - The Death Of A Kid : Part 2

    You would realize you actually cared for someone when they were already gone, right before your eyes, out of nowhere.


    It was poetic in some way.


    Kiaran was always a poetic person. He was charming, had a way with his words, making people fall beneath him when he spoke.


    The thing was, he did not like to get his hand dirty. No matter how wicked he was, how sadistic he was- he did not like blood in his hands.


    And then came his little naive brother. A boy who saw him like he was the whole world, glimmering eyes with child-like wonder as he told and read him stories. He was the perfect candidate to do the dirty job for him.


    He would wrap his wing over to the kid as he fell asleep on his shoulder. He would tell his adventures as the brain of the family, trying to be the favorite sibling even though he knew Axel adored Adreanna more.


    And now, the same boy he used to adore stared at him with pure hatred in his red eyes, trying to stop him from seeing the world burn.


    He stood there after saving the king who was supposed to be dead. He stood there and he knew Axel was afraid yet he still went against his own family.


    His cute little brother had grown up and started not to be naive anymore. It was written in Axel''s eyes that his dear older brother was a manipulative bastard and oh how Kiaran was aware of that.


    So when he realized it was the last thing of what his brother saw of him, he screamed.


    He felt his world shattered when he saw Axel fall impossibly slow. He saw the arrow coming from the corner of his eye, he really did. He just did not know it would stop at his brother''s heart.


    He did not know if he was still screaming or not, all his focus was thrown to the boy he manipulated. He hated how he suddenly looked really lovable with an arrow in his-


    He was greedy. He was aware of it. He was egoistic because he wanted to make Axel see him with pure curious eyes again. He did not want him to die with the thoughts on how bad Kiaran was.


    Lord, he realized he was a bad person. He was hating on the kid a moment ago but somehow he suddenly saw the five-year-old Axel again when the boy was in his dying state.


    He was planning this war with his sister and father. They planned this behind Axel''s back because the kid started to get attached to the kingdom, befriending many demons.


    They never wanted to hurt him. They never did. They just wanted this war.


    It was poetic how they actually did hurt him. Because Adreanna used to leave him to die, Cain abandoned him, and Kiaran manipulated him.


    They always blamed many things on Axel now that he realized. Mother died when giving birth to Axel so father avoided the boy at all cost that it led to abandonment.


    Because it hurt his father to remember his wife''s death.


    Sister though, she was always Axel''s favorite. Axel would see her as a star, like a goddess.


    Adreanna was not good with emotions at all, so she just ignored the kid. It was ironic how she was the one who was showing too many emotions right now.


    She used to stare at the kid coldly, she felt betrayed by the kid. Maybe it was guilt but she was too big-headed to realize that maybe it was her fault.


    Now, she stared at the kid like he was the person that she cared about the most.


    Kiaran could see her anger, sadness, panic, and-


    regret.


    Oh, it was really poetic.


    It was really poetic that he could cry.


    He manipulated the boy, making him loyal with some fake love. Because Kiaran could feel the love in his heart wear down as Axel got older, so he decided to fake it until he made it.


    But now he felt like all the love came back instantly. He was a bad brother, wasn''t he?


    They blamed the kid for many things. Turning him off because his voice did not matter, because he was just a kid. But instead, when it came to war and murder, they forgot that he was just a kid and turned their back on him.


    Cain forgot that he was just a kid when he blamed him for his wife''s death. Adreanna forgot that he was just a kid when she left him to die. Kiaran forgot that he was just a kid when he made him kill people.


    It was too poetic and Kiaran wished it could stop.


    "Axel stay awake for my sake, stay awake." Adreanna rushed to the kid after she could not find the source of the person who shot her brother.


    Axel blinked slowly, his mind felt all foggy from the amount of blood he lost. His eyes were blurry, was he crying? He did not know.


    His eyes moved over to Adreanna, trying to take her words. Because it was bad to close his eyes wasn''t it? He should not close his eyes.


    So he stared at his sister as he tried to stay awake, taking all the features in his sister''s face in a daze. Today she was different, she usually braided her black hair, but she let it loose.


    He liked it, his sister looked so pretty.


    "You know-" Axel coughed, blood oozing from his mouth. "-you look really pretty with your hair down."


    Adreanna would cry if not for the fact that tears were already streaming down her face.


    "You think so?" She choked as she tried to smile, something that she was not good at.


    "Now stay awake, yeah? Father will bring you home and I''ll let you braid my hair."


    Axel coughed again and nodded slowly. "Your smile is pretty too, you should smile more."


    "I will, I will smile. So keep your eyes open." Adreanna said sweetly and Axel really liked it. Her voice was like an angel, he was getting really sleepy though.


    Cain''s hold on Axel tightened. He spread his feathers and went up with the boy in his hand. He looked over to the demons and the undead soldiers who were still fighting.


    Cain''s red eyes lightened up as a wave of red light spread across the battle zone, making his undead soldiers suddenly stop fighting. The demons were confused at the sudden movement, but the father could not care less.


    He had a son to take care of. He took off and went away from the battle zone quickly followed by Kiaran who was still holding Axel''s hand.


    Some of the enemies tried to follow them, those demons who could fly tried to catch them. They quickly fell down though as Adreanna shot them all with her sharp porcelain feathers.


    Adreanna tried to keep up with her family, ignoring how their undead soldiers all stopped suddenly, she knew her father let go of his power as the three left the war zone.


    "You know when you were younger, you loved it when I told you stories?" Kiaran choked, tears finally came out after all the shock he was going through.


    "Mmm-hmm." Axel hummed, he showed a genuine smile to his brother. "You said when I reach seventeen, I can tell my own stories." And just like that, all was forgotten, the manipulation, the hatred, the boy could not care.


    He did not know what was happening to him. He could not think straight. It was like all his memory fuzzed up and he could only grasp a little. Seeing all his family worried and caring about him made him feel like he was wanted.


    He loved this moment.


    "Yes, I want to hear your story, so keep your eyes open." Kiaran''s grip on Axel''s hand tightened. "Keep your goddamn eyes open."


    Axel did what he was told and looked over at his father''s face who was too focused, holding his body so tight yet gentle like he could break anytime. "You''re warm, father." He blurted.


    "I would..." Axel coughed, and more blood trickled down his jaw. "I would love a hot chocolate from you."


    Cain opened his mouth to speak but could not get any words. He choked on the lump in his throat. He realized he never even once gave the boy or made him anything.


    "Father will make it for you, just like he makes it for me," Adreanna vowed. "When we are home, you can drink as many as you can, and we can be together again."


    "Together?" Axel whispered, finding his voice getting weaker.


    "Yes, together, son." Cain finally uttered a word as they stopped at the sight of their mansion. Forest was surrounding the place as they were hidden away behind the trees.


    They landed in front of the mansion and quickly rushed inside. They stormed in and went to the sofa in the living room.


    Cain quickly rushed to the sofa and put down Axel slowly. He was careful so the arrow in the boy''s heart didn''t move. He yelled at Adreanna to get the medical equipment and he ripped open his youngest son''s shirt.


    Cain could feel his breath taken away at the sight. He stopped his movement for what he saw. The arrow was planted still in his heart, spreading black roots all over his heart and it almost reached his neck already.


    His breath hitched and quickly tore away the arrow from Axel, getting a shriek of pain from the boy as doing so. Blood oozed even more from Axel''s heart and the black root sprouted even faster.


    Cain''s hand trembled as he fell down to the floor. The black arrow fell down from his hand, making a sound of clank. He stared at Axel''s bleeding heart with despair, breath getting ragged as he saw the root almost touching the boy''s face.


    "The cursed arrow, how?" The father put a hand on his face, he failed his son, he failed his wife, he failed again.


    The cursed arrow was something that was almost impossible to find. There were only five arrows in this world. Whoever demon that got shot with it would die, nothing could help them.


    A sudden loud noise came up behind Cain. He looked over to Adreanna who just dropped all the demon medicine on the floor. She fell onto her knees with all the medicine scattered around her.


    "No..." She whispered. The cold bloody fighter in the family finally found out what despair was at this moment. It was ironic, really.


    Kiaran staggered back, hand still holding Axel''s. "There must be a way to- to stop the curse, there must be a way to save him! Father! Don''t just give up like that!" He yelled desperately.


    It was a messy sight. A kid who was still at the age of sixteen dying on the sofa, the kid who had a dream to make it past seventeen. Nothing could help him at this moment, not even the gods.


    It was painfully poetic.


    "Kiaran?" Axel asked weakly, desperation forming into his face. The black roots were already covering all of his body, leaving only his right eye as they slowly ate the boy away.


    "Don''t leave me," the boy begged. "Please, I don''t know what''s happening, I''m scared."


    "We''re here, Axel." His father moved over to the boy and held his other hand, he leaned to kiss Axel''s forehead.


    Adreanna''s hand went over the boy''s stomach and desperately hung into him. She muttered ''sorry'' so many times, guilt was taking over her body.


    "We''ll always be here, son," Cain assured, smiling gently to his youngest one.


    Wasn''t that poetic because they were too late.


    Always was not forever, it was temporary, but the boy could grasp that word because for him, always was this moment.


    "Thank you." Axel breathed. "I''m sorry, I..." There was too much to say, he had so much left to say. Forgiveness, warmth, love, assurance.


    He would talk later. He would when he woke up again. Oh, maybe he would tell them when he made it to seventeen. Axel just wanted to sleep for a moment.


    For the first time ever, the Vergessene family lost a war.


    And a member of their family.

 Chapter 4 - The Death Of A Kid : Part 3

    There were five stages of grieves, it was common sense in all of the creatures who had a heart. Though, you would think that the Vergessene family did not have a heart at all.


    Adreanna thought she could not feel emotions, it was proven wrong when she saw the little brother she used to despise died. She felt something, something tugging her cold heart and without realizing it, she was already crying a river.


    Axel slept peacefully with black roots coming out of his body. He slept in a comfortable bed, surrounded by a glass coffin that covered his sleeping body. They knew he was not sleeping but they would burn the world to bring him back.


    It was not supposed to be like this.


    It was supposed to be a war which they obviously would win. They did ignore the kid, leaving him alone, turning their back on him. But they never thought that he would die that day.


    He was not supposed to be dead. He was supposed to try fighting them and lost again because the kid was not that strong compared to his other family members.


    He was supposed to betray his own family again. But regardless, was he the one who betrayed them, or was they the one who betrayed him?


    They did not have time for that, for there had to be a way to bring Axel back. There just had to be, and they would find it.


    They would.


    ??????


    Denial.


    They had spent days trying to find something that could bring their kid back. Kiaran would still go to Axel''s sleeping self and read him a story, muttering how everything would be okay like he should have done it before.


    There would be a hot chocolate beside Axel''s bed, steam went up as the hot chocolate got replaced so many times when it went cold.


    Adreanna would just stand there, staring at Axel''s sleeping body with emotions hidden behind her cold eyes. She stood there as if waiting for the boy to wake up because he was not supposed to die.


    But you had left him to die didn''t you, Adreanna?


    She pushed the thoughts away and got out of the room, recognizing the mess they had made. Books scattered everywhere as her father searched for a way to bring people back.


    Kiaran was out, making a way with his words, forcing people to give him pieces of information.


    A loud sound of the door opening harshly made Adreanna and Cain looked over to the main door. There was a fluffy black-haired demon with a black wing on his back, staring at the two of them with a triumphant smile.


    "I found a demon who could bring back other demons to life"


    ??????


    Anger.


    "So what you are saying is, you can''t revive him?" Gritted Kiaran as he stared murderously at the trembling demon.


    Adreanna was holding the demon at a sword point, a couple of drops of blood already running down her neck from the little cut. Cain was just standing in the shadow, watching the event go on.


    The poor demon was already at the edge of crying as she stared at the floor, her red eyes did not even dare to look at Kiaran.


    "He-" The demon chocked, her grey hair was glued on her forehead with sweats forming on there. "He was cursed with the cursed arrow, therefore I can''t-"


    She could not even finish her sentence as Cain angrily came out of the shadow at an inhuman speed and slashed the demon''s chest.


    The demon gasped as she stared wildly at her own bleeding open chest. Adreanna''s sword was still at the demon''s neck, blood still oozing through from it.


    Adreanna took away her sword from the neck, making the demon feel relief for a second just to notice that her head was already falling to the floor.


    The first-born child finished the job as the blood from the demon''s head trailed down her sword, she beheaded the demon''s head coldly. Though, if you squinted your eyes, you would see the fury in her red ruby eyes.


    Kiaran screamed angrily as he burnt the demon''s house down.


    On their way back, Kiaran''s glowing red eyes watched in madness as Cain and Adreanna wiped out the whole village where the demon lived.


    ??????


    Bargain.


    "There must be another way, right?" Kiaran gripped his hair, he chuckled brokenly.


    "Right?" He whispered in silence.


    The three of them stood there, watching their youngest''s dead body lay in his death bed.


    Maybe this was their punishment, was it? Maybe his death was supposed to happen? Maybe it was a way this world let Axel rest in peace so he could not hurt more?


    Or maybe this was not supposed to happen, maybe they were not supposed to fall in despair. Maybe there was another way- another way to-


    "Let''s bury him." Adreanna''s monotone voice rang through the room.


    That night, the sky was crying, thunder was trying, and a family lost their youngling as Axel went six feet under.


    A cup of hot chocolate, a book, and a hair tie stood on the boy''s grave as a family tried to bargain the boy''s soul.


    ??????


    Depression.


    Adreanna started wiping out many villages, killing demons as she went mad. She was trying to fill the hollow feeling in her chest, she was supposed to be the cold murderer, not a-


    Not a...


    She cut the face of a demon in front of her as she tried to compete with her heart. And when she shed a tear once or twice as she killed more and more, trying to fill her heart with something, nobody needed to know.


    Kiaran kept coming back to the grave. A bag under his eyes was visible as he tried to keep the boy company. He read many books to the boy, trying to make the boy feel like he was wanted.


    "Rien n''est ¨¦ternel." His croaked voice read the phrase, he smiled at the grave as he started to translate the word. "That means nothing lasts forever just like-" He cut himself off.


    His face went white as he stared at the words in the book. His eyes were getting blurry as he tried to force a smile on his brother. "That''s it for today, see you tomorrow, Axel."


    Cain was making hot chocolate every day for Adreanna and Cain. He would make three cups and then stare at the third one so long until it became cold.


    One day, the hot chocolate spilled from his hand when his thoughts were filled with the boy''s face. He could not remember any memories about him, he did not know what he likes, he did not know what he despised, he did not know anything.


    He threw the cup away, making a loud shattering noise. The liquid of the cup ran around through the floor, making a mess everywhere.


    He sighed at the mess he made. The demon took a nearby cloth and wiped the floor carefully. He followed the trail of the hot chocolate until it stopped under the dining table. He wiped the rest of it away as his eyes caught something sharp and black near it.


    His bloodshot eyes raged in fury as he looked at the cursed arrow. He took the arrow angrily and threw it away, smashing a big mirror in their dining room.


    Cain''s breath ragged as he brushed his face. His heartbeat thumped loudly as he remembered the boy dying in his arm. His black wavy length hair was messy as it shook alongside his trembling body.


    Kiaran ran to the dining room upon hearing the voice. His red eyes moved over to his father who was sitting on the floor in despair. He inspected the dining room and found shattered glass from the cup and the broken mirror.


    He sighed in understanding. Their family was not in the best state at this moment. Adreanna had not come back to the house for a week and he kept hearing news about so many deaths which he knew was his sister''s doing.


    Kiaran kept reading books for Axel, frustrated if he could not find a new book to read. He would chuckle madly and then cry silently.


    His father was the same as them too, though, they had their ways to cope with Axel''s death.


    Kiaran lowered his body to Cain''s level, wing fluttered shut as he squatted beside his father. "Father, are you okay?"


    His father moved his eyes to his second born. He smiled weakly at the boy, ignoring how almost identical Kiaran''s look with Axel''s that made his heart ache.


    "I''m fine, just a little bit frustrated," Cain assured the boy as he tried to stand up.


    Kiaran helped his father stand up as his eyes locked on his father''s face. His father though, father was looking behind Kiaran with startled eyes. Cain''s mouth agape, he was at loss for his words.


    "Kiaran, look at the shattered mirror behind you and tell me if you see the same thing too." His father commanded him in a terrified voice.


    Kiaran frowned upon Cain''s words. He slowly looked behind him, it was as if the world was in slow motion, his eyes staring at a boy in the mirror.


    He gasped loudly upon seeing that. He saw Axel perfectly healthy, eating something from his plate as he stared boringly at his own food.


    Kiaran walked to the mirror, ignoring how the shattered glasses around him were cutting his feet. His hand touched the mirror on the wall, he could see his hands bleeding from cuts but he could not care less.


    He brushed his hand on the shattered mirror, clearing the broken glass that was still intact to the wall only to reveal another mirror behind it.


    Another mirror with a boy they had lost.


    He did not notice how his father was already beside him, staring at the boy they lost who was eating lazily in a dining room that was almost the same as their own.


    Kiaran looked behind him to see the boy, but they did not find anything.


    He frowned upon that, looking back to the mirror, almost startled as he saw Axel was standing in front of him.


    He was tidying his clothes in front of him, looking right to the mirror. Kiaran touched the mirror, hands trailing on Axel''s face longingly.


    He was the same Axel yet different. There were no wings behind his back, no red eyes, only a pair of soft blue eyes.


    "Axel?" His father whispered. The boy looked startled a little bit and looked around his dining room.


    "Father? Is that you?" He asked quietly as Axel looked around behind him, turning his back on the mirror.


    "Yes, it''s me, son," Cain answered as he tried to reach the boy through the mirror, only to fail.


    "You come back, already?" The boy asked as he went away from the dining room, furrowing his eyebrows as doing so.


    "Father, where are you?" The sound of Axel yelling was getting further away as the demons watched Axel turning their back on them.


    A beat of silence surrounded them as they saw the boy who was supposed to be dead, vanish from their sight.


    "Yes, father, I see the same thing too." Kiaran broke the silence as he answered his father almost too late.


    ??????


    Acceptance?


    They thought they would get into acceptance, but it was proven wrong when they saw their kid healthy and alive.


    Though he did not have a black wing nor red eyes. He had bright blue eyes that could describe an ocean and was sitting on a table, eating something that they could not describe.


    They broke another mirror in the house with the cursed arrow, experimenting if they would see Axel again in a different part of the house.


    They did.


    Adreanna had already come back from her killing spree upon hearing the news. She stared at the boy who was sleeping in his bedroom. She could not see the boy in the bed in the room she was in, but she could see him on the other side of the mirror.


    He was sleeping and was not dying.


    Adreanna was staring without a word in the mirror as her father walked in with three cups of hot chocolates in his hand. He gave the cup to Adreanna and Kiaran, leaving one cup in front of the mirror where the sleeping boy was.


    Kiaran read a book for Axel when he noticed his little brother was having a nightmare alone. They kept staring at him in his sleep and Axel would wake up looking around because he swore he heard Kiaran talking.


    Axel looked healthy but sad. It was like when Kiaran manipulated him, Adreanna left him to die, and his father abandoned him.


    They could not bear a thought on how this other Axel, no-


    Their Axel suffered in another world too. Axel deserved to be happy, Axel deserved the world, they realized it when it was too late.


    Or could they really make Axel happy?


    They should have realized sooner, they should have realized their kid was suffering. Maybe this was their second chance. Was this a redemption? Was this guilt?


    Was this a redemption or were they never actually made it past through denial?


    That night, the one-way mirror had become a two-way mirror and three demons smiled wickedly.


    They finally had their youngest one back.

 Chapter 5 - The Package : Part 1

    The world of humans. The place where corruptions, manipulations, power play, and lies were everywhere. They did all of that easily in every environment they were in. Either consciously or unconsciously.


    They blamed the others for what was happening, too blind to realize that they were the ones who did that too. Everyone believed they were right, they tend to play the hero of the story.


    What a pity.


    "You think you can lie to me?" Kiaran''s voice rang in the air. A mocking smile formed on his face as his blue eyes looked at the man in front of him.


    A coin was being played at his finger, getting tossed to the air as he caught it again. The gold color of it hauntingly glimmered despite the dark room the two men were in.


    Kiaran walked closer to the man, so close that he could see the man''s sweat underneath the fancy suit he was wearing. "You dare lie to me?" Kiaran asked once again.


    The fancy suit man tried to keep a strong facade as he stared at Kiaan''s half masked face. "I really don''t know what you''re talking about." He cleared his voice.


    "Now if you''ll excuse me, I''ve got a meeting to attend." The man quickly spoke and went to leave the room.


    He was halfway leaving when Kiaran suddenly pushed him to the wall and pull the collar of his suit, making the man startled.


    "Tell me where the package is or-" Kiaran took out a gun from his pocket and put it on the man''s head. "-you''re dead." He threatened.


    The old fancy suit man just stared unwaveringly at Kiaran, as if taunting him. "You know you can''t kill me." He sneered.


    Kiaran raised an eyebrow at the statement. "Oh? What makes you think of that?"


    "Because people know you can''t kill, you''re just full of your words, trying to be intimidating." Belittled the man as he smirked at Kiaran.


    Kiaran grumbled under his breath, he gritted his teeth. He let go of the man harshly and sighed. He lowered the mask that was covering half of his face as he brushed his black hair.


    The man startled a little at the sudden movement, his eyes bulged at the sight of Kiaran. No one was supposed to know the mercenary''s identity, everyone who saw his face ended up dying.


    "Listen here old man," His head looked over to the man, a finger pointing at his own face. "You already see my face now, you know what''s gonna happen." He stated hauntingly.


    "Consider this as an assurance, you tell me where the package is and I''ll let you go with the knowledge of my face." Said Kiaran. The 18-year-old leaned on a table, waiting for the man to answer.


    "Why would I do that, huh? It''s only your face, I d-don''t get anything by saying shits." The man answered, trying to keep his cool.


    Kiaran clicked his tongue. "Ah, I forgot to tell you the other side of the assurance, huh?"


    Kiaran played with the coin in his hand again. "The assurance is either you tell me ''shits'' or you''re dead." He said casually.


    "And you just admitted that you do know something." Kiaran smiled, making his eyes form a crescent moon shape.


    "W-well, you can''t kill." The man said defensively, crossing his sweating hands over his chest.


    Kiaran''s mouth formed a circle shape. "Oh right, I can''t kill." He paused and snapped his finger. "But he can."


    A half-masked man came into the room, he wore a white hat over his black hair. The identical blue eyes looked at Kiaran and nodded his head.


    Kiaran threw his gun at the person and he caught it easily. He quickly pointed the gun at the fancy suit man.


    Kiaran clasped his hand and smiled again. "So, which assurances do you want, old man?"


    The man staggered back, he quickly bowed his head down, trying not to look at the two persons standing before him. "T-the package is with the head minister, she kept it with her."


    Kiaran''s smile widened. "So you want the first assurance, that''s great!" He exclaimed as he went to pat the man''s shoulder.


    He moved his mouth to the man''s ear, eyes glinted with madness. "Too bad I lied." Whispered the teen.


    Kiaran could feel the man''s breath hitched. He chuckled and walked away. He looked over the boy who steadily held his gun.


    "Axel, finish him."


    Kiaran got out of the room when he heard the man''s scream cut through as the sound of three gunshots rang in his ear.


    He smiled.


    ??????


    Axel disposed of his clothes and quickly washed his hands. He looked at the mirror and sighed. Blue eyes tiredly met with each other and all he could see was a murderer.


    He grumbled under his breath and turned off the water. The boy quickly got out of the bathroom just to meet with his brother who was heading to the front door.


    "Where are you going?" Axel asked, fluffy hair dripping wet.


    "To get a drink or to commit an arson," Kiaran answered, half yelling. "I''ll decide it on the way."


    The door slammed close, leaving Axel standing and staring at it alone. He sighed for the second time today and decided to eat something.


    He lazily walked to the dining table, checking some leftovers. He took some food and put it down on the table. The sound of a chair creaking filled the house as the boy sat down.


    The three chairs around him mockingly stared at him. His father and his sister had been gone for a month, there was no use to wait because his father would be gone again with his favorite child when he got back to the house.


    It was always like this. His father would avoid him at all cost, abandoning his presence. His sister would ignore him because she always did that.


    She was cool though, especially when she fought the governments. Axel saw it once, he actually believed he could call himself her number one fan.


    She would fight gracefully with no words. Her cold stare could make those who see them awed and trembled, depending on the situation.


    Axel finished his food and put it down on the dishwasher. His ocean eyes caught the big mirror and went over to it. He tidied his hair and clothes as he stared at the sight of a murderer again.


    As he stared at his own reflection, he could not help but feel like he was being watched. Being a murderer made him paranoid of every single thing, he would be really sensitive if someone was staring at him at school.


    "Axel?" A whisper caught his ears, making him startled. He frowned and looked around him. The voice sounded like his father.


    That was weird, was he hearing things?


    "Father? Is that you?" He asked quietly as he turned his back on the mirror. Deep-sea eyes warily scanned around the dining room.


    "Yes, it''s me, son." His father answered with a weird tone in his voice. That was really weird. Not only that, the fact that his father called him a son was eerie too.


    "You come back, already?" He hesitantly asked as he left the dining room, searching for a certain hitman who happened to be his father.


    His head moved to the left and right in the hallway, blue eyes moved around quickly. "Father, where are you?" He half yelled this time as he kept exploring his big house.


    What the hell? Nobody''s at home.


    A loud crash was coming from upstairs, scaring the young boy. He became alert and quickly moved his feet upstairs quietly. He grabbed the hidden gun under the table on the second floor.


    He heard some muffled voices coming from his bedroom. Axel pressed his ear on the door to hear more.


    "It works, this arrow could make us see everything, father." A familiar voice said.


    "But we can''t even come to him, we can only see him." Axel heard the voice again, the voice of his father.


    "I will find a way, don''t worry, father." Was that Kiaran then? He was at home already?


    Axel went to open his door. "Kiaran? Father?" The boy unsurely asked as he took the sight of his bedroom.


    Which was empty.


    Okay, this was getting out of hand. Why did he keep hearing things that sounded like his family? And what was that loud crash?


    "Son?" His father''s voice rang in the room, making Axel look around again.


    "Father, don''t talk." A hushed whisper almost missed Axel''s ear. Axel tried to observe his room again, trying to find a certain mercenary and hitman.


    "Okay, where are you guys? Come on, this is not funny." Axel ventured, his gun was already tucked away. He noticed this was maybe Kiaran''s doing again, trying to scare him.


    He could feel the room getting colder as he spoke and Axel was trying hard to keep his cool. He could not help but notice how his heartbeat fastened as doing so.


    A bell rang in the house, making Axel jump. He shrieked so loud that he swore he could hear Kiaran''s laugh. He just could not find where in the world his brother at.


    The bell rang for the second time and he realized someone was at the door. "Coming!" He yelled and the boy quickly staggered down to the front door.


    He opened the front door to find a guy around his late teen smiling down at him. The leatherback brunette hair danced with the wind as a pair of grey eyes stared down at Axel.


    "Is Adreanna home?" He asked sheepishly, feet fidgeted as he waited for an answer.


    "Oh? My sister? She hasn''t come back for a month now." Axel answered. He tilted his head, trying to find out who''s the man in front of him.


    "You''re her brother? Oh right, silly me. I''m Zack, your hopefully future brother-in-law." He introduced himself and lent his hand out.


    Axel blinked a couple of times at the statement. Adreanna had a boyfriend? She did not tell him at all.


    Well, she would not tell him if she was going to tell anybody at all. She was a walking ice fridge for god sake.


    Axel stuttered at the hand gestured, he was so caught up with his own thoughts that he forgot to accept the offering hand. He quickly accepted the hand and gave a nice smile to Zack.


    "I''m Axel." He stated and moved aside, making an invitation to the older guy.


    "Oh, no, you don''t have to." Zack waved his hands in front of Axel. "You see, I come here to ask her on a date, but she''s not here, so yeah, I better get going." He continued as he patted Axel''s shoulder.


    "You didn''t tell her you would be coming here? You''re her boyfriend, I''m sure she''d come right away." Axel questioned Zack, he leaned on the doorway as he asked him.


    "Oh, this is the best day of my life. Her brother even gives me permission to be her boyfriend!" He exclaimed happily.


    Axel gaped at the statement. "I''m sorry, what?"


    Zack chuckled, the sun stood behind him as if giving him the spotlight. "I don''t even have her number, like I said, I was just going to ask her out."


    "Ah." Axel nodded in understatement. He squinted his eyes, trying to examine Zack.


    He looked like a nice guy, warm like the sun, he could melt his sister anytime. Though he looked stupid but at least had a decent face every girl loved. Usually, the guy who tried to ask her out was a douchebag, but this one could work.


    Alright, Axel approved.


    "She loves the red color theme, she may seem emotionless-" Axel paused, a finger was rubbing his chin. "-which she is, by the way. So good luck." Uttered the boy as he gave a thumb up to Zack.


    "Noted, thanks kiddo." Zack patted Axel''s head. Axel noticed how Zack tried to hide the white flower he had been holding behind his back.


    "I can give you her number if you''d like." Axel offered as he took out his phone.


    Zack''s face beamed at the statement. "Yes, please."


    They ended up exchanging phone numbers with each other too. Zack said he could ask some advice from Axel regarding Adreanna and Axel seemed cool with that.


    They bid each other goodbye after a few small talks. Axel knew he just gave his number and his sister''s to a stranger, but well, if he was a bad person, Adreanna would probably kill him off anyway.


    He closed the door and made his way upstairs again. He took one glance at the big mirror in the living room.


    This house sure had many mirrors.

 Chapter 6 - The Package : Part 2

    "Wait, you weren''t at home?" Axel asked Kiaran who just came from the front door, all burned up, literally.


    His messy black hair was wet either from gasoline or water, Axel could not tell. The clothes Kiaran wore had a couple of fires that had not died yet.


    "Do I look like I was at home, Axel?" Kiaran pointed out as he took off his burnt shoe. He shook his head repeatedly, trying to dry his wet hair.


    Axel fidgeted in his place as he watched his brother. "Well, I heard your voice in my room, so I thought-"


    "You must be hearing things then." Kiaran paused, he looked over his little brother. "Right, get your clothes, we need to visit a certain head minister."


    Kiaran took off his clothes and quickly changed into his usual criminal one. His black trench coat almost touched the floor as he wore it.


    Axel sighed, he had not moved from his spot at all.


    "Do I have to kill again? Can I not come? I don''t want to kill people, Kiaran." Axel uttered pleadingly.


    "And so do I." Kiaran smiled softly at his little brother. "I don''t want to kill people too." He said as he splashed water over his burnt clothes.


    "That''s why I need you, I can''t possibly get my job done without you, Axel." Kiaran assured. He made his way to his little brother and messed with Axel''s hair.


    "If you don''t want to kill them, can''t you just stop doing all of this?" Axel looked up at his brother who was still messing his hair. Blue eyes met with each other, the other was concealed with lies and the other one was concealed with sincerity.


    "You know I can''t, we can''t, Axel. You need to make our father proud, remember?" Kiaran hugged the boy as Axel leaned on his chest.


    "I want to make father proud." He muttered. The boy closed his eyes while Kiaran kept playing with his hair.


    "Exactly." Acknowledged the older teen. "That''s why you need me to help you." Continued Kiaran.


    "Do you want me to help you, Axel?" Kiaran asked, waiting for Axel to answer.


    The boy in question just nodded his head and Kiaran took it as an absolute win. "That''s my brother."


    ??????


    A woman around her forties was busy working with papers on her desk. Glasses adorned her eyes as she scanned her work.


    The room she was in was fancy, gold decorations were everywhere and people who saw it knew that she ate all the people''s money to gain that. Yet everyone stayed silent at her behavior.


    Paintings that could cost someone''s lifetime hang around the wall. They sat there and watched the woman fake some documents again.


    Kiaran and Axel burst in from the door, sending it flying as doing so. A mask covered half of their faces, one was black and the other was white. Only bright blue eyes were visible on the sights. Though Axel''s white cap covered most of his blue eyes.


    "I''m still working, come back later." The woman spoke without giving a single glance to both of them.


    "I''m afraid you can''t work anymore, ma''am." Kiaran said. He came to the woman''s desk and put a demanding hands on it.


    "Where''s the package?" He demanded. Axel followed Kiaran behind, a gun was aiming at the woman''s head.


    The woman sighed, she put down the paper in her hands and finally stared at Kiaran''s blue eyes. "I don''t know what you''re talking about, if you want money, just take whatever you want in here before my guards kill you."


    Kiaran chuckled, his smile widened madly behind his mask. "I don''t want your petty money, I want the package."


    "And besides," Kiaran paused, he leaned over to the woman and stared dead right to her greedy eyes. "I''ve finished off all of your guards."


    The bright room was dead silent after Kiaran''s statement. Axel loyally stood there, ready to shoot the woman anytime while the woman raised an eyebrow at Kiaran.


    The woman lowered her glasses to see the infamous mercenary. "Oh, so you''re the one who killed my assistance." She lightly pointed out.


    "Yes, and he said the package is with you," Kiaran admitted. He made a gesture with his head to Axel, making the boy get closer to the woman and aim the gun at her head.


    "So, care to tell me where the hell that is, ma''am?" The mercenary leaned on the table as he watched the woman smile.


    "Yeah, I''d rather not." Uttered the woman.


    Suddenly bodyguards came into the room, they pointed their guns at the two brothers, leaving no room to run.


    "Damn, there are more? And here I thought I''ve finished off every single one of them." Kiaran talked, unfazed at the threat in front of him.


    The woman smirked at that, she tilted her head at Kiaran. "I have the finest bodyguards that could kill you in a second." She spoke with confidence as she crossed her hands over her chest.


    "I told you to take whatever you want and leave, too bad you can''t leave now." She smiled, belittling the infamous mercenary.


    "Boys, finished them." The woman commanded and the room fell into chaos.


    Kiaran was still standing there, dodging the bullet that ran through past his ears easily. Axel became his shield and flipped right in front of his brother. He put away his gun and took out six little knives that he held steadily in his hands.


    The young boy lunged, feet pounding the floor, throwing knives as they met with the head of his opponent. Axel''s knife slid down the fancy wall, skidding.


    Breaths steadily caught in his head, having done this many times now. Axel swung again, a high slice through the air as his knife found its way to the opponent''s heart.


    Four bodyguards were already down and Axel still had two knives left. His next swing was caught by one of them, and Kiaran upon seeing that smirked because he knew what was going to happen.


    Axel jumped high in the air and kicked the knife in one of the bodyguard''s hands, making it flung away to the other bodyguard right in his eyes.


    The bodyguard that was just holding the knife quickly tried to shoot Axel. The boy saw what he was going to do and kicked his head, sending him to the wall and making a little crack sound.


    One of the bodyguards tried to shoot from behind and Axel threw his last knife backward without batting an eye. The bodyguard fell down backward from the knife that was stuck in his left neck. Blood oozing down on the white floor, staining it red.


    "Oh look, there are five more bodyguards to go," Kiaran commented while putting out a gun and aiming at the camera in the corner of the room.


    The woman was startled at the sudden loud bang near her, she looked at Kiaran with a wide eye. "Oops, sorry for startling you, I didn''t mean to." The mercenary casually said.


    Kiaran lowered his mask and smiled charmingly at the woman. He tucked away his gun and brought out his cigarette. "You want one?" The black hair teen asked.


    The woman just stared at him in disbelief. Her mouth agape at the teen''s face. Kiaran shrugged, messy black hair bounced around as he lit his cigarette.


    Placing a cigarette in the corner of his mouth, his other hand was holding his weight as he leaned back on the woman''s table.


    "It''s my favorite part when he took out his gun, watch." Kiaran nodded at Axel who was still fighting for him.


    The woman could not help but look over at Axel. Her eyes were looking at Kiaran and Axel back and forth. Though, her hand slowly reached the gun under her table.


    "I wouldn''t do that if I were you," Kiaran stated. He blew some smoke from his lung as he smiled again at the woman. "Watch my brother in action, would you?"


    The woman''s breath hitched as she saw two more of her bodyguards fall down bleeding on the floor. There were three people left in front of Axel. The boy did not sweat at all as his soft blue eyes turned murderous.


    The three bodyguards lunged at Axel. The boy quickly dodged down and rolled under one of the men. His cap fell down as doing so, revealing fluffy black hair underneath.


    He took out two guns, spun around, and suddenly the three opponents were already on the ground with a hole in his head. The woman gasped at the corpses in front of her.


    A sound of clapping rang in the air as Kiaran blew a whistle at Axel''s performance. "That''s my brother!" Kiaran exclaimed.


    Axel bit back a smile and quickly got his cap back and hid his black hair again. The boy''s expression went stoic as he stared at his brother and nodded approvingly.


    Kiaran looked over the trembling white-faced woman and nudged her. "He''s doing a great job, you should compliment a kid you know."


    She staggered back and quickly put out a gun, aiming at Kiaran''s head. Kiaran calmly put his hands in the air and raised an eyebrow at the woman. He spat the cigarette in his mouth as Axel aimed his gun at her.


    "Put your gun down or I''ll shoot him." The woman stated stoically. Her hands trembled as she tried to hold the gun steadily.


    "Put your gun down," Kiaran ordered Axel as the blue eyes met the other blue ones.


    Axel lowered his gun hesitantly and put it on the floor. His eyes still stared at Kiaran''s, questioning what should he do. Kiaran just nodded in assurance and Axel obeyed his brother.


    "Okay ma''am, I need you to tell me where the package is and you can live." Kiaran demanded softly at the aggressive woman.


    "How can I trust you not going to kill me right after I tell you?" She retorted back as she walked backward slowly.


    "And I''m not dumb. I''ve seen your face now. No one lives after seeing the mercenary''s face." She continued, heels clanking with the floor slowly as she still made her way backward.


    "Damn, I''m that famous, huh?" Chuckled Kiaran as he smiled delightfully at the woman.


    Axel was just standing in silence, worrying about his brother but at the same time, he knew his brother got a plan.


    "See, you can trust me because you''re the one who is holding the gun at the moment, and I just want to know where the package is and you can run away after telling me," Kiaran reassured. His hands were still in the air, unmoving.


    "I can run away right now then, without telling you anything." Said the terrified woman who was somehow still had confidence that he could outrun a murderer and a mercenary.


    "You can, yes." Kiaran darted, the teen stared deadly at the woman''s eyes. "But if a certain assassin follows you right after, it''s not my responsibility."


    The woman''s eyes widened at his statement. Everyone knew the famous assassin who killed every government higher-up and she was happened to be the government that could be on the assassin''s list.


    Axel tried to hold his laugh at Kiaran''s statement. Adreanna was not even here, it was typical for him to use their older sister as a threat.


    "The package is behind that painting, the code is 3379." She stuttered as her eyes stared at a certain painting.


    Kiaran smiled at her again and then made his way over the painting. He scanned it and ran his finger on the side of the painting. He raised his eyebrows when he opened the painting, revealing a neat safe behind it.


    Kiaran looked at the woman from the corner of his ocean eyes and found the woman trembling like crazy. The woman was staring at him like she was anticipating something to happen.


    Kiaran snickered at her and focused back on the safe. He narrowed his eyes at the buttons. He examined it thoroughly, making the tension higher in the air.


    The woman''s hand was still aiming at Kiaran while Axel was just watching his brother in action. The silence sang in the air, only the woman''s ragged breath adorning it.


    Kiaran pushed the button slowly, his fingers danced with the button, pushing four-digit numbers. And then a click was heard and the door opened, revealing a white box in front of him.


    He took the box and examined it, blue eyes watching the neatly wrapped white box in his hand. He opened it and frowned. He looked up to the woman and chuckled.


    "I was not expecting this as a two million dollars worth package, not going to lie, a bit disappointed." He uttered as he walked over to the woman.


    His expression went dark as he got even closer to the woman. "You were disappointed too that I could open the safe instead of triggering the police, right?"


    The woman was shrinking away, gun still pointing at Kiaran. "S-stay away from me!" She yelled hysterically at him.


    "You were giving me the wrong code, I noticed it right away when I saw the safe, the fingerprint was not on the button you told me." He stopped right in front of the woman after he cornered her.


    "You were trying to trick a mercenary, ma''am." He teased the woman as he got really close to the woman.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll take whatever I want and leave right away as you told me to." Said Kiaran as he took a step back.


    Kiaran played with the box and tossed it in the air just to catch it again. He widened his smile at the woman.


    "Too bad I want to take your life too."


    Kiaran ducked his head and Axel shot the woman. Her eyes rolled back and the blood splattered on the wall from her head.


    Kiaran looked back at Axel and pat his head. "Let''s get out of here, shall we?" He said as he put back his mask.


    Axel nodded and walked by his brother, blue eyes wandered as they stared at the white box. "What''s in that?" The murderer asked.


    "Some weird-ass looking a single black arrow." Answered the mercenary as they got out of the room with corpses all over the floor.


    "That crazy scientist gives me two million dollars for this shit." He continued as they made their way out, some dead bodyguards were on their way.


    Suddenly a sound of a loud siren rang in their ears and someone shouted, guns were aimed at the two masked criminals.


    "Put your hands in the air! You are under arrest."

 Chapter 7 - The Package : Part 3

    "Put your hands in the air! You are under arrest." A stern voice shouted, surrounding the sound of sirens all around.


    Multiple guns were aimed at the mercenary and the murderer. Axel looked over to Kiaran to see him sigh and put down the package on the floor. Kiaran lazily put his hands in the air, Axel followed him right after.


    "Seriously, police boy?" Kiaran deadpanned, he stared right at the policeman who was commanding them to put their hands in the air.


    "I was just having this ''put your hands in the air'' scenario like a minute ago, this is getting boring." He continued talking. The blue eyes meet the green ones dully.


    The all suit-up policeman walked forward slowly to Kiaran. Blond hair was dancing on his head as the wind from the helicopter outside blew it. Kiaran watched the policeman with a smirk, he knew this guy would always be there every time he finished a big job.


    And it was fun to tease him.


    "It''s lieutenant Valerian for you, mercenary." The policeman justified his name as he glared at Kiaran.


    "Nah," Kiaran darted, a mischievous look etched on his face. "Your name''s too damn long, police boy." He teased, earning a grunt from Valerian.


    Valerian was still making his way to Kiaran cautiously, he was waiting for Kiaran to pull his foolish stunts like he always did. He did not even know why he even bothered to wait, it was just the usual thing between them.


    "Then, tell me your name, mercenary." The lieutenant retorted back, eyes still locked on the criminal. "I can''t keep calling you ''mercenary'' can''t I?" He continued as he got really close with Kiaran.


    "Nah," The mercenary paused, smirking. Though it was hidden by his mask, he knew Valerian felt it. "Mercenary has a nice ring in your mouth." He answered casually.


    Axel was looking back and forth between the two enemies in wary. He was getting worried as Valerian got too close with them.


    Kiaran noticed the boy''s discomfort and quickly looked over to Valerian, who knew when would he meet his sworn enemy again after he got away tonight. He noticed the bag under Valerian''s eyes and chuckled, did he pull all-nighters to find him again?


    Damn, what a fan.


    "Alright, my murderer right here is starting to get worried, it was a nice conversation, police boy, but I got to go." He uttered as he took a step back, followed by Axel with their hands still in the air.


    Valerian''s green eyes went bug-eyed as he heard the mercenary''s statement. He started running toward Kiaran in hurry.


    Though Kiaran was always a step further, a smoke bomb was already thrown from his sleeve as he saluted the lieutenant. "Until next time, police boy." He muttered as he disappeared within the smoke with Axel.


    "No, no, no, damn it!" Yelled Valerian as he thrashed around the smoke, searching for the mercenary.


    Everyone around him was coughing but Valerian did not care at all. He stomped his way back as the people around watched him in pity. They knew their lieutenant was a sworn enemy with the infamous mercenary.


    And the youngest lieutenant in this city was lost to the mercenary again.


    ??????


    "Great job for today, Axel. I''m proud of you." Kiaran complimented his little brother as they arrived home.


    Axel smiled at his brother as he took off his mask. "Do you want to have dinner together?" The little boy asked.


    Kiaran was still in his suit, busy with the package in his hand. He was texting the mad scientist to meet up. "Not now, Axel."


    He jumped out of the window after fixing his mask. "Maybe tomorrow, I got to go." The voice faded as Axel watched his brother disappear from his sight.


    "That''s what you said yesterday." The poor boy mumbled, knowing that his brother would not hear him anyway.


    Axel walked towards the kitchen, his blue eyes caught the sight of an apple and took it. He did not feel like eating something big tonight.


    He chewed his apple while staring at his reflection. The big mirror was a really weird decoration to put in the dining room. His father sure had a weird taste, huh.


    Well, he did not know anything at all about his father, so why even bother. He just hoped his father would be proud of his accomplishments for this family. He had been helping Kiaran for so long now.


    The mirror suddenly flashed into three people staring at him with obvious longing eyes. It flashed onto his family but with some weird red eyes and-


    Was that a wing?


    Axel''s breath hitched, he automatically took a step back. The startled boy''s hand accidentally brushed off the glass on the dining table, making a loud crash on the floor.


    He jumped at the sound and dropped the apple in his hand. He swore at himself as he began to take the scattered glasses one by one.


    "Be careful, don''t hurt yourself." A voice that sounded like his father rang in the air, causing the boy to make a quick involuntary movement and hurt himself.


    He grimaced as the glasses sliced his hand. A drop of blood fell down to the floor and he could feel his heartbeat pumping. He whimpered softly as he took away all the glasses from the floor and threw them away.


    "I told you to not hurt yourself and you did exactly that." His father spoke again and Axel quickly scanned his surrounding.


    "Uh, father?" Axel hesitantly asked, he was getting all the goosebumps when he could not see his father at all.


    "I would tend the wound if I were you." A monotone voice spoke. Axel knew it so well to be Adreanna''s.


    "Haha, what the fuck?" Muttered the boy as he held his wound while looking around the dining room guardedly.


    "I think the first aid kit is in the far-right cabinet." And now it was Kiaran''s voice. Didn''t he just leave earlier?


    The voice came from here, so why couldn''t he see them at all? What was happening? Why did he keep hearing their voices yet could not see them at all?


    "Take a deep breath, kid. Tend your wound." Adreanna reassured, her emotionless tone somehow calming him.


    "Okay, okay." Axel breathed. He made his way over to the cabinet that his brother just pointed out. He opened it and took the first aid kit.


    He placed it on the table and took out some bandages. He washed off the wound first before finally applying it to his wounded hand.


    When he finished tending himself, his blue eyes once again wandered into the dining room. "Where are you guys?" He raised his voice to the air.


    There was no answer.


    The boy laughed dryly as he looked around again. Of course, they were not here. Why would they be? They were never there for him. They never were.


    "I''m starting to hallucinate, I should go to sleep." He shivered. He stared at the mirror one last time before running to his room upstairs.


    When he went to bed, he was expecting a nightmare like he always had every night.


    But tonight, for the first time in forever, he slept soundly as he heard Kiaran''s voice reading him his favorite book.


    That was nice.


    ??????


    Axel ran full speed with a slice of bread in his mouth. His fluffy black hair was messy as it bounced around with the wind. He jumped over a bench on the sidewalk and burst through the people.


    The sun was shining, befalling the city with its light, watching the boy trying to get to school on time. The traffic around him was loud but the boy could not hear anything besides the wind in his ears.


    He almost bumped into people, making them startled. Though he did not have time to apologize so he just kept running like his whole life depended on it.


    A big gate was becoming visible in his blue eyes and he smiled through the slice of bread in his mouth. He made it to the school and he was not late!


    He knew it was too good to be true when he saw the gate was closing.


    His smile quickly vanished as he fastened his pace. He could hear his own heartbeat in his ears while he was getting closer to the closing gate.


    He widened his eyes when the gate was a few inches from getting close. He saw a few kids were in the same position as him, running.


    He easily raced all of them and jumped. He flipped right before the gate closed and went right through.


    The sound of a loud clank rang behind him. He looked back to see the gate was already closed. He smiled triumphantly as he walked backward, enjoying the view of some kids grunting from being too late.


    He suddenly stopped when his back bumped into something- no, more like someone.


    He turned his head slowly and quickly was met with the one and only Aster. The biggest jerk in this world who happened to be his bully.


    "Here we go again." Groaned the boy as he met Aster''s eyes. Two of his minions stood right behind the bully like a loyal dog, looking at him like he was trash.


    Which, ironically, he was trash in everyone''s eyes.


    "Oh look at what we have here." Aster chimed as he crossed his hands over his chest. "The one and only rotten nerd in the world." He continued as he looked down on Axel.


    Axel wished they would just stop now, this was getting tiring. He looked down on the floor, trying to avoid Aster and his minions'' gaze.


    Don''t be wrong, he could kill all of them easily in one swift move. But he couldn''t because he would not kill anyone outside his brother''s wish. It was just wrong, you know. To kill, he meant.


    If he could take it then it was fine. If he started fighting back, someone would be the next victim which would be a pain because it would just add more to his guilt list which already had more than a thousand.


    Besides, he would love to be a normal boy in this school. A nice normal boy coming from a normal family who was not a criminal at all.


    It sounded nice, he loved it. He wished he could be this fake version of him.


    Aster knocked him back to reality when he suddenly held him by his collar. The grip was tightened around Axel''s neck as the blue eyes met with the wicked green one.


    "Listen to me when I talk, loser." Roared Aster. His dirty blonde hair brushed with Axel''s eyes as they stared at each other.


    "Sorry," Axel mumbled. He closed his eyes as he felt Aster''s hair brush them. Okay, this boy was too close with him, he would like to go, please.


    "Hey, stop it!" A high pitch voice exclaimed from afar.


    Oh look, his savior had come. Thank you, thank you so much. He would like to go to class, please. Just for today, he would like no beatings.


    A red ponytail girl arrived with her hands on her hip and her elbow turned outward. She looked at Axel and smiled, earning a smile back from the receiver before she diverted her gaze over Aster and frowned.


    "Let go of him." She commanded. Her sharp hazel eyes supported her red hair as they stared harshly at the bully.


    "Oh, the white knight has come to save her prince." Aster mocked and quickly shoved Axel to the ground, earning a grunt from the boy.


    "Fine, miss president, I''ll leave." The dirty blonde hair continued before he left Axel alone with his minions on his tail. Turning their back on him.


    A helping hand was offered to him and Axel gratefully took it. He stood up and looked over his only friend who was looking at him with a mild grave look mixed with apologetic hazel eyes.


    "No, don''t look at me like that, Rune." Axel sighed, he playfully shoved Rune with his shoulder, earning a whack on the back of his head as a result.


    "We''re in high school now and I''ve been becoming your white knight since elementary school with the same opponent, every day." The girl complained.


    "I offer to teach you some little martial arts to defend yourself and you always say no." Rune continued, her red ponytail bounced around as they walked side by side.


    "I can''t save you every time, you know." She finished her sentence by putting her hand over Axel''s shoulder.


    "I know, don''t w-" Axel''s sentence was cut by his best friend.


    "Don''t worry about you?" She spoke in disbelief. "You''re my best friend, of course I worry about you, silly." She stated, eyes looking at Axel disapprovingly.


    Axel opened his mouth to answer back but quickly got cut off by Rune. "You always said that it was fine to take the beating, well, it''s not fine for me seeing my best friend suffer!" She complained more at the black-haired boy.


    "Well, you don''t have to worry about me and just focus on becoming the next president of this country." Axel shrugged her off and smiled.


    "Look, just because my father is the president, doesn''t mean I will be the next president, dumbass." She retorted back and brought Axel closer to her, whacking his head softly.


    "I mean, he does want me to be a president someday, but it''s not right now." She corrected herself and shrugged.


    "But you will be one, one day, right?" Axel darted, he grinned at Rune. "So I am right."


    "Ugh, fine." Rune rolled her eyes at Axel who was grinning widely at her.


    They walked together to their class. Rune was glaring at Aster who was watching the two of them mockingly as they got into their class. They sat side by side and Axel immediately slumped in his chair.


    The red hair girl shuffled the inside of her bag and brought out a little white box. Axel was watching in interest as she shoved the box to him.


    "Here, take it." Rune insisted.


    Axel took the little white box and opened it to find a necklace with a little silver arrow. He narrowed his eyes and looked over at his best friend.


    "What''s this?" He asked curiously.


    "Just a little package for you. I bought it yesterday when I travel with dad." She muttered, feet fidgeting as she waited for Axel''s answer.


    "A package, huh?" Axel muttered and examined the necklace in his hands. The little arrow was shining at him as the sun''s light outside the window bounced from it.


    He quickly wore it, eyes focusing on the little arrow. Rune watched with anticipation as a soft click was heard from the back of the necklace.


    Axel looked over to Rune''s hazel eyes and smiled genuinely.. "It''s nice, thanks."

 Chapter 8 - The Governments Secret : Part 1

    Nightfall had settled over the burgeoning country. The foreboding feeling in people''s hearts was being ignored as they continued their life in this world full of lies.


    The lights were shining from the buildings all around the city. It made the town look lively despite the dark secret hidden all over. Shadows were hidden away from the beautiful deceitful lights.


    By the time Adreanna reemerged from the shadow, a gun was already aimed at the oblivious politician. She settled down inside the ventilation system, her gun was poking from the gap beneath her.


    The politician looked nervous, he was busy looking around as he destroyed all the paper in his hands with the paper shredder machine. The loud sound of the machine buzzing took over the little movement sound in the ventilation above his head.


    No one was in the room aside from her target. It was way past the work time already. People were already leaving one by one, hurrying their steps to their home.


    But some of them were still in the hallway, passing by. A couple of them glanced at the room the politician was in, oblivious by the fate of the person they sought would be by the end of the night.


    Adreanna''s breath stayed steady as she waited patiently. Her eyes were focusing on the man beneath her, unwavering. Her finger was already laid on the trigger, a single pull was all it took to finish her job.


    She listened closely to her surroundings. The 19-year-old batted her eyelashes slowly, burning her gaze on the man like a hunter with her prey. Blue eyes shimmered within the darkness of the ventilation, haunting the room.


    Just a couple more seconds. She should wait a little more.


    Adreanna watched as the man trembled while doing his job. He was oddly tense. It was weird how his hand was shaking as he shredded the papers in his hand.


    Was he aware of her presence?


    No, she did not think so. If he really was aware, he would get out of the room already. He was scared of something else, something in the paper.


    This intrigued her. The cold girl in her late teen tried to catch a glance at the paper. She caught some letters but it was vague. Well, there was only one way to find out, she should shoot him right n-


    A loud ringtone suddenly rang through the ventilation. She jumped slightly at the sound, almost hitting her head at the sudden sound.


    Realization hit her hard when she found out it was her own cellphone.


    She quickly took out her handphone from her pocket, eyes squinting at the unknown number appearing on her screen. Adreanna did not have time to find out who it was and tried to turn it off.


    Emphasis on the try.


    The screen seemed to be glitching and she could not even shut it down. The ringtone was still playing loudly, adorning the room with its sound.


    Sure as hell her target was aware of her presence now.


    "Who- who''s there?!" Her target wobbly shouted in the room. Eyes twitching around in fear.


    She was alerted by her target''s consciousness and smashed her handphone, sighing when the ringing finally seemed to stop. The screen turned black as she watched her phone die in her hand.


    Until a voice note was played.


    "Are you serious?" She whispered to her handphone harshly.


    "Hey, uh, I know you might don''t remember me, but I''ve been trying to text you for a week." A male voice played out.


    She grunted when her target ran to the door. She put back her cellphone in her pocket and kicked the ventilation down, earning a loud noise as a result.


    "Look, I know it''s not a really good move to hack your phone- kind of invalidation of privacy actually." The voice still rolling from her phone as Adreanna went into action.


    The deadly assassin dropped down to the floor with a loud thump and kicked a table, making it slide down right in front of her target. The table blocked the door as the man frantically turned to Adreanna and widened his eyes.


    "But uh, I''m kind of out of idea on how to approach you- and um, I already went to your home a week ago- which I got your address from hacking, sorry, but you weren''t there, so-" The voice note was still playing as she aimed her gun at the politician.


    Adreanna''s porcelain mask covered all her face, leaving the rest of her body covered with a black cloak. The red mask hauntingly stared down at her shaking target, lights bouncing off it.


    "And then your brother opened the door and he kindly gave me your number-"


    "What?" Adreanna snapped at the voice note upon hearing the statement, making the trembling politician jump.


    "-which I can get by hacking actually, but I don''t want to go that far so at least I got this number truthfully." The voice note continued.


    She closed her eyes in irritation and pulled the trigger without giving a single glance at the politician. The poor man dropped down on the floor, mouth wide open with a hole in his forehead.


    "So yeah, please contact me back. I- I want to thank you for saving me that day, I''m hoping we can get a coffee?" The recorded voice hesitantly asked.


    "So um, goodbye! See you later, maybe." The voice note finally ended and Adreanna would lie if she was not at least a little bit relieved.


    The assassin adjusted her red porcelain mask while looking at the dead man in front of her. A paper flew to her shoe, she raised an eyebrow and took it from the ground with her red-colored gloved hand.


    Oh, it was the paper that the man was desperately trying to shred.


    The paper was only halfway shredded, she looked around to find more paper but apparently, the one in her hand was the last one around. She looked back and scanned the paper in her hand.


    It seemed that the governments were up to something again, huh?


    The letters on the paper seemed to be talking about a new secret project. The ominous title was called ''Project DM-1''. The project was about hunting down some specific scientists and kept hidden ''The Dark Arrow''.


    A sudden loud alarm rang through the building, alerting a lockdown. Adreanna rolled her eyes and folded the paper to put it in her pocket. She shot the window near her and jumped off the building.


    She fell down from the high floor she was in, letting the wind blow her cloak off, revealing a black braided hair on display. She shot for the second time at another building with a rope gun and let the gun pull her up.


    She dropped down at the edge of the rooftop and stared down at the building she was in. Police cars were scattered around as people gathered with phones in their hands, recording everything.


    What a mess.


    A man suddenly appeared beside her, as if he had just come out of nowhere. He joined Adreanna and looked down at the lockdown building. She was unfazed by the man''s appearance and just letting him be.


    The man wore a black mask that covered all of his head. He opened the mask and settled down beside Adreanna, letting an identical black hair like Adreanna''s display.


    "Not so slick today, huh?" Commented him.


    Adreanna grumbled under her breath at her father''s statement, resulting in a light chuckle from his father. His father moved closer to his daughter and ruffled her braided hair, making it look messy.


    She stood still as her blue eyes kept watching the scene she just made. That damn voice note ruined her supposed to be a perfect kill.


    ??????


    Around two weeks ago, before the tragedy of a famous politician who got shot to death in his own office, a guy around his late teen was just getting back from grocery shopping in peace.


    He was kind, giving away his smile as people passed by him. Some girls squealed while they walked past him. The grocery bag in one of his hands swayed as he strolled down the street.


    The brunette was humming down the song that blasted through his headphone. His leatherback hair danced with the vague wind as he took in his surroundings. It was a really nice day, the sun was following him while the clouds were getting on the bright star''s way.


    Though, as they said, all good things must come to an end.


    A bunch of men in black came out of a dark street and approached him in silence. One of them made a signal with his head, telling him to follow them.


    The brunette''s lips grew thin and firm. He pushed his hair back from his forehead and made a quiet distress sound. He could feel his heart hammered in his chest as he silently followed them.


    All the men were surrounding him. They walked together to an abandoned building nearby. He could feel his urge to run away but he knew he did not stand a chance at all.


    The sound of creaking from the door was loud and clear. One of the men pushed him forward, making him stumble inside. He was already on razor''s edge of panic as they closed the door behind him.


    He was left standing while they all hovering over him, blocking the front door. One of them stepped forward with his hands in his pocket.


    "Zack Rafflaze." The man stated, circling the late teen.


    Zack''s grey eyes twitched and followed the man''s movement, trying to ignore the obvious knife in the man''s hand. His eyes could not see anything but the threat all over him.


    "We''ve been searching for you for months, hacker. Boss is worried about you, you know." The man continued and stopped right in front of Zack.


    "Worried? She locked me in that house just to hack things. You mafias are the ones who kidnapped me, of course, I would run away." Zack ventured, hoping they won''t notice his trembling voice.


    The man put a hand on Zack''s shoulder. The brunette was trying his best not to flinch from the touch. The hand on his right shoulder suddenly gripped him hard, making him grit his teeth.


    "Well, she would like to ''kidnap'' you back. Your skill is a great value for us." Said the mafia.


    Zack''s fists clenched, grey eyes pointedly stared at the man in front of him. Despite his trembling self, he mustered up his courage to answer the man in front of him.


    "No."


    The mafia raised an eyebrow. "No?"


    Zack stayed still, grey eyes still glaring at the man. Lips curled over his teeth as the man in front of him went to kick his feet, making him stumble back harshly.


    "Well, seems like words don''t work for you." The man darted, signaling the rest of the mafia to come at Zack. "We just have to use force then." He finished his sentence and all hell went loose.


    He was being held as the people around him kicked his ribs and legs. Zack was protecting his head with both of his hands while laying on the hard ground helplessly.


    One of them held him by his collar and dragged him to the front door. He was desperately trying to get the man to let him go, struggling as doing so.


    "Help! Someone help me!" Zack screamed on top of his lung in distress.


    They tried to silence him by punching his stomach. Zack choked a couple of times, breath labored from the pain it caused.


    "Loud." A monotone voice came from the corner of the room, making all of them snap their heads toward the voice.


    A girl with black braided hair came into view, lazily stared down at Zack''s being. Her blue eyes looked like she was just waking up from her nap.


    "You''re so loud." She pointed her finger at Zack.


    One of the mafias moved towards her while smirking. "Hey there pretty, what are you doing here at this place."


    "Napping." She answered truthfully.


    "Well, you can take a nap at my place." He stood in front of her while his hand moved some of her hair from her face.


    "I insist." He continued and forcedly gripped her hair a little.


    Adreanna''s emotionless blue eyes stared at the man. She just stood there like a statue while they both were having a staring contest.


    "Run!" Zack yelled at her from afar, earning a punch from the mafia around him.


    Adreanna turned her head over to Zack. "You were asking for help and now you''re asking me to run?"


    "They are dangerous, they are not at your level, go!" Zack desperately cried.


    She tilted her head at him and scanned around. Her ocean eyes were watching the men around Zack and stopped at the mafia in front of her. She judgementally looked up and down at the man. The infamous assassin raised her eyebrows at the mafia.


    "Yeah, you''re right." She paused, eyes becoming sharp as she looked at Zack once more.


    "They''re not my level.." She finished her sentence and the man in front of her suddenly dropped down at her feet, unconscious.

 Chapter 9 - The Governments Secret : Part 2

    There was this rumor going around about some famous faceless criminals in this country. They were so popular among teenagers and politicians. People would talk about them in a hushed whisper and they would find the thrill in it.


    No, they were not just some easy robbers or some killers in the street. It was not even the mafia that kidnapped Zack before.


    It was the four criminals. The hitman that never misses, the assassin of governments, the mercenary that never kills, and the mercenary''s deadly murderer. They had their own specialties like some heroes or something.


    Well, not heroes, more like villains. Wrong choice of word.


    No one knew who they four were. And if someone did know, they would be in the afterlife with that knowledge already.


    The four criminals all wore masks for identity sake like Spider-man with his red bright mask. The hitman wore all black with a fancy mask that covered his whole head and a black suit.


    The mercenary wore a black trench coat with a black half-mask while his mute murderer wore a white hoodie with jeans alongside a white cap and white half-mask. Some people called them the deadly yin and yang.


    And of course, the famous red assassin. The assassin was Zack''s favorite criminals. The red porcelain mask covered her face with the black cloak and red fancy gloves. It was so cool and he found himself fanboying at the sight.


    Okay, maybe he was not supposed to root for a criminal who actually killed people, but she was- she was his hero. She was the reason why he could run away from the hell hole he was captured in.


    It happened about a year ago. When the damn mafia took him to be forced labor. Locked him in for six months to work as a hacker in their so-called family. It was a nightmare for him until she came.


    She came to kill the previous boss who happened to be the current boss''s husband. That was when his opportunity struck.


    When grey eyes met the red porcelain mask, slightly seeing the deep blue eyes behind it. When the hacker met the assassin and so he pleaded to be saved. When Zack did not know that the woman actually cared enough to save him.


    And when he never got to say thank you for what she did for him.


    And now, Zack was saved by her again. Though he did not know that.


    "Holy shit." Zack breathed. Everyone was frozen as they watched Adreanna sweep the mafia in front of her and knock him out in one swift move.


    Everyone stood still as if waiting for her to do something. Adreanna swiped the invisible dust on her tight shirt and cracked her neck. She sighed boringly as her gaze fell to the people around Zack.


    The abandoned building they were in suddenly felt too intense. The atmosphere was tight and the group of mafias unconsciously hunched their shoulders. One of them was still holding Zack by the collar, making it ten times more tense for Zack.


    All hell broke loose when Adreanna skidded down the floor and kicked the man who was choking Zack with his hold. The man stumbled and fell down headfirst. Zack swore he could hear a crack.


    Zack quickly turned his head away, grimacing for the poor mafia. He could feel his heart beating as he closed his eyes, hoping for everything to end soon. Though, he could not help but sometimes peeked a little to make sure the girl was actually alright.


    When he did peek, he was not aware that he opened his mouth and made an ''o'' shape. What he saw was a funny sight yet scary at the same time. The pretty girl was destroying them all.


    Like- they were all getting destroyed destroyed.


    Some of her braided hair went loose as she kicked one of the last men standing''s face and sent him crashing to a wall. The woman''s oddly beautiful blue eyes looked emotionless as she looked down at the pile of bodies that were surrounding her.


    Some of them were groaning on the floor in pain and some of them were unconscious. The woman stood almost proudly in the middle of the room. Her chest was heaving up and down from the fight she was in.


    Her ocean eyes caught the grey one and Zack could feel his world stopped. His heart was throbbing in his ears. He did not know it was from feeling scared towards her or the fact that the woman felt too familiar.


    Or she was too much like his type but he pushed that thought away.


    "Uh, hi?" Zack hesitantly said. He smiled awkwardly and was aware of how he was still trembling on the floor.


    Adreanna was only staring at him. She was standing there observing him like some kind of museum art or something.


    Zack could not help but do the same. He was observing her pretty blue eyes, red rose lips, messy braided hair, and little sweats on her forehead that made her look kind of hot and se-


    "You again." She broke the staring contest. A cold voice reached Zack''s ears and he quickly tried to stand up, stumbling a little while doing so. He tried to balance himself and awkwardly grimaced at his clumsiness.


    The teen finally looked up at her and tilted his head to his right, frowning. "Again? Have we met before?"


    Silence ate both of them at his question.


    "...no." Adreanna answered and quickly turned her back on him. She jogged her way to the front door, leaving Zack confused.


    Realized that she was starting to fade from his sight, Zack snapped out of his thoughts and ran to her. "Wait!" He yelled and caught her wrist.


    Adreanna pulled her hand away from his grasp and glared daggers at him. Zack scowled a little at her movement, he had to admit that it was kind of hurt.


    "Sorry, didn''t mean to touch you." He cleared his throat, wrinkling his nose to throw away the nervousness inside him.


    Adreanna was just staring at him again. She raised her eyebrows as if asking why he was here face to face with her. Zack found out that she was a woman with few words.


    "I just want to say thank you for saving me." He confessed, wrinkling his nose again out of habit.


    "And uh, I''m- I''m Zack." He finished his sentence, shifting his weight from one foot to another.


    Adreanna was just standing there with dead-looking eyes. The wind blew her locks covering her pale face a little. She then suddenly turned her back on him again, ignoring his words while walking away.


    Zack sighed quietly, brushing his hair with his hand. Well, at least Zack thanked her already and tried. Before he could move from his place, he was startled again by the sudden appearance of the girl.


    "Adreanna." A soft monotone voice spoke, almost missing his ears if they were not in a quiet place. Adreanna actually went back to him while handing him his forgotten groceries.


    Zack quickly snapped his head towards her. He looked up and down at the groceries and Adreanna a couple of times. She made a move with her chin, signaling the groceries that were still staying in her hand.


    "Oh, right." He took the groceries in her hand, accidentally brushing his own with Adreanna''s soft hand.


    Adreanna nodded towards him and left the abandoned building. Her hair was bouncing along with the thumping of her boots. Zack was staring at her until she faded out of his sight.


    "Adreanna." Repeated Zack dreamingly. He could not hold back his smile.


    ??????


    Zack was a hopeless romantic.


    He was that hopeless that he actually hacked Adreanna''s profile.


    He was that hopeless that he turned white after seeing the truth about Adreanna through his laptop.


    It started with "Should I hack her data? Just to find her address, I swear." and ended with "I should not have hacked her data, I''m going to die."


    You see, he was the best hacker like- the best of the best. His mind was a total computer. His parents were scientists. When he was still a kid, his parents made him be the perfect kid.


    They messed with his brain so much. There was a reason why his eyes were grey now. He could hack everything, crack every code, and turn down any electronics.


    His parents were already dead. The infamous hitman killed them when he was seven. The governments wanted them dead and Zack found himself shedding a tear despite what they did to him.


    He forgave them before he had time to be angry.


    But he was not here to talk about his past, he was here to calm himself from trembling any further.


    The smell of caffeine adorned the air. Appetizing donuts were on display for people to choose from. The cafe was not empty, though only a few people were actually there. From the window, you can see the sun was already halfway leaving the earth.


    Zack took a seat on the furthest table in the room where no one would bother him. He closed his eyes as he silently listened to people''s inaudible chatters, trying to calm himself down.


    He never had any luck with girls.


    No, no, let''s rephrase that. He never had any care with girls.


    So when an assassin who happened to be a woman saved him a year ago, he had a little crush on her. Just a playful fanboy crush.


    And then yesterday he was saved by a girl named Adreanna and he caught another crush. So he was like "I might try to date this one" and regretted it afterward.


    Apparently, they were the same person.


    Haha, surprise.


    Now he knew the secret of one of the most deadly criminals. It was funny how he went into five stages of grieves in a flash after finding the truth. Because he would die if she found out that he knew. He was the one who was digging his own grave anyway.


    Zack stared at the coffee in front of him that already turned cold an hour ago. He dropped his head on the table, making a loud thump, spilling some of the coffee from the impact.


    "Haha, dead or date, am I right." Mumbled the hacker sardonically.


    He was crying inside.


    ??????


    "Alright, this is not a bad thing, this is a good thing. Zack, it''s alright, you''re just going to thank her and give her a flower." He assured himself as he stared at the mansion''s door.


    A white flower was in his hand as he swayed slightly where he was standing. He wrinkled his nose bridge, trying to calm himself.


    The door opened and he found himself holding his own breath. He put his best smile, chewing on his lips once or twice. This was dead or date, he could do this.


    A boy around sixteen popped out from the house, his fluffy hair bounced as he peeked a little from the door before opening it fully.


    "Is Adreanna home?" Zack asked sheepishly, feet fidgeted as he waited for an answer.


    "Oh? My sister? She hasn''t come back for a month now." The boy answered while tilting his head.


    A month? That was weird. He met her yesterday, yet she did not come home?


    "You''re her brother? Oh right, silly me. I''m Zack, your hopefully future brother-in-law." He quickly introduced himself when he realized he was dozing out for a second.


    He should not have said that. He really shouldn''t have said that. Why did he say that?


    He offered his hand for a handshake, hoping that the boy would ignore his last sentence. Her brother seemed to stutter at the hand gestured, clumsily accepted his hand, and gave a nice smile back.


    "I''m Axel," The boy stated and moved aside, making an invitation to the older guy.


    Oh no, he did not want to get in and die. It was enough for him to know her identity, he was not going to get in the lion''s den.


    It was ironic though that he tried to date the lion herself.


    "Oh, no, you don''t have to." Zack waved his hands in front of Axel. "You see, I come here to ask her on a date, but she''s not here, so yeah, I better get going." He continued as he patted Axel''s shoulder, trying to be as friendly as possible.


    "You didn''t tell her you would be coming here? You''re her boyfriend, I''m sure she''d come right away." Axel questioned Zack, he leaned on the doorway as he asked him.


    Zack''s breath caught in his throat and he swore his face turned red at her brother''s words.


    "Oh, this is the best day of my life. Her brother even gives me permission to be her boyfriend!" He exclaimed.


    He was stuck between dead or date. Seemed like the date part was going smooth.


    The boy gaped at his statement. "I''m sorry, what?"


    Zack chuckled, trying to hide the embarrassment. "I don''t even have her number, like I said, I was just going to ask her out."


    "Ah." Axel nodded in understatement. He squinted his eyes, trying to examine Zack.


    It was silence all around again. Was all her family like this? Just staring at the person they were talking to?


    "She loves the red color theme, she may seem emotionless-" Axel paused, a finger was rubbing his chin. "-which she is, by the way. So good luck." Uttered the boy as he gave a thumb up to Zack.


    Zack blinked at the boy slowly. He looked down at the white flower in his hand. He knew he should have brought a rose, damn it.


    "Noted, thanks kiddo." Zack patted Axel''s head awkwardly while trying to hide the flower in his hand to his back.


    "I can give you her number if you''d like." Axel offered as he took out his phone.


    Zack''s face beamed at the statement, at least he did not have to hack again and be true about this one. "Yes, please."


    He bid goodbye to the nice boy and quickly got home. When he arrived at his apartment, he tried to message Adreanna, ignoring how his hands were kind of shaking.


    He was biting the inside of his cheek as he pressed the send button. He stared at his phone, waiting for an answer. Maybe he should wait for an hour.


    And then an hour turned into a day.


    And a day turned into a week.


    "Maybe she put in silence? Should I hack it?" He asked himself in one of the afternoons after waiting too long.


    He stared at his phone for a moment and put it away. "No, no. I''ve done enough bad things with my skill, I should not do this again"


    ??????


    "So yeah, please contact me back. I- I want to thank you for saving me that day, I''m hoping we can get a coffee?"


    Zack turned off his phone and nervously put it down after re-listening to his voice note. He finally hacked her phone and dug his grave even further down. Oblivious of what the impact his voice note had done.


    He sat back down at the edge of his bed and put his face on the palm of his hand, covering all of his features. The moon was mocking him through his window. His feeling was complicated, but he really did like her.


    Suddenly something hard was pressed down on the right side of his head. His whole body became tense and a cold sweat formed on his hand. He caught a glimpse of a red porcelain mask and noticed it was her.


    He raised both of his hands in surrender as he noticed it was her gun.


    "Look, Adreanna, let''s talk about this, yeah?" He offered slowly. He could see her startled a little at the mention of her name but brushed it off as fast as it came.


    She pressed her gun harder at his head, red gloved hand grazed his brunette hair a little. "What do you want?" She demanded.


    Zack''s hand moved to the tip of her gun and slowly lowered it to the ground. He smiled awkwardly at her porcelain mask.


    "Uh, a date?"

 Chapter 10 - The Governments Secret : Part 3

    Laughter and screaming were everywhere. The school''s field was filled with students of Axel''s class playing football. The boys were busy showing off while the girls were rooting for them.


    In Axel''s case though, he did not join the play. He was just sitting under a tree while watching his classmates. The boy''s fluffy black hair danced with the wind as he stared at the field with an absent look in his blue eyes. The necklace that Rune gave him was visible around his neck.


    The teacher had a meeting today, therefore they had a free class. The gym teacher told them all to crash at the field and play something, so here he was, sitting alone while contemplating his life.


    Many weird things were happening to him lately. He kept hearing his family''s voices even though they weren''t there at all. It''s been a long time since Kiaran read him a story. But now every night he kept hearing his brother told him the tale of Tithonus.


    He was not complaining though. He really did miss his brother''s old self. The one that would read all Greek mythology stories before he went to bed. Tithonus''s story was his favorite.


    But the next morning when he asked Kiaran if he had come to his bedroom and read him a story, his brother would look at him weirdly and tell him that it was just a dream.


    He wished it was not a dream.


    Axel snapped out of his thoughts when one of his classmates kicked the ball. It went right in front of him, rolling to his shoes. He looked up to his classmates and then looked down at the ball.


    "Hey! Can you kick the ball over here?" His classmate shouted. All eyes were on him and he could not help but catch the sight of annoying green eyes.


    Aster was raising one of his eyebrows mockingly as the bully waited for Axel to kick the ball over. The boy sighed tiredly as he rolled his eyes.


    The youngest member of the Vergessene family was about to stand up when suddenly, a certain familiar redhead blocked his sight. She kicked the ball hard and went right to Aster''s stomach.


    "Oops, sorry!" Rune deadpanned. She smiled unapologetically to Aster who was holding his stomach in pain.


    "That must have hurt," Axel commented. He was trying his hardest to hold back his grin.


    Rune giggled and sat beside him while offering a water bottle. Axel took it gratefully and drank it. Rune was drinking too, her body was sweating from playing football with the boys. They stayed silent for a while.


    "Why don''t you play with us too?" Rune broke the silence. They both stared at the field, eyes locked on their classmates.


    Axel let the wind brush off his skin. He could see out of the corner of his eye Rune''s hair was blowing alongside the wind.


    "No, sports aren''t my thing." He answered.


    ''Because I might kill them accidentally'' was left unsaid.


    Axel was born a murderer, Kiaran told him that. He could be a danger to those around him and that''s why his brother was using him for his job. That was the only way he could actually be useful.


    "Okay then, whatever you say, buddy." She retorted back. Rune stood up and tied her hair into a ponytail.


    "I got to change, see you later." She waved at him and jogged her way to the school''s building. Axel waved back and smiled at her.


    He got up from the ground and brushed off the dust on his gym uniform. The boy made his way to the boy''s changing room. He got in and noticed that no one was there yet.


    No Aster too. It was his lucky day. His long last bully was still playing apparently.


    He opened his locker and took out his uniform. He took off his clothes and revealed some bruises on his left abdomen from last night''s mission. He was the mute murderer but he was a human too, he could get hurt.


    If he did not tell his brother that he was hurt because he did not want to make him angry, nobody needed to know.


    He was just about to put on his socks when a certain bully burst in with his minions. Axel quickly diverted his gaze and went to the corner, hoping that Aster would not notice him.


    It did seem to be working though. Aster was too caught up talking with his minions that he did not notice a certain boy in the same room he was in.


    "The mute murderer is just a fucking sidekick man, the mercenary is the best," Aster said while opening his locker. Apparently, they were talking about his persona.


    His bully''s words did make Axel perked at him. He was still slowly putting on his socks, trying to not make any sounds at all.


    "But they are called the yin and yang, it makes them equal, right?" Uttered one of Aster''s minions that Axel did not care who his name was. Axel nodded eagerly at the statement even though they did not see him at all.


    "I don''t care about yin yang shits, all I care is that the damn mercenary beat my arrogant brother''s ass every time." Aster paused, he took off his shirt and threw it into his locker.


    "And I love the mercenary for doing it." He continued as he put on his messy uniform.


    Axel frowned at that. Aster''s brother? Who was his bro-


    Realization hit him and Axel gaped his mouth open. Was his brother the policeman that Kiaran always teased? Aster''s brother was Axel''s brother''s enemy? No wonder why both of them never got along.


    Seemed like it ran in the family.


    "Man, you''re taking a bias here." The other minion muttered to Aster while buttoning up his uniform.


    "Well, ''the mercenary that never kills'' sounds cool too, it makes sense to pick a favorite." Defended Aster.


    Axel finished putting on his socks and shoes. He got up slowly, tip-toeing to the door to run away from Aster. He grimaced when the door made a creaking sound. He quickly got out and closed the door. He did not even look back to find out if Aster saw him or not.


    He sprinted his way into the hallway, sighing in relief when he was getting far away from the changing room. He took a turn and jumped right back. Axel was startled by Rune''s appearance on the corner right he was about to turn.


    "I saw Aster got in the room, He doesn''t do anything to you, right?" Rune examined him in worry, ignoring the fact that her best friend was about to have a heart attack.


    Axel''s hand was holding his chest while his other hand waved dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, I''m fine, I managed to sneak out." He answered.


    "Thank god." Rune breathed in relief.


    She put her hand over his shoulder and brought him along the way. Axel tried to keep up with her speed and adjusted himself.


    "You know, the girls were talking about the criminals, the ones that just killed the head minister or something." She pointed out to Axel.


    "Yeah?" Axel retorted back. His voice was a little bit shaky at the confrontation.


    "Yeah. The girls are talking about criminals like some games, they are bad guys. They killed people for god sake." Rune complained. She grumbled under her breath and blew her pony off.


    "I hate criminals, I wish they would just vanish." She continued, oblivious to the fact that she was holding a criminal herself.


    Axel''s lips grew thin and firm. He glanced at his best friend warily. Ominous thoughts squirmed at the back of his mind.


    The thing was, Rune did not know his secret. He did not want to lose her. If she knew, she could die and she would hate him. He wished he could tell her. He really wished he could.


    He wished there was another world where she knew what he was and did not care at all. He wished there was another world where he did not have to lie.


    ??????


    The night had befallen the city. Two masked criminals were standing on top of a rooftop, watching the busy streets together. One was shorter than the other, wearing a white hoodie while the taller one wore a black trench coat.


    People called them the yin and yang. The mute murderer and the mercenary that never kills.


    The wind sang around them, blowing off the trench coat Kiaran was wearing. Blood was oozing down the white hoodie Axel was wearing. But it wasn''t his blood nor Kiaran''s.


    They just finished the job Kiaran was taking. Apparently, it was another weird black arrow they were retrieving for the scientist. The mad scientist was really obsessed with this thing.


    Apparently, the government was obsessed too. They were hiding it with some high security and Axel had to kill about thirty men just to let Kiaran get through.


    It went pretty well, so don''t worry.


    A loud sound rang through the city. Flashing of red and blue were getting near the building. The police cars sped through the street and stopped in front of the building both of them were on.


    A certain blond hair teen came out of one of the cars. His green eyes were sharp while looking around. He commanded his men to surround the building. Now that Axel actually paid attention, the policeman did look like Aster.


    "I have something to do," Kiaran darted, his eyes were glinting playfully as he watched a certain enemy.


    The mercenary smiled through his teeth. "Gotta ruin someone''s day, goodbye." He finished his sentence and jumped off the building.


    Axel watched his brother shoot his rope gun to a helicopter that just arrived. The gun released a rope that wrapped around the helicopter''s tail and helped Kiaran get down safely.


    The mercenary released his gun and landed right in front of the policeman. Suddenly all attention was on Kiaran. He did like the spotlight.


    Kiaran seemed to be speaking to lieutenant Valerian. The murderer could not hear what the sworn enemies were talking about, but the conversation sure pissed Aster''s brother off.


    The helicopter''s light almost shined on Axel. He quickly went inside the building again, trying to avoid getting caught. He stepped over some bodies that he just killed and walked quietly.


    He passed the room where the government kept the arrow in. He stopped and raised his eyebrows. The room was actually pretty weird. He was not paying attention before, he was busy with the killing thing.


    He stepped inside and looked around out of curiosity. There were many mirrors around. An empty box was on display, surrounded by them. The arrow was supposed to be in there before Kiaran took it.


    "Sir, it''s the boy." A voice suddenly spoke.


    Axel jumped and looked around warily, thinking it was one of the policemen. Instead, he was met with his own reflection and an empty room.


    He could not find anything aside from a big mirror on display. Some prickling sensations shot up his spine when he could not find the source of the voice. Though, he was not that anxious anymore when he already kept hearing voices of his invisible family in his own house.


    He squinted his eyes when he saw the mirror was erupting some kind of black roots. It was oddly forbidding. He walked closer to it and took out one of his knives. The murderer poked the root carefully. Nothing was happening though.


    He gasped when the root started to spread onto his knife. He threw his knife to the floor in horror, making a loud clank. The boy took a step back and bumped into a pile of papers.


    He looked back to see a sheet with a big ''Classified'' on it. Axel tilted his head and looked around once more, making sure he was safe.


    When he was sure no one would find him here, he took the paper and scanned it. His hands started shaking as he stared at the paper. Blue eyes widened when he read through all of the words.


    This was something big, something inhuman. Did Rune''s father know about this? Did he plan this? The president?


    Axel shakily folded the paper and put it inside his pocket. He looked at the mirror and the black roots once more before heading out.


    "I just found out the government''s secret," Axel whispered to himself in disbelief.

 Chapter 11 - Friends For Now : Part 1

    Axel stared at the paper in front of him.


    He was sitting in front of his study desk with a mirror on the wall in front of it. The paper hauntingly stood on the table as if taunting him. The word classified was so big that his blue eyes could not move away from it.


    Apparently, there was this project called DM-2 that was being made for years now. Approximately eighteen years. The project had killed many people. Too many people.


    No, Axel was not trying to be a saint, he was aware that he was a murderer. He had killed hundreds, but this project was something more. It had killed thousands of people.


    Maybe by the time he was old enough, he would kill that many, but he pushed that thought away.


    This project was about making a human to be a ''demon''. It did not make any sense at all. Axel never believed some kind of supernatural thing, let alone a demon. But this paper proved him otherwise.


    The picture provided on the paper was a black and white picture of a kid with a little horn on his head. He was held captive while a bunch of scientists surrounded him. The kid had a really long nail and it did not look human at all.


    The kid was a demon. He read it. His name was being censored on the paper with black lines but that was not important for now.


    What important was that the scientists took the kid''s blood to make humans not human anymore. As far as he read, no one had survived. As far as he knew, they would not stop until they succeeded.


    Axel tapped his foot nervously. He took a long sigh and brushed his face with both of his hands. This paper was a lot to take in, not only that, but that room in the building was something too.


    He remembered how the black roots started spreading to his knife. The roots were surrounding the mirror, was something in it?


    Something was wrong. There was something more, what was it?


    He hadn''t told Kiaran about this and he did not know why. He just felt like he should keep this to himself for now.


    Did all of this have a relation to the weird black arrows that they kept stealing from the government? It did kind of make sense since the arrow came from the room full of mirrors with black roots.


    He sighed once more and looked up to the mirror in front of him. He was watching his own face but he felt like he was being watched. He had been feeling like that lately.


    "Hey Kiaran''s voice, you there?" Axel spoke up while staring at the reflection of his empty room from the mirror. This was dumb. Axel did not even know why he was calling the voice.


    "Yeah, what''s up?" Kiaran''s voice answered back.


    "Holy shi-" Axel jumped from his seat and bumped his knee to the table, making him yelped before he fell backward to the floor.


    The boy quickly got up and moved his eyes around his room. Axel missed the giggle that came from the mirror. He ran to the door and opened it, looking to the right and then left.


    "Kiaran?" He shouted and waited for an answer. He shouted again and still received no answer.


    Axel slammed his door and looked around his bedroom again warily. "Um, Kiaran''s voice?" He hesitated.


    "Uh-huh? You need something, Axel?" The voice retorted back and Axel was trying so hard not to flinch.


    "Where- where are you?" The boy ventured while slowly walking towards his desk again.


    "Near yet far, close but unreachable." ''Kiaran'' said.


    Axel held the urge to roll his eyes for Kiaran''s poetic self. He still did not answer his question. "Are you real?" The boy asked again.


    "Pulvis et umbra sumus." His invincible brother spoke. It had been a long time since Kiaran was in his Latin era, Axel kind of missed the cringe of it.


    "Meaning?" Axel questioned as he straightened the chair that fell on the floor and moved it to the study desk again.


    "We are but dust and shadow, little brother." Kiaran''s voice replied. Axel was still trying to find where it came from.


    "So are you real or not? If you are my brother you know I''m not good with poetry." The boy blurted out while sitting on his chair again.


    Suddenly silence surrounded them. He could feel the cold feeling shot down his spine. Axel bit his lips, did he say something wrong? Oh no, did he anger the ghost of his brother? Wait, was he a ghost?


    "Of course you are my brother. You are real and so am I." He stated back.


    There was some eerie cold undertone behind Kiaran''s words and Axel could not help but shiver at them.


    "Okay." He squealed and shot up from his chair. He stepped away from the desk and turned his back on the mirror.


    "Okay uh, I gotta catch some air, night time is pretty chill." He darted while looking around his room as if talking to a ghost. "And uh, see you, I think, bye." He finished his sentence and jogged his way to the door.


    The human boy tripped a little while opening the door. He spat a few soft curses while slipping away hurriedly.


    The demon stared from the other side of the human''s mirror. His red eyes were following Axel''s movement. Possessive blood-red eyes were watching as Axel vanished away from his sight.


    His eyes then caught the paper on the desk. The demon tilted his head slightly and scanned it.


    Kiaran raised an eyebrow.


    ??????


    A dirty blond hair boy made his way through the dark street of the city. His feet were kicking some rocks along the way angrily. He grunted as he failed to kick one of the rocks. The moon was watching while the boy let out a few curses to the innocent rocks.


    Aster was having a very worse-terrible-bad day. Rune was being a bitch as always with her saintliness saving her prince in distress this morning. She humiliated him in front of everyone when he was asking for some money from Axel.


    He was asking with some force of course, but Rune had no audacity to throw her food at him. She was lucky she was the president''s daughter, if not, he would already kick her ass.


    Aster was born with a golden spoon. His parents were the chief of police and his brother was the lieutenant. He had the money, the fame, and the title. Everyone in the school bowed to him.


    He never liked Axel. He was nothing and a nobody. But he had such good grades and a damn white knight to save his ass every time. Axel was the perfect kid his parents wanted. Axel was too much like his older brother that he hated.


    He was not jealous of course. He just resented the existence of Axel Vergessene. He was totally not jealous at all.


    Aster was the spoiled kid in the family, unlike Valerian. His older brother was perfect just like Axel. His family always talked about his brother this, his brother that, never acknowledged Aster.


    Because he was the trash of the family. The unwanted one. The loud and ungrateful one. The one that his parents wished he was not there at all.


    He was not lonely at all, he was just angry.


    The anger added to his bad day even more when he had to walk home alone. He had just finished his extra classes because apparently, his parents were still hoping that he would turn out to be as amazing as his dear lovely shit-eating ego brother.


    Valerian was supposed to pick him up but guess what? He didn''t. Some big brother that he was for not even telling Aster where the hell did he go. Probably some police thing that he had to do.


    Aster hoped it was the mercenary that held his brother from picking him up, so at least Aster felt somewhat good imagining how the mercenary kicked Valerian''s massive ego.


    He smirked a little while imagining how Valerian would come home being all whiny and bitch because he lost to the mercenary again. The boy was too caught up with his own thoughts that he did not notice how weirdly empty the street was.


    There were a lot of weird things happening around the city at night. Like the drunk people scattered around or the cats that were watching as if judging the humans one by one.


    But Aster''s current situation was something more. Maybe he was actually the only one who was having this kind of thing. When he thought his bad day could not get any worse, the world was proving him otherwise.


    He saw a woman coming out of a building with some torn white hospital gown while screaming. She seemed like running away from something, like some prey hunted down by hunters.


    Aster unconsciously caught his own breath when he saw the woman''s red eyes. The boy was startled when the woman suddenly fell headfirst to the ground, making a loud crack sound. He was contemplating whether he should check on her or not.


    He should- he should call the police. No, he should call Valerian.


    The boy was frozen in place. It was as if he was attached to the ground that he could not move an inch. He could feel his fingertips turning cold as he watched the woman did not move at all.


    He snapped away and blinked rapidly. He quickly snatched his phone from his pocket, ignoring how his hand was trembling. He searched for his brother''s contact and dialed the number.


    Then the woman suddenly moved. Her hands were shifting slowly. She was starting to twitch on the ground, withering like crazy. Some black lines that were more like some roots started erupting from her body.


    Aster took a step back slowly as he watched the scene happen. He could hear his own heartbeats in his eardrums as he made his steps.


    The woman started to grow some horns and scales around her neck. She wiggly tried to stand up from the ground. Aster fastened his backward steps while still holding his phone to his ear.


    Then the woman made eye contact with him.


    Red eyes full of tears looked up to the wide-eyed green one. It was as if the world stop moving, they both stayed like that. Aster gripped his phone so tight that his knuckles went white.


    His phone was already disconnected from the unanswered call he made. The boy moved his feet to run the opposite way, turning his back on her when suddenly he was thrown to the ground.


    His lips rub against the asphalt and made some blood oozing from it. He suddenly felt his breath was taken away when a hand wrapped around his neck, choking him tightly and keeping him on the ground.


    He looked up to see the woman groaned with some saliva coming down from her mouth and dropped on him. She looked like a mindless monster that was trying to kill him.


    Damn it, fucking useless big brother, this would not happen if he had picked him up. He swore he would haunt Valerian if he died.


    But he did not want to die, he wanted to live. He desperately wanted to live. He did not want to end this way. Someone, please save him. Anyone. He would take anyone.


    He choked and tried to take some air. His hands were trying to push the woman away. Aster wriggled his feet and he could feel tears prickling on the side of his eyes.


    Seemed like someone heard his pray when the woman was suddenly being thrown away and he found himself gasping for some air. He tried to calm himself and steadied his breath. The boy wiped the gross saliva that dripped down on his cheek and trembly tried to sit up.


    He finally moved his green eyes over to his savior who just saved him. It was someone with a white hoodie and jeans. The person wore a white mask that covered half of his face and a white cap. He was still fighting the crazy woman.


    He looked so much like the mute murderer.


    Oh, wait.


    Aster went bug-eyed at the fight happening in front of him. The mute murderer was his savior? Why would he save him? Would he kidnap him so his parents would give him money?


    Was this part of the yin and yang duo''s plans? If it was, then that meant his brother was near, right?


    He quickly looked over to his phone that got thrown away and picked it up. He gritted his teeth when he saw how the phone already died with some big crack on the screen.


    Suddenly a loud bang startled him. Aster watched the mute murderer flipped into the air and shoot a bullet through the woman''s brain. He landed flawlessly on the floor while staring down at her.


    The woman dropped down on the ground and Aster believed this time she would not raise again for the amount of blood oozing from her head.


    The mute murderer moved his head slowly at him and Aster felt some kind of deja vu happening. The world seemed to stop around him as he stared at his supposed to be a savior from the ground.


    He held his breath as the masked guy walked slowly to him. Aster stayed frozen as the guy came even closer to him. He closed his eyes, flinching away when the guy suddenly stuck out his hand to him.


    He opened his eyes slowly when he did not feel anything and stared at the white-gloved hand in front of him. He ignored some bloodstains on it though.


    Aster hesitantly accepted the mute murderer''s hand and got pulled away from the ground. "Uh, um, thanks." He managed to speak to the cold blood murderer in front of him.


    The guy just nodded, no words were spoken. Well, he was the mute murderer after all. Aster could feel the heavy awkward atmosphere that was surrounding them right now.


    "I- uh, I better go. Again, thanks." Aster said as he smiled awkwardly.


    He was just about to walk away when the mute murderer suddenly pulled him to his grasp and shielded him.


    Everything was going on too fast. He had no time to process what was happening as he widely stared at the mute murderer''s face that was an inch away from his.


    He just realized that they were at the same height as he proceeded the scene around him. He jolted back and felt the panic shoot up his spine when the mute murderer suddenly went limp on his arms.


    He looked over the murderer''s shoulder to find some tranquilizer bullet on his back. That''s not good. Oh no, oh no. Someone was actually trying to kidnap him?


    A bunch of footsteps suddenly visible in his ears. He looked around to see some men in black surrounded both of them with multiple guns aimed at him.


    This day went from bad to worse so fast that it became a living nightmare in an instant for Aster.

 Chapter 12 - Friends For Now : Part 2

    Look, it was not supposed to be like this.


    Axel was just running away from his house after talking with ''Kiaran''. He got to admit, he was a little scared that he might be actually talking to a ghost that pretended to be his brother.


    He needed to think straight, so he chose to get out. The night was a dangerous time to get out of the house, he knew it better than anyone. So Axel chose to wear his usual gear and uniform when he was on a mission.


    He jumped from building to building, letting the wind blow him away. Preparing his legs, Axel pushed off. He did not even give a single glance at the gap between the roofs.


    His eyes glinted as he watched the moon while flipping on the air. He fixed his white cap and lowered it to his eyes, hiding the ocean blue pupils. He landed gracefully on the next building.


    And then he saw a familiar person. The dirty blond hair was achingly familiar. It was the one and only Aster on the street just below the building he was on. What a coincidence.


    Axel instinctively took a step back, trying to hide in the shadow. He watched as Aster kicked some rocks angrily. His classmate really needed an anger management issue. He meant it.


    He was about to move along and ignore the boy until he saw a woman storm out of a building in distress.


    Axel tilted his head slightly, faint brooding blue eyes hidden under his cap. He stepped to the edge of the rooftop and crouched, watching the scene happening on the street.


    The woman started to twitch around on the ground. Her hospital gown had gotten dirty from the asphalt.


    But then, some black roots started to spread on her body. Axel''s caught his breath and widened his eyes. He just noticed how the woman''s eyes were in some unusual color. It was red.


    This was- this was the same project that he just read earlier. The project DM-2. It was real, all of them were real. The government was still doing it and she was the fallen victim too.


    Axel snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed Aster was struggling on the ground. The boy was gasping out air while the woman was choking him.


    He quickly climbed down the stairs on the side of the building with the adrenaline coursing through his system. Before he reached the ground, he somersaulted from the stairs to the woman and kicked her right on the stomach, making her thrown away.


    It did not even take a second for the woman to get up again and storm her way to him. Axel quickly ducked and slid down between the woman''s legs. He made sure to kick her feet, making her fall hard to the ground.


    The woman crawled on the ground, making a screeching sound. She clawed and tried to grab Axel''s feet.


    Axel swiftly got up and jumped high, flipping in the air. The wind rushed through his ears while doing so.


    As if the time was slowing down, his hand moved to his pocket and took out a gun. The mute murderer aimed at the woman''s forehead and pulled the trigger. The bullet went right through her brain and he finished on his feet.


    The woman stayed on the ground after that, not moving anymore. He stared at her, examining the black roots. Something clearly was wrong here and Axel was finding that something one by one without even trying.


    It was as if he was meant to find out either for his own good or for his downfall.


    Something clicked in his brain. He just remembered a certain classmate that he just saved.


    Axel moved his head to Aster who was still laying on the ground, terrified. His classmate was staring at him wildly. Oh no, did he find out it was him? Did he find out who he was?


    Axel carefully moved closer to Aster, trying to calm his panic. He should act normal, maybe Aster still did not know who he was. Axel offered his white-gloved hand to the boy and waited for him to take it.


    Aster hesitantly took the hand and got up. He was clearly scared of Axel, maybe he really did not know. The mute murderer sighed in relief.


    And then everything happened so fast.


    Just when Aster was about to turn around, Axel saw them. The people with full armors with black suits, which was kind of lame if he was being honest- aimed his gun at Aster.


    Why Aster? Why not him? He was the murderer, why did they aim at his classmate instead of him?


    This sudden scene startled Axel, he was not used to working alone. Usually, Kiaran would command him and he would be his obedient murderer. But this time he was alone- what would Kiaran do? What would Kiaran do?!


    And then he decided to do something stupid. He grabbed Aster''s hand and pulled him to his grasp. He stood in front of him, facing his face, and shielded the boy away from the bullet.


    At one second he was protecting Aster.


    At the other second, everything turned black.


    ??????


    Everything was quiet.


    Axel tried to open his eyes slowly, grimacing when the light shot through his eyes. He tried to get up slowly from the hard ground. His body felt sour- like he did not have energy at all.


    Axel finally looked around just to see that he was stuck in some kind of prison cell. The walls were all white and oddly looked clean. He could see some guards over the iron bars that locked him.


    And then he noticed a certain blond-haired boy in the same room as him.


    "What''s up, dude?" Aster raised his hand awkwardly, trying to look brave enough in front of the mute murderer.


    Axel quickly brushed over his face, panicking. He sighed in relief when he found his mask was still intact with him.


    "Don''t worry, no one opened your mask, including me. I make sure of it." Aster stated as he watched Axel panicking. "They took the cap though." He added and pointed at Axel''s black fluffy hair.


    Axel just stared at him, calculating. His eyes were full of doubts as he took Aster''s words.


    "What? You don''t believe me?" Aster ventured, he leaned against the white wall and pointed at himself. "Do I look like an untrustful person?" He continued.


    Axel raised his eyebrows. Blue eyes deadpanned as they met the green one.


    Aster gaped at the mute murderer. "Seriously?"


    Aster closed his eyes and raised both of his hands in surrender. "Alright, maybe I am, but I really did not peek nor let someone do at all."


    "Because," Aster lowered his hands down and pointed his finger at Axel. "If I did see your face, I will die." He darted and moved his hand to point at the guards outside.


    "And if I let them open your mask, I will see your face-" He made a gesture of slicing down his neck. "-and die."


    "I don''t want any of those bullshits and let myself get killed, so I threatened them when they wanted to open your mask," Aster said as he crossed his hands on his chest.


    "How you may ask? Well, it''s simple," Aster spoke again and shrugged. "I am the asset of this kidnapping scenario, my brother fucked up so they kidnapped me to threaten my brother."


    Axel blinked his eyes, trying to process everything that was happening. He slowly leaned back to the wall behind him, facing the usual bully that was talking to him like some kind of friend.


    "-so I threaten to kill myself if they open your mask, the end." He finished his sentence and smirked awkwardly. "I mean, either way, I''m dead. If I have you on my side I might have a chance, you know."


    Aster made an expressive gesture with his hand. "You see, I have a high surviving skill, I''m taking the chances dude."


    Axel rolled his eyes and sighed. He closed his eyes, trying to calm his mind. What should he do now? What would Kiaran do? Think, he should think. If in this situation, Kiaran would-


    "Not going to lie, you kinda look familiar, man." Said Aster while gawking at Axel. The mute murderer sighed and still closed his eyes, trying to think how to escape this nightmare scenario he was in.


    "I''m not going to think so much about it though, if I do recognize you on the streets when we suddenly meet, I will pretend to be blind, don''t worry," Aster added, ending his words.


    And finally, silence.


    Okay, he should search for ventilation to go through and make his way to-


    No, no. Aster would not be able to go through. Maybe a distraction? He did not have his weapons right now though, they took it all. Or he should-


    "My brother is a police, he''ll save us," Aster spoke again and this time Axel opened his eyes to glare at him. He just could not shut up, could he?


    "Well, I mean, he''ll save me, but I''ll distract him so you can run." Aster gave him a half-shrug which was concerning for the idea he was having.


    "Consider it as a thank from me and a beg to not kill me in the future if we ever see each other again." Aster continued and wiggled his eyebrows to Axel.


    Axel still patiently glared at his classmate who was oblivious to the fact that the mute murderer was his own classmate. He got up from the ground and Aster instinctively took a step back.


    He walked slowly to Aster and the bully kept backing slowly. The quiet sound of his steps rang in the room as he got closer to Aster.


    Axel crouched beside Aster as blue eyes met with the trembling green one. "H-hey. You''re not going to kill me, right?" Aster stuttered yet somehow still managed to put a confident face.


    Axel made a motion to turn around at Aster, facing the wall. Aster frowned at him, making the mute murderer sigh deeply. He grabbed Aster''s shoulders and made him face the wall.


    "Ah, you want me to face the wall." Aster chuckled awkwardly as he breathed in relief. He turned his head slowly to see Axel but was quickly forced to face the wall again with the mute murderer''s hand.


    "Alright, I won''t watch whatever the thing you will do. Do what you must." He muttered and closed his eyes.


    Axel made sure Aster did not turn around once again and went for the blind spot of the CCTV that was in the corner of the room. He lifted his mask slowly, still gawking at Aster who was still unmoving.


    He put his gloved hand inside his mouth and took a tiny lockpick that he hid inside. He moved down his mask again and went for the iron bars. He looked around and found the guards who wore all black did not watch the prison at all.


    Axel looked back at the CCTV and at Aster. He checked the CCTV outside and found one that was facing the corridor. Axel made his way back to Aster and put his hand on his shoulder, making the latter startled a little.


    "Oh, you''re done?" Aster asked as he turned around to face to face with the mute murderer.


    Axel stayed quiet as he crouched down and messed with Aster''s shoes. Aster froze at tilted his head at Axel. "What the hell, man?" Spat the owner of the shoe.


    Axel ripped one of the shoelaces and took it in his hand, tinkering with both lockpick and shoelace. Aster stared at him dumbfounded, unable to take the situation.


    "Just for your information, this shoe is branded and expensive, it''s a limited edition," Aster uttered while watching Axel doing his own thing.


    Axel completely ignored the presence of the other guy while taking off another shoelace and intertwined them with the lockpick. Aster looked at him in amazement and disbelief.


    The mute murderer tied the shoelace with a lockpick at the edge of it on his wrist. He made sure for the second time that it was already intact with his wrist and went for Aster''s shoes again.


    Axel took off both of his shoes and brought them with him, walking back to the iron bars, leaving Aster shoeless.


    "You''re fucking kidding me," Aster mumbled as he followed Axel''s footsteps.


    Axel looked back at the CCTV once more and the other one outside. He took a step back with both shoes in his hand. Aster raised his eyebrows, watching in interest.


    Suddenly, Axel threw both of the shoes at each camera and cracked them both, making a loud crack noise. Aster jumped at the sudden intrusion and gaped at the mute murderer.


    Axel swiftly went for the keyhole and lockpicked it in a second. His wrist was still tied with the shoelace that intertwined with the lockpick as doing so. Aster was about to take the shoe in the back but quickly cut off when Axel pulled his wrist outside the iron bars.


    Aster went wide-eyed at the three guards that were surrounding them. Axel quickly kicked one of the guards inside the prison and slammed the door when he was about to lunge onto him.


    He pulled the lockpick that was still intact with the keyhole with his wrist and punched the other guard. The lockpick went straight into the guy''s right eye and he pulled it right back.


    He noticed a ''DM'' sign on his clothing as the guy dropped down on the ground. Axel quickly diverted his gaze as the other guard came up to him and punched him with his tied lockpick hand. This time it went to the guard''s left neck and killed him.


    Axel''s chest heaved up and down as he looked back at Aster. The classmate wore one of the shoes that he managed to save while Axel was fighting and blinked at him.


    Axel offered his white-gloved hand that was covered with blood. Aster looked at the hand and took it shakingly. He pulled Aster with him and made their move.


    They ran past rooms and searched for the exits. Aster ran with one of his shoes, trying to catch up with the mute murderer. "This is humiliating, this is so humiliating." Grumbled Aster breathless.


    Axel heard some footsteps from behind and quickly pulled Aster to an open room and closed it. He put his ear on the door while Aster was just staring at him. He listened closely as the footsteps passed through and waited.


    He then heard another footstep coming back, seemed like they were patrolling the area. He focused more and heard them yelling at each other to search for them.


    "I''m Aster by the way." His focus got ruined by the sudden voice and he found himself glaring at Aster again.


    Aster nodded in understatement. "Right, you can''t tell me your name. I''m going to call you murder boy then. Since you''re-" Aster looked at him up and down. "-well, a murderer." He continued.


    Axel sighed again for the many times today and ignored him. The footsteps were beginning to fade away, he tried to focus again and-


    "Murder boy sounds catchy don''t you think? It''s like mmph-" Axel slapped Aster''s mouth and let his gloved hand stay there. Aster struggled for a moment before completely giving up.


    Axel was finally at peace and listened to the outside again. The footsteps were still there, he waited for them to be completely gone.


    Then, something raised from the bed behind them. It went unnoticed by the two boys. The person walked slowly, step by step, getting closer to them.


    Aster was the first one to notice, he caught the glimpse of the person in the corner of his eye. His green eyes went wide. He tried to move the hand on his mouth, trying to alert the mute murderer.


    He bit the hand and Axel automatically pulled his hand back. Axel almost accidentally yelled ''what'' at Aster and bit his tongue.


    "First, your glove is bloody as hell." Protested Aster while wiping his mouth before looking up at Axel again. "Second, there is someone in the room." Aster continued and hid behind Axel.


    Axel snapped his head toward the dark room and quickly met face to face with red eyes. The man launched himself to Axel and pinned him on the ground. Axel struggled while trying to free himself.


    Aster took a nearby chair and hit the man with it, trying to help Axel. The chair broke into pieces and the man groaned in pain.


    Axel took this opportunity to punch the man with his hand that had a lockpick but the man quickly grabbed his hand before he managed to do so. Axel did not have the time to react when the man threw him into a big mirror-


    -and went straight through it.


    Axel groaned when he hit the ground. He opened his eyes to realize he was in a different area but oddly similar to the room he was in before. This room was more old school compared with the other one.


    He had not managed to react and thought about what just happened when Aster suddenly went running from the mirror in front of him.


    Aster looked at him and pulled out Axel''s shoe and threw it onto the man''s head that almost got through the mirror. The man bounced back a little before Axel took the same-looking chair that clearly was broken before and threw it to him.


    The man vanished from the mirror and both of them froze in place in silence.


    "Hey, look." Aster pointed at both of their feet that only wore one shoe.. "At least we both have one shoe."

 Chapter 13 - Friends For Now : Part 3

    It was bright outside.


    People were doing their own things, busy with their life. The sun was so bright that it would blind a person if you look at it too long.


    It was so bright, yet, in a place that almost went unnoticed by people that passed through, a place that was ignored by them, was dark from the lack of sun shining through.


    The alley between the tall buildings was where Valerian stood. The blond-haired lieutenant leaned on the wall with hands over his chest. There was nothing at all within a few feet of him, aside from the trash all over the ground and some puddles from the rain this morning.


    He was waiting for someone. A certain person that he just contacted, a person that he would need a favor from.


    His sworn enemy, the mercenary.


    "What? You think I would actually fall for your trap, police boy?" The sudden appearance of the mercenary beside him almost made Valerian''s heart jump out of his chest. He would die first to admit that though.


    "Calling me for a job, pretending to be someone who would hire me. You really think it would actually work, huh?" The mercenary mocked as he leaned on the wall, eyes looking at the lieutenant beside him.


    His blue eyes wryly stared at the enemy who called for him with some curiosity undertone behind them. The police beside him were wearing non-uniform clothes while the mercenary was wearing his usual infamous black trench coat with a black mask adorning half of his face.


    Valerian returned the stares. "No, I''m not stupid, that''s why I did not tell anyone of our meetings." He answered nonchalantly.


    The police took out a picture from his light brown trench coat. He handed over the picture to the other trenchcoat-wearing person who happened to be a mercenary.


    The mercenary left the lieutenant''s hand hanging with a picture in his hand, waiting for the other person to take it. They stared intensely at each other for a moment. Each was trying to make what the other was thinking.


    Then the black-haired enemy finally took the picture with his black-gloved hand. He was still staring at Valerian, calculating the situation, before he finally diverted his eyes and scanned the picture of two blonde-haired boys. One was familiar, the other was not.


    The picture contained the lieutenant and a boy around Axel''s age. The older one was smiling formally while the younger was frowning as if he did not want to take a picture with Valerian.


    Well, he would be frowning too if he was stuck with Valerian as a brother. Kiaran presumed the other boy in the picture was the lieutenant''s brother with the same green eyes and the same blonde hair, though the younger one was darker.


    "What''s this?" He raised an eyebrow at Valerian.


    Valerian looked at the picture in the mercenary hand before diverting his gaze to the man. "It''s-" He opened his mouth to speak but quickly got cut off by the enemy.


    "Don''t worry, you look incredibly ugly as always, by the way." Added the mercenary while pointing at his face in the picture.


    He smirked behind his mask and Valerian could feel the smirk without even seeing it. "Right, go on." The mercenary continued, biting the urge to tease the lieutenant even more.


    Valerian gave all his best to not kill the man in front of him. He just glared at the mercenary as always.


    Clenching his jaw, the lieutenant explained. "I want you to save my brother. He got kidnapped by the government last night."


    Kiaran examined the boy in the picture once more. "And why should I help you save your brother?"


    Valerian shuffled the inside of his coat and took out another picture. He handed the picture again to the mercenary and Kiaran took it with a hidden fascinated glint in his blue eyes.


    Those glints turned hard when he saw the content of the picture. It was a picture of Axel passed out inside some kind of jail with the lieutenant''s brother who was glaring at the camera.


    Valerian pointed at the mute murderer''s picture. "You would want to save him, don''t you?"


    ??????


    Valerian trusted the government. He was loyal and true to his words. He was the best lieutenant in this big and rich city.


    The city of Livedam. This city was the capital of the country. Everyone loved being in here. The president was kind to his people. This was the safest place and the best place of all. In order to be the safest place, there had to be people who protected it.


    And then came Valerian.


    He was born to be the perfect child and protected the city. He would do what his parents did and lived that way. It was his fate to protect Livedam.


    But lately, the city did not seem like the safest place at all with what the lieutenant witnessed happening.


    No, he was not talking about the mercenary or the mute murderer or the assassin or even the hitman that dangered the city, he was talking about the governments themselves.


    It started with the event where he almost caught the mercenary yet again. The mercenary stole something from the government higher-ups, he was given the assignment to protect that something.


    When he asked what it was, they did not tell him at all. Valerian brushed it off and went to catch the mercenary after he murdered the government who had the ''something''.


    Everything was going normal in Livedam.


    And then a person came running to him like he was dying. The man was part of the politicians, his face was pale and full of sweat. He grabbed Valerian''s shoulders and spoke.


    "They blackmailed me, they made me the bad guy. Save me. Save me!" Uttered the man.


    Valerian wished he listened to the politician that day, because later the night, he would see the man''s lifeless body with a hole in his forehead.


    Valerian ran to the floor where the gunshot was taken. The sound of blazing alarm rang in the building. His breath was ragged as he arrived at the door.


    He tried to kick the door open, he peeked to see the door was being held by a table. He pushed it again. He took a step back and ran with all his might to the door, making the table push over.


    He got in the room to see the window was crushed. The killer had already taken off. He ran over to the window and looked around. He caught a glimpse of a red porcelain mask on the other building before it disappeared quickly as it came into his vision.


    It was the assassin. She must have killed the politician because he did something wrong. She always killed the governments that corrupted people or simply had done something wrong to society.


    But the politician had said that he was- he was blackmailed. The breath caught in his throat as he looked at the body that lay on the floor. The blood was oozing from his forehead and all Valerian could do was stare.


    Valerian felt guilty since that day. He came to the politician''s house and oh how he felt like someone stabbed him in the chest when he saw his wife and children.


    He came to the politician''s room to find how messy it was. Papers were everywhere, boxes were thrown around like he was running out of time.


    He picked it one by one and scanned all of them. Whatever it was, he must have saved some truth behind what was happening. He could avenge the politician, it helped him through his guilt.


    He did not find anything until something caught his green eyes. There was a bunch of papers that were poorly hidden under the bed. Valerian walked over and crouched on the floor. He took the papers in his hand and sat down on the bed.


    There was a big classified word written on the paper. Valerian furrowed his eyebrows. He read the paper one by one and each paper made his world spin. His heartbeat was faster than ever, something was hidden in Livedam.


    The city that was supposed to be the safest place was the most dangerous one.


    He read the project DM-3. It was written that project DM-1 was finished where they killed all the scientists that were involved in this project and kept hidden the dark arrow.


    It was a success and they blamed the politician who held this info for all the scientists'' death. That''s why he''s gone and now- and now Valerian found the truth.


    The lieutenant gripped the paper and clenched his fists as he read more. The project DM-2 was even worse. They made humans be inhuman. It did sound ridiculous. But, when Valerian saw the pictures, it did not seem ridiculous anymore.


    They were not really successful though. All the people who were turned into- into a messed up human that was called ''demon'' died within a few days after turning. Their eyes would turn red and become a mindless killing machine that hurt anyone in sight.


    When he thought that this could not get even worse, he was proven wrong as he read the project DM-3. Apparently, they tried to make a portal to another world through a mirror with the arrow that was being hidden.


    The mirror was being hidden in some building and Valerian promised he would find it. He would destroy the mirror before anything happened. He would save this city somehow. He would save Livedam.


    He was so close to finding the mirror when his subordinate suddenly came to the room with panic in her eyes. "Lieutenant, the mercenary-"


    She did not even finish the sentence and Valerian already stood up with the papers in his hand. He ran past the politician''s family in hurry to his car. He got in the car with her subordinate and put the papers on the car''s chair behind.


    He drove at full speed with a siren blazing on top of his car. The building where the scene happened started to appear in his sight as he arrived at the scene. He parked the car outside the building and quickly got out with a gun in his hand.


    He saw an annoyingly familiar figure jump from the building with the help of a rope gun and landed right in front of him. "Today you''re quite later than you usually were, police boy."


    The mercenary did his usual teasing and Valerian found himself froze in his spot. He could not focus on any words the mercenary poured, he just put on his irritated face as always. His green eyes kept eyeing the box in the criminal''s hand.


    Was that the black arrow? If it was, then did the mercenary know about the DM projects?


    He was too zoned-out to notice that the mercenary disappeared from his sight right before his subordinate captured the criminal. He snapped out of his thoughts and quickly went back to his car, ignoring the mess around him.


    He went home with a lot to take in that day, oblivious by how his subordinate eyed him sharply.


    Tomorrow came fast and he was suddenly got called by the higher-ups. He knew this would happen sooner or later. He was about to pick Aster up from his extra class when the call happened.


    Valerian rushed to the meeting room and opened the door to see a bunch of people in fancy suits and dresses. All eyes were on him as he stood in front of the table where everyone sat. He bowed a little to show some respect before looking at the people in front of him.


    "Lieutenant Valerian Edelweiss, I heard you read something you should not have." One of the men in the room spoke up, he tilted his head at him.


    "There was a missing paper in the room where the break-in happened, did you steal it?" The woman in formal dress spoke sternly as she angrily stared at him.


    The break-in? He did not steal anything from the room. He did not even get in the building at all! It was the mercenary or the mute murderer that took it, one of the two. Well, he did steal from the politician''s room, but that''s different.


    "As far as I''m aware, I did not get in the room at all ma''am. I didn''t steal anything. It must have been the merce-"


    The woman slammed her hands to the table. "Cut the crap. We know you have the papers either way."


    Another man with glasses sighed, he looked over Valerian coldly. "Just give us the papers before we make a move towards you."


    "You also need to sign an NDA." Another man with bald hair jumped in.


    Valerian gritted his teeth. Did they threaten him? Why would they do something like this? This was wrong. Livedam was a safe place, they were making it dangerous.


    "No." Valerian ventured. His blonde hair that almost covered his right eye bounced as he looked around the room. "This is wrong, I am not going to stay silent about this."


    The glasses man raised an eyebrow. "You''re going to regret it, lieutenant."


    Valerian bared his teeth. "Then I''d like to see you try, sir." He quickly left the room after he said that.


    He also quickly regretted what he said after he received a picture of Aster that got locked up with the mute murderer in a prison.


    ??????


    The sworn enemies were busy gearing up inside an abandoned warehouse. They met up again after their meeting in that alley. They promised to meet in this warehouse right when the sun hid away from the world.


    "What''s that?" Valerian commented while reloading his gun. He watched the mercenary holding some kind of necklace before putting it inside his black trench coat.


    "A voice changer, my murderer would have to wear that to actually talk." He answered as he took out his knife.


    Valerian looked over the mercenary''s neck. "So that choker you wear is actually a voice changer?"


    Kiaran looked into Valerian''s green eyes as he sharpened his knife. "Duh."


    The light flickered a little as the both of them diverted their gaze from each other. "He''s not mute, then? Your murderer." The lieutenant asked again while putting his gun away.


    "Nah, I just taught him to never talk if it''s not important." The mercenary shrugged and adjusted his black mask. Valerian tried his best to ignore the implication of the mercenary''s words about the mute murderer.


    Kiaran finished his gearing up and walked over to Valerian. "Here''s the plan, we got in, you shoot them all, you got your boy, I got mine." He spoke as he made encouraging gestures with his hands.


    Valerian furrowed his eyebrows at the mercenary''s plan. "I am not going to protect you."


    The mercenary snorted. "Oh please, I can protect myself, police boy, I am saying that because-" He took out a light brown mask and offered it to Valerian.


    "-I am not going to protect you." He shoved the mask to the lieutenant''s hand and made his way out of the warehouse. "Make sure to wear that to cover your ugly face!" Yelled Kiaran as he vanished from Valerian''s sight.


    Valerian rolled his eyes and wore the mask to cover half of his face. He adjusted his light brown coat and went outside.


    He saw the car and found the mercenary already sitting beside the driver''s seat. The night was haunting him as he made his way to it and got inside. He looked around the warehouse once more as he closed the car''s door. Valerian turned on the car''s engine in silence.


    "So," The criminal darted as he stared at the police who was wearing his seatbelt. "Friends for now?"


    Valerian did not even try to look at Kiaran. "Acquaintance." He answered as his foot pressed on the gas pedal.


    Kiaran wore his seatbelt and leaned on his seat.. "Friends it is."

 Chapter 14 - A Way Out : Part 1

    "Try harder."


    Oh, how Axel wanted to punch Aster''s face for saying that.


    Axel had been trying to go through the mirror for about an hour now. After getting thrown away inhumanly through a mirror followed by your one and only bully, the mirror suddenly went solid again.


    They could see the mindless red-eye person opposite the mirror they were in. Though, it seemed like the person could not see both of them. This mirror was a two-way mirror from what Axel presumed.


    The room they were in and the other room outside the mirror looked the same yet this one was more old-school. The ornaments inside were the same though, just more with a style of some kind of kingdom era or something.


    "You sure are a try-hard, murder boy," Aster commented while leaning on a wall. He watched Axel push himself a couple of times to the mirror.


    Axel blinked at the comment. Aster was the one who yelled at him to try harder and now he told him that he was a try-hard? Oh, he wished he could choke him.


    Axel turned his head slowly to him. He smiled at Aster through his gritted teeth, eyes making a crescent moon shape. He crushed the wood in his hand that he got from the broken chair.


    Aster jumped and noticed the mute murderer''s deadly smile even though it was hidden by the mask. He moved away slowly from Axel. "Sorry, I''ll be quiet." He shakily smiled back.


    Axel sighed and looked at the mirror once more. He put his hand on it, looking at the room he tried to get in. The mute murderer bumped his head on the glass. He repeated the movement a couple of times in despair.


    "Hey, I was just thinking-" Aster opened his mouth to talk but Axel quickly made a stop sign with his hand. He went to stare at Aster''s green eyes and moved his hand to his mouth, making a zipping movement.


    "No, no, no, listen to me, what if there is another mirror like this?" Aster made a point, hands wavering around anxiously.


    Axel raised his eyebrows and quickly diverted his gaze to the mirror. Blue eyes widened slightly as they caught the black roots that surrounded it. If he remembered clearly, he saw it in that building when he was on a mission with Kiaran too.


    Would there be another mirror like this? Or that one in the building, could he get it? He should try and get out of wherever they were.


    The mute murderer nodded at Aster and signaled him to follow him. Aster quickly tailed behind Axel while the murderer opened the door slowly, revealing yet again a familiar almost identical hallway they were in before, it was just more old school.


    Both of them peeked through the gape of the door, making sure there was no one around. When Axel was sure they were safe, they tiptoed to the hallway quietly.


    When they were about to take a turn in the hallway, they suddenly met with a pair of red eyes with claws for his hands, wearing an almost identical uniform from the other guards they just met a while before.


    Before the guard reacted, Axel already hit his neck and made him faint on the floor. Aster watched as he hid behind Axel.


    "Red eyes." He whispered to the murderer.


    Axel just nodded at him as he examined the person. The uniform yet again looked like a royalty guard but he could feel it''s the same uniform from the DM symbol on the guard''s chest.


    Not to mention how the face achingly the same as one of the guards that had chased him and Aster before. But this one got red eyes and whatever those scary-looking hands.


    He looked around to see an empty room and quickly grabbed both of the guard''s legs. Axel dragged him to the room while Aster tried to help to drag the man.


    Aster''s green eyes caught something that came out of the mute murderer''s neck as they finished hiding the man''s body. He tilted his head while making his way to the door.


    "You know," Aster darted, he walked closer to Axel who was a little bit shorter than him despite how murderous he was, and pointed at the mute murderer''s neck. "I have a frie- a classmate named Axel, he wears the same necklace as you."


    The mute murderer who was just about to get out of the room froze in his place. He could feel the ache building up in his stomach as he tried to stay calm. His eyes met with Aster''s and he tilted his head, raising his eyebrows as if saying ''really?''.


    It was a beat of silence before Aster opened his mouth again. "Now that I think about it, he kind of looks like you." He squinted his eyes at the murderer, making the said person look away from him.


    Sweat made dark circles under his arms as Axel sat on the horns of his dilemma. He tried to avoid the eye contact Aster was giving. It did not help when Aster just got closer and closer to him while looking at him up and down.


    "Same hair and eyes, damn, you can actually be his doppelganger or something," Aster commented as he patted Axel''s shoulder.


    "I bet when he met you, he would pass out," He paused and chuckled lightly. "He''s on the coward side." He walked away from the mute murderer who was holding his breath like his life was depending on it.


    Oh my god, his classmate was a moron.


    Axel sighed in relief for Aster''s foolishness this time. He quickly got out of the room they were in and searched for another mirror that probably could get them back from wherever this was.


    They looked at every room through the window while making sure no one was around. It was a funny sight to see if someone ever caught two teenagers running around like a lost dog with only one shoe.


    "Murder boy, look! There is a mirror inside this room!" Aster whisper-yelled at Axel while pointing at a room.


    Axel looked around once more before nodding at Aster and going to open the door. Aster followed him afterward and closed the door behind him. They both stood in front of the big mirror that covered the whole wall with black roots surrounding it.


    Finally, a way out!


    They could see the people outside the mirror. The guards looked normal and they seemed to be on edge. Axel could not care less, though. He quickly jogged his way to the mirror and touched it.


    ...he touched it.


    "We''re so going to die," Aster commented as he went to put his hand on the mirror.


    Both of the boys helplessly watched the outside of the mirror like some kid who was watching the inside of a candy store that they could not get in because their mom forbade them.


    Suddenly the guards outside the mirror all went down to the ground in a moment. A loud bang rang across two worlds as both of the classmates watched the scene happen.


    A blond-haired man came in sight as he checked the guards'' veins. Then a familiar black figure followed and slapped the back of the man real hard while laughing. Before the man could react, the black figure already moved forward out of the mirror''s sight.


    The black figure was Kiaran. Did he come to save him?


    "That''s..." Aster gasped as he tried to push the mirror. "Valerian!" He screamed when he saw the blond-haired man running towards the black figure angrily.


    "Valerian, I''m here!" He screamed again, trying to catch the lieutenant''s attention. It was too late though when the man had already gone out of the mirror''s sight.


    "No, no, no!" Aster banged the mirror and hardened his knuckles. He quickly turned his head towards Axel. "That''s my brother! The light brown mask-wearing guy!" He pointed at the mirror.


    "I could identify people that are close to me if they wear a mask! I could identify my brother quickly, it''s him!" Exclaimed the dirty blond hair boy.


    "Hell, I can even identify that scrawny Axel if he ever wears a mask!" He continued while staring at Axel''s blue eyes.


    He returned the stare at Aster, unimpressed.


    ??????


    Two masked men hid behind a wall. The black-haired one was taller than the other. They both observed the building that apparently held their little brother.


    The guards were watching the surroundings as Valerian planned ahead. There were seven guards in total, he could take the four on the left and let the mercenary handle the three on the right. Alright, let''s save Aster.


    He kept his eyes on the guards as he spoke to the mercenary. "Follow my lead. You go over there while I distract-"


    "Hello there, my fellow criminals!"


    Valerian quickly looked to his left to find the mercenary was already gone. As quickly as he did before, his green eyes diverted over the guards again just to find the mercenary standing in the middle of seven guns pointed at him.


    "Have you guys seen my murderer? Apparently, he was taken away from me." The mercenary boldly spoke as his eyes met with the seven guards.


    Valerian pushed his hair back and clicked his gun. "You know what, never mind."


    The lieutenant leaped from the wall and jumped over the mercenary. The time went slow when he was right above the mercenary''s head. He aimed his gun at the four guards on the left, making sure he only injured their shoulders and shot them.


    He landed on the ground and quickly kicked one of the guards on the right. Before the other guards acted up, he kicked the gun that was aimed at the mercenary and punched the chest.


    The last guard came from behind him, but he knew he was too late to react. Valerian widened his eyes as he tried to turn towards the guard. But his feet suddenly tripped on someone''s leg and he fell down.


    He fell face-first to someone''s chest and grimaced. He quickly looked up to see the mercenary''s face grinning at him. Did the damn criminal trip him at a time like this?!


    "And I quote ''I am not going to protect you''." The mercenary smirked as he threw Valerian''s body to his left and kicked the guard''s chin from the ground, making the last guard fall.


    "That''s awfully wholesome of you, police boy." He stood up and cracked his neck. "Considering I am your ''acquaintance''." He continued as he walked over the bodies.


    "You did say I''m the one who should shoot all of them earlier. It''s your plan beforehand." The lieutenant retorted back while racing the mercenary to the front door.


    The mercenary stopped in his track. "Ah right, I did, didn''t I?" He murmured and nodded to himself.


    He sped walk to Valerian and stared at him from the corner of his eyes. "But you were focusing on the one who was going to shoot me rather than the one who was going to shoot you." Taunted Kiaran, mischievous eyes glinting as the moon shined through the windows.


    Kiaran chuckled a little as he saw Valerian froze at his place. He knew he just won the arguments.


    He looked around the building to see they were empty. His mischievous eyes suddenly turned hard. He clenched his jaw as he scanned around once more.


    Seemed like they already prepared for their coming. Or maybe Axel and the police boy''s brother already got out and they were chasing him.


    "Bold of you to say that when you are the one who helped me when I was about to get shot and kicked the last guy." Valerian came up to Kiaran and glared at him.


    The mercenary put did not answer, his eyes were just focusing on one room. The lieutenant was about to protest again before a finger suddenly shushed him. Valerian looked up at Kiaran and followed where his eyes were seeing.


    The mercenary pointed at the room''s window where they both could see people''s shadows. Valerian took a lead and held his gun tightly. Their footsteps were as quiet as a mouse as they approached the door.


    The lieutenant counted the shadows and found four people in total. He kicked the door open and shot the four of them on the shoulders without hesitance, making all of them pass out from the shock.


    He went to check their veins, completely ignoring the ominous-looking mirror in the room. The guards were alive, they should be okay if he left them all.


    "You know, I didn''t help you, you are the one who tripped on me. Bold of you to assume I was protecting you." A sudden dangerous whisper rang in Valerian''s left ears, sending goosebumps through his neck.


    He widened his eyes at the sudden change of atmosphere. Somehow, the lieutenant did not dare to look back at the person who just whispered to him.


    And then a hand slapped his back hard that he swore his bone had just crushed. A burst of laughter rang in the room and faded away quickly as it came. Valerian snapped his head towards the mercenary who was running away from the room.


    "You should look at your terrified eyes in the mirror, it was so damn funny." Mocked the mercenary from far away. Valerian took a deep sigh and stomped his way out of the room.


    He was too caught up with the mercenary''s shenanigans to notice the voices in the mirror.

 Chapter 15 - A Way Out : Part 2

    Axel and Aster both were running in the hallway. The white old-school wall surrounded them as they made a move. Apparently, all the red-eyes guards on their way were already down for whatever reason. It seemed like they were just having some fights.


    The worst part was, the guards had the same faces as the ones Axel already killed when they tried to get out of the iron bars room that held them in. It did not make any sense for their body to be moved to this- to this place. But then again, they had weirdly featured that Axel remembered clearly the guards did not have.


    Axel saw a room that had the word ''weapons'' carved on it and opened the door. He waited for Aster to get in before closing the door behind him.


    The weapons were oddly... old. Everything was like from a movie. The weapons were spears, axes, crossbows, bows, swords, and shields. Axel took a crossbow and put it on his back before taking a sword with him too.


    He looked towards Aster just to see his classmate was struggling with a bow while aiming at the wall. Then Aster accidentally let go and shot the display picture on the wall.


    "Hell yeah, checkmate!" He exclaimed and then moved his green eyes over the mute murderer. "I took an archery class, and you can clearly see I''m the best one around."


    Axel knew it was not true. He was the worst of all. But well, it was not like Axel could just say it to Aster''s face. The mute murderer took an axe and offered it to Aster.


    Aster blinked at the axe. "I don''t need this, I have a bow already."


    Axel pushed the axe to his chest and Aster struggled to hold it. The blond-haired boy stared for a moment at the axe before finally putting it on his back along with the arrows.


    "Alright, whatever you say, murder boy." Shrugged Aster as he tried to aim his bow again.


    And then someone opened the door.


    Startled by the noise, Aster automatically shot the man at the door with the arrow that he was about to shoot to a wall. The arrow went at the man''s shoulder, making him grunt and glare at him.


    Realizing that the man''s eyes were red, the bow in Aster''s hand shook alongside his trembling self. The dirty blond-haired boy took a step back slowly and went behind the mute murderer who had already taken out his sword.


    "You-" Grunted the man as he took out his sword. Axel tightened his grip on the sword, waiting for the red eyes man to attack first.


    Suddenly the man lowered his sword and frowned as his red eyes met with Aster''s. "Wait, you are the brother of Sir Valerian, what are you doing here?" He quizzically asked.


    "You- you know my brother?" Aster popped his head from behind Axel''s shoulder.


    "Of course I know him." The red-eyed man answered as he put away his sword again. "He is the head guard of this place, the famous young knight of the kingdom. Everyone knows him."


    As if on cue, both of the classmates turned their heads to each other, perplexed. The mute murderer raised his eyebrows toward Aster and the other boy raised his eyebrows back.


    The red eyes guard pulled out the arrow in his right shoulder and Aster could not help but cringe at that. "S-sorry about that, I was startled." Said the boy apologetically.


    Aster put his hand on Axel''s gloved hand that''s holding a sword. He lowered it down slowly and nodded at the mute murderer. The black-haired boy nodded back and put away his sword.


    "It''s alright, I can heal back pretty quickly." The guard uttered as the wound on his shoulder closed slowly.


    Aster tried to keep a straight face as he watched the scene happen. He cleared his throat and made his usual annoying face. "So, uh, do you know where my brother is?"


    Aster put away his bow and made wild gestures with his hands. "I mean, I was hanging out with my BFF here," Aster pointed his thumb to Axel.


    "-and looked at the weapon and I was like ''whoa this is so cool'' and went inside." He finished explaining and clasped his hand. "So, we''re sorry for barging in."


    The guard''s wound completely healed up and nodded. "Fine, but I have to tell your brother about this."


    "That''s uh- fine." Aster tried to pester a smile on his face. "Can we keep these, though? The weapons are so cool." He flashed his teeth at the guard.


    The guard just sighed and turned his back on Aster. "Come with me, I''ll lead you to Sir Valerian''s room." The guard offered and made his way out of the room.


    Aster adjusted the weapons, ignoring how nervous he was. He battled his eyebrows as he followed the guard. The mute murderer quietly followed behind.


    Axel frowned as he watched the guard''s back. Did Aster''s brother already get in here? Something was not connecting here. Something was wrong. Not to mention about the kingdom, knights, and all those weird medieval stuff.


    They passed through rooms again and Axel could not help but try to remember the way. The white walls soon changed into some stone walls as they kept walking. It seemed like they already moved to another part of the ''building''.


    "I''m sorry if I come out rude, but it''s unusual to see demons with no red eyes. Are you boys using some enchantments?" The guard asked while kept walking in front of them, leading the way.


    Axel and Aster who were walking alongside each other looked at each other''s eyes again. The mute murderer tilted his head towards Aster''s panicked face.


    "Uh- yeah, we were playing with stuff and our eyes just changed colors on their own, pretty cool, right?" Aster brushed it off while chuckling awkwardly.


    Axel stared at the man even sharper. Demons, huh? Did it mean that he was in the world where the kid in the DM-2 experiment came from? The kid that his blood they were using for those mindless red eyes people.


    Everything was connecting, somehow lieutenant Valerian was involved with all of this. But it did not make any sense if Aster''s brother lived here yet he was rescuing both of them. Axel was so close to figuring what was happening right now, he just needed a little more clue.


    "We''re here." The guard pointed at a door and moved aside, signally both of them to get in.


    Aster''s lips grew thin and firm as he moved forward. The mute murderer waited behind and watched while Aster brought his hand upon the door. He softly knocked on the door and waited for an answer.


    "Who''s there?" Valerian''s voice called out from inside. Aster could not help but fidget in his place.


    "It''s Aster." The boy answered nervously. To be honest, he did not know what to expect.


    "Aster?" Valerian voiced doubtfully. The sounds of footsteps from inside the room echoed and got closer.


    Aster''s eyes darted around as the door creaked open slowly. He finally focused on his brother in front of him. Aster could feel his heart rate increase as he saw the brother in front of him.


    A red-eyed Valerian with pointed ears like some dark fairy. He would prefer fairy if he did not just learn that everyone was a demon.


    His brother seemed to be taken aback by Aster''s appearance but it quickly vanished as it came. Aster blinked a couple of times to actually take what was happening in front of him.


    "Sir, your brother and his friend were in the weapon room earlier, they took a couple of things from there." The guard bowed to supposed-to-be Valerian. "Your brother wanted to meet you."


    Valerian nodded and dismissed the guard, telling him to leave them alone. He went inside again, turned his back on the two boys while leaving the door open. He took a seat on the sofa and faced Aster again, red eyes met the green one.


    "That''s not my brother." Aster shakily whispered to Axel.


    Axel on the other hand seemed to finally connect the dots. He just saw the guards that he eliminated earlier in here with the same faces. It was as if they were their replica. Maybe because they went through a mirror, this world was their reflection.


    Did this mean the voices of his family that he heard frequently in his house were the duplicate version of them in this world? Then this brother of Aster was the duplicate of the one that they saw outside the mirror.


    "What are you doing just standing there? Come inside." Valerian commanded and tilted his head to the sofa across where he sat.


    Aster tugged Axel''s hoodie and went inside. They looked at each other before taking a seat side by side. Ominous thoughts squirmed at the back of Aster''s mind while Axel just spaced out.


    Valerian raised his eyebrows as his red eyes caught the arrows and axe on Aster''s back. Aster who was staring at the pseudo brother in front of him could feel the intense air between them.


    Questions and doubts danced around Aster''s head as he examined Valerian. He still had the same ugly blond hair. His skin was paler, not to mention the weird pointed ears and the royalty clothed. He did not have to mention the red eyes, did he?


    The silence between them was fierce as they seemed lost in their own thoughts. The fireplace nearby was the only thing that lightened up the atmosphere.


    "You''re not my brother." A sentence slipped through Valerian''s red lips as he judged Aster''s appearance with his eyes. It was cold, even colder than the normal Valerian''s tone.


    Aster, triggered by the statement, defended himself. "And so are you! With that weird-ass ears, there''s no way you''re my bro- wait." Realization hit Aster and he quickly covered his mouth.


    Axel sighed and put his hand on his face at Aster''s foolishness. Aster tried to open his mouth to save the situation while Valerian just narrowed his bloodshot eyes.


    "Wh-what do you mean? I''m totally your little brother." Aster stammered as he chuckled awkwardly.


    "I''m just uh- using inclement." He darted, eyes moved around frantically. "If you''re concerned about the eyes, that is."


    Valerian sighed softly. "You mean enchantments?"


    "Yeah, that- that thing."


    Axel just wanted to disappear. He was trying to be positive about the situations this universe decided to slam to his face and found a way out, but it seemed like they would die first before that happened.


    "So um, my lovely brother, do you perhaps know about mirrors?" Axel decided to change the topic. "Like- uh, like the one that we can get through magically? My best friend and I here are kind of curious about that."


    Axel wished Aster would just shut his mouth for a second and stop digging their grave even further.


    What Aster was saying did catch Valerian''s whole attention. Red eyes turned cold at the mention of the mirror. He held his knuckle tight and clenched his jaw.


    Axel just smiled at himself behind his mask at the scene in front of him. Well, this was it. Goodbye world and new weird world, it was nice while it lasted. Though he still had a chance with the sword. But considering the guard could heal himself, the chance was low.


    "There are three in this area, have you seen one or two perhaps?" Valerian asked as he stood up and searched for something on his desk.


    Axel blinked at the man. Well, that was unexpected. It seemed like this lieutenant or knight or whatever actually wanted to help them.


    "We''ve seen two, but we can''t get through them," Aster confessed as he watched Valerian move around.


    "It''s probably because one of them is already used so it has to charge back, possibly the other one only has one cursed arrow." Explained the demon while taking something inside his drawer.


    Axel''s blue eyes widened as he saw ''the cursed arrow'' in Valerian''s hand. It was the same arrows that he and Kiaran retrieved for the scientist.


    "Follow me." Ushered Valerian. The guy walked out of the room, followed by two human boys behind him. The knight put the arrow inside his pocket, trying to hide it from people''s sight.


    The walk was quiet, only footsteps were accompanying them. Axel decided to trust this guy for now. If all come to worst, he could just stab him with his sword and flee.


    "By the way, why did both of you only wear one shoe?" The question came out of nowhere, making Aster''s heart almost jump out of his place.


    "It''s-" Aster coughed at his high-pitched voice. "It''s a new style."


    Axel facepalmed at the answer but decided to brush it off. He was busy thinking about the arrow that was hidden in Valerian''s pocket. He believed it was the same arrow.


    They arrived in a pretty dark room. Valerian ushered them inside while making sure no one was around. He turned the lights on to reveal a big mirror that covered the front wall in front of them.


    The black roots were like a signature to these mirrors as they covered the edges. Valerian walked closer to the mirror and brought out the arrow from his pocket.


    He put the sharp edge of the arrow to the mirror. Aster and Axel were behind, watching Valerian with mixed hope and interest.


    "In the other side of the mirror, there''s already a cursed arrow, we can''t get through if both sides didn''t have them," Valerian explained.


    The black roots from the mirror''s edges started to move to the arrow, surrounding it. They took the cursed arrow, swallowing the thing slowly. Then they spread even more.


    Valerian took a step back and looked at the mirror again before looking at Aster''s eyes. "I''m going to go now, have fun, Aster." He finished his sentence and made his way outside.


    The mute murderer watched Valerian leave the room. "Okay um, see you later brother," Aster answered awkwardly.


    "Take care." Valerian managed to speak before closing the door on them. Aster tried to ignore the weird sadness in his pseudo brother''s eyes.


    The knight took a deep sigh and closed his eyes. He waited for a moment before leaving, just wanting to make sure no one got in there.


    "How did they get in here?" He mumbled to himself. The knight pushed his hair back from his forehead.


    He forced his foot to move after standing in front of the room long enough. He did not show it before, but he actually panicked internally. This meant that the experiments were so close to success.


    He had to find a way to prevent this. He had to stop this, but with the title ''knight'' on his shoulders, he could not disobey any orders. Or maybe, maybe part of him wanted this to happen.


    Valerian arrived in a room with a beautiful carving at the door. He opened the door slowly, trying not to make a loud noise. The room was full of white, the smell of medicines adorned the air.


    Valerian moved closer to a bed and took a seat beside it. He looked at the person on the bed and smiled sadly.


    "I meet someone that''s oddly familiar." He began talking to the sleeping person.


    "Someone that shouldn''t be here." He continued, hand playing with the sleeping person''s dirty blond hair.


    "He looks so healthy and awake." The older brother traced his hand on the boy''s pale face. Aster looked peaceful as he slept, dying slowly but ironically still healing.


    "I wish it was you."

 Chapter 16 - A Way Out : Part 3

    The human world was still the same as it was. There was no knowledge about the dark arrows- or what the demons called the cursed arrows. Only a few acknowledged the danger that lurked within the Livedam city.


    Because humans lived in a lie. They lived behind the deception of peace. There were no physical wars, unlike a certain world. Instead, they went through mental wars of falsehood and truth.


    The news would only show what they wanted to show. The higher-ups would only tell what they wanted to tell. That lead to Valerian, the person who knew too much yet he could not show nor tell.


    And now, he was stuck with his sworn enemy while trying to stay alive just because he found the key to the mental wars that humans went through.


    "Help me, you jerk. I''m not your damn servant." Valerian spat behind his mask as he fought with the guard who just would not give up.


    A knife flew by Kiaran''s head and the mercenary easily dogged it. A smirk displayed behind his mask as he watched the mess in front of him. He leaned on a wall with his hands crossed on his chest.


    "Nah, it''s interesting to see you suffer."


    Valerian glared at the mercenary before he kicked the guard''s head and shot the other guard''s shoulder behind him. His blond hair went with the breeze as he ran to a wall and did a backflip. He landed on a guard and knocked him out cold.


    The lieutenant''s chest heaved up and down as he looked around, only to find guards laying on the ground. He brushed his hair that covered up half of his green eye, though the hair came down again after he took his hand off his face.


    A clap rang in the room and Valerian found himself glaring at a certain annoying person who did that. "Nice show, police boy."


    The lieutenant straightened his pose, despite his staggering breath for carrying the whole ''knocking out the guards'' thing, he made his way to his sworn enemy and gripped the mercenary''s collar, making the mocking blue eyes meet with the glaring green one.


    "I bring you along not for you to watch me fight, mercenary." Valerian brought Kiaran even closer to his face. "I bring you along to help me save my brother." The lieutenant gritted his teeth and shoved the mercenary back, walking away from him.


    The mercenary tilted his head and put his hand in his trench coat''s pocket. "And I agree to help you by coming along," He darted, blue eyes glinted playfully while trying to keep up with Valerian''s walking pace.


    "I don''t see the point that you''re making here, police boy."


    The lieutenant snapped his head towards the mercenary, a spark of annoyance built up within his sharp eyes. "You-"


    "I bet you didn''t notice the black roots mirror back in the room we got in the first time." Kiaran cut Valerian off.


    The mercenary went and walked ahead, leaving the confused lieutenant. He turned around and faced Valerian, slowly walking backward as he explained more.


    "And of course you didn''t notice a voice calling your name too, though there was no one around other than the guards and us." He continued, hands still tucked in his pocket.


    "I''ve been observing our surroundings and find a room with the same exact mirror that has my murderer''s right shoe." He pulled out a white shoe from his trench coat and threw it to Valerian who scrambled to catch it.


    The mercenary pointed in the direction of an underground prison in the building. "Which means that they already got out of the prison cell."


    "But where did they go, you may ask?" He came closer to a room and put his hand on the door. Valerian nudged the door a little and it revealed a room with black roots mirror.


    Two sixteen years old boys standing in front of them as the door finally wide opened. "The room with the black roots mirror. I''m finding a pattern here and I am right, as always."


    Playful and triumphant blue eyes looked over the lieutenant, mocking him. When the same blue eyes diverted the gaze over to the mute murderer, a dangerous glaze bloomed in them.


    "I believe you have some explaining to do," Kiaran spoke to his brother, his tone was so cold that it made Aster shiver even though the words weren''t for him.


    The lieutenant could not care less about the situation. He was so glad to see Aster alive and well. Valerian threw his body to his little brother and hugged him tightly, making the younger blond startled.


    Aster was trying to hide his red face at his brother''s doing. "You''re being too clingy, Val. It''s disgusting if I may add." He said that even though he returned the hug back.


    "Shut up you gremlin child." Valerian tightened the hug and put his head on top of Aster. They stayed like that for a while, they were rarely in a good term with each other you see.


    "I''m sorry I dragged you into my mess." The older brother uttered as he let go of the awkward hug they were having.


    Valerian examined his little brother closely, he was taller now. When did he get that tall? He was so caught up with his work that he did not notice how Aster was getting bigger.


    "You''re right, I''m sorry for myself too. Do you know how much I suffer because of you? You should feel bad, really bad." Aster grinned at his older brother.


    Valerian gave Aster a disappointed look. Though, his lips tugged upward a little at Aster''s childish behavior. "Somehow, I''m not sorry anymore."


    ??????


    Axel and Kiaran were already away from the brothers'' sweet reunion. Even though it was actually Kiaran that dragged Axel away from the room.


    Axel almost fell down because of how fast Kiaran was dragging him, stumbling as he tried to keep up. He grimaced at how tightly his brother gripped his wrist. They stopped when the mercenary made sure no one could hear them and let go of Axel''s hand.


    A cold slap suddenly hit across Axel''s cheek.


    Axel put a hand on his slapped cheek and struggled to look at his brother''s glowering eyes. He could feel his cheek burning as his heart beating rapidly. "K-kiaran I was-"


    Another slap was thrown onto his other cheek.


    "First, who gives you permission to talk?" Kiaran snatched Axel''s hand that was holding his cheek and gripped it.


    Kiaran''s blue eyes stared down at Axel''s as the boy trembled. "Second, why did you come out of the house alone? Didn''t I tell you to never leave unless it''s school or a mission?"


    Axel felt his breath caught in his throat. "I''m sorry, there''s just- there was this weird thing happening in the house, then all of these happened and maybe it kinda makes sense because I keep hearing-"


    Kiaran''s grip on his wrist tightened, making Axel wince in pain. The hallway they were in was too quiet, only the sound of Axel''s staggering breath was heard.


    "Again, I didn''t give you permission to talk." Kiaran''s sharp words rang across the empty hallway.


    Axel snapped his mouth shut, making his lips bled a little. He was cowering against his brother, sweats formed on his forehead as doing so. His hands trembled, eyes closed as he looked away, waiting for another slap.


    Silence surrounded both of them for a while. Kiaran''s hand stayed still on Axel''s wrist as they danced with the hushed silence. Axel did not dare to open his eyes as he waited for Kiaran to do something.


    Suddenly Kiaran let go of his brother''s hand and sighed. Axel opened his eyes slowly only to find Kiaran looked so distressed and-


    and sad?


    Why would his brother be sad? Axel did not want that, he did not want his brother to be sad. Was it because of him? He did something bad again, didn''t he? He just wanted his brother to be happy.


    Kiaran smiled sweetly at Axel. "You know I just want to protect you, right?" He brushed Axel''s black locks.


    Axel nodded at his brother. He frowned a little when he saw Kiaran sigh wanly. "Now you''re making me the bad guy here by slapping you." He muttered quietly.


    The younger brother jolted at the statement, he frantically waved his hand, trying to tell ''no''. "It-it''s my fault, I''m the one who didn''t listen to you. I actually deserve that. You''re- you''re not the bad guy."


    Kiaran''s once glooming face suddenly turned into his usual self after hearing Axel''s words. A wicked grin bloomed behind his black mask.


    "I like it when you are being self-aware of the situation." He ruffled the younger''s hair.


    "Don''t ever get out of the house and disobey me. You know it''s for your own good, right?" The mercenary chimed in as he ruffled the inside of his trench coat.


    "Yes, brother." Axel obeyed, fluffy hair fell down on his forehead as he lowered his head towards the mercenary.


    "That''s nice." He smiled at Axel one more time before offering him a white choker. "Use this voice changer for now."


    Axel looked up at Kiaran with a quizzical look. "I''m allowed to talk?"


    "Yes, just for this situation with the lieutenant." Kiaran opened his mouth to talk more but the sudden gunshot near them made him shut his mouth.


    "Hey, Mr. mercenary?!" Aster ran towards the hallway, screaming. "My brother kinda needs your help, his shoulder got shot!" He shouted while running away from the guards that were chasing him with an axe in his left hand.


    Kiaran''s face turned into a playful glint at the news. He moved to the side, letting Aster move past him. He looked over Axel once again and nodded. Axel''s face went hard as he nodded back.


    The mercenary ignored the three guards in front of him as he ran towards them and bounced on the right wall over the guards'' heads.


    He flipped to the ground, ignoring the guards behind him. "Oh no, police boy! Are you dying without me?" His voice faded away as he disappeared into the corner, leaving Axel and Aster alone.


    The three guards froze at the sudden scene. They contemplated whether to chase the mercenary or the two people in front of them.


    Axel''s eyes went dull as he watched the three guards in front of him. He brought the white choker to his neck and wore it. The choker made a click sound as his blue eyes kept staring at the three guards.


    Aster who was standing behind Axel noticed the strangeness within the mute murderer. "Yo, murder boy, why so stiff?"


    The mute murderer took out his crossbow and aimed it at the left wall. "Shut up and stay still." The sudden voice of Axel made Aster startled.


    Aster gaped at the masked boy beside him. "Holy shit, you can talk!" Axel rolled his eyes at him and focused on the guards again.


    Apparently, the guards decided to go after the two boys again, and before they reached them, Axel crouched to the ground and snatched Aster''s remaining shoe away.


    "No, no, no! Not my shoe again!" Aster complained while Axel threw the shoe in the air.


    The mute murderer took out the sword in his left thigh with his right hand while still holding the crossbow on his left hand. He quickly sliced the shoe that still flew in the air into three pieces and kicked them all, making them fly into the three guards'' eyes.


    "What the hell?! Come on!" Aster upon seeing his shoes got sliced off exclaimed in disbelief.


    While the guards were taken aback by the sudden attack, Axel shot his crossbows to the left wall, making an arrow of stairs. He jumped to the first arrow and bounced to the next arrow and the after too.


    When he reached the end of the stairs of arrows, He flipped to the air and shot the three guards'' left neck before landing. The guards fell down to the floor as Axel landed. Axel did not wait for Aster as he followed where Kiaran''s went.


    "Wait for me, murder boy! Hey!" Aster stumbled upon the guards'' body as he tried to chase the mute murderer down.


    When he finally caught up with Axel, he could feel his breath ragged. "What was that about? You seemed like a different person now." Aster commented.


    "You''re like trying to be someone else and be all obedient and shit even though you can actually talk now." He added as they walked side by side.


    "You were more expressive earlier when we hadn''t met the mercenary." The blond boy continued while putting away his axe and went with his bow again.


    "Is it because of the mercenary so you have to be all professional and be like a robot because you''re his murderer or whatever?" Aster asked and it did make Axel stop at his track.


    Axel frowned at him. "No, I''m just-"


    He was just being like a little brother should. He should always listen to his brother. Kiaran always cared about him and maybe went overprotective earlier. It was his own fault, though. He should have stayed at home.


    The best Axel could do was obey and kill those Kiaran told him to. Kiaran said that''s enough to pay him back since he was a little.


    He was just paying his brother back for everything, for being there when father and Adreanna were not.


    Aster didn''t know the mercenary and him were brothers, maybe that''s why he asked that. If he knew they were brothers, Aster would understand. Because a younger brother should obey the older one.


    They arrived at the battlefield room, more than a dozen guards were already on the ground. Drops of blood were everywhere as Valerian and Kiaran danced around.


    It was the same room they were in before with the same black roots mirror. Aster tried to shoot the guards with some arrows. He missed so many times, but at least he managed to shoot one or two guards.


    Kiaran only dodged around, taking an opportunity to make a guard accidentally hurt the other guards. While the lieutenant shot around, making sure no one died because of his own hands. Though, he only used one hand because of his bleeding right shoulder.


    Axel took out his crossbow and shot at the enemies in front of him. His eyes went sharp as he calculate the surrounding. He was always like this every time he was on a mission. A murder machine


    Suddenly the building they were on shook violently. The walls were rumbling as everyone tried to stand still.


    A guard yelled at the door, screaming to retreat. It seemed like the building went into a self-destruct. Aster went over to his brother and helped him. The lieutenant still tried to help the guards that were still alive to get out of the building despite the fact that they were fighting earlier.


    Axel''s eyes widened as he saw the black roots mirror that was about to crash to his brother. His vision turned white as if blinded by everything. Adrenaline rushed in his veins and his brain only screamed to save his brother.


    The white vision in his eyes he was having suddenly turned black as he pushed Kiaran away and let the mirror crash onto him.

 Chapter 17 - The Demon Version Of My Family : Part 1

    Kiaran was Axel''s everything.


    His father was rarely at home. He would travel alongside his sister a lot, leaving the both of them waiting for their family to come back. Those things happened since he was six until now.


    It was a week at first. Then a week turned into a month and a month turned into half a year.


    It was always Kiaran and Axel versus the world. He thought Axel everything. He made Axel be the best murderer. He made him do all the killing while Cain and Adreanna were gone.


    Kiaran even let him go to school. He did forbid Axel to get out of the house without his permission, but it was for his own safety. Kiaran always knew what''s best for him.


    Kiaran knew Axel adored Adreanna. He knew how Axel always saw his sister like an idol. Kiaran also knew that Axel craved Cain''s attention, trying to be the best out of the best so his father would see him.


    And Kiaran was helping Axel by making him kill. His brother always knew what''s best.


    Kiaran used to read him books after books when they were kids. He would tell all the Latin phrases he learned and told Axel about them.


    Among all the stories Kiaran read him, the story of Tithonus, the minor Greek god was his all-time favorite.


    Tithonus was overlooked by everyone. He was not famous and almost no one cared about him. He was a minor god. He gained immortality from the infamous Zeus just for his own doom.


    His story was so simple. He was kidnapped by Eos, the goddess of dawn, and became her lover. The story was simple and interesting, sometimes Axel wondered, did Tithonus accept Eos to be his lover, or did he have no choice?


    That part of the story was never told.


    Though the part where Tithonus gained immortality was told. One day, Eos asked Zeus to give Tithonus immortality. Zeus did give him what Eos wanted. But Eos did not ask for eternal youth. That made Tithonus grow old but could not die. He was withering away but his soul stayed alive.


    Everyone knew Zeus was jealous of how Eos chose Tithonus over him. That part was left unsaid.


    Axel used to listen to the story all over again. Kiaran''s sweet voice would lull him to sleep sometimes as he told him the story of Thitonus. He would make a theory about Tithonus in his head as he listened to his brother.


    He missed how Kiaran would tell him his favorite story.


    Kiaran stopped telling him stories when their father left. Kiaran became busy, trying to make him the best murderer. He was six at that time and Kiaran was only seven, father would only leave for a week because they were still young.


    Though, as the number of their age getting bigger, so did the number of how long Cain was leaving.


    But lately, he was hearing the story again. Every time he wanted to go to sleep, Kiaran''s voice would dance around his room, telling him about Tithonus. Kiaran acted like he did not do anything and Axel did not have the gut to ask about it. So he let it be.


    Turned out, it was probably not his Kiaran. It was probably the Kiaran voice he was hearing. It was probably another Kiaran if his theory was correct after his encounter with the demon version of the lieutenant.


    Although right now, through his blurry eyes and his bleeding forehead, he was staring at Kiaran that had two widened red eyes.


    ??????


    The fancy furniture was on displayed as a demon stared at a two-way mirror. His dark red eyes glinted, watching the human version of his dead brother walked away from the identical room like he was in.


    It was identical yet different.


    ''Just like Axel''s eyes.'' flew in Kiaran''s mind. His little brother''s eyes were red, like dawn after the war, full of determination and naiveness. While this Axel- no, while his other brother was blue like the ocean, empty with a drowning determination and naiveness.


    But they were his brother, they still were. This Axel was his.


    He finally made a conversation just a minute ago with his Axel. The blue eyes of his brother had been full of questions as they talked. Though, it was such a pity that Axel had to leave.


    From the conversation they had, Kiaran believed that this was indeed his brother. The same naiveness, the same soft eyes, and the same loyalty to his family.


    Kiaran did not want to think how his dead brother was not loyal to him anymore because he manipulated him, because he left him. He did not want to think how they were against each other in that war.


    In that losing war.


    So he diverted his thoughts to the paper on the other side of the mirror. The paper with a project the humans were making. The paper that his sweet little brother was reading.


    The humans had a demon in their world. They were trying to make their people become demons. It was ironic, wasn''t it? They were meant to be different, but apparently, everyone tried to be the same.


    Kiaran raised his eyebrows at that term. His red eyes went dark for a moment, a hint of sinister thoughts was showing in his demon eyes.


    He then frowned. There was something missing within that information on the paper.


    He stepped closer to the mirror in front of him, wings were dragging along the floor as doing so. The anarchist tilted his head as he tried to read the paper on the other side.


    Someone already found out that there was another world then.


    Kiaran fluttered open his dark wings, filling the room with black feathers. A smirk displayed on his face as he watched the other side of Axel''s room.


    Someone found out how to bring a demon to the other world.


    Kiaran turned his back and walked out of the room. His black coat blew a little from the pressure of his wings. He straightened the collar that surrounded his neck and went over to his family.


    They would find out how to bring Axel to their world.


    ??????


    "How ironic." Kiaran spat as his hair swayed with the wind. Three pairs of red eyes stared down at the building below them.


    "They always fight us and point us as the bad guys," The teen demon darted, standing beside his father. "Yet they are sacrificing demons to be experimented on."


    Kiaran had told Adreanna and Cain about the experiments. It only took one day for them to gather all the information with a little... force.


    They found out about the experiments the kingdom tried to hide. Every truth and dark secrets were spilled on their faces as they killed the people that they captured to spill the truth.


    "They work with the humans," Cain spoke, poker-faced as he spread his dark wings. "He has changed," The anarchist leader continued, face darkened as he spat his words.


    Kiaran and Adreanna looked over to their father at the same time. They knew who their father referred to. It was Cain''s old friend. A friend who had become blind after he received a high position.


    "Now that he becomes the king, he forgets who he was." Cain ended his sentence and took off. He let his wings wide open in the air, illuminating the moon.


    The head of the Vergessene family erupted some red aura from his body, making it dance around him. Something moved inside the ground as the red light that surrounded Cain became bigger.


    Hands clawed out from the ground, making it rumble. The bodies were pale as they all erupted from the ground, mindless and obedient. They stood there facing the Vergessene family.


    Cain smiled at his soldiers, eyes making a crescent moon shape. His only being screamed gentleness and warmness despite how deadly he was.


    "Destroy the building and bring me the cursed arrows." He commanded, eyes opening wide and sharp, lightening up with bright red waves that flew across the ground.


    In just a second, the undead attacked the building, making it shake and rumble. A siren rang in the air, trying to alert the guards that there was an attack. Not long after, all dressed-up soldiers came out of the building and fought with the undead.


    Adreanna flew high with her black porcelain wings. Her stone face scanned the surroundings as she flew closer to the battlefield. Some arrows tried to shoot her but she quickly covered her body with her glass wing, making the arrows fall back.


    She gracefully flip in the air, braided hair swung around before shooting the soldiers and guards with her sharp feathers.


    Kiaran watched the battlefield with hidden determination. They were going to have Axel back. Their family would be whole again after this.


    Some of the undead fell to the ground before another red wave sprouted from Cain, making them stand again. The undead''s faces were oddly clean despite the shredded clothes they were wearing.


    Kiaran''s red eyes caught someone familiar. That certain someone was holding a boy''s body, running away from the battlefield instead of fighting them. It perked his interest so he decided to approach the guy.


    Like he always did every time he saw the guy on a battlefield.


    Kiaran let his wings bring him to the air at an easy speed before landing on the ground right behind the man, making a soft ''thud''. "Hello, knight boy." He teased, making the knight stop at his track.


    "Some knight you are for not joining the battle." The anarchist mocked the blond hair knight with a boy in his hands.


    Valerian turned around and faced Kiaran with a death glare. "Stay away from me," The knight staggered back from the anarchist, holding tight the dirty blond-haired boy in his hands. "-before I kill you."


    "Whoa, no need to be so violent, knight boy." The anarchist raised his hands to the air, smiling skeptically. "I just want to check on my favorite enemy, that''s all."


    Valerian gripped the back of Aster''s head, trying to hide his sleeping brother from Kiaran. "What do you want?"


    "I''ve said it before, haven''t I?" Kiaran walked closer, dragging his black wings under the moonlight. "I just want to check on you."


    Valerian gritted his teeth, red eyes unwavering despite his beating heart. He walked backward slowly as Kiaran got close.


    "Ius ad bellum." The winged demon sang, smirking slightly. "Right to war, just war."


    The wind blew harshly around them as the space between the two sworn enemies tightened. The air was so tight, making Kiaran''s movement slow. His dark hair followed the wind''s harsh dancing, making it messy.


    "You should stop before I let the wind cut through you," Valerian demanded, eyes full of fire as the wind got even bigger.


    "But this is war, isn''t it?" The anarchist spoke, voice stayed playful despite the danger that surrounded him. "Just... war."


    The wind pierced through Kiaran''s cheek, making it bled a little. He put a hand on his bleeding cheek, wiping the blood with his hand before bringing his bloody hand to his mouth.


    He licked the blood on his hands, wiping the rest of the blood with his tongue. He tilted his head to the knight. "You know I could just command you to-"


    "-stop."


    His word rang in the air and the wind stopped. Valerian froze in his place and he knew he couldn''t move. A sweat ran through the side of his cheek as he stared at his sworn enemy''s eyes.


    "And look how the table turns."


    Kiaran chimed in, putting his hands on his pocket while getting closer to the knight. His eyes darted for a second to the sleeping boy in Valerian''s hands, before diverting his gaze to the knight''s face.


    "Don''t touch him." Gritted Valerian.


    "Nah, don''t worry, I''m here to check on you, remember? Not this sick boy." Kiaran waved his hand before gripping Valerian''s hair, making the enemy face him.


    "So tell me, knight boy." He spoke, red eyes met the red one with a glint of darkness. "Do you know the existence of another world on the other side of the mirror?"


    They stared at each other for a while, waiting for the blond to speak. "And you think I''m going to tell you? The anarchist?" The knight retorted back, unwavering.


    "Of course you will." Kiaran showed his sinister smile. "You want him to live, don''t you?" He nodded his head to Aster, making Valerian shut his mouth.


    "I''m giving you options here, either you tell me and then I let you both go." Kiaran brought Valerian''s head even closer to his face. "Or I will use my power to make you talk after I killed the boy."


    They stared at each other again, the sound of people screaming and fighting was in the background, painting the atmosphere.


    "Fine, I''ll tell you."


    Kiaran let Valerian''s head go as he took one step back. He waited for the knight to talk, standing patiently.


    Valerian brushed Aster''s hair before he opened his mouth to talk. "I found out about the mirror accidentally, I was not allowed to know."


    "It was probably the minister that knew, I''ve been spying on them, trying to take more information, and I found out that they sacrificed so many of our people for this project."


    Valerian looked over at his brother''s peaceful face sadly. "And then they found out that I know about this, but I was stubborn and they almost killed my brother on his sickbed." A dangerous glint glazed over Valerian''s eyes as he remembered the memory.


    "They black-mailed you." It was more a statement rather than a question coming out from Kiaran.


    Valerian paused for a second before he continued. "Yes, they did."


    "So I stayed silent and just let the experiments happen around me. Hell, they even moved me to the experiment building itself."


    The knight clenched his jaw and diverted his gaze to the anarchist. "But then I found two humans in the building."


    "One of them was identical to my brother. He was healthy and talkative. Annoying like mine was." He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "It was like my brother before he fell ill."


    "Who''s the other one?" Kiaran asked, he did not know why he did, but he just had a weird hunch.


    "I can''t see his face, a white mask was covering half of his face. Though his eyes were blue, that''s how I know he was a human."


    Kiaran could feel his heartbeat fastened at the statement. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he widened his red eyes. "Does he have black hair?"


    Valerian raised one of his eyebrows for a second before answering. "Yes, he did. How did you kn-"


    Kiaran gripped both the knight''s shoulders so suddenly, making him swallow the sentence before finishing it. "Where is he now?"


    "He left with my bro- with my identical brother that I told you before, I led them to the experimental mirror so they can come back to their world again."


    Kiaran quickly let Valerian go and flew to the air, making the wind blow a little below him. Valerian almost fell down at the sudden action, he tightened his hold on Aster and stared at the fading enemy.


    The anarchist was looking around at the torn-out building. He was searching for a mirror inside, trying to save it from crashing.


    He turned wide-eyed as he saw a black roots mirror, falling down from the wall slowly. Kiaran quickly flew to the scene, trying to catch it before it was too late.


    He was flying so fast that he could feel the world turn all blurry. He reached out his hand to the mirror that was an inch away from crashing.


    Right before he caught it, the mirror crashed on his feet, spreading all around the floor as he stood in front of it. He sighed harshly, letting his wings fluttered down, and finally looked at the shredded mirror.


    His breath caught in his throat as he faced his Axel bleeding on the floor, staring at him with tired blue eyes before fluttering them shut.

 Chapter 18 - The Demon Version Of My Family : Part 2

    Aster''s chest heaved up and down as he pulled Valerian along with him. After the lieutenant made sure every guard was already saved, he suddenly got dragged by his little brother to get out of the building.


    The rooftop cracked when they were passing through. Valerian''s bleeding shoulder was ignored as they kept running to save their life. The sound of walls rumbling and alarm blazing adorned the air.


    The building went self-destruct but it felt like a war was being held as they ran. The crack went along the walls to the floor, making the two brothers jump and staggered around.


    When they saw the main door, a breathtaking sigh of relief rumbled from their chest. Aster gripped Valerian''s hand tighter before getting out of the door and almost stumbled to the ground.


    Valerian caught Aster''s chest before the boy fell and helped him to stand up. Both of them looked behind and saw the building crumbles into pieces slowly. Every guard stood in front of the building and watched the scene happen with the two of them. The moonlight watched it too.


    A tug of realization struck the lieutenant. He could feel his breath disappear as he widened his forest eyes. He looked around warily, searching for a certain enemy that was with him.


    "Fuck." A curse left his mouth as the last wall standing fell to the ground. Aster glanced at his white-faced brother and frowned.


    Before Aster could ask what happened, Valerian was already running toward the building again. He stumbled upon some crack as he frantically scanned the area. His green eyes worriedly looked around.


    Valerian felt a weird kind of relief as he saw a black-haired man with his infamous trench coat sat in the middle of the building''s ruins. The mercenary was sitting on top of a fallen wall while looking at a scattered mirror.


    The lieutenant slowly approached his sworn enemy, avoiding some bricks that were scattered around the area. Beneath the crescent moon, the man stood beside the mercenary, eyes looking at him with a raising eyebrow.


    "You''re bleeding," Valerian stated as his green eyes caught the red blood that was running from the mercenary''s head to his neck.


    "Yeah, no shit." The mercenary darted. His blue eyes still locked on the scattered mirror, unmoving.


    "Same goes for you, police boy."


    Valerian grunted at the answer and glanced at his bleeding shoulder for a second. He looked up at the mercenary again and noticed how the mercenary was holding two pairs of bloodied white shoes.


    Something clicked in the lieutenant''s mind as he looked around once more. "Mercenary, where''s your murderer?"


    There was only silence.


    Though, only with that silence, Valerian understood the unspoken answer. Valerian followed the mercenary''s eyes and looked toward the scattered mirror. He slowly walked towards it and tried to pick some of the glass pieces.


    "Don''t waste your time, I''ve tried already." The mercenary stopped Valerian''s movement and finally stood up. "He disappeared after the mirror fell onto him."


    Valerian opened his mouth to ask more, but the sound of Aster calling him stopped him. The lieutenant looked over his little brother who was running to where he was standing.


    "Val! I found the murder boy''s cap! Have you seen him?" Aster sped through some of the ruins. His right hand was waving around a white cap as he got close.


    Aster arrived in front of Valerian with an uncontrolled breath. Valerian glanced at the mercenary for a moment who was looking at Aster with a skeptical look in a flash. The look was hidden as fast as it came.


    Valerian sighed deeply and looked at Aster apologetically. "The mirror crashed onto the mute murderer, we''ll be searching for him around the area, he''s probably around."


    The white cap fell down from Aster''s hand.


    ??????


    It was dark.


    Everything was really dark. There were some mumbled words around him, Axel could not really get what they were saying. His ears were ringing as they tried to adjust to his surrounding.


    Axel was sleeping on top of something soft. It was warm but his body hurt like hell. He could feel the sting on the right side of his head.


    Someone was holding him gently, stroking his hair thoroughly. It felt really nice. The person was playing with his hair while at the same time massaging his scalp. He could feel the rumble on the person''s chest as the boy realized that the person was hugging him.


    "Is he waking up yet?"


    A familiar monotone voice caught Axel''s ears. He tried to open his eyes to make sure that it was the person''s voice. Adreanna''s voice. Though his eyes were really heavy and went against his will.


    "He had a concussion, he''s probably waking up soon."


    Another achingly familiar voice rang in his ears. He missed that voice so much. He missed his father''s warm voice.


    Axel wriggled around a little, trying to wake up. He tried to get free from whoever was holding him and looked at his father. He let out a soft grunt as doing so.


    "Can you guys be patient? Axel needs rest, you''re waking him up."


    The person who was holding him spoke. Axel recognized the voice right away. It was Kiaran''s voice.


    Kiaran''s hugging him?


    "K-kiaran?" Axel managed to croak. His hoarse voice made his brother stiffen a little before continued stroking his hair.


    "Yes, Axel?"


    Axel wriggled again, heavy eyelids managed to open slowly. Lights dripped over his blue eyes as he managed to see. The first thing he saw was the body of Kiaran, wearing his usual dark clothes.


    The boy glanced up, trying to see his brother''s face. Kiaran did not stop stroking his hair while Axel was struggling.


    And then he saw the red eyes caught his blue one.


    The red eyes were supposed to be the same as his blue ones.


    The red eyes were staring at him.


    Axel jolted back, he pushed Kiaran with all his might and made himself almost fall down from the bed. A hand caught him right before he hit the ground. Then Axel met with red eyes again.


    Red eyes with his father''s face.


    His father smiled warmly at him. Axel did not realize he was holding his breath as Cain helped him get on the bed again. He forgot how to breathe as he saw the smile he almost never had, the smile was for him, his father was smiling at-


    "Be careful, son. We don''t want you to get hurt again." Cain gently spoke as he sat Axel down on the bed again.


    Axel blinked at his father. The face was the same as his own father. Was he got in the demon world again? So his theory was right, there was really a duplicate of each person in his own world here.


    "You have red eyes." The boy blurted out, despite all the questions he had in his head, and all the dangers that could possibly happen, only those words that came out of his mouth.


    "And you have blue eyes." Cain smiled, sitting down on the side of his bed. He wiped the hair that fell down on Axel''s forehead, his touch migrated down from his hair to his face, tracing the lines of his skull to his eyes.


    "They''re beautiful," Cain added, hand tracing down to Axel''s cheek and staying there. Axel flinched at him a little, contemplating what he should do in this situation. His eyes were wavering as he stared at his pseudo father.


    The shock in his brain was too much to comprehend for now. Not to mention how the side of his head hurt so much. He just noticed that there was actually a bandage covering half of his head.


    "Do you want red eyes?" Adreanna chimed in, staring at Axel with some hidden interest behind her dull red eyes as she leaned on the doorway.


    That did make Axel turned his head toward his pseudo sister. He noticed the porcelain wings waged down the doorway, beautifully reflecting the lights.


    "I- no. I would- I would like to keep my blue eyes, please." Axel answered, trying to hide his trembling voice.


    Adreanna huffed at the answer. Her braided hair swayed a little as she looked away. It was almost as if she was sulking even though her face was emotionless.


    Suddenly, a hand crept down on Axel''s neck, making the boy slap the hand reflexively and grip it. Axel could feel the rush of adrenaline in his body as it screamed danger.


    "Ouch, that hurts," Kiaran uttered as he stared at the gripped hand.


    Axel widened his eyes as he realized whose hand he was holding and quickly let go. "I''m sorry- I''m so sorry. I didn''t mean to hurt you, I''m sorry, I''m-"


    "Hey, it''s alright. I''m not mad." Kiaran calmed him down, taking Axel''s hand again.


    Axel''s hand shook a little as he looked at Kiaran''s red eyes. "You''re not? But I hurt you! You can''t keep being nice, Kiaran. You''re not the bad guy, you should punish me and-"


    "Hey, hey. Axel, calm down, it''s just an accident." Kiaran paused, taking Axel''s whole hand, and smiled. "Besides, it was me who startled you."


    "I- okay. Okay." Axel tried to control his breathing and looked down at the white sheet he was on.


    There was silence surrounding them. All eyes were on the human as Axel tried to wrap his mind around. He looked around once more, looking at Kiaran''s red eyes and noticing the ominous black wings adorning his back.


    He quickly looked over Cain who was still sitting on the side of the bed and he caught the black wings again. Adreanna was still standing there too as if waiting for Axel to do something.


    The room he was in was oddly the same as his own bedroom. It was just more medievally. Not to mention the mirror that was covered up with some red cloth.


    Axel looked at his pseudo brother again. "What''s happening? Why am I here?"


    Kiaran tilted his head and ruffled Axel''s black hair. "You came in this world hurting and fell down right on my feet. You almost gave me a heart attack."


    Axel frowned at the mention of ''this world''. "Why are you helping me, then?"


    "We''re your family too, no?" Cain added as he put a hand on Axel''s shoulder. "It''s a normal thing to help your family."


    Axel''s frown deepened. Despite how he was frowning, he felt a little warm in his heart at the mention of family. It seemed like the demon version of his own family was so kind.


    He kind of wished his father was like this too.


    "What happened back then? You were bleeding so much when we found you." Cain gently asked as he showed his best smile.


    "I was-" Axel vaguely remembered the scene. At one second everything was blurry and he saw Kiaran in danger. A mirror crashed down on him as he saved Kiaran and then everything was black.


    Oh no, Kiaran- he must be worried about him!


    "I have to- I have to go." Axel thrust his body to get up. He quickly stood up before a wave of dizziness attacked him and made him sway.


    He was caught yet again by Cain. "I think you should stay here for a while, son. You can go tomorrow after you recover."


    Axel just nodded aimlessly at the demon. His head was eating him a he felt nausea all around. His pseudo father helped him lay down on his bed again.


    "Here, drink this medicine." Cain gave him a cup and Axel chugged it down in a second. He should recover and go home tomorrow. He should find the mirror again.


    "Sleep, we''ll be right here when you''re awake," Kiaran reassured, his hand started storing Axel''s scalp again.


    The boy slowly fell asleep, surrounded by his pseudo-family.


    For the first time in forever, Axel felt like he was right at home.


    ??????


    "Can''t we just keep him here?" Adreanna spoke up as the three of them got out of Axel''s room.


    "Or kidnap him," Kiaran added, watching his father closing the door slowly until it made a soft click sound.


    Cain sighed as he faced his two children. "No, he would find a way to run away then."


    "We have to make sure we''re the only one he could run to first." A glint of darkness adorned Cain''s kind face. Adreanna furrowed his eyebrows while Kiaran flashed his teeth, smiling widely.


    "We''re one step closer to becoming a family again."

 Chapter 19 - The Demon Version Of My Family : Part 3

    The moon was getting higher as the night befallen them. The guards were getting farther away from them while the lieutenant, the mercenary, and Axel''s dear old bully stood among the building ruins.


    "He''s just... gone?" Aster muttered as he finished searching the whole building ruins together with his brother. A white cap stayed in his hand while he looked around.


    The lieutenant sighed while putting down the last wall crack. They had been looking around for the mute murderer, but they just could not find him.


    He diverted his gaze to the mercenary who was just following them around without actually helping. It irritated Valerian because it was the mercenary''s boy they were searching for, yet the criminal himself was just hanging around, watching Aster and himself work.


    "Aren''t you worried about him?" Valerian turned his body around to meet face to face with his sworn enemy.


    The mercenary tilted his head, black hair swayed along with the breeze as his dim blue eyes met with the green one. "Who?"


    "The mute murderer?" There was uncertainty in the lieutenant voice. It was more like a question rather than a statement.


    Blue unreadable eyes glinted with the moon as the owner raised both of his eyebrows lazily. "He''s just a murderer, someone I used, why would I be worried?"


    Frowning at his answer, Valerian opened his mouth to retort back at the mercenary but quickly got cut off.


    "Besides, I would be more worried about the hoard of guards coming at us."


    Valerian blinked at him. "The hoard of what?"


    The mercenary tilted his head towards the ocean of guards who just arrived at the scene. There were three helicopters coming and a dozen of cars full of people with weapons.


    "Shit." Valerian staggered back a little, injured hand gripping the pistol harder.


    Aster ran to the front, trying to shield Valerian. He wore the white cap in his hand and took out his bow.


    He aimed his bow at the guards, green eyes sharpened while steadying his hand. His face turned stern as he gritted his teeth, looking forward to the hoard of enemies.


    He took a deep breath, gripping the bow tightly, and let the arrow flew to the guards. He copied his movements and did it a couple more times over.


    Though he missed almost all of them.


    "This is just sad at this point," The mercenary commented impassively.


    Aster''s green eyes twitched at the comment. "Hey! I''m trying to help here, you bitch." He ventured towards the mercenary angrily.


    "At least I actually try to do something and help, unlike you!"


    The mercenary raised one of his eyebrows, a glint of amusement glazed in his eyes for a second before fading away right after. "Now I know why you two are related. Seems like annoyingness run in the family."


    "You little-" Valerian snapped his head toward the mercenary before cutting himself off. They did not have time to banter when the guards were actually getting closer.


    He let out a sigh and brought Aster right behind him. "Stay right behind me and don''t get hurt."


    Right after that sentence was spoken, the lieutenant aimed his pistol at the guards and shot them at the shoulders. Blood trickled down from his shoulder to his gun as he ignored his injured hand.


    He reloaded his gun while trying to shield his little brother. He then shot the guards again, feet dragging along the ground as he let the blood flow from their shoulders.


    The mercenary scanned the area with his sharp blue eyes. He dodged some bullets that were aimed at him easily as if he was dancing with them. His feet kicked some of the building ruins, sending them flying towards the guards and knocking them out.


    A loud sound adorned the air and the mercenary quickly noticed that the three helicopters were already surrounding them. The wind blew the three of them, making their clothes sway with the air.


    Kiaran diverted his gaze to the two brothers. The lieutenant''s little brother foolishly still tried to shoot the arrows while the lieutenant himself shielded and attacked at the same time despite his injured shoulder.


    His blue eyes looked around once more and caught the big looming trees that stood behind them. This ruined building was surrounded by a forest, trying to hide its secret from the world.


    He took out a rope gun from his trench coat, gripping hard at it before snapping his head toward the lieutenant. "Jump onto me and hold tight on my signal."


    Valerian looked over at him, frowning. He nodded anyway before continuing shooting the guards.


    Kiaran shot his rope gun at a tree, making a snap sound as it stuck and found its way to the tree''s heart. He grabbed the back of Aster''s clothing, making the boy let out a startled yelp.


    "Now."


    Right as he said that, he snatched Aster away and let the rope gun bring them flying. Valerian shot the guard that tried to catch them one more time before jumping onto the mercenary''s back and clinging to his neck like a piggyback ride.


    Aster let out a high-pitched scream as he looked down, clinging onto the mercenary''s hand that was holding his back. Valerian managed to look down once more, his uninjured hand still holding the mercenary''s neck as his other hand shot the guards below them.


    The mercenary landed on the ground gracefully, letting his trench coat dance around as he took in his rope gun. Valerian rolled onto the ground, holding his weight with his legs before he bumped onto a tree.


    While Aster just fell face-first to the ground, grunting.


    The helicopters quickly caught up with them, shining their lights to show where the three runaways were.


    Valerian gripped Aster''s hand with his uninjured hand and quickly brought him running further to the forest. Kiaran followed right on their back, catching up.


    "Val, what about murder boy?!" Aster questioned his brother between his staggered breath as they ran.


    Valerian bit his lips, ignoring his little brother''s question. "Just keep running."


    A bullet flew right in front of them. The two brothers jumped back before looking at the source of the bullet. The helicopter started shooting them, aiming their guns from the inside.


    The footsteps of guards chasing them were getting closer and they continued their running, stumbling a little but fastening their pace.


    The rain of bullets was thrown at the three of them, making it graced the lieutenant''s mask a little. Sweats formed on Aster''s forehead as they kept running.


    "Hey, police clown," Kiaran spoke, catching up right beside Aster.


    Aster blinked while kept dragging his feet. "Me?"


    "Yes, you."


    Kiaran jumped to the nearby tree, his hands caught onto one of the branches and broke it. He threw the branch to the first helicopter, making it sway. It bumped with the other two helicopters as it tried to balance itself. He then caught up with Aster again.


    "What''s with the mirror? I managed to find you after I followed your voice within the black roots mirror."


    Aster stumbled a little, hand still getting grip by his brother as he looked over to the mercenary. "We got in the mirror and stuck in there for a little while."


    "In the mirror you say?" Kiaran raised his eyebrows and stopped at his track.


    Valerian halted when he saw the mercenary stopping. Aster almost fell down face first again when they did so.


    "Mercenary?" Valerian asked. His voice was mixed with concern and uncertainty.


    Kiaran''s blue eyes looked over to his sworn enemy. "Take your brother with you. I''m going to make them follow me."


    "Wait-"


    "Until next time, police boy." The mercenary saluted and quickly ran the other way, leaving the two brothers behind.


    Valerian gritted his teeth as he watched the mercenary fade away. Before the helicopters could see the two of them, he jumped into the bushes beside them and dragged Aster with him.


    He clamped his hand over Aster''s mouth as the guards searched around. Lowering his body, he could see the helicopter already spotted the mercenary, alerting all the guards.


    Valerian could not help but feel uneasy as he watched his sworn enemy get chased away.


    ??????


    Axel opened his eyes slowly, blinking as the light caught with his pupils. He grimaced a little at the pain in his head. Ocean-colored eyes tried to look around the room he was in.


    "You''re awake."


    Axel looked over to the voice and noticed that the demon version of Kiaran sat right beside him. He blinked again, still trying to collect his soul.


    "Do you want me to read you a story?" Kiaran offered, a genuinely kind smile was displayed on his face.


    Axel shook his head a little, hoping to push the dizziness away. He tried to sit from his sleeping position slowly, controlling his breath as he looked over to Kiaran once more.


    "You did."


    Axel noticed how sore his voice was and coughed a little. "You read to me, every night?"


    "The voice, it was you, wasn''t it?" The human continued as they had a staring contest with each other.


    The room was oddly warm and comfortable. Axel tried so hard to ignore the lingering danger that was screaming at him as he sat with this Kiaran.


    "Yes," Kiaran answered, red eyes watching over him like he was some kind of a rare thing in a museum.


    "Why?"


    Kiaran tilted his head. "What do you mean why?"


    "Why did you read it to me? Was it meant for the other me?" Axel followed his head movement. There was a beat of silence before Axel continued his question.


    "Where''s the other me?"


    Kiaran''s eyes darkened, though they quickly fade away as soon as they came. "There''s no other you."


    "Only you." Kiaran suddenly hugged him, making the boy stiffen.


    "And it''s enough." The demon continued, placing a soft kiss on top of Axel''s hair. "Because you''re the same." He exclaimed and tightening his hug. "You''re my little brother."


    "I don''t- I don''t think it works that way." Axel pointed out awkwardly, trying to wriggle out of Kiaran''s grasp.


    He pushed his pseudo brother away gently, trying not to anger him. "Did he leave?" Axel asked again, blue eyes met with the red ones.


    "He''s here and it''s you." Kiaran brought him to a hug again, more straining this time. "And again, it''s enough."


    Axel sighed as he let his brother hug him.


    No- not his brother, just a demon version of his brother.


    "You could stay here," Kiaran mumbled between the hug, closing his eyes as he held Axel as if he would run away the second he let go.


    "I''d love to, but my Kiaran needs me too, you know." Said the boy while hesitantly returning the hug.


    Maybe the demon version of his family was clingy, unlike his human family.


    "Well, I can be your Kiaran, don''t you think?" Kiaran whispered to his right ear, sending a chill down his spine.


    He decided that demons were pretty creepy.


    "Kiaran, stop patronizing your brother." A familiar voice came from the door. A smell of something good caught Axel''s nose and he quickly snapped his head to the source.


    Cain came in with his black wings dragging the floor, reminding Axel that this was not his father. A cup of hot chocolate was in his hand as he went closer to the human.


    "I made you your favorite drink." He smiled as he sat at the edge of the bed, offering the cup to Axel. Kiaran let Axel go unwillingly from his grasp, letting Axel take the hot chocolate.


    Axel could not hold back his smile as he received the drink. "I- thank you. My father never made me hot chocolate before."


    "Really? It''ll be his loss then." Cain answered back. Axel did not really understand what his pseudo father tried to imply but he could not care less as he drank the hot chocolate.


    When the liquid touched his tongue, it burnt his mouth. He yelped a little and spilled some of the hot chocolate to the bed.


    He gasped at the sheet and opened his mouth to sprout apologies. "I''m sorry- I wasn''t-"


    "Oh lord, are you okay, son? You should be more careful." Cain checked on Axel, trying to make sure he did not hurt himself.


    "He''s clearly not okay. You should at least wait until it was colder." A monotone voice chimed in, revealing a beautiful girl in her late teen with porcelain wings walking from the door.


    "You are so careless." Adreanna continued, empty red eyes staring down at Axel.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to..."


    Kiaran sighed beside him and ruffled Axel''s head. "Our dumb sister right here is a hopeless case at showing emotions. What she meant was ''be careful and don''t hurt yourself.''"


    Axel blinked at Kiaran confusedly before diverting his gaze to Adreanna who''s looking away from him. She did not confirm nor deny what Kiaran was saying and just stayed silent.


    A smile grew on Axel''s face. "Thanks, Adreanna."


    A faint blush crept up on her face before she decided to turn away and left the room.


    "Told you, she''s hopeless." Kiaran chuckled as they watched Adreanna go away.


    "My Adreanna is kind of like that too, though she covers it up with her porcelain mask most of the time," Axel exclaimed happily while looking towards the open door where Adreanna left.


    He did not notice how Kiaran and Cain''s faces went dark at the comment.

 Chapter 20 - See You Soon : Part 1

    The wind swirled around the leaves as the mercenary sped through them. He made a zig-zag move while running, avoiding the bullets that started to rain on him again after he distracted the helicopters a while ago.


    Sweats ran through his forehead, mixing with his dried blood from the wound on his head, causing his hair to stick onto his face. He clicked his tongue when one of the bullets touched his black trench coat, making a hole at the end of the fabric.


    Glaring at one of the helicopters, Kiaran took out two smoke bombs from his trench coat and threw one of them at the helicopter.


    Falling for the same trick again, the helicopter lost control and bumped onto the two other helicopters as it did just a while ago. The criminal''s deep blue eyes glinted in amusement before he continued his whole ''running away from the guards'' thing.


    The fallen leaves around his feet flew around as he skidded past them. The loud noise of footsteps still followed him and he did not even have to look to know that they were the persistent guards''.


    His hand was still holding the last smoke bomb tightly as he ran. Kiaran could feel his mask suffocating him a little as he gasped for air. He had been running for too long now.


    He stopped in his track when he saw a tall stone wall in front of him. He brought his black-gloved hand to his hair, brushing it to the back. He turned around and raised his hand. Sighing deeply, he let the smoke bomb go inside his sleeve.


    He waited for a few seconds before the guards finally arrived. The loud footsteps stopped at the same time as all guns were pointed at him.


    The mercenary smirked behind his mask. "You know, just because I don''t kill, doesn''t mean I can not hurt you."


    He chuckled a little as he took his time. "It''s a sad thing that my murderer is not here at the moment."


    "Now you guys have to suffer and not die." He continued, playing with his word as his eyes met a guard with the same hair as him.


    "I will make sure you wish my murderer was here." He kept looking at the identical hair guard with a glint of playfulness and danger, making the guard''s hand tremble a little.


    It was so fun to intimidate an enemy, Kiaran thought. Though, the lieutenant was the most fun to tease.


    "Partially, it''s your fault that he''s not here." He darted, tapping one of his feet lazily. Guns were still aimed at him, no one dared to shoot, it was as if they were waiting for Kiaran to do something.


    Despite the danger he was in, he could not help but think how dumb the guards were for wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night. What a fashion tragedy.


    Also, don''t get him started the black suits. What kind of pretentious action movie did they think they were in.


    A faint roguish look glazed on his face before he took out the smoke bomb that was hidden in his sleeve and threw it in the air.


    "Enjoy the taste of your own medicine." Before the smoke covered his whole body, he managed to salute the guards.


    "Don''t die!"


    And all hell broke loose.


    It was such a mess to see.


    Except for the fact that they could not actually see anything because of the smoke that surrounded them.


    Everything was happening so fast, everyone was shooting at where the mercenary was. The loud gunshots danced in between the smoke.


    A flash of black clothing person appeared for a second at the edge of one of the guards'' vision. The guard''s blond hair waved to the left as he jumped to the person and tackled him to the ground.


    The guard grinned when he realized he just caught the mercenary. "I got him!"


    The mercenary''s blue eyes widened, the white part of his eyes was red and full of water. The blond guard was holding his head down while covering his mouth. He tried to wriggle out of the guard''s grip, desperately pleading to the man.


    "The mercenary is just all talk, huh?" Another guard approached him, she raised her eyebrows, looking down at the mercenary.


    "What do we do with him?" She asked again, messy brown hair fell down on her face, covering almost half of her sunglasses.


    "Kill him on the spot." The blond guard that was holding the criminal answered. Smiling in triumph as he caught the mercenary''s blue eyes.


    "Alright, Lucas," The woman reloaded her gun and aimed it at the mercenary''s forehead, nodding at her comrade as she went to pull the trigger. "Hold him down."


    The blond guard nodded back at her. Lucas smirked as he let go of the mercenary''s mouth and went to hold down both of his hands, mocking down the criminal.


    The mercenary gasped for air, he choked as he wailed on the ground. "No, no, wait-"


    Then a bullet went straight to his brain.


    The blood from his head oozed to the ground, staining his black mask and messy black hair. Terrified blue eyes looking at the night sky, lifeless. He took a final gasp of air that night.


    The woman put aside her brown locks to her ears. Putting her gun down, she rolled her eyes. "He is just a pretentious bastard."


    Lucas stood up, he brushed his hands before kicking the mercenary''s body. "Wait until the lieutenant heard how easy we killed him, it must have irritated him so much."


    The woman guard sighed, she walked away from the body alongside the blond guard. "He betrayed us though."


    "Well yeah, but still-" The blond man paused, looking back at the body one more time before diverting his gaze to her. "I would pay to watch the look on his face when he heard the news."


    "In my opinion, the lieutenant is still the only one who''s so close to taking the mercenary down." A guy suddenly chimed in between the two of them from behind.


    The two guards looked at the person at the same time. The woman raised an eyebrow while the blond man tilted his head.


    The black-haired guard shrugged as he continued. "I mean, he''s always there right when the mercenary finished his job, right?"


    Lucas gave him a disappointed look. "Newbie, you were trembling so hard when the mercenary spoke all highly."


    The blond guard snarled as he pointed to himself and the people around him. "Are you saying we''re not good enough? Cut the bullshit."


    "You literally just saw that I killed him." She added, rolling her eyes as she walked away from the newbie. Lucas looked at him up and down before finally catching up to his comrade.


    "...right." Blue eyes glinted behind the black glasses as the guard adjusted his clothes. "My bad."


    Kiaran looked over to the corpse of the guard that had the same haired color as him, laying on the ground while wearing his outfit. He blew his bangs and fixed the sunglasses he was wearing.


    He swiped his hand to the dead guard''s clothes that he wore. He switched it earlier in between the smoke as he had written the dead guard''s fate to die in his place.


    Shivering to himself, he remembered how disgusting it was when he thrust the blue contact lens into the guard''s eyes.


    He was so sure that he accidentally gauged the guard''s eyes out.


    Thank god he did not actually do that. That would be too gross.


    ??????


    Axel gaped at the sight of the house he was in. His blue eyes glimmered as he compared his house to this fancy replica house of his. He looked around and watched the old furniture that he only saw in the movie.


    Kiaran left with Cain earlier. They told him that if he ever needed anything, he just needed to call them. He did not know where the two demons went, so he decided to explore around.


    The bandage on the left side of his head went loose a little as he jogged around the corridor. His hand traced along the wall, comparing it to the wall in his world. Sometimes, he would glance at the fancy clothes he was given. He really felt like some kind of royalty wearing this thing.


    He felt a lot better now. He could go back to his home after this.


    The thought made Axel stop.


    With a hand that still stayed on the wall, he looked around once more. Although this time, he did not intend to watch the furniture, he just let his mind wander. The boy stood on the horns of his own dilemma.


    He remembered how the building he was in crumbled before he blacked out. The mirror crashed onto him, and he was almost ninety-nine percent sure nothing was left standing.


    That meant his way out of this world crumbled too.


    Axel sucked in a breath, biting his lips as a sudden stab of fear assaulted him. The panic raised in his throat, thoughts jumbled around his mind when he tried to calm down.


    "You okay?"


    Axel let out a totally manly scream and was not high-pitched at all as he snapped his head towards the voice owner. His hands automatically formed in a fighting pose before realizing that it was the demon version of Adreanna that was there.


    "Oh, it''s you." Axel cleared his voice and quickly straightened his body. "Sorry, I kind of lost in my thoughts." He smiled awkwardly as he looked at his pseudo-sister.


    The older girl did not answer. She just stared at the human that went nervous as seconds passed. Adreanna''s red eyes went over to the boy''s hand. She noticed Axel''s shaking hand and raised her eyebrows a little.


    Her head tilted slowly as she examined Axel. She watched as Axel''s breath went uncontrolled, blue eyes that she wished could turn red soon twitching a little. The boy literally went into a silent panic attack.


    There was an achingly awkward silence that surrounded both of them.


    "Uh," Adreanna opened her mouth, trying to think of a way to calm the boy and break the silence. "Can you... braid my hair?"


    Axel blinked a couple of times at her. Blue eyes were at a loss as they met with the blood-red ones. "I''m sorry?"


    "My hair is messy and I want you to fix it."


    Axel tried so hard not to frown at Adreanna. He did not understand this demon version of her nor the human one that was supposed to be his sister.


    He looked over her black braided hair that actually already looked neat enough and it just made him even more confused.


    "Ah- right. Okay." He nodded anyway as he met her red eyes again. "Do you have any hair ties that I can use?"


    Adreanna took some hair ties from her pocket and offered them to him. Axel''s hand graced with hers for a mere second before taking all the hair ties from her.


    Adreanna glanced at Axel''s hand again. She nodded a little to herself when she noticed that his hands already stopped shaking. She felt warm when she knew that her brother was saved and calmed.


    She liked the feeling.


    "Follow me." She commanded as she walked ahead of Axel, who quickly trailed behind her to the balcony. Their footsteps echoed in the hall, being proof that Axel was alive and well with her.


    She opened the door and let the breeze of the morning time brush her face, making her braided hair sway with the wind. She sat down on the floor, tucking her porcelain wings down, and patted the floor behind her, signaling Axel to come.


    The boy quickly sat down behind her. He placed down the hair tied to the ground and brought his hand to the demon''s hair. His eyes went over to the black wings for a second, admiring how the sun''s light bounced off the porcelain feathers.


    Axel took a deep breath before untying her braid little by little. His face became serious as his ocean eyes focused on the smooth black hair. The tip of his tongue came out of his mouth a little, staying like that as he finished untying everything.


    He put his tongue back to his mouth when he managed to unbraid her hair and silently pat his own back. Adreanna''s black locks went loose, dancing with the little breeze that surrounded the both of them.


    Looking at the shining hair in front of him, Axel smiled. "You know, you look really pretty with your hair down."


    Adreanna could feel her breath stop at the comment.


    She could see Axel dying in her hand, staring at her with his red dying eyes, smiling within the blood that adorned his teeth. The demons were fighting in the background and everything was too loud.


    "You know-" Axel coughed, blood oozing from his mouth. "-you look really pretty with your hair down."


    Her porcelain wings flared up as she saw the image of her dying brother again. She took a wild gasp of air, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart.


    With one hand holding Adreanna''s hair, Axel used his other hand and put it on Adreanna''s shoulder. "What''s wrong? Did I- did I pull your hair too hard?"


    Adreanna snapped out of her gaze and looked over to Axel with a heaving chest. She started to breathe slowly and lowered her wings as she saw the face of her alive brother.


    She did not need to worry. Because her brother was alive and braiding her hair right now.


    "I''m alright, just continue what you''re doing." She managed to crook out before turning her back on Axel again. The boy hesitantly nodded and started to braid her hair.


    "I should tell that to my sister when I get back, don''t you think?" Axel spoke again. "She looks beautiful with her hair down." He finished his sentence and let the soft silence take over.


    He was oblivious to how Adreanna tightened her jaw at his sentence.


    She just needed to be patient before they became a family again.

 Chapter 21 - See You Soon : Part 2

    Kiaran leaned on a wall, hands crossing on his chest as he breathed in slowly. His blue eyes scanned the room he was in carefully. The awfully ugly sunglasses he wore covered up his eyes.


    He was surrounded by people that wore the same black suit he was in. Everyone bickered and talked with each other, unaware of the criminal that was in the same room they were in.


    The guards were cheering with each other at the death of ''the mercenary''. Some of them talked about the lieutenant and his little brother, some of them talked about unrelated things outside their line of work.


    The room was so plain and white that it hurt his eyes. Somehow, the dead guard''s sunglasses did not even help him at all.


    After the death of the supposed to be mercenary, they moved to the building where he ''borrowed'' the black arrow for the second time for that crazy scientist. He remembered how he commanded Axel to kill about thirty men in here.


    His sky blue eyes caught the sight of three black arrows that they retrieved from the building ruins. They sat at the table, surrounded by the guards.


    He remembered how the scientist he worked for said that there were five black arrows in this world, it seemed like he just found the last three.


    Something was connecting here. There was a connection between the black arrows and the black roots mirror. He just had to dig more into this.


    And of course, he had to save Axel. The kid did all the killing for him, he was his biggest asset for his job.


    "Gina!" A familiar male voice called aloud from the door.


    Kiaran''s eyes moved over to the man. It was the guard that tackled down ''the mercenary''. His blond hair and annoying voice gave it away.


    The second child of the Vergessene family found himself frowning a little, trying to remember the guard''s name.


    Lucas, was it?


    Apparently, Gina was the woman that killed ''the mercenary''. Her stoic face perked up to Lucas as she saw him walking toward her.


    "You''re so god damn loud." She complained, crossing her hands to her chest. "What is it this time?"


    Lucas, grinning ear to ear with a wolfish look on his face put a hand over Gina''s shoulder, earning a glare from her. "Congratulation on becoming the next lieutenant!"


    Kiaran raised his eyebrows, he tilted his head at the two guards. Wry ocean eyes kept watching them in silence.


    Gina''s lips tugged upward a little. "So you heard about it, huh?"


    "Of course I did," Lucas stated proudly, smirking a little. "You''re my favorite girl after all."


    Gina looked away from him. A red-tinted blush crept up on her cheeks. Her long brown hair moved forward to her face, desperately trying to cover up her blushing.


    "It''s obvious anyway, I was Valerian''s subordinate." She huffed, biting the inside of her cheek.


    "It''s a good thing that you told the higher-ups about what Valerian found that day," Lucas added, shrugging a little. "You know, the DM project thingy."


    She nodded. "Yeah, he had that look in his eyes where he wanted to do something ''right''." Said Gina while putting pressure on the last word.


    "It always ended failing though. I''m getting tired of working with him." She sighed, hands went to play with locks of her brown hair. "His obsession with catching the mercenary was too much."


    "I knew what he would do when I read the papers. I don''t want to lose my job because of him. I had to do what I had to do." She justified more, eyes hidden behind the sunglasses that she wore.


    "He deserves it anyway." Lucas chimed in, eyes staring at gina behind the black sunglasses.


    Gina sighed again before diverting her gaze to the black arrows on top of the table. "Anyway, I gotta move these arrows to the mirror room, can you help me?"


    Lucas looked over to the black arrows. He stared at it for a second before grimacing at her. "I''d love to, but I really have to go right now."


    "Just say that you don''t want to help me, I don''t need your excuses," Gina grunted. She brought the three dark arrows with her hand, walking away from the blond guard with irritation.


    "Sorry Gin!" Lucas shouted one more time while the brown-haired girl completely ignored him.


    She appeared to sulk for a moment, clicking her tongue. Her black boots thump loudly on the floor as she walked, making some people look over to the woman.


    "Do you need my help?"


    Gina almost threw the black arrows in her hand at the sudden appearance of the person. She put another hand on her chest, trying to calm herself. The woman looked over to the voice owner beside her and found the familiar newbie.


    "Oh, it''s you." She uttered softly.


    The newbie smiled at her, blue eyes hidden with a vague sly look. "Want me to hold them for you?"


    Gina blinked at him before hesitantly giving the three black arrows she was holding to the newbie. "Uh, sure." She paused, before making a gesture to follow her with her hand. "Come with me."


    Both of them walked toward the mirror room in silence. The sound of their footsteps was the only thing that surrounded the two guards. It was oddly suffocating for Gina.


    They arrived in front of the mirror room. There were no guards to protect the room this time, unlike that day the mercenary and the mute murderer broke in. She opened the door and got in, the newbie followed her right after.


    She brushed her straight brown hair and tucked it behind her right ear. She scanned the room that was still a little bit messy after the fight that took around thirty guards'' lives.


    Kiaran''s blue eyes glinted in amusement as he looked around. He caught the sight of a big mirror with black roots that surrounded it. Though the black roots looked like they withered away.


    He looked over to the black arrows in his hand. Blue eyes twitching around behind the sunglasses, thoughts flew in his mind as he planned something. He diverted his eyes to Gina who was busy fiddling with the place to put the black arrows in on the wall.


    Kiaran walked closer to the black roots mirror with the three arrows in his right hand. He tilted his head at his reflection, raising an eyebrow as he watched the mirror copying his move.


    He took one of the arrows to his left hand. Eyes looking at the arrow in his hand for a split second before diverting his gaze to his reflection again.


    He brought the arrow closer to the mirror. With a steady hand, he let the sharp edge of the black arrow come toward the glass. Kiaran watched as the reflection of the arrow touched with the real one.


    Suddenly, the black roots on the edges of the big mirror crept up at a fast speed to the arrow, making the criminal''s hand jerk away. Kiaran staggered back a little, eyes still fixed on the arrow that he let go.


    The roots swallowed the arrow slowly, eating it whole as the roots bloomed. They spread even more after the arrow vanished from Kiaran''s sight, adorning the side of the mirror with pulse thumping inside the roots.


    "What are you doing?"


    Kiaran snapped his head toward Gina who''s looking at him with furrowed eyebrows. He looked at her with roguish eyes hidden behind the black glasses.


    She looked between the mirror and Kiaran with a conflicted face. Gina took a step backward unwillingly as she saw the pulsing black roots.


    The criminal walked closer to her as she froze in her place. "I haven''t said it to you before, haven''t I?"


    "What?" Gina whispered, confused eyes looking over to the newbie.


    "Congratulation on becoming the lieutenant," Kiaran stated, jogging his way to the brown-haired woman. He brought his face close to the woman, making only an inch gape within them.


    He suddenly snatched her sunglasses away, revealing two pairs of wide light brown eyes. Kiaran''s lips formed a deranged smile. He threw the sunglasses into the mirror.


    And just as he predicted it, the sunglasses went through the mirror.


    Kiaran widened his smile as he took his sunglasses off too, revealing two pairs of ocean eyes. "But you see," He darted, cracking his neck while pulling out a syringe from his suit.


    "I don''t want you to become my sworn enemy."


    ??????


    It had been three hours and Lucas was so worried.


    Gina had not come back from the mirror room. He thought maybe she went somewhere else, but no one had seen her either.


    Lucas''s blond hair waved around as he ran into the hallway. He was panting when he arrived in front of the door, chest heaving up and down.


    He slammed the door open, revealing a dim room with one large mirror inside. He took off his sunglasses and quickly looked around. Lucas breathe in relief as he saw Gina sitting on a chair on the furthest side of the room.


    "Gina! There you a-"


    Lucas stopped on his track as he saw a man holding a syringe so close- too close to Gina''s neck. His eyes were wavering as he realized Gina was roped onto the chair with a ducktape on her mouth.


    "Took you long enough." The man stated, grinning at Lucas with dangerous blue eyes.


    Lucas moved his hand to take his gun out but quickly stopped when the syringe came even closer to her neck, making Gina whine.


    "No, no, don''t do that. We don''t want her to die do we?" Kiaran taunted, melodic voice adorning the mirror room.


    "What do you want?" Lucas gritted his teeth, snarling at the man.


    "Let''s see," Kiaran brought his other hand to his chin. "I want you to kill all the guards in the building for me so she could live."


    "W-what?" Lucas staggered back, breath hitching in his throat as he looked back and forth between Gina''s teary eyes and the man''s taunting ones.


    "I told you before." Kiaran chuckled a little, pushing his hair back from his forehead as he grinned wickedly. "I will make sure you wish my murderer was here."


    "Wait, you''re-" Realization punched Lucas in the gut as he choked on his own words. "But we killed you!"


    "Yeah, unfortunately, you got the wrong guy." Kiaran sneered as he looked at the clothes he was wearing. "His clothes are too tight for me to wear, to be honest."


    Lucas was already at the edge of hyperventilation. He trembled as he tried to think of a way to get out of this nightmare.


    "Well, y-you never kill, so you would not kill her anyway!" Lucas tried to venture back, building up his leftover courage in his chest.


    "Yeah, I do never kill." Kiaran sighed, circling around Gina as tears kept streaming down her face. "But there is a first time for everything, isn''t it?"


    Kiaran grasped her hair softly, playing with her brown locks. "I won''t mind making her my first time, I do have to admit that you got a nice type of girl."


    Lucas was too overwhelmed with terror to retort back or even move. He felt like he was imprisoned by fear, he could no longer see anything but the mercenary''s exposed face.


    "Tick tock, Lucas." The mercenary sang as he leaned on Gina''s chair.


    "I-" Lucas''s eyes moved to Gina''s teary ones, she desperately shaking her head at him. He glanced over to the mercenary who was tapping his feet slowly. He was running out of time, he was running out of-


    "I''ll do it."


    Gina wriggled harder, trying to scream at Lucas.


    Too bad he already left with his loaded gun.


    ??????


    "Hey, Lucas! What''s up, dude." Someone called him, jogging his way over to where Lucas was standing from behind.


    The blond guard himself just stared at the ground, unmoving. His eyes were empty as he stood there with a gun in his hand.


    The guard that went to talk to him frowned, a glaze of worry etched on his face. "Dude, you''re okay?" The man put a hand on his back and tried to look at Lucas''s face.


    He stumbled back as he saw the blood that was drenched on Lucas''s face, trickling down his jawline and staining his clothes. It was as if he was taking a bath of blood.


    "What happened to you? Are you hurt somewhere?" The man quickly went in front of the blond guard, trying to check on his being, making sure he was alright.


    Lucas''s eyes slowly moved to see the man in front of him. With unblinking eyes and an expressionless face, he moved his gun slowly to the man''s heart.


    "I''m sorry." He vaguely whispered before a loud gunshot rang in the room.


    Lucas brought the gun to his face and found out that he ran out of bullets already. He let go of his gun, letting it fall down from his hand to the ground with a clank. He walked slowly to the other room.


    He scanned the area and watched the corpses that lay lifelessly on the ground. He made sure no one was left alive once more before aimlessly walking to the hallway.


    He looked around again, checking if there were any guards left. When he was sure that everyone was already dead, he quickly ran to the mirror room again.


    He opened the door slowly and a spark of hope bloomed in his chest. He would rescue Gina and run away with her. They could hide somewhere in a small town and build a house there.


    When he saw Gina''s state, all of his hope was thrown away and left him alone.


    He ran to Gina''s pale body on the chair, shakily trying to untie the ropes around her. He could hear his own heartbeat in his own ears. He quickly hugged her body, removing the ducktape from her mouth.


    "You said-" Lucas choked, water began to collect at the bottom lid of his eyes. "You said she would live!"


    "I told you to kill all the guards." Kiaran shrugged, a sly smile painting his face. "She was a guard too."


    "She was already dying anyway, I just needed to make you become my temporary murderer." He continued, lazily leaning on a wall as he saw the scene happening in front of him.


    A short intake of breath followed his lips. "No, no please, please, please, please-"


    Lucas''s voice cracked as he keep pleading to the air, holding her body as if she would vanish at any time he let go.


    "Do you know Romeo and Juliet story?" Kiaran began, right hand playing with a coin that he found in the dead guard''s clothes.


    Lucas looked over to the mercenary within his blurry eyes. Tears were collected in his eyelashes, making it difficult to see.


    "It''ll be romantic if you both have that ending, ain''t it?" Kiaran continued, the coin danced around in his hand as he stared down at the mourning man.


    Lucas faced the pale brown-haired woman in his hand again. Eyes empty with jumbled thoughts flew in his mind.


    He did not know how long the minutes had passed, he did not know how long he had been staring at her. He did not know how the mercenary was watching him like he was some kind of doll to play.


    He brought one of his hands to take out the poison inside his pocket. He used the poison to kill some of the guards in the kitchen earlier.


    He looked over to Gina again with a poison that sat in his hand. He smiled weakly at her, imagining what could have happened when he agreed to help Gina earlier.


    "I''m sorry." He kissed her cheek with running tears on his face. "See you soon, Gina." He ended his sentence by opening the poison.


    Lucas''s hand trembled as he drank the potion in his hand to the last drop, gulping it at a fast speed.


    When he finished, he threw away the tiny bottle and hugged her again. Hands wrapped around her waist as he could feel the poison take over his body, the blond guard slowly drifted into his eternal sleep.


    "He should have checked her pulse first, what a shame." Commented the mercenary as he took out the syringe from his pocket that he used to make her look dead.


    Later on, when the mercenary was already gone from the room, and the mirror was already used, Gina would wake up and find the corpse of Lucas holding her body.


    She would widen her dampen eyes, screaming so loud that her voice could break at Lucas, choking on her own tears as she sobbed in despair.


    She would also shoot herself after that, muttering ''see you soon'' at the corpse of the guy that had always been by her side.


    And the story of Romeo and Juliet ended.

 Chapter 22 - See You Soon : Part 3

    Axel''s feeling was... complicated.


    Well, of course it would be complicated considering the fact that he literally had to work with his bully just to get thrown into a weird mirror and met with the demon version of his family.


    But anyway, that was not important for now.


    What important was... whatever the hell was happening in front of him right now.


    Adreanna was flying, circling the room with a full-speed as the enemies below her tried to shoot frantically. Her black hair that Axel proudly braided earlier waved around behind her.


    In this tight situation, somehow, the 19-year-old demon still looked as emotionless as ever. The flat look on her pretty face was deadly, yet it was so beautiful as the light tried to catch her being.


    There was a faint dark glint in her red eyes as she fastened her speed. The black porcelain wings spread even more. Then, she released a rain full of sharp porcelain feathers to the enemies. The demons below her were screaming their chords off.


    One by one, they fell down to the floor with more than ten feathers on their body, making them bled to death. They took a final gasp of air when Adreanna finally stopped.


    Axel gaped at the sight, blue eyes watching in amusement to his sister. Though, he still grimaced a little at the blood bath that she just caused.


    Her blood color eyes caught Axel''s ocean ones. There was a moment of silence between them before she nodded at him and took off to handle more enemies again.


    A wave of red lights came from the corner of the room like a strong typhoon, making Axel''s fluffy hair fall into a mess. Axel blinked as he tried to understand what was happening.


    He then shook his head, trying to at least remove some of his hair that covered his eyes. He looked up to see people rising from the ground like some kind of zombie. The people were so pale, white eyes empty and mindless.


    He staggered back a little, thinking that they would attack him. His heartbeat fastened as every single of the undead turned their eyes to him.


    He brought his hand to a fist when the undead ran to him. They were so silent, only the sound of their footsteps was in the air.


    He was ready to attack them but quickly stopped when he noticed that they were not aiming for him.


    They were running past him, attacking the demons that had just arrived right behind Axel. It became a battlefield right after and Axel was confused, amused, and contemplating what he should do at the same time.


    "Don''t worry, they won''t hurt you, they are your father''s." A voice suddenly came from behind, causing the boy to jump.


    He calmed himself down when he noticed it was demon Kiaran that was talking. His pseudo brother put a hand on his shoulder, reassuring him that everything was alright.


    Though Axel felt kind of bad that he did not help the demon version of his family at all. They were trying to help him cross the mirror to his world, yet he just stood here, watching them work.


    He hesitantly glanced at the winged demon beside him. Biting his lips, he decided to ask Kiaran. "I''ll help-"


    "No, no." Kiaran cooed, cupping both Axel''s cheeks. The youngest blinked sheepishly at the older ones. "Let your sister and father do it for you, you don''t have to kill. We''ll protect you."


    Axel nodded a little. The demon version of his family was pretty overprotective. They were acting weird sometimes, but he often overlooked it since they were so kind.


    They even agreed to help him go to this building that he believed was a way for him to come home. He was about to go alone but they were pretty persistent to come along.


    Okay, let''s rewind a little, shall we?


    Axel had just finished braiding Adreanna''s pretty hair when the thought came into his mind. He remembered the second mission from the scientist that Kiaran told him to do. The mission where he and Kiaran had to retrieve the second black arrow.


    He saw the black roots mirror that day, the first time where he found out about the DM-2 project. If the mirror existed in that room, that meant he just had to try to check the counterpart of the building in this world.


    He might have found a way out.


    Well, he knew that technically it might not work since he and Kiaran took the black arrow from the mirror already, but he just had to try.


    It was his only hope.


    "There you are, we were searching for you two."


    Adreanna and Axel snapped their head toward Cain at the same time. Kiaran was leaning on the wall behind his father, furrowing his eyes at Axel''s hand who was holding Adreanna''s finished braid.


    Axel quickly bowed his head a little, showing his polite smile at his pseudo father. "Ah, Adreanna asked me to-"


    "He wanted to braid my hair, stop looking at me like that," Adreanna stated coldly toward Kiaran who was smiling ear to ear annoyingly at her.


    "Uh-huh. I believe you my dear sister, don''t worry about it." His melodic voice taunted her even more as he walked closer to Axel. Axel was looking back and forth between the two siblings dumbfoundedly.


    Kiaran arrived in front of Axel and squatted in front of him. The demon smiled sweetly at him before ruffling his hair.


    "I told you before, your sister is so bad at emotions, she has a big ego you see." He whispered playfully to Axel, making sure Adreanna heard what he said to the human as he stole a glance at her.


    Axel wanted to say how she was technically not his sister but he quickly kept his mouth shut when a porcelain feather flew toward Kiaran. Axel widened his eyes when the feather almost hit Kiaran''s head.


    He breathed in relief when Kiaran casually jerked back, letting the feather end up on the wall. Axel glanced worriedly between Adreanna and Kiaran before finally stopping at Kiaran''s roguish face.


    Despite how the demon almost died, he widened his smile even more. "See? Big ego just like I said."


    Adreanna''s face twitched a little. She fluttered open her wings and got ready to throw another feather. Though she was quickly stopped by his father.


    "Alright, that''s enough you two," Cain commanded with a stern voice. Though his voice did not have any venom in it.


    Adreanna quickly looked the other way. Axel would think she was sulking if not for her impassive face.


    Kiaran on the other hand cackled almost madly. Red eyes full of mischieve as he watched Adreanna ''sulk''. Cain sighed at the two of them and put a hand on his face in defeat.


    Axel stood there, trying hard to push away the feeling of wishing that his family was like this.


    With the light atmosphere surrounding the four of them, Axel decided this was the right time to talk about his plan to them.


    "Oh right, guys. I think- I think I find a way to go home." With a little hesitation, Axel decided to speak up.


    There was a beat of silence before the air suddenly changed between them.


    Cain''s face stiffened while Kiaran''s went dark. Adreanna snapped her neck toward Axel and was staring at him with an unexplained look.


    Cain quickly cleared his throat upon noticing Axel''s discomfort toward them. "Oh really? Care to tell us your plan, son?"


    And that was how Axel stood beside demon Kiaran in the identical building that had a black roots mirror with demon Adreanna and demon Cain fighting the guards in this place.


    He vaguely wondered, when those demon guards died, did the human guards on the other side of the mirror die too?


    He was too caught up in his thoughts that he failed to notice a demon guard that threw an iron arrow at him.


    The iron arrow went through the sky, aiming at Axel at a fast speed. As if the time had slowed down, Kiaran''s wing fluttered open, shielding Axel as he grasped the boy''s back onto his chest protectively.


    The arrow bounced from Kiaran''s black wings and fell on the floor with a loud clank. Kiaran quickly checked on Axel, looking at his very being with red frantic eyes, trying to make sure the kid was alright.


    Axel stood in shock before trying to tell Kiaran that he was alright.


    The demon who tried to shoot them came from behind, raising a dagger in his hand as he tried to aim at Kiaran''s neck.


    Though, Kiaran quickly noticed that. He spun around to face the man and jerked back. He looked back for a second to make sure Axel stayed behind him. His red eyes were glowering in anger, the air around them became thick as the enemy faced each other.


    He opened his mouth to command the enemy to stop with his manipulation power. The wind blew his black hair as the anarchist felt the power building up in his throat.


    But no words came out from Kiaran''s mouth when Axel suddenly leaped out from behind, doing a forward roll before kicking the enemy''s feet, making the demon stumble and fall on his back.


    The human boy briskly took the arrow that tried to shoot them from the floor with one swept. He spun on his heels before stabbing the demon''s chest, making some of his blood splutter to his face as the enemy went limp on the floor.


    Axel watched the corpse below him, hands full of blood as it stained his borrowed clothes too. Axel took a glance at his hands before diverting his gaze toward Kiaran who was standing still like a statue.


    "You... killed for me." Kiaran''s red eyes watched him vacantly as if he was looking through Axel''s soul


    "Uh, yeah." His blue eyes twitched warily as he lowered his vision, trying to avoid demon Kiaran''s gaze.


    "Um, I don''t know you, but my Kiaran doesn''t kill, and I just assume that you are like him so I decided to help. I didn''t mean to intervene, I''m sorry if I ruin your plan or that I-"


    Kiaran suddenly hugged him, causing the boy to go stiff on his feet.


    "You killed for me." Kiaran grasped his black clothes as he tightened the hug. "Willingly."


    "Uh, yeah?" Axel confusedly answered.


    Kiaran snuggled his nose to Axel''s hair as he kept hugging him. Axel could hear the rumbling in Kiaran''s chest when the human slowly returned the hug back. He could not help but have this warm feeling in his chest.


    "You guys done?" A familiar monotone voice chimed in. Adreanna lowered her porcelain wings as she stared at the two hugging beings.


    "Shut up. You''re just jealous because I''m his favorite sibling." Kiaran mumbled in between the hug.


    "...no you''re not."


    "I am."


    "No."


    "Okay, stop it you two, we need to help him back to his world, remember?" Cain finally stepped up after releasing another red wave, making his undead soldiers withered away.


    Kiaran let go of the hug while still keeping his hands on Axel''s shoulders. He moved his head toward his father. "Aw, can''t he just stay, father?"


    Kiaran looked over to Axel''s sky blue eyes. "Can you stay?"


    Axel nervously fidgeted in his place as he opened his mouth to answer. "I''d love to, but my real family would be worried about me."


    "We are your real family too, you know." Added Cain softly, though there was a hint of something behind his words. The man showed his kindest smile as Axel looked over at him.


    "Uh, right, okay." Muttered the human boy as he slowly pushed Kiaran away.


    Axel looked around at the dead demons around him once more before spotting the room where he one hundred percent sure had the black roots mirror.


    "That''s the room!" He pointed to the door as he sped walk over there. The three demons followed behind him silently, watching the boy enthusiastically go into the room.


    Axel opened the door to reveal the yet again familiar room with kingdom-ish furniture in it. His sapphire eyes caught the sight of the black roots mirror. The roots were pulsing, he could not help but have a little hope in his heart as he saw them.


    He made his way over to the mirror, squinting his eyes when he realized he was not staring at his own reflection. He widened his eyes when he realized who the man across the mirror was.


    "That''s my Kiaran!" He exclaimed happily for the three demons behind him. He glanced at them for a second. He could not see their faces because of the dim lights around them but he could not care less anyway as he looked over to his real brother again.


    "Kiaran! I''m here!" He spoke loudly, trying to get his brother''s attention as he stood in front of the mirror, facing each other.


    "Axel?" The mercenary asked, making sure he was actually hearing Axel''s voice.


    Then it clicked in Axel''s brain, Kiaran probably could not see him through the mirror because technically, Axel was the one who was in the mirror.


    "Yes, I''m here with-"


    Axel spun around, looking for the demon version of his family. He frowned when he did not see the three of them. His eyes moved around the room once more but he still could not find them.


    "Axel, cross the mirror. We don''t have that much time." Ordered the mercenary.


    Axel looked back at the mirror for a second before trying to look around again. "Yeah, but-"


    "Come on now kid, don''t test my patience." His brother continued with a hint of irritation in his voice unlike other Kiaran''s melodic-


    Axel shook his head, trying to clear the thought away. He glanced at the room he was in once more before finally bringing himself to the mirror. He put his hands first, making sure he could actually go through.


    He sighed in relief when his hands cut through it. He slowly brought his body across the mirror. There was a weird tingly feeling as he went through it, he closed his eyes for a second before realizing that he already arrived in his world.


    Kiaran was looking at him with a disapproved gaze. Hands crossed on his chest as he looked down at Axel.


    This Kiaran was cold.


    "I have to go through so much stuff because of you." Kiaran sighed while turning his back on him to the door.


    "I''m sorry," Axel muttered an apology. He quickly followed his brother from behind.


    Axel caught the sight of a dead man hugging a woman who was breathing. He frowned as he moved his gaze to his brother. "Kiaran, that woman is alive. Do you want me to kill her?"


    The mercenary stopped in his spot, eyes glancing to Gina for a second before continuing his steps. "Don''t worry about her, she would kill herself anyway."


    Axel deepened his frown before deciding to obey. Kiaran always had a plan anyway.


    The boy glanced back once more to the mirror. "I haven''t said goodbye." He vacantly uttered.


    ??????


    The three demons appeared from the shadow as they watched their boy walk away from the mirror. Surrounded by a suffocating silence, their red eyes followed Axel possessively.


    "See you soon, Axel." The father muttered dangerously. The kind smile changed into the maniac one as Axel disappeared from his sight.


    "Very soon."

 Chapter 23 - Its Family Day : Part 1

    Kiaran stood on top of a hidden building within the forest in silence. The wind fought with him, blowing his dark hair and black trench coat. A mask adorned half of his face as his sapphire eyes stared down at the dancing leaves below him.


    The half-moon was on sight, watching the mercenary standing alone on top of a rooftop. It shined through the night, high up in the sky as the world went to sleep. It just stood there, stalking the humans with its beauty.


    The mercenary looked up to the moon for a second, letting his blue eyes meet with the beautiful white light that it stole from the sun. When he diverted his gaze, the teen that often mistaken as an adult jogged his way to the edge of the rooftop.


    He looked down at one of the windows and scanned it. A sideways smile tugged on his lips behind his black mask as he took out his rope gun. The mercenary took a few steps behind slowly before sprinting to the edge and jumping to the air.


    He turned his back, spreading both of his hands that were holding a rope gun in one of them, and faced the moon once again as he let the gravity take control.


    Just as he was about to crash onto the ground, he shot the rope gun to the window, letting the rope crash the glass and hook on the edge of the window. Kiaran brought himself up and landed inside gracefully.


    He tucked away his gun and put his gloved hands inside his trench coat pockets. The teen casually strolled to the empty hallway, letting the back of his coat dance a little as he walked.


    The mercenary stopped in front of a double door of iron with a danger warning sign. He kicked the door, making them wide open with a loud bang. He hummed around as he got inside the dim laboratory.


    As he went further inside, a sight of a fancy yet messy laboratory was in sight. Though, no one was inside aside from the lab coat-wearing woman with a big transparent goggle adorning her eyes.


    Her black pupils were focused on the arrow in her hand as she held some kind of a tool in her other hand, mangling with the dark arrow. She let her curtain bangs messy as she let loose her shag haircuts.


    The woman in her late thirties looked as young as ever despite her age. People would mistake her for the twenties, not some middle-aged woman.


    That said woman sighed as she kept her eyes locked on the dark arrow. "They said you''re dead." She stated robotically.


    "I''ve ascended and became a ghost to haunt you." The mercenary shrugged. He could see the woman roll her eyes at his answer.


    He walked over to the table near the scientist. He jumped and sat on top of the table, feet were dangling around as he watched the woman with mild mischieve eyes.


    "You did not tell me about the mirrors, old lady." He declared after a few beats of silence, blue eyes still locked on the woman.


    The woman switched the tool in her hand with another tool that was sharper. "You and your names calling."


    Kiaran''s fingers were tapping on the table he was on as he raised one of his eyebrows. "You prefer a crazy scientist then?"


    "That''s actually better." The woman answered fast, clearly wanting the teen to disappear from her sight.


    Kiaran jumped onto the floor with a soft thud. He brushed off the leftover window cracks on his black trench coat before walking closer to the scientist and standing beside her.


    "How many times have I told you to not break in through the window? I have a door." Without even looking at the mercenary, she spoke at him with a tired irritation in her tone.


    "You know you wouldn''t let me in either way," Kiaran answered offhandedly.


    "You''re right, so please do me a favor and get out." The scientist retorted back and continued working with her work.


    "I might already do a favor for you, actually." He darted, circling behind the woman, and stopped on the other side where he was standing before.


    The mercenary grabbed the two black arrows that he kept inside his coat and waved them in front of the scientist''s face. The woman finally looked up from her work, her face was full of contained emotions as she caught the sight of the two black arrows.


    "You''re an actual mad man, mercenary." Commented the woman as her black pupils kept staring at the arrows in his hand.


    "That''s what they call me." Unblinking blue eyes calculated the crazy scientist in front of him as he spoke.


    The scientist was about to reach for the two black arrows but Kiaran jerked his hand back, making the woman sigh. "What do you want?"


    Kiaran cracked his neck as the woman''s black pupils met with his blue ones. "Now we''re finally talking about business."


    The scientist put down her tools in her hands as she clenched her jaws. "What? Do you want more money? Just give me the price."


    "I want information, all kind of information you have about the black arrows, the black roots mirror, and the other side of the mirror." He demanded with a low voice echoing in the room.


    The woman raised her eyebrows that were hidden between her curtain bangs. "That''s it?"


    The mercenary spun the arrows in his hand as he leaned on the table. "Yes." He paused, stopping the arrows in his hand, eyes sharpened as he stared at the scientist with dangerous glint.


    "Though you have to tell me your plan on what you''re going to do with the arrows too."


    The woman stiffened. He looked at him with mixed emotions and glowering eyes. There was silence as she thought about the deal. Though deep down, she knew she had no choice.


    "Alright. But keep it between us or I''ll kill you." She gritted her teeth as she finally looked away from the mercenary to her table again.


    The mercenary took her hand and shook it happily. "It''s a deal then, old lady!" He cheerfully exclaimed. Though the scientist caught the dark undertone behind his words.


    As he let go of her hand, he put down the two black arrows in his other hand to the table and slide them to her. She quickly picked the arrows with her hand slowly, looking at them as some kind of gem.


    The mercenary let the scientist fall into her own world for a moment. He was tapping his foot as seconds went by.


    "I know where the last one is, I left it attached with the black roots mirrors in the government''s building." The teen tilted his head to the wall beside him as he caught the sight of a black roots mirror, he finally spoke.


    "I''m using it to frame two dead lovers, I''ll retrieve the last one if you do one more thing for me." His blue eyes caught his reflection in the mirror, though deep down, he was trying to find out what''s inside this crazy scientist''s mirror.


    The scientist gripped the edge of the table with her hand as looked up at the mercenary one more. Black pupils sharply waited for the criminal to say what he wanted.


    An etched madness sprout on his face as he returned the stare. "Let me in your project."


    The scientist furrowed her eyebrows, head pounded with tension as she did so. "Why?"


    A crazy grin adorned his face as it was hidden behind his mask. The mercenary chuckled darkly and he went closer to the scientist with madness sparking in his eyes.


    "I want to see the world burn."


    ??????


    Axel groaned as he heard his blazing alarm in his ears. His left hand tried to reach the table where the alarm stood. After failing to stop the alarm a couple of times, he finally decided to stand up from his bed, stumbling as he shut down the alarm.


    His fluffy hair was covering his eyes, making his bedroom blurry. He brushed the locks with his hand and blinked a couple of times, trying to adjust with the vague morning light from his window.


    He had a really weird dream last night where he met the demon version of my family that had black wings and treated him with kindness as they helped him with-


    Axel''s tired blue eyes caught the sight of the clothes that he borrowed from the demon family yesterday, hanging behind his door and all tangled up with his other clothes.


    Ah, it was not a dream then.


    Oh shit, it was not a dream.


    Axel looked over to the mirror so fast that he was sure his neck cracked. He brought his feet closer to it, stopping when his body reached his study table in front of the mirror.


    He stared at the mirror with a skeptical look, wondering if the demons were watching him right now. Axel opened his mouth and closed it several times. Though, he did not know what to say to them.


    "Uh, I-"


    Something bumped into his window, causing the boy to choke on his word. He quickly diverted his gaze to it, walking slowly as he tried to see what caused it.


    As he opened his curtain, letting the sun overwhelm his room, a rock went flying to his face at a fast speed and stopped at the window glass, making the boy jerk back a little.


    Axel looked down to see the person who did it. He was not surprised when he saw his best friend down below.


    The boy quickly opened the window to yell at Rune. Yet when he did open it, another rock was thrown and almost hit his face if he did not avoid it fast enough.


    "Rune, what the hell?!"


    The red-haired girl who was ready to throw another rock quickly retreat back at the sight of her best friend. "Holy shit, you''re actually alive."


    Axel sighed.


    ??????


    "I can''t find Kiaran anywhere, I wonder where he went off this morning," Axel wanly muttered, dropping his shoulders as he walked side by side with the red ponytail girl.


    A sardonic smile bloomed on Rune''s face as she looked over at Axel. "Oh, that''s funny because you''ve been gone for two days! Two god damn days without being at home at all."


    "I was... busy." Axel let out a roguish chuckle at her as they arrived in front of their classroom.


    "Busy?! You make me think you''re actually kidnapped by not answering my messages nor phone calls!" Rune opened the classroom door harshly as she continued yelling at the boy.


    Axel took a step back and wildly gestured his hand to brush off Rune''s statement. "What do you mean I got kidnapped? Me? Kidnapped, ha, no way, nope." Axel grimaced at his cracking voice.


    "Spider-Man released a new trailer, so I messaged you about it but you didn''t answer. Because it''s weird, right? You are a die-hard fan of Spider-Man so I was like- ''oh, he is busy'' and brushed off the kidnapping idea in my head." Rune explained, hazel eyes looking around as she did it.


    "But then-" She paused, eyes locking on Axel''s. "-you disappeared for two days."


    Axel opened and closed his mouth a couple of times. He tried to process everything as he sheepishly looked at Rune. "Spider-Man released a new trailer?!"


    Rune looked at him in disbelief. "That''s your concern right now?! Where the hell did you go for two days, man?! I was worried sick that I was this close-" Rune made a sign with her thumb and her index finger that almost touched with each other.


    "-to send some of my dad''s agents to search for you."


    The black-haired boy blinked. "Wait, really?"


    Rune crossed her hands over her chest. "Yes, really."


    Axel was about to open his mouth again but quickly got shoved off from behind. The boy almost fell face-first to the floor if not for Rune to hold his hand and save him.


    Axel looked back to see his one and only bully in a bad mood.


    Oh no, it''s a bad mood.


    "You''re in the way, loser." Aster spat as he bumped his shoulder onto Axel before walking to his seat. The two best friends looked at each other in cue before looking at the bully again.


    "Man got some anger issue today," Rune commented as they continued watching the dirty blond hair boy.


    Axel nodded in agreement. His blue eyes were locked on Aster''s dirty shoes, he felt bad but at the same time thought that he deserved it when he sacrificed his bully''s shoes. Just a little. Or maybe more.


    "What are you looking at? Got any problem with my shoes?" Aster hissed at him as he caught Axel''s stares.


    "No- uh, no." Axel quickly dragged Rune to their seat so that he could avoid the bully.


    ??????


    Aster dragged his feet lazily as he arrived home. He yawned when he opened the front door loudly, knowing that there was no one home.


    Valerian had to take care of yesterday''s problem where he got kidnapped. It really irritated him that when he managed to survive, he still had to sit down and get questioned by the authorities about what happened.


    He was hungry and did not wear any shoes, of course, he was mad.


    His parents were worried about Valerian more than him. That did not make any sense because he was the one who was kidnapped. It just added his anger even more.


    He was worried about the mute murderer, which irritated him too. But he tried to think that he was alright. He''s like the best criminal, he would be okay.


    And now today, he was forced to go to school by his parents even though he just survived the dying and the killing thing he experienced. Valerian did try to defend him but somehow it just made him angrier. Because it just made his brother look like some kind of savior in front of their parent''s eyes.


    Fucking favorite.


    So in the end he slammed the door and went to school despite Valerian''s shouting.


    That loser Axel always got on his nerves also, he really wanted to punch his ''nice'' face or just throw him onto the mute murderer so he got killed or something.


    The blond boy sighed as he opened his bedroom door. He threw away his school bag, making it land on the floor next to his bed. Aster changed his uniform onto a blue shirt and baggy jeans and tossed the uniform away to the corner of the room.


    He looked up to his wardrobe, expecting a white cap that he put on top of it. Imagine how surprised he was when he found nothing.


    Aster quickly looked around frantically, trying to find the mute murderer''s belonging that he promised to himself that he would return it when he met him again, somehow.


    Because he believed that the mute murderer was alive even though the mercenary was- was dead.


    He believed that the mute murderer was alive because he was way stronger than the mercenary. He saw it himself the way he fought and saved him at the same time.


    He needed to return the white cap, so the mute murderer must stay alive because he said so.


    He thrashed around his room and made it even messier than before. He looked under his bed, inside the pile of his dirty clothes, and even behind the study table he owned.


    Aster stopped his movement when he caught the sight of a pair of new branded shoes sitting on his table. He walked closer to the expensive shoe and examined it closely.


    He looked over beside the shoe to find a note and frowned. Raising his eyebrows, he brought the printed words close to his face as he tried to read them.


    "Thank you for keeping my hat. I hope you like this shoe," Aster mumbled while reading the note. His forest eyes moved over to the pair of shoes again. He stared at it for a while before smiling to himself.


    "Murder boy has a style, damn."


    Axel smirked as he adjusted his white cap. The mute murderer was standing beside Aster''s window, hiding away from his bully.. He quietly left, jumping over the house''s fence and disappearing within the street.

 Chapter 24 - Its Family Day : Part 2

    "We''re going to hold a Family Day next week. Since it''s Halloween, the school decided to make it the main theme for this year''s Family Day. Please notify your parents about this."


    The teacher glanced around the room once more, looking at her students one by one.


    "Class dismissed, you may go home now." She left the class right after, leaving the students waiting for her to vanish from their sight.


    The whole class groaned as soon as she left the class. Family Day was every student''s worst nightmare in this school. They had to spend the whole day with their parents and siblings too, letting the parents brag about them, and the siblings embarrass them.


    Though there would be so many foods that day. There would be some competitions too to see who was the best family of all.


    Axel never won any though.


    "Halloween costumes with your parents in the school? Sure, it''ll turn out amazing." The girl on the back row muttered sarcastically as she tidied up her makeup.


    "I''ll take what I can if it means no studying for the whole day." A boy on the front row chimed in, the bags under his eyes were the indication of what the school had put him through.


    "My mom will embarrass me so much, I can feel it." A girl behind Axel shivered, she hugged herself as she imagined the Family Day.


    Axel and Rune turned their head to each other at the same time, Rune smiled apologetically at him while shaking her head. Axel shrugged his shoulders at her before looking at his table.


    His thoughts went to Kiaran who had not come home since yesterday. He thought about Adreanna too, she would hate coming to an event like this. She hated social interactions.


    And father was- father would not come anyway.


    "Maybe this time one of them will come," Axel muttered to himself, looking down at his books on his desk with absent eyes.


    "What? Little Vergessene is sad because his little perfect family can''t come?" A taunting familiar voice caught his ears. Axel slowly looked up to see Aster walking over to him with a bag on his back.


    The black-haired boy sighed, he stared at his bully with tired eyes. "What do you want, Aster?"


    "Oh, nothing. Just here to be your daily reminder that you are a nobody." Aster smirked, his two minions cheered him from behind, looking at Axel with mocking eyes.


    "Maybe that''s why your family abandoned you, ever think of that, loser?" The bully continued, green eyes full of deriding as he watched the blue eyes widen at his words.


    "Alright, that''s enough." Rune stood up from her seat with glowering hazel eyes. She stared at Aster angrily, clenching her fists.


    "Oh, right. I''m sorry, miss white knight." The blond boy snarled, holding both of his hands up in surrender before finally leaving Axel and going out of the class. His minions followed him right after.


    Rune kept staring with despise at Aster until he got away. She quickly looked over to her best friend when he made sure the bully was gone.


    "Hey, Axel." Rune walked closer to his desk, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You know your family did not abandon you. They are busy just like my dad! He did not really spend much time with me too since he''s the president."


    Axel''s dreamy eyes caught the hazel one. Rune always tried to cheer him up. She was always there for him. He did not want to lose this girl.


    He forced a smile at Rune as they stared at each other. Opening his mouth, the boy managed to fake a happy face.


    "I know."


    He knew he was abandoned by his father anyway. He also knew Kiaran was still there for him. At least.


    ??????


    Axel tripped over his own feet when he arrived at his own bedroom with a bunch of cardboard in his hands. The cardboards went flying to the air as they broke free from the boy''s hand.


    Axel gasped when he noticed he was falling. The boy quickly flipped over to the air, defying gravity right before he touched the ground. His fluffy hair fell over his blue eyes when he landed on the floor.


    "That''s a close one," Axel whispered to himself. His ocean blue eyes looked around at the mess below him.


    The 14-year-old bent down to pick cardboards on the ground. He brought them to his study table in front of the mirror.


    The chair made a little creak sound as he sat on it. His right hand was holding a scissor while his other one was holding a whiteboard marker. A fixed look adorned his face when he began drawing lines on the cardboard.


    Firm blue eyes darted around when he finished drawing the lines. The boy finally started cutting the cardboard. He bit his lips. Sweat ran down from his forehead as time passed by.


    He stood up to take a black paint that he bought earlier with Rune when they had walked home together. Rune was pretty insistent to walk him home because she was afraid that he would disappear again.


    The boy was standing in front of his study desk, proudly looking at the cardboard that he just finished carving. He started to paint the cardboard black, following some lines that he already marked before.


    He wiped his forehead with his hand. The paint that was spilled on his clothes and hands went unnoticed by the boy as his forehead was stained black too.


    He brought up the black cardboard wings for his Halloween costume to his face. When he felt that the black cardboard wings were perfect already, he started attaching them to some black rope, making the wings like some kind of a bag.


    He glanced at the royal clothes that he borrowed from the demon world two days ago. He hoped that the demon version of his family would not mind if he used it for Halloween. He really did not know what to wear so he just decided to be a demon.


    He sighed as he picked up more cardboard and started to make three more black wings. Deep down, he knew that it was impossible for all the wings to be worn by the time he reached Family Day.


    He made them just in case all of his family members would come.


    ??????


    Axel looked over his messages for the tenth time today. He already told Kiaran about Family Day as soon as he finished with the cardboard wings. His brother had not answered yet, he already read them though.


    He sent it to Adreanna too, she did not read his messages. It was the same case for his father. They were probably busy, they would read them later. Maybe.


    He put down his handphone and decided to wait for Kiaran to come home. He went to the couch in the living room and sat down. He would wait until he was asleep on the couch, skipping over dinner.


    A day would turn into two and the boy was almost late for school. He skipped over breakfast just to make it in time. Rune would yell at him when she found out he hadn''t eaten anything yet. She would shove some bread into his mouth right before the class started.


    In between the third and the fifth day, he was contemplating whether he should call Cain or Adreanna. In the end, he did not call anyone and waited on the couch again.


    On the sixth day, he stood in front of the mirror, hoping that the demon version of his family would talk or just say hi. It was getting lonely in his house. Usually, there would be at least Kiaran to accompany him.


    Besides, it was forbidden for him to get out of the house unless it was school or Kiaran''s command.


    Without him realizing it, Family Day had already come. He threw away the three cardboard wings to the trash behind the house.


    It was finally Family Day with only him as the family.


    ??????


    Axel stood in front of the mirror in his bedroom. He examined the black cardboard wings behind him. The red contacts that he wore were kind of itchy, they made his eyes a little watery. He wore a black horn headband too, Rune gave it to him yesterday.


    He brushed off the invisible dust on his borrowed clothes before finally leaving his bedroom. He could hear Rune''s car outside his house already. She wanted to go together since she dressed up as an angel after he told her that he wanted to be a demon for Family Day.


    She also knew that his family could not make it.


    When they arrived at school, it was already full of students with their families. Rune told him that her father would not make it too, that''s one of the reasons why they went together.


    She let her red hair loose today and tucked it behind her ears. She wore a halo headband and white wings that she bought from a costume store. Rune''s short white dress went along with the white high heels, making her look like an actual angel.


    Axel looked around the school. A student was sulking as her parents tried to talk it off to her. Another student was running with his little brother, playing around the hallway. They laughed and talked together with their family.


    Somehow, he felt alone in this crowded place.


    Rune noticed how Axel was looking at the surrounding with a mix of envy and sadness. She quickly grabbed him by the hand and dragged him along the hallway. Axel went goggle-eyed at the movement and tried to match his best friend''s footsteps.


    "Let''s steal so many foods and go to the rooftop. We''ll make it our hiding place." Urged Rune happily while keeping their hands intertwined with each other.


    Five minutes later, their hands were full of all kinds of foods and drinks. Axel tried not to spill anything and made sure Rune did not either.


    They stealthily walked to the rooftop, trying to stay away from the teachers'' eyes. Rune and Axel quietly giggled, their voices would echo a little, and they would try to shush each other right after.


    When the two best friends finally arrived, they quickly put down the food on an abandoned table on the rooftop. They took two dusty chairs and set them down for the two teens to sit down.


    "I don''t know no Family Day. I only know Food Day." Rune joked as she got ready to shove some foods into her mouth greedily.


    Axel let out a stifled laugh while holding his stomach. "Don''t-" He choked while trying to stop his laughter. "Don''t let your dress get dirty, please."


    "Don''t worry. I am the first lady of this country, I am a gentlewoman with a great attitude. There is no way I''d-"


    The cupcake in Rune''s hand fell down to her chest when she spoke. She blinked at her dirty clothes before looking back at her best friend who was looking at her with disappointment.


    She grinned at him apologetically. "Can I take back what I said?"


    Axel offered her a tissue while sighing. "You better."


    In the end, they ate together, looking down from the rooftop as the opening ceremony of Family Day started. The breeze was watching with the sun as it blew around the two teens'' hair.


    "You losers are helpless."


    Rune and Axel snapped their head to the source of the voice. Aster was walking toward them with sleepy eyes, yawning as he stretched both of his hands. He was wearing a Dracula cloak with fake fangs and white-gloved hands.


    "I mean, sitting on the rooftop in Family Day? Fucking sad." He snarled as he looked at both Rune and Axel with belittled eyes.


    Rune took another bite of a pie while frowning at him. "You''re here, though?"


    The three of them went silent.


    ??????


    "This cupcake is the fucking best," Aster muttered with his mouth full. Rune and Axel nodded in agreement as they ate another one.


    The three of them had been sitting on the rooftop for a while now. The opening ceremony just finished. They watched students and families go out of the building to the food stall outside.


    They probably ran out of food inside because two certain best friends stole some of them.


    "Damn, what a fancy car," Aster commented when an expensive car stopped in front of the school.


    Two suit-wearing guys came out of the car with sunglasses. One of them opened the door while bowing respectfully. A red-haired man with a fancy suit appeared from inside, his hazel eyes scanned the school area as he stood in front of it.


    Axel recognized the man. He looked over his best friend so quickly that he was sure his neck would crack. "Wait, Rune, that''s-"


    "Oh shit." Rune dropped the food to the table, standing up from her seat while trying to clean the food stain on her clothes.


    "Daddy finally comes, miss president may go now." Aster leaned his chair back with a cupcake in his right hand, staring lazily at Rune.


    "But I did not tell him about today." She whispered at herself, probably only meant for her. The two boys caught what she said since technically they were the only ones on the rooftop.


    "You did not tell your father that today''s Family Day." Axel flatly stated rather than asked.


    Rune''s eyes still looked down at her father who started going inside the building. "Well, in my defense, I knew he was busy so I didn''t tell him anything." She stated in panic.


    "Oh, oh. Daddy is probably mad then." The blond boy chimed in with a bored tone, teasing the red-haired girl even more.


    "Aster shut the fuck up." She growled with a frustrated tone.


    Aster mockingly bowed at her. "As you wish, miss president."


    She groaned at the blond boy before looking at Axel. "Sorry dude, I got to go. See you later?"


    "Yeah, sure." Axel waved his hand dismissively to her. "Hurry up, your dad is waiting." He got up from his seat to push her into the rooftop door. She quickly ran down the stairs in hurry.


    He closed the door when Rune was already gone. He went back to his seat and took a slice of cake, looking down at the front of the school again.


    He and Aster went into an awkward silence. Somehow, Axel felt deja vu again just like that day when they were in the prison together.


    He stole a glance at Aster who was looking at the front gate with a serious look. He then looked down and noticed the red and black shoes he gave to him that day.


    Axel cleared his voice. "Nice shoe."


    "Thanks, I got it from a criminal." Aster was still looking down, he answered Axel without giving a single glance at him.


    "Oh, cool." The black-haired boy looked away from him and fixed his gaze on the table, bracing another awkward silence.


    "Yo, loser," Aster called, catching Axel''s blue eyes before pointing down with his finger to the front gate. "You should have worn something like that, those wings are dope as hell. Yours are lame."


    Axel raised both of his eyebrows, intrigued by another wing-wearing person that his classmate mentioned. He quickly diverted his gaze down to see-


    He stood up so fast that the chair he was on fell down, making Aster startled. He made sure the second time that he was looking at Kiaran, Adreanna, and Father down below.


    Something was weird though. Those black wings looked so real- too real to be a costume.


    Oh, wait.

 Chapter 25 - Its Family Day : Part 3

    "What are you three doing here?!" Axel whisper-yelled at the three demons in front of him. Horizontal wrinkles appeared on his forehead as he raised his eyebrows.


    As soon as he saw the three of them earlier, he kicked the chair behind him, ran into the rooftop door, and went downstairs without actually using the stairs. Axel skipped the stairs by jumping and rolling right before he hit the ground.


    He did not even notice how Aster was watching him with his mouth hanging open loosely.


    "Hi, Axel." Demon Kiaran smiled. He opened his hand and waved, black sharp nails went unnoticed by Axel''s red contact eyes as the boy hyperventilated in his place.


    "No, no, no. Don''t ''hi, Axel'' me." Axel ventured, warily looking around the school, hoping no one would hear him talk. "You''re not supposed to be here! This is not your world!"


    "We noticed how you don''t have anyone to come to this human event with you, we''re here to accompany you, son." Demon Cain spoke, he kindly put a hand on his shoulder, lips tugged upward as he showed his kindest smile.


    "Wait, how do you know-" Axel frowned, looking at them with a confused face.


    And then realization hit him. Axel tilted his head back slightly, a glaze of frustration adorned his face.


    "So you have been watching me all this time? From the mirror? Why didn''t you at least say hi? You just- you just disappeared that day. I thought you''re actually gone." The human boy waved his hand around frantically to them.


    Kiaran let a low coo sound at him. "Aw, did you miss me?"


    Axel managed to glare at his pseudo brother as he tried to relax. "No." He paused, sending the glare to his two other pseudo-family too.


    "Also, that''s kind of weird that you''ve been stalking me. Please don''t do that again. Just say hi the next time you see me from the mirror." Axel finished his sentence by crossing his hands on his chest.


    The oldest demon chuckled. The hand on his shoulder moved to brush the black locks on the side of Axel''s face. "We apologize for that. I hope you don''t mind having us around for today." Cain answered, the kind smile on his face never left while he was looking at Axel.


    "Well, actually," The boy looked around the area to find all the students with their families, bickering and laughing with each other. His eyes moved to Rune who was talking with her father with a sulking face.


    He scratched the back of his head as he looked back at Cain''s red eyes. "I don''t really mind at all. It''s just- it surprises me that you''re coming to my world so sudden like this."


    Axel fidgeted in his place, shifting his weight from one foot to another. "My family can''t come for today, so it''s kind of nice that you guys would come here just for me."


    Kiaran walked to him with open arms and hugged him from his neck, trying not to break Axel''s cardboard wings. "Of course we''d come, you''re my favorite sibling after all."


    Adreanna kicked Kiaran''s leg at his words. The latter responded by sticking out his tongue at her, grinning ear to ear right after.


    "Just don''t do this kind of thing without telling me beforehand." Axel pushed Kiaran away slowly, eyes looking up to his tall brother. "You''re lucky this is Halloween, people would freak out if they found out what you are."


    "Attention to all students and families, please gather in front of the podium since the next agenda will begin soon." A muffled voice rang around from the school''s loudspeakers, making all of the Vergessene look over at the podium on the furthest right of the school.


    Under the soon-to-be burning sun, everyone quickly gathered over there. The place quickly became crowded as everyone waited for the next agenda.


    Axel''s red contact eyes sparkled at the sight of the crowd. He could not hold back his smile when he knew he finally could join Family Day. Even though technically he was not with his real family, but he would take what he could get.


    He unconsciously grabbed both Kiaran and Adreanna''s hands and dragged them towards the crowd, making the two startled at the sudden movement. Cain smiled at his children''s behavior and quietly followed them from behind.


    Axel was about to drag them through the crowd when he remembered that this demon version of his family had real wings and one of them was actually used to kill. So he decided to stay behind the crowds and watched the podium from afar.


    Axel''s child-like eyes stayed focused on his principal who was busy talking about this wonderful event. This time he managed to listen and actually be excited about it. Today he had a family to celebrate Family Day. Though they were not the real ones.


    "Red eyes look good on you."


    Axel snapped his neck toward Adreanna who was standing beside him. The sun was illuminating her porcelain wings. The wind was playing with her braided hair. The red eyes were staring at Axel as emotionless as ever.


    "Thanks." Axel managed to form a smile before pointing at his eyes. "Though, these are not permanent. They''re just contacts."


    "Contacts?"


    Axel nodded. "Yeah, I put this thing on my eyes." He then took the red contact lens in his right eye, showing it to Adreanna who was looking flatly at it.


    "It''s not enchantments?" She asked again, eyes still locking on the contact lens that Axel tried to put on again.


    Axel blinked a couple of times before the contact lens finally covered his right blue eyes. "It''s not. We don''t have enchantments here."


    "Human world is weird." Despite how apathetic she looked, Axel could see the vague peak of interest behind her blood eyes.


    "I can say the same for your world, Adreanna." Axel shrugged, diverting his gaze to the podium again.


    "Don''t you want the red color to be permanent?"


    Oh, that question again. This Adreanna was so obsessed with red eyes.


    "No thank you," Axel answered without looking at her, eyes locked on the principal who was saying that the president had arrived in the school.


    The president walked to the podium, waving to the crowd as he stopped to give a speech. His red hair and hazel eyes reminded Axel of Rune so much. They really look alike. Rune''s late mother was the complete opposite.


    "It''s the king." A glowering voice spat from behind.


    Axel looked behind him to see how close Cain was standing before him. His pseudo-father was staring at the president darkly. The murderous feeling was too obvious to go unnoticed.


    "Uh, no. That''s the president." Axel nervously answered. A red aura started to vaguely form around Cain''s eyes, making Axel go stiff in his place.


    "Please don''t start a war here." Axel tugged Cain''s shirt slightly, trying to calm him down. "I''d love to enjoy Family Day games for once, so please don''t kill anyone."


    The red aura suddenly vanished as if it was never there. Cain, Adreanna, and Kiaran snapped their head toward Axel at the same time.


    "Games?"


    ??????


    People were getting ready for the first game. Everyone was being grouped that contains six people. They chose their own members to play the game and Axel was in a total loss to choose who to add to their group.


    He was about to add Rune and the president to their group, but for the fact that Cain almost started a war right when he saw Rune''s father, Axel decided not to do that.


    Though right now the most important thing was to search where the hell demon Kiaran went to actually play the game.


    Axel did not realize that Kiaran was actually in the middle of stalking Valerian who just arrived with a ridiculous bear costume in front of the school. The sight of him made Kiaran grin, his tongue was itching to tease his pseudo sworn enemy.


    "You look as ugly as always." Kiaran was sitting on top of one of the gates as Valerian got in. His feet were dangling in the air, red eyes locked on the guy below him.


    The bear-wearing costume guy looked up to see red eyes with a hint of playfulness that was achingly familiar.


    "I''m sorry, do I know you?" Valerian tilted his head to the side as Kiaran jumped off the gate and landed right in front of him.


    "Wait, you don''t know me in here?" Kiaran stared into the green confused eyes as he pointed at himself with an amused look. "I''m the m-"


    A hand suddenly snapped the demon''s mouth shut, making Valerian jump at the sudden intrusion. Kiaran glanced beside him to see Axel was staring at him with a bewildered look.


    "I''m so sorry, my brother here probably mistaken you as someone," Axel spoke politely with a forced smile, hand still staying on Kiaran''s mouth. Kiaran''s lips pulled upward at the mention of him as Axel''s brother.


    Valerian stood in front of them with a dazed look of bewilderment before nodding slowly. "Right, okay."


    "If you''re looking for Aster, he''s on the rooftop," Axel spoke again, trying to distract Valerian by going away.


    A rush of footsteps rang behind Axel. "Oi dickhead! What the fuck are you wearing?" Aster shouted from behind as he arrived beside Axel, looking at Valerian with a wrinkled nose.


    Axel looked to his right, Kiaran did the same thing with a hand still covering his mouth. "Ah, never mind." Said Axel.


    Aster diverted his gaze to the two. He squinted his eyes as he looked at Kiaran skeptically, eyes moving up and down. "Oh, so you''re his brother."


    Kiaran put Axel''s hand down before showing his smirk. "And you''re..." Kiaran managed to glance at Valerian before looking at Aster again. "-not in a coma. That''s interesting."


    "A what?" Aster narrowed his eyes. Eyebrows pulled down as he raised both of his cheeks. "I''ve decided that you two are a family of losers. Fucking Vergessene."


    Aster looked at Axel once more. He seemed to open and close his mouth, trying to talk with the boy hesitantly.


    "You-" He choked on his word and decided not to continue when he grabbed Valerian''s shoulders.


    "Tch." Aster gave him a cold shoulder. "How the hell did that loser jump that high from the staircase," Aster murmured to himself. Though Axel caught what he was saying and grimaced at himself.


    Axel quickly moved his head over at Kiaran, glaring. "Lieutenant Valerian doesn''t know my brother''s real identity, you can''t just say hi to him!"


    "Oh?" That did pique Kiaran''s interest.


    The demon seemed to be lost in his own thoughts for a second before sending a dubious smile at Axel.


    Axel, who knew this was no good at all considering he knew how his real brother was insane with things, quickly shaking his head, trying to say no to whatever this pseudo brother had planned.


    "Kiaran, don''t-"


    Kiaran suddenly disappeared from his sight, running at a quick speed toward where Valerian went off.


    "Hey ugly bear, let''s team up on the game with my family!"


    ??????


    "So tell me, loser," Aster began, the wind blowing his dirty blond hair as he faced his two loyal minions across the field. "Why the fuck are we in the same group?"


    "Uh, well-" Axel winced as he glanced at Kiaran who was teasing Valerian like today was the end of the world.


    "I have no idea either."


    The game they were about to play was called Capture the Flag. Each team tried to take the other team''s flag and return across the centerline without being tagged. If a player was tagged while on their opponent''s side they must go to the holding zone on their opponent''s side.


    Adreanna was the one who guarded their flag and Cain was the one who guarded the holding zone. Kiaran stood on the right while Valerian stood on the left, ready to tag while protecting the two younger boys in the middle. Aster and Axel were in the middle, looking at the opponent''s flags that were waving in front of them.


    "You better not be a pain in my ass. I''m planning to win this shit. I ain''t letting them win." Aster spat at Axel without diverting his gaze to the two of his minions that were standing in front of their flag.


    When the bell rang, the two pairs of brothers ran to the tagging zone. Aster quickly tagged one of his minion''s sisters before aiming at the flag. The bully looked back for a second and grunted when he saw Axel get tagged by one of his minions.


    During the start, Axel''s eyes were full of fire, ready to finally play and have fun. Smiling wide, he gripped his hand, ready to win the game.


    Though as the bell rang, as the wind blew around, he ran with an uneasy feeling in his chest. His hands were trembling and he just felt... wrong.


    When he caught the sight of demon Kiaran who was so eager to play, he could not help but remember his real Kiaran as the world around him stopped.


    Kiaran forbade him to join any sports even though he wanted to. He really wanted to play and have fun, but he was dangerous. He could let their identity blown away or hurt people accidentally and-


    In the end, Axel let himself get tagged, playing the whole ''weak and can''t do sports'' thing like he was told to. He went to the holding zone and watched them play, at least he could see them play.


    Aster reduced his speed and took a sharp U-turn to the opponent''s holding zone. He managed to dodge the opponents, having played sports so many times, he easily ran past them.


    He managed to swiftly dart the holding zone''s guard and tagged Axel to save him. He grabbed Axel''s hand and dragged him to the tagging zone.


    "Stay behind me." The blond boy put Axel behind him, protecting him as he tried to tag other people.


    The scene flashed back and forth between the day they were kidnapped and the present day, reminding Axel of the day he was in Aster''s position, protecting him. Now it was the other way around.


    Axel bit his lips as he followed the bully''s command. Smiling a little when he actually kind of tried to play by not getting tagged while seeing Aster trying to tag people around. They danced with each other, hands holding one another just like-


    Just like a friend.


    Could Axel actually call them a pair of friends? He never had any friend other than Rune before.


    Kiaran on the other hand was in glee as he made Valerian''s play a living hell. He should have been helping him, but instead, he was leading the opponents to the bear-wearing guy.


    "Can we work with each other for like a second? What is wrong with you?!" Valerian spat at him while dodging the opponents, glaring with all his might at Kiaran.


    The demon shrugged, smiling sheepishly at Aster''s brother. He spun around, darting from the opponents. His red eyes moved over to the timer that was about to end. One of his eyebrows pulled upwards at the sight.


    He quickly led another opponent to Valerian before making his way to the flag. He did not actually try anything as he walked up to the guard who was ready to tag him.


    Kiaran smirked at the opponent and fastened his speed. He slid below him gracefully, holding a hand out, and easily snatched the flag.


    He turned around to see the opponent bracing himself to tag him. He looked behind the person and frowned when he lost sight of Valerian. Kiaran''s frown deepened when he noticed the latter was at the holding zone.


    All of the opponents suddenly turned onto him, coming at him at a fast speed. Axel and Aster shouted from far away, getting left behind as they yelled at Kiaran to run.


    "Alright, stop." Kiaran sang, voice full of dazzling melody as the opponents suddenly froze in their place.


    "You can chase me but you can''t tag me." He continued, sending a mind manipulation to them.


    Kiaran began to walk lazily with a flag in his hand, passing the opponents. He looked back once again to the bewildered eyes who were looking at him in terror.


    "Oh, and you all will forget that I ever command you."


    At the end of the game, the demon Vergessene family won alongside the confused Edelweiss brothers and a confusedly happy Axel.

 Chapter 26 - Bonus : A White Knight

    "In the end, the brave white knight saves his princess from the monster, and they live happily ever after."


    Delicate hands closed the book after the hazel eyes woman finished telling the story. She smiled at her daughter who was looking at her with a sparkle in the identical hazel eyes.


    "Yay!" The red-haired child beamed. Short ponytail waved around as she jumped in her place, dancing with no care in the world.


    "The white knight is so cool!" Rune ran to her mother, trying to peak at the book cover of the white knight.


    The wavy blonde hair woman ruffled her daughter''s red hair. "One day, you will have a white knight to save you too, little princess."


    "But mom, I want to be the white knight and save the prince!" Little Rune whined. She brought her little feet around, demonstrating swordplay as she puffed her chest.


    The mother chuckled. She stood up from her chair and walked over to Rune gracefully. "Alright, sweetie. But to do that, you have to learn how to defend yourself first before protecting your prince, okay?"


    The woman lowered herself to Rune''s level and locked their eyes together. "The world out there is dangerous. A white knight needs to be protected too."


    The blonde woman hugged her daughter and put her mouth besides her left ear. "And the one who will protect you is me and your father." She whispered softly, hand stroking the back of the girl''s head.


    "I will always be here for you, princess." She promised and tightened their hug.


    Rune returned the hug and buried her face to her mother''s stomach. "Not a princess." The girl mumbled.


    "Alright, my little white knight. Now go to sleep, you have school tomorrow." The mother continued.


    "M''kay."


    The six-year-old girl went to bed that night. Dreaming of becoming a white knight and saving a prince from a big bad monster.


    ??????


    "Hey! That''s not a good thing to do to a friend!" Rune let out her high-pitched voice as she stood in front of a bruised boy, shielding him from the blond boy who caused the bruises.


    "Ew, I''m not his friend." Little Aster spat, crossing his hands over his chest. "That loser doesn''t have any friends, anyway."


    "Right, guys?" Aster looked back to a bunch of crowds who were watching. The crowd cheered Aster up right after, sneering at the black-haired boy on the ground.


    Rune looked over to Axel who was looking at the ground with wan blue eyes. She faced Aster again with a frown and puffed her chest like that white knight in her favorite book.


    "Well, I can be his friend then!" She took another step toward Aster and shoved him to the ground. Aster was startled at the sudden movement and widened his green eyes.


    "You are just a big bad monster," She continued before helping Axel get up from the ground. She gave one last belittled look to Aster and brought Axel close to her.


    "Let''s go, friend. You don''t want that monster to be your friend anyway."


    The pair walked away from the whispering crowd with Rune''s puffed chest and Axel''s wavering eyes. Aster''s lips curled inwards when he watched them disappearing from his sight.


    Rune brought Axel to the nursery office. She opened the door for him as the red ponytail girl let the boy wobbly walk to a bed. She helped him to sit on top of the high bed and went looking for a nurse.


    She frowned when she did not find a single person in the room. Her hazel eyes caught the side of a first aid kit on top of a cupboard and smiled.


    The girl tried to take the first aid kit, tiptoeing as she reached out her hand farther. She gritted her teeth when her hand brushed the thing but still could not grab it.


    She huffed away and quickly looked around. A chair was appearing in her vision and little Rune quickly ran to it.


    Axel peaked his head from the curtain that was covering his bed and watched Rune with a child-like wonder in his blue eyes. He saw Rune struggle as she dragged the chair to the cupboard.


    She made sure the chair was in the right place before climbing to it and stood proudly on top of the chair. After taking the first aid kit in her little hand, she stumbly walked over to Axel.


    "Why didn''t you fight back?" The girl asked with her eyes locked on Axel''s bruised knee. She patched him messily after rubbing the alcohol, trying to imitate a nurse.


    "My brother told me to not fight anyone without a mask." The boy answered with a quiet voice. His head tilted back slightly, making his gaze follow down his nose.


    Curious hazel eyes caught the blue ones as she tilted her head to the left. "A mask?"


    Axel nodded. He winced a little when Rune tried to rub alcohol to his bruised cheek.


    "That''s weird." She voiced her thoughts out loud after breaking their gaze at each other.


    Axel fidgeted with the edge of his clothes and looked at his own feet. "S-sorry. I didn''t mean to be weird."


    Realizing she said something wrong, Rune quickly flinched away, frantically waving her hand in front of Axel. "No, no! Not a bad weird, but a good weird!"


    Her mouth formed an awkward smile while still trying to justify her words. "It makes you like some kind of a hero when fighting with a mask. Like- like Spider-man!"


    Axel finally looked up to her with glimmering blue eyes. "Really?"


    "Yeah!" She exclaimed with a fixed smile on her pretty face. Axel shyly looked down again with a little smile.


    Rune stared at him who was covered up with messy bandages with a proud face. As she fixed her gaze at him, a thought came into her mind, making her face brighten.


    "Oh, I know," she put both of her hands on Axel''s shoulder as she made him face her. "You can be my prince!"


    Axel blinked, his face suddenly went red at the mention of him being a prince. "W-what?"


    "Mmm-hmm. You''ll be my prince so I can be your white knight while protecting you from that ugly blond monster!" Rune exclaimed loudly, some of her red hair went loose to her face as she excitedly explained.


    She bowed down to him, putting her right hand on her left chest. "I will always be at your service, your highness."


    A friendship bloomed that day. The trees outside the window watched a white knight and a prince smiling at each other. The girl told a story of a white knight and a princess with excitement, picturing both of them to be in their position.


    ??????


    She was only ten when she heard the devastating scream from his father. She stumbled as she went down the stairs from her bedroom, running to the kitchen with a fast beaten heart.


    There was a pool of blood in front of her feet when she arrived in the kitchen. Her eyes twitched as she saw the red liquid, slowly reaching to her bare feet. Her heartbeat fastened and her ears started ringing.


    The young girl looked up slowly to find her mother lying in her father''s hand who was wailing and wailing. The corner of her vision slowly became white as she froze in her place.


    Why did he scream? Why did he cry? Why did mother have a big hole in her stomach? Why did she close her eyes? Why- why?


    Why did father mourn?


    Rune''s inner corner of her eyebrows started angling up. The corner of her mouth unwillingly drew downwards. Her eyes slowly started to become bloodshot as her lips trembled.


    She dropped down on her knees to the pool of red. Her body began to shake when the girl''s eyes became all blurry. A short intake of breath followed her lips as a tear finally came out of her sorrowful hazel eyes.


    Everything was happening in a blur. The world was spinning around her, there was a siren, a gunshot, and a scream.


    Oh wait, was she the one who was screaming?


    And then a blanket was wrapped around her as she got carried away by someone. She fell into endless hiccups, curling herself as if she could finally wake up from a really bad nightmare.


    Rune finally managed to look up to the person who was holding her. She caught the identical red hair and the bloodshot hazel eyes. Her father was crying with her as he held her tight, tears flowing down with no sound coming out of his throat.


    Her eyes caught the dried blood on both of the president''s hands. Her breath calmed for a second as her eyebrows drew together. She suddenly felt a lump building up in her throat when she noticed how his father was unharmed unlike-


    Unlike-


    She tried to pull away from the man, rapidly breathing while making restless movements, wriggling in his grip.


    "You were supposed to be her white knight! Why didn''t you save her?!" She screamed and tears came out even more from her angry eyes.


    The man kept his grip on her, still hugging his daughter tightly. "I was never a white knight, kiddo. I tried and I failed. I''m sorry." He choked on his words, still managing to be strong aside from his overflowing tears.


    Rune gripped her hand, punching his father''s chest frantically. "But she said you are her white knight! She is the princess! She is supposed to be saved!"


    The president fell on his knees with Rune in his hand. He looked up to his daughter''s grieving eyes and said "your mother was wrong."


    Rune widened her teary eyes. "She is never wrong! She was- she-" The girl choked and wailed, she tried to speak more but no words came out of her mouth.


    She did not realize she just finished the three stages of grieves that day. She was denying, angry, and bargaining. Though Rune did not know if she ever passed the fourth one. But she would like to believe she always did.


    ??????


    It had been four years since the death of Rune''s mother. The criminal who stabbed her was given a death sentence.


    She watched the criminal''s death. Looking at him with eyes full of contained rage and hatred. Deep down, she wished she could be the one who killed him.


    Days passed and it was getting harder for her. She could feel the heavy weight on her shoulders as everyone put so many expectations on her.


    The daughter of the president of this country. The one who would probably be the next president. The perfect, happy, and smart girl. She was the first lady now that mother had-


    Anyway, she just finished kicking Aster''s ass after he tried to mock Axel in front of the school gate when they were about to go home.


    Despite being the president''s daughter, she always refused to get picked up with a fancy car and some bodyguards. There was a reason that she learned a bunch of martial arts anyway.


    She''s a white knight. She could protect herself.


    After saying goodbye to her best friend, the 14-year-old walked down the street, humming to herself, and failed to notice the person who was following her along the way.


    The sun was following the red hair girl as the person behind him did the same thing. Rune was still oblivious about the said person and continued her way down the shortcut to her home.


    The street she took was empty and the breeze around her was what she thought was the only thing that accompanied her. She realized how wrong she was when she looked at one of the building''s windows.


    She watched her reflection passing the street with someone on her tail. The person was as quiet as a mouse. She quickly looked forward and diverted her gaze, sharpening her ears to listen to the person''s footsteps.


    She kept walking and found how the person was walking at the same pace as her. She stopped and noticed how the person quickly stopped too, almost making her miss the sound of the last footstep.


    She walked again, with more speed this time. She kept increasing her speed again before finally running. The wind went against her, making her hair tie fell down, revealing beautiful wavy red hair.


    She took a sharp u-turn, startling the person right when her eyes met with each other. She fixed her gaze on the road behind the person and quickly ran in a flash. Rune somersaulted to the air, flipping right above the person''s head before landing at the road behind the stalker.


    Rune quickly ran with all her might to the way that brought her to the school again, trying to hide between the crowd and seeking help from over there.


    Show a scene where Rune was Axel''s white knight and then where it turned the other way around.


    Imagine how surprised she was when she met with Axel in this empty street, running to her wild-eyed and running out of breath.


    "What are you doing in here?!" Rune yelled, quickly grabbing her best friend''s hand and bringing him with her.


    "You left your homework!" Axel tried to catch up with her pace with bug-eyed full of confusion.


    "Rune, why are we running? Why are we running?!" The black-haired who did not know what to do demanded an answer as he ran alongside her.


    "Someone''s following-"


    Rune suddenly got thrown to the brick wall beside her, widening her eyes at Axel who was the one that actually did that to her. She crashed onto her back, making a white searing pain shot through her neck.


    The person that was following her was aiming to stab her chest. Instead, Axel was the one who got stabbed in his right shoulder, grimacing at the wound as he held it with his hand while lying on the ground.


    Rune felt the air was suffocating her as she watched Axel bleeding. The scene where her mother was bleeding flashed before her eyes. The blood was oozing down to the ground, everything was red- it was-


    She trembled as she went to Axel, stumbling to help the boy. Right when she arrived to help him, the boy suddenly went limp on the ground.


    No, wait. She was supposed to protect him, this was not supposed to happen. Why was it happening? Why-


    "No, wait- no, no, please- please help him, I-" Rune did not realize she was already crying as she begged for help from the person who tried to stab her.


    The person looked at her from behind a mask that covered the whole face. After considering what should be done to this situation, the person brought out a gun to her head.


    "First lady, you know the term ''an eye for an eye'', right?" The masked person stated, putting a finger over the trigger readily. "I''ll help him in exchange for your life."


    With trembling hands, Rune closed her eyes. She would protect the prince, that''s what a white knight would do. She just hoped that they would at least have a happy ending.


    Maybe this story was supposed to be sad.


    She braced herself and accepted her fate. She would at least meet her mom after this. Nodding slightly, she finally agreed to the person''s term.


    "Alright." Said the person. Rune could hear the person''s smirk at her even with her eyes closed. "Be thankful that I''m making this quick."


    A loud gunshot rang in the air.


    The red-haired girl frowned when she did not feel anything. She slowly opened her eyes to see the person''s bleeding from a hole in his head. She shrieked a little and quickly darted away when the person fell forward, face-first to the ground.


    Rune looked behind her to find a guy with a gun in his white-gloved hand. He was wearing all white we a white cap covering his hair. The achingly familiar blue eyes stared at her in worry as he lowered his gun.


    Realizing who it was, Rune took a step back. "Y-you!" She pointed at him in horror still trying to create a distance with him.


    "Don''t come any close or I will punch you!" She ventured over, stumbling to her own feet, and almost fell backward.


    As if the time had turned slow, the mute murderer slid behind her and quickly caught her with a gentle hand. He looked at her with two beautiful concerned eyes. The sun behind him was blinding, shining proudly in front of the murderer''s body.


    Rune blinked wildly at him before stomping her foot to the criminal''s and making him let go of her. The mute murderer raised both of his hands in peace and slowly stepped back. He threw a book to Rune that she quickly caught timidly.


    The girl looked at the book for a second suspiciously. Rune noticed that it was her homework with a messily written note on top of it.


    "Your friend is in the nursery office at your school." She mumbled to herself while reading the messy handwriting.


    She would say that it was almost identical to Axel''s if not for how messy it was.


    She quickly snapped her neck toward the mute murderer again just to find that he was already gone.


    Panicking, she did not have time to think about it before running to the school with a heaving chest. When she arrived in the nursery office she would see Axel go breathless as if he was running too with a bleeding shoulder that was still not bandaged yet.


    Just like that day when they were a little, she bandaged him thoroughly.


    That day, the criminal she always despised became a white knight for her. She never got to know why he would help her.


    She did not even know why she called him a white knight.


    Maybe it''s the white clothes.


    ??????


    "Hi, mom." Rune walked under the almost fading sun. She put a bucket of flowers on her mother''s grave before crouching and sitting beside the grave.


    "Today was... something." The girl began, crescent moon shape eyes formed as she smiled at her late mom. "I was sure that I would meet you earlier. I thought I was going to die."


    "You know," She paused, hands caressing the body of the grave gracefully before stopping at the heart of it. "I''m always wondering. Whether you are a white knight or a princess."


    "It seems like you are both." Rune sighed, locking her eyes to her mother''s beautiful grave. "Because you are too perfect to just be one of them."


    She diverted her gaze to the sky, looking at it with two longing eyes. "No wonder why heaven wanted you back."


    There was a beat of silence as she let the wind brush her face, swaying the red ponytail around. "Today, someone bad prevent me from meeting you."


    "He was dressed in white. Like a knight under the sun, shooting with his gun as he saved me."


    "I felt like I was a princess at that time. He held me with gentleness as if I would break any time when I was about to fall."


    She looked back at the grave again. "But mom, I can''t be both, can I? I can''t be a princess and a white knight like you."


    "I am nowhere near your level." She sighed, mouth forming a sad smile before turning into a determined one.


    "So that mute murderer can''t be my white knight too." She added, clenching her fists together.


    "He will always be a monster anyway. It doesn''t matter if he helps the white knight or saves the princess."


    She remembered how he looked at her with concerned eyes that hit too close to home. She brushed the thoughts away by remembering how many people that he killed already.


    "A monster is a monster."


    The breeze watched in sorrow as Rune spat the words. The sky went dark a little at her words as if the world knew something she did not.


    "Anyway, I need to go." She chuckled a little before standing up and brushing the dust on her clothes. "I have a prince to protect, you know the drill."


    She looked back once more at the grave. "I hope you''re proud of me."


    Rune finally walked away. Axel was waiting for her in front of the gate with a bandage over his shoulder, fidgeting in his place as he picked through his nails. Apparently, the wound was not too deep, Axel told her that he fainted because he was in shock.


    Silly him, almost making her heart jump out of its place.


    The red ponytail girl took a deep breath, wiped her little tears away, and put on her best smile. She needed to be a white knight now, her prince needed her to be there for him.


    The sad atmosphere was easily masked by her beaming smile when she held out her hand for Axel. Axel''s worried face relaxed when he saw the state of his best friend, knowing that Rune was okay.


    Sometimes, in the middle of the soundless night where no one could see her, when the moon was by itself, and the city had gone dark, she would still wonder if the mute murderer was her white knight or her monster.


    One day she would find out, maybe.

 Chapter 27 - Machiavellian : Part 1

    As the event of Family Day went on, the Vergessene family won every game they were in.


    For example, Cain just won a game of dodgeball for the dads. The look on Axel''s face when he cheered up his pseudo father made the latter''s heart warm.


    And if he commanded some of the undead to pull the opponent''s feet from the ground without anyone noticing it, no one needed to know.


    It was Adreanna''s turn to impress Axel. The beautiful demon joined a sack race that was scheduled for the women.


    You see, being a literal demon who had porcelain wings but could not wage it at all because of the situation she was in, did a lot of disadvantages. Her wing would weigh her down when she jumped while she would struggle to keep the wings down.


    So when the bell rang and everyone started to jump with a sack covering their feet, she was left behind. This was a disgrace for her being. Though many men were cheering her up for some reason.


    Kiaran who was watching her rolled his eyes, knowing the reason was that every man fell for her beauty. He hoped Adreanna would fall, it would be hilarious.


    But her being stoic, cold, and persistent, wanted to win for Axel. She just got her brother back, she never saw that happy face on his before, and she would want that to last.


    She would do anything to keep him in her world and made him her brother again.


    Adreanna silently let go of her porcelain feathers, making them turn invisible as they flew around. It was part of her power, she could take advantage of the lights around them to make the porcelain feathers went unseen.


    She kept her grip on the sack she in as she jumped. The feathers flew around and went to trip the contestants, making them fall one by one.


    It was only a matter of time before she was finally beat the first place girl. The girl beside her that she had just beaten gritted her teeth and tried to shove her while getting closer to her line.


    She failed when Adreanna darted around easily and made the opponent fall onto the ground.


    Kiaran chuckled as he saw Adreanna cross the finish line, knowing that she was the one who made the contestants fall. He rolled his eyes when Axel went running to her and congratulated her happily. The younger was beaming with sparkling eyes and hugged Adreanna out of pure Adrenaline. It was funny how Adreanna stiffened at the movement.


    They all ended with many trophies and gifts in their hand when Family Day ended.


    Axel held three trophies and gifts, while Kiaran and Cain held four, and Adreanna held a bunch of flowers and chocolates from the men who tried to ask her number.


    As they walked to the gate, a certain red-haired girl waved from afar and went running quickly to the human boy. Her red locks bounced around with her white dress. A bright smile etched on her face.


    "Axel, congratulation!" Rune exclaimed happily before hugging the boy, almost making the trophies in his hand fell.


    She let go of the hug and met face to face with Axel smiling sheepishly at her. She returned the smile and diverted her gaze to the three people behind her best friend.


    "Hi, Axel''s dad, sister, and brother! I''m Rune, Axel''s best friend." Rune kindly greeted, nodding a little at them.


    The three demons just stared at her, making Rune''s smile waver a little at the awkward atmosphere between them. One second felt like an hour to her as the silence ate her alive.


    Cain narrowed her eyes at her, eyes moving from her head to her feet. Adreanna''s sharp blood-colored eyes stared coldly right through her soul, making Rune shiver. While Kiaran''s lip pulled up a little, wrinkling his nose as he looked at her with a hidden mix of emotions.


    Rune scratched the back of her head. "Uh, right, um," She paused, shifting her weight from one foot to another. "Is there something on my face?"


    "Ah, no," Kiaran walked closer, separating the two best friends as he showed an obviously fake smile to her. "Axel is busy so he needs to go, goodbye."


    Kiaran dragged Axel''s hand to the front gate, quickly followed by Cain and Adreanna who gave a cold shoulder at the red-haired girl.


    Axel''s mouth hung open loosely. Red contact eyes looking back at Rune, yelling an apology before Kiaran tugged him even harder. Rune was left alone with many thoughts swimming over her mind.


    Axel''s family was kind of scary if she may add.


    ??????


    "Uh, make yourself at home, I guess," Axel muttered as he led his pseudo-family got in.


    Kiaran walked past Axel and threw himself to the couch, letting his wings spread as doing so. He let the trophies in his hand fall down to the floor while he closed his eyes.


    Adreanna brought her feet to the nearest table and put all the chocolates and flowers on top of it. She waged her wings, stretching them after holding them for so long.


    Axel followed her movement and put the trophies right beside her flowers. He flashed a quick smile at her before taking all the fallen trophies on the floor right beside Kiaran''s couch and putting them on the table too.


    "Son, follow me." Said the oldest demon while putting the trophies right where Axel put them down. He put a hand on Axel''s shoulder and brought him along to the kitchen door.


    As they both got in, Cain moved over to the kitchen shelves and searched for a certain hot chocolate powder. He believed his counterpart would at least keep them somewhere. Because his wive loved hot chocolate before she-


    Ah, he found it.


    The demon tied his wavy-length hair to a bun before starting to boil the water and put some hot chocolate powder into a cup.


    Axel stood beside his father, peeking at what Cain was doing with innocent wonder. He rarely saw his real father making a hot chocolate or even wanted to stand in the same room he was in.


    "Can you get the spoon over there for me?" The demon looked over to Axel with a warm smile. Some of his black locks were loose on the side of his face.


    "Sure." Axel lightheartedly exclaimed before going over and taking a spoon to give it to Cain. The latter poured the water into the cup and began to mix it with the spoon.


    The smell of sweet chocolate adorned the air when he finished making the hot chocolate. Cain took the cup and offered it to Axel, making the boy frown in confusion.


    "It''s for me?" Axel asked softly, voice full of uncertainty. His eyes looked between the cup and the Cain over and over.


    "Yes, who else?" The demon answered right away.


    Axel took the cup and smiled awkwardly at Cain. "I thought you were making it for Adreanna. You- I mean," Axel cleared his throat, "-my father never made a hot chocolate for me before."


    "Well," Cain leaned on the kitchen counter, watching Axel drinking his hot chocolate slowly. "I did make you a hot chocolate a few days ago when you are injured. I don''t see why I shouldn''t make one for you again."


    Axel finished his hot chocolate and quickly put it away after hearing Cain''s statement. "Oh, right. I never get to thank you before."


    The human boy awkwardly bowed a little. "Thank you so much for helping me and offering me a place to stay. Also, thanks for today." He politely thanked before finally looking at the warm red eyes.


    "I''ve sensed some favoritism here." A voice suddenly chimed in, causing Axel to snap his head over to the source.


    A messy black-haired demon walked slowly to Axel with all his glory steps. "I''m the one who found you, you know. I think the credit should go to me."


    "Ah-" Axel rubbed his own neck as his red contact eyes met with the real red one.


    Before Axel could answer Kiaran, Adreanna was already standing beside him and cut off the human boy. "You''re just whining, Kiaran."


    "Adreanna, please shut the fuck up." Kiaran smiled through his gritting teeth while Adreana''s unwavering eyes stared at him.


    "Okay you two, stop being childish in front of your little brother." Cain separated both of them before looking back at Axel again.


    "Axel, we have a gift for you." Cain took out a red box from his pocket and handed it over to the human boy.


    Kiaran and Adreanna stood behind their father with contained emotions. They stared at the box with hidden darkness behind their red eyes. The wings behind Kiaran stiffened when Axel opened the box, patiently waiting and watching the human.


    A necklace was shown and Axel took it with bright eyes. He could not contain his smile as he looked over to the red emerald that was tied with the black necklace. His face brightened up when he finally looked over to the three demons.


    "This is perfect, thank you so much, guys." The boy quickly wore the necklace. It went over his head before finally finding its place on Axel''s flawless neck. The black necklace with the bright red emerald looked beautiful when the boy held it.


    "We''re glad that you like it." Cain walked over to Axel, touching the emerald with gentleness. "Make sure to never take it off, okay? We really worked hard to get it." He moved his hand to his head and ruffled the boy''s fluffy hair.


    Axel opened his mouth to answer the demon, though it quickly snapped shut when he heard the front door open.


    The boy widened his eyes and quickly shoved the three demons to the corner of the room. He looked at the three of them with panicked eyes.


    "I think it''s my Kiaran." He whispered at them.


    "Axel? Who''s there?" A familiar voice called. Axel''s heart beat fast as he ran to the kitchen door and stumbled over to his real brother after slamming the door behind him.


    Kiaran looked down at his brother and opened the mask that was covering half of his face. "Axel? Who was with you?"


    "Uh, no one?" Axel coughed as he stiffly answered.


    The mercenary narrowed his eyes and looked over to the closed kitchen door. He looked back at Axel''s nervous eyes and raised an eyebrow.


    The older brother quickly made his way to the kitchen door, letting his black trench coat swirl around behind him. He slammed open the door and quickly walked inside the kitchen.


    Axel tried to catch up with Kiaran from behind, reaching out his hand as he tried to hold Kiaran''s back. "W-wait!"


    He could not explain how relieved he was when he saw the three demons were already gone. He actually did not know why he kept it from Kiaran too. Maybe he just did not want to get yelled at or punished-


    Axel automatically shoved the thoughts away like he always did. Kiaran knew what''s best for him and if he was wrong he deserved the consequences.


    Kiaran''s deep blue eyes scanned the room skeptically and caught the window that was opened. He looked back at Axel and stared at him a bit longer, trying to see the lies between his eyes.


    The messy-haired teen sighed. "Why are there chocolates, trophies, and flowers in the living room?"


    "Today is Family Day and I won some of the competitions," Axel answered almost too quick, hiding the anxiety behind his voice.


    Kiaran tilted his head back at him. "The rewards were flowers and chocolates too?"


    "Yup. You''re right." Axel smiled robotically, wrinkling the bridge of his nose.


    "And you won them by yourself?"


    Axel fiddled with his fingers, avoiding Kiaran''s cautious gaze. "Some of them is a group thing. I joined another family to win it."


    There was a beat of silence between them. The younger one was looking anywhere but the older one while Kiaran stared at Axel with calculating eyes.


    "Alright then." Kiaran shrugged before throwing a gun at the younger boy that caught it with ease.


    "Go change your-" The mercenary moved his hand, pointing to the costume he was wearing with a wrinkled nose. "-ugly clothes. We have a place to go." The 18-year-old put on his mask again, turning his back on the 16-year-old.


    Axel looked over to his costume before looking back to his brother. He tilted his head at Kiaran after tucking away the gun. "Where?"


    Kiaran stopped his movement. He turned his head slowly to Axel. His lips slowly formed a mad grin as he stared at Axel''s red contact eyes.


    "We''re going to watch the world burn."


    Axel bit his lips when he saw the insane look on Kiaran''s face. The boy diverted his gaze to his feet, swaying slightly where he was standing.


    With a heavy heart, the boy quickly changed his clothes to his criminal ones, throwing away the red contact lenses and the made-up wings into the trash. He kept the necklace tucked underneath his white hoodie, smiling right before he kept it hidden away.


    And if the necklace was shining bright- too bright while the red color slowly faded away little by little to Axel''s heart, it went unnoticed by the boy.

 Chapter 28 - Machiavellian : Part 2

    The president''s palace was quiet. It was almost midnight time as the moon illuminated the dark skyline.


    If you look over to the highest floor''s window, you would find a red-haired man in his late thirties massaging his own head with his thumbs, sitting on his fancy chair with a heavy mind. The pictures of the late presidents hang around the room, watching the man being stressed out over piles of paperwork.


    Not to mention that his daughter, Rune, was nagging him to send his best agents to search for her best friend that was gone for two days.


    Of course, he tried to search for him, only to find out that the said best friend was apparently going on a vacation with his father and sister. The brother was the one that talked with the school about that.


    And he also kind of accidentally found out that his daughter''s best friend was the son of-


    "You can''t get in there without permission!"


    A yell rang outside of his door before the said door itself slammed open, revealing a blond man in his late teen wearing a brown trench coat with a brown mask over his mouth. His chest was heaving up and down as he stared at the president. The clothes he wore were in ruin alongside his bleeding shoulder.


    Hold on, a bleeding shoulder?


    Three guards came running from behind the bleeding teen. They quickly grabbed the teen''s arms, trying to cage him while dragging him out of the room.


    Of course, Valerian would have none of that. He gritted his teeth before breaking free out of the hold, causing his mask to fall down alongside the guard that he pushed away.


    "No, no." The lieutenant stated harshly, stomping his way over to the president.


    "Mr. President, pardon my language but-" Valerian took a deep breath, bowing a little to show respect before meeting eye to eye with the leader of the country.


    "-your fucking ministries kidnapped my brother so that I can keep my mouth shut on the human experimentations they fucking did."


    The two guards that were standing behind him tried to drag him away again. But Valerian, being stubborn as he always did, stood still in his place. Green eyes stared at the hazel ones with boiling fire.


    The president looked startled for a moment. Horizontal wrinkles appeared on his forehead, forming a surprising look on his face. Though it was gone as quick as it came.


    The president cleared his throat and went to the black sofa in the middle of the room. "Sit down first, would you?"


    The red-haired man motioned the lieutenant to sit down on the other sofa. His sharp hazel eyes moved to the two guards that quickly let Valerian go.


    "Call a medical team for his shoulder." He commanded and quickly got two pairs of ''yes, sir'' before the two guards disappeared from his room while dragging the fallen guard on the floor with them.


    When the president made sure the door was already closed, he turned his head toward the stubborn pale teen who was looking at him like the blond wanted to eat him alive.


    "It seems that some things happening behind me without my acknowledgment." The president began, voice swimming around the room with the tense atmosphere.


    Valerian looked startled for a moment. "Mr. President, you... don''t know?"


    The red-haired man sighed. "Yes. It seems like they are doing some forbidden things behind me that cause you many disadvantages. I apologize for that."


    "I also want to thank you for telling me this, but I do also want to ask a favor." The man''s tone became stern as he stared at the two tired green eyes. "Can you tell me everything from the beginning? I would like to know."


    Valerian nodded eagerly before starting to explain all of the stuff he went through. He told the president about the DM projects and the kidnapping of his own brother. Though he hid the fact that he worked with the mercenary to save Aster.


    "Valerian!" A familiar voice to Valerian''s ears called as the door slammed open again for the second time.


    A woman in her forties came in hurriedly. A chief badge dangled from her left pants and her short blonde hair waved around as she ran to the lieutenant. Her face was stoic when she met with Valerian''s tired face.


    "Why are you barging into president''s offi- oh my god your shoulder!"


    The stoic expression turned into a hysteric one when the blonde woman noticed the hole in the blond teen''s shoulder. She quickly examined it with two worried green eyes, forgetting the presence of a president behind her.


    Valerian tilted his head back with a vague frown on his face. He tried to brush off the woman''s smothering over him. "They kidnapped Aster, mom." He stated in between his mother''s rambling.


    "Let''s talk about that later. We should tend your shoulder." She kept trying to look at the wound, only to make it bleed more. Valerian grimaced as he tried to shove his mom slowly.


    "Don''t worry Chief Edelweiss, I''ve called a medical team." The president chimed in, trying to help the struggle Valerian went through.


    While Valerian himself was still struggling with his mother''s grip. "Nevermind my shoulder, mom. Aster was-"


    "My son, are you okay?" Another familiar voice came out of nowhere, revealing a blond man identical to Valerian''s. His father quickly looked over to his wound, somehow managed to squeeze the wound even more.


    Valerian took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, "I''m okay, dad. But Aster was-"


    "Honey, the medical team is here, we should let them tend our son''s wound." The blonde woman interrupted when three people from the medical team arrived in the room right after his father did.


    The medical team quickly inspect his wound. The two chiefs stood behind them, looking at Valerian in worry.


    The blond teen who was too young to be a lieutenant looked around wryly and sighed as he tried to talk once more. "Aster was kid-"


    "I was fucking kidnapped, mom, dad." A younger voice chimed in, making all the people in the room snap their heads toward the voice owner.


    Aster''s hands crossed over his chest as he walked barefooted. "And he-" The younger blond pointed his hand to Valerian furiously. "-decided to leave me downstairs. What if I got kidnapped again, dickhead?!"


    "Hey! Watch your fucking language in front of the president, Aster!" The oldest chief stated, scolding his youngest son who quickly stuck out his tongue to his father.


    "No," Mrs. Edelweiss spoke up, walking over to the two bickering male and tweaking the father and Aster''s ears, "you two watch your language!"


    Valerian wrinkled his nose in embarrassment before looking over to the president that somehow was forgotten in his own office. "I''m so sorry about them, Mr. President."


    The president''s mouth formed a little smile. "It''s alright. You have a bright family, lieutenant."


    A shoe went flying over the president''s head as the three members of the Edelweiss family continued their bickering. Valerian covered his face with his hands while the medical team tried to ignore the mess in the room.


    The red-haired man blinked a couple of times before clearing his throat. "...really bright."


    A second shoe almost landed on his face if the president didn''t dodge fast enough.


    "...so bright." The man added, trying to be humble as he kept his strained smile.


    Another shoe was thrown and landed on his face. The medical team who was done with stitching the wound quickly left, trying to ignore the scene happening in front of their eyes. Avoiding the president at all costs.


    The president smiled through his gritted teeth as he put down the shoe that was glued on his face. "Really, really bright family if I may add."


    Valerian shrugged and smiled apologetically at him.


    "Oh god, we''re so sorry, Mr. President." Upon noticing what they had done, the blonde woman bowed at the man and put a hand behind Aster''s neck, forcing the boy to bow down unwillingly with her.


    "It''s okay, it was an accident." The president brushed it off half-heartedly, trying to keep his leadership facade.


    "We apologize for the inconveniences," The chief continued before diverting her gaze to her youngest son. "Aster, go to the interrogation room now, we need you to tell us what happened." She whisper-yelled.


    "What?! I was kidnapped! I''m a victim, can''t I like- get my wound treated or something?!" Aster angrily ventured.


    "Shut up and just follow me, you brat." The head of the Edelweiss family quickly dragged the boy with him outside of the president''s room after nodding at the president himself.


    "Dad, Valerian got treated and I''m not! I was the one who was kidnapped this is so unfair!" Aster threw a fit while slowly fading away around the corridor with his father.


    The president was blankly stared at the two fading figures before looking over to the chief and lieutenant. Valerian quickly stood up from his seat and went beside his mother, bowing slightly at him.


    The red-haired man sighed. "You two are dismissed for now. And lieutenant,"


    Valerian looked up to see the two hazel eyes sternly staring at him. "Come back to work tomorrow."


    The president rubbed his head with both of his thumbs when he was finally alone in the room. He had been doing this movement so often lately.


    ??????


    "The mercenary is dead."


    He did not believe it at first. Because it sounded like bullshit. But when he was told that Gina, his ex-subordinate killed the mercenary himself, he believed it. She was always better than him in any aspect.


    Although he was in denial for almost a week, waiting for the mercenary to appear and annoy him out of nowhere with his crimes.


    Now that he thought about it, it was her right for her to tell the ministries about him finding out the DM projects. Though, it was kind of a jerk move to do as she let them kidnap his brother. He was mad at her when he found out it was her doing.


    But then again, he too found out Gina was killed by her own boyfriend who betrayed everyone and killed all the guards within the building. He was not given time to actually be angry at her.


    He did not know what to say nor what to do. It was as if the anger just washed away, the bad things Gina did were gone in his head. Now he only remembered the nice things she did.


    Like how she talked about Lucas dreamily yet refuse to admit it, or the time when she always bought him something to eat when he forgot to actually take care of himself. Or when she always got his back every time they were on a mission.


    It was ironic, wasn''t it? You just started to forgive a dead person''s wrongdoings while you would be angry at them when they were alive.


    And now, after putting a bucket of yellow hyacinth flowers on her grave, the blond teen left the graveyard and walked slowly on a sideroad.


    Gina was the one who usually brought those flowers to him when they were still working together, he just returned the favor right now, he hoped that she liked them.


    He still had another bucket of yellow roses in his other hand as he walked down the side of the streets, walking in a haze when he dully looked forward. The sun decided to hide behind the grey clouds, really matching the atmosphere inside his heart.


    The president took down the governments that tried to harm Aster. Valerian still got his job and everything was going pretty normal within this week.


    He would never in a million years admit that it was kind of empty without his sworn enemy''s tricks and crimes.


    Though, he could make it this far because of the mercenary''s sacrifice. He led the enemies away from him and Aster, causing him to actually manage to get away.


    The blond teen snapped out of his hazy thoughts when he realized he had arrived in the field.


    He looked around, taking his surrounding. The hole in the ground was big yet not that deep after the bomb explosion two years ago. It was his first meeting with the mercenary after recently being a lieutenant.


    The wind blew his blond locks that were covering his right eye. He took a deep breath and let the memory fill his head. This was where they started to dance around each other, playing in front of death''s garage as they chased one another.


    The teen walked to the hole and crouched in the middle of it. He put the yellow roses down and took out a brown mask that the mercenary let him borrow that day.


    "Rest in peace, jerk. Thank you for helping me and my brother." Valerian said, looking to the ground with an unexplained gaze.


    "It was fun, I guess." The teen sighed. Green eyes started to water a little, though he quickly wiped it over before anyone could see it. Though no one was actually around to actually see it right now.


    "Those flowers are for me? You''re so sweet, police boy."


    A chill ran down his spine and Valerian turned his head so fast that he was sure his neck was cracked.


    "You-" The lieutenant took a startled step back, pointing at the mercenary with mouth hanging open. "You''re alive?!"


    "Yes, miss me?" The mercenary brushed it off easily while picking the yellow roses on the ground and threw the brown mask to the lieutenant who swiftly caught it.


    "But your body was found- and- and-" The blond teen stuttered around trying to find the right words to say. The mercenary only chuckled at him with a pair of blue teasing eyes.


    Noticing that the black-haired man was playing with him, the lieutenant quickly focused again. "Wait, what are you doing here?!"


    "Criminal thing of course." The criminal hummed, circling around the blond teen with yellow roses in his hand.


    "I''m just here to remind you that the world will burn soon, that is." The blue eyes glinted dangerously at the teen.


    A smoke bomb was suddenly thrown in the air, causing Valerian to cough harshly at the sudden interruption. He ran to the smoke, trying to catch the mercenary even though he knew he would fail to do it.


    "What''s that supposed to mean?!" He yelled at the air, hoping that the criminal would hear him.


    "You''ll find out soon, just be sure to not die, police boy." A voice whisper in his right ear, making the hair on his neck stand. When he looked to his right, the mercenary was nowhere to be seen.


    With a brown mask gripped in his hand, he looked around once more. "Tch, that bastard." Valerian snarled to the air.


    Despite him saying those words, a small smile- really small almost unseen, tugged on his lips.


    Though he would soon find out that he really shouldn''t have smiled at all.

 Chapter 29 - Machiavellian : Part 3

    The sun sank below the horizon as a pair of Vergessene brothers emerged from a dense forest. Axel fixed his white cap and brushed off some leaves that managed to fall on his shoulders.


    When the young murderer looked up, he immediately froze in his place. His mouth hung open loosely, trying to take the huge white building in front of him.


    The building was tall, but not too tall to overcome the looming trees around it. The wall was clean and had no cracks. One of the windows was patched up, it was as if someone broke down the window lately.


    Despite for the fact that the building looking neat and new, it was still empty and looked abandoned. There was a dread feeling lingering in Axel''s throat as he watched. Something in the back of his mind was screaming for something dangerous, but he quickly brushed it off.


    Kiaran grinned behind his mask upon seeing Axel''s surprised eyes. Spreading his hand, he turned around and faced his little brother.


    "Welcome to the mad scientist''s hideout, my dear brother. Make yourself at home."


    The mercenary spun around waving his hands to the air magnificently as he opened the front door with a single kick. He put both of his hands into his trench coat''s pockets afterward.


    Axel followed him from behind, quietly observing his surrounding. Despite how big the place was, the inside was empty. It felt like an abandoned building but being kept clean.


    The dim lights flicker a little when a woman in a lab coat appeared from the corridor. She was holding some papers in her left hand while she adjusted her lab glasses with her right hand.


    Her shag haircuts bounced around as she walked. The clanking of her heels was loud when the woman in her late thirties that looked too young to be her own age came closer to the two criminals.


    Her black pupils met with Axel''s and she raised both of her eyebrows. The woman diverted her gaze to the mercenary, motioning her head to the mute murderer.


    "That''s your murderer?"


    "Yes. I''m here to show him.... things." Kiaran''s blue eyes glinted with something Axel couldn''t quite tell as he answered the scientist.


    The older teen walked past the scientist with Axel on his tail. The mercenary and the woman''s eyes glanced at each other for a moment, speaking in an unspoken language between their eyes when they passed each other.


    "Now if you''ll excuse me, old lady. I need to go with him somewhere." The mercenary''s eyes formed a crescent moon shape as he smiled knowingly behind his mask.


    The scientist''s curtain bangs waved a little as the woman looked over to the back of the two criminals. "Don''t touch anything, mercenary." She shouted sternly.


    "I won''t," Kiaran answered without looking back, holding a hand up as an assurance.


    When they were far enough from the scientist, he silently whispered, "maybe."


    The mercenary kicked open an iron door that led to the basement. Axel perked up at the sudden change of atmosphere. The eerie feeling was haunting the surroundings as they walked down the stairs.


    Their footsteps echoed down the empty hallway, the oddly empty hallway. Axel could not help but feel that something was wrong. Really really wrong.


    "You know, Axel. There is a man named Niccolo Machiavelli. He wrote a book with the title ''The Prince''." The older brother began as they walked in a hallway that felt so long, too long for Axel.


    "My favorite part of the book is when Machiavelli said that the ends always justify the means¡ªno matter how cruel, calculating, or immoral those means might be."


    The lights flickered again in the seemed like an endless hallway. Axel kept his gaze at his brother, locking the blue eyes onto the back of the mercenary''s head.


    "Unlike the noble princes portrayed in some sweet fairy tales, a successful ruler of a principality, as described in his writings, is brutal, calculating and, when necessary, utterly immoral." He went on, walking ahead of Axel as the boy tried to keep up.


    "That''s how a Machiavellian is born. By that book, by the exiled of Nicollo Machiavelli, by people''s eyes."


    "Because Axel," The mercenary stopped in his track as they arrived at the end of the hallway. He turned around and faced Axel down. "People are quick to change their nature when they imagine they can improve their lot."


    "Everyone sees what you appear to be," Kiaran put a hand on Axel''s shoulder, tilting his head to the side. "Few really know what you are."


    "You are just a boy who''s still in high school when in reality, you are a deadly murderer." He continued before sliding open the door behind him and revealing more longer hallway with a bunch of rooms on the side of it.


    "In the world''s eyes, leaders have to be clean, morally good, and kind." Kiaran''s deadly eyes caught the wondering blue ones. "So they tend to lie to be perfect."


    The windows of the rooms were dark. Axel could not catch what''s behind them. Though, he could almost see something moving behind them. Either that, or he was just imagining things.


    "You see, being a Machiavellian doesn''t always have to have an actual position as a leader," Kiaran said, opening the only room that didn''t have a dark window.


    "Because a Machiavellian is always a leader, isn''t he?"


    Axel hesitantly nodded even though he did not quite understand what his brother was talking about. His eyes moved around the narrowed room. The room was filled with so many explosives. A big map was glued on the wall with some sketches around it.


    "Yeah, I thought so." Satisfied with Axel''s agreement, Kiaran let his little brother get in the room.


    "By the way, you can talk, Axel. I know you have many questions in that little head of yours." Kiaran said as closed the door behind him quietly.


    There were indeed so many questions in the boy''s head. Like what''s with this place, who''s that scientist, why are we here, what''s a Machiavellian, or just a simple why any of this happening.


    But instead of asking those questions, Axel asked, "where are we?"


    Kiaran traced his hand over the map, eyes glinting with a dark spark in between the dim lights. "We are in a place that you can call-" He paused, eyes catching his little brother''s innocent ones. "-a fuel."


    "A fuel for a burning world." The teen continued with a dusky tone.


    Axel frowned in confusion at his brother''s unanswered answer. But he decided to brush it off because if he thought about it too much, he would have a headache. So he just decided to ask the most obvious question.


    "Kiaran, are those bombs?" He pointed at the pile of explosives that were too many to have around.


    "Yup." The mercenary easily answered, taking one of the bombs and tossing it in the air like it was some kind of a toy.


    Axel tilted his head back slightly. "What for?"


    "A little spice for the big surprise I have." The mercenary put down the explosive on a nearby table.


    He brushed his black messy hair back from his forehead as his two blue ocean eyes filled with insanity little by little. Kiaran took a remote on the table and fiddled with the buttons.


    "You see, I''ve been- I''ve been gathering some people for the past week." He began as he opened the door and went to the hallway again.


    His dark boots clanked in the hallway when he walked further down. Axel closed the door from the room they were in and quickly caught up with the taller teen.


    The mercenary suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway, making the down part of his black trench coat wave around. He brought up his black-gloved hand that was holding a remote and let his thumb brush the red button.


    "When I said people, I mean, not people- people." The black-haired teen specified, grinning in madness. He madly widened his blue eyes that were full of insanity as he pushed the button.


    The dark windows from around the rooms were turning visible slowly. Axel did not know why his heart was thumping loudly as he waited for what was behind the previously dark windows.


    When the young murderer finally saw what''s inside of them, his heart stopped for a moment.


    Kiaran looked around as his grin turned a shade darker, like a wolf getting a scent of blood. "I meant those people."


    There were people with red eyes, banging their hands and heads on the window. They had dark lines over their skins, rotting away and eating them slowly. Their eyes were empty yet full of hunger.


    Hunger for blood to spill, hunger for bodies to rip apart, hunger for freedom.


    "This-" Axel stumbled back as he tried to speak within the overwhelming information he just got. "-this is mad, Kiaran!"


    "What?" Kiaran chuckled a little, voice tinted with darkness. "An apocalypse would be beautifully poetic, isn''t it?"


    He spread both of his hands as if he was on a play. His eyes were opened wide with craziness while getting surrounded by the humans who already turned into a monster- a demon.


    "A hoard of mindless wannabe demons roaming in the street, showing how helpless and hopeless this country''s leaders are." The mercenary proclaimed, falling deeper into the madness.


    He looked down into Axel''s terrified eyes and smiled. "It''s really poetic, don''t you think so, Axel?"


    The boy''s breath caught in his throat as he tried to reason with his older brother. "You can''t- you can''t just kill the whole city! This is madness, Kiaran."


    Axel tried to calm himself. He gave it all to ignore the mindless demons around him. He closed his eyes for a while before finally looking at the eyes full of insanity in front of him.


    "You are mad," Axel stated harshly.


    Kiaran was taken aback by his little brother''s statement. The insanity that was etched on his face was replaced by amusement. He raised both of his eyebrows at Axel who was trying his best to not fall into a sea of panic attacks.


    "Oh, Axel." The mercenary cooed. His gaze softened, eyes looking at him with overly sweet honeyed eyes.


    His boots echoed with the floor as Kiaran made his way to the fluffy-haired boy. "My dear, dear, foolish and naive brother."


    Kiaran stood in front of the frozen boy, looming over him as he bent down and leaned over Axel''s right shoulder. His breath brushed of the boy''s neck when he put his mouth beside Axel''s right ear, sending a chill down the mute murderer''s back.


    "I never kill, remember?" He whispered almost softly, yet the dangerous tone was tied down with his voice.


    "I only whisper," Kiaran continued. Axel almost could hear his smirk as he froze in his place.


    "-and you are the one who pulls the trigger." Kiaran formed a crazy grin again behind his black mask.


    The mercenary chuckled a little before getting up and leaving the trembling boy alone. He turned his back on him, pressing the button again to make the window''s glasses go dark.


    Axel just watched his brother''s back in a numbed horror. He was too overwhelmed to move. He felt imprisoned by his own fear as the blood drained from his face.


    Kiaran looked back at Axel once again with his demented blue eyes. "Oh don''t worry, I know I am mad. I am aware of that obvious fact, little brother." He stated as he put both of his hands on Axel''s ears.


    "But you should look at the mirror and tell me what you see." Kiaran moved Axel''s head to the window who had become dark and saw both of their reflections.


    "Did you see a normal boy or a murderer?"


    The young murderer stared at his reflection. The guns in his pockets were tucked out a little and he could point out the knives hidden between his pants. When he looked at his own eyes, he saw the mute murderer.


    Not a normal boy.


    "You are mad too, Axel." Kiaran easily pointed out as he let go of his brother''s head. "We are brothers, after all."


    "Though this time... I''m being kind to you." Said the mercenary as he put a hand on a doorknob that contained the made-up demons behind the door.


    Axel took a step back slowly, backing away from the door. He put a hand on his gun, trying to anticipate the worst.


    Kiaran turned the doorknob slowly, looking at Axel with smiling eyes. "I''ll let them do your job for you, isn''t that nice, brother?"


    "Now you can whisper with me as we watch the world burn."

 Chapter 30 - The World Burn : Part 1

    The morning sun was watching everyone as the president opened his office window widely. The breeze blew his neatly done red hair, messing it up a little. He brushed off the invisible dust on his suit before turning his back on the sun.


    The man went over to his desk. The slow heartbeat in his chest was anticipating something to happen, something that he asked to happen.


    His hazel eyes caught a picture on top of his desk. The image showed a wavy blonde woman holding a red-haired baby.


    A sad smile formed on his face. The president diverted his gaze over to his wedding photo beside the baby photo.


    He took the picture with his right hand, using his left hand to graze over the glass, trying to remember the day the world blessed him with the best woman in the world. His fingers stopped at the neatly written names of him and his wife.


    Alfred and Isabella.


    Alfred sighed after staring at the picture for a minute or so. He went to put back the image onto his desk. Though the man immediately stopped when he saw something tugged behind the frame of his wedding photo.


    He opened the back of the frame and pulled the thing from behind. It was another picture that was folded and hidden behind the frame.


    He straightened the picture slowly and carefully, trying not to rip it apart. The picture showed three young women hugging each other with Isabella in her wedding dress in the middle of the two women.


    To Isabella''s right was a woman with a short black bob haircut and two cold violet eyes. She hugged the bride awkwardly while the other woman to Isabella''s left hugged the two like it was the end of the world.


    Isabella smiled apologetically at the camera while holding a yellow rose. The woman to her left was smiling widely, eyes forming a crescent moon shape. Her medium-layered brown haircut was messy, probably after being too hype for the wedding.


    There was a sudden change of atmosphere in his room. Alfred noticed a shadow in the corner of his eyes.


    Without looking at the person behind him, Alfred put down the picture in his hand onto the desk. He fixed his tie, eyes still watching the unmoving shadow.


    "You came." He stated, almost doubting at the presence of the person.


    "Speak to the point. You''re wasting my time." The person slammed close the window in the room, sending a blast of wind coming fast.


    Alfred turned to the fully masked hitman. "Not even a hi?"


    A gun immediately pointed at the president''s chin as the hitman slammed his hand to the table behind Alfred, cornering the man to his own desk.


    "Speak, or I''ll kill you." The hitman growled, a noticeable tint of hatred latched in his voice.


    The red-haired man stared at the masked eyes in front of him and raised both of his eyebrows. "Can''t actually talk properly at gunpoint, can''t I?"


    The criminal took away his gun slowly as the president walked to the sofa in the room. Alfred sat and nodded at the chair before him, telling the hitman to come over there.


    "Take a seat, Cain."


    In a flash, the hitman begrudgingly took a seat in front of the president. The silence swallowed them while Alfred poured something into two cups and offered one of them to Cain.


    "Tea?"


    The hitman opened the mask that was covering his whole head, rolling it up to the top of his nose. He took the cup and brought it to his mouth before drinking all of the liquid until none was left.


    Alfred''s mouth tugged upwards. "You still can''t say no to my tea, I see."


    Cain slammed the cup to the table and glared at the president from behind his mask. "Shut up and get to the point."


    Alfred sighed and put down the cup in his hand slowly. "Did you come to your son''s family day?"


    Cain''s mouth formed a frown. "What?"


    "Did you come to your son''s family day?" The president repeated, intertwining both of his hands as he fiddled with his thumbs. "I came yesterday, and I saw you." He continued.


    "Axel, right? The name of your youngest?" Alfred asked without waiting for an answer and continued. "He was with you and your other children. But it didn''t seem like it was you."


    "Why were you in his school?" Cain, instead of answering any of Alfred''s questions, asked.


    "Because that''s where my daughter went." The red-haired man quickly replied the hitman.


    "And apparently," The man paused, hazel eyes piercing right through Cain''s masked eyes. "-my daughter is your son''s best friend."


    Cain looked taken aback for a second, flinching backward a little as he fiddled with his gloves.


    Alfred noticed how Cain was surprised at the sudden information and chuckled in irony. "You don''t know too?"


    "Heh," The president snarled at the two of them. "We''re a bad father, aren''t we? I actually just found out I don''t know anything about my daughter too."


    Alfred raised both of his eyebrows at Cain. "It seems like we''re the same."


    "We''re not." Cain gritted his teeth, biting at his words.


    "Alright, whatever you say." The president shrugged a little, slumping his broad shoulders. "Back at my first question, were you in yesterday''s family day?"


    Cain tilted his head back slightly. "No, I wasn''t."


    Alfred bit his lips. "I knew it." He darted, taking the documents on the furthest side of the table. "It was weird. I don''t think it was you. That''s why I tried to contact you."


    "You see, there was an accident occur on one of the buildings owned by my ministries." The president fiddled with the documents in his hand.


    "There were two guards, one was a woman, and one was a man. They did something to the mirror in the place they died. I found out that you can cross the said mirror with some kind of special arrow."


    Alfred took a photo of Lucas and Gina and slid it to the other side of the table where Cain sat. "They were found dead in front of the mirror. It was suicide. The man killed everyone before killing himself."


    The president slid down another photo of a black roots mirror over to Cain. "There was another world across the mirror. I''m hiding it from the public so they won''t panic."


    Cain took all the photos and examined them. He was looking at the cracking mirror with black roots surrounding it with content.


    "The other side of the mirror is a world of our replica. The difference is that those who live there are demons while we are humans." Alfred pointed at the picture in Cain''s hand.


    Cain looked up to see the president was looking at him with brooding hazel eyes. "And I think the person that came to the school was not you, but the you from the mirror," Alfred stated sternly, almost hauntingly.


    A heavy silence surrounded the two men while they were having a staring contest with hidden thoughts on the back of their minds.


    "And you expect me to believe you?" Cain finally spoke up. He pulled one side of his mouth up and back.


    "Just-" Alfred sighed and threw the documents in his hand to the hitman, who caught them with ease. "Just take these documents I found. They were experimenting behind my back."


    "I took a few notes too after investigating it myself, and there are so many things going on behind my back." The president added and got up from his seat, turning his back on Cain.


    He glanced back a little at the hitman before going to his desk. "Be careful, Cain. You''re still my friend."


    "We know that''s not true, Mr. President." The Vergessene retorted back, and Alfred felt something tugged in his throat. Maybe it was anger. Or perhaps it was guilt.


    "We stopped becoming one since you sat on that chair," Cain answered coldly, and soon after, there was silence once more.


    Alfred took a seat and looked up to where Cain was sitting. He was not surprised when he saw that the man had already disappeared. An empty cup was the only indication that he was here. And the two opened windows behind his back.


    Someone softly knocked on the door and opened it wide, revealing his secretary with documents in her hand.


    She glanced at two empty cups on top of the table in the middle of the room. She raised her eyebrows. "Mr. President, Who was in the room with you?"


    "Just an old friend of mine," Alfred mumbled as his eyes caught the picture of Isabella and her two best friends with two thoughtful eyes.


    "An old friend that I owe lots of apologies, and they still won''t be enough."


    ??????


    Cain tossed away the documents in his hand to the car seat beside him. He slammed close the car door and turned on his car engine.


    The man took a short breath and stepped on the gas pedal, and drove at full speed.


    He opened his mask fully, revealing a black wavy-length hair. He threw the mask to the back seat and blew some locks from his face.


    Cain took a hair tie from his wrist with his teeth, eyes still focusing on the road in front of him with one hand on the steering wheel. His blue eyes darted over the side view mirror, seeing if there were more cars around.


    He let go of the steering wheel when he made sure no cars were around. Cain quickly put his hair on a bun and changed his suit into his regular clothes.


    He quickly put his hand back on the steering wheel when he arrived at a traffic light and moved his feet to the brake. The red light was shining in his vision, so he waited for it to turn green.


    He may be a criminal, but he wasn''t dumb to go over the traffic lights.


    He glanced over to the rear-view mirror and saw a billboard with the name of this city on it. Cain looked at the words with a condescending sneer.


    ''Livedam City, the safest place in this country.''


    Yeah, right.


    When the light turned green, he moved the gear and drove away. He took one last glance at the rear-view mirror but quickly stopped the car when the mirror flashed onto something different.


    The rear-view mirror showed a big sign with the words ''Madevil City, the safest place in this kingdom.''


    Cain closed his eyes and opened them again to see the mirror was already back to showing the billboard once more. His eyebrows arched upward as he looked behind him to make sure he was not seeing things.


    There were many honking horns from the cars behind him, and Cain immediately stepped on the gas pedal and swerved around the corner.


    He stopped on the side of the road and took the documents beside him. He read through all of them intensely, frowning as he scanned over Alfred''s notes about the demon world.


    If his other self really came to Axel''s school, then why did Axel play along?


    Something bumped onto the side of his car, making his vehicle shake a little. He snapped his head to the window and quickly flinched away when he saw two red eyes staring at him.


    The old man with two red eyes was hitting his glass window with two mindless eyes. He looked like he was not in his own mind as he slowly broke the car window.


    Right before the glass broke, Cain backside flipped to the seat behind him and pulled out his gun. The hitman kicked the man''s chest and quickly shot his head, letting blood spill everywhere, adorning the inside of his car.


    He took a moment to take everything. He stared at the corpse in front of him with a vague terror in the back of his mind.


    Cain realized he was still holding the document and looking right at the project DM-2. The project where they turned a human into a demon.


    Cain snatched the mask beside him and put it on again. He adjusted his suit that he wore once more as he went out of the car. He shot the gas tank in his car and let the vehicle blow away alongside the person inside.


    He stood there, letting the silence take over the surroundings as he watched his car burn.


    A sudden loud explosion rang behind him, causing him to look over the scene. He widened his eyes when he noticed all the buildings were exploding one by one.


    He noticed one of the buildings that did not explode and frowned. Being a hitman made him have the eyes of an eagle. He could see a flash of red porcelain mask standing on top of it.


    He quickly ran to the building, jumped from the window on its side, and landed on the floor. He ran to the stairs and went up, trying to catch up with his daughter.


    Another explosion went off, and Cain could not help but look through the window. The orange color of flames was dancing as the smoke danced with the air under the watching sun. There were red eyes people down on the street, attacking everything in their way.


    The world was burning before Cain''s eyes.


    "Father," A familiar voice called, and the hitman looked back at full tilt to the person behind him.


    Cain was startled when he found his secondborn leaning on top of the staircase lazily. The hitman looked at the mercenary, holding a remote full of buttons, staring at his masked eyes with two insane blue eyes.


    "Are you proud of me?" Kiaran said with a dreadful alluring voice.

 Chapter 31 - The World Burn : Part 2

    "You don''t actually think I''m going to open this door, aren''t you?" Kiaran snarled at Axel''s tenseness, a playful smile formed behind his mask as he pulled his hand away from the doorknob where the experimented demons stayed.


    Axel''s petrified blue eyes were still staring at the door. His gaze moved to Kiaran and the door over and over, frozen in his place.


    "Come on, Axel, I was only teasing you." Kiaran laughed with his melodic voice, paddling over to his little brother. "Don''t be all stiff like that."


    The mercenary stopped right beside Axel, looking at him from the corner of his eyes with a hint of dark glee between the blue ocean pupils. He put a hand on Axel''s stiff shoulder, gripping it a little hard.


    "Tell me, are you scared, Axel?" Kiaran asked almost tauntingly. Though his voice echoed in the kid''s brain as he returned his brother''s stare with two trembling eyes.


    The boy did not answer. He was caught in between silent panic as he tried not to fall into a hysteric fit of terror. Axel tried hard to steady his breath.


    "Kiaran, stop this." Axel croaked earnestly.


    "Yeah-" The 18-year-old paused, faking a consideration before turning his head to Axel. "-no."


    Kiaran turned his back on Axel, walking ahead of him a little as he began to speak again. "Okay, so here''s the plan."


    "I''m going to release these demons I gathered tomorrow and finished the bombs tonight," Kiaran explained, unable to hold back the hidden grin.


    "It''s going to be marvelous, Axel. You just have to stand with me as my murderer." The teen continued without looking back, playing with the remote in his hand.


    "You''ll watch the world burn with me. Just call it-" The 18-year-old paused, spinning the remote playfully. "-a brotherly bonding."


    The mercenary cackled madly, laughing almost ironically. "Isn''t it wholesome, brother?"


    "Kiaran, please-" Axel suppressed the last word, pleading.


    He took Kiaran''s hand, holding it tight as he begged. The mercenary raised his eyebrows, glaring daggers at the 16-year-old.


    "-Stop this." The boy breathed with a racing heart.


    The silence ate Axel''s words as the two brothers stared at each other. Each second felt like an hour for the boy, unable to catch what Kiaran was thinking.


    The mercenary wrinkled his nose as he sighed. "Alright, that''s it. Stop talking." Kiaran said, jerking away harshly from Axel''s grasp. "This is a command." He ended the sentence with two annoyed eyes.


    Axel bit his lip. His hands formed a fist as he diverted his gaze to anywhere but Kiaran''s eyes. The older teen stared down at the boy for a second before turning his back on Axel again.


    So it went back to Axel following Kiaran again as the mercenary walked around, picking some explosive in his hand. Axel brought some explosives along with him, trying to help his brother.


    As they were about to get out of the long hallway, a sudden pang went in Axel''s heart, and his breath hitched. There was a blind white pain coursing through his veins, spreading like fire from his chest. The boy found himself choking on nothing in silence.


    The boy gasped, hand desperately clutching his white sweater, making the explosives in his hands fall onto the floor. "W-wait, Kiaran-"


    "I said stop talking." Kiaran let out a high, grating command without looking back.


    Axel''s hand shook wildly as another pain stabbed his heart. "K-kiaran something''s-"


    "Axel, don''t talk. You are testing my patience here." The mercenary warned him again. A dangerous tone started forming in his voice.


    Axel tried his heart to breathe, blinking away the tears from how painful the pain was. "But, my chest h-"


    A slap went to Axel''s face, and the boy fell to his left, making a loud thump sound.


    "I said don''t talk." Kiaran stared down at his little brother coldly.


    He slowly crouched down to Axel''s level, narrowing both of his blue eyes. The mercenary took the rest of the explosives on the ground in one swipe before standing again, ignoring Axel, who stayed on the floor, breathless.


    Noticing something had been watching him for a while from behind, a smirk formed behind his mask, and Kiaran gracefully turned around. "Well, hello there, my dear sister."


    Kiaran sharpened his gaze at the assassin, making both of his eyes form a dangerous look. "Enjoying the show?"


    Adreanna stared back at him from behind her red porcelain mask with two content, blue eyes. "When will we begin?" She asked impassively.


    "Ah, changing the subject like you always do. Typical Adreanna." Despite the playful tone Kiaran was giving, there was a threatening tone laced behind.


    The two fell into a cold pit of staring contest that seemed endless. Both equally waited for the other to say something.


    Axel''s ears started to ring as he tried to see Adreanna from his two blurry eyes. The boy gritted his teeth, clutching his gloved fist tightly.


    "Fine then," The middle child began, walking over to the first child. "Let''s change the subject."


    Kiaran walked past Adreanna, leading the way. Though the assassin lingered a little bit longer, looking at Axel, who was trembling on the floor with two emotionless eyes.


    She just stood there, watching her brother in silence. Axel returned the stare in between the agony, blinking slowly as the edge of his eyes turned black little by little.


    But just like the middle child, the first child turned her back on him too, walking away.


    The two siblings left Axel withering on the floor alone. The only witness was the red emerald necklace that the light had gone dim, finding its way slowly to the boy''s heart.


    And the boy''s vision turned black.


    ??????


    "-and the world will burn." Kiaran raised his eyebrows at Adreanna, eyes full of hidden madness as he finished explaining his plan to her.


    The two masked criminals faced each other with a table in between them. There was a map of Livedam city on top of the table with marks of where Kiaran planted the bombs.


    Adreanna fixed her porcelain mask without diverting her gaze from her brother''s blue maniac eyes. "What''s in it for me?"


    Kiaran tilted his head to his right, smiling knowingly behind his mask. "Don''t you want to end those governments who were using these people and turned them into demons?"


    Adreanna tilted her head to her left, following Kiaran''s movement. "Aren''t you using them too?"


    "Well," The younger darted, fiddling with the knife in his hand. "I''m making them have their revenge."


    He spun the knife in his hand, fidgeting it around. "It''s a win-win situation, don''t you think, Adreanna?"


    She caught Kiaran''s smirking eyes with a restrained look behind her porcelain mask. Her eyes became unengaged as she diverted them to the table. The 19-year-old traced the map with her red gloved hand, looking at it thoroughly.


    "How do we make all the governments come out and make them stay in one place?" Adreanna asked without looking away from the map.


    A photo of a red-haired girl slid on the table, stopping right in front of the assassin. Adreanna furrowed her eyebrows as she stared at the picture.


    A knife was suddenly thrown into the picture, cutting right into the table. Adreanna quickly looked at Kiaran with a questioning gaze.


    "We''ll kidnap the president''s daughter first." The mercenary said, leeringly looking down at the knife that he threw.


    Then the door suddenly burst open, revealing a boy paler than he usually did. Exhaustion was written in his body language as his chest heaved up and down.


    Despite his situation, his eyes were piercing right through Kiaran, glowering in anger.


    ??????


    Axel jolted awake, taking a big gasp as his heart thumped loudly. He pushed his hands against the cold floor, blinking his eyes slowly and adjusting them to the surroundings.


    The pain in his chest worn off a little. Either that, or he just started to get used to the pain. He did not even realize he ended up blacking out from how painful the pain was.


    The boy quickly looked around, searching for where Kiaran was. He got up slowly from the ground, swaying a little as he kept steady on his feet.


    Axel roamed in the hallway, following the faint voices that caught his ears. There was a throbbing pain in his heart as he continued forward. He tried hard to ignore it.


    "How do we make all the governments come out and make them stay in one place?"


    Axel managed to hear the voice more clearly know as he got close to a room. He carefully walked closer to the door and put a hand in the doorknob to open it.


    "We''ll kidnap the president''s daughter first."


    And when he listened to the last sentence of what Kiaran said, he burst through the door, completely forgetting the pain in his chest from the adrenaline that shot right through his brain.


    Kiaran''s eyes widened a little, looking startled at the sudden appearance of his little brother. Though it quickly vanished, just like when it came.


    "Finally joining the party, eh, Axel?" The mercenary teased, eyes forming a calculating move. It was the same thing that he did when he spotted a dangerous enemy.


    Though he was facing his own brother right now.


    "Don''t touch Rune." Axel gritted through his teeth, lips curling inwards behind his mask.


    "That''s unfortunate then. She is part of the plan after all," Kiaran spoke in an apparent fake sympathy. He brought his hands to his back and intertwined them together.


    "I''m not going to let you kidnap her." Axel spat at him. Vertical wrinkles started to appear between his eyebrows.


    Kiaran leaned back. "Is that so?" He hauntingly asked. "And what are you going to do?" The teen continued, taunting the youngest even more.


    Axel brought his hand to his pocket and took out his gun. He aimed at Kiaran''s forehead steadily despite the forgotten pain in his chest.


    "Oh?" Kiaran sang. His face darkened, mixing with an impressed look. "You''re going to choose your friend over your brother? I''m wounded, Axel."


    Axel was taken aback for a second at his brother''s words. A million different thoughts came to him simultaneously. Each side of his brain fought with each other.


    Then his mind flashed with Rune''s cheerful smile. How she always stood in front of him to defend him, how she would always be there for him, and how she laughed like a real angel.


    His grip on the gun that was loosened a little quickly went firm and went steady again. He put his finger on the trigger, still pointing the gun at Kiaran.


    "Don''t touch her," Axel repeated his words, unwavering.


    In a swift move, Adreanna stepped up, standing between Kiaran and Axel, and aimed another gun back at the boy. The light in the room glanced off her porcelain mask, blinding Axel a little,


    "Don''t touch him." Adreanna retorted back coldly at her youngest brother.


    Axel still tried to aim at Kiaran despite how Adreanna was shielding him now. Behind her, the mercenary was looking at him with two dark gleeful wide eyes. The 18-year-old seemed to be pleased by how Adreanna stepped up for him.


    "Oh, dear Axel." Kiaran put both of his hands on Adreanna''s shoulders, peeking from behind her head that covered half of his face.


    "Don''t worry. I knew you were going to be against me either way." He added, tilting his head a little.


    "Whether it''s because you choose your best friend-" Kiaran emerged from behind Adreanna, taking a lazy first step to stand beside her.


    "-or another me."


    Axel stumbled back at the sudden revelation. His hand was wavering a little as he desperately still tried to aim at his brother.


    "You think I didn''t know that you''ve been meeting the other me? Other Adreanna and other father too?" Kiaran walked closer to him, covering the lamp behind him, shadow hovering over the mute murderer.


    Suddenly, all the adrenaline had turned into fear. Both of Axel''s feet started to get cold, and sweat ran down from the side of his brow.


    "I''m not stupid, Axel." Kiaran bent down and pressed his forehead on the tip of Axel''s gun.


    "And I''m not stupid too to not know that you can''t kill me anyway." The mercenary taunted darkly.


    "Kiaran," Adreanna warned, delicately red gloved hand still pointing a gun to Axel''s forehead.


    The boy''s mouth stretched and drawn back, exposing his teeth behind the white mask he wore. His hand froze, and he hated to admit that Kiaran was right. He could not pull the trigger no matter how he really wanted to.


    Or did he really want to?


    The mercenary snickered in front of his face and straightened his back. He easily walked away from the gun, passing the boy who was locked in his place.


    Adreanna raised her eyebrows and slowly lowered her gun. She tucked in the weapon to her cloak, fixing her porcelain mask, and followed Kiaran right after.


    "You were kind in the other world." Somehow, that was the words that came out of Axel''s mouth instead of anything else.


    Kiaran stopped in the doorway for a moment, making Adreanna stop right behind him too.


    "Then go with him.." He said as he disappeared from the door.

 Chapter 32 - The World Burn : Part 3

    The moon almost disappeared completely as the sun rose up a little, trying to take the spotlight away. A building in the middle of a forest wholly covered by its trees held a key for a future nightmare for Livedam city.


    -that no one knew about it until later on.


    Axel sped through the hallway with a choker in his hand. The boy''s fluffy locks bounced around, glueing some of them on his sweaty forehead. The white cap on his head almost fell down for how fast the murderer ran.


    He wore the choker in one click as he ran, messily brushing off his two necklaces a little.


    The pain in his chest was long-forgotten alongside the necklace he wore. The dim red emerald necklace ricocheted with the silver arrow necklace that Rune gave him weeks ago.


    Rune, right- Rune.


    His mind was locking on his best friend. Worry ran through his veins, racing with his blood. He could hear his heartbeat pounded in his own ears as the wind fought with him.


    He did not even notice how the scientist was eyeing him as he burst through the front door, running to the forest ahead of him.


    The leaves brushed through his mask; some of them almost went into his eyes if not for the white cap protecting the blue pupils. All his visions were blurry for how fast he ran.


    It was such a pity that Axel did not notice his two siblings watching him from the top window.


    He also did not notice how the emerald necklace only had a little red light left.


    ??????


    A red-haired girl popped out from a big gate. The white colour of the gate was blinding, completely showing how fancy her house was. She smiled at the security as she got out to the side of the street.


    "Did father actually come home at all last night?" Rune asked, masking her disappointment with two kinds, curious eyes.


    The security shook his head dejectedly. "Unfortunately, no. It seems like Mr. president stayed in the palace."


    "Ah, I see." Rune''s face morphed into disappointment before quickly turning into a bright smile again. As if the disappointment was never there.


    "Thank you, sir!" She exclaimed almost too brightly, waving at the security and finally leaving her big empty house.


    As she took a quiet saunter down the road, the girl brushed off the promise her father made that they were going to have dinner together.


    It was a lovely morning, if she may add. The calm wind surrounded her, the sun accompanying her quiet walk, and the empty street with no one around¡ªjust silence and peace.


    Well, it would be silence and peace if she did not notice a person that had been following her for the last minute. But she just had to catch everything, didn''t she?


    "Alright, that''s it." The girl stopped in her place, exclaiming her words with complete irritation


    Rune turned around with two glaring hazel eyes, ready to face her soon-to-be kidnapper. "If you''re going to kidnap me, you are doing a really bad job because-"


    Her ponytail became still,l just like the owner of the hair. Her eyes turned wide at the sight of the mute murderer before her. Her feet automatically took a step back.


    "You-" Her voice cracked a little, and she realized how the mute murderer''s eyes crinkled at it. The blue eyes made both of her cheeks turn red from embarrassment.


    Rune bit the inside of her cheek and straightened her pose. She cleared her throat, exposing a fake confident face. "I mean you, you again." The girl said, lowering her voice to make it all scary.


    The mute murderer nodded and raised both of his hands in surrender, trying to make peace with her. He obviously was holding a laugh behind that white mask.


    The audacity.


    Rune also obviously did not buy that ''trying to make peace'' crap at all.


    "I don''t know what you-" She pointed at him, making a circling motion with her finger to make a point. "-a mute murderer, want from me-" The girl continued, forming a defensive stance with her body as she stared at the criminal.


    "But I can do martial arts and kick your ass in a second." She gave her best glare at him and crossed both of her hands on her chest. Still wary with the situation she was in, knowing that the murderer could attack at any time.


    The murderer sighed, blowing his mask a little from his breath. He finally put both of his hands down as he returned her stare.


    "I know." Uttered the criminal dejectedly.


    Still thinking that the man in front of her didn''t believe her, she began to retort back again. "I mean it. I will fight you and-"


    Rune snapped her mouth shut after realizing something. The murderer tilted his neck at the sudden silence, furrowing his eyebrows a little. She blinked a couple of times at the criminal with a dumbfounded look.


    "Wait, did you just talk?"


    The mute murderer blinked. "Yeah?" He answered. The criminal was confused between answering or actually questioning back at her.


    "I mean, I am, right now, talking to you?" The murderer raised both of his shoulders slowly, lowering his head as he grimaced behind his mask at the sudden thought that maybe Rune caught up who he was despite him wearing a voice changer.


    "What- that''s not how it supposed to go! You are- you are the mute murderer!" She frantically explained in sudden confusion, waving both of her hands almost panicky.


    "So why the hell are you talking?"


    Rune had so many thoughts going on her mind right now at the possible outcome of this conversation would go.


    Like- would she die after this because she just heard his voice, or was this some kind of a death sentence, or was the rumour just a lie, that he could actually talk, but no one actually made it out alive after hearing his voice?


    The criminal scratched the back of his neck and shrugged. "Because... I can?"


    She clearly did not expect that dumb answer, though.


    "And I kind of need to, because convincing you will do lots of talks." The mute murderer continued awkwardly.


    Rune tilted her head back slightly, frowning. "Convincing... me?"


    Oh, was this what they called blackmail or something?


    "Well, guess what," She paused, turning her back on him in a hurry, yet she managed to be as calm as possible. "You can''t convince me at all."


    The criminal reached out a hand to her back, trying to catch her. "I haven''t even started-"


    She quickly speed-walked and managed to dart forward right before the murderer grabbed her. "No, thank you. Have a good day, murderer. I have a school to do."


    The criminal tried to keep up with her pace and grabbed the girl''s right hand. "Wait-"


    When he finally caught her hand, Rune quickly turned around and kicked his right front calf, causing him to fall forward at her. The girl swiftly went to her right, completely handling him and slammed his back to the ground.


    Rune''s eyes glinted with danger as she stared down at the murderer below her. The hazel eyes met the blue ones for a while. She could not help but feel a rush of familiarity in the back of her mind, screaming at her to notice something evident in front of her eyes.


    Realizing that she was still holding the criminal, Rune quickly jerked back and put a quiet distance between her and the mute murderer.


    "I told you I can do martial arts, so you better back off." Ventured the girl, scoffing a little at him.


    The criminal got up from the ground slowly with a sigh, brushing off the dust on his white sweater.


    "I know you can. I just need you to follow me." He explained, staring at her with two pleading eyes. He knew he was running out of time.


    Using the same strategy as before, the mute murderer raised both of his hands in peace. "Look, the mercenary is trying to hold you hostage, and I''m here to help."


    Rune sceptically eyed him as she raised one of her eyebrows. "And why should I trust you?"


    Taken aback by the statement, the criminal stuttered. "Well- uh-"


    She deepened her gaze, still trying to interrogate him. "Well?" Taunted Rune.


    When she knew the criminal could not seem to answer her question as he desperately tried to think of an answer, she turned her back on him once more. "Yeah, I thought so." Muttered the red hair.


    "Ay, what the fuck." A voice chimed in from behind, the clear annoying tone laced in his voice.


    Just when she began to run away from the weird situation she was in right now, the voice completely made her spin around so fast that her bones would actually crack.


    A blond boy with a messy uniform and a bag thrown over his shoulder looking at the murderer and Rune with raising eyebrows.


    She widened her eyes and jumped between the mute murderer and the blond. "Aster, get back!" She made sure Aster stayed behind him while facing the mute murderer.


    Aster tilted his head to his left in wonder and walked past Rune, completely ignoring her warning.


    The blond pointed his finger to the mute murderer lazily while looking at Rune''s widened eyes. "White knight loser, you know this guy too?" Aster asked casually like a murderer wasn''t actually in front of him right now.


    "Wait, ''too''?" She gaped at him with panic and a hint of confusion mixed with exasperation. "What do you mean by ''too'', Aster?!"


    "This is a completely dangerous and unstable person that could kill you-"


    "I miss you, buddy! It''s been what- a week or so, eh?" Aster put a hand on the mute murderer''s shoulder as he playfully nudged his shoulder with a soft punch.


    Rune''s jaw went slack as her mouth hung open loosely when she watched them.


    Did Aster just-


    She shook her head, blinking away the sudden surprise that she had just absorbed into her brain. "A monster befriending another monster, it''s supposed to make sense, but in this scenario, it''s just didn''t." She mumbled out loud, looking at both of her own feet as she lost in her own thoughts.


    The two boys were looking at her in an awkward stun.


    "I''m a monster?" The criminal suddenly became all gloomy upon Rune''s statement. "But I was a prince..."


    Thank god Aster missed that last part. Well, even though he did catch it, he would be too stupid to put two and two together.


    "Rune, you are thinking out loud. We can hear you." Aster reminded her, thoroughly offended.


    Ignoring Aster''s statement, she quickly voiced out another one of her thoughts. "How can you go buddy-buddy with him?!" The girl whispered-yelled at him as if trying not to let the mute murderer hear her, even though he obviously did.


    The blond shrugged. "Eh, kinda spent some nights with him, went on an adventure to another world, almost died a couple of times, but let me tell you, it was fucking cool."


    What the hell? What did she miss?


    "It''s- it''s not! Like at all." Rune let out an exasperated yell.


    The mute murderer nodded in agreement, pointing at her with his white-gloved hand. "I actually agree with Ru- this girl."


    "Oh, come on, murder boy, it was kinda fun, just admit it."


    The mute murderer took a big sigh. "No, it''s really not-"


    "Oh, by the way, you talk again, I see. A little improvement, huh?" Aster cut off the literal criminal as he continued. "You know, you nearly gave me a heart attack for dying, dude."


    Rune looked back and forth between the two. "Dying? You two-" She stuttered, ultimately falling in confusion. "Am I missing something?"


    She was baffled and lost right now. Could someone actually explain what was happening and why did she stick with these two?


    "Nah, I just got kidnapped, no big deal." Aster brushed it off. "And he just kinda dying a little." The blond added while nodding at the mute murderer.


    "You got kidnapped?!" Rune retorted back, voice cracking a little. "What- It is a big deal!" Rune defended. Though she really did not know what she actually defended.


    It seemed like the more words came out of Aster''s mouth, the more she fell into a sea of confusion and shock.


    "I mean, you are a dick, but if you got kidnapped, it''s still kinda important information." The red hair explained, trying to find the right word.


    Feeling insulted, Aster leaned forward and glared at her in disbelief. "I''m sorry, did you just say kinda, you bitch?"


    The criminal grimaced at the scene. They were running out of time and clearly did not have time for this. "Guys, can we talk-"


    Rune took the challenge and leaned forward, too, forehead almost touching each other. The hazel eyes and green ones glared at one another.


    "Yes, I did. Because you are a goddamn jerk and-"


    The mute murderer tried to stand between them. "Guys, we need to-"


    But then something was rolling like a ball, stopping in between the three of them. The ball was blinking red lights, seeming to increase as the seconds counted down.


    Rune was the first one to begin talking among the sudden silence they were having. "That is a bomb, isn''t it?"


    The criminal nodded dejectedly. "Yes."


    Aster sucked in his breath went the blinking red light stopped.. "Fuck, we are so dead."

 Chapter 33 - The World Burn : Part 4

    The world slowed down when Axel watched the bomb below him ticking down, second by second.


    A little languidly still, he looked over at Rune, who tried to jerk away from the said bomb. His eyes darted over to Aster, who attempted to cover himself away in slow motion.


    Despite how the time slowed, Axel could feel his heartbeat was faster than time itself. The beating of his heart reached his ears, causing it to ring as his vision became all blurry from the rush of adrenaline flowing in his veins.


    In a swift motion, Axel flipped to the air, face battling the wind around him. The two necklaces made a little clank sound when they bumped with each other. The boy''s fluffy locks swirled around, almost covering his eyes.


    As he stood in the air, in between Aster and Rune, he stretched both of his legs and kicked the two of them in the stomach, sending them flying away from the explosive below the Vergessene boy.


    Right before he hit the ground, Axel spun around, bringing one of his legs behind. He focused all the power on the said foot and kicked the bomb high to the air right when his other foot touched the ground.


    The bomb went off in the air, blowing off like some kind of a mess-up firework. It sent the Vergessene to a nearby wall with a loud bone-cracking sound.


    Axel groaned after falling face-first to the ground from the wall. He was sure that he broke a couple of bones or so. The black-haired boy put a hand on the floor to hold his weight as he wobbly tried to stand up.


    When he finally looked up, he was met with a messy sight. The cause of the explosion was bigger than he thought. One of the houses nearby was entirely in ruin on the front of it. There was a big gaping hole in the brick wall that was supposed to protect the house.


    A flash of red caught the corner of his vision, and it sent a shudder across Axel''s neck. The dread feeling started to eat him alive as he slowly looked over.


    Adreanna was standing on top of a rooftop, tilting her head dangerously at her brother. The black cloak alongside the red porcelain mask she wore just added more fear to everyone who saw her.


    Axel widened his eyes when he realized Adreanna wasn''t looking at him. She was looking at Rune, who was only a few meters away from him.


    The red-haired girl did not realize the danger she was in right now. She was still frozen in her place, looking at the outcome of the explosion with terror.


    When Adreanna began to aim a gun at Rune, the adrenaline started to kick Axel again. Like he always did, he forgot the pain from the explosion, adding it to the forgotten pain in his chest.


    He ran to Rune in a flash, spreading both of his hands and tackled her. The time slowed down again as the bullet went right in front of some of Rune''s loose red locks, grazing a little of the hairs.


    They both ended on the ground, equally stricken in their own fear, staring at each other in fright.


    Axel rolled both of their body to the side when another bullet fired at them. He quickly grabbed his best friend''s hand, dragging her through the sudden rain of bullets while hovering over her protectively.


    Axel saw the hole in the wall earlier and decided to go for it. He pushed Rune first to the hole and got in right before another bullet almost hit him.


    After hiding Rune behind the wall that did not get ruined, Axel turned around to look for a certain blond boy.


    "Aster! Over here!" He shouted at the loss blond boy, hiding behind one of the cars on the side of the road.


    The blond''s green eyes caught the blue ones after hearing his own name. He quickly crossed the road and slid down to the hole, bumping into a pillar with a loud thud.


    "Whoa, you remember my name!" Despite the situation he was in, Aster excitedly exclaimed to the mute murderer.


    Well, how could Axel forget Aster when he literally met the boy almost every day since he was a kid.


    "Dude, are you okay?" Rune came up from behind Aster, trying to check on him.


    Aster looked over to Rune with a bleeding forehead. "What do you mean? I''m totally fine."


    "No, no, you aren''t, dumbass." Rune pointed at his forehead, slightly grimacing at the sight of the blood.


    Aster brought his hand to his head and looked at the red liquid dripping down on his hand. He blinked sheepishly at sight. "Oh."


    "We''ll treat your wound later. We gotta hurry." Axel chimed in, dragging both Rune and Aster with his hands.


    Another bullet was shot from behind, making them run even faster than before. Aster and Run tried to keep up with the mute murderer holding their hands tight, tugging them with him. They kept running until they reached the end of the road.


    So when they thought they had escaped, they were dead wrong.


    Instead, the three teens were looking at a hoard of red-eyed people, mindlessly standing in the middle of the road, under the watching sun.


    Axel''s breath hitched. This was a trap. Was this Kiaran''s plan? Was he actually a step behind?


    "Thank you for bringing her to me, my murderer." A man in a black trench coat emerged from the shadow, taking his time as he walked right in front of them. He was looking at Axel with a slight mocking gaze.


    Then Axel realized, Adreanna wasn''t trying to kill them. She was leading them to this trap. This was part of Kiaran''s plan.


    Everything was always part of his plan.


    ??????


    "Ah, I''m really dumb, aren''t I, for trusting you?" Rune laughed ironically, looking over to the mute murderer in between her loose red locks.


    "Of course, this is a trap. This is only a game for you, aren''t you, murderer?" She continued, mocking the criminal in between the fear and anger in her tone.


    Rune frowned when she did not get any answer from the criminal. "Hey-"


    She shut her mouth shut when the mute murderer suddenly stood in front of her, protectively shielding her away from the mercenary.


    Rune''s face morphed into a realization that the criminal she always called a monster was protecting her right now.


    "Stop this, Ki-" The mute murderer paused, choking on his own words for a while before continuing. "-mercenary!"


    "Oh, but it just began." The mercenary faked a whine, tilting his head to the side, letting the wind make his hair even messier.


    "And it''s fun!" He exclaimed happily--too happily.


    "And you-" The man lurched to the mute murderer, blue eyes manipulative stared down at shorter one. "-are supposed to be mute."


    "I don''t like that you''re talking right now." He added, mincing back slowly as he fiddled with some kind of a remote in his hand.


    "I really, really, don''t like it, mute murderer." The mercenary continued, back still turning on the three of them as he suppressed the ''mute murderer'' part.


    He turned around and faced them one more. The man raised his right hand, looking at the mute murderer with insane smiling eyes.


    "So do me a favour and shut up." He ended his sentence when a rope was shot from on top of a building, rimming around his hand as he got pulled to the said building.


    Like in some kind of horror movie, the hoard of demons slowly turned their heads to the three of them, looking at the three teens with dangerous red eyes. Rune and Aster stepped back slowly, trembling in fear.


    Then all hell went loose, and the demons rushed forward, aiming at the three humans.


    The criminal who stayed in the front as Rune and Aster''s shield started to throw some punches with a knife in his hand. He sliced through their necks and chests, sputtering some blood on his white mask.


    "Watch out!" Rune yelled when a demon tried to attack the mute murderer down from behind.


    In a haze of panic, she staggered forward and jumped from behind the demon. She tackled the man to the ground, holding both of his wrists as he wriggled around.


    The man''s red eyes flashed to brown for a moment, almost making Rune jerk back. He suddenly stopped wriggling, breathing heavily against her.


    "P-please help, I don''t know what''s h-happening to me, I''m sorry-" The man pleaded with an etched horror on his face.


    She frowned in confusion but quickly tried to put a kind face, knowing that he didn''t try to wriggle out of her grasp anymore.


    Rune nodded, red ponytail bouncing around as she tried to reassure the man. "Okay, I''ll try to help you, alright? For now, just stay here and-"


    A loud gunshot cut her off, and blood sprayed to her face, painting it red. Her eyes shakily looked down slowly, and her breath hitched. She let out a loud gasp when she saw the lifeless eyes of the man with a hole in his head.


    She quickly snapped her head toward the criminal with a glowering look. "Why did you shoot him?! We could''ve saved him!"


    The mute murderer looked away from her. "It''s kill or be killed. You were in danger." He stated before starting to shoot more demons who were probably not in control right now.


    "You- you are a monster." Rune gritted, hazel eyes angrily stared at the mute murderer.


    He seemed to stop for a moment at her statement. "We need to get you and Aster to safety." He changed the subject and fought again.


    And Rune realized she was taking the mute murderer too light. She should have known that he was a real monster.


    But back in her mind was screaming that the monster was only trying to save her.


    ??????


    "Few blocks from here is my brother''s office. We could ask for help there!" Aster rushed forward, avoiding some of the demons that tried to attack him as Axel covered for him.


    Axel considered it for a moment before nodding at Aster. Lieutenant Valerian surely could protect them.


    "You go with her." He said, glancing over to Rune, who was covering the man''s corpse with her blazer.


    Aster''s eyebrows brought together while looking at him with confusion. "What about you?"


    "Someone has to hold them for a while," Axel said, shooting at a demon without diverting his gaze from Rune.


    He finally looked over to Aster''s green eyes. "Just make sure she arrives safely, okay?"


    Aster, knowing how exhausted the mute murderer was, tried to joke a little. "Usually, I would love to see her suffer, but I''ll do it for you, murder boy."


    Axel chuckled a little. It seemed like it had been forever since he let out a little laugh.


    When Aster realized he had managed to loosen up the atmosphere a little, he became cocky and showed his usual arrogant face. "The things I''d do for you, damn."


    The blond scoffed playfully and put a hand on the criminal''s shoulder. "Don''t die."


    Axel was too overwhelmed by the sudden words, too late to notice when Aster suddenly snatched the white cap on Axel''s head.


    Before Axel could react, Aster was already making his way to Rune, waving at him with a white cap in his hand. "Take it back later. You know where I''d put it!" The blond shouted.


    Aster talked to Rune for a moment and quickly dragged her with him. Axel took a last glance at the two and accidentally made eye contact with Rune. Though the girl quickly looked away and disappeared from his view.


    He continued fighting the demons. He shot, sliced, kicked. Shot, sliced, kicked. Over and over again. It seemed like it was endless. He did not even know how long it had been or how many bullets he had left.


    Then a sound of sirens came from behind him. The rumbling of cars adorned the air as policemen and soldiers appeared from them. They started to aim at the demons with a variety of guns and shields.


    "Remember not to shoot the mute murderer, everyone! He''s on our side." A familiar voice commanded, and Axel caught the friendly green eyes, identical to Aster.


    Valerian nodded reassuringly at him, and Axel could feel some of the weight on his shoulders loosen up a little.


    But then an explosion went off right behind Valerian, and Axel managed to catch the horror look on the lieutenant''s face as he looked back. Valerian shouted for everyone to get away from the explosion, making a haze of panic surrounding them.


    Then another explosion went off in one of the buildings.


    And another.


    And more.


    On top of the highest building, there the mercenary stood alone, watching the world burn before his eyes with an unhinged grin.


    "What a shame, isn''t it?" Kiaran''s voice echoed down the road, making all heads turn to him.


    Axel widened his eyes when he realized people were being held hostage right in front of the building. He managed to notice some familiar faces. Every one of them was part of the government.


    "You''ve been hiding behind the throne you believe you wield while I''m the one who owns it." The mercenary continued, talking in a mocking tone.


    "For I am Machiavellian." Kiaran grinned madly behind his mask, eyes full of insanity as he spoke.


    "The highest of all leaders," He spread both of his hands, chuckling as another bomb went off. The mindless demons killed more and more as the ticking of the bombs went lower and lower.


    "Higher than the king of kings,"


    He looked over to the terrified people below him. "-higher than a god."


    "I am a mercenary that never kills." Kiaran''s eyes caught Axel''s trembling ones.


    "And now, you people shall watch the world burn with me as you become the part of my fire."

 Chapter 34 - The World Burn : Part 5

    There was a saying that went, ''If you always do what you''ve always done, you''ll always be where you''ve always been.''


    That saying could work in so many ways. Well, for example, it worked with both of the worlds in these petty worlds.


    It seemed to appear that these two poor kids named Axel were walking in the same path. They had done the same thing along the way, even though it clearly stated that both the worlds had different stories.


    Well, they did have different stories, after all.


    Because one was dead and one was not. One never made it past seventeen, and one almost reached seventeen. One was a human, and one was a demon.


    But they both were the manipulated ones.


    Ironically.


    They shared one story, though. A story that was always bound to happen, a story that would always happen. They also shared one mind in that story, one agreement on something.


    Adreanna unintentionally was their favourite sibling.


    Since they were a kid, they always looked at the oldest with glimmering eyes, looking at her like some kind of a goddess. Perfect in every way, independent and strong, ruthless.


    And they still admired her to the very moment where the sharing story finally happened.


    The moment where both of the boys were facing their sisters, going against each other, and playing a losing game with Adreanna. They would fight until one could not get up anymore.


    The dead one had already finished the story.


    This one was just about to start.


    So here the alive one was, standing right in front of his sister, looking right through the red porcelain mask in between the burning world surrounding them.


    The made-up demons were already spreading around the Livedam city, attacking the people inside. Everyone was running and screaming. The polices and soldiers were down one by one.


    The bombs were blowing off like some kind of a messed up harmony, harmonizing with the sound of screams and gunshots.


    The governments were already dead. The blood that made Adreanna''s red gloved hands even redder was the proof for the loss of their lives.


    "Join us, Axel." She spoke as they pointed guns at each other, waiting for the one who pulled the trigger first.


    The demons and humans ran past them, ignoring both of the Vergessene siblings completely as they faced each other. It was as if the world was silent, and it was theirs¡ªjust the two of them.


    Axel snapped his mouth shut, completely ignoring her offer. He just looked at her with two sharp blue eyes, gun unwavering in his right hand, still pointing at Adreanna.


    "Very well." She said, moving her delicate index finger as she slowly pulled the trigger.


    There was also a saying that went along the lines of ''a sister is both your mirror and your opposite''.


    But Axel would think it was neither.


    Because he did not know her.


    Or himself.


    ??????


    A little boy was peeking through a closed door, opening it a little to see the inside of the training room.


    Beaming blue eyes watched the inside with admiration. The 5-year-old boy''s mouth opened widely as he unconsciously had stood there for almost an hour.


    The girl inside the training room was holding a gun like a toy, easily shot all her training targets on point. Her long black hair swayed around messily every time she fired a bullet.


    She took some steps back when the training targets doubled up. Her very being screamed elegant as she slowly got ready to shoot even more. The girl was only eight years old, but she could already kill a person in one shot.


    This was always Axel''s favourite part. The boy became giddy, smiling brightly when Adreanna finally ran forward and took a high jump.


    Adreanna shot the bullets swiftly and fast, aiming only at one target. She quickly flipped to her right in a flash of light and blasted another sea of shots, hitting the first bullets she shot a half-second ago.


    The bullets quickly spread around like rain, hitting every target perfectly in the head. Axel''s jaw slacked as he quietly clapped both of his hands.


    Adreanna''s hair covered the front of her face as she tried to slow down her breathing. Axel watched as their father walked forward to Adreanna, moving the hair and tucked them behind her ear.


    "We should cut your hair. It can be an obstacle for your missions." Their father offered softly.


    "What? No!" Out of impulse, Axel burst through the door before realizing that he had just made his appearance clear to the two.


    Adreanna and Cain turned their heads over to the boy simultaneously, making Axel realize that he just messed up a big time.


    The boy fiddled with his clothes nervously as he returned the stares. "Um, I mean-"


    "What are you doing here?" Cain coldly asked, staring at him with two unfriendly eyes. It made Axel tremble a little.


    "I was, I was- um," Axel tried to answer, diverting his gaze to the floor. It seemed like his brain stopped thinking at the moment, overwhelmed with fear that his father would be angry.


    Adreanna suddenly made her way to the boy, offering a hand, causing Axel to look up to her. "Join us, Axel." She stated flatly, silently waiting for him to answer.


    Axel looked down once more and watched Adreanna''s offering hand. He really wanted to, but Kiaran told him that their father wouldn''t like it if he intervened in his sister''s training.


    When he brought his head upward again and accidentally caught Cain''s eyes, he could see how it darkened as he waited for Axel''s answer.


    Axel quickly met Adreanna''s eyes and shook his head slightly, politely declining her offer.


    Axel could almost see a flash of disappointment appear for a millisecond on her face. "Very well." She withdrew her hand and nodded, slowly walking away from the boy.


    Axel grabbed her sleeve. "Wait!"


    Adreanna raised both of her eyebrows at him as an answer.


    Axel bit his lips when he looked at Adreanna''s eyes once more. "Can I- can I braid your hair?"


    She looked taken aback for a little. Adreanna tilted her head and slowly blinked at him. "Why?"


    "I- I think you''ll look good with a braid." He answered with a quiet voice, afraid that he would somehow offend her.


    "Okay then." Adreanna shrugged. She took his hand and dragged him out of the room together without a warning.


    Axel''s eyes widened at the sudden movement before completely turning into a pair of blue eyes full of excitement. He finally could spend some time with his sister.


    In the end, the braid was a mess and not good at all. But when Adreanna awkwardly ruffled his hair and said she would love to get braided again, Axel stayed up all night to learn how to braid a hair.


    Though, he should have known that she would learn it herself. He almost never saw her without a braid anymore, missing how the long hair adorned Adreanna''s head.


    And also, he should have known that it would be the only time he ever braided his sister''s hair. Or even spent time with her.


    ??????


    Axel managed to dodge at the last second when the bullet almost hit him. He rolled to the floor and fired his gun at Adreanna, who swiftly avoided the shot.


    He darted to his right three times when three bullets followed him. Biting his lip, he tried to aim his gun at Adreanna again.


    Underlined the tried.


    The boy was taken aback when he could not find where Adreanna was. It was one of her skills; she could quickly disappear from your vision.


    He realized that she was standing behind her too late. His gun got thrown away from his hand when Adreanna kicked it.


    Axel leapt backwards, trying to avoid the bullet that graced his cheek a little, causing a drop of blood to flow down his cheek. He took another gun from his pocket and got ready to aim at Adreanna again.


    But then she threw the gun away from his hand. Only this time, Adreanna did not kick it. Instead, she shot his hand.


    Axel did not give up just yet. He rushed forward, running to Adreanna with gritting teeth, pulling a knife with his uninjured hand. He knew he was fighting a losing game, but he would not back off in a fight.


    Adreanna took some steps back, got ready to jump in the air. She somersaulted to the air and shot several bullets that aimed forward.


    Axel widened his eyes at the move, stopping at his track and quickly turning his back on her to run. He would die when she finished her move.


    Then a lot of gunshots rang at the same time. From the air, you could see a rain of bullets coming at a fast speed at him. Axel ducked to the floor, rolling on his back as he tried to avoid his death sentence.


    A bullet found its way to his thigh, causing him to let out a muffled scream from behind his mask. He breathed heavily against the ground, trying to stand up only to drop down again.


    Adreanna took a time walking over to him, giving her brother a chance to try to run away. She grabbed the back of his sweater and dragged him to an alleyway, leaving him there.


    Axel grabbed her sleeve when she turned her back on him. "I''m not- I''m not done yet."


    Adreanna looked back at him with neatly braided hair that waved a little as she did so. "No, you''ve done since you went against us."


    And that time, Axel realized.


    Two masks covered her face. The visible one and the invisible one. The red porcelain covered her face while the invisible mask covered her thoughts and emotions.


    Deep down, he wanted to understand what was happening behind the masks. Behind the two of them.


    Before Adreanna knocked him down with a kick to his neck, he really wanted to ask why she never opened the invisible mask anymore.


    ??????


    The boy slowly got up from the ground, grunting a little with a heavy breath. He looked down to see a pool of blood, completely staining his pants. He walked with a limp to get out of the alleyway.


    The sky turned red as the world fell into chaos. Humans were fighting for their lives. They roared, cried, screamed, and died. It was not a beautiful sight for a 16-year-old boy who was too young to stand in the middle of a war.


    Axel scanned his surrounding in a daze. His mind was too preoccupied, trying to take what was happening. He stood like a statue in wreaking havoc, frozen in place. A short intake of breath followed his lips.


    His lips began to tremble lightly as the world around him got all blurry. He felt something warm fall on his pale face, running along his cheek at a fast speed.


    Oh, oh.


    He touched his face and realized those were tears streaming down his face. He wiped them with his sleeve but could not stop them from coming out even more. He blinked the tears away, trying to cease them, ignoring the pain he was feeling in his chest as doing so.


    Axel could feel the mixed emotions within him. Anger, betrayal, hurt, and devastation. He could not focus on any feelings. He could not concentrate on anything.


    Someone pushed him to the ground and ran past the poor kid. His breath hitched, and he closed his eyes as he took the impact.


    Demons and humans ran past his body. Some of them almost stepped on the boy as they fought. They ignored the boy who was being wrapped in his own blood that lay helplessly on the ground.


    The kid opened his eyes slowly, giving out a pair of watery blue eyes that used to be bright as the sun. He tried to stand up but quickly got shoved away.


    Dirt covered his pale skin as the boy fell for the second time. He grimaced at himself, noticing the cuts on his hands. He gritted his teeth and wiped his last tear harshly.


    His ears perked at a maniacal laugh that filled the air. The boy turned his head over to the source of the sound. His ocean eyes caught the sight of his brother on top of the highest building in the city.


    Kiaran was holding a hand on his face like a mad man, his other hand gripped the back of his own hair, and the mercenary cackled in triumphant. The boy could see the madness filled in his blue eyes as he watched the world burn.


    Axel''s eyes moved over to the assassin and the hitman who stood alongside the mercenary.


    This scene was familiar, wasn''t it?

 Chapter 35 - The Death Of A Humanity : Part 1

    Axel''s ears were ringing. Everything was overwhelming him. Everything happened too fast.


    The boy just stood there, in a daze, in the middle of the war that surrounded him. His guns were already gone. He only had some knives in his pocket right now.


    Though it''s not like he was going to use it anyway.


    "What are you doing?! This isn''t- why are you betraying me, hitman?! I give you the documents not for you to start this madness!" A red-haired man yelled, causing Axel to look over at him.


    The president was standing right in front of the building where Kiaran, Adreanna, and Cain stood. His eyes were full of glowering anger, looking over to the hitman with gritting teeth.


    Then suddenly, a rope gun was shot by Cain, causing it to circle the president''s hand.


    The president was not given a chance to actually think about what was happening and quickly got pulled to the air. The red-haired man dangled right on the edge of the building with Cain holding the rope, the only thing that was holding him right now.


    "Oh? Did I betray you?" His father spoke sternly to the demon king, looking at him from behind his mask.


    Cain pulled the rope at him and started to hold the president''s neck, bringing the man with him. Axel watched as his father kept the red-haired man even higher on the edge of the building. Rune''s father desperately gripped his father''s hand in distress, eyes wide as he looked down.


    "You want a betrayal, right?" The hitman darted. He tilted his head as he stared at the president''s teary eyes. "Here, I''ll give you a treason."


    He let go of the president''s neck. The man screamed and tried to grab ahold of the hitman but missed. Axel jolted at the sight. Breath hitched as he quickly ran over to catch the man.


    The wind fought with him, blowing his fluffy hair as he tried to hold the king, who was still falling down. His heartbeat thumped loudly as he stretched his hand out to the king. Axel widened his eyes as the man got closer to the ground. He bit the inside of his mouth and put more speed.


    He completely pushed all the people in his way. He was too focused on saving him. Adrenaline kicked him hard, leaving him to forget about his bleeding leg.


    He caught the man right before hitting the earth in a swift move. Axel tackled the red-haired man to the ground, putting a hand right behind the president''s head before they crashed onto the floor.


    The president''s eyes were still wide as he looked at the boy who saved him. The man quickly got up, running away to his people with mixed emotions, trying to save his own very being.


    The hazel eyes managed to catch Axel''s blue one with a look of gratitude and finally disappeared alongside the crowds.


    The boy''s chest heaved up and down as he stared at the madness that had befallen him. He could not help but tremble at the sight.


    The boy turned around to the sound of some rope guns being shot right behind him. He was quickly met face to face with his family who was staring at him like he was the lowest person in the world.


    "Axel, you keep betraying us," Adreanna spoke, her red porcelain mask staring coldly at her youngest brother. The sound of yelling and screaming surrounded them, yet the family stood there like the world was silent.


    "No-" The boy frowned at the accusation. "I- no!" Axel cracked a yell. His face slowly changed from confusion to anger.


    Axel gritted his teeth, ignoring the lump in his throat. "You were- you were trying to kill me!" He spat. His sister''s face stayed emotionless at the statement, gawking at him from behind her mask.


    "You," Axel paused. He pointed an accusing finger to Kiaran. "You were using me." He continued as his breath ragged in a fury.


    "And you didn''t even care about me." He moved his finger to the hitman. The boy was at a loss on why he had a lot of courage to say these things right now. Maybe it was the leftover adrenaline he still had.


    "So why did you keep blaming me?" Axel choked on his words. Everything was too overwhelming, and he''s just- he''s just tired. "I just want a normal family! Why can''t we be normal?!"


    The boy trembled in his place as he yelled. "Why can''t I be normal?" He whispered the last word.


    "I''m tired-" Axel brushed his hair in distress, eyes glassy as he watched the three people he used to be willing to die for. "-I''m so tired with this family''s bullshit."


    The three of them went silent while hearing Axel''s angry confession. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts. But they shared the same thing in their mind.


    They didn''t really care.


    "Why did you two go along with Kiaran''s madness? I don''t understand." Axel looked up to stare at his father and sister, demanding an answer. Kiaran stood there, analyzing Axel with two dark amused eyes.


    "Maybe because we didn''t go against the family, unlike you." Cain finally spoke up, completely cornering his youngest with his statement.


    "Father, don''t be like that. He''s still a kid." The mercenary took a step forward, reaching a hand to Axel.


    Kiaran smiled softly behind his mask with his pleading eyes. As if he was not the one who went mad the moment before. "You know I care about you, right? You can always come back."


    Kiaran had spoken his sweet words, a mask of a loving brother stared at Axel in patience. The boy knew it was fake, and the boy knew he was using him right now.


    Or he actually did know since the first time he was being used. But he just denied it because he just wanted a brother who loved him. He just wanted a family that cared for him.


    "Look, you''re doing it again," Axel darted, the face of a broken boy staring tiredly at Kiaran. "You''re doing the ''using me'' thing." He stated flatly.


    "Oh, You know I care about you, right?" Axel mocked, mimicking his brother''s words. His eyes flashed with disappointment as he stared at his brother.


    "No, no, you fucking don''t." Hissed the boy as he desperately held the tears that were threatening to fall.


    "You never do, aren''t you?" His voice went quiet at that.


    "If I go along with you, you''re just going to make me kill my own best friend," Axel added, trying to shove away the feeling that he wanted actually to live in the lie Kiaran made.


    Because the lie felt good and the truth hurt. So why live in truth if it was only going to hurt him?


    But Axel knew the lie would endanger Rune. The reason why he stood here right now, facing them, was Rune. The girl was the only one that genuinely cared about him.


    "You are siding with the president, Axel," His father spoke up. The kind smile that he always used was gone now. Cain never showed a single kind smile to him. Even though it was fake, he didn''t even try to lie for the boy.


    "You''re siding with the one man that I despise the most." Cain retorted darkly.


    "But you don''t have to kill him. You don''t have to kill them all!" Axel ventured. He stared at the man who was supposed to be there for him. "They are people. They have a family too, just like us."


    "The president? He has a daughter too. There must be a way other than war, father!" Axel tried to justify, ignoring how his heart was beating weirdly.


    "I never raised you to pick a side other than your family, Axel." Cain disapproved as he put the rope gun down from his hand.


    "But you never did," Axel spoke up, face morphed into a realization to his own words. "You never raised me at all." The boy chuckled bitterly.


    Cain was taken aback by the statement. He widened his eyes and quickly hid it well. "Well then, it seems like our path ended here." The man spoke and turned his back on the boy, just like he always did before.


    Adreanna followed Cain right away, stealing a last glance at her brother with hidden emotions, something that the girl was never good at showing.


    Kiaran stood there a little longer, staring at Axel with two unexplainable gazes. Axel caught his eyes, and Kiaran returned the stares with a look of pity before finally leaving him too.


    Not the kind of pity where you actually feel bad, but the kind of pity that was manipulatively mocking.


    Everything was happening too fast.


    One second, Axel was seeing his messed up family turn their back on him for the hundred times, the next second, there was a heavy pain. A necklace had cracked, letting all the red lights it was holding go inside his heart at full speed.


    He staggered back, stood in shock. The silver arrow necklace that Rune gave to him fell from his neck to the ground.


    As the red lights took hold of his heart, unbelievable agony wracked his mind. Axel gasped and fell, conscious but paralyzed by the lights. If the previous pain in his heart felt like his chest was being squeezed, this felt like it had been crushed.


    Someone was screaming so loud that he could not hear anything. Soon he would realize it was him that let out the agonizing scream.


    He did not realize how Adreanna and Cain suddenly turned around again, looking at him with confusion and a slight genuine worry. While Kiaran just stood there, trying to find out what was happening right now.


    Red lights suddenly burst through his chest, swirling around him from toes to his hair. The lights brought him up to the air as he continued to scream, finding it hard to breathe with a mask covering his mouth.


    The red lights went inside his eyes, blinding him entirely from his surrounding. He gasped for air in between his scream.


    Adreanna was the one who ran over to Axel first. She jumped at him, trying to tackle him down from the air, only to be sent flying backwards by the lights. She did not give up and wanted to save him again.


    How ironic that she was the one who almost killed him earlier.


    Kiaran just froze in his place, looking at Axel with two incomprehensible blue eyes. He did not know what to do besides watching Adreanna get thrown a couple of times, trying to save Axel from the lights around him.


    Cain finally came to help Adreanna and tried to shoot at the red lights that were circling around Axel''s body. The bullets bounced back at him and the man was fast enough to avoid them.


    Tears formed in Axel''s eyes as he could not breathe a single air. He desperately reached out at Adreanna with a weak hand, begging for help.


    The assassin gasped when she saw how Axel slowly went limp in the air. Panic struck her body for the first time and she desperately jumped again, trying to save him.


    Unable to stay awake through the pain, Axel closed his eyes and blacked out.


    That day, Axel probably would find out what happened to his counterpart. The day the youngest of the Vergessene family died. The day where the three demons mourned and lost a war.


    Because it happened to him too, that day.


    They were reflections, after all. It didn''t matter if the story was different because the reflection of the story would follow Axel everywhere.


    Though this time, the ending was a little bit different. The boy''s heart stopped as a human, but soon it would be beating as a different being.


    The story continued as the world burned.

 Chapter 36 - The Death Of A Humanity : Part 2

    The first time Axel woke up, everything had been blurry.


    The world was spinning around him. Winds were brushing through his hair a little. Though someone was cradling him, protecting him from the brutal winds around.


    Was he in the air? He did not know.


    He could not recall what was happening nor what had happened. There was- there was a fire. Red eyes. Kiaran and Rune. Aster was there too. Adreanna with her raining bullets. Was father there too?


    Trying to think only made his head hurt. There was a massive pain in his heart that made Axel whimper a little.


    The one that held him cooed, drowning him with soft words of reassurance. Axel found warmth and familiarity in between the words alone. Something was forming in his mind, telling him he knew who the person was.


    Axel blinked and tried to stare at the person through his messy black locks. He saw two red eyes. Why were they red? Oh, and a kind smile etched on the person''s face.


    Axel frowned as he stared at the person. Though he did not realize the person was returning the stare at him.


    "Father?" The boy croaked, almost like a whisper. There were wrinkles forming on Cain''s nose as he smiled at him.


    "I''m here, son. Let''s get you home." His father reassured softly, holding him even tighter as if he would break any time soon.


    The boy deepened his frown at the big heavy sound that was forming behind Cain''s back. Since when did father have wings? He did not know. But those wings were beautiful, though. Was this still Halloween?


    "Okay." Axel agreed nimbly, closing his faded blue eyes little by little as the pain became numb to himself.


    He missed the dark look on Adreanna''s red eyes nor the insane smile that etched on Kiaran''s face as he flew right beside Cain.


    The head of the Vergessene family just smiled kindly at the sleeping boy in his hands. His family was complete now. It was time to fix everything and restart over.


    Before Axel managed to blackout again entirely, he caught the deadly kind smile on Cain''s face that somehow was warm.


    ??????


    The second time he woke up, he had a massive pain from his heart to his head. He opened his eyes slowly, squinting as he tried to take the tall looming figure who stood by his bed.


    He looked at the big mirror on the wall to his left in a daze. He realized he was in a bed that looked a lot like the one in his room.


    Wait, was this his room?


    No, no, it wasn''t. This was-


    Axel''s faded blue eyes darted to his right, his foggy brain tried to pin-point its sudden familiarity, and all he could come up with was the black wings on the figure beside him.


    Realization hit him like a train. The black-haired boy promptly drove himself into a full-blown panic as he jolted right up.


    Axel went to the furthest side of the bed, away from the man. He could hear his own heart beating rapidly as he sat on the tip of his own dilemma. He did not know what was happening right now.


    He was just in some kind of war where made-up demons were scattered around aimlessly, attacking everyone. He just finished a battle with Adreanna, and then he was choking while the red emerald necklace-


    The red emerald necklace.


    Axel quickly put a hand on his neck, trying to find the necklace. He looked down only to see himself with a red glowing light hovering over his heart. He let out a startled gasp as he touched his own chest in a full-blown panic desperately.


    The demon version of Cain took a step forward, and Axel eyed him wearily. The red eyes shined in the room. The boy found himself unmoving as he looked at them. He tried to take a step back, but he was locked on the spot.


    His brain screamed for his trembling self to run, but he was too stunned to do anything.


    "It''s okay. Father''s here." The demon soothed as he opened his arms for Axel.


    What? Did he kidnap him? What was happening right now? Was all the coming to the family day for him was just a lie? Was he that naive?


    Axel gritted his teeth at the feeling of betrayal on the tip of his tongue. "What did you do to me? Why am I here?"


    "What do you mean, Axel? You''re home. Of course, you''re here." A voice chimed in from the doorway, causing Axel to look over at his pseudo brother.


    Kiaran and Adreanna were standing there, looking at him like some kind of a lost animal. Kiaran''s overly sweet smile formed on his lips while tilting his head at Axel, waiting for an answer.


    "What? No! My family is-" The world stuck in his throat as he comprehended the fact that he did not know what happened after he passed out.


    "Where are they?" There was a dread latched in his voice as he tried to bravely ask them despite his situation.


    "We''re here. We''re your family." Cain answered with a smile that Axel never got from his real father.


    The fake kind smile.


    "What''s with your obsession with me being a part of your family?" Axel ventured, ignoring the darkened look the three gave to him.


    "I know you three were weird since the day I met you. But I''m not your son nor your brothers. Where is your real Axel? I''m not him."


    "I mean, thank you for replacing my family in Family Day back then. But you three are clearly not my family and will never be." Axel confessed, trying hard to avoid the deadly silence in the room.


    "You are ours, and no one can say otherwise." Cain''s kind smile was gone now, looking at Axel with possessiveness surrounding him.


    "Ours? I''m not a possession! I''m a human." Axel began to scream. The panic just rose more and more as time passed by.


    "Well, we can easily change the last part." Adreanna finally spoke up, walking over to him with two possessive cold blood eyes. "You will look good with red eyes."


    She reached her hands, trying to ruffle Axel''s head, only to be dodged by the human boy.


    "Are you-" something clicked in Axel''s mind as his eyes formed a terror look. "Are you trying to turn me into those mindless demons?!"


    "No. You won''t be mindless. We''ve taken a precaution with the necklace we gave you. It worked pretty well." Said Kiaran as he walked closer to Axel too.


    "No!" Axel threw a pillow to Kiaran, jumping over him. The boy slid down and tried to reach the door but suddenly-


    "Axel, stop," Kiaran commanded with an echoing voice, making the boy froze in his place. Axel''s breath hitched when he realized he could not move at all, trembling in his place when he had no control of his own body.


    "Obey." The demon added, thrilling Axel with his commanding power as the human swayed in his place.


    The head of anarchy made his way to the frozen boy slowly and snatched his body up to his hands, staring at him with a kind smile again.


    Cain cradled Axel like a baby, like porcelain that would break the second he let go. He put Axel''s head on his chest. The man hummed as he stroked the boy''s head. It was as if the demon was trying to remember the day his Axel was born.


    Because when his Axel was born, he never wanted to hold him. He ignored his son completely. Cain despised him like how he despised the king.


    Axel could hear the rumble on his father''s chest as he closed his eyes, listening to the man''s humming in a daze. His brain was screaming to run away, to get away as far as possible, yet he could not move a muscle.


    He wanted to be scared. He wanted to be angry. He tried to scream for the man to let him go. He tried to push the man away, but he didn''t. A rise of conflicting emotions he hadn''t had before stopped him from doing so. He needed to obey.


    His mind seemed to recoil at the thought, even though the idea was completely off his own fruition. It made part of his conscious brain terrified as the unconscious part of him leaned to the man''s hug.


    "It''ll only hurt for a moment, my son." The demon warned slightly in a sickeningly sweet gesture as he spoke to him. "I''m making you better."


    Axel did not get enough time to adjust the words in his brain before there was a scorching pain sprouted in his chest, and he screamed.


    Ear-piercing and pained scream adorning the air as his throat grew hoarse from it. His teary eyes looked down to see a hand plunged inside his chest. His breath became ragged as he unconsciously screamed even louder.


    He tried to yank away from the demon, but the hand in him was like a rock. It held him tight and locked him in his place. He let out a deafening cry as he failed to escape his pseudo father.


    He could feel the hand getting even deeper that he was sure the tip of it touched his heart. He felt something pushed down into his heart. It fueled his chest, something that was spreading like fire but acting like water.


    He did not realize it was Cain''s blood that the demon himself cut right before the hand went in inside Axel''s chest.


    His ears were ringing. He could not hear his own scream. Hell, he did not even know if he was still screaming or not. There was warm water falling from his chest like a river, staining the floor red as he noticed it was his own blood.


    Axel was crying now. A helpless kind of cry that followed with a whimper. There was no explaining for the pure agony he was feeling. He froze in place with pain swarming his chest.


    Numbness crawled upon his fingertips as he felt his body give in. Cain''s blood inside his chest spread to his veins now. He could feel the strange feeling all over his body.


    His feet trembled as the man caught his almost lifeless body with his other hand. His father gripped Axel in reassurance.


    He could vaguely hear Kiaran''s words of reassurance. Axel was too preoccupied with the pain to actually notice. He noted the coldness that slowly raced upon his body.


    In the unexplainable pain he was feeling, he could not help but think, was this how it felt to die?


    When he thought he knew what pain was when he passed out the first time on the cold floor as Kiaran and Adreanna ignored him, he was dead wrong.


    It hurt more when the necklace cracked and formed red lights around him.


    But now, it hurt like hell. He did not even know if the pain could get even worse than this.


    Amidst the blur of tears on his dull eyes, Cain looked proud for some reason, the kind of proud that Axel never had and never seen before. Though, he was too busy taking the pain to actually think about it.


    It felt like hours to Axel. Every second of it was a living nightmare.


    The boy suddenly gasped. He could feel something being pulled out of his chest slowly. An emptiness shot through his veins at the sudden loss.


    He felt empty and relieved. The pain stopped. Well, not really, he could feel the leftover pain, but at least it ended. He was far too lightheaded to try to do anything.


    The poor human could not grasp his surrounding. He was trying to breathe. He was aware, oh, he was really aware of the hole in his chest. He was trying to ignore it as he rested on the man''s hold unwillingly. At least it ended now, and he could finally relax.


    And, of course, Axel could not have a nice thing. The thought of him finally resting was immediately crushed as a wave of anguishing shock ran through him in an unrestrained state.


    His body felt like broken glass that was thrown away and slowly getting patched up together. Something seemed to eat him inside out, making him stumble away from Cain''s grasp.


    He was losing his grip and crashed onto a mirror on the wall. The mirror clattered, bouncing on his feet.


    He looked at himself from the shattered glass. There were black lines slowly forming from his chest to his shoulder, spreading at a constant speed. Blood was like paint on his body, colouring all over his chest.


    He gagged when he saw the hole in his chest, slowly, achingly closed itself. He stumbled back and fell on the floor. He could see his pseudo family''s feet on the corner of his eyes.


    He clenched his fists as he tried to stand up again in a spiral of confusion, pain, and agony altogether. He stood up just to stumble back and crash his back onto the ground.


    He fell over his own knees, gripping his own head in frustration and hurt. He did not understand what was happening to him. All he knew was that he wanted it to stop. His body was desperately trying to get rid of something out.


    Axel closed his eyes tightly as he felt a substance bubble on his throat. Laboured breaths danced around the air as he shook violently and withered on the ground. He was trying to stop the pain and calm down, but it did not seem to work.


    He gagged a couple of times until painful nausea hit him hard. He immediately lurched, coughing hard that he could feel his throat being ripped off. He tried to gulp down, finding what was going on with his throat.


    He felt a bitter taste coming out as it lingered in his mouth. He lurched forward again, expecting a gag but instead, a ridiculously amount of red liquid poured down on the floor, making a tiny pool in front of him.


    He kept puking his own blood as he felt a familiar hand on his back, rubbing circles, trying to calm him down. He heaved up and down as he froze, looking at his own blood in horrified silence.


    "-getting rid," He vaguely heard Kiaran speak, he tried to make out his words. "-replacing your blood and-" He was trying his hard to listen, but he just could not.


    He met his own reflection in the puddle of his own blood. All worn-up, hair was messy like Kiaran''s. He squinted as he saw his right blue eyes start to get darker.


    In a big wave of dizziness, he looked at his own hands and saw how black lines adorned them. He was trembling in fear as he watched the scene happening on his own hand and immediately noticed the same thing happening to all his body parts.


    Shock stroke him again as he could feel his panic attack building in. He was starting to feel himself succumb to exhaustion as a hand caught him. Black dots formed in his eyes as he saw the red eyes loomed on top of him.


    Before he fell into the darkness, his consciousness flickered like a worn-out lightbulb. He saw himself and Rune on his mind. She smiled brightly at him as she gave him a silver arrow necklace.


    His thoughts diverted into Aster somehow. His bully''s arrogant face was there, and his words rang in his ears right before he succumbed into the darkness.


    Axel could see the memory playing in his mind. He watched Aster scoff playfully and put a hand on his shoulder.


    "Don''t die."

 Chapter 37 - The Death Of A Humanity : Part 3

    Adreanna''s blue eyes wavered behind her red porcelain mask as she tried to get up from the ground. Cain helped her from behind, offering a hand for her to lean on.


    Axel had gone limp in the air with the red lights still surrounding him. He must have passed out. There was no way he could have died just like that.


    Adreanna tried to throw herself on Axel again with a little bit of force. She skidded off the ground and tried to jump as she got close to her brother.


    Only to get held back by her father.


    "Don''t. It''ll hurt you more." Cain sternly stated as he gripped Adreanna''s shoulders and made her face the man.


    The assassin frowned. The now messy black braided hair waved a little as she stared at her father''s mask. "But he''s hurting too." She retorted back.


    Kiaran suddenly walked past the two at a quick speed. His messy black hair fought with the wind as he reached both of his hands to catch Axel, who began to fall down from the air.


    The boy''s eyes were closed tight as the red lights around him slowly faded away into his body.


    Kiaran''s blue eyes were locked on Axel with concealed emotions. He gritted his teeth as he tried to get closer to his little brother. The tip of his fingers was already touching the boy''s body, and the older brother had a little faith to catch him right before the boy hit the ground.


    But then Axel was snatched away from his hand by something- no, someone.


    Or should he say, himself.


    There the mercenary stood, looking at his own face with red eyes, waging his big dark wings in the air as he held Axel close to him. The red-eyed him returned the stare with a belittling smile and identical insane eyes.


    "Hello, Kiaran." The demon taunted, staring down at the mercenary like he had won a war.


    Then there was a hard breeze around as two more demons came right behind Kiaran, waging their wings and stared down at him too.


    The demon Adreanna coldly gazed down at him while the demon Cain smiled sweetly at him. But Kiaran was raised to know that it was fake.


    The blue-eyed Kiaran twitched, calculating his surrounding with a raising eyebrow. His hand slowly crept up to the gun in his trench coat, gripping it tightly without looking away from his counterpart.


    The assassin and the hitman slowly walked over to the mercenary to support him. They returned the look their counterparts gave to their Kiaran with guns in their hand.


    "Before we-" Demon Cain stared at his counterpart with a glint of dangerous eyes yet a kind etched smile on his face. The hitman tightened his grip on his gun. "-discuss the situation right now. Allow me to get rid of these trashes first."


    After saying that, the head of anarchy flew higher to the air, looking at his surrounding with two kind eyes. A red aura came out of his eyes, almost the same red lights that surrounded Axel earlier.


    He widened his wings, fluttering them open as he sent the red aura across the city. There was a sudden silence after he did that.


    Then the ground shook violently. Hands started to rise from the dirt, grabbing the made-up demons'' feet and pulling them into the ground.


    The humans that were fighting around the city stood in shock, looking around with two confused eyes.


    But the humans who were fighting near the two Vergessene families were staring at them with widened eyes, trying to understand what actually happened.


    Valerian who was on the front row of the war and the nearest man to the Vergessene families froze in his place. He stared at the demon Kiaran open-mouthed, unable to process what was happening.


    "Oh, we meet again, ugly bear." Kiaran lightly greeted with an easy smile.


    The mercenary looked between Valerian and his counterpart back and forth with a frown. "Again?"


    Valerian took a step back in surprise. "What- what are you-"


    Demon Kiaran shrugged. "I''m afraid I don''t have the time to answer your question. My brother right here is sleeping, so I think-"


    The demon''s red eyes glowed a little before he continued. "-you should stay silent and forget that my family and I come here right now alongside the rest of you humans."


    Valerian''s green eyes became cloudy at the sudden command. He was in a daze, yet his consciousness was still there, trying to grip on a little bit of reality left on him.


    Demon Adreanna quickly spun in the air, shooting her porcelain feathers to the humans around and making them faint.


    When one of her feathers shot Valerian''s neck, the lieutenant''s eyes rolled onto his back and finally dropped on the floor.


    "That''s not your brother." Human Adreanna stated behind her porcelain mask, still pointing her gun at demon Kiaran.


    "No, he''s my brother." Demon Adreanna dropped down right in front of her human version. Two cold eyes met with each other. One was red, and one was blue but hidden behind a red porcelain mask. The assassin''s gun was pointed at her demon now.


    Demon Cain dropped down right in front of his counterpart too, and smiled. "Let''s begin the discussion now, shall we?"


    ??????


    The two Adreanna bounced back from each other, making a space between them as they readied themselves to attack each other.


    Demon Adreanna was the first one to attack. She fluttered open her wings and flew high to the sky. In a second, she dropped the rain of porcelain feathers toward her human counterparts.


    The human gracefully darted around, avoiding the feathers on point. She dodged them as if she was dancing.


    When she managed to dodge the last porcelain feather, she reloaded her gun in a swift move and quickly jumped back to shoot a group of bullets from her gun.


    Doing her ultimate move, the assassin flipped to her right and shot the bullets that she had just released earlier.


    The rain of bullets flew toward her demon counterpart. The red-eyed Adreanna made a shield with her porcelain wings and easily stopped all the shots.


    A bullet came from behind, and red-eyed Adreanna almost let it go through her heart. She quickly turned around, causing the shot to grace her shoulder slightly.


    Human Adreanna was already standing behind her with a gun aimed at her. The human knew her shots would not work, so she used them as a distraction.


    Though she only managed to grace the demon a little.


    Adreanna fluttered open her wings again. Dangerous red eyes were staring down at her human counterpart coldly.


    The demon flew back a little and let another rain of porcelain feathers at the blu-eyed Adreanna.


    Human Adreanna aimed her bullets at each feather, shooting them without a single miss, making them bounce with each other right before they hit her.


    The thing was, bullets couldn''t switch their aim. But feather could.


    She was about to shoot the last feather when suddenly, the feather changed its aim, causing her to miss the shot.


    The porcelain went onto the left side of her mask. The mask cracked and revealed half of her blue eyes.


    The blue eyes widened at the sudden attack. Before human Adreanna managed to react, porcelain feathers were already reshot at her, and the girl fell down onto the ground with feathers on the side of her body.


    The feathers went inside the ground, holding her down on the floor. She tried to wriggle away, only to cause the porcelain feathers to go even deeper in her body and etched on the ground.


    The human took a last glance at her counterpart, who started to leave her alone, bleeding on the ground.


    Just like how she left Axel in the alleyway earlier.


    ??????


    "There was nothing to discuss." Human Cain bit back, showing a restrained smile behind his mask.


    The demon version of him tilted his head. A restrained smile formed on his mouth too. "Ah, I''m glad we''re on the same page here."


    "So let me have my son back and leave you alone for good." The demon continued, still looking at his counterpart with dark red eyes.


    The human silently reloaded his gun and took a few explosives from his suit. "He''s not your son." He told the red-eyed Cain.


    "But you never care about him." The demon''s eyes darkened, red aura slowly started to form in his gaze again.


    The hitman turned on the explosive. "And you do?"


    "Oh, I do." The anarchist let out a low response before finally sending the red aura around his counterpart.


    A hundred undead raised from the ground, surrounding the hitman and cornering him. Human Cain looked around with sharpened eyes as they stared back at him.


    He threw the explosive to the undead and kicked one of the enemies behind him. He shot another undead to his left and repeated the movement over and over again, fighting the neverending battle.


    Demon Cain went to the air, waging his wing loudly. His black wavy length hair swung around as he left his counterpart on the ground. The both of them managed to look at each other once more before the demon was gone.


    "Goodbye me. I hope you die." The demon stated without dropping his kind smile at all.


    ??????


    As the human Adreanna and Kiaran lost the battle, two Kiaran just stood there facing each other.


    They both did not throw a single fight at all. They were just there, trying to know what happened in each other''s brain, calculating every move.


    The two identical messy hair played with the wind as the air sang around them. Blue eyes met red eyes with an unexplainable gaze. The boy in the red-eyed demon''s hand was shaking a little.


    "Son, are you done?" Demon Cain came up from behind the red-eyed Kiaran, causing human Kiaran to look over at him too.


    "Oh, yes. I''m done, father." The demon answered, smirking at his human counterpart as if he had just won.


    Human Kiaran raised an eyebrow, taunting the demon with his two blue sceptical eyes. As if asking, ''oh, really?'' through his gaze.


    "I''m sorry, but I can''t wait anymore to actually give a care about you." The demon began, holding Axel gently in his hand, away from the real brother.


    "So stay down and let me have him." He used his power to his counterpart and smiled triumphantly when he saw his other self froze in his place.


    Demon Kiaran turned his back on his counterpart and faced his father. He looked at Axel once more and smiled gently at him.


    "You''re the missing piece of this family," Kiaran said to Axel, who''s withering in his hand a little. He unwillingly gave the boy to his father before they both took off with Adreanna, who followed them right after.


    In reality, their missing piece was already gone.. But they were so desperate that they took the replica of a missing piece, just to patch up the guilt in their heart.

 Chapter 38 - Bonus : A Date

    "Uh, a date?"


    Adreanna was clearly startled by the sudden exclaim even though it did not show on her face at all. Hell, her face was covered by the red porcelain mask.


    "What?" She croaked flatly. Somehow there was still no emotion in her tone at all.


    Zack grimaced at how awkward he sounded. "A date, you know. Cinema, cafe, dinner, kisses after midnight?" The brunette raised his shoulders a little, completely uncertain by the situation right now.


    He wrinkled his nose for how cringe he had become. "Okay, maybe not kisses, but you get what I mean."


    The assassin lowered her gun and stepped back a little from him. "...you hacked my phone," Adreanna tilted her head. "-just for a date?"


    Now that she put it that way, it kind of made him like some kind of a creep.


    "Uh, yeah? Sorry about that. I was- I was um-" He spluttered, trying to find the right words to say.


    The brunette sighed after realizing there were actually no right words to say. "Okay. There''s nothing that could redeem what I had done to you. And I know it''s creepy, but uh, I can''t really step back after I accidentally find out your identity, so yeah."


    Adreanna lowered her head, looking at him from behind her mask with two sharp blue eyes. It was like a hunter and a prey situation.


    Zack was the prey, of course.


    Ignoring the chill down his spine, the brunette tried to justify again. "Look, it was an accident that I found out, okay? I was about to ask you for a nice meet up so I can thank you thoroughly. And you were so cool and pretty. And your blue eyes are so deep like some kind of mysterious ocean, so I just-"


    Zack widened his eyes when he realized he had said too much. A blush crept up on both of his cheeks when he realized how cheesy he sounded.


    The brunette looked down at her red shoes, avoiding the red porcelain mask. "I mean, either way, you''re going to kill me, aren''t you? You''ll find out that someone hacked your data, and then come for my ass."


    Zack''s hands fiddled with the edge of the bedsheet. "And I really don''t want to go to sleep thinking ''is she going to kill me tomorrow? Has she found out that I found out?''. I won''t be able to sleep peacefully, so I think this is the only way to end things?"


    The 19-year-old brunette finally looked up to Adreanna with an awkward smile. "With a date, I mean."


    The silence was really antagonizing him right now, and Zack hated it more than ever.


    "It''s a win-win situation if you actually think about it." He added, still showing the awkward etched smile on his face that slowly turned into a pleading one.


    Adreanna stood there, staring at the wavering teen in front of her. She stared at him for a pretty long time that the brunette felt like Adreanna had already counted every freckle on his face at this point.


    "You are pretty... too. And your eyes are luminescent." Adreanna began emotionlessly.


    The leatherback hair teen was taken aback at the sudden statement. "Huh?"


    "You are also cool." She added with a dull tone.


    Zack was baffled, blinking his eyes to snap himself from his confusing train of thoughts. "I''m sorry, what?"


    The assassin suddenly turned away from him and faced the window. The moon shined her porcelain mask as she put a foot outside, ready to jump away.


    Right before she jumped, she turned back to the brunette once more. The wind blew her cloak a little, revealing her black braided hair under the dim of light.


    "Next week. Afternoon. Be ready." She stated before disappearing within the dead of night.


    Zack was still sitting on the edge of his bed, trying to process what actually had happened. However, when he actually did process it, it only turned his face red.


    When he finished processing what Adreanna said right before she left, he looked down over to the window and said, "Wait, aren''t I the one who was supposed to say that?"


    ??????


    Zack just realized that Adreanna never mentioned where they would meet right when it was too late.


    It had been a week, and the teen was practically beaming with thrill and excitement for days.


    After trying to choose the red theme colour for hours, he realized he did not know where they would meet up when he finished wearing his best clothes.


    He was so stupid.


    Zack was scanning his phone as he tried to call her. The number was not active at all.


    Was it because of him? Because he hacked her? Or did she lie about the date?


    "I changed my phone. It broke."


    Zack''s phone almost fell down from his grasp to his bedroom floor if he did not catch it fast. "Holy shi-"


    He turned around to see Adreanna in a red dress that exposed her back. She braided her hair neatly with a red hairpin on the edge of it. She wore two red high heels and two red gloved.


    Though Zack did not know why she still wore a mask, but all he knew was she looked so beautiful right now.


    "You do know that I know about your face, right?" The brunette carefully asked.


    "Yes. But I have to wear this to go to our date place." Adreanna answered flatly, fixing her mask a little as she revealed her right hand that was holding a rope gun.


    "Wait, why do you have to wear-" Zack choked on his words when Adreanna suddenly picked him up in her hand like some kind of bride. His face went completely red as if he had a fever.


    He did not have the chance to actually ask what was happening when Adreanna suddenly jumped out of the window with him without a single warning.


    Zack had every right to scream right now.


    The wind blew the bottom of Adreanna''s dress as they fell. Zack automatically put both of his hands on the assassin''s neck and clung to it like it was the end of the world.


    He closed his eyes tight as the smell of rose caught his nose when he put his face on Adreanna''s neck.


    Adreanna shot the rope gun to a building and let it pull both of them to the roof. They landed swiftly on top of the building with Zack that slowly opened his eyes to see the view.


    He quickly regretted opening them when Adreanna suddenly ran toward the edge of the building at a fast speed.


    "Are we going to jump to another-- wait! Holy shit!"


    ??????


    "You are... prepared," Zack said as they arrived in some kind of a garden with a table in the middle of it.


    His heart was still beating from the leftover adrenaline for how much they had jumped over a roof.


    His grey eyes darted over the table to find a set of tea and some pastries. There was also a candle to make it even romantic.


    He looked over to Adreanna, who was putting away her rope gun. "I feel like I''m the one who''s supposed to do all of these, you know? Cause I''m the guy here, and you''re the lady." Zack confessed to her.


    "I learn it from the internet." The assassin said dully.


    Zack was at a loss for words. He fixed his tie awkwardly as he walked over to the table. "...right. Okay. That''s cool."


    "You too." Adreanna retorted back as she opened her red porcelain mask, revealing two beautiful blue eyes and a red lip.


    Zack cleared his voice and looked away from her. "You know, you don''t have to compliment everything back when someone compliments you?"


    She blinked at him. "I don''t?"


    He nodded, pulling a chair for her to sit down. "Yeah, well, sometimes you have to, sometimes you don''t have to."


    When Adreanna did not sit where he offered her to, he apologized for himself. In the end, he awkwardly sat on the chair.


    "I don''t understand." Adreanna tilted her head, swaying her braided her a little as she stared at him.


    Zack''s heart was beating too fast at the stare.


    "Well, picture this. When someone says you''re pretty, you can compliment that person back. But sometimes, you can answer it with ''thank you''." He smiled at her as he explained, staring right into her two deep eyes.


    "Thank you." She repeated the word at him.


    Zack''s smile widened at her. "Yes, that''s right! You''re learning here."


    Adreanna nodded and offered him the tea. The brunette accepted it gratefully and quickly drank it. As he lowered his cup down, he noticed that she was drinking a whole different liquid in her cup.


    Zack raised her eyebrows. "Hot chocolate? You like it?"


    "Yes." The girl answered in between her breath.


    The brunette''s gaze wandered as he began to talk. "I prefer coffee, though. It''s kinda cool knowing that an assassin drinks hot chocolate."


    Adreanna nodded again as she drank more. "Thank you."


    "Ah-" Zack grimaced at her answer a little. "You don''t have to say-" Zack cut off his words when Adreanna looked at him with two confused eyes.


    He smiled fondly at her. "Nevermind."


    They continued to drink and eat for a while. Letting the breeze accompanied the two strangers in the middle of a rose garden.


    "Is this love?" Adreanna broke the silence, causing Zack to almost spill his tea.


    "What?" The grey-eyed teen scrunched up his nose in a mix of embarrassments and awkwardness.


    "This all," Adreanna pointed to her surroundings and then him. "is it what people called love?"


    Zack cracked his neck and put down the cup in his hand. "Well, um, not right now. Maybe."


    The brunette put a hand on the back of his neck. "Right now, we''re learning how to love."


    Zack could catch the surprise on her face despite how emotionless she looked. "..you are learning too?" The assassin asked.


    "Yes." Zack scratched the back of his neck, blowing off his hair a little. "Love is for two people. A mother to her child, a husband to his wife, a brother to his sister."


    The grey eyes met with the blue one as the brunette continued. "-Or two strangers that weirdly meet with each other a couple of times."


    Adreanna tilted her head. "How do you know if it''s love?"


    "Well," The brunette darted, tapping his fingers on the table as he thought about his answers. "You''ll feel butterflies in your stomach when you meet the person. Your heart will weirdly beat so fast, and your face would go warm at the person."


    Adreanna looked down to her stomach before looking back at her date. "Do you have it?"


    Zack examined her blue eyes of wonder. She was acting like an adult in a dangerous situation. Yet, she looked so vulnerable like this.


    The hacker''s smile was unwavering as he dreamingly looked at her. "Right now? I do."


    Adreanna opened her mouth slightly, clearly taken aback by the sudden confession. She diverted her gaze to her cup. It was almost as if she felt guilty.


    "I still don''t." The assassin fiddled with the cup, looking away from the teen in front of her.


    Zack chuckled a little at her behaviour. "It''s okay. You don''t have to." He explained, reaching out his hand to the girl.


    He took her hand and intertwined their fingers, making Adreanna stare at his grey eyes. "Love is not forced. It just comes."


    The two looked at each other. The sunset beside them ricocheted its light to the two beings. The roses swayed a little, and the time became slow to the two.


    Suddenly, Adreanna''s phone rang, and the two strangers looked away from each other. Zack''s face was a completely red colour, unlike Adreanna''s pale one.


    The assassin took her handphone from her pocket. When she answered the call, her face tightened and loosened, her emotionless eyes got intense before they quickly turned dull again.


    Zack learnt that she was not emotionless. She just did not understand what emotion was.


    "I''ll be there." She stated to the person in line. Zack got slightly curious about who the person was.


    Adreanna quickly got up from her chair and let out the rope gun in her pocket when the call ended. She was about to put her mask on again when she accidentally remembered that Zack was with her.


    The assassin turned around to see two puzzled grey eyes. "I need to go. The mercenary called me."


    Zack blinked. So it was confirmed that the assassin worked with the mercenary. He did not dig more about Adreanna because he knew it was a death sentence.


    Well, the more you know.


    Zack smiled at her and waved. "Oh, okay. Be careful! I can walk home by myself."


    Besides, he did not want to experience jumping off buildings like a maniac again. Nope, not anymore.


    When Adreanna disappeared from his view, the teen suddenly realized something that they should have discussed in their date.


    "Wait! Are you going to kill me or not?!"

 Chapter 39 - The Manipulated One : Part 0

    There were five stages of grieves.


    Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.


    But don''t you know, the demon version of Axel''s family actually never made it past denial?


    The three of them planned everything. They had been searching for a way to get their youngest back.


    Even though he wasn''t actually their youngest.


    They watched every Axel''s move around the house. They saw what he had been doing. They saw how the young boy relived everything that their real boy had gone through.


    There was one thing though; they could make him their real boy.


    When demon Kiaran saw the paper of the DM-2 experiment that Axel left on his desk, he recorded all of it in his brain.


    He did what was best; he watched his own counterpart through the mirror.


    Demon Kiaran followed his other self everywhere with a barrier of a mirror. He looked at how the other him went mad over the idea of a world burn. The demon looked as the human planned many things with a scientist.


    He watched through the scientist''s mirror. He was watching when human Kiaran gave the black arrows to the scientist. He was there. He was always there.


    So when he saw the opportunity to strike in and when he saw how the story repeated all over again, the demon knew Axel would be safe with the anarchist family.


    This was their opportunity to get their youngest back, and they would not let the universe take their Axel away from them again.


    The Vergessene family would be whole again.


    And the three demons would never make it past denial.


    ??????


    When Axel woke up, he did not open his eyes yet. He was forced into awareness by a feeling he could not quite place. It was as if something was changing. Something was morphing.


    Axel grunted. He felt lightheaded. His head was throbbing as he tried to open his eyes. A faint voice was surrounding him, and he tried to listen in.


    The pain was the first thing Axel felt. It was a hot flood of racing pain that washed over him all at once. Sharp stabs were firing through his head. The boy whined and felt a hand that pushed him back down.


    A fire was staying in his heart, licking his veins. Every breath he took felt like needles jabbing into his lungs.


    The boy did not realize that his ears were ringing until they began to fade just enough for him to hear a voice.


    "You still need a rest. It''s alright. Your body''s just changing slowly, son." Cain whispered, brushing off some black locks from the boy''s face gently.


    Realization hit the boy''s foggy brain. The last memory shot through his brain, and he felt like he had been reliving all of them just by remembering them. What happened to him? When did he fall asleep? Oh no, no no-


    Axel''s awareness deprived quickly turned into horror at his immobility on waking up. For a moment, he even considered the idea that he might be dead. His chest tightened at the thought. A wave of fear overrode his restful numbness.


    He forced his eyes to open and grimaced. He found himself on a warm bed. In his sleepy haze, he could only focus on the achingly familiar room he was in. The sight of his own duplicate bedroom somehow made him ill.


    He caught sight of a person sitting right beside his bed. A too familiar figure that he knew yet did not at the same time. The person had the audacity to smile though. It irritated Axel a little.


    "Good morning, son."


    Axel grumbled under his breath and turned away from the person. The demon was the reason Avan was stuck in here now. Head heavy, foggy brain, and tired.


    Axel coughed weakly, gasping for air as he realized how dry his throat was. There was a leftover taste of iron in his mouth when he tried to open his lips.


    "What," Axel coughed, shaking as Cain slowly leant him in a seated position on the bed, "what is happening."


    Cain cooed and embraced him tightly. Axel flinched at the closeness of the demon as wings slowly wrapped the both of them protectively like a cocoon. His pseudo father was hovering right beside the boy''s ear that Axel could feel the breath running down his neck.


    "We''ve been planning for your arrival. We can finally spend time together as a family. We can start over again and do what a father and son would do." The demon whispered, red eyes glinting with possessiveness.


    "Say, what do you want to do, Axel?" His pseudo father continued, asking in a soft tone.


    Axel struggled in his embrace, trying to put a space between them. "I want to go home."


    Cain was not having it and tightened his hug to his fake son. "But you are home."


    "I''m not." Axel gritted, gripping the sheet tight as he glared at his pseudo father.


    Cain laughed. Axel chose not to join in.


    "We''re so close to being a whole family again. Don''t worry. I''ll make sure you have all the time in this world." The demon finally let go of him and patted his head, giving him some space so that he would not fall into a fit of panic attacks.


    Axel''s blue eyes diverted to the mirror in front of a study desk. He swore it broke the moment before-


    -before whatever happened to him, whatever nightmare he had gone through before.


    Noticing Axel''s line of sight, Cain started to speak. "Oh, that mirror? We replaced all the mirrors in this house. We don''t need to watch what''s going on on the other side anymore."


    The demon looked back at Axel''s tired eyes. Wings straightened a little as he showed his best smile. "Because you''re home."


    The two stared at each other, the grieving father and the scared son that were not blood-related yet somehow related at the same time.


    "You planned everything?" Axel asked with a quiet voice that was latched with a bitter taste of betrayal.


    "Yes." Cain''s kind smile was still on display as he patiently answered the boy.


    "Why would you do this? I trusted you all." Axel whispered tremulously. His head started hurting more as he tried to catch with what was going on.


    Axel stared right at the two red eyes of fake affections with two teary eyes. "You manipulated me into a false sense of security, and I don''t like it." The boy choked hoarsely.


    Cain sighed fondly, trying to calm the shaking boy. "We''re not. We just want to make a safe home for you."


    "Am I? Am I safe with you?" The boy asked brokenly, too tired for everything, and he was just so so tired.


    "Just a while ago, you just stabbed me with your hand." He laughed confusedly. His brain could not even think of what actually had happened. He was so lost for the situation he was in. He was so lost for himself.


    "And you''re saying you''re not manipulating me? You guys manipulated me just like my brothe-"


    Axel snapped his mouth shut. The boy cut his own words as his brain screamed in pain.


    He trembled a little as he looked at Cain''s taunting red eyes. The demon raised his eyebrows at the sudden silence.


    "Go on, finish the sentence." Said the pseudo father, tilting his head as if taunting the boy.


    "Finish your sentence, son." The demon crossed his legs, patiently waiting as Axel fell into a pit of realization and denial.


    Unable to accept what was happening, Axel shoved Cain and went straight to the mirror in the room. "Shut up!"


    The 16-year-old stumbled a little before making his way to the glass of reflection, ignoring how his feet were aching and how the pain was increasing yet fading at the same time. He completely forgot the bullet wound on one of his feet as he stood.


    When he finally looked at the mirror, he froze in his place. The dread in his throat was eating him inside out.


    There were black roots that started to fade away little by little. The black lines were covering his hands and neck. Some of them were already vague, morphing their way into his body.


    An aching, burning sensation started up inside his right eye, burning it like wildfire. Axel bit the inside of his cheek as he tried to hold the pain off.


    His right eye became blurry as his left eye caught the sight of Cain creeping up behind him. The demon had the audacity to grin up at him, his face twisting into something that wasn''t human.


    "Adreanna would say how a red eye looked good on you." Cain began talking proudly and soft-spoken.


    Axel quickly focused on his own eyes after hearing him. The boy was desperately trying to blink away the hot tears in his right eye.


    When he finally could see clearly, Axel saw how his right eye had turned red, achingly slow as it fought the blue ocean colour.


    Then he felt a mix of despair and terror. His shoulders slumped as he shakingly stared at his own reflection. His fingers trembled away when the black lines faded, leaving a completely smooth skin as if he was-


    -as if he was a demon.


    Cain hugged him from behind, trying to calm him down. The demon put his face on the boy''s hair lovingly, showing how he deeply cared for him.


    Axel had always wanted his father to care for him. But this wasn''t his father. No matter how he tried to lie to himself, this wasn''t Cain.


    The demon version of his father held him with love. But he did not know why it felt so cold.


    Was it always this cold? Was Kiaran right? Was he too naive?


    Despite how Cain was still holding him, Axel dully stared in the mirror just to see a boy.


    A boy that people called the manipulated one.

 Chapter 40 - Tithonus : Part 1

    "There, in his dark corner, he went on withering and shrivelling till at last, he turned into a grasshopper, chirping for all eternity." Kiaran closed the book in his hand, red eyes calmly watching the sleeping boy on the other side of the mirror.


    He just had to be patient before Axel finally became his brother again. He could not rush anything too much. He had to take it to step by step.


    He put down the book of Tithonus to the desk in front of him. Without looking away from the human, he straightened his wings a little and took a glance again at the project DM-2 on Axel''s table.


    Kiaran smiled knowingly at the paper and swiftly turned his back on it. The demon began walking away from the mirror, taking one last glance at Axel before leaving the room.


    Kiaran slowly closed the door behind him, completely unaware of the presence of a demon beside him right now.


    "Hello, brother-in-law, how''s it going?" A brunette excitedly greeted, two red eyes happily looking at the voice manipulation demon.


    Kiaran''s wings flared open, and he almost slipped by the sudden appearance. The demon slowly moved his head over to Zack with a restrained smile.


    "Hello, waste of time," Kiaran greeted back before diverting his gaze to Adreanna, who was creeping on the corner of the hallway. "Care to explain why your dumb boyfriend is in here?"


    Zack popped out in between Adreanna and Kiaran, covering both of the sibling''s points of view with his big horns. "I''m literally this anarchist group''s informant." The grey-eyed demon defended, staring at Kiaran''s unbothered eyes.


    "Oh, right." Kiaran darted, giving his noticeable fake smile to the brunette as he continued. "The information is too useless for me to remember, so pardon me," The demon walked past Zack, ignoring him completely, "-informant."


    Zack looked back at the black-haired teen with a grimace. "Ouch."


    The informant quickly jogged his way to Kiaran, trying to catch up with him. "But!" Zack stood in front of him again, spreading his hand as he tried to speak. "You''ll find the information I''m about to tell isn''t useless."


    Kiaran raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I''m intrigued."


    Zack clasped both of his hands. "Okay, good." He muttered and began to wander around a little before looking back at the black-haired demon.


    "So Adreanna is telling me about all the ''taking your brother back'' shenanigans which are kind of fuck up if I may add." The brunette began, shrugging a little at the mention of kidnapping a literal replica of a dead person from another world.


    Zack bit his lips as he continued. "But well, I''ll do anything for my lady, so anyway-"


    The brunette demon made a motion with his hands as he began to explain. "I found out how to turn a human without making them mindless," Zack stated, leaving Kiaran frozen in his place.


    "Apparently, the person who will get turned should have the demon''s power inside their body. For example, if you use your blood to turn the person, that said person has to be familiar with your power first."


    "Oh, and you have to slit your skin with the cursed arrow. The black roots will mix with your blood as it gets transferred to the human''s heart." Zack added, feeling proud of himself that he could help Adreanna.


    Kiaran widened his smile, and it turned into a mad grin.


    Adreanna watched from behind.


    ??????


    Kiaran spun in the air as he waged his wings. The fancy trench coat he wore blew around with the breeze for how fast he flew.


    He was flying on top of a forest, slowly closing into a hidden building within the tall trees.


    The half-moon was on sight, watching the demon flying alone on top of the calm trees. It shined through the night, high up in the sky as the world went to sleep. It just stood there, stalking the demons with its beauty.


    The demon stopped right on top of the building, looking back to the moon for a second, letting his red eyes meet with the beautiful white light that it stole from the sun.


    When he diverted his gaze, the teen that was often mistaken as an adult, flew closer to the front of the building.


    He looked at one of the windows and scanned it. A sideways smile tugged on his lips as he backed off a little. The demon prepared himself before going at full speed to the window with both of his feet on the front, ready to break in.


    He let both of his feet crush the glass and landed inside gracefully.


    The demon blew off his messy hair a little and put his hands inside his fancy trench coat pockets. The teen casually strolled to the empty hallway, letting the back of his coat dance a little as he walked.


    The anarchist stopped in front of a double door of woods with a danger warning sign. He kicked the door, making them wide open with a loud bang. He hummed around as he got inside the dim room.


    As he went further inside, a sight of fancy potions, yet a messy room was in sight. Though, no one was inside aside from the long cloaks-wearing woman with a ridiculously pointy black witch hat.


    Her red pupils were focused on the arrow in her hand as she held some kind of a wan in her other hand, mangling with the cursed arrow. She let her curtain bangs messy as she let loose her shag haircuts.


    The woman in her late thirties looked as young as ever despite her age. People would mistake her for the twenties, not some middle-aged woman.


    That said woman sighed as she kept her eyes locked on the cursed arrow. "What do you want, Vergessene." She stated robotically.


    "I''ve come to ask a favour and offer some favour." The Vergessene shrugged. He could see the woman roll her eyes at his answer.


    He walked over to the table near the witch. He jumped and sat on top of the table. Feet were dangling around as he watched the woman with mild mischieve eyes.


    "You did not tell me you have the cursed arrows, old lady." He declared after a few beats of silence, red eyes still locked on the woman.


    The woman switched the wan in her hand with a knife. "You and your names calling."


    Kiaran''s fingers were tapping on the table he was on as he raised one of his eyebrows. "You prefer a crazy witch then?"


    "That''s actually better." The woman answered fast, clearly wanting the teen to disappear from her sight.


    Kiaran jumped onto the floor with a soft thud. He brushed off the leftover window cracks on his fancy trench coat before walking closer to the witch and standing beside her.


    "How many times have I told you to not break in through the window? I have a door." Without even looking at the choice manipulating demon, she spoke at him with a tired irritation in her tone.


    "You know you wouldn''t let me in either way," Kiaran answered offhandedly.


    "You''re right, so please do me a favour and get out." The witch retorted back and continued working with her work.


    "I might already do a favour to you, actually." He darted, circling behind the woman, and stopped on the other side where he was standing before.


    The demon grabbed three cursed arrows that he kept inside his coat and waved them in front of the witch''s face. The witch finally looked up from her work. Her face was full of contained emotions as she caught the sight of the three cursed arrows.


    "You''re an actual mad demon, Vergessene." Commented the woman as her red pupils kept staring at the arrows in his hand.


    "That''s what they call me." Unblinking red eyes calculated the crazy witch in front of him as he spoke.


    The witch was about to reach for the three black arrows, but Kiaran jerked his hand back, making the woman sigh. "What do you want?"


    Kiaran cracked his neck as the woman''s red pupils met with his red ones. "Now we''re finally talking about business."


    The demon witch put down her knife in her hands as she clenched her jaws. "What? Do you want more power? Just give me the price."


    "I want a pendant. A necklace pendant that could hold my father''s red aura and make his power slowly get into the heart of the person who wears it." He demanded with a low voice echoing in the room.


    The woman raised her eyebrows that were hidden between her curtain bangs. "That''s it?"


    Kiaran spun the arrows in his hand as he leaned on the table. "Yes." He paused, stopping the arrows in his hand, eyes sharpened as he stared at the witch with dangerous glint.


    "Though you have to tell me your plan on what you''re going to do with the arrows too."


    The woman stiffened. He looked at him with mixed emotions and glowering eyes. There was silence as she thought about the deal. Though deep down, she knew she had no choice.


    "Alright. But keep it between us, or I''ll kill you." She gritted her teeth as she finally looked away from the anarchist to her table again.


    Kiaran took her hand and shook it happily. "It''s a deal then, old lady!" He cheerfully exclaimed. However, the witch caught the dark undertone behind his words.


    As he let go of her hand, he put down the three black arrows in his other hand to the table and slid them to her. She quickly picked the arrows with her hand slowly, looking at them as some kind of gem.


    The mercenary let the witch fall into her own world for a moment. He was tapping his foot as seconds went by.


    "I know where the last one is. I need it for a future problem." The teen tilted his head to the wall beside him as he caught the sight of a black roots mirror.


    Kiaran could vaguely see his counterpart talking with the witch''s counterpart. As if his other self sensed his staring, the human looked over at him with two content eyes.


    Though the anarchist knew that his other self could not see him.


    "I''m using the arrow for my youngest brother to turn him to be better. I''ll retrieve the last one if you do one more thing for me." His red eyes were still staring at his counterpart, looking right through him.


    The witch gripped the edge of the table with her hand as she looked up at Kiaran once more. Red pupils sharply waited for the anarchist to say what he wanted.


    An etched madness sprouted on his face as he returned the stare. "Tell me, when will my other self see the world burn."


    The witch furrowed her eyebrows, head pounded with tension as she did so. "Why?"


    A crazy grin adorned his face as it was hidden behind his mask. The demon chuckled darkly, and he went closer to the witch with madness sparking in his eyes.


    "I want to see the other world burn too, of course."


    Kiaran would take it as a chance to have Axel too. All according to his plan. He was the brain of the family anyway.


    ??????


    Kiaran opened Axel''s room slowly. The plan had worked. Well, of course, it would work.


    He took the book of Tithonus on the table in front of the mirror. The demon walked over to the withering boy on the bed and sat right beside him.


    Kiaran was startled a little when Axel suddenly opened his eyes, dully looking at him with one blue eye and one red eye.


    The demon smiled fondly at Axel as he opened the book in his hand. "One day, there was a young man named Tithonus who was just a mere human."


    And we all knew Tithonus would be kidnapped and turned without his consent.

 Chapter 41 - Tithonus : Part 2

    "Long ago, there was a goddess named Eos who fell in love with a mortal prince." Kiaran began, fingers racing upon the book he held as he sat beside Axel''s bed.


    "The goddess of the gentle dawn was the mother of the four winds. While all creation slept, she rose from her pink pillows to announce the coming of a new day. She dipped her rosy fingers into a cup filled with dew and sprinkled the drops over flowers and trees. All nature awoke, rejoicing to see her."


    Kiaran took a glance at the boy''s two different eyes, who were staring at the ceiling without looking at him at all. The demon diverted his gaze to the book again and continued.


    "One morning, as Eos looked down on earth, her eyes fell on a young prince waking from his slumber. He was so handsome she could not take her eyes off him, and she wanted him for her husband."


    Kiaran opened the next page slowly. Despite how he already memorized the whole story in his brain, he still read it anyway.


    "Tithonus was a proud young man, a prince of Troy, handsome and brave, and the moment Eos saw him, she fell deeply in love. That was her way, but this time she decided she must carry him away with her, and so she brought him to her palace, away from his homeland."


    "She kidnapped him, basically. But it was love, wasn''t it, Axel?" Kiaran voiced his thoughts in between the storytelling he did.


    Though the boy just kept staring at the ceiling, unfazed by any of Kiaran''s doings nor questions.


    Realizing that the demon was not going to get any answers from the boy, he continued rereading Axel''s favourite story.


    "Tithonus and Eos lived together happily, and they had two sons, Memnon and Emathion, who also became famous among men and gods. All seemed well, but as time passed, Eos remembered something she had forgotten: Mortals do not live forever."


    Kiaran tried to see if the boy had moved or done anything. But when he met with one blue eye and one red eye still staring through the roof, he sighed and read the story again.


    "Eos began to mourn the future. How would she survive without her love? She could not imagine such a life, and so she asked the greatest god of all, Zeus, to grant Tithonus immortality."


    The ticking clock was counting down the story, waiting for it to finish as the time became a background for Kiaran and Axel. The wind desperately tried to get in through the window while the moon hid behind the clouds.


    And Kiaran continued.


    "''Please,'' Eos pleaded, ''let my beloved Tithonus live forever.'' Her eyes filled with tears, her skin flushed, and even Zeus was moved, and so he granted her request."


    Kiaran flipped the page again, reading the same paragraph and story for the boy in front of him.


    "But Zeus was a jealous God, prone to acts of deception in order to seduce beautiful gods and mortals, and he was not pleased with Eos''s infatuation with a rival."


    The sound of a page turned was so loud to prove how silent Axel was for the whole reading Kiaran did. Even though his eyes were wide open, but the boy lied there like he was sleeping.


    "And so he did grant Eos''s wish. He made Tithonus immortal, but he did not grant him eternal youth." Kiaran breathed, melodic voice adorning the air like some kind of sick harmony.


    "And when the time passed, Tithonus, like all mortals, began to age. First, Eos noticed the wrinkles upon his brow, and as the years passed, his muscles began to grow weak, his arms and legs grew slender, his hair grew grey and thin. Even the light of his beloved Eos no longer gave him the strength it once had."


    The pages grew thin as Kiaran flipped them again. The story was ending soon.


    "When Eos understood Tithonus''s fate, the sight of him filled her with such sadness that she could not bear to look at him. So she left him alone and travelled, falling in love with others."


    Axel and Kiaran knew the ending. Both of them knew the end. But the demon kept telling the story anyway.


    "Tithonus shrank to a tiny, wizened old man, yet he could not die, for he had been given eternal life. He became so small and weak that Eos had to put him into a little basket and hide him in the corner of her palace. There, in his dark corner, he went on withering and shrivelling till at last, he turned into a grasshopper, chirping for all eternity."


    The demon closed the book with his delicate fingers, putting it away to a desk near him. There was a beat of silence accompanying them alongside the ticking clock.


    Kiaran''s mouth moved to talk more, trying to tell the boy something.


    Somehow, Axel could not hear anything. His eyes were empty as he drowned in his own thoughts. The boy felt like his body was flying. He felt like all of these were a dream.


    Maybe not a dream, more like a nightmare.


    A weird kind of nightmare that was wrapped in lies and manipulations.


    "You read it again. The story." Axel started to speak hoarsely without looking away from the ceiling.


    Kiaran, who was muttering about something a moment ago, snapped his mouth shut.


    "You did that a lot, weren''t you?" Axel asked wanderingly, eyes locked on the roof as he began to continue.


    "Back when I was huma-" The boy cut his own words, taking a huge intake of breath as he tremblingly tried to speak again.


    "Back in my world. Every time I went to bed, you read it for me." Axel finally moved his cloudy eyes to Kiaran. "It was you, right?"


    "Yes." The demon answered, red eyes looking at the blue and red ones.


    "You were afraid to lose your Axel, so you tried to ask someone or maybe something for power to change me." The boy stated, and he knew that he caught the demon off guard.


    "But I am human, I am not a demon." Axel grew tired looking at Kiaran, so he looked away to the window, looking right to the sad moon.


    "You loved him so much that you tried to make me something I am not." The boy kept talking, slapping facts within the air as his eyes wandered off outside.


    "A demon." The words felt bitter, knowing that the process was agonizing, knowing that it was all part of the demon family''s manipulative plan.


    "Just like Tithonus, wasn''t it? The story you love to tell. The story you believe I love." Axel chuckled weakly, clicking off the bitter tongue. "He was no god. He was just a mortal."


    "Eos loved him too much that she begged Zeus to make him immortal." Taking one last glance at the moon, the boy looked back at Kiaran''s two blood-red eyes. "But Zeus was jealous, wasn''t he?"


    "He made him immortal yet he was ageing and dying inside."


    Kiaran knew where this was going, but the demon chose to stay silent.


    "You made me a demon because you were jealous of the human life, when I am actually alive." The manipulated boy added. Few of his black locks fell over his face as he spoke.


    "If you called getting manipulated alive, that is." Axel sneered at his own tragedy. At this moment, it was ironically funny to talk about that.


    "But Kiaran," The boy darted, smiling weakly at his pseudo-brother. "I''m going to wither away and die. Just like that story."


    "Don''t be like that person." The weak boy said, almost begging. Axel was just tired of actually taking anything that was happening right now.


    Like the demon in front of him right now, the boy was hiding behind his own denial.


    "Eos? I''m not her. Adreanna and Cain weren''t either." Kiaran defended, almost laughing at how poetic Axel was right now. "We''re better than her. We''re making you better."


    Axel, still staring at Kiaran, just smiled. "No, not her."


    "Don''t be Zeus." The boy specified, squeezing the eyes shut, then opening them wide in an effort to stay awake. "You''re jealous of the human world and you wanted to change it."


    Axel tilted his head, making his fluffy black hair bounce to the right a little. "What makes you different than Zeus, Kiaran?"


    "I''m saving you from my other self. I''m saving you from a fate that you could fall which is death." Kiaran''s voice was raising a little, clearly agitated by Axel''s words.


    "Or were you just jealous that my Kiaran had me and you didn''t?" The 16-year-old cut the 18-year-old again.


    Axel smiled bitterly. Numbness was etching all over his body as he carried on. "My other me. He''s dead, isn''t he?"


    Kiaran stiffened. There was a heavy feeling in his stomach while he tried to deny everything again.


    Axel''s lips tugged upward a little. "I thought so."


    The kid was just about to turn his back on the demon but stopped when Kiaran tried to speak again.


    "But I''m not Zeus in your story. I''m not making you immortal just to age and suffer." Still trying to defend himself, Kiaran began to retort back.


    "But you did."


    Axel tiredly looked at his pseudo brother, the leftover pain was still lingering within him, and he did not know if it was physical or mental. "You''re doing this to me, Kiaran. You''re doing what exactly Zeus did."


    Kiaran bit his lips as he still dared to stare at Axel. One side of his mouth was pulled up and back, tilting his head slightly to show no vulnerability.


    "Are you Eos or Zeus, then? Tell me." Axel breathed roughly. His red eye glazed with heaviness.


    "Tell me a story."

 Chapter 42 - Tithonus : Part 3

    "That hurts!" Aster yelped as Rune rubbed another cotton filled with alcohol to the blond''s head.


    "Shut up, you whiny jerk. The monsters could hear us outside." She whisper-yelled at him, still patiently trying to clean the head wound Aster got earlier.


    They had just arrived at the police station earlier, and Aster quickly yelled at his brother hysterically with a bleeding head. Rune was sure that the lieutenant had a heart attack for a second there despite his calm face.


    So, in the end, lieutenant Valerian commanded all his men to the scene. At first, he was insisting on staying to tend Aster''s wound, but the young Edelweiss had too much ego in him that he refused his older brother''s help, saying that he could do it himself.


    Of course, it turned out that Aster could not.


    So here Rune was, trying to tend the blond''s wound while the red-eyed monsters were roaming outside the police station.


    Aster kept tapping his right foot nervously. Green eyes were trying to look out of the window while the red-haired girl struggled to wrap a bandage on his head.


    The bouncing of Aster''s legs made the blond''s head shake every time he did the tapping. Rune was becoming more irritated as seconds passed and quickly smacked his head.


    The blond yelped and held his wounded head like his life was clinging to it. He looked at Rune with a mix of betrayal and surprise.


    "What the hell was that for?!" Aster ventured. Even though he yelled angrily at her, the boy was backing away from her little by little.


    Rune put both of her hands on her waist as her hazel eyes stared down at Aster. "Stop moving around. I know you''re worried about your brother. He''s going to be fine. I''m worried about my dad too, so can you stop moving around every one second so I can actually finish bandaging your head?"


    "I''m not- I''m not worried about him!" Aster defended, a blush crept upon his cheeks as he tried to justify himself. "I''m just worried that the monsters are going to kill us." The boy looked away from Rune, desperately trying to hide his red face.


    The red-haired girl raised her eyebrows and started to walk over the blond again. "Uhuh, whatever you say, Aster."


    Rune took another bandage and started to wrap Aster''s head again. This time the latter stayed still, not wanting another smack upon his head and making the wound even worse.


    Aster took a glance at the red-haired girl. There were wrinkles on her forehead as she focused on tending his wound. Her red ponytail was messed up from how fast they ran earlier.


    Aster''s green eyes kept staring at her before he finally decided to break the silence. "Do you think the mute murderer is okay?"


    Rune stopped at the sudden question. She cringed at the mention of the criminal, knowing how he had just killed a man right before her eyes.


    Hazel eyes glazed over the green eyes as they met with each other. The green ones were patiently waiting for an answer, while the hazel ones were contained with unexplainable emotions.


    "He''s the mute murderer. I''m sure he''s fine."


    ??????


    Axel was, in fact, not fine at all.


    He was so incredibly screwed and tired of all the bullshits that were happening right now.


    Why might you ask?


    Well, you could ask the torn out cloak wearing person who was holding a dagger to his throat right now and being the main idea for him to be ''not fine''.


    Because why? Because the damn universe hated the boy so much that he could not catch a single break from everything.


    Let''s rewind a little, shall we?


    After the little debate Axel and Kiaran did, the demon left without any words, slamming the door closed, clearly irritated.


    In Axel''s tired state, he could not help but feel a little proud of himself for being able to outrun the Kiaran. The corner of his lips tugged upward a little as he stared at the door dully.


    The boy blinked tiredly, taking one last glance at the person outside the window and finally closed his eyes.


    Oh, wait-


    Axel snapped his head toward the window so fast that he believed his neck cracked. His red and blue eyes widened as he had a face-off with the person outside his window.


    The person was wearing a navy blindfold with a torn out cloak that matched the colour of the cloth over his eyes. The only thing that you could see from him was his unwavering pale lips.


    Axel awkwardly smiled at the person while holding a hand to the air, trying to greet the cloaked man.


    "Uh, Am I supposed to say hi?"


    The person suddenly burst through the window, sending the glass pieces everywhere as he aimed a dagger at the boy.


    Axel jolted on his bed, dodging the dagger swiftly, and backflipped to the floor, ignoring how he accidentally opened the bullet wound on his feet again.


    "Okay, then. No hi, no hi! I get it, no hi!" Out of Adrenaline, the boy sputtered words out of his mouth, desperately trying to dodge the dagger that was an inch away to cut through him.


    Axel went to the corner of his room, crashing his back to the wall when a silver arrow pierced through the wall right beside his left ear.


    There was a beat of silence before Axel quickly ducked, almost hitting his head to the floor when another dagger tried to stab his face.


    Axel rolled to the left, hair that was messy before becoming messier. His black locks covered his blue eye as he stared at the person who tried to take his dagger away from the wall.


    Axel took this as his chance and silently stood up, backing slowly to the door without diverting his eyes from the blindfolded man.


    When his back touched the door, the boy quickly turned around and twisted the door handle.


    Only to realize that it was locked.


    Axel chuckled bitterly to himself at the ridiculous situation. "There is no god." He whispered at himself as he caved in and turned around to face the cloaked man.


    The person was already facing him with a dagger in his fingerless gloved hand. Blindfolded eyes were looking at Axel intimidatingly. "You should have been dead." He said with a dead tone.


    "Oh, you mean the other me? I think he''s in fact already dead like you said." Axel grimaced, nodding at the person as he tried to reassure the man and raised both of his hands. "You got the wrong person, I swear."


    The person stayed silent at Axel''s defend and tilted his head downward. "Then you should die too."


    The cloaked man suddenly ran to him at a fast speed and tried to tackle Axel with his dagger again. Though, the boy was a beat faster and darted around the person. The weapon stuck on the door, earning a grunt from the blindfolded person.


    Axel took no time to think and quickly looked at the window. The boy sucked his breath as his heart thumped loudly.


    In a swift move, the boy ran to the window, closing his eyes and jumping out of it.


    Though just before he actually fell from the window, the person snatched the back of his shirt and quickly dragged him back to his room with a dagger over his neck.


    "Please, just let me rest! This is getting ridiculous!" Axel yelled as he wriggled on the person''s grip, trying to break free.


    And that was how Axel fell into the ''not fine'' situation. Pretty neat, right?


    The dagger was inching closer to his neck when the door suddenly burst open, revealing Adreanna that illuminated the lights around the room with two wide-open wings.


    "Let go of him." She dully stated, red eyes glinting with danger as the demon glared at the cloaked person.


    Axel could hear the person click his tongue before throwing him away to the wall, causing the poor boy to grunt.


    Adreanna took no time to let the man escape and quickly sent her porcelain feathers to the cloaked person.


    Axel watched as the blindfolded man dodged all the feathers gracefully as if he was dancing alongside the porcelains. It was rather an impressive thing to do with a blindfold over the man''s eyes.


    One of the porcelain feathers sliced through the man''s fingerless gloved hand and hit the palm of his hand, causing some blood to come out of the wound.


    The person threw the dagger in his other hand to Adreanna, who quickly tried to block it with her porcelain wing.


    She widened her red eyes when the dagger pierced right through her wing easily and sliced the tip of her ears a little, making her froze in her place.


    The person stood on the window with his back to the moon, looking at Axel with a tilting head and let himself fell backward.


    "Until next time, Tithonus."

 Chapter 43 - The Piece Of Ashes : Part 1

    A man once said, ''the most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire''.


    But what if the mind could not move as the soul was on fire, and the world turned into ashes?


    Well, not really the world, more like the Livedam city, but you know how extra Kiaran was.


    No one really knew what the mercenary was thinking right now as he watched the mute murderer getting snatched away by his counterpart. Everyone around him was on the ground, passing out. Some were probably dead. He could not care less anyway.


    The sun slowly hid away behind the clouds, not wanting to add more fire around the city.


    Kiaran only froze. He stood in his place as his counterpart''s power lingered within him, telling him to stay.


    The teen''s blue eyes watched the three demons disappear alongside Axel. His eyes sharpened as he calculated the surroundings and their disappearance.


    His mouth moved every second, counting the time with his mind. The burning wind danced around the mercenary, letting his hair go along with it.


    Kiaran''s breath stayed steady as he kept counting. He looked over to Valerian, who stayed down on the ground, noticing how his chest heaved up and down as a reassurance that he was still alive.


    He could hear many gunshots happening behind him. He believed it was from his own father who was fighting with the undead.


    Then a wave of coldness spread through him from his toes to his head at a quick pace. His blue eyes widened a little as he took a big gasp. Kiaran stumbled forward, almost falling head first if he did not quickly flip to the air and landed on both of his feet.


    He cracked his neck and straightened his back, testing if the power had already stopped thralling him.


    "Three minutes. His power works for three minutes." The mercenary clicked his tongue, mumbling the time that he had counted as he froze earlier.


    Kiaran quickly looked over to where Adreanna was. Both of his eyes twitched when he caught the sight of his sister bleeding on the ground as she desperately tried to break free from the porcelain feathers that held her down.


    He slid on the ground, dodging the building ruins around him and ran to her. The mercenary crouched down in front of his sister and grimaced at the porcelain feathers all around her body.


    "This is going to hurt, sis." He reminded before starting to pluck the feathers from her body, earning a grunt from her.


    Cain, on the other hand, started to run out of bullets and explosives for using them on more than eighty enemies. One of the undead dashed right to him, and the hitman quickly shot his bullet, using the last shot on him.


    Cain jumped back, creating a space between him and the leftover enemies. He fixed his mask and put a foot back to hold his weight.


    The man took a knife from his suit and smiled from behind his mask at the undead. "Seems like you''ll get the knife, people." His kind smile turned deadly as he rushed forward with a knife in front of his chest.


    Cain jumped forward, spinning on the air as he kicked three heads at the same time. The three undead flew to his right and crashed onto the ground.


    The hitman roughly landed on another undead and stepped on him, making sure the enemy stayed on the ground.


    Another undead came from his left, and Cain quickly slashed his throat, sending some blood to splatter over his mask.


    There was ten more undead around him that surrounded the man. Cain stood in the middle, tightening the grip on his knife as he readied himself. The wind yet again tried to dance around, making the atmosphere even tight.


    "Fire in the hole!" Someone shouted a scream from one of the buildings that only got ruined halfway.


    There stood a brunette with a bomb flying from his hand, looking at Cain with two wide grey eyes, trying to warn the hitman.


    Cain noticed that the shout was meant for him and quickly pulled out a grappling hook from his suit. The undead started to run to him at the same time as he aimed at the building Zack was on.


    Zack jumped back a little at the sudden hook that was attached to the edge of the building. The hitman jumped and let himself get pulled by the grappling hook.


    Cain managed to pass the bomb that was ticking down in the air before he finally landed on the building as the explosion went off, wiping off the rest of the undead.


    The brunette blinked his eyes while looking back and forth between the explosion and the hitman.


    "Thank you, boy." Cain brushed off the ashes from his clothes as he expressed his gratitude to Zack.


    The brunette laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. "To be honest, I didn''t know that it would actually work, sir."


    Cain just smiled at him even though he knew that Zack could not see his face. "Adreanna talked about you."


    Zack looked startled for a moment and raised both of his eyebrows in a mix of shock and amusement. "Oh, you know Adreanna?" He exclaimed happily.


    Then the realization hit him.


    "Oh right, Adreanna! Where''s Adreanna?!" The brunette blurted, making both Cain and Zack snap their heads over to the assassin.


    The mercenary was holding Adreanna in his hand as the girl bled out. Blood kept coming out of her body slowly but surely.


    Cain did not even wait for a second when he suddenly jumped off from the building and landed on the ground, rolling.


    Zack ran to the edge of the building, trying to follow the hitman. "Wait!"


    Though the hacker stopped right where the man jumped off, looking down at how tall the building was.


    "Yeah, nope. I''m not going to jump from here. I''ll take the stairs please." He muttered to himself before running to the door behind him and walking down the stairs that was cut in a half.


    "How the hell did he not break any bones from that jump." He mumbled as he tried to fasten his pace.


    ??????


    "Give her to me," Cain demanded, holding out his hand for Kiaran to give Adreanna over to him.


    "I''m fine, father." The assassin gritted, trying to stand up from Kiaran''s hold.


    "No, you''re not. You literally look like shit right now." The mercenary commented while trying to hold down his sister. Adreanna only grunted as she was moved to Cain''s hands.


    "Axel, what about Axel?" In between her gritted teeth, she managed to ask about the youngest.


    "Let''s focus on your wound first, okay?" Cain dodged the question easily, clearly more worried about her rather than Axel.


    Kiaran would be lying if he said he wasn''t irritated at the favouritism for a second there. But he was used to it too, anyway.


    "Axel is getting kidnapped by the other us, actually," Kiaran spoke up, earning a sigh from Cain at the sudden mention.


    "What?" She croaked. Adreanna looked over weakly at Kiaran. One blue eye met with Kiaran''s. The crack of her porcelain mask was bloody, mixing with her own blood.


    "Are we talking about the mute murderer?" A sudden voice came between Cain and Kiaran. A bundle of brunettes appeared in the middle of them.


    Kiaran frowned as he took a look at Zack''s grey eyes. "Who the hell is this?"


    Zack snapped his head over to the mercenary and smiled innocently. "Oh, uh, I''m- um, I think you could say I''m her date?"


    "Zack?" Adreanna stared at him with a slight frown.


    "Hi, Adreanna. It''s me again." The hacker paused and raised a hand awkwardly at her. "You look.... bloody."


    Zack wrinkled his nose and looked over to both hitman and mercenary. "Anyway, we need to treat Adreanna''s wound. I can carry her while you two search for the mute murderer."


    Cain held his daughter even closer to him. "No. I''m not leaving her." He stated harshly.


    "Oh, okay then." Zack raised both of his hands and turned his head to Kiaran. "Uh, do you need my h-"


    "No, I can save my brother myself just like I always did." Kiaran cut him off, speaking with a bit of venom in his voice as he turned his back on the three.


    His black trench coat swirled a little as he walked away from them, completely ignoring the surrounding.


    Zack blinked sheepishly at the criminal. "Brother? Am I missing something here?"


    The one in question ignored the brunette completely. Instead, Kiaran stopped in his track as he glanced at his sister once more time.


    "Take care, Adreanna."


    ??????


    Kiaran emerged from the shadow and sighed. The dim laboratory was silent, only the sound of clanking tools was heard. He walked over to the scientist and leaned on the table beside her.


    "The first plan had gone as I predicted." The mercenary spoke, eyes looking over to the black arrows for a second before diverting them to the shag hair lady.


    "The assassin and the hitman won''t search for your murderer?" The scientist asked without looking over to the criminal.


    "The assassin is down at the moment," Kiaran answered slowly, playing with a tool that he found beside him. " And the hitman... won''t care." He added as he began to fiddle with the device.


    "Of course, he won''t care." She agreed bitterly, eyes glued on the arrows in her hand.


    Kiaran finally put down the tool and went over to take the black arrow with his gloved hand. "They knew Axel''s alive anyway. They always believed I''d handle the situation. That I''d get him back."


    He grazed over the arrow with two dangerous blue eyes. "It''s time for the next plan." The mercenary continued, slamming down the arrow to the table.


    "Let''s collect the piece of ashes, old lady."

 Chapter 44 - The Piece Of Ashes : Part 2

    Aster and Rune stared at each other as if their eyes were talking. The blond had a bandage over his head that covered almost half of his hair while Rune''s ponytail had gone neat again.


    The sound of fighting had stopped just a few minutes ago, leaving an achingly quiet silence outside. There was no screaming nor yelling anymore.


    Both of them were hiding under a table after one of the mindless demons tried to barge in. Rune and Aster managed to move a table to the door and hope that it would hold the demons outside.


    And it did. But now, the sound had stopped as if they had just disappeared.


    "Do you think they''re gone?" Rune asked. Hazel eyes warily peeked from the tip of the table, trying to see the door.


    Aster stayed down under the table, not wanting to join her while looking up at the red-haired girl. "You want to check?" He asked unsurely.


    "Well," Rune looked down at him. Her ponytail bounced a little as she did a low tilt movement. "The most adult way to face this is to stay in here." She added.


    Aster blinked. "But we''re not adults, though."


    "I know," The red-haired shrugged. "But we still have a responsibility for ourselves."


    The blond nodded. "What you said, white knight."


    ??????


    "Stop kicking the corpses, Aster!"


    Rune yelled at the blond while holding a baseball bat in her hand. They had walked out of the police station and decided to go where they had left the mute murderer. They would blame Rune''s worry over her father if something happened to them.


    Both of them needed an alibi, alright.


    Aster picked up the said corpse in his hand and offered it to Rune, who widened her eyes at the sight. "It''s just a hand."


    "Yes." She nodded, offering a strained smile at him. "Someone else''s hand!"


    "More like a demon''s hand." Aster spun the hand before throwing it to the ground.


    Rune''s eyes followed the hand before diverting her gaze to the Edelweiss boy. "How do you know if it''s a demon."


    "Just a hunch. Murder boy would vouch for me that I have the best hunch." Aster proudly exclaimed. The corner of his lip tugged up a little as he bragged at Rune, who was just looking at him, deadpan.


    Axel, of course, would not vouch for him if he was there with them. Sadly, the boy was withering in a bed right now.


    But anyway, as Rune warily walked with a baseball bat over her shoulder, ready to bash anyone that tried to attack them, Aster just walked easily, dragging a crowbar lazily.


    This wasn''t his first rodeo on a weird deadly situation like this.


    They passed some people on their way. Those people were crying. The majority of them were confused as they looked around. There were some that tried to record the surrounding with their phone too.


    "Oh right, I never got to thank you for saving me earlier." Rune began and looked over at the blond boy.


    Aster frowned. "I don''t recall saving you at all."


    "You know, the one when we were running to the station. You were yelling at me to run while you distracted the rest of the demons for me. So thank you." She sincerely thanked her classmate, smiling genuinely at him.


    Aster stared at Rune like he just saw the weirdest thing on earth. He wrinkled his nose and looked away from her with a red tint on his cheeks. "Don''t put on that face to me. It''s disgusting. You''re so out of character right now."


    Aster fastened his pace, going ahead of the red hair. "Besides, you should thank the mute murderer instead." Added the blond. A hand that wasn''t holding a crowbar grazed over the white cap that dangled in his pocket.


    "He asked me to make sure you arrive safely. He was really worried about you, you know." The blond justified, throwing his head back as he stared at the hiding sun.


    "It seems like you just gained a literal white knight." He looked over to Rune with a knowing smile.


    "You finally become a princess for your fairy tale after exclaiming that you''re a white knight for years." Aster turned around and clasped both of his hands. "Congratulation, miss first lady." He said as he walked backwards with a sideways smile.


    Rune''s grip on the baseball bat tightened. "He''s not a white knight." She gritted, hazel eyes sharpened as she met the green ones. "He''s a monster. He killed people."


    Aster raised both of his hands and the crowbar. "Woah, touch a nerve there." He paused and raised his eyebrows. "That''s kind of rude, ain''t it? He saved us."


    "Yeah, but that doesn''t change the fact that he is a monster." Rune angrily settled as she stormed past the blond.


    Aster quickly turned around and tried to catch up with Rune. He was about to open his mouth to try to talk with her again but slammed his mouth shut when they realized they had arrived at where the mute murderer was.


    Both of the 16-year-olds froze on both feet, looking around at their surroundings in a daze.


    Unlike the road they had passed by, the place where they stood right now had no human left standing. Everyone was on the ground, looking lifeless. Blood was everywhere, and there were so many feathers.


    There were so many holes on the ground from explosions. The buildings slowly fell one by one, and they could find blood trails everywhere.


    Aster was still trying to take everything while Rune had gone forward first, inspecting the situation.


    The blond knew who he was looking for and the reason why he froze. He knew why he stood there as his heartbeat fastened, looking around for a certain big brother.


    When his green eyes landed on a familiar person on the ground, he could feel his whole world stop. Aster''s heartbeat slowly pulsed in his ears, and his breath was caught in his throat.


    The blond did not know when he started running toward Valerian. He also did not know the water that had already begun to collect at the bottom lid of his eyes.


    A short intake of breath followed his lips as he held his older brother in his hand trembly, trying to shake Valerian to wake up.


    Aster gripped both of the lieutenant''s shoulders and shook his body. "Val, open your damn ugly eyes!"


    Tears started to collect in his eyelashes, making his vision blurry. "Open your eyes!"


    "No, please, please stay alive." Aster''s voice cracked as he started to lose hope. There was a lump in his throat when he tried to speak again.


    "I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m sorry!" He begged for forgiveness with a trembling lip, a first sob rang in the air as he hugged Valerian''s body.


    On the verge of a crying fit, he sputtered some words that went into his mind. "I''m sorry for being annoying, for hating on you, and- and for being ungrateful."


    "I swear I''ll be good, so please stay alive!" A couple of sniffles could be heard when the boy finally let the tears fall down on his face. Aster buried his face on Valerian''s chest as he continued crying.


    "You''ll actually be good?"


    A voice rang in Aster''s ears, and he eagerly nodded. "Yes!"


    "You''ll do what I said?"


    The voice asked again, and the boy hugged Valerian even tighter. "Yes!"


    "You''ll even do the dishes?"


    "Yes!" His yelling was mumbled, and Aster found himself burying his head on Valerian''s chest even deeper.


    "Do you swear on your life?"


    "Yes, I swear on my-" Aster suddenly went still on Valerian''s hold.


    The boy looked up slowly to meet Valerian, who was looking at him with a teasing smile. The youngest''s green eyes blinked, trying to see in between his tears just to find identical green eyes staring down at him.


    Aster''s grieving face slowly morphed into a frown before quickly changing into anger. "You bastard!"


    He thrashed in Valerian''s hold, punching his chest with a fit of glowering anger. "You fucking bastard. You''re the worst brother ever. You scared me so much, please-"


    "-Please don''t do that again." Aster gave one last punch before melting in his brother''s hold, sobbing again.


    "I''m sorry." Valerian returned the hug to his brother and buried his face on the younger''s hair.


    They stayed like that for a while, melting into each other''s touch, ignoring the mess around them. Aster calmed down a short after and pushed the lieutenant away with a frown and bloodshot green eyes.


    "I''m done crying." He stated, eyes forming a glare as he looked at Valerian. "This stayed between us. If you ever told anyone about this, I''ll kill you myself." Threatened the young blond.


    Valerian chuckled lightly. "Alright."


    But then, the lieutenant remembered something as he saw his surrounding. He quickly diverted his gaze on Axel again with a severe look. "Though Aster, I wanted to ask you a question."


    The boy''s puffy eyes looked up at the lieutenant''s tired one with wonder, waiting for Valerian to continue his question.


    "I have something regarding your friend in your school." The lieutenant stated.


    Aster tilted his head. "Which one?"


    "The one that teamed up with us in the game." The older brother''s face stiffened as he tried to pry more information.


    "He''s not my friend." Aster clicked his tongue.


    Valerian frowned for a second. But it quickly faded away, just like when it came. "Actually, I need to know more about his broth-"


    "Aster!"


    Both of the Edelweiss brothers looked over to the source of the voice. They both could see a red-haired girl running toward them with a look of horror on her face as she held some kind of a silver necklace.


    Rune stopped right in front of Aster with teary eyes.. "Axel''s gone."

 Chapter 45 - The Piece Of Ashes : Part 3

    You would never see a wise person except for those who already felt what it feels to lose something.


    But there would always be a process to become wise. You would not be wise right when you lost that ''something''.


    You had to learn how to grief first.


    But some would hang on to this thing called ''hope''. They would determine that they had not lost that ''something'' yet and tried to search for any clue to prove that the ''something'' was still there.


    The Vergessene did not learn anything nor hang on to any hope. They just denied and denied and denied.


    Though Rune, Rune believed in this thing called ''hope''.


    That was the reason why she was running like the time was going to blow. She was running like her life depended on it. She ran and ran, and the only thing that was in her mind was Axel.


    Her red ponytail waved around as her breath tightened. Sweat started to run down from the side of her forehead. She gripped the silver arrow necklace in her hand tight, like she would die if she lost it.


    A familiar house started to form around the corner, causing her hazel eyes to glimmer in hope and worry. Her feet were aching for how long she had run, yet she could not care less anyway.


    When she arrived right below her best friend''s window, Rune tried to form a shaky smile while trying to calm her fast heartbeat.


    "Axel, did you overslept again? Wake up, you sleepyhead!" She shouted. A wavering smile was still on display.


    "Axel! Wake up!" She yelled again, desperately this time.


    "I''m going to throw a rock again if you didn''t open your window!" She threatened. Her smile started to disappear slowly from her face when she received no answer.


    Rune waited a little longer. Horizontal wrinkles appeared on her forehead as her mouth opened slightly in worry. Her breath was still ragged as the time passed slowly.


    Noticing that there would be no answer from the boy, Rune brought her feet to the front door and rang the doorbell three times in a haze of panic.


    "Excuse me! Is Axel home? I need to talk to him!" She shouted and started to spam the doorbell button.


    "Excuse me, this is urgent! Please, anyone, answer me!" The girl started to bang the door with her hand, shouting at whoever was inside.


    Whoever she hoped was inside.


    She stepped back from the door when she received no answer again. In a wave of adrenaline rushing through her veins, her wide hazel eyes caught a garden knife that laid out on the bushes beside the house.


    She quickly ran to it and snatched the garden knife. The girl brought the blade to the door with a determined face, tightening her grip on it.


    She brought the knife up with all force before starting to bash the door violently. She repeated the movement a couple of times until the door cracked open, revealing an empty house with no one inside.


    Rune took no time and began to dash onto the staircase in a hurry. The girl completely ignored her surrounding. The edge of her visions was white, eyes only focusing on finding Axel''s room.


    She did not notice how every mirror that she had passed by were broken. It was as if someone intentionally broke every single mirror from the inside.


    She stopped right in front of Axel''s door with trembling hands. She dropped the garden knife that she accidentally brought with her to the floor. It made a loud clank sound as the girl put her hand on the doorknob.


    She could hear her heartbeat fastened again when she opened the door slowly, hoping that the boy was sleeping soundly on his bed, hoping that Axel was okay.


    When she met with an empty room, all her hope crashed right then and there. Her shoulders started to shake a little. A trembling hand gripped the silver necklace even tighter and brought it to her chest.


    Her eyes darted over to the broken mirror in Axel''s room, causing her to frown in confusion. She was about to walk over to it when suddenly her phone rang, making the girl jump.


    She quickly took the phone from her pocket and almost made it fall down from how shaky her hand was. Her eyes caught the ''father'' name on display, causing her shoulders to fall down in relief a little.


    Rune quickly pressed the answer button and brought the phone to her ear.


    "Thank god. Where are you-" Alfred began in worry, though it quickly got cut off by his daughter.


    "Father! Have you seen Axel?" She asked, hoping in some kind of miracle again.


    There was no answer from the other line, and Rune decided to continue. "I am at his house right now, trying to find him, but no one''s at home." She paused, hazel eyes darting over the necklace in her hand.


    "I found his necklace in the middle of the field where the mercenary was, but there was no sight of him." She explained hurriedly. She was running out of time.


    "I''m afraid I don''t know where he is right now, Rune." Her father answered in a strange tone. "It''s good that you''re okay. I''m going to send some of my men-"


    "I''m supposed- I''m supposed to be his white knight!" Rune shouted to her phone, cracking her voice a little. "Can''t you send your men for him? His name is Axel Vergessene. He has a pair of blue eyes and-"


    "Rune, we can''t!" This time, the president was the one who cut her off. "We can''t."


    Her frown deepened. "Why?!"


    "He''s-" Alfred was about to say something, but someone was vaguely talking behind him and made him stop.


    "I''m sorry, I have to go right now. I''m going to send my men to pick you up." Her father ended the call so sudden, leaving her no room to actually answer.


    "Wait!" Exclaimed the red-haired girl as she tried to redial her father''s number.


    Rune tried to dial her father again and again as she began to get out of the house, only for Alfred not to pick up the call.


    "There you are!" Someone exclaimed right when she got out of the Vergessene''s household. Her hazel eyes met with two fearful green eyes, almost like a worry.


    "Rune! You can''t just run away like that! It''s dangerous!" Aster ventured, gripping both of her shoulders tight.


    Rune slowly let the phone fall from her hand as she stared at the blond.


    "Aster," She looked at him with teary eyes. A sob came in between her breath as she threw herself at Aster who went still at the sudden contact.


    "Axel''s really gone."


    ??????


    A brown-haired woman was locking a door tightly, securing her lab from a certain mercenary who liked to barge in. Usually, she would let him get in whenever he wanted to, but today was not the day.


    When she ensured the door was secured, the scientist quickly turned around, blowing off her curtain bangs as her black eyes stared at her identical self across the room.


    They were facing each other like a mirror, talking through their eyes with the same intention. The dim light was the only witness of the witch and the scientist that were there.


    The witch was the first one to break eye contact with the scientist. Her red eyes looked over at one of the cursed arrows on the table and raised her eyebrows. She pointed a finger to the said arrow and made it fly to her face as she examined it.


    "I wonder when we will stop using the secondborn Vergessene." The demon started, playing with the arrow with her power. "I''m getting tired of seeing that kid''s face. He looks too much like his father. I hate it." She confessed, finally putting down the arrow as she stared at her counterpart again.


    "I should be thankful mine is wearing a mask, then." The scientist sneered as she made her way to her. Her brown shag hair bounced a little when she walked.


    "You''re lucky, Alea." The witch curled her lips at the human, tucking her hair behind her ear as she tried to look at the scientist''s work.


    The human stopped what she was doing and stared at the red eyes. "You are the one with power, Alea." She deadpanned, stating the fact that she was just a mere human.


    Demon Alea shrugged. "Well, you have these weird things called ''technology'' in here." She pointed around before looking back at the human. "That''s technically your power."


    "Whatever you say." Human Alea sighed. Black eyes went back to look at her work again.


    The witch was just looming behind her. Sometimes she would help her get what she wanted with her telekinesis power and helped her a little with spells.


    "Are you sure this will work?" The demon asked sternly.


    "Yes." The human answered back with a stern tone too, stopping whatever she was doing to turn and face her counterpart.


    She faced the demon with two determined black eyes and gritting teeth and retold their plan. "We''ll kill Cain and Alfred very soon."


    The witch tilted her head as the scientist took something out of her pocket. Human Alea folded open a picture to reveal three girls in their high school uniform.


    "And bring back our friends from ashes, whatever it takes." She continued, grazing her thumb over the girl with blonde hair and hazel eyes, and stopped right when she touched the girl with violet eyes.


    The witch stared at the picture, remembering how she had the same painting of the identical people in the photo. She diverted her gaze over the scientist''s young self. A bright smile was on display. Though, both of them knew the smile had disappeared right when their two friends disappeared from the world.


    "Whatever it takes." The demon agreed. Red eyes showed an obvious dangerous glint.


    You would never see a wise person except for those who already felt what it feels to lose something.


    That did not mean everyone who lost something would always become wise.

 Chapter 46 - Amusement Park : Part 1

    Silence filled the air. A 12-year-old boy with a sharp jawline and a pointed nose sat across his older brother in the dining room. The kid''s ocean blue eyes glued on his breakfast.


    Sometimes, one or two times, he would glance over his brother. But he kept his silence and waited for his brother to at least say something¡ªjust a couple of sentences.


    "Are you going to eat your breakfast, or are you just going to stare at it until it rots away?" Finally, a sentence came through Kiaran''s mouth.


    "Ah, sorry." Axel quickly apologized, not wanting to antagonize his brother any further.


    He grabbed his spoon and ate his cereal slowly, still glancing over his tired brother sometimes. He noticed how his brother''s messy black hair that''s identical to his own covered his right eye with bags under it.


    It had been three months since their father flew away with Adreanna. He was always on his trips to god knows where.


    Axel used to sit by the front door waiting for Cain and Adreanna to come back home until he fell asleep on the floor. Kiaran would carry him to his room, and the boy would wake up on his bed.


    He stopped doing that four years ago, though, knowing that his father would be gone for a very long time with Adreanna.


    Sometimes, he wondered why Cain never brought him or Kiaran along.


    Cain would smile softly at Kiaran, and he would smother the secondborn with lies and reassurance that he would only be gone for a while.


    Though when Axel popped out of the doorway in the hope that he would get a goodbye from his father too, Cain''s smile would disappear, and he quickly gave the cold shoulder to him without even trying to look at him at all.


    One week trip would turn into a month, and Cain would return just to vanish again. His record was four months long, though, Axel still kept that on track, and it was just a matter of time until he stopped counting too.


    "Hurry up and finish your breakfast, or I swear I''m going to leave you behind." Threatened Kiaran with venom in his voice. His brother had already finished his breakfast and walked away to a dishwasher.


    That did make Axel come back to reality and snap away from his thoughts. He hurried his movement and almost choked on his food, but he swallowed it anyway. He drank all the milk in the bowl and clumsily brought it to the dishwasher.


    "Just put it there. I''ll wash it." Uttered Kiaran while nudging Axel to the side. "Go grab your bag, and don''t forget about your lunch. It''s on the dining table." Continued the 14-year-old without looking away from the dishes.


    Axel put his bowl away and silently went to his room. His brother could be a lot sometimes. Though he never blamed him for it. He knew that his brother was trying his best to take care of him despite Kiaran''s young age.


    The fluffy-haired boy snatched his bag from the wall hanger by the study table. He gave a glance toward the mirror in front of him and was met face to face with his reflection. All he saw was him, though. Sometimes he wondered if there was something in the mirror just like those horror movies.


    The breeze of the wind outside the window danced with the leaves and it managed to catch Axel''s attention.


    He tried to discover, in the hushed whisper of the eerie silence, the tragedy behind the Livedam city. The stories and rumours, the legend and the myth, and the paradox of reality and fantasy were all part of the city.


    He was not making it up. Rune was the one who told him about it. She said she was going through her father''s ministries'' files and found some scary secrets that were written in them. However, she said that the words were too complicated to understand.


    "Axel! Hurry up. We''re going to be late for school!" Yelled Kiaran from downstairs.


    "Coming!" Axel ran from his room to the front door at a quick speed. On his way over to the front yard, he snatched his lunchbox from the dining table, causing it to almost fall from his hand.


    Kiaran was already there. His tired gaze glared at his little brother. Axel was huffing out a short, mumbling a quiet sorry to his brother.


    The older quickly nudged Axel out of the way to lock the front door and put the key inside his pocket afterwards. Then the two walked together, with Kiaran leading the way, and Axel followed on his tail.


    While on the road, he noticed an amusement park along the way. It was newly opened, and everyone in the school was talking about it.


    He glanced at his brother, who was too focused on the road, debating whether he should ask him to bring him there or not.


    "Hey uh, Kiaran?" The younger hesitantly called. Hands fiddling with his bag as he tried to keep up with the older.


    His brother just grumbled a ''what'' to him. If it were not from the silence that was decorating the road, Axel probably would not hear it.


    "Can we go to the amusement park sometimes? Maybe this weekend? Or- well, next week is okay too. I mean, it''s not like it''s really important, but it''s just so huge, and everyone in the school was talking about it, and I-"


    "Oh my god, Axel, can you shut your mouth for like a second?" Kiaran cut through his rambling.


    "I have a really rough day, okay? Just- be silent." Continued Kiaran with a heavy sigh at the end of his sentence.


    Axel''s hands nervously moved around as he tried to explain more. "Ah, sorry, I didn''t mean to bother you, it''s just that I was wondering since we rarely go out together and you always forbid me to get out of the house so-"


    "Oh my god, shut up!"


    Axel was startled by the sudden yell and snapped his mouth shut. He bit his lips and mumbled an apology, quickly looking away.


    Kiaran sighed and messed his own hair. "No, it''s just- it''s been really hard, okay? With dad gone, and didn''t even answer any of my messages. And I have to take care of you while I can''t really fucking take care of myself."


    Axel stared at his own feet and nodded. Kiaran gave a quick glance and sighed again. "Just be silent for today, okay? I''m not in the mood to talk."


    Axel nodded again. He understood. He really did.


    He just sometimes felt kind of lonely. Kiaran was the only one who was actually there for him. The boy really did not know what would he do without him.


    Then the two fell into another silence, walking together in an empty road of the city. They had to walk early every morning just to go to school. It was tiring for Axel. But if he was tired then Kiaran was probably more tired than him.


    Both of the Vergessene brothers lost in their own thoughts. They also were at a loss for the danger around the corner.


    Both of them realized it too late when suddenly, a broad shoulder man was holding a gun to Axel''s head, locking him in his harm at a quick speed.


    "Move, and I''ll shoot his head." The man stated, tightening his grip on the boy as Axel choked.


    Kiaran snapped his mouth shut. Face completely went poker as he faced the man. "What do you want? Money?" The older asked. Blue eyes darkened as he watched Axel''s struggling.


    "Come on. I''m not that petty to take money from kids." The man laughed maniacally before staring at Kiaran with a big smirk. "I''m here to take both of you for money, actually."


    "That''s still petty, actually," Kiaran commented, sending back a belittled smirk at the man. "You''re trying to flex by stealing kids? Huh, no wonder your girl left you."


    The man seemed to be startled by the sudden accuse. He frowned at the kid, wondering how Kiaran knew about it.


    "Come on, it''s obvious. There is a slap mark on your face. It''s really embarrassing, you know?" Kiaran continued, taunting the man even more.


    The man gritted his teeth. "You know what, I was being nice and was going sell you alive, but I think it''ll be better if you are dead."


    Suddenly, the gun was moved to Kiaran''s forehead, and all Axel saw was red.


    Axel threw his head to the man''s chin and kicked the gun away from his hand. He was moving just like Adreanna, copying her movement from her training after watching her for so long.


    The flash memory of Adreanna kicking a dummy''s chest was copied by Axel to the man. Then another memory of her shooting the dummy''s shoulder just enough to make him bleed was yet followed by the boy again.


    Although it was not perfect, he still managed to shoot the man.


    Axel''s chest heaved up and down as he stared down at the wailing man coldly. Though it quickly disappeared when he realized what he had just done, causing him to tremble in his place.


    Shakingly, the boy tried to look at Kiaran, not knowing what to expect. Though when he saw his brother, Axel quickly frowned in confusion.


    Kiaran was... different. There was no anger on his face like earlier in the morning as he stared at him. There was something distant in the older''s eyes, but Axel could not really catch what it was. It was almost like amusement in his eyes.


    "You know, Axel. I''m kind of getting tired of getting left behind." He began with a melodic voice. There was a dangerous glint in it.


    "So why don''t we start our own things?" Kiaran put a hand on his shoulder and turned Axel''s body to face the bleeding man again.


    The older brother put a mouth beside Axel''s left ear. "I''m so done with waiting." He whispered slowly, dangerously.


    "Here, try it." Kiaran wrapped his hand on Axel''s hand and made the gun point at the man again.


    "What?" Axel croaked confusedly in a haze of panic. He looked over to the secondborn just for Kiaran to forcibly move his head so he could face the man again.


    "Try shooting him again. Then maybe we''ll get his petty money or maybe more." Kiaran whispered again, more maniac right now.


    "Why?" Axel trembly tried to steady his hand as he asked again.


    Kiaran tilted his head, staring at the man with a dark triumphant look, taunting him. "Don''t you want to make our father proud?" He quickly looked over to Axel with a smile


    "Shoot him-" Kiaran adjusted Axel''s hand. "Right...." He pointed right on the man''s head. "-there."


    And that man became Axel''s first kill as another shot rang in the silence.

 Chapter 47 - Amusement Park : Part 2

    When the 12-year-old held the gun, pointing it to the bleeding man below him with the encouragement of his brother, the boy''s head pounded with tension.


    Sweat made dark circles under his arms as his finger grazed the trigger, only one pull away to determine a person''s death. Thousands of questions prowled through his mind as he sat on the horns of his dilemma.


    He was too young to actually think about the consequences of his action. He was too young to actually hold a gun against someone.


    Though in the end, with a grinning Kiaran and an aching silence, the boy let his finger slip and made a loud agonizing noise through the gun. The body of the man slumped on the floor as Kiaran took the man''s phone and wallet before kicking the corpse with a disgusted face.


    It was Axel''s first kill that day. The day he signed to be another criminal in the Vergessene family. The day he became the yin behind the crazed yang.


    ??????


    "Where are we going, Kiaran?" Axel asked as he quietly followed Kiaran along the hallway of their house. "I thought this was a school day off?" The boy continued, trying to peek at what Kiaran was holding.


    The oversized white sweater that Axel stole from Kiaran''s room adorned the boy''s body, showing how young the boy was. He raised his eyebrows at his older brother, looking at the masks in his hand.


    Then suddenly, the older threw a white mask at him, and Axel caught it with ease. He looked over at the mask and Kiaran a few times, confused by what the mask was for.


    "Today, my dear brother," Kiaran began, blue eyes glinting with something dark, looking at him with a playful smile. "We''ll become just like father." He continued, lowering his body to Axel''s height and facing the boy.


    "I''ll be the brain, and you''ll be the brute." The 14-year-old added, taking a gun from his pocket and offering it to Axel with an overly honeyed smile. "We''ll be unstoppable, don''t you want that, Axel?"


    Axel''s eyes darted over the gun and back to Kiaran''s eyes again with blue twitching eyes. "But I don''t- I don''t want to kill people." The boy ventured tremblingly.


    "Oh, brother." Kiaran''s lips tugged downward, putting a sad wail for the boy. "But you''re born a murderer," His sad eyes tried to hide the dangerous glint behind the two beautiful blue pupils as the older continued. "-don''t you know that?"


    Kiaran sympathetically put a hand on the boy''s shoulder. He used the other hand to brush the locks from the younger''s face, forcing Axel to face him. "You''re dangerous, Axel."


    "You are a monster," Kiaran stated as he let his hand run down the side of Axel''s cheek gently and stop at the boy''s chin. "You are a danger to those around you."


    The 14-year-old held his little brother''s chin up as he gave the boy a sad smile. "The dead man last week was the proof, the real proof."


    Axel''s face morphed into a frown, then a confusion. "But it was your idea." Uttered the boy.


    Kiaran let go of Axel''s face and went back to stand before the youngest again. He sighed as he wanly stared at the boy. "I could never kill him even if you''re the one who told me to."


    Then the wanly smile changed into something sinister, something manipulative. "Yet you-" He paused, tilting his head down. "You, you, you-" He sang, almost mockingly.


    "The saddest kid, the youngest one, the abandoned one-" Kiaran confided, moving around the boy as if he was dancing. "You killed him easily. Because it ran in your blood."


    Kiaran''s two ocean blue eyes caught the picture on the wall. A picture that the half of it was covered, only Cain was on display. "Father was too afraid of you. Father was denying you."


    He diverted his gaze to Axel and smiled knowingly. "I''m just here to help you. I''m using you for your own good. I just want the best for you."


    The older''s blue eyes softened a little. The smile turned sad again for the 12-year-old. "You know that, right?"


    Axel gazed down to both of Kiaran''s feet, fiddling with the edge of his white sweater nervously. "But you''re always angry, and now you''re just... different." He confessed, still trying not to look at his brother.


    "Oh Axel, I''m happy right now. I''m happy because my brother could finally use his skill and help me around!" Kiaran suddenly grasped both of the boy''s shoulders, causing the younger to jolt up a little.


    Axel gathered all his confidence as he hesitantly looked up at Kiaran''s eyes again. "You''re happy?"


    "Yes!" Kiaran exclaimed almost too happily.


    The older pushed the gun to Axel''s hand and made sure that the boy held it. "So take this gun, and I''ll tell you the next plan."


    The boy hesitantly nodded. He kept nodding until it became a determined nod. Axel tightened his grip on the gun. If he could make Kiaran happy by doing this, he would do it just for his brother.


    For father and Adreanna too. Axel just hoped that they would be proud of what he was about to do.


    "Okay then, you just have to stay silent and never talk. Just do what I tell you to do." Kiaran showed a satisfied smile as he ruffled the boy''s hair, making Axel blush a little at the contact.


    "Alright, you said you want to go to the amusement park, right?" Kiaran began, smiling with a hidden madness behind his facade of lies.


    "Let''s go there and have some fun."


    ??????


    After a short walk from the house, Axel finally arrived at the amusement park. His eyes were looking at the colourful lights with a child-like wonder. Though he did not come here to have fun, he came here to help Kiaran.


    The white mask covered half of his face as the wind blew his hair around, causing it to sway slightly.


    A sight of a black-haired teen around Adreanna''s age with pure white eyes caught his vision. The teen was running so fast to the road, not noticing how a car was coming at a fast speed.


    He snapped his head toward the car so fast that he believed his neck cracked. He watched as the teen got farther away to the road. Axel ran to the black-haired teen with a beating heart, letting the wind brush off his face.


    "Hey, wait! Watch out!" He yelled on top of his lung, hoping it would get to the teen''s ear.


    The teen seemed to not hear him or simply ignored him. He contemplated whether he should go after the teen or just pretend that he saw nothing. But he couldn''t bear the thought of hearing a person dying, knowing that he could have saved him.


    It was ironic that he was about to kill people right after that.


    "Screw this." He fastened his speed and rushed his way over the teen. The wind around him fought with his face as he ran, struggled to keep his eyes open. When he reached the road, the wind seemed to stop.


    He didn''t have time to think about how weird it was, though. He still needed to catch up with the white-eyed teen. He couldn''t really see the person, but he did notice the white cap on the teen''s head.


    "You need to stop! Hey!" He felt his legs threatened to give out. His breath became more and more laboured as each second passed.


    He failed to notice that the car was gone as if it was never there. He also was unable to notice how everything stopped moving for a second.


    The teen then suddenly stopped, slowly turning to face Axel. The face was achingly familiar, but he could not quite tell from the blinding lights out of nowhere.


    The teen snatched the white cap on his head and put it on Axel''s head. "I''m sorry, Axel. But this is the only way. I''m going to fix this, I swear." The teen''s voice was distorted, though Axel could still catch the sad tone behind it.


    The white-eyed teen suddenly took a sharp turn and vanished from his sight.


    Axel became worried and fastened his pace, ignoring the way his legs started to hurt. As he took a sharp turn to follow the teen''s trace, he was suddenly left standing on an empty road with an amusement park right in front of him.


    He took the white cap from his head and stared at it with two confused eyes. He looked back at the road, searching for any sign of the teen''s trace.


    Axel bit his lips and decided to brush it off. He would look into it later. The boy did not have time to dwell on it.


    He had to finally get into the amusement park.


    And as he arrived at the scene, the boy would make his second kill in the place he always wanted to go. In the place where people should have had fun instead of facing death.


    His second kill did not make the body count become two.. His second kill made the body count become twenty.

 Chapter 48 - Amusement Park : Part 3

    The moon draped over the city in vain. Everyone was laughing and screaming for the thrill and the fun they were having. Children would cry over some toys or ice cream, begging for their parents to buy them.


    A Ferris wheel illuminated the back of the amusement park. The lights that adorned the side of every corner of it glimmered, shining right to the people, making the moon go ignored by them.


    On the right of the Ferris wheel stood a carousel full of children. They went round and round while screaming with full of joy. Their parents stood near it, waving at their child with a camera in their hand to live up to the moments.


    Right across the carousel, there were bumper cars. A family was in the zone trying to bump with each other and raced them. The father was on the steering wheel with his youngest right beside him, chasing the mother and the older sister on the other car.


    Axel stood in the middle of the amusement park. Blue eyes scanned over the crowd, imagining that he was there with Kiaran to play and have fun.


    Not to kill people.


    His eyes caught the sight of Kiaran, who leaned back on one of the counters. A black trench coat draped over his shoulder as the back of it swayed with the wind alongside his messy hair. The black mask covered half of his face, and the soon to be mercenary stood in silence.


    As their gaze met with each other, it seemed as if the people who went by them was blurry, it was as if the world was only for the two. As if the world was theirs.


    Just like what Kiaran wanted.


    And Axel was here to make it come true.


    He was twelve- god, he was only twelve years old at that moment. A twelve-year-old with an older brother slowly ascended to madness.


    He was a child. Only a child. A child that shouldn''t be holding a gun, a child that shouldn''t be a murderer at such a young age.


    But Kiaran had done so much for him, and Axel would do just the same.


    It was them against the world.


    And it would always be.


    The white cap was too big for him at the moment, almost falling and covering his whole eyes. Axel would search for the teen after this and give it back somehow.


    The boy ignored how his hands were trembling, shaking of the knowledge that some of these people would die- of the knowledge that he would be the one who took their lives.


    His blue eyes still locked on his brother, who gave him a nod of reassurance with two sharp ocean eyes. In between the boy''s shaky breath, he nodded back to Kiaran.


    The older smiled fondly at him behind his mask, the kind of smile that he copied from Cain. He quickly jumped inside the counter right beside him, startling the man inside.


    Kiaran''s eyes formed a crescent moon shape before kicking the man out of the counter with a single sweep and landing on the floor. The man''s head bumped onto a wall that managed to take him out.


    The older Vergessene''s messy hair swayed a little as he snatched the mic on the counter that was used to promote what the man sold.


    He cleared his voice before bringing the mic close to his mouth with a smirk. "Why, hello ladies and gentlemen." He began, voice illuminating the surrounded with a slight echo.


    Only some of them glanced over Kiaran with a slight frown on how ominous his costume was. The rest of them were busy doing their own things and lost in their own world.


    "Attention, please!" Kiaran tried again, clearly irritated by the ignorances. "I have some important things to tell."


    Triggered by how only some of them glanced his way, Kiaran clicked his tongue. He brought out a gun from his pocket and pointed it to the counter''s roof. His point finger moved over the trigger swiftly as he pulled the trigger.


    It clearly succeeded in bringing all attention over to him from how loud the gunshot was. However, a few annoying screams were heard as they stared at the gun in his hand.


    "Thank you, everyone, for finally listening to me," Kiaran stated, slowly lowering the gun to the ground as his blue eyes glanced over the crowd.


    He opened his mouth to talk again just to be stopped by a man who tried to flee from the scene. Kiaran''s right eye twitched in irritation as he sighed and aimed the gun at the ground right in front of the man.


    Kiaran easily pulled the trigger, causing the man to yelp and freeze in his place, surrounded by some screaming here and there. The man''s chest heaved up and down as he slowly turned his head over to Kiaran''s dangerous eyes.


    "No, no. You can''t go yet. Don''t you see I''m talking right now? That''s quite rude now, was it?" The 14-year-old told the man through his mask with an overly sugary smile.


    The mercenary snapped his gloved finger as he once again scanned the crowd with his blue eyes. "Okay, where was I?" He asked the trembling crowd in a slight chuckle.


    "Right-" He snapped his finger once again as his eyes morphed into a realization. "-I''m here to tell you that some of you are going to die today."


    The statement made the crowd gasp in horror, freezing as they could not do anything but stare. They just stood there like a deer in a headlight.


    A lady let out a cry as she shakingly tried to walk backwards from Kiaran. Her eyes started to water while she let herself sob helplessly, staring at Kiaran wide-eyed.


    "Oh no, no. Don''t be afraid." Kiaran waved his hand to the lady, trying to reassure her. "Don''t worry. It''s not you, lady." He soothed as he tilted his head to the man beside her. "It''s your husband."


    "And 19 more people, but well-" He shrugged, staring at the husband''s terrified eyes. "You guys deserved it anyway."


    Instead of calming the lady down, she just became more hysteric, shrinking away from Kiaran as she stared at her husband bewilderedly.


    "You guys are being all happy right now while the one who paid me to take your life is suffering." Kiaran spun the gun in his hand, fiddling with it as he laid his back to the corner easily with a mic in his other hand.


    "I''m not a saint or something." He chuckled, shrugging a little as his gaze stopped at Axel. "I never was."


    "But you see," he darted, lip tugged sideways a little behind his mask. "They paid me a lot of money for taking revenge on you people."


    "How convenience was it that this amusement park just opened, and all the people that needed to die was here." He titled his head menacingly, almost taunting.


    "I wasn''t totally lying about the convenience part and silently planning to gather all of you so you can die in this fun place, of course." The 14-year-old sarcastically remarked.


    "But it''s just fun, isn''t it?" He asked sardonically and paused for a moment.


    "No pun intended." He added and raised his hand politely as he snapped his mouth shut.


    The lady''s husband jumped back and tried to run away while Kiaran wasn''t looking. He thought he could make it when Kiaran noticed him too late. Instead, the mercenary just sneered at the man.


    "Oh, I wouldn''t do that if I were you." His voice rang to the crowd through the mic, still not doing anything to the man that tried to run away.


    So the lady''s husband thought this was his actual chance to run away while failing miserably at noticing the murderer in front of his face as he ran.


    Axel easily kicked the man''s feet, causing him to almost fall face-first to the floor. Though right before he hit the ground, the twelve-year-old shot the back of his head, letting the blood splatter around. The man''s eyes became lifeless as they landed on his wife, who fainted right after.


    Kiaran raised his eyebrows at the corpse as he let out a mocking snicker. "Told you so."


    And everyone started to run like lightning in the thunder with the thought that it might be them that would die that night. Some were right that it was them. Some were lucky that it wasn''t them.


    The mercenary watched the mess he made with amusement. "Carpe Vinum," Kiaran sang the Latin words out, eyes descending to madness slowly yet surely. "-and let the party begins."


    A total of 19 gunshots rang in the air, making people scream even more. As the bullets flew around, a total of 19 people dropped down to the ground with a hole in their heads. Blood flowing down like a river, painting the ground red.


    Not long after the tragedy, a sound of siren started to come closer to the amusement park, flashing a pair of red and blue lights to Axel''s sights. The boy stood there, counting the seconds as he waited for the police to arrive.


    A whistle caught Axel''s ears, and he quickly snapped his head toward the sound. The boy met the sight of Kiaran, standing on top of the Ferris wheel, squatting right on the tip of it. The older made an ''over here'' sign with his hand for Axel to join him.


    Axel looked around for a second before hopping onto the inside of one of the capsules. He shot the lever near the Ferris wheel with his gun and made it run slowly until his capsule reached Kiaran.


    Kiaran jumped from the top of the Ferris wheel and somersaulted to the inside of Axel''s capsule. He landed gracefully on the seat right across Axel with two smiling eyes.


    "Nice cap. Where''d you get it?" The older pointed at Axel''s head casually.


    Axel moved his hand to touch the tip of his white cap, fiddling with it nervously at Kiaran''s question.


    Noticing why Axel hadn''t answered yet, Kiaran clasped both of his hands. "Oh, you can talk, by the way. The job''s done."


    Axel nodded softly, feet tapping to the floor. "Someone gave it to me. I don''t know how to give it back." The boy answered, looking around to the ground where the police had arrived.


    A vague shadow was watching them from across the amusement park. The teen''s white eyes formed into guilt and sadness for a second before letting himself get eaten by the shadow and disappear.


    And that day, the name of the duo yin and yang, the mercenary and the mute murderer, rose on all over the news, adorning the city''s headlines.


    A certain soon-to-be lieutenant watched the news with two determined eyes.

 Chapter 49 - Between You And Him : Part 1

    In life, we always had to choose. The good and the bad, the happy and the sad, the right and the wrong.


    For Axel, he always stuck on the last words. The bad, the sad, and maybe the wrong.


    He started to think that everything was wrong.


    He thought he was good by staying silent and obedient to his brother. He thought he was happy by following all his orders. He thought he was right by trying to make Kiaran happy.


    But he was really, really, really wrong.


    It all came to him when he saw how his family counterpart''s kidnapped him and made him like this. He knew it was bad, sad, and wrong. God, he really did know about that.


    But it seemed like he was good at being in denial all these times. All the abuse and the using him as a tool for killing people were there, right in front of his face. He did not know at first, and he wished he still didn''t.


    He was getting older. He knew it was wrong. But he said it wasn''t. The evidence was there. It was there. And yet, he still killed them just to get a pat on the head.


    He was part of the Vergessenes, after all.


    The family of denial.


    But of course, he could not process through his denial alone. He had to face the demon version of his family''s denial.


    So here he was, lying helplessly on the bed after an assassination attempt on him. Well, he had gone through many near-death situations this week that he did not care about anymore.


    All he did care was that he was really, really, really pissed right now. Like god-level pissed.


    Though it was good, wasn''t it? What he learned about the five stages of grieves was that when you moved to anger, that meant you were at stage two right now.


    Now, he just had to find a place to dump all his anger.


    How convenient that the red-eyed Kiaran was sitting right next to him with an overly sweet worried face. Just the perfect victim of an angry, kidnapped tired Axel.


    "Are you hurt-"


    "For the hundreds of time," Axel gritted his teeth to form a forcing smile as he snapped his head at the demon. "I''m fine, Kiaran."


    The boy sighed, letting his back locks fall onto his eyes. "To be honest, I''d like to pass out right now rather than seeing your face."


    "Why are you still fighting against us?" Kiaran voiced out so sudden, feeling the burning need to understand Axel. "You know it''s hopeless, right? Why not just give in? You couldn''t even fight the demon that tried to kill you earlier."


    Axel did not speak for a moment. His glazed blue and red eyes moved to the ceiling, unguarded. "Is it that hopeless?"


    "Pardon?"


    Axel moved back his eyes to the demon''s red pair with raising eyebrows. "Are you that hopeless trying to have something you''re not supposed to have?" Axel let out a belittling laugh, almost identical to Kiaran''s.


    "Then tell me," The boy''s eyes glinted with anger that was hidden by his smile. "-what makes you different from my real family?"


    "And does that question gives you hope?" Kiaran began, face contained with fury. "You still think that those wretched humans you called your family are better than us?"


    "I never said they are better than you. You are the one who said it." Axel tilted his head, following the movement that the mercenary always did when he was taunting someone. "Are you trying to admit that you are the lowest of the wretched humans? Don''t worry. I''d love to listen about it all day."


    The voice manipulating demon was taken aback for a moment, though it quickly faded as fast as it came.


    "You''re not even wanted in your own family. Why are you like this." Kiaran could not help but snort as he tried to win the situation.


    Axel''s gaze was piercing as it locked on the demon''s red ones. The boy''s lips formed an achingly familiar grin like the older had, in a way Kiaran had never seen before. "Well, at least I''m not being modified into a dead version of me because his family could not pass the fifth stage of grief."


    Kiaran gripped the edge of his coat, white-knuckled. His gaze became colder and colder as the second passed. "But you''re wanted now."


    "Life is not about wanting or wanted. It''s about choosing and chosen." Axel''s grin sharpened, almost mocking.


    "Then you''re chosen to be part of us." Kiaran was clearly trying to contain the glowering anger inside.


    The boy was trembling, but he still managed to smile down at his pseudo brother. "No, you wanted me to be part of something I''m not. You are hopeless."


    Then Axel was suddenly up in the air with both demon Kiaran''s hands gripping on his collar. The black nails slowly turned white for how hard his grip was.


    "You are my brother, and no one can say otherwise, not even you!" Kiaran knew he was shouting as he heard his own voice echo in his own ears. His red eyes were filled with bursting anger. His wings flared open furiously, looming the room with how big the black feathers were.


    "You are not in control here, Axel!"


    Axel''s grin loosened up a little. Blue and red eyes were mocking down upon his angry pseudo brother. "And you are?"


    "That''s it, that''s enough. Put your brother down, right now." A voice came from the door with a demanding tone.


    The pair of unrelated brothers were still staring at each other with rippling anger that was ready to burst any time. No one dared to blink as both of them stared at each other with sharp eyes.


    "Kiaran, put Axel down. You''re going to open his leg wound again. You will hurt him." The ''again'' part was silent at the end.


    Kiaran knew anger was blinding, but as soon as Cain said that, he released the boy with numb fingers as the fiery rage buried down deep inside his heart.


    Axel dropped onto the bed with a soft thud. His eyes stared at how Kiaran spun on his heel and left the room before slamming down the door that caused the house to rumble a little.


    Axel felt a weird kind of glee in his heart when he remembered how he poured down everything at the demon. He almost forgot the existence of another demon in the room for a moment too.


    "You know, you should not anger your brother. His temper is not good." Cain walked over to the edge of his bed, patting the sheet softly before he sat down.


    "Well, maybe," The boy paused, smiling at his pseudo brother with a fake smile that Cain often wore. "-he should not anger me for kidnapping me." Axel brightly exclaimed with a sarcastic undertone.


    "Oh, and you too," Axel nodded at Cain, still wearing the apparent fake smile. "And Adreanna." He added, glancing at the mirror where the blindfolded man disappeared, remembering how Adreanna burst in to save him.


    Cain sighed almost emphatically. "Why are you like this?"


    Axel shrugged at him. "Maybe I''m just tired. Ever think of that?"


    "I''m not some kind of possession you can snatch and build." Axel laid back to the bed, eyes looking for some kind of deception behind Cain''s face. Because his real father always showed his real emotions toward him, how he hated him. But this one was concealing something.


    "I''m just a human of a criminal family that is kidnapped against my will." Axel did not need to hold back his tongue in here. He never wanted to be here.


    Maybe in the past, he would. But he realized how he was wrong about that.


    "Why did you not want our protections or care?" Cain''s voice was far less angry than Axel had anticipated.


    Though the question irritated Axel even more. "Why would I not-"


    Axel chuckled a little at himself, repeating Cain''s words in his brain. They only made him laugh like a maniac after he played the words over and over.


    "I was born to be the unwanted one. I was born to be a murderer, grew up with manipulation and abandonments. But you only see me as the soon to be youngest who''s weak and couldn''t do anything. Everyone sees me that way."


    "I''m so tired of your family''s bullshit." Axel spat, letting his leg trace the edge of the bed so he could face away from the demon.


    Cain widened his eyes at the words, feeling how his breath caught in his throat, forming a lump around it.


    He saw it again, the nightmare that had played over his brain, as the world burned within the rain, as his dead son stood in vain.


    The undead was slaying all the demons. Screams were everywhere. He only saw Axel with two black wings, staring at him with hatred mixed with sadness.


    "I''m tired-" Axel brushed his hair in distress, eyes glassy as he watched him with two disappointed red eyes. "-I''m so tired with this family''s bullshit."


    Then a cursed arrow flew into his son''s heart, but Cain could not do anything but stand there, watching the memory play right in his mind again. He only froze like a coward that he was.


    "Life is not about wanting or wanted. It''s about choosing and chosen." A voice made Cain snap out of his surreal thoughts, causing him to meet with his son''s exact replica''s eyes.


    "And you are wanting for something to deny more," Axel stated coldly. Anger lingered within his words like a curse.


    Axel knew he was fighting a losing game. But at least he managed to win for his pride and what little left of his humanity.


    Cain stayed silent for a while. Tongue-tied and just sat at the edge of the bed as he let the time go on, smothering them with its heavy seconds.


    He avoided Axel''s eyes when he stood up, turning his back on him. "Your sister and I will search for the demon that tried to kill you. You''ll have to have dinner with only your brother tonight.


    Right as he reached the door he stood there, hand holding the doorknob as he bid his goodbye. "Good night, son."


    "Good night, stranger," Axel answered, knowing that his words reached Cain''s ears like a knife.

 Chapter 50 - Between You And Him : Part 2

    Silence filled the air. A 16-year-old boy with a sharp jawline and a pointed nose sat across his older brother in the dining room. The kid''s ocean blue and blood-red eyes glued on his dinner.


    Sometimes, one or two times, he would glance over his pseudo brother. But he kept his silence as he let the sound of a clanking spoon overrode the room.


    He grabbed his spoon and ate his dinner slowly, still glancing over the pissed-off demon sometimes. He noticed how Kiaran''s messy black hair that''s identical to his real brothered covered his right eye with bags under it.


    It was just like that day all over again.


    The Kiaran in front of him really felt like the Kiaran from four years ago. The Kiaran that tried his best to hold his anger. When Axel thought his own brother hated him before, it completely changed when he killed that man.


    Kiaran became sweet and loving. He rarely ignored him again after that.


    That meant that he was being manipulated-


    Axel shoved down the thoughts. He knew he was being manipulated. Because deep down, he knew he realized it from the beginning. But then again, despite being good at murdering people, he was pretty good at being in denial.


    Just like this demon family.


    Ironic, wasn''t it?


    So now that he was aware of those manipulations right after literally getting stabbed several times- he''d ignore it just for this time.


    He still had nightmares sometimes. The terror on the dead man''s face haunted him like his own shadow. Though after getting used to being a murderer, he rarely had a dream or nightmare again.


    So here he was again, as if being reborn to another world with the same thing that would repeat all over again. Here he was, sitting right across demon Kiaran with two empty chairs accompanying them.


    Axel started to get bored and played with his food, fiddling with the spoon in his hand. He glanced at Kiaran again, who refused to look at him the whole dinner section.


    So he was still pissed, huh.


    Axel let out a sigh of weariness before looking back at Kiaran again. "Is this world has an amusement park?" The boy asked out of nowhere.


    The demon finally looked up from his food, raising an eyebrow at Axel. His eyes still glinted with clear irritation. He was just holding it down.


    "Yeah, why do you ask?"


    "Just wondering." Axel diverted his gaze to the mirror on the wall. He watched as the familiar scene played in his mind.


    The reflection flashed back into his 12-year-old self for a moment, and Kiaran''s eyes turned blue just like his real brother had. Axel blinked, and it went back to the demon Kiaran and him.


    "I''ve been feeling a weird kind of deja vu lately." He continued, slowly staring back down to his plate again.


    Just as he picked up his spoon, an arrow flew down into the plate and made it crack into two pieces. The wind from the attack blew his hair, making it drop down onto his eyes. The arrow stood there sharply as the two unrelated brothers froze in their place.


    Axel blinked for a moment, trying to take in the situation. His dazed eyes etched onto the arrow with irony. "I''m starting to think that the world hates me."


    He finally looked up at Kiaran and chuckled in irony. "Both worlds, actually."


    Axel''s different coloured eyes caught the people right on the corridor''s corner beside the dining room. He squinted his eyes when he saw the bows and swords glinted under the light.


    The demons were aiming at Kiaran, clearly trying to end his life. Yet his pseudo brother just stood there, looking at the arrow and Axel with some horror in his eyes.


    Axel widened his eyes and kicked the table, causing it to act as a shield from the people. There was a loud crash from all the plates and glasses on the table, making a mess around the floor.


    "Duck!" He yelled at Kiaran. The demon''s vacant eyes quickly turned into a realization as Axel grabbed both of his shoulders and dropped him to the floor.


    A rain of arrows started shooting at the two, slowly destroying the table that was shielding them. Kiaran''s right wing stretched open and shielded Axel protectively. Both of them ducked down, seeming to lose in their own mind of plans.


    A demon came from Kiaran''s back silently, raising his sword high, ready to kill the anarchist in one swipe. Axel''s eyes formed into a wild-eyed as he tried to warn him at the incoming attack.


    "Drop your sword and kill yourself." Kiaran did not flatter at all as he commanded the demon. His red eyes gleamed in danger while the man behind him suddenly dropped down lifelessly to the ground with a neck wound.


    The sword wrapped up in the owner''s blood as it fell to the ground alongside the wielder. Kiaran put a hand on Axel''s shoulder, looking at him with two eyes of possessiveness.


    "Stay down. Let me handle this." The older Vergessene stood up and faced the rogue of demons dressed in the kingdom guard''s clothes in front of him.


    Kiaran opened his mouth to control the demons, failing to notice that one of them took no time and already let an arrow flying, aiming at the older Vergessene''s heart.


    The anarchist tried to move his wing to his heart to shield himself even though he knew it was too late. He gritted his teeth, ready to brace the pain of the incoming attack.


    Though the pain never came as Axel jumped in front of him with the dead demon guard''s sword, slicing the arrow in two. He blew his fluffy locks and looked back at Kiaran with two raised eyebrows.


    "Oh, ''stay down, let me handle this'', and then you almost got shot. Very funny." Axel snarled before diverting his gaze to the enemy again.


    Everyone faced the two unrelated Vergessene with determinations in their red eyes. They raised their swords high, gripping the sharp weapon tightly. Those at the back were ready to shoot at any time.


    The house was in a wreck as the arrows adorned the walls. The floor was full of a mess as it held the people''s weight on top of it.


    Kiaran opened his mouth again to command the guards, but yet again, he was cut off by Axel that suddenly dragged him, dashing right through the rogue. Axel tightened their intertwined hands as he swiftly used his other hand to slice the enemies with a sword.


    Both of them managed to pass the rogue and aimed at the front door. The youngest Vergessene threw away his sword to the back sharply, completely nailing on, making it pierce through a guard''s heart.


    "You said I''m not your family, then why did you help me? Why not leave me there?" Kiaran asked as they kept running to the front door.


    The older Vergessene was not wearing his signature black trench coat, only wearing a casual black blouse that exposed his shoulders a little. It was the same for Axel, only that his blouse was white rather than black, and his shoulders weren''t exposed.


    "It''s called the basis of humanity, Kiaran," Axel stated before jumping to the air as they reached the front door to avoid arrows that tried to shoot the both of them.


    Kiaran quickly caught up with Axel, following his movement as he waged his wings and flew to catch the boy. The demon wrapped both of his hands to Axel''s waist and brought him along to fly with him.


    Axel looked up to meet with Kiaran''s chin. "No matter how fucked up you are, I won''t let you die in front of my eyes." He continued, making Kiaran look down to his mismatched eyes.


    "Even though you''re a murderer?" The demon asked contently, searching for an answer in the boy that contained too many riddles and emotions.


    "Even though I''m a murderer." Axel agreed with a contempt smile.


    "Because you-" Axel paused as he caught an arrow that almost bored itself into Kiaran''s shoulder with his bare hand. "-have the face of the person I care about."


    The young murderer looked down at the demon that tried to shoot them. He dangerously tilted his head at the demon as he snapped the arrow in two with a killer smile.


    "But he was manipulating you." Kiaran reminded as he tightened his grip around Axel''s waist.


    "Oh, I''m aware. I''m just following your way of coping-" The boy gave a sideways smile at him as he looked back at his pseudo brother. "-by denying."


    His smile formed into a grin as he continued. "I''m denying, Kiaran. Just like you."


    The wind that kept fighting them from the front seemed to slow down. Kiaran''s pupil slowly got bigger at Axel''s comment. Their hairs waved around as the moon illuminated the two unrelated brothers.


    "We''re almost like brothers, aren''t we?" Axel taunted as his smile widened. "Too bad we aren''t."


    Too bad Axel also did not realize that he was being himself with the demon.

 Chapter 51 - Between You And Him : Part 3

    "Shit."


    Kiaran cursed as a hurricane came at him with a high-speed, swaying the surroundings as it aimed at the flying demon. Like a wave of the ocean that swiped the entire ocean, the wind tried to best it, copying its movement.


    The moon watched the scene with its stolen light. It stood there, witnessing the calamity between the loud night.


    Axel closed his eyes tight, trying to brace at the sudden incoming storm. His blouse swayed with the wind that had picked up slowly but surely. He let the coming storm blow his hair and locks, completely displaying his pale forehead.


    Kiaran''s red eyes twitched as he saw a certain blonde behind the upcoming storm. Two pairs of enemies'' eyes met with each other, piercing through the hurricane with hidden determination.


    Valerian strengthened his power and let the wind become bigger. The air tightened as the hurricane got even higher, aiming at a certain anarchist.


    Kiaran gritted his teeth and quickly brought Axel closer to him, shoving the boy and tightening his grip. He grabbed the back of Axel''s head and made the boy''s face fall onto his chest.


    He pulled his dark wings back, forcing them to stretch tight before launching to the top, boosting Kiaran up to the clouds. He repeated the movement several times with a storm that got even closer and closer like a ticking bomb, ready to blow away the Vergessene completely.


    He tried to go over the clouds, overcoming the storm by getting higher to the sky. Axel gripped the edge of his blouse tight as if he might fall at any moment. The boy''s eyelids twitched while biting his lips tremblingly.


    Kiaran reassured the boy by bringing him even closer to the chest and hugging him tightly. He went even faster while desperately fighting the wind around.


    The demon found it hard to breathe from the pressure around him. The storm was only a meter away from him, and he almost reached the top of the hurricane.


    The veins around his neck started to show as the Vergessene put all he had to beat the hurricane. Just a little more, just a bit more-


    The storm went past below him right when he flapped his wings for the last time. The wind managed to glaze over the tip of his toes as he successfully beat the hurricane.


    His chest heaved up and down while his blood-coloured eyes looked back at the fading storm. Kiaran''s wide wings waved back and forth slowly, keeping with the pressure up in the sky.


    The demon looked down at Axel, who hesitantly tried to open his eyes. The red eyes quickly met with the blue and red ones. Kiaran smiled reassuringly at the boy, trying to tell that everything had become fine now.


    Except for it to only last for a moment.


    It happened so sudden that Axel could not even grasp what was happening. A wave of wind suddenly shot at Kiaran''s back, causing the demon to thrash forward, losing his grip on the youngest Vergessene.


    Axel''s ears were blocked off by the air that went against him. He fell down at a fast speed, but the world seemed to slow down in his vision. He widened his eyes as he reached his hand at his pseudo brother, begging for silent help.


    "No! Axel!"


    Kiaran''s eyes were blown wide after recovering from the sudden attack. He reached down his hand as he chased the boy down, trying to catch him. He could feel the rush of blood in his head, desperately trying to be as fast as the light.


    Axel tried to lung at him, trying to push himself up. The anarchist did the same movement, just like the young murderer. Water started to form within his stinging red eyes from how much the wind fought with them.


    The tip of their fingers touched, and the boy quickly had a fast-spreading hope blooming in his chest. The demon''s face also formed into hope as they got even closer.


    Axel unconsciously smiled widely, a relief kind of smile when their hands got even closer.


    Though the smile quickly flattered when another blast of wind shot at Kiaran, pushing him far away from the boy as their touching hands parted.


    Then everything that had slowed down in his vision became fast again. The hope had died down, so the time did not even give the boy a chance to grieve over his upcoming death.


    Axel gasped, red and blue eyes staring helplessly at the moon on top of him. The moon watched him with sorrow, though it stood there without doing anything but watching him.


    A rope wrapped around his waist and pulled him even faster to the ground, causing him to let out a shriek.


    But instead of crashing onto the ground, he was met with two hands that caught him with ease.


    Two blue eyes stared down at Axel with a honeyed gaze. Black hair flopped into the pair of ocean eyes, only leaving the black mask that covered half of his face on display.


    "I got you." He spoke. Axel could see the man''s eyes formed a crescent moon shape in between the messy hair.


    Axel frowned at the man. "Kiaran?"


    "Miss me?" His brother joked, slowly lowering him to the ground.


    Axel instinctively jumped off from Kiaran''s hold and landed on the dirt. He swayed a little when he stood. The mercenary caught his back with his right hand swiftly.


    "Woah, careful there." He commented while helping his little brother stand.


    Axel was still puzzled by the sudden appearance and brought his eyebrows together while looking at the mercenary with his mismatched eyes.


    Kiaran returned the stare with a hidden kind smile behind his mask. "Nice eye. What happened?"


    Axel bit his lips at the sudden question that caused him to remember the mix of blood, stabbing to the heart, and the unexplainable pain. "I- it''s a long story."


    "Alright." Kiaran nodded vaguely and turned his back on him. "You can tell the story when we''re finally home."


    The mercenary turned his body around a little and offered his black-gloved hand at his mute murderer. His trench coat was flapping in the wind that had picked up around them.


    "Let''s go."


    Axel gazed down at the hand with hesitation. A heavy feeling weighed down his heart at the offering hand. He looked back at the other Kiaran who was facing the lieutenant''s counterpart in the air.


    The demon Kiaran was trying to fight the storm that surrounded him while trying to attack Valerian that had flown with him in the air.


    Valerian created a circle of the storm below him that managed to support him flying to the sky. The two fought each other like it was the end of the world.


    Axel could see demon Kiaran mumbled something with two glowing red eyes, trying to command the knight and controlled his movement. However, it seemed like it wasn''t working as they kept fighting with each other.


    The boy noticed the sharp wind that surrounded the knight''s head, acting as a sharp weapon against everything. It seemed to be blocking something-


    It was blocking the noise. It was blocking demon Kiaran''s voice.


    Though, the wind that was blocking the noise with its sharp edges also hurt the knight, causing his cheek bleeding from how sharp the wind was. The sharp wind was acting like a double-edged sword.


    Demon Kiaran''s eyes met with Axel''s in the middle of the battle. The red eyes widened as they moved over to the mercenary. Though the wide-eyed slowly darkened as he realized that it was his counterpart.


    Axel saw how the anarchist flared his wings widely and lunged into the storm with gritting teeth, still trying to steal a glance at the mercenary with two glaring red eyes.


    "We don''t have much time. Let''s go, Axel." His real brother managed to make Axel look away from the fight and snapped his head at him.


    He nervously stole a glance back. "But the other Kiaran-"


    "You want to go with him or me?" Kiaran raised his eyebrows with a hand that was still offering patiently at the boy.


    In life, we always had to choose. The good and the bad, the happy and the sad, the right and the wrong.


    For Axel, he was always stuck on the last words. The bad, the sad, and maybe the wrong. So he wished for the world to finally give him a choice.


    And so it did.


    The world became two, and they gave him a choice. The worlds were mocking him as they made him choose between the bad and the worse instead of the good and the bad.


    So the gloveless hand reached the black-gloved one because Axel would choose the bad.


    He had always stuck on the bad anyway.

 Chapter 52 - Between You And I : Part 1

    "Hello, and good morning. This is the Livedam News, bringing you the latest news around the city."


    The screen flashed into a woman with tidy hair, staring at the camera with a serious expression. The guard leaned back as he watched the television, lazily watching it while letting out a big yawn.


    "Grief and sorrow following the tragedy of massacre in the city involving red-eyed people or ''demons'' that took more than 100 lives and caused almost a thousand people injured two days ago."


    The lamp inside the room flickered a bit, almost causing the inside to go into a total blackout. There was no window for this place was placed underground¡ªonly a door in front of the security guard''s table as the way in and out.


    "This city is messed up, man. What kind of shit are those things? Demons?" The guard commented while taking a bite of a spicy chicken wing in his hand.


    "At least I''m safe here. I don''t even know why the president insisted on guarding this arrow thing." He munched the chicken meat as he vaguely mumbled the words in between his chew.


    "-president Alfred is set to deliver a remark for the situation and the safety of Livedam city. He also planned for a moment of silence for those who got caught up in the tragedy alongside the grieving family." The woman inside the television continued, describing even further about the situation.


    The light in the room flickered again. Yet the guard did not care because it was an ordinary thing that had happened in this underground room.


    "All the heads of ministries and governments had lost their lives to ''the world burn'', as stated by the infamous mercenary in the city. For further information regarding the replacements of governments were still unknown to this day." The woman explained briefly. The screen was showing a picture of a man in a black trench coat, standing on top of a building with wide-open hands.


    The guard raised an eyebrow at the picture. "The mercenary, huh? That guy''s nuts for doing all of these."


    "Now live at the Livedam News, president Alfred''s speech about the situation." The woman ended her sentence as she disappeared from the screen, changing into a man with red hair and a pair of sharp hazel eyes.


    "Two days ago in our beloved city Livedam, there was a sudden attack from the creatures mark off as ''demons'' that was lead by the mercenary¡ª the ciy''s most wanted criminal." Alfred began, taking a deep breath as he looked through the crowd with determined eyes.


    "Today, we''ll take care of the casualties and rebuild some of the fallen buildings. We''ll-"


    There was a faint falling sound from behind the security''s desk, causing the guard to avert his gaze from the television to his back. His eyebrows slowly knitted together as his face morphed into a frown.


    His eyes looked around, scanning the room, searching for the source of the sound. He stopped at the black arrow that was still there, looming the room with a glass over it to protect the little weapon.


    The guard shrugged and went back to see the television. He took another piece of chicken wings before focusing on the screen again.


    "We''ve taken a precaution from the tragedy regarding the demons. This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront some foreign enemies in modern history. Rest assured, the Livedam City is still and will always be the safest place in this country."


    "If you say so, president. I''ll believe you." The guard snarled as he took another bite of the chicken wing. "You even went to protect just a single arrow. If the people know that you gave so much effort just for this thing, they''ll believe you too."


    The guard chuckled at his own words and glanced back to an empty glass case. He looked over to the screen again and took a bite from a new chicken wing and-


    The guard froze.


    The chicken wing in his hand fell to the floor as he snapped his back really fast that he believed his neck cracked. He blinked a couple of times to make sure he was actually seeing an empty case before realizing that the black arrow was indeed missing.


    "Searching for this?" A voice chimed in. Too close to the guard''s ear that his hands turned cold.


    The guard could hear his own heartbeat ringing in his own ears. He slowly looked toward the voice source, right hand quietly tracing to the gun in his pocket.


    His pupils were blown wide as he trembled in his place. There stood the mercenary on top of his table with a foot crossed over to the other. The criminal''s black-gloved hand was fiddling with the black arrow like some kind of toy.


    "Had to retrieve this last arrow for a mad scientist. She is obsessed with this thing, you know?" The mercenary leaned closer to the trembling guard, blue eyes staring at him with full of mocks.


    "Apparently, I''m not the only one who''s ''nuts'', Mr. chicken guy." The mercenary continued, tilting his head down as he taunted him.


    The guy quickly aimed his gun at the mercenary and took no time to shoot him. The gunshot rang in the air as the guard closed both of his eyes tight, hoping for the best.


    A hand touched the guard''s shoulder softly as a head went closer to the guard''s ear. "Oops, missed me." The mercenary whispered.


    In the act of impulse, the guard screamed and jumped back as he let another shot to the criminal, who darted easily as if he was dancing.


    "Did the president never learn from past mistakes? Look at how easy I got this thing in my hand." He exclaimed sarcastically as he ignored the guard completely while looking at the arrow in his hand.


    The guard was still shooting him while backing away slowly. Though he missed all of his shots easily as the mercenary played with him.


    Then he went to pull the trigger again-


    -only realizing that he had no bullets left.


    The mercenary raised his eyebrows at him. "Oh, you''re done? Alright, that''s it for today, then." He tucked in the arrow to his trench coat and clasped both of his hands.


    The criminal slowly walked backwards from the cowering guard. He saluted him on his way out as he easily went out of the door. "See you never, chicken guy."


    "Oh, and thanks for the wing." The mercenary shook the chicken wings box in his hand giddily, leaving the guard alone.


    ??????


    Kiaran ate the last chicken wing and threw away the box to a nearby tree. He swiped his gloved hand to his trench coat, trying to wipe off the sauce from it.


    The forest was watching him as he passed through them, ready to see a certain mad scientist. He put on his mask again, covering his nose and red-tinted lips for the sake of identity or whatever.


    After passing some big trees, he finally met with the neat looking building. He scanned the windows with his eyes, wondering if he should break one of them just to irritate the mad scientist.


    Sadly, he had no time to do it for now. Maybe later.


    He got inside the building through the front door. The lights were flickering as he went past them. It was as if dramatic things always followed a drama person anywhere.


    When he arrived in front of the lab door, he kicked it open and made a grand entrance.


    Kiaran could see the scientist sigh tiredly, unwantedly having to look at him as she stopped what she was doing.


    The 18-year-old took the arrow from his trench coat and threw it at her. The woman caught it with ease, boring her eyes at the black arrow with a hidden madness between her black pupils.


    "The president took it from the last scene where I had to frame a guy. So I had to break into an underground base where he kept it, which has a really dumb guy protecting it." The mercenary ranted at her, almost whining.


    "Seems like they''ve lost so many guards already that they sent that chicken guy." He added, leaning over to a messy table to see her works.


    "So you named him chicken guy." She replied silently without looking at him.


    "Yep, he was eating a chicken and acting like one when he met me. It''s like cannibalism, you know. If you actually think about it." Kiaran said, or rather blurted out jokingly.


    He caught a black roots mirror in the corner of his ocean eyes. "Old lady, I''m going to use that mirror to cross to the other world. You stay here and guard the mirror or whatever."


    He walked closer to the mirror, looking at his own reflection, knowing that the scientist''s counterpart was probably watching him right now. Why did she have a mirror if not for her demon to use it? It was always the demon who needed to use the black roots mirror to see what was going on.


    "If I come back with my murderer and then there''s an 18-year-old teen with two black wings following us right after, can you send my message for him?" Kiaran asked sweetly, as fake as he could.


    "Tell him, non ducor, duco." Kiaran sent his message at her, smiling triumphantly behind his mask. "He''ll know what I meant."


    "And now, I really need to go. Need to take back what''s mine, old lady. See you soon." Uttered the mercenary before crossing the mirror and disappeared from the human world.


    The scientist sighed again.


    "I hope I don''t."


    ??????


    "Hello there." Kiaran greeted the demon with two smiling eyes. His fingers intertwined with each other as his hands sat on top of a table.


    A blond demon with two red eyes that had just got in the room started to form wind around him defensively. "What are you doing in my office?" He spat dangerously.


    "No need to be violent. I''m here to help you." The mercenary assured with his overly honeyed voice.


    Valerian was still keeping his defence up, sceptically examining the person in front of him. He kept staring at the two blue eyes that should have been red.


    If he was a demon, that is.


    "I know where the Vergessene''s house is." Kiaran specified, the tone of his voice quickly changed into a serious one. "I want you to attack the Vergessenes, but don''t harm the youngest."


    The wind slowly died down around the office at the mention of the Vergessene name. Valerian sauntered to Kiaran slowly. His pointed ears twitched as they got closer.


    "I thought the youngest is dead?" There was an apparent uncertainty in the knight''s voice.


    "Oh, he is dead." The mercenary acknowledged while nodding vaguely at him.


    "Though this Vergessene one doesn''t belong here, and I''m going to bring him back where he actually belongs." He continued while keeping their eyes locked into each other.


    Valerian tried to search the lies between the two familiar eyes, "Who are you?"


    Kiaran''s mouth formed into a wide grin. "Just call me a friend for now."


    He stood from Valerian''s chair and offered his hand.


    "So are you in or not, police boy wannabe?"

 Chapter 53 - Between You And I : Part 2

    "Here, use this contact." Kiaran offered a blue contact lens to Axel as they went farther away from the fighting scene.


    "We have to go back to our world without causing a scene. Cover your face with a mask too." The mercenary continued and offered a clean white mask for Axel to wear.


    Axel nodded silently and did what his brother told him to do. He blinked a couple of times to adjust his right eye with the contact lens. It stung a little, but he started to get used to it.


    As they went to the same exact forest in this world where the scientist had her hideout, Axel kept trailing behind Kiaran. He followed each footstep cautiously, trying to focus forward.


    He kept following Kiaran as he tried to ignore his surrounding. The leaves swirled and swept across the cryptic forest. A blanket of the moon befell them. Yet despite all of that, uncanny silence was the only thing Axel noticed.


    The boy decided to break the silence and finally spoke, "I''ve been thinking." He began slowly.


    Kiaran didn''t pause, stepping on a few branches as he continued forward. "Oh?" The older responded with a soft hum.


    "Yeah," Axel swallowed, feeling like his throat was filled with liquid. A flash of how blood gurgled from his throat two days ago where demon Cain stabbing his chest with his hand played in his mind.


    The boy tried to tune it down and ignored it.


    "On the day when the world burned, was the plan to make me bring Rune to you, to make me go against you from the beginning?"


    That did make Kiaran pause, stopping on his track, but only momentarily before he continued on. "I don''t see how that matters."


    The young murderer silently clenched his fist. "It matters."


    "No, I don''t see how-"


    "It matters to me." The boy cut him off, raising his voice a little at the mercenary.


    Kiaran didn''t falter in his walk, still stepping on the branches and kicking some rocks on the way as if the conversation was lighthearted. As if nothing they said truly had any significance. Like Axel.


    "Yes, Axel," Kiaran sighed. "If it means that much to you, I was planning on making you turn against me regardless of the fact and bring Rune to make all the governments come out with the president."


    "It was a reckoning, and nothing could stop that." He added as he ended his sentence coldly. The older pushed away some twigs on the way, still focusing on the road without giving a single glance at his little brother.


    "You said-" Axel chocked, trying to push away all the bad things that happened lately that kept playing in his brain.


    "Before the world burned, you said that I should go with the other you." He managed to let the words out with a lingering lump in his throat that could burst out at any time.


    "I did, Axel," Kiaran replied, still walking forward with no intention to look back at the youngest. "Are you done?"


    Kiaran still didn''t seem bothered by Axel''s words, like Axel was some statue to ignore and unacknowledge. Kiaran had a way of making him feel insignificant, powerless, and trim. But only when he wanted him to feel that way, only when it wasn''t the time for Axel to fight for him.


    "Was it your plan too?"


    Kiaran finally stopped walking. He turned around, facing him without a hint of malice or surprise. But the older kept his silence as they both stared at each other.


    "Was it?" Axel whispered heartbrokenly with a bit of shiver along with his tone.


    "It was, wasn''t it?" He continued as his mouth formed into an ironic smile, staring at his brother''s blue ocean eyes.


    "Not... exactly." His brother hesitated, still staring at him with a bunch of hidden emotions.


    "Not exactly?" Axel chuckled brokenly, "-what''s that supposed to mean?"


    "It doesn''t mean anything. You are safe now with me." Kiaran reassured, looking at him with two sad doe eyes. "I wouldn''t make you go through whatever you''ve been through in here."


    "Axel, you''re my brother. You''re all I''ve got. I thought you would leave me when I found out that you''ve been with my counterpart since Family Day." He said, wanly.


    Axel searched him for any sign of lie, guilt, or doubt. He looked into the blue eyes of a brother he''d followed unwaveringly for so long and found nothing to suggest he was deceiving him. Nothing to suggest a guilty conscience.


    He was always such a good manipulator from the start.


    "You''re lying," Axel started right off the bat. "This is- this is a lie." He brushed his hair with his hand desperately and looked to the ground mockingly.


    Axel was mocking himself.


    "It''s just another manipulation that I would fall for." He mumbled aimlessly before looking back to the mercenary''s eyes. "Am I falling into your trap right now?"


    Kiaran frowned with a mixing worry, curling in on himself just a bit, just a fragment of fabricated vulnerability. It was strategic, skilled, and practiced. It was as if he had been doing this so many times.


    It made Axel sick like he wanted to throw up from how the buzz of Kiaran''s staged face covered his brain like a thick curtain.


    "Axel, I wouldn''t-"


    "I''ve been conditioned to love you- to follow you since the beginning." The younger interrupted the older. "On the grounds that we came out of the same womb, on the grounds that you''re my brother."


    Kiaran widened his eyes in a melancholy horror. His face was full of sadness and guilt that Axel realized there was no point in looking at his expression. It was all fake anyway.


    He wondered if the manipulation had started from the beginning. He wondered if Kiaran had always been masterful at concealing the truth. Had it begun when he killed the first man or had he been trapped in his marionette since the beginning?


    "That''s just a chance, Axel. I thought the demons would just kidnap you and make you realize that they aren''t as good as they seemed to be. I don''t know what happened to you that made you like this. I would never-."


    "No," Axel looked away from his face to the ground beneath. "You''re too smart for that. You must''ve known that they would turn me into a demon and take advantage of it. You always had a plan for everything."


    "Axel," Kiaran pleaded with no hint of nervousness to show the lies underneath. "I would never."


    "Drop the act, Kiaran. Just stop." Axel spat, looking at him with eyes that slowly started to become bloodshot on the white part. He wished he was good at masking his emotions like him.


    "Axel," Kiaran jabbered on. "Axel, please, I wouldn''t plan something like that. You''re my broth-"


    "Don''t."


    Axel rubbed his cheek harshly, trying to wipe off the unstopping river of tears. A couple of sniffles could be heard through the silent forest that watched the two brothers fought.


    If you called it a fight anyway. Because Axel always lost since the beginning.


    Kiaran bent down a little to match their height. Two black-gloved hands tried to hold Axel''s face. "You''re crying-"


    Axel slapped Kiaran''s arm harshly. "Well, of course, I''m crying." He looked up at the mercenary with two glaring eyes. "What do you think I''m doing right now, Kiaran? Laughing?"


    The older flinched, still reaching out with those big startled eyes from before. Two hands still trying to coo the boy, calming him down. It looked so genuine that Axel wished it was true.


    "I can''t even tell if you care right now," Axel admitted with a slight crack in his voice. A sob started to come out without any consciousness from him. "I can''t tell if you''re mocking me, laughing at me, or uncaring. It always looked so genuine. I hate it."


    Kiaran wiped his tears away gently. "I''m- I wouldn''t-"


    "Have you actually loved me? Genuinely? Or ever?" Axel''s question echoed in the tress under the lonely moon.


    Silent stretched between them. The forest rustled faintly, watching and waiting.


    Axel chuckled devastatingly when Kiaran seemed to can not answer his question. "I''m- I don''t know what I am right now, I don''t know you, I don''t even know myself!"


    "I feel like I''m always conditioned to be something for someone else." He ventured frustratingly, letting it all out as he cried another river. "-To be a murderer, to be an unwanted son, to be a vague brother, or a best friend, or a victim of bullying."


    "I feel like I''m a different person." He continued in a fit of bursting emotions that he kept down all these times. "Not like different because sometimes I''m a murderer, or sometimes I''m just Axel," He paused tremblingly.


    "I don''t even know which one is real." He admitted with a wave of anguish flooding his brain. "Is Axel real? Am I real?"


    "Because it feels like I have so many people inside me that I forgot who I am." Axel whimpered as he let out another sob that fought the lump in his throat. "Maybe I''m good at manipulation too just like you."


    "I''m good at manipulating myself that I forgot who I really am."


    Kiaran suddenly threw himself at Axel and wrapped his hand around him, hugging the boy tight. The older gripped the younger''s back as he buried his face on the kid''s shoulder.


    And Axel knew the hug was another part of Kiaran''s manipulation, but god, he needed a hug right now even though it was fake. So he melted on his hold as he cried even more. He just wanted to scream but it felt like the world would not let him at all.


    "You came sooner than I thought you would." There was a dangerous tone that suddenly came out of Kiaran.


    "What?" Axel mumbled in between the hug, confused.


    "It''s really not the right time to come." Kiaran continued with an obvious overly sweetened malice in his voice, causing Axel to shiver.


    "I could say the same for you." A voice identical to Kiaran''s returned the remark back with the same tone.


    Axel pushed Kiaran away so he could see the person behind him. He diverted his gaze from Kiaran just to see another Kiaran standing right across them. Axel just stood there, in between the two same people facing each other.


    The boy did not know what to do as he froze. He contemplated whether he should move or not. He was too scared to do anything from how intense the atmosphere was.


    "Axel, stay away from here."


    The two Kiarans said it at the same time.

 Chapter 54 - Between You And I : Part 3

    The air was thicker than ever as two different beings who wore the same faces stood across each other. The moon bathed the forest with its stolen light, letting the pair of counterparts face each other.


    "I knew you would follow me sooner or later, demon. I''m impressed that you managed to get here that fast. It wasn''t going as I planned." The mercenary started first, laid-back.


    "Though you are technically me, so it makes sense that you''ll overcome my original plan." He continued, blue eyes glinting dangerously under the moonlight as he stared at the red ones.


    "I believe you have something of mine." The anarchist replied, raising his eyebrows as he tilted his head at his counterpart.


    Human Kiaran followed his movement as he tilted his head too, taunting. "Ah, you meant, mine? Because I''m pretty sure he was stolen from me."


    "He is mine." Demon Kiaran bit back as his red eyes became dangerous too, copying the glint of the human.


    "Oh? Possessive, I see." The human chuckled as if everything was just a joke. "Though, it''s the wrong brother. You can clearly see he has my eyes." He pointed his chin at Axel who was standing behind a tree, hiding.


    "Where are yours?" The mercenary taunted even more, slowly getting on his counterpart''s nerve.


    The demon clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. "He is here, and he is mine."


    The mercenary raised an eyebrow. "Be careful, Kiaran. Your emotions are showing. I can see all your weakness from here." Said him, hauntingly.


    There was a wind that went past right them, blowing their identical messy hair and swaying them. They stood there as if they were looking at a mirror as they let the air adorn their surroundings.


    "Mortem Obire." The demon stated, slowly folding his wings open in between the breeze of night. The moon was giving him a free spotlight, letting his red eyes glaze under the dark sky.


    The human''s lips tugged up a little at the statement. "Still in your Latin phase, Kiaran?" His hand silently went over the hidden gun inside his pocket.


    When he managed to get a grasp of the weapon, he quickly pointed it at the counterpart in a swift move. "Optimum est pati quod emendare non possis." Said the human, letting the moon give him a spotlight as his blue eyes gazed down in between the silent forest.


    "You can''t change the fact that your sweet little toy is dead, dear imposter." Uttered the mercenary, completely ignoring how Axel was listening to his sentence too.


    How the boy suck his breath at the mention that he was a toy.


    "He is not a toy." Said the anarchist with his chin up, not letting his other self look down on him with a mere weapon.


    "Is he? Really?" Human Kiaran hummed melodically, sweetly. "Did you really care about him? Or was it guilt?"


    "Was it the guilt for your brother who is actually dead because you can''t use your toy properly?"


    The mercenary spat with more venom than the anarchist thought possible, considering how Axel was still there, hearing all of their conversations. The boy in mention flinched back at the remark but still remained silent.


    "What a shame. I thought we should have been a counterpart. Turns out you''re just a failure version of me." The blue-eyed Kiaran snarled, glancing up and down as a sign of insult.


    The demon was having enough of the conversation and opened his mouth in a wave of calm anger. "Or maybe you are the failure version of me, human."


    The trees rumbled a little alongside the ground when the anarchist''s eyes slowly shined bright, getting even more red than possible. His voice morphed in his throat as he pierced his eyes at his counterpart.


    "Stay down and kill yours-"


    "No!" Axel suddenly came out of his hiding spot and spread his hand to protect his real brother. The boy stood in the middle of the two counterparts, trembling. His hand was shaking as sweat ran down from the side of his forehead.


    "Please don''t kill him! I''ll-" The boy''s lips quivered, looking at the red eyes with two shuddering blue eyes.


    "I''ll hate you forever if you kill him!"


    The yell went across the forest, echoing slightly. The birds that were watching flew away from the scene, chirping alongside their flocks.


    Demon Kiaran''s eyes darkened from how defensive the boy was. "Axel, he is clearly using you. Come with me. There is no point in protecting him."


    "I know he is using me! I''m aware of that." Axel spoke like he was out of breath in a haze of adrenaline and fear. "You are using me too, demon." He continued his words, only causing the demon''s eyes to go a shade darker.


    "You are using me to relief your guilt because your Axel''s dead." The young murderer spat, protecting his mercenary like he always did.


    Like he was always told to do because he was his toy.


    The mercenary popped his head beside Axel to show his masked face to the counterpart. Kiaran''s grin turned into biting behind his mask, just a bit. The way he got when he knew he had won.


    "What are you going to do? Still going to kill me? Control me with your voice?" Said human Kiaran, ridiculing.


    "You want to do that in front of your beloved so-called brother that you are desperately trying to gain a trust to?" He continued with a word that turned like a frozen lave that melted inside the anarchist.


    It was a funny scene to see from the mercenary''s point of view. His stupidly loyal brother stood for him without him asking too. His murderer was alive, unlike his counterpart.


    He was a better Kiaran. A better brother.


    And he found that he really liked how that sounded.


    "Just stay down, Kiaran."


    Then suddenly, everything became white in the human''s vision right after the demon thralled him. He froze there in his place with a gun in his hand. Everything felt so heavy, and he could not do anything besides stand and wait.


    The demon moved his gaze to Axel. He took his time walking toward him as he offered his hand. The black blouse morphed with the darkness of the forest while he got closer to the boy.


    "Axel, let''s get out of here." Demon Kiaran stated rather than asked. It was as if the young murderer was not given any choice in the matter.


    "No." Axel tried to keep his voice calm and unwavering. God, he needed a plan. What would Kiaran do if he were in his situation?


    "I''m afraid that''s not an option, brother." The demon glanced from Axel to the frozen counterpart that was still staring at him, challenging.


    "You''re not my brother." Axel gritted his teeth. Hands still spreading to protect his real brother behind him against his pseudo brother.


    The said pseudo brother fell into a heavy silence. He just stood there looking at Axel with his two red eyes, masking his emotions just like his real brother did. They both were good at manipulating their own emotions, staging what would happen and what wouldn''t happen.


    And then the anarchist diverted his gaze to the mercenary, staring at him as if they were fighting with their eyes.


    Axel took the chance to study the demon. The wings were folded down and relaxed. He took a quick glance at his Kiaran who did not panic at all, looking like he was not going to die.


    That meant he had a plan, or maybe not. Maybe he was actually scared for all Axel knew. Maybe he was counting on him to save himself.


    What should he do? What would Kiaran do?


    Axel had his thought. Slowly he shifted his feet so he was standing sideways facing his pseudo brother. Casually, he folded his far hand behind his back, out of the demon''s view.


    His fingertips desperately tried to reach the hidden gun in the mercenary''s pocket. When he finally managed to get a grip on the tip of the revolver, he painstakingly tried to hide the relief that spread across his face.


    At the young murderer''s long bout of silence, demon Kiaran glanced towards him again. And Axel glared back.


    "No need to look at me like that." The anarchist tilted his head. "Now I want you to follow me home-" A wave of coldness spread across Axel''s body at the sudden command, causing him to breath rapidly.


    "-and drop the gun in your hand."


    Axel widened his blue eyes as he dropped the revolver, making a soft thump sound from the fall.


    Of course, the demon version of Kiaran would know. It always happened. Kiaran would always be more steps further than the boy was.


    The anarchist was the one who made a move first and turned his back on the two. He started to walk as Axel followed his steps without his consent and control of his own body.


    A cold heavy thing was suddenly glued on the back of the demon''s head. The anarchist froze and moved his eyes to see the shadow of his human counterpart on the corner.


    The mercenary moved his masked mouth to the anarchist''s left ear with a revolver that remained pointing at the back of his head. He opened his mask with his left hand as he grinned madly.


    "Three minutes of your thrall has ended, demon.. It''s time for your death."

 Chapter 55 - Between Us : Part 1

    "I know your power will wear off in three minutes. You should''ve paid attention to yourself more, demon." The mercenary whispered with a revolver etched on the back of his counterpart''s head.


    The demon chuckled at the sudden threat. "You think I wouldn''t know my own weakness?" He grinned, turning the threat against the human.


    "When you use your weakness to fight, it''s not a weakness anymore." The anarchist stated, flipping the situation around as the mercenary just realized that the demon''s hand was already pointing at his neck, ready to slice him with his long dark fingernails in a mere second.


    "Don''t shoot." The words sliced into human Kiaran''s ears, thralling his mind to obey, freezing his finger that was ready to pull the trigger.


    "You tried to attack me just like my plan." The anarchist began, still standing unhurried in his place with his other self pointing a gun that couldn''t shoot from behind.


    "I''m planning to get rid of you this way." He continued, revealing his plan little by little. "I knew you would come sooner or later to try to take away my Axel from me."


    "So when the demons attacked my house, I know it was your plan." He kept going with an unwavering hand against the mercenary''s neck that could kill his counterpart at any minute.


    "You fall right into my plan, human." He spat belittlingly, forming a venom full of shame toward his words.


    "I''m the one who let you have your little play, your so-called world burn. I''m the one who helps you gather all the experimented human trashes to make the ''world burn''." The demon let out a mocking sigh.


    "So I can have my Axel." He continued, side-eyeing the boy that was standing beside them with two worried ocean eyes.


    "You can''t even move an inch when I take him away from you." He scoffed mockingly as he tilted his head up. "And now I''ll make sure you''ll never move forever."


    "You-" The mercenary''s breath quivered as he trembled in his place. The gun in his hand was shaking as he stared at the demon.


    The breeze flew across them, rustling the trees and making some of the leaves fall, ready to face their death. The birds were already gone, only the moon that accompanied them in the dark of night.


    The demon''s gaze widened in triumph, a sideway smile adorned with madness glued on his lips, knowing that he had won.


    "-you are pathetic." Human Kiaran ended his sentence with an insulting laugh that was mixed with madness in every breath he took.


    "It''ll be a shame if I knew you''d do that, huh?" He turned the demon''s words against him, using it as a shield.


    "I knew you came to my house. I knew you came to his school." His blue eyes reflected the moon''s light, turning its shine into a weapon of hysteria.


    "Enchantments or not, I would let Axel go either way." Scorned the human, still with a gun pointed at the demon''s head even though he could not pull the trigger.


    "I didn''t even try to fight back the day you took him away." He reminded the anarchist with a smirk. "Because you know me so well, didn''t you?"


    "I will always get what I want, and I will always get what''s mine back." The mercenary sang in a melody of possessiveness that lingered around the breeze of wind.


    "You won''t kill him, but you''ll make the same mistake as you did to your dear dead brother." The words carried on with the fallen leaves as one of them stopped at the top of his gun. "You scared him away because you forced him to be something he is not."


    "And now you did the same thing to my brother, demon."


    The anarchist gritted his teeth. "You scared him away first, human. I''m giving him a home."


    The mercenary snickered at the statement. "Oh yes, yes. I did that, of course."


    "I scared him away, yes. But a good manipulator doesn''t have to use power to make him obey. You just have to make him believe he is born to be a murderer." The statement pierced through the air.


    It pierced through the demon.


    It pierced right into Axel''s heart.


    Though the mercenary continued, ignoring how Axel was listening to his words all along. "It''s a shame really that you are weaker than me, considering you have power."


    "I am a Machiavellian, and you are just a wannabe." The words remained mocking while his mouth never stopped spitting bitterness.


    "He''ll run back to me because he doesn''t have anyone to run to. I never actually hurt him physically." The human pushed the gun even closer, making the demon''s head thrash forward.


    "Yet you did both. Physically and mentally." He taunted, ignoring how he could die at any second right now. "Though I''m sure you didn''t realize that."


    The demon''s finger started to draw a little blood from human Kiaran''s neck as it came closer. "Why would he run back to you if you actually hurt him too, then?"


    "Because one," the mercenary challenged the anarchist as he brought his neck closer to the pointed black nails. "You are a stranger to him, not actually a family."


    "And two," He paused, causing a moment to spit another word of lingering venom like molten lava. "He knew I actually wouldn''t let him die like your dead Axel."


    The fingers twitched at the statement as the black nails became sharper. "I''m going to kill you."


    "Not if I do it first."


    Three minutes had ended, and the mercenary did not linger any second to shoot and jumped back in a swift move.


    The anarchist managed to dodge at the last second, causing the bullet to only pierce through the side of his forehead while he tried to slice his counterpart''s neck, which quickly dodged back.


    The two finally faced each other again, with ice and fire swimming in each other''s eyes.


    Axel''s eyes twitched at the blood that was oozing from his brother''s neck. His wavering blue eyes moved to see the blood that was running down from the side of his pseudo brother''s forehead.


    Axel opened his mouth to stop the two from killing each other. "Wait! Please- don''t kill each other! Kiaran- both of you, please stop, you''ll only hurt-"


    "Axel, shut up!"


    The boy froze at the sudden united yell from the two.


    The two counterparts were still looking at each other, refusing to tear their gaze away.


    "Axel, look at this sad version of myself. He could not even protect you." The mercenary began with a gun pointed at the counterpart unwaveringly.


    "No-" The demon raised his voice with veins that started to pop out in his neck. "I protected him. I saved him! I made him better."


    "Oh, please, he is nothing without me! I''m letting you to make him better for me, making him a demon, and I''ll thank you for that. He is still mine and only mine to use. I''m saving him and protecting him with my plan." Replied the human harshly, completely overridden with a fit of contained anger.


    "He is mine since you hurt him." The anarchist spat, reminding how the mercenary hurt the boy too.


    "Oh, really?! Look at the mirror and see how you hurt him more than me." Human Kiaran gripped his gun tighter. The messy locks on his face fell and swayed around with the gust of wind.


    Demon Kiaran sneered at the sentence. His dark blouse blew around as he spat again. "See, Axel? Your so-called real brother is only using you. I can be your brother without using you."


    "Oh, yeah?!" The mercenary chuckled in disbelief as he continued. "Axel, look at this man living in denial by using you to wear off his guilt."


    That was the last straw for the demon. He spread his wings wide as he waged them up to the air with two dangerous red eyes. If a look could kill, the mercenary would be dead by now.


    "You live in denial too. A denial that you actually care about him, human." Said the flying demon with teeth that were clenched together.


    "Sorry, I can''t hear you!" The mercenary yelled from below with hands that covered each side of his mouth so that his words reached his counterpart''s ears.


    "I''m wearing an earplug right now to resist your bullshit!"


    The demon''s eyes burned at the words. He reached his hand to the mercenary as he flew to him, trying to claw the human. The mercenary easily dodged and tried to shoot at his counterpart, only for the anarchist to shield himself with his wing.


    They jumped back together, creating a space between them.


    The demon waged his wings again, and the human reloaded his gun. They took a step back, ready to lung into one another again.


    But then a sudden increase of wind formed right in front of demon Kiaran, throwing the demon to a nearby tree. His back slammed hard onto it as he quickly fell to the ground with a loud thump.


    The mercenary did not have time to react when he was suddenly met with a warning shot right in front of his feet, causing him to freeze at the sudden attack.


    The anarchist snapped his head to his left while the blue-eyed version of him turned his head to his right at a fast speed. The sight that they got after looking at the source of the attack caused their eyes to widen with a mix of amusement and shock.


    There stood a knight and a lieutenant, looking at them with determined eyes; one was green, and one was red. Each of them was guarded, ready to attack them at any time again.


    The wind formed around the two blonds, guarding them against their sworn enemies. The leaves from the trees slowly fell down from the impact of the knight''s power. Demon Valerian''s ears twitched as he stared down at the two Vergessene counterparts.


    "This was not planned.." Both Kiaran said it at the same time.

 Chapter 56 - Between Us : Part 2

    "Vergessene!"


    "Mercenary!"


    The two blonds growled angrily at the same time. Each of them stared at their Kiaran with fire in their eyes that was ready to burn the mercenary and the anarchist down.


    The lieutenant pointed his gun at the mercenary. His green eyes pierced right into the blue eyes, so cold yet could ignite a soul.


    Human Kiaran raised both of his hands in the air despite having a gun of his own. His messy hair swirled alongside the wind that kept increasing in between them. The blood that was oozing down his neck stained his collar red.


    "Can we talk about this first, police boy? I''m kind of in the middle of something." He bargained with a slight friendly tone.


    "Say it to those you''ve killed, mercenary." Human Valerian shot his gun, aiming at the mercenary''s ribs.


    The criminal dodged it by flipping to the right and landed gracefully on the ground. "Oh shit, you''re pissed."


    Another shot was fired, a loud bang bored into the ground as human Kiaran slid down forward, managing to dodge at the last second.


    "Technically, it wasn''t me who killed them-"


    Three bullets followed the man mercilessly as the mercenary quickly rolled to the left, causing some dirt to stain his trench coat.


    Human Kiaran still did not use his gun as he looked up at the lieutenant from the ground. "Because you get it? The mercenary who never kills?"


    Valerian grumbled. It seemed like the words only angered him more as he ruthlessly shot the bullets into Kiaran''s head.


    The lieutenant was lucky that the mercenary could dodge him, or he would be a murderer right then and there.


    "Wait! Let''s talk about this." The mercenary tried to reason again. Plans were flooding his brain, searching for a way out of the situation. "That guy over there is more evil than me. He''s literally a demon." He pointed to his counterpart, who was fighting with Valerian''s counterpart too.


    The lieutenant lowered his gun for a moment as he side-eyed demon Kiaran. The mercenary was nodding at human Valerian, encouraging his sworn enemy to fight the demon instead.


    "My counterpart is dealing with him already." The lieutenant stated as he reloaded his gun and took no time to point it at his enemy again.


    "You''re focusing on me? Aww, that''s sweet. But it''s really not the time-"


    The mercenary swiftly bounced back at the incoming bullet, not having the time to finish his own sentence as another attack was thrown at him.


    "Can we like help your counterpart on bringing the demon down? You know, like the good old days when we worked together saving your dearest brother." Another attempt of reasoning was spilled from the 18-year-old.


    A shot went past human Kiaran''s ears, causing some of his locks to fall onto the ground.


    "I''ll take that as a no."


    The mercenary and human Valerian kept playing an endless dodging game with each other, a really deadly game of dodging. It was more as if the criminal was dancing, and the lieutenant was the one who made a melody through his shots.


    "Care to tell me how you arrived in this world? As far as I know, there are no arrows left to cross a mirror." Kiaran tried to fish for some information as his blue eyes scanned the enemy in front of him, calculating, scheming.


    "I have my way." Valerian reloaded his gun again and tilted his head down. "Now die."


    "You are police. You aren''t supposed to murder me-"


    ??????


    "Hey, knight boy, how do you get here so fast? It''s kind of impressing." The anarchist spun in the air, trying to dodge the sharp wind that kept trying to bring him down. "I''m really not in the mood to face you again tonight."


    "I''m not in the mood to face you ever." The knight growled as he let out another storm.


    "Die."


    Another swirl of wind surrounded demon Kiaran like a cage, ready to suffocate him. He quickly went down and waged his wings big, dodging the wind by the last second as he dived down in the air.


    The anarchist looked up at his sworn enemy and made an offended motion with his hand. "Hey, come on. I have an unfinished business with the human over there."


    The anarchist stopped for a moment as he side-eyed the mercenary. He raised his eyebrows and threw a bundle of winds to the mercenary, who was busy dodging a bullet.


    The wind hit the blue-eyed Kiaran right in the gut and threw him to the ground as he took a big gasp at the sudden attack.


    Human Valerian took it as an opportunity to shoot the criminal and went to pull the trigger. His pointed finger slowly carried over the tip of the trigger and aimed it at the mercenary''s ribs.


    Demon Kiaran widened his eyes for a moment. Without his consent, he already activated his power as his red eyes glimmered, becoming redder than ever.


    The anarchist''s red eyes glowed under the moonlight as he opened his mouth to speak. "Don''t shoot." The soothing voice rang in the air with full of command.


    The words seemed to reach the human version of the knight as he froze in his place with a stiff finger over the trigger.


    "Hey! Deal with your own police boy. He''s mine!" The mercenary shouted from the ground with a voice full of irritation.


    "You''re welcome!" The anarchist retorted back with sarcasm.


    The demon did not get to hear what his counterpart would say as another sharp wind threw him off and locked him up in a cage of swirling air that was ready to suffocate him alive.


    Demon Kiaran did not even get to use his power as the wind filled the air within him, making him unable to say a single word. He took a big gasp of nothing as his lungs almost gave up. Everything was blurry, and the demon found himself desperately trying to move his wings to get free.


    And then there was something that suddenly circled both of his feet. He did not have the time to even guess what it was when he suddenly got pulled from the cage of wind.


    He did not completely break free from the suffocating air, but at least he managed to have a chance to escape. He looked down to see a rope that was circling his feet, trying to pull away from the storm.


    In between the blurry air, he managed to see his counterpart desperately trying to pull him from the ground. The demon quickly looked forward and spread his wings even wider, trying to move it in between the storm, helping the mercenary to pull him from the scene.


    The wind got even bigger when he tried to run away. His hair was blown back, completely exposing the anarchist''s forehead.


    Then suddenly, the pull from the rope was loosened. Demon Kiaran frowned at the sudden weight loss, but he was too quick to assume when a person kicked him from behind and threw him off the caged wind.


    The mercenary wrapped his hand around his counterpart''s neck after letting the rope pull him onto the demon.


    "What''s up." The mercenary greeted as he clung onto the back of the demon.


    Demon Kiaran sneered and moved his counterpart to the front, holding the human by the collar as the mercenary gripped his wrist, so he did not fall.


    "That was totally in the plan." Human Kiaran began, chuckling a little.


    "Yep, it was not a coincidence or something. That was totally my plan all along." Demon Kiaran added, completely ignoring how two Valerians were chasing them right now.


    A bullet went right into demon Kiaran''s wings as it bounced off yet managed to scratch him a little. It swayed him for a moment, causing them both to drop onto the ground together.


    They grunted before looking back at their sworn enemies. The knight created a typhoon before him while the lieutenant aimed his shots at the said wind.


    The bullet went inside the little typhoon and created a storm with active shots circling it. The wind was coming closer at the two, clearly aiming for them.


    "That is not good news." The mercenary mumbled behind his mask, eyes locked on the incoming typhoon.


    "I won''t even try to hear news about a typhoon right in front of my own eyes." The anarchist deadpanned as he grabbed his counterpart''s hand and went inside the forest, trying to make their sworn enemies lose sight of them.


    The typhoon wiped everything on its way, following them like a cat finding its mouse.


    "Can''t you thrall them?" In a haze of calm panic, they both ran together, side by side.


    "He can block my power." The anarchist stated as he jumped over a big rock, sliding on top of it that quickly followed by the mercenary.


    "Valerian is my weakness. I''m sure he is yours too." The demon stated as he grabbed the human''s collar again and brought him up into a tree with pretty thick leaves.


    He dropped the human on one of the branches as he crouched right beside his counterpart. They both stayed there for a moment, hiding in between the leaves, waiting for the typhoon to go past them.


    "Damn, it seems like we have the same problem. I can''t finish my job properly every time he came out of nowhere." The mercenary complained lightheartedly. Blue eyes still scanning the ground below, probably planning something.


    "He always manages to find me and ruin half of my plan. Like right now." The human continued before looking at the anarchist right in the eyes.


    "I usually can get out of the police sight easily, you know. No one can really follow my schemes. But since he came, he always managed to almost catch me at the end of my work." He added, talking with his counterpart as if they weren''t being hunted right now.


    "Same goes for me." The anarchist agreed, shrugging his shoulders.


    Then a typhoon went past by the tree they were in. A pair of blue eyes and red eyes followed how the wind easily went on without spotting them at all.


    The mercenary blinked for a moment before diverting his gaze to the demon again. "But it seems like you are intrigued by him too."


    "Heh, no one ever can face us except those two, ain''t it? Our enemies are pretty interesting." Demon Kiaran smirked, completely understanding what the human was saying.


    Human Kiaran returned the smile with a grin behind his mask, tilting his head proudly at his counterpart in their moment of understanding.


    Realizing that they had become friendly with each other, the smile quickly dropped from both of them as they both looked away from each other at the same time.


    "This doesn''t mean I''m not going to kill you afterwards." Blue-eyed Kiaran stated, clearing his voice to reduce the awkwardness.


    "Same goes for my case." The counterpart agreed.


    The typhoon was already gone as they fell into a calm silence. Some of the leaves around them fell, slowly as they reached the end of their life.


    And then, at the same time in the exact moment, something clicked in their mind, causing both of them to freeze on their feet. It was as if their soul was gone for a while as they noticed what had been missing.


    "Wait, where''s Axel?"

 Chapter 57 - Between Us : Part 3

    A disaster, really.


    It was such a big disaster that one could not comprehend. The feeling of loss, sadness, of hopelessness, watching your younger brother sleeping without you knowing when he would wake up.


    Valerian smiled weakly at Aster, brushing the younger''s blond hair from his forehead as he picked some of the tangled locks within the root of his head. His red eyes softly stared at his little brother''s closed eyes, hoping that he would someday see the bright red pupils full of life again.


    The incident a few days ago made Valerian realize how weak he was against the Vergessene. He was the only one within the Madevil city- within the world that could face off the anarchist.


    When the anarchist destroyed the kingdom''s buildings and took all the cursed arrows, he could not fight him because he was holding Aster.


    The feeling of how helpless he was, facing his sworn enemy as he could not use his own wind power to block the enchantments, made him realize that the Vergessene had found his weakness.


    Aster.


    To block the sound had to increase the wind within him, causing him to hurt himself the more he used his power to block sounds. With him holding Aster in his hand, he could not do anything but watch the Vergessene destroy everything. He could not risk blocking his enemy''s sound with a little brother that could get hurt when he used it.


    And it made him really really mad. With a leftover feeling of how he failed to be the kingdom''s knight, how he failed to live off people''s expectations because he was ''gifted'' at such young age.


    He and the Vergessene had been dancing around with each other for so long, two years to be exact. The dance was still going. The music was not stopping as they kept being at each other''s throats for god knows how long.


    Valerian sighed, messing his neat blond hair in frustration. He took a glance toward Aster for the last time before kissing the boy''s forehead. He closed his eyes for a while and left the room.


    His office was already being rebuilt back. The demons here were a pretty hard workers. They had trained enough to build around everything that the Vergessene family destroyed as they wished.


    And that''s why he should have saved everyone from the anarchists.


    The blond sighed again as he stopped in front of the office and put a hand on the doorknob.


    He turned the doorknob to the right and quickly got inside with red eyes tiredly stared at the floor.


    Though he was not expecting someone to be standing right beside his table, looking at the files on top of it. The person was wearing a navy cloth over his eyes with a torn navy cloak covering his whole body and hair, only revealing his lips.


    That made Valerian wonder how the guy could even see the files.


    "Who are you?" The knight spat, completely on guard as he relished some wind circling him and the guy.


    "Someone who''ll make you outsmart the Vergessene." The mysterious man answered, fiddling with the files with his fingerless gloved hand with an ominous smile formed on his lips.


    Valerian stayed silent for a while as he warily stared at the man. He tilted his head down, narrowing his red eyes at the blindfolded figure, trying to find a scheme within him.


    "Elaborate." Said him. His pointed ears twitched when the cloaked man finally looked over at him.


    Valerian could see the man''s smile grow at his word. It was as if he managed to catch a dog''s attention. A kind of smile that was hidden with so many plays and plans.


    "You see, Edelweiss." Valerian''s last name came out of the man easily as the blindfolded man began to speak.


    The knight was sure that the man was staring at him behind that cloth over his eyes. Even though he could not see the eyes himself, he could feel the gaze piercing into his soul, watching all of his secrets being revealed just by the stare.


    "Everything in the world has fifty percent chance of anything." The cloaked figure explained, still smiling schemingly at the knight. "You''ll either win or lose. Succeed or fail-"


    "-live or die." The man asserted with a haunting tone.


    "Say," The figure continued, taking his time to explain as he danced with his words in front of the knight. "What if I give you a fifty percent chance to catch the guy.''


    "A fifty percent chance to outsmart your sworn enemy." The man proposed, finally putting down the files in his hand to the table.


    "Or kill him, even."


    Valerian showed a slight frown at the mention of killing the Vergessene. He never thought of actually murdering the anarchist every time they faced each other.


    The thought of killing him overrode his brain and made a slightly uneasy feeling within him that he desperately tried to ignore.


    "What''s in it for you?" Valerian asked again, ears twitching from how grim the atmosphere was.


    The cloaked figure paused for a moment. The edge of his navy cloak swayed with the wind of Valerian''s power a little, getting along with the air.


    He chuckled lightly, almost friendly. "Getting rid of the obstacles for my plan."


    Valerian raised an eyebrow. "Kiaran Vergessene is your obstacle?"


    "Mmm-hmm." The cloaked figure hummed in agreement, still staring at the knight from behind the navy cloth over his eyes.


    "What plan?" Valerian pushed his luck as he asked the question, trying to pry a piece of information off the man.


    The cloaked figure took a pen on the table and spun it around, fiddling with his gloveless finger. "Careful, Edelweiss." He darted as he stuck the pen into the table, causing a loud noise as if reminding the knight to know his place. "Curiosity killed the cat."


    The blond stared at the pen that the half of it stuck onto the table in a calculating gaze. He moved his gaze to the figure again, tilting his head up to show that he was not scared with him at all.


    "How do I beat him?" Valerian diverted his question, slowly calming the wind that was surrounding both of them.


    "Well first," The blindfolded man snapped his finger. "-meet your counterpart from another world."


    There was a footstep behind Valerian that caused him to look back. He could not hide the surprise on his face when he saw his own face, his own being standing right in front of him.


    It seemed like both of them was surprised with each other as the two''s eyes widened. The knight felt like he was looking at a mirror but slightly different. His counterpart''s eyes were green instead of red, and his ears were round.


    Just like the Aster he saw that day. The green and the round ears matched with his counterpart. How lucky this version of him to have a brother that was still awake and well.


    "I''ve talked to him first before talking to you. And he agreed to take down his sworn enemy. Therefore I brought him here." The figure walked toward the knight and stood beside him.


    "The person your counterpart wanted to beat will be here in a few days, probably sitting on this chair ominously while greeting you with two manipulative smiling eyes." The mysterious guy uttered at ease as the smile never wavered from his face.


    "The mercenary was his name, right?" He moved his head and faced the lieutenant.


    Human Valerian sighed. "Yes. Just get to the point. I don''t want to waste any more time."


    The knight looked between the cloaked figure and his counterpart with a frown. There was something that screamed dangerous near Vergessene level from this guy.


    What flooded his brain more was how his counterpart got here. As far as he knew, all the arrows were taken by the Vergessene, and the rest of them were already missing a long time ago.


    "How does he get here, then?" The knight began, red eyes carefully looked at the figure beside him. "The arrows were all taken away by the Vergessene. For all I know, you could be him in disguise who''s just messing with me right now, thinking that it''s a hilarious joke."


    The mysterious figure clicked his tongue as he walked past the two counterparts toward the door. "There are five arrows in each world."


    He stopped at the entrance and turned his head back at the two counterparts. "But have you ever asked who owned the bow?"


    Like getting struck by lightning, the lieutenant and the knight froze in their place at the mention of a bow. As far as the legend said, the bow was never there. Only five arrows were found in each world.


    "You lost every fight with him because you never think of killing your enemy." He stated coldly, so cold that it caused a shiver running down the two. "You only wanted to bring him down."


    "If you face someone, you should be prepared to kill them." The blindfolded man continued as his smile completely disappeared from his mouth. "Try overcome your own idea of bringing him down into killing him."


    He finally got out of the room with a hand on the doorknob. Though before he completely shut the door, he opened his mouth to speak again.


    "If you two have the guts, that is."

 Chapter 58 - Absquatulate : Part 1

    "I scared him away, yes. But a good manipulator doesn''t have to use power to make him obey. You just have to make him believe he is born to be a murderer." The mercenary spat in the haze of anger, ignoring how Axel was standing behind the tree, listening to him all along.


    The boy bit his lips at the remark. He knew he was being manipulated. He was aware of that fact. He was aware that he was denying it. But hearing the words from his own brother, he had to admit that it hurt.


    God, it really hurt.


    "It''s a shame really that you are weaker than me, considering you have power." His brother continued, and Axel found himself trying to ignore everything as he diverted his gaze to the surroundings.


    "I am a Machiavellian, and you are just a wannabe." The words remained mocking while his brother''s mouth never stopped spitting bitterness.


    Axel looked down and found some grass in between his barefoot feet. Tiny ants were walking right in front of his toes, following each other like some kind of a perfect family.


    It was such an envious sight to see.


    "He''ll run back to me because he doesn''t have anyone to run to. I never actually hurt him physically." The mercenary spat, and something inside Axel cried, desperately calling out the buried memories the boy desperately tried to cover.


    "I never actually hurt him physically." The words rang in his ears.


    The flash of how Kiaran slapped him when he did not do anything right went inside his mind. His cheek started to ache by how he remembered all of it. The memory ate him alive, overwhelming his denial tenfold.


    "I never actually hurt him physically." The words repeated again in his ears, louder.


    The flash of how Kiaran pushed him to train all day to be a better murderer until his feet collapsed and his hands bled from all the training knives went inside his mind. His hands and feet started to ache by how he remembered all of it. The memory skinned him alive, cutting his denial tenfold.


    "I never actually hurt him physically." The words were the only thing he heard, too loud, too loud- it was so loud-


    "Yet you did both. Physically and mentally." The taunting voice of the mercenary snapped Axel out of his daze. "Though I''m sure you didn''t realise that." His brother ended the sentence with a grin.


    His pseudo brother''s finger started to draw a little blood from his Kiaran''s neck as it came closer. "Why would he run back to you if you actually hurt him too, then?" The demon asked calmly yet dangerously.


    They were hurting each other because of him. This wasn''t supposed to happen. But was it his brother''s plan? Or was it his pseudo brother''s plan? What should he do? Someone, please tell him what he should do.


    "Because one," the mercenary challenged the anarchist as he brought his neck closer to the pointed black nails. "You are a stranger to him, not actually a family."


    "And two," He paused, causing a moment to spit another word of lingering venom like molten lava. "He knew I actually wouldn''t let him die like your dead Axel."


    Would he?


    Would his brother actually save him? Or was it just another manipulation? Another act that had been rehearsed too many times?


    Because deep down, Axel believed it was a lie. But another part of his wished it was true.


    Kiaran was right. He was naive.


    "I''m going to kill you."


    Axel snapped his head to the demon at the sudden statement. His eyes widened by how deep the nails pierced through his brother''s neck.


    "Not if I do it first."


    He moved his head to his brother so fast that he believed his neck cracked. He could see it in Kiaran''s blue eyes, the dead intent swimming in a pool of madness.


    Three minutes had ended, and the mercenary did not linger any second to shoot and jumped back in a swift move.


    The anarchist managed to dodge at the last second, causing the bullet to only pierce through the side of his forehead while he tried to slice his counterpart''s neck, which quickly dodged back.


    The two finally faced each other again, with ice and fire swimming in each other''s eyes.


    Axel''s eyes twitched at the blood that was oozing from his brother''s neck. His wavering blue eyes moved to see the blood that was running down from the side of his pseudo brother''s forehead.


    Axel opened his mouth to stop the two from killing each other, desperately trying to end the fight. "Wait! Please- don''t kill each other! Kiaran- both of you, please stop, you''ll only hurt-"


    "Axel, shut up!"


    The boy froze at the sudden united yell from the two. His breath hitched as his ears rang with a little melody of white noise.


    Everything felt like a daze.


    The two counterparts were still looking at each other, refusing to tear their gaze away.


    "Axel, look at this sad version of myself. He could not even protect you."


    The voice reached his ears, but he could not seem to focus on what the person was saying. The white noise was overwhelming his ears now, and he just could not get a grip on reality.


    "No-" His pseudo brother raised his voice with veins that started to pop out in his neck. "I protected him. I saved him! I made him better."


    "Oh, please, he is nothing without me! I''m letting you to make him better for me, making him a demon, and I''ll thank you for that. He is still mine and only mine to use. I''m saving him and protecting him with my plan." Replied his brother harshly, completely overridden with a fit of contained anger.


    Axel''s blue eyes darted between the two counterparts. His ears were ringing from the going on yells. He did not mean to be the cause of the fighting. He just wanted to-


    What did he want again?


    "He is mine since you hurt him." The anarchist spat, reminding how the mercenary hurt the boy too¡ªhow both hurt Axel thoroughly, slowly, and manipulatively.


    A voice in the back of Axel''s head started to whisper lies to him, that this was all his fault, that he shouldn''t have been following the mercenary.


    Or was he supposed to follow him? Which one was the correct answer?


    He knew that it was wrong and that none of this was his fault, but Kiaran always had a way to get into his head. Every time something good happened to him, he always managed to turn it into the worst thing that could have ever happened.


    "Oh, really?! Look at the mirror and see how you hurt him more than me." His Kiaran gripped his gun tighter. The messy locks on his face fell and swayed around with the gust of wind.


    The counterpart sneered at the sentence. His dark blouse blew around as he spat again. "See, Axel? Your so-called real brother is only using you. I can be your brother without using you."


    "Oh, yeah?!" The mercenary chuckled in disbelief as he continued. "Axel, look at this man living in denial by using you to wear off his guilt."


    The two continued to yell and spit insults at one another, always bringing Axel into the fight.


    "This is all my fault." The boy mumbled, eyes wavering with a hand that had been trembling all along, yet the boy was too caught up in his own thoughts to realize. His Kiaran and the other Kiaran''s voices faded into dull noises.


    Tremblingly, the boy took a step back while shaking his head and covering his ears with his two hands. "No, it wasn''t my fault." He whispered again, fighting with his own fit of dilemma.


    The white noise was so loud. He felt like his ears were bleeding. The tears started to well up on the corner of his eyes, fighting their way to falling down onto his cheek.


    Breath, he needed to breathe.


    Right. Yes. Everything was fine, and he would always be fine. He just had to listen to his brother and-


    "You live in denial too. A denial that you actually care about him, human."


    Axel gasped as he realized he wasn''t actually breathing.


    No, he had been so well on realizing that he was being manipulated for these past days. He had been doing so well on getting rid of his denial little by little. He wasn''t going to fall into this trap. He wasn''t to blame for anything. This had nothing to do with him. He was just living. It wasn''t his fault- it wasn''t


    "But it has everything to do with you, dear Axel." Somehow, Kiaran''s voice filled his brain as he wasn''t sure if it was real or not.


    The voice sounded too clear, as if it was whispered right into his ear, whirling around him.


    Manipulating him.


    At that time, Axel realized, maybe there was a way to not choose in between something. Maybe there was a way for him to just stay silent.


    Or maybe there was a way for him to create another choice, not only between himself or Kiaran.


    And so he ran.

 Chapter 59 - Absquatulate : Part 2

    His feet were getting sore. Though the boy kept running inside the forest, following a single light in front of him as the moon embraced the sky with its light.


    He was sure that at least his feet were bleeding from how he stepped on rocks and branches. But he kept running like he was running out of time, trying to erase the white noise that just would not stop filling his ears.


    His breath was ragged. He could see each of his breath turned into a white mist from how cold the night was. The tears that were filling the corner of his eyes had dried up alongside the freezing air.


    The source of light was getting bigger, and Axel''s eyes were only focused on it. He stumbled a little as his toe bumped with a rock, and yet he still did not stop.


    When he reached the light, he realized that he was reaching the end of the forest too as the last tree swayed right as the boy went past it. Right when he stepped out of it, the light almost blinded him.


    He blinked a couple of times to adjust to the light and quickly met with a bunch of demons busy doing their own things. It seemed like he ended in some kind of a night market from how many counters were lying around and people trading with each other.


    He tried to take a stroll and looked around. There was a big palace that illuminated the background from the south. His blue eyes scanned the area while trying to take in the familiar feelings this world gave to him from his real world.


    A few glances were thrown at him from the demons around, causing the boy to frown a little. Everyone was looking at him like he was doing something illegal.


    "Excuse me, son." A voice called him, making the boy look over at the demon behind one of the counters.


    "May I ask what enchantments you used for those two beautiful blue eyes?" The old lady smiled genuinely, pointing at his eyes with her delicate finger.


    "Oh." Axel went to touch his eyes after realizing why everyone had been looking at him weirdly.


    "It''s um, it''s my brother''s enchantments, ma''am. I don''t really know how to enchant my own eyes." Axel smiled awkwardly at the older woman. "I''m sorry."


    "Oh, don''t worry, son. But you should be careful with enchantments, alright." The lady continued, looking at him with her smiling red eyes.


    Axel smiled back awkwardly before pausing at what the lady sold on her counter.


    "Ma''am, do you perhaps have an eyepatch?"


    ??????


    The lady was so kind that she gave the eyepatch for free. Axel fluttered his right eyes open, revealing a red-eye colour after he took off the blue contact lens from Kiaran.


    He adjusted his white mask alongside the eyepatch and started to walk again.


    He covered his left eye with a white eyepatch to avoid the stares from the demons. He should think about what he should do next, but maybe right now, he would just search for a place to sit down in this market and-


    "Yes, that''s the person that was wearing blue enchantments. He may be a witch or a criminal."


    Ah, of course. How could he even dare to think of resting?


    Axel looked back to see three guards with a man pointing an accusing finger at him. The four of them stared back at the boy, and the young Vergessene awkwardly waved at them.


    And then they chased him.


    Axel quickly turned around and jumped over one of the counters, causing the demons around to shriek. He climbed onto the stairs behind the counters and swung onto the top of a building.


    He rolled onto the ground as he arrived at the rooftop, glancing back to see that the guards were still chasing him down.


    The boy''s black locks swirled around like fallen leaves as he jumped off onto another building, trying to lose the guards that were too determined on catching the boy.


    His eyes darted forward and saw an alleyway in between the buildings. He rook a step back and quickly jumped down, somersaulting onto the air.


    He landed on the alleyway and started to run again. He took so many lefts and rights to confuse the guards that were left behind a little. He glided down under a little hole in the wall and took a sharp left turn.


    He was to focused on running away that he did not notice a person who was standing right as he took a turn and bumped onto the said person.


    Both of them fell onto the ground, bouncing with each other. Axel groaned and tried to see the person in front of him that wore a light hooded cloak. The boy squinted his right eye as he saw a familiar face with red hair under the hood.


    Axel could not hide the surprise on his face when his eye met with the girl''s red ones. "Rune?"


    She widened her eyes when the boy said her name. "Oh, you know me!" She awkwardly chuckled waving her hand right in front of Axel.


    Rune warily looked around to see if anybody saw her too. She diverted her red gaze back at the boy and smiled. "Silly me. Of course, you know me! I keep forgetting that I''m a princess."


    The red hair girl tightened her hood to cover her face. She slowly leaned to the boy until their face were inch away from crashing onto each other. "You see, I''m in disguise right now. I may or may not sneak away from my palace to this night market." She whispered quietly before grinning back at him.


    Rune took a step back and pat Axel''s shoulder. "I really like the cupcakes here, so I''ll appreciate it if you won''t snitch on me."


    The girl looked down to her hidden sling back and took a piece of cupcake from it. She offered the food to the boy with a big smile etched on her face. "Want to try?"


    Axel looked at the cupcake and Rune for a couple of times before opening his mouth to speak. "I-"


    "There he is!" A guard yelled from behind, causing Axel to snap his head over to the source.


    "Oh dear, you''re in trouble!" Rune exclaimed and quickly took his hand, dragging him away with her.


    "Come on!" She nudged him to run faster as they went past people together, bursting through the crowd.


    The cloak she wore flew back, revealing her red ponytail that waved around as they ran. Axel''s right eye kept staring at the back of her head while they dashed around together.


    "Over here!" She dragged him down onto another alleyway and hid behind a dumpster.


    Rune put a finger in front of her mouth, signalling Axel to stay quiet. The boy nodded at her as they stayed together, listening to the footsteps that quickly faded away after awhile.


    The red-haired girl popped her head from behind the dumpster to see if the guards were already gone. When she was sure that they had left, she went back to face the boy again.


    "We''re safe for now." She stated and formed a smile again. Axel nodded with a blush crept a little on his cheek.


    They stared at each other from a moment with hidden thoughts from one another. His Rune and this Rune looked the same, the difference was that this one''s eyes were red instead of the usual beautiful hazel one.


    "You should wear shoes. Your feet are bleeding." She broke their staring contest while pointing at his feet.


    The girl crouched down to take a look and inspect the wound further. She blinked and tilted her head, a slight frown formed on her lips as she opened her sling bag again.


    She took out some med kits from her sling bag and some bandages. "Let me clean them for you."


    Axel instinctively took a step back at the sudden action. "Oh no, Ru- I mean, princess Rune, your highness, you don''t have to." He stuttered, trying to avoid Rune''s hand.


    She grabbed a cotton that was already wet with alcohol and looked up to the boy with a smile. "Oh, I insist."


    The girl started to clean the wound and applied some bandages for him neatly. She bit her lips when she was too focused and Axel could not help but watched in silent.


    "I used to clean my best friend''s wound all the time. Bringing a med kit has become my habit right now even though I don''t have to anymore." She began as she finished her bandaging.


    "Why?" Axel knew the reason why. Yet he still tried to ask anyway.


    She fell into a quiet silence for a while before answering. "He''s gone."


    She put in all the med kits inside her bag and stood up, facing Axel with an unwavering smile. Even though she was smiling, her red eyes were contained with dangerous glint though it was mixed with a slight longing in there.


    "And you''re supposed to be gone, aren''t you, Axel?" She stated coldly despite the kind smile that was still there.


    Axel''s upper lids raised, opening his eyes wider than before. "How-"


    "How do I know if it''s you?" Rune cut him off, raising her eyebrows at him. "Of course I know. The first time we met with each other, you wore a white mask too."


    "And I could recognize your red doe eye every time I see it." She continued. You might caught the slight sadness in her eyes if you squinted hard enough.


    "But you''re dead." She added, admitting how she had lost her one and only best friend.


    "You''re clearly a different person." Rune cornered him onto the brick wall behind him with two pointed red eyes. "Because I know you''re dead."


    "And this is not your place." She slammed her hand to the wall right beside Axel''s head.


    "So it''s either you''re a shapeshifter demon," Rune swiftly took a sword that was hidden inside her hodded cloak with her other hand and brought it right in front of Axel''s neck threateningly.


    "Or the thing about a world outside the mirror is actually true." She moved the silver sword even closer, ready to slice his neck if Axel ever tried to fight her.


    "Tell me why you are here, stranger."

 Chapter 60 - Absquatulate : Part 3

    "Tell me why you are here, stranger."


    The alleyway was too dark beneath the giant moon with embezzled cold light. A red-haired princess was cornering a criminal that did not belong in this world as they let the silence eat them.


    The night sky was aglow with bright city lights. The evening sun cast long shadows on the ground. You could look up at the blanket of stars that stretched to infinity.


    "I''m not him." The boy began, red-eye stared at the princess with reassurance and defence. "I''m not your Axel." The young Vergessene continued as he slowly put a right hand on the side of the sword, trying to lower it down.


    Axel used his left hand to tug at the eyepatch that was covering his blue eye and let it fall down from his head. "Your Axel''s family has been trying to turn me into him."


    Rune slowly lowered the sword in her hand. She looked into Axel''s eyes with twitching red eyes, widened with a slightly terrified tremble. Even though those emotions clearly reflected in her eyes, she managed to keep her facade well, hiding her real feeling.


    They fell into a deep unnatural silence at the sudden reveal. The abrupt and potent quiet adorned their breaths as they faced each other.


    "...that''s ironic." Rune suddenly commented, startling Axel a little.


    "His family used to hate him so much for going against them and even left him to die." She chuckled, a kind of chuckle that you could feel the sadness within. "It really is ironic."


    She laughed again as if it was a funny movie and went to stare at Axel''s mismatched eyes with a mocking sneer. "Maybe it''s karma, even."


    "My other self must be worried about you, then." She added, tilting her head in understatement before scathing her sword inside her hooded cloak again.


    "Ah, I don''t think so." Axel lowered his head down, letting the dark fluffy locks avalanched onto his mismatched eyes.


    "She couldn''t have been worried about me because she doesn''t know what I am." He continued, tapping his feet nervously.


    Rune showed a slight frown and wrinkled her eyebrows. "Are you an anarchist, then?"


    "Well, no-"


    "Oh," The princess cut him off and moved her head closer to him. "-what are you then?"


    Axel looked away for a heavy second and bit his lips. "I''m a murderer." The word rang out of his mouth like a spreading fire after he admitted what he was


    Axel frowned when Rune seemed like she did not care or hear what he said earlier. The girl raised both of her eyebrows at him and nodded.


    "Mine is an anarchist." Rune shrugged her shoulders in understanding. "And maybe an assassin or a murderer too. He''s really good at his job, though."


    "Not that good because I kind of make him fail to be ''bad'' for a couple of times." She let out a soft laugh, a genuine one as if it was a good memory for her.


    "It''s weird, isn''t it?" She looked up again and the mismatched eyes boy. "-talking about my Axel in front of you. Hearing your name getting tales from this mouth yet it wasn''t about you."


    Axel''s frown deepened. "You''re not mad that he is an anarchist?"


    Rune laughed again as if everything was funny for her. "How can I? He''s been an anarchist long before I was even his friend."


    In life, we always had to choose. The good and the bad, the happy and the sad, the right and the wrong.


    For Axel, he was always stuck on the last words. The bad, the sad, and maybe the wrong. So he wished for the world to finally give him a choice.


    And so it did.


    The world became two, and they gave him a choice. The worlds were mocking him as they made him choose between the bad and the worse instead of the good and the bad.


    Or maybe there was a way for him to create another choice, not only between those words.


    Maybe.


    "Rune," Axel mumbled, catching the said name''s intention.


    "My Rune doesn''t know that I''m bad. And we''ve been friends since we were a kid. She hates criminals. If she ever finds out who I am, I think she''ll hate me." The boy confessed, trembling as he might say anything bad about his best friend.


    "Are you, though?" The girl asked, taunting him with a slightly annoying voice.


    "What?"


    "Are you actually bad?" She repeated the question again. "Or are you just stuck in a play where you have to be bad?"


    She took the eyepatch from the ground and started to wrap it around his red eyes. "Try to find a way to end the play. To create your own play."


    "Don''t let your family do it for you. Be yourself." She looked at the blue eye with a lot of warmth after covering the red one.


    "My Axel did, you know?" She singleheartedly asked, tilting her head in wonder. "I helped him create his own play."


    "I don''t like the ending, though," Rune confessed after a moment of silence, clenching her fists at the sudden memory that overrode her brain. "I really really despised the ending."


    "I''d do anything just to change it." She added, still clenching her fists that to turned all the nails white.


    She looked over at the boy with doe eyes full of sadness. "But we can''t change the past, can we?"


    "Maybe he was already happy when he met you." The boy tried to soothe her, only to make the tears that threatened to fall, fall.


    "I hope so."


    In life, we always had to choose. The good and the bad, the happy and the sad, the right and the wrong.


    But he was given another choice here. A grey choice. A good choice. He could not tell the difference.


    "You and Axel became friends when you already knew he was an anarchist, so you accepted him easily." Said the boy in a quiet voice. "My Rune doesn''t know that I am a criminal, and we''ve been friends for too long." He continued with a voice full of heartbreak.


    The princess''s cloak swayed with the wind as she tried to take what Axel had been trying to say.


    "Well, I mean- my Axel tried to kill me when we first met." Rune shrugged, blinking sheepishly at Axel.


    The boy''s eyes widened. "What?"


    "His mission was to kill me." She stated easily that the memory did not terrify her or her trust in him. "But then we became friends."


    "If I thought about it, I should''ve hated him." The princess kept going, trying to prove a point for the boy. "But I didn''t."


    Axel contemplated for a second, imagining the worst scenario to happen if Rune ever found out about him. But could he be lucky, and she would accept him either way?


    "So I don''t see why your Rune would hate you since you''ve been friends way longer than us." The girl stated the fact, trying to snap Axel out of his daze.


    Axel clenched his fists. Maybe he could do this, telling his best friend the truth. He should take a risk. But he was too coward to actually call him over.


    "Can I hug you before you leave?" The sudden request from Rune made Axel snap his head toward her so fast that it made a little cracking noise.


    "I just kind of miss him." Rune tried to smile in between her wavering lips. "A lot, actually." Her voice cracked.


    Then the girl threw herself at him, causing Axel to stumble back a little. "I wish he was alive. Then maybe, maybe I''ll be hugging him right now." She tightened her hug and bit back the tears that threatened to fall.


    "No matter how much I wish you were mine. You aren''t." She pushed Axel away, turning her back at him as she might cry again.


    "Go home, stranger." Said the princess as she lowered her hood and took a step forward.


    "Oh, and try to think what you''re going to do instead of thinking what your brother will do." She stopped for a moment before continuing to walk away from her best friend''s replica.


    "It''s your own choice, anyway." The sentence ended just as she turned around the corner and vanished, leaving the boy alone in the dark alleyway within the pale crescent moon shone like a silvery claw in the night sky and The occasional barking of faraway dogs that echoed the silence of the night.


    In life, we always had to choose. The good and the bad, the happy and the sad, the right and the wrong.


    But the boy, for the first time, decided not to choose. His mismatched eyes twinkled under the stolen lights of the sun and the watching moon.


    This time he would run away from the choice.


    This time he would turn away from the two questions.


    This time, he would try to create his own choice.


    And so the boy ran the opposite side of where the princess went and blended with the crowd as he disappeared from the moon''s watching lights.

 Chapter 61 - Just Like Their Fathers : Part 1

    Down south of this city, there was an endless forest stood by. It was surrounded by a thick veil of trees, hauntingly staring at the complex nearby. Rumours had it that if you ever found yourself inside, there was no guarantee for you to come out.


    Cain was too busy with his schoolwork to actually give a damn about the rumours. Though, he was still careful not to go there since his house was literally beside the forest. He could not move out of the house anyway, he did not have enough money, and his mother was still away.


    Or maybe he was in denial, and maybe he wished his mother would come home.


    He did his best to push the thoughts away.


    As for now, the matured teen was busy stomping down the hallway with papers in his hands. The sun almost died as the last of its light went through the glass partition walls that surrounded the school.


    His wavy-length black hair was tied into a bun; the locks of it bounced around as he speedwalk through. His white button-down shirt supported his hair to stand out even more.


    He was just got home when he got the call from the principal. He was asking the teen to pick up the student council president for a meeting. Apparently, the principal could not contact the said president and Cain was forced to come to school again.


    He stopped at a black door and knocked a few times. He took a deep audible breath and opened the door just to see the back of a chair that was facing the glass wall.


    The chair turned around slowly, revealing a teen within the same age as him. An apparent undercut leather red hair with hazel eyes that stared at Cain with a piercing gaze was on display.


    "Cain Vergessene, why did you come back? Didn''t I tell you to get out of my office?" The student council''s president''s ivory skin hid from the sun behind him as he spoke with a firm voice.


    Cain stood there in silence. The sound of the clock ticking surrounded both of them. The traffic right outside the glass wall was visible as they were high up on the school building. He stared at the president with emotionless eyes.


    The Vergessene raised an eyebrow at the man in front of him. Blue eyes met the hazel one as Cain could feel the tension built up between the two of them. They kept staring at each other as if waiting for something to happen.


    The president was the first to break the silence and grinned sheepishly as he stood up from his chair. "How was my impression as a scary president?" He teased, hands stretched as he grunted for the pain on his back from sitting too long.


    "So scary. I can feel my hands trembling." Cain deadpanned. He rolled his eyes and put down the papers to the table.


    "I knew it. I can be an actor if I actually try."


    Cain stared at his student council''s president with a clear disappointment in his eyes. He was the vice president of this dork in front of him; therefore, he should deal with this nonsense all the time.


    Oh, and apparently, the said president was his best friend too.


    "Anyway, why''d you come back? I thought your class ended?" The red-haired man asked.


    "The principal just called." Cain sighed while brushing his shirt, trying to make it look presentable.


    The president did the same thing as Cain with his own shirt. "Oh, the old man? My father?" He questioned him again.


    "Yes, he wants your ass up to the meeting now. He has been calling you, but you didn''t answer." Cain darted. He blew his black locks up and then messed it up again.


    "What the hell were you doing that makes me go back to school again just to call you?" Cain continued as he looked at the guilty teen with scolding blue eyes.


    The president laughed nervously. "Uh, re-watching SpongeBob?"


    Cain closed his eyes in distress, trying to hold the anger within him. "For god''s sake, I''m going to murder you." He grunted.


    The victim of Cain''s threatening smiled ear to ear. "I love you too, bro."


    "Alfred." Cain''s monotone voice rang in the air in pure disappointment. He opened his eyes and stared at his best friend dejectedly.


    Alfred''s eyes widened. "Oh no, you''re saying my name in b-flat. This is not good." He bashfully answered back.


    He walked past Cain, who was still glaring daggers at him. "Alright, let''s meet the old man." Alfred declared and opened the door for Cain while bowing his head. "Please do lead the way, your highness."


    Cain let out a deep breath and made his way out of the room. He bit back a smile at his best friend''s joke. Alfred followed him right after with an etched grin on his face and walked beside him.


    They walked through the hallway, making their way together to the elevator. The trophies around them were sitting on the glass, mockingly waiting for some students to feel insecure every time they saw them. The furniture around the school screamed expensively, showing that this was the best school in Livedam city.


    When they got in the elevator, Alfred made a silly little dance. He pressed the button on the highest floor dramatically. Cain was used to his behaviour that he ignored the red-haired teen completely.


    Alfred looked over to his best friend. "So," He paused, sounds of the elevator rumbling surrounding them. "How''s your little brother?"


    "Oh, Raziel? He''s fine." Cain stated dismissively. Eyes were watching the number of the floor went up more and more.


    Alfred''s eyes flashed into sympathy for a second. He knew his best friend barely had any time for his brother. The little brother was always Cain''s father''s favourite, bringing the younger brother around instead of Cain.


    Alfred''s best friend was too righteous. He did not want to admit that he was sad about it. Cain was a different kind of naive, yet he could not easily be fooled.


    "Well, I heard that he did get detention today," Cain added, shrugging his shoulders.


    Alfred gaped at that. "Whoa, he''s following your step. You''re really brothers under the skin, huh?" Teased the teen playfully.


    Cain snapped his head to the red-haired teen. "I literally got detentions because of you." He retorted back.


    Alfred shrugged and stared at the shorter man. "Well, detention is detention. The teacher gives no shit about who''s wrong."


    "Besides, we are the head of the student council now." He spilled the obvious truth between them. The elevator stopped, the two best friends came out of it and immediately went to the principal''s office.


    You see, this was the punishment for Alfred because he got too many detentions and got away with them so many times for the fact that his father was the principal. So then, the principal himself punished Alfred by making him the student council.


    And brought Cain into the mess.


    "What if I blow up the school? What if I can''t do my job properly and then fail and become a disappointment for my father and then become depressed? I just want to be good for once. Cain, you are the only one who can help me." Alfred said it that time.


    And it worked. Cain actually took the bait. He told you before, Cain was naive, just a different kind of naive.


    Well, maybe Alfred was naive too for clinging to his best friend. He would not admit that, though.


    As they made their way to Alfred''s father, the taller man could not help but feel bad for Cain. His family did not care about him, but the Vergessene would still do anything for them.


    Even though they lived in the same house, Cain could only look at his little brother from afar as Raziel and his father trained. If Alfred was not mistaken, Raziel was learning material arts.


    Alfred stopped at his track, making Cain stop a couple of seconds late upon noticing the footsteps that had stopped. The Vergessene looked back to his best friend questioningly.


    "You should take some time to talk to your brother. You know, just talk it out before it''s too late?" He blurted, causing Cain to furrow his eyebrows.


    "You know I can''t do that. He should focus on his training with father, Al." He answered truthfully.


    Alfred cleared his voice a couple of times and straightened his pose. "Then, as your president, I command you to go home." He made his voice deeper and stared at Cain with a serious face.


    Cain opened his mouth in disbelief. "That''s not how it-"


    Alfred pushed a finger to Cain''s mouth almost comedically. "Shhh, no, shut up and go home. President is commanding."


    He dragged the Vergessene''s collar, making the teen yelped in surprise. Cain helplessly followed his best friend to the elevator again. Alfred took a swift move and pushed Cain inside. "Have a nice night."


    Cain almost fell face-first on the floor. He quickly put his hand on the elevator''s fancy wall, trying to stay steady. He looked at his best friend in a bolt from the blue.


    "Okay, thanks, but I literally just got here, you dumb-"


    Alfred put a hand up, signalling Cain to stop talking. "No, no, no, I don''t want to hear another word from you, now scram."


    The red-haired boy smiled playfully and closed the elevator on him. He managed to scream one last time. "Take care, Cain, say hi to Raziel from me!"


    Cain stared at the closed elevator door in mixed emotions. Disbelief and disappointment were all wrapped up in his eyes, though there was no actual malice in it. He just got here to call his best friend, and now the said best friend told him to go home again?


    His best friend was a moron.


    "One day, I''m actually going to kill that guy." He muttered as he pressed the ground floor button on the elevator.


    "One day."


    Cain got out of the school with the moon up in the sky, shining like beautiful yet broken mirror pieces. He did not realize it was night already. Well, he did come to the school when the sun was almost disappearing from the city. He did not know what he was expecting.


    He went home that night, ignoring the bright amusement park that he passed through. He wondered if Raziel had finished his training or not.


    ??????


    Down south of this city, there was an endless forest stood by. It was surrounded by a thick veil of trees, hauntingly staring at the complex near it. Rumours had it that if you ever found yourself inside, there was no guarantee for you to come out.


    But a boy came out of it. A boy with two mismatched eyes, running away right after crossing the mirror inside the hidden building within the forest. The scientist''s building.


    He finally got back into his own world with only one thought in his head, one home, and one place to come.


    Rune.

 Chapter 62 - Just Like Their Fathers : Part 2

    Cain jerked away, eyes twitching as he felt the hand on his wrist tighten. He became aware of his surroundings. The night had befallen the world. No sounds were surrounding them; it was too quiet.


    The forest rustled as his little brother pulled the older one along with him. Sweats started to form on Cain''s forehead, dry heaving as he tried to follow the teen.


    "Where are we going, Raziel?! Stop it!" Choked the older Vergessene, laboured breaths went out of his mouth.


    "Raziel, stop! Where are we going? Please, stop. You are bleeding." Cain begged. He did not know the person in front of him. But then again, did he ever know his little brother at all?


    They walked and walked and walked. Cain did not know for how long. It could have been hours, and it did feel like it. He did not know how deep they had been in this forest and how the atmosphere around them changed.


    A single light was visible in his eyes. As they got closer, the light''s source was a cosy cottage. It looked pretty big and hidden away in the middle of the forest. Cain did not even know how to get back to their own house now.


    The cottage did not feel abandoned. It was too lively for being in a deep forest. Plants decorated the surrounding of the house. Lights were adorning the inside.


    Cain looked down at his little brother. Moon was standing right behind him almost hauntingly. "Raziel, where are we?" He whispered cautiously.


    "Stay calm." The younger''s blue eyes caught Cain''s blue one as he spoke. "You''ve been friends with someone so dangerous and do your part for the Vergessene. It''s time for you to go back to your own family."


    Before Cain could ask what was all that about, the door in front of them opened, revealing a too familiar woman. She jumped and hugged Raziel. There was blood all over her body, and Cain was too scared to wonder why. She was wearing a black trench coat and a black cloth over her eyes.


    She looked at Cain. Although ''look'' was not the right thing to phrase it, but her head was turning to him as if she could actually see him. Her smile widened, she looked up to Raziel.


    "This is my first son, Cain? Your brother? The only one who''s not aware of what power the Vergessene hold?" She beamed at her youngest son. Her short black hair bounced as she talked.


    Raziel smiled and hugged the woman back. "Not now. He needs to meet with father first." He explained, causing the mother to pouts playfully.


    "Alright then, sweetie. You''re so big now." She ruffled Raziel''s hair full of affections.


    She huffed and let go of the hug. "When will your brother start killing him?" The woman asked, causing Cain to frown. Raziel opened his mouth to speak, but he quickly got cut off by Cain.


    "Killing who? I don''t- what? What is actually happening?" Cain trembled. He took a step backward as Raziel and his mother turned their head over at him.


    "Raziel? Why- how is she here? I thought she- was she always been here? Did you know?" Stuttered the older. His ocean eyes were full of fear as he talked.


    "Cain-" Raziel tried to reach his older brother, making Cain step back again.


    "No, stay away from me! What is happening here? Why is there blood everywhere?!" Panic raised in his throat. The world felt too tight around him as he spoke.


    "Brother, it''s okay. Take a deep breath, alright?" Words of reassurance came through Raziel''s mouth. If it were the usual weak Raziel that he knew, he would have trusted him and gone over to him.


    No.


    Why didn''t he know any of this? Any of- whatever this mess was. Cain could feel his own heartbeat going wild as his fallen hair from the messy bun on his head waved with the tight wind.


    A sound of heavy footsteps came from the cottage. It made the three of them look over to the owner. A green robe covered a man as it dragged along the floor. A hat with veils under it was mythically on his head, surrounded by his long black hair.


    Drops of blood were adorning his face to his neck. Blue eyes stared right through the boy''s soul. Cain''s breath hitched. His wide eyes looked over the red mess around the cottage''s floor.


    He then scanned his surroundings and saw how Raziel and his mother smiled at him as if they welcomed him and not dragged him here.


    Cain wavered as his feet retreated back slowly at the sight of his father. The three beings in front of him stared as if challenging him to actually run away. It all did not make sense. Was he dreaming? Was he that naive?


    His family was the top criminals in this city, wasn''t it?


    He recognized the hat, the veil, and the green robe that his father wore. His mother''s black trench coat and black cloth were too familiar. Why didn''t he notice it before? Why were they hiding it from him?


    Was Raziel- his sweet little brother a criminal too? Then was he the cruel murderer?


    "You are criminals. You three are." Cain stated rather than asked. He staggered back, heartbeats thumping loudly in his eardrums.


    "You''re going to kill me now." He paused, tears prickled on the side of his eyes. "Why didn''t you do it all these times? Why play with me?" He shouted in between his trembling self.


    The father opened his arms for the 17-year-old Cain. Green-gloved hand with tainted red blood came out of the green robe. The slender hands could snap a person''s neck in a second, and Cain believed he would be that person.


    "My son, come." His father spoke as he stuck his hands out. His voice was endearing to the boy, almost echoey to the surroundings.


    Cain found himself frozen in place. The man''s voice went straight to his heart like a knife. It warmed him up, yet there was danger surrounding it.


    Cain fell in a daze as his eyes locked on the man. He could not focus on anything aside from his father''s blue eyes. Part of him screamed to get out of there and ran away, yet he could not move a limb.


    The man''s eyes were kind. Blue and kind, but there was also something more. They were something, anything, and everything. There were thousands of words to describe those eyes but also none at all.


    Why did he not notice this sooner? Was he that naive? Did he fall into a false sense of security with those eyes? Why couldn''t he look away? Why couldn''t he-


    He stepped up, one step, two, and the oak planks creaked beneath him. The man''s hand cradled Cain closer, they walked inside together, and Cain''s eyes still locked on the father''s glinting blue ones.


    And then his father smiled.


    The warm smile on the man''s face never left as he welcomed Cain, almost father-like, something that Cain never had. He smiled, and Cain''s heart seemed to burst with happiness. Wet sprung from his eyes. He had never, ever felt so warm.


    He had never felt so loved.


    The father led Cain to a room with a cozy-looking bed. The room felt like him. It was like he was meant to be here. He tucked him into bed as a sound of inhuman humming pleased down his father''s throat.


    "Sleep, my son." The oldest Vergessene soothed, slender hand brushed Cain''s hair.


    Cain''s eyelids felt heavy as he tried to stay awake. He did not want to lose sight of the warm blue eyes. He unconsciously leaned to the man''s touch. It was warm too.


    Maybe he should sleep.


    Maybe he should-


    "Cain!"


    The 17-year-old teen snapped his head toward the corner of his room when he heard the familiar voice. The firstborn Vergessene widened his eyes at the sight, completely snapped away from whatever was controlling him.


    He felt like the world crashed onto him when he saw Alfred there with a cloth that had fallen out of his mouth. He was chained up, bleeding with a swollen eye and cuts on his neck.


    His father growled angrily at the red-haired teen.


    ??????


    "Axel!" A red-haired girl shouted, gripping the gate in front of her tight as he saw the blue-eyed by across of it.


    Axel wore the blue contact lens again as he came into Rune''s house, barefooted and in a complete mess.


    His white blouse was dirty. Axel threw his white mask away as he got there wholly innocent, with only one hope in his heart. A hope that everything would go back to normal even though it was impossible.


    "Axel!" She exclaimed again, opening her house''s gates and throwing herself onto him.


    "I was so worried! What happened to you? Where were you?!" She cried onto his shoulder, hugging him tightly.


    This was Axel''s choice.. And between the bad and the worse, he created a good choice to take.

 Chapter 63 - Just Like Their Fathers : Part 3

    "Al!"


    Cain staggered his way out of the bed he was on, running into his bleeding and chained up best friend.


    "What-" He choked, trembling hands trying to free Alfred from the chains. "What happened to you?"


    Alfred looked up at his best friend and smiled through his bleeding lips. "No big deal, just a few bruises here and there." The red-haired teen winced when Cain tugged one of the chains that bruised his wrist. "It hurts like hell, though, not going to lie." He tried to joke to calm the panicked Vergessene teen.


    Cain widened his blue eyes when he inspected his best friend''s bruises. The teen quickly snapped his head toward his father angrily. Ocean eyes spit with fire like a burning end of a cigarette.


    "What did you do to him." The teen spat, gritting his teeth as he spoke.


    The father''s warm eyes turned cold when he met Cain''s burning ones. His veil swirled around alongside his green robe. "We want you to kill him, of course." He easily stated, as if it was an obvious answer.


    "..what?"


    "We decided to kidnap him and make you kill him right after." His father continued. The blood on his neck already went down onto the collar of his robe, painting it red.


    "We need to do it for your own beings, for your ritual." He added as he tilted his head and formed a deadly smile for his firstborn. "Besides, you''ll do to for the family, right?"


    "You are fucking kidding me." Cain flatly uttered with full of disbelief in his eyes as he watched his own criminal father. The moon shone dimly from the window, staring and judging the messed up Vergessene family.


    "You think you can just hide the fact that you are a literal criminal for- for 17 years of my life and thought that I would just accept it right off the bat?" The teen rephrased all his father''s statements with a slight deride.


    "And even kill my own damn best friend?" He continued, pointing at Alfred that was trying his best to hold the pain off.


    "Yes, of course." The number one criminal answered effortlessly. The man''s dangerous eyes vaguely blinked behind the veil that was covering his whole face. "I want you to have a normal life before getting into criminal life."


    "You should be thankful for that." He paused, side-eyeing the red-haired teen before diverting his gaze back at his son. "Your own brother never had a normal life like you."


    "A normal life?" Cain repeated his father''s words in a slight sneer. If a normal life was everything that he ever had before today, then he would never want normal life to happen in his life.


    "Are you serious right now?" Cain darted, laughing at his father a little. "You must be joking because it''s way too funny."


    "I''ve lived as an outcast of my own family because you never wanted even to see me right in my eyes or just tell me that I''m enough." He brokenly stated. Everything that was happening right now felt like a fever dream that could actually kill him.


    "I tried my best to be perfect for you," he paused, painting a smile full of irony on his face. "-but now I understand why it''s not enough."


    The memory of how he tried to be perfect at everything, trying to gain his father''s attention, working on making everything right just so he could feel like he was enough, like he was meant to be in the family went fast in his head.


    "I can''t even hang out with my own little brother or have a normal sibling relationship because you always keep him away from me."


    Another memory of him watching Raziel from afar, having so little time to just tell a few jokes or stories from each other. The thought flew in his head for a mere second, remembering how everything was never normal for both of them.


    "My mother is not even there!"


    Cain remembered how he would stare at his mother''s photograph, waiting for her to come home after being gone for years, missing out how Cain had already grown up and never got to celebrate a single mother''s day.


    "If you call being alone and left out normal, then you are way sicker than what the news told that you are." He coldly stated like a piece of ice that pierced into one''s heart and mercilessly froze it.


    The green robe main stayed silent at the statement, eyes full of hidden emotions and thoughts as they did a staring contest between a father and a son.


    "Now, now, honey. Don''t say things like that to your father." A woman with short black hair wearing a black trench coat and a black cloth over her eyes got in the room, trying to calm the tension down with her sweetened voice.


    "No, you shut up!" Cain snapped as he failed to contain his anger any longer. "You were never even there for me, so you don''t get a say in this shit."


    The woman looked startled for a second, almost like Cain''s words hurt her. Though her face quickly morphed into something dark, something sinister.


    "I don''t like the way you talk, young man." She began as her short black hair started to inhumanly stretch, becoming longer and longer as the second passed. "Maybe we should teach you a lesson before we do the ritual, hm?"


    The tip of her hair turned sharp as it glinted under the dim moonlight. The stray hairs sprout in the air, waiting to stab the firstborn Vergessene at any given moment.


    Cain did not even have the time to take what was actually happening right in front of him when the hair turned his way, aiming at his being.


    Right before the hair went into Cain''s shoulders, the teen dropped himself to the ground, trying to dodge them from stabbing him or even killing him.


    The hair accidentally slashed the chains that were holding Alfred and set him free.


    "What the fuck." Alfred unconsciously spoke, freezing as he watched Cain on the ground dumbfounded. Cain returned the stare with an equally confused and terrified gaze.


    The hairs turned at the both of them and tried to stab the pair of best friends again. Cain quickly grabbed the red-haired teen and jumped onto the window near him, letting the hairs pierce onto the floor instead of hurting them. They both landed on the ground outside the cottage with pieces of broken glasses everywhere.


    The two took no time to breathe when they quickly got up and ran away from the cottage like their life depended on it.


    Which it probably was.


    They both ran with adrenaline adorning their whole beings. But then Cain stopped so suddenly and quickly followed by Alfred when they saw Raziel standing in front of them, quietly in between the silent forest.


    Knives started to fly out of Raziel''s pockets, circling on its owner''s back as they aimed at Cain and Alfred. "Sorry, brother."


    Right after the youngest Vergessene said that, the knives began to fly at them at a fast speed, almost leaving no time for them to dodge away as some of the knives successfully sliced their skins.


    "You too?!" Cain shouted while desperately trying to avoid the deadly flying knives.


    Alfred threw a rock at Raziel''s eyes which quickly dodged it easily with a knife before grabbing Cain''s hand to run after swimmingly distracting the youngest Vergessene with a single stone.


    Their chest raised up and down like they were running out of air as they kept running for their life. "Cain, what the hell is up with your brother? No," He paused as he jumped over some falling branches.


    "What the fuck is your family?"


    Cain glared at Alfred. "You think I know?!"


    They separated ways for a moment to avoid a big tree before reuniting again. "If I know even a single shit of any of these, I won''t be running away right now and probably kill you!"


    "Kill me?! You would kill me?" Alfred asked in between his heaving breath.


    Cain grabbed Alfred''s hand when the red-haired teen almost bumped onto a tree. "It''s a ''what if'' scenario, dumbass."


    When they managed to get out of the cursed forest, the two felt like their life span was increasing. A sigh of relief adorned the air as they both dropped onto the ground.


    "That was... something." Alfred began, ignoring the bruises and cuts on his body. "I was not expecting to get kidnapped while watching Spongebob. That was such an uncool scenario like in the movie." He tried to joke to calm the tense atmosphere between them as they stared at the forest entrance.


    The red-haired teen looked over to his best friend sadly, knowing that this was such a shocking experience for Cain to take. He did not even think about how hurt he was when all his worry turned over the Vergessene.


    "I have nowhere else to run," Cain whispered, eyes locked onto the forest with horror mixed with hurt. He turned his head over to Alfred with tears that tried to fall off his blue eyes.


    "I don''t know where to go." He added. Lips began to tremble as he began to realize how messed up everything was.


    "I don''t even know my own family anymore." He choked when the lump in his throat got bigger, trying to eat him alive from the sorrow within him.


    "But you do know your best friend," Alfred answered truthfully, offering his bruised hand over to Cain with a smile.


    "And your best friend will say that you should stay with him and figure everything out together."


    ??????


    "I have nowhere else to run," Axel whispered. He turned his head over to Rune with tears that tried to fall off his blue eyes. One was a fake blue, and one was a real one.


    "I don''t know where to go." He added. Lips began to tremble as he began to realize how messed up everything was.


    "I don''t even know my own family anymore." He choked when the lump in his throat got bigger, trying to eat him alive from the sorrow within him.


    "But you do know your best friend," Rune smiled truthfully as she let go of their hugs, tilting her head fondly, causing her red ponytail to bounce a little.


    "And your best friend will say that you should stay with her and figure everything out together."

 Chapter 64 - Epiphany : Part 1

    "God, what happened to you?" Rune gasped as she brought in medkit to her room, looking at Axel who was getting rid of his white blouse and trying to change into a new shirt.


    There was a slight wide bruise on the Vergessene''s chest. There were also vague black lines spreading from his chest like messed up blooming flowers, adorning his body.


    Not to mention all the scars on his feet and hands.


    "O-oh, you''re here!" Axel quickly turned around, showing his back on Rune with a face that slowly turned red. He desperately tried to hide his body from her as he curled upon himself.


    "God! What happened to your back?!" The red-haired girl blurted out, eyeing the boy''s back like it was some kind of a broken painting.


    The boy furrowed his eyebrows at the exclaim, quickly looking at the mirror near him to see what was actually Rune trying to say. "What happened to my-"


    Axel''s blue eyes widened. "Oh my god, what happened to my back?!"


    There were a black line and a white line on each side of his spine. The lines bubbled up a little as if it was bleeding, making it look like a deep scar that one was trying to paint over.


    "That''s some nasty scar. But I don''t think it''s a scar." Rune darted, walking closer to Axel as she dropped the medicine beside the boy. "Did you get a tattoo?" She popped her head over Axel''s shoulder, trying to make eye contact with him as she spoke.


    "What?" Axel blinked and looked over at Rune''s two warm hazel eyes. "No-"


    "Then it''s a weird looking scar." She cut him off, nodding to herself as she gently pushed Axel to the floor and faced him eye to eye.


    Her pointed hazel eyes scanned the boy''s body from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. "Okay, where should we start."


    Axel''s face was completely red now, unlike Rune''s calm one. She was too focused on trying to heal the boy''s scars to notice the protruding muscles over well-toned abs on the young murderer''s stomach.


    The youngest Vergessene bit his lips when the alcohol brushed his skin. His blue eyes stared at the girl intensely, watching every feature on her face with focus as the red-haired girl did the same to his bruises.


    Her hair was mercury-red, and the tip of her ponytail tumbled over her shoulders. She had saccharine sweet lips; they were blossom soft. Her eyelashes were velvety as the pale hazel eyes blinked slowly, focusing on healing Axel.


    She looked a lot like the demon version of herself.


    "My other self must be worried about you, then." The demon Rune added that day, tilting her head in understatement before scathing her sword inside her hooded cloak again.


    She was right. Rune was worried about him that she cried until her eyes became red and puffy, worrying about him for days.


    "His mission was to kill me." The demon''s words rang in his head as she stated easily that the memory did not terrify her or her trust in him. "But then we became friends."


    "If I thought about it, I should''ve hated him." The princess kept going, trying to prove a point for him. "But I didn''t."


    Why did his counterpart try to kill her? Would he ever do that? Would he actually try to kill Rune if they both never met?


    No.


    Axel shook his head slightly, trying to push the thoughts away. He would never harm his best friend. She was the only one who would stay. She was the only one who would accept him the way he was.


    Right?


    Would she really accept him the way he was? A criminal? A murderer? Would she hate him for it?


    "So I don''t see why your Rune would hate you since you''ve been friends way longer than us." The demon Rune stated the fact as her words yet again flew into his mind, trying to snap Axel out of his daze.


    Axel looked back at his best friend again. He did not even explain what had happened to him when he arrived in front of Rune''s gate, all torn up and had nowhere else to run.


    Would this be the right time to tell her? Would it be okay? What would happen after he said that he was the cruel mute murderer? She at least deserved an explanation.


    "You know, you don''t have to talk about it." Rune suddenly spoke, snapping Axel away from his thoughts and doubts.


    "What?"


    The mercury-red ponytail fell to her back when she looked up to her best friend. "You don''t have to talk about those things you might be thinking of telling me. I won''t ask anything. You can tell me anytime." She clarified sweetly with eyes full of reassurance and warmth.


    A genuine smile started to form on her lips. "I''m just glad that you''re safe." She paused, took a deep breath and shakingly put a hand on Axel''s shoulder. "I thought I lost you, you know?"


    She gripped the shoulder tight but made sure it did not hurt. "You really loved to disappear and made me worry to death every time you did it," Rune confessed with pure worry and reassurance.


    "I swear you took a quarter of my lifespan every time you did the disappearing thing." She chuckled and went back on trying to heal Axel again.


    Even though she only tried to calm him down and told him that everything was fine the way they were right now, the Vergessene boy could not help but feel the guilt eating his gut slowly from every lie he had told her.


    "It''s just..." Axel gulped and let out a shaky breath. "It''s my family." He continued, trying to form the courage to talk even more. "And me too, I guess." The murderer added.


    "I-" He trembled, closing his eyes, trying to look away from the red-haired girl in front of him.


    "The thing is, I''m-" He breathed. He could feel his heart throbbed as the words stuck on the tip of his tongue. "I''m not who you think I am."


    "I just-" He forcibly opened his eyes again and stared right at Rune, who patiently waited for him to finish his words.


    Rune smiled as if saying to him to take all the time he needed. She nodded and raised her eyebrows while tilting her head, waiting for Axel to continue what he was about to say.


    "Rune, I-" The boy trembled and closed his eyes again. He could not see her face. The kind face that would morph into hatred and betrayal right after he told her everything.


    A hand brushed his hair and tucked it behind his ear. The boy slowly opened his eyes to see Rune''s calming one that was an inch away from his face.


    "Hey. It''s alright." She intertwined their foreheads together, causing the tip of their nose to touch with each other.


    "I don''t know what''s happening at your home, but I just want you to know that I''m here." She spoke quietly. Their eyes met with each other like the world was going to be okay if they stuck together.


    The time seemed to stop as they stayed like that for a while. Axel''s upper body was covered with bandages and completely covered his whole skin, only leaving his right shoulder on display.


    The boy could feel her melting breath mixed with his own. Her hands were holding each side of his ears, causing him to freeze and only look at his best friend.


    Then she suddenly bumped their foreheads together, causing him to startle at the sudden aggression and blinked confusedly at the smirking girl who was already away from his face.


    "Unless you''re accidentally turned out to be a criminal or something, I might get really pissed." Rune joked, trying to calm the tense atmosphere between them as she went back to finish the bandages.


    Though she did not realize that she just made it worse.


    Maybe not today. Axel would tell her later, but not today.


    Today he would like to feel the warmth of someone. To be a normal human.


    "Ah, right." He chuckled ironically, faking it like he always did. "Yeah, it''s just my family."


    "You know, I just feel like I don''t want to go home right now." Axel shrugged, causing his black locks to fall slightly over his eyes.


    She finished her last bandage on him and looked up at the boy with two smiling eyes. A pair of arched eyebrows looked down on sweeping eyelashes, beautifully painted her face.


    "I can be your home if you want to." She offered, putting a hand on Axel''s and intertwining their fingers. "And you''ll be my home too."


    "Home is not a place, it''s people." She continued as she slowly hugged the boy and fondly buried her head on his chest.


    "And you are one of the people."

 Chapter 65 - Epiphany : Part 2

    Everything oddly felt normal.


    It was as if all the things that he had been through; the war, the kidnapping, the turning-


    It was as if he had never been there.


    The city was healing, and the police kept searching for the mercenary and his murderer. The dead governments were all replaced by the new governments as history repeated itself.


    Nothing changed aside from the new buildings and the faces that were gone from the world, eaten by the fire and the made-up demons.


    Nothing changed except that Axel may have become a monster of his own, a demon, and could never go back to his own humanity.


    But then again, he was good at ignoring red flags. He was part of the Vergessene family, the family of denial. So he was alright at wherever and whatever he was right now.


    At least he did not ignore the fact that he was in a messed up family and actually ran away. It was a matter of time until they met again, but Axel did not want to think about that. He wanted to live in the present. He did not want to see the future.


    He was back to school after the rebuilding finished. He lived in Rune''s big house now. A place that was actually a literal president''s mansion. Both of them got even closer than before with a lingering fear that they could lose each other when they blinked.


    And Axel felt like he was so close to losing Rune in many ways. The president''s daughter felt like she could lose her prince again every time she turned around and faced the other way.


    The white knight was protecting her prince while containing a monster behind the said prince. Though, she did not need to know right now. Everyone knew it was better this way.


    It had been two weeks, and Axel felt like he could go back to being a normal kid his age. Studying, laughing, stressing, and playing. And he would hate to admit that he kind of missed his bully a little. Maybe Aster was not that bad.


    But these past two weeks were going too fast. It was unfair. Every time something terrible happened to him, one second felt like an hour to the boy. And yet, when everything was fine, the days passed like a blink of an eye.


    And the part of him that kept screaming everything would go wrong in any given moment was too loud. He wished it could just shut up.


    A sound of a ringing bell blasted his ears, causing the boy to jump and go back to reality. He looked around to see his teacher leaving the room and the students following the steps right after.


    "Wanna go to the cafeteria?" Rune dropped her head over Axel''s shoulder. Hazel eyes patiently waited for an answer as t supported the smiling lips on her face.


    "I don''t feel like it. I think I''ll say here." Axel moved his eyes over to his best friend and returned the smile.


    She nodded, causing her red ponytail to wiggle a little. "I''m just going to buy some food and eat here, actually. You want some?"


    Axel froze in his place as his mind played the horrifying scene that had been haunting him all the time.


    He remembered how he gagged a couple of times until painful nausea hit him hard. When he immediately lurched, coughing hard that he could feel his throat being ripped off. He tried to gulp down, finding what was going on with his throat.


    He could feel a bitter taste coming out as it lingered in his mouth. He remembered how he lurched forward again, expecting a gag but instead, a ridiculously amount of red liquid poured down on the floor, making a tiny pool in front of him.


    The terrifying and haunting memory of how he kept puking his own blood as he felt a familiar hand on his back, rubbing circles, trying to calm him down. And how he heaved up and down as he froze, looking at his own blood in horrified silence.


    Axel actually had not been eating very much after that incident. He just seemed like he could not swallow any food like he used to do.


    He shook his head without causing his smile to disappear. "I''ll pass."


    A flash of understanding flashed on the girl''s face, almost sad and pitying. "I''ll get you a drink then." Said the red-haired girl before patting the Vergessene''s shoulder and going out of the classroom.


    Rune had been treating him like he would break at any moment. Like he was a glass inside her hand that could break if you let it go but would also break if you held it too tight.


    But Axel understood her wariness. She was afraid of losing him again. She was scared of hurting him by forcing him to actually tell her everything.


    And he knew he was selfish that he had kept everything from her as he stayed with her.


    Or maybe coward. A selfish coward.


    But he was afraid if he actually told her everything, it would only hurt her. But if he did not tell her anything, he would actually hurt his best friend too. He could not take a step forward nor a step back. He was forced to stay in the middle of the road until something actually pushed him or dragged him away.


    Or maybe he did not care about her feeling at all. Perhaps he was the one who was afraid to get hurt again when she found out the truth.


    "Hey, loser!" A voice shouted from behind as a hand slapped the back of the said loser.


    Axel closed his eyes as he braced the pain. He had been sensitive with touch lately. It seemed like his body was afraid that every single thing that touched him might hurt him.


    Aster let his right leg support his whole body and relaxed his left leg as he raised his eyebrows at the youngest Vergessene. "How''s life?" The blond asked, looking at Axel as if he was calculating the boy.


    "Well," The said boy bit his lips and smiled awkwardly. "I''m fi-"


    "Actually, don''t answer that." Aster cut the black-haired boy off, waving his hand dismissively in front of Axel''s face. "It''s called a basic manner of greeting. I''m just saying some useless shits to start a conversation or whatever."


    Axel blinked sheepishly at the bully.


    Since when did Aster have a manner?


    The blond jumped onto the table beside Axel and sat on it. He put a leg on top of the other as his forest eyes stared at the ocean ones. "You know, my brother has been interrogating me for days about your brother. It''s annoying." He complained while rolling his eyes at the boy.


    "Oh, and you really made me do a lot of work by disappearing on the world burn day." Aster sighed, remembering how he had to chase Rune down for the mute murderer.


    "I had to actually chase your dear white knight when she just went woosh and fucking broke into your house." He continued to complain, grunting when he remembered how tiring and traumatizing that day was.


    Not that he was scared or anything of course.


    A sudden realization seemed to flash into his mind, causing the Edelweiss to frown at the Vergessene. "Actually, where the fuck are you that day?"


    Axel''s eyes widened for a second before completely masking it with his usual nervousness. "I- um..."


    Axel could feel sweat running down the side of his forehead when Aster''s watching eyes seemed to interrogate him even more. The blond eyed him like an eagle, gawking at the black-haired boy as if he would swallow him right away.


    Axel''s feet started to tap nervously on the floor. He scratched the back of his neck while diverting his eyes away from the watching Edelweiss boy. "Well-"


    "Wow, you actually look like murder boy if I actually focus on it."


    The sudden exclaim from Aster made him snap his head at his bully with a slight frown. The blond moved his face closer to Axel as he squinted his eyes at the boy.


    The sweat formed even more on Axel''s forehead. His heartbeat went faster every second. He fiddled with his nails while trying to stay as calm as possible.


    "You''re probably his doppelganger or something from the eyes and the hair," Aster commented while nodding at himself, still looking at Axel with a serious face of calculating gaze.


    Right, Axel forgot that Aster was kind of a moron.


    "Huh, wonder where the guy went. I''ve been waiting for him to take the white cap for weeks now. Hope that he''s okay." Aster sighed again as he finally took away his gaze from Axel. He quickly jumped onto the floor from the table he was sitting on and walked away from the Vergessene.


    Right before he reached the doorway, he turned back to face Axel and pointed at the Vergessene''s face. "Oh right. You didn''t hear me say shits, okay. Or else-"


    He made a motion by slicing his neck with his thumb threateningly. He clicked his tongue and finally got out of the classroom and leaving Axel alone.


    Axel did not know why he had to be nervous about Aster finding his identity. He was glad that the blond was too stupid for this.


    The boy sighed and looked out of the window with two wondering blue eyes. Although one of the eyes were not actually blue.


    He should get the white cap tomorrow.

 Chapter 66 - Epiphany : Part 3

    Axel crept behind Aster''s fence, watching the Edelweiss''s household thoroughly, waiting for an opportunity to break in. The house screamed fancy while at the same time there were so many plants surrounding it.


    The cream colour of the wall supported the delicate brown rooftop and the black window frame. At the same time, red roses surrounded the side of the house, facing the big fence.


    The sun would hide under the horizon in a few hours. The orange sky adorned the world, fighting the usual blue colour as it tried to morph into a dark shade of the night.


    The youngest Vergessene fixed his white mask as he let his black fluffy locks cascade down onto his blue eyes. He blinked while putting more pressure on his right eye to make sure his contact lens stayed still.


    He jumped and let his white-gloved hand hold his weight as it gripped the top of the fence. His feet were swaying in the air before he brought his right leg over the fence and quietly landed on the ground.


    He cautiously looked around, tiptoeing to Aster''s bedroom window calmly. He peeked into the window and made sure no one was around.


    When he believed that Aster was not there, he quickly raised the window open and made himself in. He stumbled a little upon the clothes on the floor and quickly gripped the edge of Aster''s study table so he would not fall.


    He caught the sight of the white cap on top of his classmate''s wardrobe and quickly reached up, trying to take it into his grip.


    He actually did not know why he was still wearing this cap, considering that the Vergessene got it when the boy was twelve from a stranger that he did not even remember the face of. Sometimes he would wonder if he would ever meet the person okay.


    Axel just hoped that the person was still alive.


    The boy stared at the white cap with two empty eyes. This cap was the witness of how many people he had been killed to live up to the name as the mute murderer.


    "Murder boy?"


    Axel widened his eyes at the sudden voice. "Shit." He mumbled quietly, slowly facing the blond that was standing in the doorway.


    "You''re alive! Holy shit! You actually didn''t die!" Aster exclaimed happily. The kind of reaction that should not actually be there when one was faced with a literal dangerous criminal.


    Axel answered him with a shrug, watching the blond as he slammed the door shut and ran at him excitedly.


    Technically, he almost died. Like many times. He even believed that he had died, considering his heart was stabbed, and his whole body got turned into something he was not supposed to be.


    "Dude, how''s life? It''s been so long since we go on an adventure together, eh?" Aster slapped the mute murderer''s shoulder as he wiggled his eyebrows at the criminal


    Axel really wouldn''t call it an adventure. But Aster had a unique sight on things, he guessed. "You''re here to take the cap, right?" The blond moved his eyes to the white cap in Axel''s hand. "You are a man that keeps your words, I see."


    "No pun intended." Aster peacefully raised both of his hands as he sat on the edge of his bed.


    The blond patted the space beside him and stared at the mute murderer with an exciting smirk. "Here, sit down."


    Axel shook his head politely and raised both of his hands to decline the offer. He pointed at the window to tell the Edelweiss that he needed to go.


    Aster tugged the boy''s sleeves and brought him down to sit beside him. Forcibly. "Come on, murder boy! We''ve literally been working together many times now."


    Many times?


    Axel gave him a look.


    "Okay, maybe two times- but at least it''s more than once!" Aster corrected his words, trying to define everything.


    The blond boy was about to open his mouth to talk again when suddenly, the door was opened, revealing identical green eyes and blond hair as Aster, looking right into the both of them.


    "Aster, what do you want for din-"


    Axel was quick enough to turn around so the lieutenant would not see his mask nor the white cap and his gloved hands. Valerian only saw the back of his body as the older eyed him suspiciously.


    "Who''s that with you?" The lieutenant asked his brother, almost demanding.


    "Um-" Aster sweat nervously, glancing at the mute murderer in a desperate state before diverting his gaze back at his older brother. "A friend?"


    The lieutenant raised an eyebrow. "Really?"


    "Alright then." The older Edelweiss stated as he started walking toward the mute murderer, achingly slow.


    "I''m Valerian, Aster''s brother." He began introducing himself to the boy, still eyeing him sceptically. "What''s your name?" The lieutenant asked him as if he was interrogating the black-haired murderer.


    Aster stood up and stayed between the mute murderer and his brother. "Look, Val. I think you should go." He began, trying to push Valerian away from the mute murderer. "He doesn''t really talk much and-"


    Valerian softly shoved Aster to the bed and forcibly turned the mute murderer around to face him.


    When he met a familiar boy with blue eyes, smiling awkwardly at his being while scratching the back of his neck with his bare hand, Valerian was not expecting this.


    Maybe he was paranoid with white clothing. He should stop being like this and quickly arrest the mercenary.


    Though Aster was frozen in his place, staring at Axel like he had grown a second head. His green eyes were blown wide, entirely stricken by the sight of the boy as Axel believed the blond''s soul left his body for a moment.


    "Hi! Um, I''m Axel. Your brother''s friend." Axel offered his hand for a handshake that Valerian gladly took.


    Aster''s mouth trembled from shock as he desperately tried to speak. "Wait wh-"


    Axel gave Aster another look before quickly masking his eyes with fragileness again to fool the lieutenant.


    "Oh. You''re the Vergessene." Valerian let go of their handshake as his green eyes moved from the top of Axel''s head to the tip of his toes.


    "Do you perhaps know where your brother is going?" The sudden question was what Axel had expected. He had been prepared for this act.


    He learned it from Kiaran anyway.


    The Vergessene fiddled with his fingers, looking at anywhere but Valerian''s sharp green eyes. "Um, I''m kind of running away from home right now, so...."


    Axel grimaced as he forced a smile at Valerian. "Yeah."


    The lieutenant blinked. "Oh."


    "I understand." In understatement, Valerian put a hand on his shoulder while nodding at the black-haired boy. "I would run away if I were you too."


    The lieutenant turned around, sighing as he walked away from the room. Right before he closed the door, Axel could hear a mumble from Aster''s brother. "Poor boy."


    Ironically, Axel agreed.


    "Wait- where''s the mute murderer?" Aster whisper-yelled at him, looking at Axel with a confused look.


    Axel would think he was joking if the blond''s face was not so serious right now. "Seriously?" He answered flatly, trying to keep up with the blond''s low IQ.


    "Are you pretending to be him?!" Aster gripped both of his shoulders, looking at him exasperatedly.


    "He''s going to be so pissed if he found out about this." The blond added, lecturing the literal mute murderer.


    Axel''s mouth dropped. He stared at his classmate with disbelief, completely stricken by the dumb blond. "I-"


    "Dude." He deadpanned, rolling his eyes to the back of his head with this dumb situation he was in.


    Axel sighed as he slowly put down the hands on his shoulders. He picked the white cap and waved it in front of Aster. "I''m just going to take this and go." He uttered, trying to stand up just to be brought down by the blond again.


    "It''s not yours! It''s murder boy''s!" Aster exclaimed at the mute murderer.


    Axel sighed again, closing his eyes as he tried to calm himself from murdering the blond. Maybe this boy was in denial. But a really stupid, foolish, and ludicrous denial.


    "For god sake- I''m the mute murderer, Aster." The Vergessene raised his voice at him, completely done by his shenanigans.


    "What?" The boy croaked confusedly, trying to shove down the denial and actually used his brain for once.


    "What- no, that''s-" Aster shook his head, backing away from Axel with two aimless eyes.


    He looked up at Axel with a frown, blinking his green eyes so many times that made him look really ridiculous and more foolish than ever. "Am I high?"


    Axel smiled. "Yes."


    The Vergessene stood up and wore his white cap again. He took no time to run for the window and got out of this fever dream that he was sharing with Aster. "Now, I''m just gonna go-"


    "Wait!" Aster followed his classmate''s movement, trying to catch Axel. "Does that mean you''re high too?!"

 Chapter 67 - Bonus : Axels Third Mission

    The sun had greeted the world with its warm light, kindly giving the Livedam city a taste of sunshine.


    Axel could not sleep a wink last night. Everything was overwhelming, confusing, and scary.


    He was scared about what had happened to him. Had he imagined all of that? Had he dreamed? Was it all just his hallucinations? Had he gone mad? It all felt so real.


    Or was it?


    The bodies were real. Axel had killed twenty people last night. But he still felt like it was only a dream.


    Kiaran wasn''t letting him rest until three in the morning. He had to train to be a better murderer¡ªa better brother.


    Axel just did not know anymore. He did not know why everything was happening so fast; everything was spinning. He felt like the world was consuming him slowly, and he could not breathe, he couldn''t-


    "Axel! Wake up already. We''re going to be late!" Yelled his brother. Kiaran''s voice had managed to bring Axel back to reality.


    Right, it''s Monday. The weekend was over. He should prepare for school.


    Axel found himself stumbled across his room. He managed to glance toward his window. The boy couldn''t help but notice how the weather was fighting with the forests as the trees were trying to stand despite the wind''s rage.


    Maybe this was for the best. He needed to do it for his brother. Axel was just overreacting. Maybe he was too tired that day. Everything would be fine, and yesterday was just one of those bad days. He should relax.


    He opened the door and found Kiaran sitting on the dining chair with a disapproving look. His brother stared at him with his hands crossed over his chest, a sardonic smile stayed on his face.


    "Took you long enough," Kiaran commented. A glass of coffee in his hand was almost empty. Two plates of scrambled eggs were on the table, untouched.


    "Sorry." Axel choked. The wan boy dragged his feet to the dining table. He was completely out of it. He took a seat and ignored the third and fourth chairs as always. He sighed as he began to eat his food slowly.


    Kiaran raised one of his eyebrows upon seeing his brother''s state. He took a mouthful spoon off his plate, eyes still locked on his little brother. "You alright?" He finally asked.


    Axel did not answer though. His eyes were fixated on his breakfast. An absent look was adorning his face.


    Kiaran wrinkled his eyebrows at that as his blue eyes calculated the boy in front of him. The mercenary shrugged in the end and decided to leave the boy alone.


    After eating their breakfast with uncanny silence surrounding them, they started to walk to their school together just like they usually did.


    They passed several familiar buildings. The traffic sounds wafted through the air while people were busy going to their own destination. Axel couldn''t help but ignore everything. His head was still pounding from the lack of sleep he was having.


    When they passed a certain familiar amusement park with police lines surrounding it, Axel felt a dread eating his stomach away, remembering how he had been the one who did it all.


    "It''s tragic, isn''t it? A fun place that turned out to be a misery." Kiaran commented, and Axel only listened like he always did.


    Time passed by so fast as they suddenly arrived at school. Axel quickly lumbered to the building. His eyes were heavy, and his right shoulder was itching. He deafened his surrounding, ignoring how every student clumped together in groups.


    When he reached the class, he went to the seat on the second row near the window and threw his bag at the table. He slumped in the seat and stared outside. Sun was glaring at him, yet he didn''t care.


    Rune was not here today. She was on a trip with her father, the president. Axel was kind of glad she wasn''t here. He could not bear the guilt on how he had been a murderer and let her be friends with a criminal.


    "Alright, everyone, get back to your seat." A man with a fancy suit went inside his class. It was the principal, of course. He loved showing how wealthy he was.


    Axel looked over at the principal, deciding to stop his eyes from burning for looking at the sun too long. He tilted his head slightly at the woman beside the principal with emptiness. It was the new teacher.


    "Good morning, everyone. I am here to announce our new history teacher who''s going to be your new homeroom teacher too." Declared the principal.


    Chatters rang across the class. Everyone was talking in a hushed whisper. Axel felt his curiosity building up and tried to listen to what his classmates'' were talking about.


    "I heard mister David got into an accident yesterday." A girl with a ponytail that Axel did not remember the name said. The other girl in front of her turned her body slightly to her friend. "What? Really? So the school is replacing him already?"


    "Yeah, I don''t know the full story, but I heard that he died." The girl continued. A terrified look was showing on her face.


    "I bet it was the hitman. He''s been haunting the city once in a while. We''re lucky we are not living near the forest. Most people died there." Commented a boy beside the ponytail girl. The girl''s eyes went wide at that.


    A playful smirk bloomed on the boy''s face. "Who knows, it''s just a matter of time before-" He slowly put his hands on the girl''s shoulder and whispered, "-he kills you too."


    The girl let out a shriek and punched the boy lightly. "Stop it! You''re scaring me!" The girl cried. The boy laughed at the girl.


    "Father?" Axel mumbled to himself, frowning. So his father killed his homeroom teacher? What a coincidence.


    "Attention, please, everyone!" Beckoned the principal almost angrily. Axel was startled at the sudden yell. The whole class went silent afterwards.


    The principal cleared his voice and fixed his tie. "Miss Mallory, you can introduce yourself to the class now. I''ll take my leave." He nodded to Miss Mallory and left the room. The sound of his footsteps could be heard echoing in the hallway.


    Everyone''s eyes were gawking at the new teacher now. Her red hair went well with her sapphire eyes. She gave a nice friendly smile and inspected the room. Her eyes caught with Axel for a second, and the boy could feel the warmth radiating from her look.


    A warmth like a mother''s eyes.


    Axel wondered if his mother''s eyes were this warm too.


    "Right." The teacher cleared her voice before making her smile even bigger. "Hello everyone, my name is Leila Mallory. You can call me Miss Leila or Miss Mallory. It''s up to you!" She exclaimed excitedly.


    "Miss Leila, how old are you?" Someone on the back row asked. Everyone''s eyes seemed to stay on the teacher, waiting for an answer.


    Miss Leila giggled, "Oh my, have I looked that old already?"


    "No! You look so young. That''s why we want to know!" Someone in the class yelled, and sounds of agreement filled the class.


    "Oh, I''m blushing." She darted, her straight hair bounced as she spoke, "I''m not that young actually. I''m supposed to be 31 now." She admitted. Everyone in the class gaped at her.


    "Besides, age is not important, you know." She walked around the class. Her pale skin shined brightly as the sun brushed her skin from the window. "You know what''s important? History." She hummed, causing everyone to groan at her statement.


    "Everyone remembers the kingdom that used to stand in here? The kingdom fell in the year 1842 as the result of the big massacre." She explained. Axel found it hard to keep focus as the throbbing in his head became worse.


    "Because of that big massacre, this city was called the city of tragedy from the outsiders." She continued. Sapphire eyes glimmered as she told the story.


    Axel could have sworn Miss Leila was still talking, yet he could not hear anything. Everything was moving so fast. His shoulder was burning again. It got worst every time he tried to move.


    His mind was ringing. Cold sweats were forming on his forehead. The world was all blurry and he could not see anything.


    His breath was ragged. He could feel his own laboured breaths. The pain ricocheted through him, and he could not take it anymore.


    He could faintly hear Miss Leila scream as he fell.


    ??????


    Axel groaned in pain as he woke up. His eyes squinted as he opened them, trying to adjust with the light. His head was absolutely killing him. His right shoulder had just gotten worse now. He could feel the pain spreading to his neck.


    Maybe he should have used his left hand for shooting instead of using his right hand only. Kiaran was right. He needed to train more.


    "Oh, you''re awake!" A soft voice sang beside him. He turned his head slowly and spotted a familiar red hair.


    He almost thought it was Rune if it wasn''t for the loss of ponytail adorning the red hair or the height.


    "Miss Leila?" He vaguely asked, squinting his blue eyes at the woman.


    "Yes, it''s me." the said woman smiled. "You''ve been out for two hours. You really make me panic on my first day you know." She teased while helping Axel get up.


    "Sorry." He choked. He depended on miss Leila who was helping him to sit on the bed.


    The woman was startled by the 12-year-old''s answer. "Oh no, no, I''m just teasing you, don''t be sorry for something you didn''t do." She tried to justify softly.


    "Axel, right?" She pointed out, and the Vergessene slowly nodded. "Okay, do you want a drink?" She continued, and the boy nodded again.


    She quickly rushed to get a glass of water before handing it out to Axel.


    Axel drank all of it in one go, gulping every single liquid that went inside his throat. He quietly whispered a little thank you to Miss Leila as he finished.


    "Don''t worry about it, you''re my student after all." She addressed and ruffled his hair fondly.


    Axel blinked at the sudden physical touch and watched her as she brought out her phone from her pocket.


    "Is there anyone I can contact right now? It''s better if you stay home for the current time since you need more rest." She asked, a kind etched smile staying on her face without a single waver.


    "Uh, my brother''s at school right now. I can just wait in here? He will pick me up after school." Axel answered. He smiled at her politely.


    She nodded in understatement. "Do you have any parents I can contact besides your brother? Or any relative?"


    Axel contemplated his answer for a moment. His thought went over his father and Adreanna, who was still not coming home.


    He bit his lips nervously and answered, "no, I don''t have any parents or relatives."


    Guilt flashed over Miss Leila''s eyes. "Oh no, I''m sorry." She uttered apologetically.


    She stood up, her hands brushing her clothes as she adjusted them. "How about I drive you home?" The woman offered kindly, looking at him with two warm sapphire rubies that adorned her eyes.


    Axel stuttered at the offer. "Don''t you have any class right now?"


    Her hands waved in dismissal. "No, this is my first day, I was supposed to introduce myself to your class and look around the school, nothing more." She explained, trying to pick her words thoroughly as if Axel was some kind of a wounded animal.


    "I could ask the principal to send you home." She added. Her words were sweet like caramel.


    Though it was a shame, really.


    "That''s great then," Axel exclaimed bitterly with a sweet voice that tried to cover the bitterness.


    The mute murderer''s face morphed into ice. The boy shoved down the emotions in his heart as he stared at the kind woman.


    As he stared at a person that might be the first one to worry about him just like Rune did.


    "I''m sorry, miss."


    It was a shame, really.


    Axel wondered in between his hands that were choking her. Maybe that was how it felt to have someone worry about you. Like a mother that he never had.


    Her sapphire eyes slowly turned red from the lack of air she got. The boy held her neck tight, refusing to let it go as he just stayed silent at the dying woman.


    It was a shame, really.


    When the woman slowly went limp on his hold, Axel did not tremble a lot like he did last night.


    It was a shame, really.


    When Kiaran told him to kill a new teacher that would arrive at the school today, and yet the older trained him all night, causing him to get sick in the middle of learning.


    But this must have been his brother''s plan. So he could kill her easily when no one was around.


    It was a shame, really.


    The woman was too kind, but Axel learned how to shove down the guilt in his heart and just stayed silent.


    He was supposed to be mute anyway.


    And so the boy finished his third mission with Kiaran that was clapping his hands in the doorway. Axel looked over to his brother to see a grin full of insanity and mock.


    "You finished your training today, you may go to sleep now." Kiaran closed the door slowly, walked away and disappeared from the hallway.


    Was it a shame, really?

 Chapter 68 - A Real Friend : Part 1

    "So, do you want to tell what happened between you and Aster?" Rune asked Axel out of the blue, raising her eyebrows at her best friend.


    Axel scratched the back of his neck as he looked over to Rune with an overly innocent face. "Uh, well- nothing, really."


    The red-haired girl sighed as she took a seat beside the boy''s desk. She intertwined her fingers and closed her eyes, taking all the air she could before asking her best friend again.


    "Then explain," She darted, pointing at Aster with her thumb, which was stealing glances at them like they were some kind of a criminal.


    "Why the hell has he avoiding you like you''re about to eat him alive since this morning."


    ??????


    "Oh my god, you''re the mute murderer."


    The two were sitting on the blond''s bed again with no words and empty gazes, probably questioning their own existence.


    "The loser is the mute murderer. What the fuck." Aster mumbled to himself, completely trying to ignore the presence beside him.


    The blond managed to prevent Axel from leaving, trying to actually talk about their situation. The Edelweiss boy attempted to grasp the reality and managed to slap himself a couple of times just to make sure he wasn''t dreaming.


    Aster slowly turned his head over to Axel. A single sweat started to form on the side of his forehead. "Why didn''t you tell me?" The blond asked, demanding an answer.


    Axel sighed, closing his eyes to ease down the irritation within him. "Never wanted to." He answered and returned his classmate''s stare.


    "Never thought about it until I have to save your ass from getting into prison because your brother might think you are working with the mute murderer. Or even befriending him."


    Axel did not mention the fact that he was running away from Kiaran. Therefore, Valerian should not know that he was here. It would cause more problems and dragged Axel over the lieutenant and the mercenary''s danced around each other.


    Aster tried to take the information into his brain. He tilted his head questioningly at Axel. "We worked with each other, though. Remember?"


    "Aster," Axel motioned his hands around to reinforce his words. "-we were kidnapped." He answered impassively.


    "And the second time was a life or death situation." The Vergessene boy explained, pointing out the ridiculous things that had been happening between the two.


    Aster scrunched up his nose and deepened his frown. "I actually thought we formed some kind of a bond there." He stated and had the audacity to almost sound sad.


    "We have been classmates for ten years, and I think we do have a bond." His blue eyes sardonically met the green ones as he deepened his gaze at the bully. "Like literally."


    A flash of realization formed on Aster''s face. "Oh. That bond."


    The blond slowly shrugged unapologetically. "Oops?"


    "Just-" A satirical look bloomed on the young murderer''s face. "Stop trying to talk to me when I''m the mute murderer."


    "If this keeps happening, the lieutenant would actually arrest you." He explained, trying to put some sense on the boy beside him.


    Aster crossed his hands over his chest defensively. "My brother won''t do that to me." He ventured, trying to defend Valerian.


    "Alright." Axel moved his feet far away from the boy and stood up. "-so you want to find out?"


    The black-haired boy began to walk over to the front door easily with a smile full of sarcasm. He put on his mask and white cap right before he reached the doorknob. "Let me just call him again and-"


    "Wait! What are you doing?!" Aster tugged the back of his white hoodie and held Axel back.


    The mute murderer raised his eyebrows at the blond. "To find out if you will go to prison or not. It might be a funny sight to see, though. I''d pay for it."


    Aster brought his classmate farther away from the door. "Since when you''re a sass, loser?" He asked as he was completely unaware of this version of the Vergessene.


    He was completely unaware of everything, actually.


    "I don''t know." Axel pretended to think about it and looked at a ceiling. "Maybe because I''m stuck in this ridiculous situation with my god damn bully, who knows?" He diverted his gaze back at the blond derisively.


    "Tch, you deserve it, though." Aster looked at him with his usual belittling face.


    The young murderer blinked sheepishly. "I''m sorry, what?"


    "The bullying." The Edelweiss boy answered, sneering at Axel. "You are such a loser that you deserve it."


    Disbelief sprouted in Axel''s eyes as he put away his mask with an unhinged grin. "You found out that I''m a murderer and still trying to bully me?" The Vergessene boy asked, even though it was more like a statement.


    "What?" The blond taunted with a countering gaze. "You''re still just an Axel to me anyway."


    Axel suddenly froze at that statement.


    He knew what Aster meant was that he was the same loser in the blond''s eyes. But the words were something that Axel hoped someone would say to him. That he was enough. That he was still the same Axel, the same human being behind the mask that he wore.


    Aster took Axel'' silence as the sign that he had fucked up and realized that he might die now and then. A fight and flight response appeared in his forest eyes as he tried to find a way to save his life.


    He took the mute murderer way too lightly because he was Axel. He really did not think this through and signed up for his grave right on the Vergessene''s face.


    "Though how could you not tell me that you''re the mute murderer." And so Aster decided to change the topic to save his ass.


    The blond could not express how relieved he was when he saw Axel''s face turned into disbelief and playful irritation. "I''ve been telling you for these past minutes that I''m the mute murderer, and you even saw my face, I-" The Vergessene cut himself off and took a deep breath.


    "I don''t have time for this," Axel stated to himself and Aster and probably the world.


    "I''m too tired of this shit." He continued and began to walk over to the window. He opened it with his bare hands and put a foot outside.


    He wore his white mask and his infamous white cap before looking back at Aster. "Just don''t tell anyone about this, alright?"


    The blond shrugged while nodding, hiding the relief and dread in his heart at how close he was to seeing god earlier.


    "Or else." Axel continued, bringing his thumb to his throat and making a slicing movement just like what Aster did yesterday.


    The Edelweiss boy gulped. He froze in his place as sweats rained down the side of his forehead, racing with each other.


    Just before the mute murderer disappeared from his classmate''s sight, Axel got to admit, the terrified green eyes were kind of a funny thing to see.


    ??????


    Axel blinked his eyes innocently after remembering yesterday''s foolish event. He looked at Rune and smiled. "It''s nothing, really."


    "Just a few bonds here and there." He calmly answered, still staring at the red-haired girl with two uninvolved blue eyes.


    Rune opened her mouth and frowned. She was about to ask more questions when the door suddenly burst open, and a teacher walked inside with books in his hands.


    "I''m just going to pretend I understand your words." She stated hurriedly and stood up from where she was sitting.


    Her red ponytail waved as she went back to her seat. Hazel eyes were still shooting a suspicious look at Axel who quickly broke their eye contact to avoid more interrogations.


    Axel looked back to where Aster was sitting and raised his eyebrows at Aster tauntingly. The blond widened his eyes when their gaze met with each other.


    The Vergessene boy found it kind of funny how the tables had turned. His mouth formed a playful smirk like how Kiaran did when he met Valerian.


    It seemed like being a sworn enemy and taunting the Edelweiss brothers ran in their blood.


    "And I thought I''m just Axel to you." He mouthed at the blond, ridiculing the bully to his core.


    The Edelweiss gritted his teeth at the Vergessene. Green eyes burned with fire that could not get out-- for it was dangerous for him to throw fire into two blue eyes of a murderous bomb.


    "Shut up, loser.." Aster mouthed back and quickly looked away from him.

 Chapter 69 - A Real Friend : Part 2

    Aster had so many friends.


    Unlike Rune, he used his title as the head chief''s youngest son, as the Edelweiss family to use. He did not have everything like how Valerian did, so the boy grasped everything he could within his fingers.


    And just like what he did to everyone, the people around him did the same to him as well, trying to take advantage of the youngest Edelweiss, everything that the boy could''ve had.


    It was tragic in a way, but the boy was too caught up in his own ego to admit it.


    People fell beneath his feet, bow down just to use him and be his minions because he was supposed to be as good as Valerian, the golden child, the star of the family.


    But in the end, everyone would realize that he was just Aster. A boy who would never be good enough in front of his parents, his brother, and the world.


    So when he met a boy who almost fell into the same fate as him, he should have understood him and maybe befriended him.


    But the boy was actually perfect even though he was not good enough in his own family''s eyes. Axel Vergessene was perfect and always enough in front of the outside world.


    That was unfair.


    That was really unfair.


    Everyone thought highly of him. The sad Vergessene boy that his family never cared that much about him just to attend a simple family day. But he was smart and kind and loyal and nice and naive and perfect. He was perfect!


    So everyone favoured him. Unlike Aster, who had to rely on his title as the Edelweiss family, the boy got everything without even trying.


    The Vergessene boy did not have a title so everyone never put a high expectation on him.


    And it really made Aster mad.


    So like the typical self-defence that a person would do, Aster bullied him. It was not jealousy, no. The Edelweiss boy would never admit that he was jealous.


    Axel should have felt the same things as him. He did not deserve to have all the perfect things within him just to throw Aster down.


    He bullied him and made everyone turn against the Vergessene boy. Everyone quickly got on Aster''s side again and mocked the boy. Aster did it so Axel would feel the same way as him.


    But the boy never fought back. He just accepted it all.


    Aster would notice the tired sigh from the boy or the clenched fists every time he brought up about his family. But the boy never fought back.


    It was as if someone was holding him, restraining his body. As if someone commanded him to never fight back.


    But Aster did not care. He kept doing it for years. The Vergessene boy received a white knight along the way, though, thanks to him. So Axel should be glad and never fought back.


    Deep down, Aster wanted him to just yell back or even give a little fight to him. It irritated him that Axel just stayed silent.


    But then again, would it irritate him if the boy actually fought back?


    Aster had a lot of friends. But none of them was real. They were using him, and so he did the same.


    He thought they were real at first. His two friends that were always followed him everywhere. The two whose loyal and seemed to be by his side for a very long time. Everyone called them his minions, but he always regarded them as his real friends.


    Though everything had come to an end, the story had to go on just for the world to shove the fact that he was alone from the very beginning.


    The world mocked him as it told him that he could always take everything, but it did not mean that everything was not fake.


    The blond was away for a week. His parents decided to have a trip- which failed miserably because, in the end, they had to go to their mission and abandoned him.


    So the boy went to the school when he should have taken his day off like an insane person. He did not come in the morning, though or even wore a uniform. He wanted to go there to meet his friends.


    He bought a box of sweets from his trip and decided to give it to those two. The sun was above his head, and he knew that everyone just had a break at this time.


    Aster blew his blond locks off his face and climbed the school''s fence. He made sure to keep the box of sweets intact and landed on the ground smoothly without making too much noise.


    He looked around and made sure no one was around. His green eyes squinted under the flaming sun as he walked over their usual spot in the back of the school.


    He could vaguely hear their voices talking with each other. Putting on his best smug face, Aster quietly came up from around the corner, wanting to surprise the two.


    "He''s as naive as Axel, to be honest."


    Aster suddenly stopped at the mention of the Vergessene boy. He leaned his back on the wall, eavesdropping at his friend just around the corner he was standing right now.


    "We aren''t his dogs or whatever, but being the Edelweiss''s ''friend'' get you a lot of advantages."


    Aster''s face went cold at the statement as he stayed still, still listening to the two''s conversation.


    "He''s rich and popular. I don''t know about you, but I''m in for his money. It''s kind of hard that he has been away for so long, I needed the money, man."


    The two laughed, unaware of the presence near them, standing and listening to their conversations.


    "I''m actually in for the money too. But I''m more into his title though. No one dares to lay a finger on us because our dear ''boss'' would wipe ''em."


    Aster chuckled in silence, sneering at them and probably at himself too. He slowly walked away from the scene, not wanting to hear another word from the two.


    He looked at the box of sweets in his hand and threw it into a trash bin.


    What a waste of money.


    ??????


    After that, he still befriended them. Because he was loyal, naive, and k-


    Because he was just the worst version of Axel.


    And he would never have a friend anyway, a real one, of course.


    Or so he thought.


    One night, he experienced something he had never had. He met a woman with red eyes who was trying to kill him. And when he thought he would die right then and there, a criminal saved his life.


    Then funny enough, they both got kidnapped.


    But the way the mute murderer saved him and actually protected him without caring who he even was, he felt... nice.


    The mute murderer was a criminal, yet he saved him without any reason. They both bantered with each other like they were close. The criminal showed that he cared and actually tried to make sure he was okay.


    They worked together. Aster should have been scared in that situation, but the mute murderer had his own way to reassure that everything was fine without saying a word.


    He felt like he had a real friend.


    So when he received a gift from the mute murderer, he oddly felt... happy. Every time he watched the news about the criminal, he knew he shouldn''t have been excited over the murder, and yet he did anyway.


    And then he was saved again, in the world burn where the mute murderer was supposed to be working with the mercenary, and yet he opposed him. Oddly enough, the criminal was trying to keep Rune safe, but Aster did not question it and just went along with him.


    The mute murderer tried to protect Rune and him. Aster tried to protect Rune for the criminal and himself. The girl always told everyone that she was a white knight, but she needed protection too.


    Aster only protected Rune for the mute murderer. Of course, he was not worried about her too at all. He wasn''t, okay?


    Aster imagined if this was how it felt to have a real friend.


    So he kept imagining it as he waited for the mute murderer to take his white cap.


    And when the criminal did take it, a shocking event happened.


    He could not believe what was happening right before his eyes. So he denied it with all his might. Because it was impossible, it was truly impossible to happen.


    So he tried to take anything aside from the fact that the mute murderer was-


    The mute murderer was-


    How could the mute murderer be that loser?


    Axel was supposed to be like him. Never good enough in front of his family''s eyes. And that was it.


    So why could a boy as weak as him be the highest rank criminal that had killed too many lives to count? Then why hadn''t the Vergessene killed him yet? Why didn''t he fight back? Did he think that he was useless to kill and let him bully the Vergessene all these years?


    But why did the mute murderer have to be him? Axel was never his friend. Aster was supposed to never have a real friend, huh?


    Then, the reason why the mute murderer saved him was just that he was Aster. A person that Axel knew and saved him out of pity?


    It made Aster mad. Even angrier at the Vergessene than ever.


    So he needed to know why. He needed to know why the reason when he saw Axel was getting cornered and harshly pushed by his supposed to be two loyal friends, Aster''s limbs moved by themselves.


    He punched the two without even thinking it through and stood in front of Axel protectively.


    Aster''s green eyes glinted with glowering anger as he stared at his two shocked minions. He gnawed his lips and growled at them.


    "Fuck off."

 Chapter 70 - A Real Friend : Part 3

    "Fuck off." Aster glowered at his supposed to be friends. The blond stretched his right hand protectively, covering the Vergessene boy on the ground as he stood there, facing the two ''minions''.


    "Aster, my dude!" One of them showed a sign of confusion on his face but still tried to be friendly. "We''re just teaching him a lesson like we used to do."


    The Edelweiss boy kept his cold gaze at the two. His eyes melted with anger, like lava that could burn. Axel stared confusedly at Aster, still lying on the ground after being beaten up.


    "What''s wrong, bro?" The other chimed in while having the audacity to smile and show a concerned face.


    The blond''s face twitched at the question. "What''s wrong?" Aster repeated the word with venom lacing in his voice. "I''ll tell you what''s wrong."


    "You are a bunch of fucking parasites in my life that I stupidly enough let you two stay." He gritted his teeth at them, spitting words like poison.


    "So there''s no ''like we used to do'' between us." Aster grabbed the guy''s collars and made them closed enough to feel the Edelweiss boy''s breath. The other person just froze in his place as he watched the two face off each other.


    "You leave this loser alone because he ain''t got no shit with you," Aster commanded tightly and tightened his grip that almost choked the guy.


    "If anyone should bully him. It''s me." He paused as he threw the guy to the floor harshly. "And you two are nothing without me."


    The other guy quickly came to his friend''s aid, staring at Aster with disbelief and a hint of fear.


    The blond turned his back on them and coldly stared down at Axel. "Let''s go, loser." He stated as he made a movement with his head to follow him.


    Aster shoved both of his hands inside his pocket as he walked away. Axel looked at the two minions once more before staggering his way to the blond and trying to keep the same pace with him.


    "Yo bro, what the fuck was that?!" One of them yelled at Aster, but the Edelweiss did not even stop or even look back for a second.


    "Hey, Aster!" They yelled again and sounded angrier this time. "You fucking Edelweiss!"


    Aster already turned around the corner with the Vergessene boy to hear any of those two''s useless words.


    There was an etching silence despite the students'' loud chatters adorning both of them. The Edelweiss and Vergessene walked side by side, not knowing what to do in the awkward situation they were in right now.


    They arrived at the lockers as Aster made his way to his. The blond opened his locker and took a medkit that Valerian yelled at him to always keep inside the locker for emergencies.


    "You know, you''re way stronger than this, loser," Aster muttered with a sigh before slamming the door shut.


    Aster shoved the medkit to Aster''s chest, causing the Vergessene to look at him with quizzical blue eyes.


    "Here." Said the blond.


    Axel diverted their staring contest and quickly opened the medkit for the bruise on his wrist that was caused by one of the guys earlier.


    Aster stared at him, waiting. He looked at Axel from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. The blond could see how the sight of the Vergessene boy flashed into the mute murderer for a god second and went back to the original Axel.


    ??????


    When Aster turned around, achingly slow in his vision as he tried to stop Valerian from getting close to the mute murderer, he could not believe his own vision.


    There sat Axel on his bed, wearing the exact same clothes as the mute murderer just with no mask, gloves, and white cap.


    His brain tried so hard to take the information as his eyes were blown wide, and his heart thumped loudly for no reason.


    It made sense¡ªthe hair, the blue eyes, the same necklace that they wore.


    Aster could not help but realize that the silver arrow necklace was back. Rune probably fixed it for him.


    But the boy refused to believe the truth like he always did. He shoved the logic down as he went into self-defence and tried to connect all the impossible possibilities that Axel was not the mute murderer.


    But he was. The boy he bullied was a deadly murderer that could kill him in a second if he wanted to.


    He was playing with a grim reaper¡ª bullying a grim reaper.


    And then he could feel the time fastened again just as Valerian left his room and left him in the room with Axel together.


    Weirdly enough, he was glad that the mute murderer was the Vergessene boy. There was fear, excitement, and confusion within him. But the fear was vague. He was more... intrigued.


    But he was too scared to accept the truth that he asked a dumb question.


    "Wait- where''s the mute murderer?"


    But in the end, just when Axel left with the white cap, the blond fell onto his bed and drowned with his own thoughts. His blond locks fell onto his face as he stared at the ceiling.


    He was still Axel, no matter what, right? Just more... bloody and probably deadly.


    Yeah, that was a way to word it.


    ??????


    "What? You keep staring at me. Is there something on my face?" Axel broke Aster out of his daze.


    The Edelweiss boy quickly shook his head slightly and blinked. He went back to reality and put on his usual annoying face.


    "Yeah, disappointment." Aster grinned mockingly at his frie- classmate.


    "Hey!" Axel yelled defensively, pushing his bottom lip forward as an expression of petulant annoyance for the blond.


    "Hey, stop bothering Axel!" A voice yelled from afar as footsteps loudly stomped their way at the two.


    Aster sighed and rolled his eyes. "Here comes the white knight." The blond muttered and turned around to greet the said white knight.


    "Sup, Rune." He waved nonchalantly, followed by Axel''s little waves.


    Rune stopped right in front of the Edelweiss boy. Her red ponytail wiggled a little before stopping with the girl. Her hazel eyes fiercely stared at the pair of uninterested green eyes etched with a taunting gaze.


    "You stay away from him." She gritted and pointed her finger at Aster.


    The blond raised both of his hands in the air in defeat. "You know, technically your prince is a monster too since-"


    Someone tugged his shirt hard, causing Aster to stop talking and look over to the person. His forest eyes caught the weary blue eyes and the Vergessene''s hand, which was gripping his shirt like his life was depending on it.


    Axel shook his head with two ocean eyes that begged to be understood.


    "Oh." Aster might be dumb, but he understood what Axel was trying to say.


    He turned his head over at the red-haired girl again and smirked. "I mean, he is a monster too since he''s a loser, that is."


    The tug on his shirt loosened after he said that.


    Rune shoved his shoulders with hers as she walked past the Edelweiss. The girl snatched Axel''s hand and dragged him away from Aster.


    She looked back at the blond with fire in her eyes. "Get lost." Right after she said that the red-haired left with Axel.


    "Tch, rude," Aster mumbled and put his hands back in his pockets as he followed them.


    Rune was obviously getting irritated as second passed by the fact that Aster was tailing both of them all the way to the cafeteria.


    As the pair of best friends took a seat, Aster sat on the table too, irritating the red-haired girl even more.


    "Dude, what''s your problem?" Rune spat, completely trying to shoo the boy away.


    "What''s your problem?" Aster asked her back and taunted her with two raised eyebrows. "Mind your own business, miss first lady."


    "No- like," Rune put a ''tired with this shit'' hand in front of her mouth and pointed it at Aster. "-why the hell are you following us all the time."


    "I am not following you two. I was just walking." The Edelweiss shrugged as he snatched a soda from a person who was passing their table. "-and now I''m sitting."


    He looked at the person whose soda he had snatched and dared her to protest with his two pointed green eyes. She quickly turned away and ran farther from the boy.


    "And now I''m drinking." He opened the soda and drank it in one go.


    "You know what, do what you want." Rune raised her hands and signed a defeat for the boy. Axel worriedly exchanged glances to the two, wondering what he should do in this situation.


    "Been doing it since birth," Aster answered back, earning a grunt from the red-haired girl.


    "Shut up." Rune clicked her tongue as she went to actually buy some drinks and foods and not snatching them the way Aster did.


    Axel sighed tiredly and brushed his face with his hand.

 Chapter 71 - A Breakable Friendship : Part 1

    "I don''t think I can run away anymore, Al." The 17-year old muttered, looking at the red-haired teen on the chair beside the bed Cain was on.


    The Vergessene teen had been staying in his best friend''s house for a month now. He managed to avoid whatever catastrophe happened to his family.


    "What do you mean? You''re laying on my bed right now as I do my homework which-" Alfred raised his voice and glared at Cain. "-you don''t want to help me by letting me copy yours."


    "Dude. This ain''t homework that you can copy. You''re supposed to write an essay out of your brain." Cain, who was facing the ceiling, turned to his left, returning Alfred''s stare.


    "You know I''m dumb with this shits. The difference is you''re born genius, Cain." The red-haired teen sighed, turning away from his best friend as he tried to continue his homework.


    "You flatter me too much, bro," Cain commented, fiddling with a pen in his hand.


    "I am not flattering you. I''m stating facts, mister top of the class." Alfred retorted back with a slightly annoyed tone.


    "Well, true. But I''m not Einstein, alright." Said the black-haired boy with a slight smile on his face.


    "Duh." Alfred deadpanned, rolling his eyes.


    Cain sighed and went to sit on the bed while crossing his legs. His black hair was messy, and his blue eyes had bags under them.


    "What I meant about I can''t run away anymore was-" The Vergessene began and tried to shove down the fear in his heart. "-will it forever be like this? There must be an end, right?"


    Alfred turned his chair around to face his best friend again and smiled in understatement. "Hey. Let''s just focus on what was happening right now, okay? We''ll figure it out together if shits ever go down."


    Cain sighed again and brushed his hair back just for it to cascade down to his forehead. "Okay." He nodded and tried to return the smile at his best friend.


    "Come on. We both have a girlfriend now. Let''s do a double date or something. Spice things up." The red-haired boy suggested, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.


    "Ha. Yeah. I haven''t brought her to date for a while." Cain smiled as his mind went into her girlfriend. Her mysterious purple eyes would soften every time they were together.


    And her smile that no one would see but him. Maybe.


    "You are totally in love, dude. Just me mentioning your girl, and you went all cheeky smile like that." Alfred sneered at the black-haired boy.


    "Excuse me," Cain put pressure on his words to express his disbelief. "-who is the one that bought a whole store for Isabella?" The Vergessene continued before clasping both of his hands sarcastically. "Oh right, it''s you."


    "What?" Alfred tried to justify and clicked his tongue. "It''s just a store."


    "Just a store?!" The black-haired teen''s mouth agape as he blinked sheepishly at his best friend. "Fuckin rich ass."


    "I am both rich and has a rich ass indeed." Alfred chimed in and grinned at the Vergessene playfully.


    The black-haired teen was the first one to let out an uncontainable laugh that brought tears to his eyes. The red-haired teen followed the laugh not long after as they both fell into a pit of laughter.


    As their laughter faded, Alfred cleared his voice and put a hand on Cain''s shoulder. "Oh right. If you''re worried about your family, don''t worry, I won''t tell anyone." He reassured with two hazel eyes of determination.


    "I know you love your brother so much." The red-haired added and pat Cain''s shoulder lightly.


    "Thanks." Cain smiled at him and returned the pat. "I don''t know what I''d do without you, Al."


    Alfred smiled. "Me too."


    ??????


    "So Rune really didn''t know, and I''m the first one to know?" Aster began as he kept the same pace with Axel.


    Axel fixed his school bag and looked at Aster with a forceful smile. "For the hundred times, yes, Aster."


    They just got back from their extra classes. Rune did not get in the extra classes because she had her own tutor at home.


    Usually, the blond and the black-haired boy never actually went home together. They always walked alone every time they had the same extra class, never wanting to actually meet with each other.


    If they did meet with each other, Aster would just belittle him and go the opposite way. And sometimes Aster''s brother would pick him up if Valerian did not forget, that is.


    But tonight was different.


    From the whole identity reveal shenanigans and all the screaming with questioning their own existence, they kind of bond. Like a bond bond. A real bond.


    Aster had been following Rune and Axel everywhere. The girl would try to push the blond away, and the two would create chaos that would lead to detention. And poor Axel would be dragged in and tried so hard not to burn the whole place down.


    Rune started to accept Aster slowly, knowing that the blond was not following them to bully Axel, but he genuinely just wanted to be friends.


    Not that the Edelweiss would admit it, of course.


    Aster would glare at whoever was looking at Axel or Rune different. He would give a deadly stare at the people who just tried to glance their way. When Axel was bullied, Aster would not hesitate to punch the bullier.


    And Aster would say along the lines of "I was not doing it for you, loser. They''re just blocking my way."


    When in reality, they weren''t in his way at all.


    It had been almost a month now for Axel to feel peace and have a new friend. Well, the Vergessene believed what he and Aster''s relationship was called friendship anyway.


    The Edelweiss would yell at him every time the young murderer just tried to ask if they were actually friends or not.


    Oh, and Axel noticed how Aster was still always wearing the shoes he gave to him as the mute murderer.


    "You know, I thought Rune already knew. Because she is your best friend and all." Aster commented as he kicked the rock in front of him.


    The occasional barking of faraway dogs and hoots of owls broke the silence of the night. The two boys walked in an empty alleyway, ignoring the slightly flickering street lights around them.


    The blue eyes looked down to the ground wanly. "She would hate me if she knew what I am." Axel sighed and continued. "She always said that I was her prince and what if she found out that I''m the monster all along?"


    Aster blinked with confusion and disbelief. "What kind of edgy fantasy shit is that? No wonder why you two stick together like glue since you two are kids."


    He put a hand over Axel''s shoulder and brought the Vergessene close to him. "Dude, I''m sure she''ll accept you. I mean, you two are like soulmates."


    Axel finally looked up to meet the pair of green eyes. "Why are you so sure?"


    "Well, because I''m great and all." Aster shrugged as his lips tugged upward a little. "Unlike you."


    Axel rolled his eyes at him and continued walking. They both fell into all kinds of various conversations, just going with the flow. At some point, Aster would playfully bully the Vergessene, and Axel would just roll his eyes.


    When Axel suddenly stopped walking, Aster almost fell face-first to the ground because his hand was over Axel''s shoulder. Therefore, he could almost lose sight of his handsome face for weeks.


    "Dude, what the hell?" Aster turned around to find Axel, who was warily looking around.


    "Someone''s watching us. Someone dangerous. I can feel it." The black-haired boy stated. Blue eyes scanned the surroundings tightly, trying to find where the person was.


    "Really?" Aster slowly hid behind Axel. "How do you know? Are you like the criminal version of Spider-man? Having spidey sense and all?" The blond whispered while still trying to hide and use Axel as a shield.


    Aster vaguely heard footsteps from behind him and tried to look back. Axel was faster to notice than the blond, just in time to push the Edelweiss away, letting himself be the one who the person took.


    The person held Axel hostage and pointed a gun at his head. "No one move, or I''ll shoot."


    Aster quickly raised both of his hands and looked at Axel with green eyes that were asking, ''what are you going to do? What should I do?''


    "You pick the wrong guy, my dude." Aster began and smirked unapologetically, trying to calm the adrenaline that was rising within him that was shouting for him to run away.


    "Oh, really? What''s he gonna do? Cry?" The person mocked and held Axel even tighter.


    "Here, I''ll give you two options." The man began and grinned at Aster with a smile that confidently believed he had already won. "Follow me, or I''ll kill you."


    "I prefer the third option, though." Aster ventured and tilted his head, causing his blond locks to fall to the side of his face. "Kicking your ass."


    The sentence rang bravely in the air, causing some build-up tense that would soon happen. Though the words just stayed there without any movement being made. The person raised his eyebrows at Aster, unimpressed.


    The blond chuckled awkwardly and looked over to Axel. "Uh, loser? This is the time where you kick his ass after I proudly declare it." He smiled at him, eyes wide, trying to make Axel beat the guy into a pulp.


    Axel shook his head slightly at Aster, knowing that he could not move freely from the situation he was in. "He prohibited me to fight back when I''m me." Uttered the Vergessene.


    Aster may be stupid, but he got what Axel meant. ''He'' was the mercenary. Everyone knew the mercenary was the owner of the mute murderer''s every single movement.


    "Oh, come on, it''s not like he''s here, dude." The Edelweiss tried to encourage the Vergessene.


    "And who is he anyway? He ain''t owning you, right?" He continued, causing Axel''s eyes to become wide at the question.


    "You are your own person, loser." The last sentence from Aster''s mouth opened something within Axel that should have been opened since he ran away from Kiaran.


    Axel quickly turned the table around by suddenly grabbing the man''s gun and twisting his arm. The man screamed and tried to punch Axel, only for the boy to shoot his shoulder and kick the man''s stomach.


    The man fell to the ground with blood flowing down his shoulder. Axel realized how he almost aimed for his head like he used to do to kill people. Thank god he managed to change the aim to the man''s shoulder.


    Aster clapped his hands proudly and looked down at the man with an etching smirk. "Told you. You pick the wrong guy."


    "Should''ve picked me." He kicked the man''s stomach just for closure, earning a grunt from the said man.


    Aster looked over to Axel and punched the boy slight on the shoulder. "Good job." He took the gun in Axel''s hand and examined it. "I''ll call my brother. You go home first."


    "By the way, I''m totally going to take the credit for this." The blond added and pushed Axel away.


    "Good night, loser!" Aster waved at the Vergessene, who quickly realized he had been walking away from the Edelweiss in a daze.


    Axel shook his head to snap out of it. The boy chuckled and waved back. "Good night, Aster!"


    Without the two realizing it, a certain mercenary was watching them all the time from a rooftop with two darkened blue eyes.

 Chapter 72 - A Breakable Friendship : Part 2

    "...mother?"


    The world didn''t make any sense.


    This was the lesson Cain learned when he first found out about his fucked-up family. He never forgot about it. Never had been allowed to forget about it.


    Anything nor everything ever made any sense was the first thought that came to him. The world was bright, yet the scarlet liquid that was surrounding his mother was too dark to be under the sun.


    It did not stab his vision, no. Rather, his surroundings appeared much sharper, achingly clearer than they usually were. The forest was always cursed as it became too quiet at the mother and son pair.


    She was someone vicious, a criminal, a murderer, but she was a mother.


    A mother that Cain would wait for her to appear. A mother that he had hoped was there through his whole life.


    Now that she wanted to be there, Cain pushed her away because she was a criminal and she was dying-


    Oh god, she was dying.


    The blindfold that she would always wear had been thrown away, leaving a pair of grey eyes that were staring at Cain in a daze.


    The beautiful grey eyes slowly went dim at the final bit of life inside her. Her head fell off to the side slowly as her long black hair, little by little, fell out. The hair that was alive and tried to hurt him a month ago.


    Ah.


    This wasn''t-


    "Mother?" Cain''s voice cracked, shattering the silent forest.


    The teen let both of his knees fall right beside his mother and held her in his arms. He held her like she was broken glass, a beautiful glass.


    "What happened-" He choked, tremblingly trying to keep her eyes open as the grey eyes slowly moved to stare at his face.


    "We need to go-" His tongue felt like chains tied it. He just could not get the right words out.


    His breath was ragged. It was as if he was dying too.


    "-the hospital and treat your- your-"


    Why couldn''t he talk properly? What was happening? This didn''t make any sense- why anything did not make any sense?


    "Where''s father? I''ll call him- don''t-" Cain''s voice heightened as the white part of his eyes started to become bloodshot.


    "-don''t close your eyes." His lips trembled slightly when a short intake of breath followed the pale lips.


    "My son." She croaked softly. Another hair fell off her head.


    "My son." Then another hair fell off, slowly withering away from her.


    A sob raised upon his throat as he choked on it. A single tear started to fall from the side of his right eye. The teen was unable to control when another tear and more started to fall down too.


    His mother must be searching for Raziel. She must have wanted to see him right now. But he needed to go to the hospital first and found father and then-


    "My son." She repeated her word again, still staring at him with dim grey eyes.


    "Your son Raziel? I''ll search for him. Just don''t close your eyes." He could not hold the uncontrollable tears that had flown like a river on both of his cheeks.


    He never had his mother''s love before. Maybe he did when he was little, but it was so vague. Cain had always tried to grasp every single memory of her and tried to recall her smile.


    But now, everything seemed to play in his memory¡ªevery single pat on his head and words of reassurance that she would come back soon. But the smile was still vague, and he needed to see it again. He needed to see it more.


    "My son." His mother brought a hand close to his face and weakly wiped the tears from Cain''s eyes.


    "My son." She said it again, and Cain realized she was calling for him.


    Cain held her hand that was holding his cheek, letting it stay there. "I''ll call father. I''ll search-"


    "My son." Her voice was weaker this time.


    There were only a few hairs left on her head as they kept falling off and withering away along with her.


    "Yes, I''m here. Mother, please-" Cain gripped her hand tighter, desperate.


    "My son." A tear fell from her grey eye, yet the eyes were too dim for some more tears to flow.


    And then she smiled.


    A smile so genuine that it stabbed Cain''s heart, causing some lumps to prevent him from breathing. The smile was trembling, trying to stay intact as it tried to give away the best kind of smile for the teen. For the last time.


    "Cain, my son. My son. My son." She kept repeating the word like a mantra¡ªa mantra of regret, sadness, guilt, and false hope.


    "My poor son." The last word was spoken like a whisper, but Cain almost could not manage to catch it if not for the dead silent forest. Her beautiful hair withered away for the last time, falling and gracefully landing on the ground.


    Cain did not know what was going on. He just knew he did not want this.


    He did not want his mother to be a criminal, he did not want her to die. Yet, the air was adorned by the smell of iron. The pool of blood mixed with hairs stood there as the source of the smell.


    Panic slammed into him at the last second.


    He quickly lowered her body to the ground, careful not to hurt her more.


    He did that even though he knew that she could not feel any more pain because she was-


    "Mother? Can you still see me?" He asked even though he knew the answer. The grey eyes were staring at him, but there was no trace of life behind them. They just looked at him with a tear stain on her cheek.


    "Please, mother, can you hear me?" He begged to whatever god was up there to hear his prayer. This what not what he had wanted.


    But then again, what did he want for the outcome of his family when he had run away from them?


    "Please- I don''t know what to do. Mother, what should I do?" He asked her again, hoping for an impossible answer from her blue lips.


    His eyes became too blurry to even see his mother''s lifeless eyes again. He moved his shaking hand to her eyes and closed them. He kissed his forehead and let tears fall onto her face as well.


    And then he ran.


    He ran aimlessly without an intact mind. He just ran and let tears fall behind from how fast he moved both of his aching feet.


    But then he tripped over something and crashed onto the ground. His head bumped with a rock and created a way for blood to go down the side of his face.


    He did not notice it when he looked back and froze when he saw what he had tripped over.


    Who he had tripped over.


    "Father?" He croaked and felt dizzy so suddenly. He felt like he was on the verge of puking as he saw his father''s lifeless body and the etching blood all over him.


    His father''s stomach was adorned with many knives wound, almost tearing his stomach open. One of his legs was bent over the wrong way as it almost separated itself from its body.


    He was not given the time to react properly when he heard a familiar pained scream not too far from his place.


    His brother''s scream. Raziel.


    His instinct took over as he ran again, ignoring the pain within his feet and his bleeding head. He pushed some branches on his way, trying to get there on time, he must be on time or else Raziel would-


    He almost tripped again when he finally arrived and stood in front of his brother and...


    -his best friend?


    "Alfred? Raziel?" He confusedly asked in between the concussion he had right now. The adrenaline was the one who was keeping him standing.


    Alfred gripped Raziel''s hair. The veins around the youngest Vergessene''s neck appeared, trying to hold the pain off.


    Cain noticed the wound on his little brother''s waist. How could he not notice it when a dark liquid stained Raziel''s clothes, completely changing the colour.


    "What- what''s happening?" His mind became dizzy as he tried to take the surreal situation.


    Nothing made sense. Why was there not even a single thing that made sense?!


    "I told you your best friend was dangerous." Raziel gritted through the pain with teeth that had been stained red.


    "He killed both mom and dad."


    The venomous statement made Cain frown in confusion. Who killed his parents? Was it Alfred? Was Raziel talking about Alfred? His loyal best friend?


    "Shut up." Alfred spat and gripped the youngest Vergessene''s hair even tighter.


    "You promised- you promised me that-" Cain tried to get a grasp on words and deepened his frown. Why did the chain keep locking his tongue? He just could not get any proper words out of his mouth.


    "I promised you I won''t tell anyone about your family." Alfred coldly stated with a tone that Cain never heard before. "That doesn''t mean I will not kill them."


    His best friend was always playful and wrapped around the innocent sun. He was always cheerful and scared of horror movies. His best friend that he knew hated blood so much.


    So why did Alfred bathe with the thing he hated the most?


    "...why? Why would you do that to me? To my family?" There was so many questions within Cain''s head, but that was the only words that managed to come out in this moment.


    "You weren''t- you weren''t supposed to kill them." His blue eyes stared at Alfred, yet, the hazel ones did not stare back.


    "You don''t need to know why." Alfred said with coldness that could freeze the whole forest.


    The red-haired teen brought a knife up in the air without even giving a single glance at his supposed to be best friend. "Besides, I''m doing this for your own good too, Cain."


    Cain could not utter a single word to counter his best friend''s statement as a knife stabbed the side of Raziel''s neck.


    Cain also could not hear anything as a scream went out of his throat, ripping the silence of the forest.


    His brother was killed by the hand of his own best friend.


    The best friend that knew how much Cain loved Raziel.

 Chapter 73 - A Breakable Friendship : Part 3

    "You''re so cool, brother." Tiny Raziel exclaimed as he looked at Cain''s effortless throw into the basket ring with a pair of glimmering blue eyes.


    Young Cain chuckled. "I know, right?"


    He put a hand on Raziel''s head and messed the hair up. "So don''t be too hard on yourself. This is just a game, see? And what dad has been training you is the same thing as this."


    The light seemed to be more bright than ever as the youngest looked at the oldest in glee, knowing that Cain was only worried about his harsh secret training that his brother thought was only material arts.


    "I''m giving you an example, so you don''t have to put too much effort into something that you don''t really like." Cain continued, smiling at his little brother as he tried to hide his worries.


    "Mmm-hmm." Raziel happily hummed in agreement. He needed to hide his scars from his brother more thoroughly so he wouldn''t be worried.


    ??????


    "Besides, I''m doing this for your own good too, Cain."


    Cain did not understand Alfred''s sentence. He really didn''t understand what''s good would come out of this. The world did not make sense.


    The knife that was aimed at Raziel''s neck went slowly in his vision, too slow. The time teased him, allowing him to feel what it felt to be so helpless. The world did not make sense.


    When the weapon stabbed him and caused too much blood to fly out of his dear brother''s neck, the world still did not make sense.


    His ears were ringing, flowing with white noises. His vision blurred, and the teen realized he had already started marching toward Alfred.


    His throat was hoarse from the scream he had been letting out. However, he could not hear them because the teen felt like he had suddenly gone deaf. He felt like all of his senses started to make zero sense, just like the world.


    He pushed Alfred with all the force he could possibly gather and sent the red-haired boy flying into a nearby tree. He did not even care to see Alfred''s state and quickly bent down to pick Raziel up.


    There was one thing you should know, Cain learned from his mistake, but sometimes he would still make the same mistake again without consciously knowing it.


    Maybe you knew what that meant.


    So the older wasted no time to wait and brought Raziel up in his arm, carrying him bridal style like a baby.


    Just like how he would cherish his little brother when he was way younger, holding him in his hands as the tiny hand never wanted to let go of his index finger.


    But this time was different. Instead of a baby, Raziel was already a teen. And instead of clean clothes that wrapped him up, it was the dirty and bloodied colour, changing the original clothes'' colour.


    Raziel watched Cain''s long hair dance with the wind while he ran. It was beautiful as it glinted under the sun. His brother was always a gorgeous person.


    "I miss you," Raziel started with, almost a talk of nothing, just like a small talk despite the situation they were in. "I am happy that you came. I was scared I could not see you for the last time, just like father."


    "He really regretted that he could not see you one last time, you know? He was so sad." The dying teen told in between his short breath.


    "Save your energy, don''t talk." Cain choked, and tears started to fall without his consent, dripping onto Raziel''s cheek.


    Ah, the sight of it made Raziel want to cry as well. He could never see his brother being sad. Especially if it was because of him.


    "I just wished you could become like us too. Maybe everything would be okay." Raziel moved closer to his brother''s chest, staining the clothes red with his overflowing blood.


    "Maybe you''ll see me like you used to do." Raziel let his head rest upon his brother''s chest, hearing the heart beating uncontrollably from how fast he ran.


    The beating heart of his brother was like a messy melody, yet it was beautiful. Soon he could not hear it anymore because his own beating heart would stop, cruelly stopping him from breathing.


    "But if my dying state could make you worry about me like you used to do all the time," Raziel gazed upon Cain''s face and saw the etching worries within him. "Then I wouldn''t mind dying."


    "Life is cruel, anyway." The younger chuckled, knowing how the world was unfair for him. But at least the world was kind enough to let him be held by his brother again like this.


    It was warm.


    He wondered who Cain would receive warmness from? Maybe his girlfriend? Raziel heard about her and her two beautiful violet eyes. He wished he could thank her for being there for his brother. But the world was not kind enough to do that.


    "Don''t say that. Don''t say that-" Cain desperately said. He still tried to reach the hospital on time. The world did not make sense, so he hoped that running into a kilometre long hospital from where he was would make sense.


    Even though it wouldn''t.


    "I''ve always been worried about you all the time, I just- I just-" Cain''s lips trembled, and his eyes were already puffy from his unstoppable tears. "Save your breath, please. Please, I can''t lose you too, I can''t-"


    Raziel finally let himself sob as he stared at his wailing brother, allowing him to finally cry. What was the point, anyway? There was no father anymore to sternly yell at him for crying because he was not allowed to do so.


    He wondered who his tears were for. Was it for his own being or his poor brother? Maybe both.


    Raziel looked upon his brother once more time. He wished Cain would live a happy life and be a good man. Maybe his brother would die like a hero and go into heaven.


    But that would mean that he could not meet Cain anymore because he knew he would go to hell.


    Raziel did not want that. He wanted to be with him again.


    So the following words and the very last words that came out of his moth was childish. Instead of what he had been doing for his brother to live a normal life, Raziel found himself becoming selfish on his last breath.


    "I wish you were a criminal too, brother."


    In the face of death, honesty no longer seemed like a frightful concept for Raziel. The youngest that always wished for his brother to have a normal life yet deep down wanted to see how Cain would mercilessly end someone''s life with his warm smile.


    In the face of death, there was no longer a burden inside him as Raziel remembered how he begged his father to never train Cain and only train him to be a criminal instead. Because he saw how happy Cain was when he received a new friend, a normal life.


    In the face of death, he did not think about the consequences of his words as he closed his eyes with a brother that was keeping him warm.


    And so, Cain granted Raziel''s wish.


    ??????


    Cain had been missing since then. Of course, the parents were declared dead alongside the brother in a ''forest accident''. The governments obviously covered the truth of who was the one who wiped them out. It was their plan anyway.


    The one closest to the Vergessene family was only Alfred. The red-haired boy had been on a mission to kill them all.


    Sometimes Cain would accidentally wonder if they were ever a friend in the first place.


    The only Vergessene left disappeared for a year without a trace just to come back right on Alfred''s birthday, inside the red-haired''s house. He stood there, welcoming his dear best friend right when Alfred opened his bedroom door.


    "Happy birthday," Cain said as he threw Alfred''s father''s head as a humble gift.


    Alfred froze in horror at the sight of his own father''s head and looked over at Cain in terror mixed with guilt, sadness, and anger. He clenched his fists, causing them to tremble slightly.


    "You-" The red-haired teen that had just turned 18 gritted with tears that were waiting for the right time to fall.


    Cain casually walked away from his frozen ex best friend, not wanting to see the pair of hazel eyes anymore.


    When he reached the window, he put on his mask and covered all of his head. The mask was plain and had no holes on it, making those who saw it struck with an eerie feeling.


    "You should''ve killed me too, Alfred." He spoke coldly. So cold, just like that day Alfred betrayed him. Maybe even colder.


    Right before he jumped off the window, he turned around and faced him with his uncanny mask.


    "I''m the Vergessene, after all."


    And then he let himself fall just like their friendship. A friendship that was destined to fall from the beginning.


    He just wished that Raziel would wait for him in hell. He would go there soon. But first, he had to fulfill his little brother''s wish first.


    The world didn''t make sense, so Cain created some sense on his own.

 Chapter 74 - Another Breakable Friendship : Part 1

    The moon followed the 16-year-old Vergessene as he rushed over to Rune''s house. Before arriving at her big fancy house, Axel ensured there was no blood on him after he shot the guy''s shoulder earlier.


    It was good that Aster''s brother was the lieutenant. The blond volunteered to handle the rest, making Axel be able to go back on time.


    When the boy arrived in front of the gates, he smiled at the security that quickly let him in. He noticed the sad eyes that always greeted him every time he crossed the gates.


    The security was the one who called for Rune when Axel arrived at the house that day after running away from Kiaran. The man watched all the cuts on his body with pity, maybe thinking he was getting abused.


    Well, now that he thought about it, he kind of got abused a couple of times. But he was a murderer too, so it did not matter.


    He waved at the security and bid goodbye as he made his way to the house. There were four floors which each window glowed from the lights inside. The decoration was in plain colours, but you could guess how fancy everything was.


    The house basically screamed expensive.


    It was the President''s house anyway. What did you expect?


    Speak of the President...


    "Ah, hello, s-sir." Axel froze in his place when he met a red-haired guy just as he opened the door.


    There stood the President in a grey robe, holding a white mug with ''World''s greatest father'' words on it. He wore a pair of white bunny slippers and round glasses.


    "Uh, you seem familiar," Alfred cleared his throat awkwardly. "-do I know you?"


    Axel bowed slightly at the man and tried to smile. "The name is Axel, sir. I''m your daughter''s-"


    "-boyfriend?" The President cut him off with an innocent yet tight tone.


    "What-" Axel accidentally let out a high-pitch voice and tried to cover it with a cough. "N-no, I was about to say best friend."


    "Oh." Alfred nodded and scanned the boy with his hazel eyes. "I heard about you, boy. She cherishes you a lot as her best friend." He continued and took a sip from his mug.


    The red-haired guy pointed the mug at Axel. "Thought you had become her boyfriend since you wanted to meet my daughter at night."


    Axel frowned. How did that have any relation by being a boyfriend and coming at night?


    Oh.


    The realization hit him hard that his face turned completely red. "We''re sixteen, sir! There''s no way I''d- I''d-" Axel choked on his words, completely flustered.


    "I know. I''m just teasing you, boy," Alfred smirked at him and continued. "Then, if you had been mature enough, you would do it?"


    "D-do it?" Axel''s face had become redder than any human could possibly become.


    Alfred fondly smiled at the boy and ruffled his hair. "You''re so fun to tease."


    "Axel! Father!" A girly voice called alongside the sound of rushing footsteps. Rune quickly went into Axel''s vision and somehow made the boy blush hard at the sight of her.


    Her ponytail messily bounced around as she ran. Her eyelashes dropped down when she blinked and flawlessly made her hazel eyes stand out beautifully.


    "Dude, I was waiting for you like forever," Rune spoke as she tried to catch her breath at the same time.


    "But I think I know the reason why it took so long." She glared at her father, who just shrugged at her.


    Alfred affectionately stared at the two as they talked. He tuned down their conversations and just watched the two laughing with each other.


    He somehow could see himself in Rune and Cain inside the boy. Back when they were best friends, back when they were too young yet forced to be mature. Back then, everything was okay. He remembered how it was always him and Cain against the world.


    Now it was him against Cain inside this messed up world.


    He just hoped that Axel would not turn out to be like his father. He wished that the boy truly had a normal life.


    "Father, I''m going to bring Axel to his room." Rune broke his thoughts away, and Alfred could not help but focus on her.


    She moved closer to him and brought her mouth close to his ear. "He''s kinda running away right now. I hope that''s okay with you." His daughter whispered secretively and quickly united with the boy again.


    "Come on, Axel." She exclaimed and grabbed the boy''s hand. The two walked alongside each other as they slowly disappeared from Alfred''s view.


    The steam of his mug had long disappeared for how long Alfred stood there, looking at the corner where his daughter and Cain''s son disappeared to.


    "He looks a lot like you, Cain." The red-haired mumbled, doleful eyes forming into a guilty daze.


    "I wonder if this is karma by letting the history repeat in front of me just to punish me."


    Alfred looked away to the opened door and gazed at the judging moon. "I wonder what your karma is, Cain."


    ??????


    Axel moved back and forth in his sleep. He was frowning with two shut eyes. Sweats started to form on his forehead. His curls were plastered to his forehead as the air caught the weak moonlight from his window.


    He let out a helpless groan and withered in his sleep. His breath became ragged as the boy gritted his teeth in pain.


    Axel jolted up with sweats all over his body. He writhed in pain, wordless cries escaping his lips while trying to stop himself from screaming. It felt like there was ice growing into tiny spikes, wrapping around his heart and squeezing it tight.


    Yet, there was lava melting into his bones at the same time, melting with his flesh. His vision was swimming, and he found himself stumbling out of bed. Terror clawed inside him as the memory of how his demon father stabbed his heart.


    He could feel the invisible shadow of the hand getting even deeper that he was sure the tip of it touched his heart. He could feel it push down into his heart. It fueled his chest, something that was spreading like fire but acting like water.


    He never thought he would experience the pain again. He was dying. He was going to die.


    He felt the warm tears rolling down his cheeks, dropping into the floor and staining it black.


    His tears were black.


    He gasped for air desperately and tried to wipe the tears away. His eyes moved into a mirror that he had covered with black cloth and quickly removed it.


    The boy stood there, watching his red and blue eyes overflowing with black liquid. He could feel the panic stabbing the inside of his body as Axel choked on nothing.


    He tried to breathe as he could not seem to move from where he stood. It was as if there was a force in his body that was keeping him there, watching his own reflection in horror.


    But then his reflection disappeared.


    Axel thought it was the doing of the demons inside the mirror that was probably watching him right now. But then he was proven wrong when he looked at his own hands and found nothing.


    It was not only his reflection. It was him too.


    He disappeared.


    Axel gasped for air again and staggered back, falling into the bed and going through it. He was inside the bed now.


    He quickly stood up and slowly backed away from the bed with two terrified mismatched eyes. He bumped into a desk and jolted forward.


    Please. Please be there. Please let him be there. He begged silently.


    He looked down again and found himself instead of nothing. He trembly brought his hands up to see them flashing back and forth from nothingness into solid again.


    "Axel, are you okay?"


    Axel snapped his head toward his door upon hearing Rune''s voice. He warily looked around at the mess that he had caused and went back to stare at the door again.


    "Axel?" She called once more with an etching worry in her voice. "Axel, it''s me, Rune. I heard a scream."


    The boy did not know what to do. He just froze there with hands that kept disappearing and black tear stains on both of his pale cheeks. The sweats glued his fluffy hair on his forehead, and his two mismatched eyes were puffy.


    "Axel, I''m going to open the door!" She exclaimed, and Axel could see the doorknob slowly turned.


    "Don''t!" Axel yelled in instinct and slammed his body to the door. He tried so hard to lock the door with his disappearing hands.


    "I''m fine." He reassured, trying to make Rune go away.


    She could not see his state right now. She could never see him like this.


    "Do you want me to come in?" Rune softened her voice after a while. No matter how much Axel wanted her to comfort him right now and tell her everything, he couldn''t.


    "No- don''t," Axel answered, putting a hand on the door to hold his weight. "Don''t." He repeated.


    "Okay. I''ll stay here, alright?" After a beat of silence, Rune finally talked again. "If anything happens, I will always be here for you."


    "So please, don''t be hard on yourself."


    And so the red-haired girl sat there with her back on the door, waiting. Axel also sat there, hugging his knees as he let his head lay on the door. The two were separated by a single door all night; one was hoping for the other to come out, one did not want to come out.


    They stayed like that until morning.


    Axel did not come out the whole day.

 Chapter 75 - Another Breakable Friendship : Part 2

    The night sky creaked open outside Rune''s window with a peal of thunder, loud and ringing in her ears and bright enough to light her dark bedroom. The wind tousled the trees outside and tugged her window.


    It reminded her of that day when her mother died. The atmosphere was agonizing as it clawed her inside, tugging her soul with phantom horror, reminding her of every harrowing second.


    She tried to breathe and relax. She had learned how to overcome the heavy feeling inside her chest whenever her brain decided to remind her of the tragedy.


    Rune would never forget that the criminal who had killed her mother had been executed. Even though deep down, she wanted to be the one to kill the criminal herself, Rune always managed to push the thoughts away.


    Because she wasn''t a bad person.


    A bad person was a criminal. A bad person was the one who murdered people no matter what their intentions were.


    Just like the mute murderer.


    She denied it. She denied everything, despite how the mute murderer tried to protect her and even went against his own allies just to save her. The mute murderer who was supposed to be mute bit back at the mercenary that day just for her mere being.


    But he had killed countless people. He had killed too many.


    You could not cleanse a black pool with a drop of soap.


    Rune''s breath had relaxed down, and she could feel her heartbeat slowly go back to normal. She closed her eyes and let her soul be taken away by a good night sleep.


    And then she heard it. The muffled agonizing scream across her room; the room where Axel stayed, the room where her best friend slept.


    Like getting a jolt of lightning, her body rose from the bed as fast as the light. She slammed her door open and ran.


    She was in her grey pyjamas with red hair that she let loose. Some of the locks clouded her vision as she tried to make sure the boy was alright.


    Her chest raised up and down when the girl stopped right in front of the Vergessene''s door. She hurriedly knocked with lingering worry within her.


    "Axel, are you okay?" She anxiously asked, voice thick and unsteady¡ªa thousand thoughts creeping through her mind like spiders, crawling and whispering all the worst things.


    When she received no answer from Axel, she could feel the dread eating her slowly and steady as she sat on the tip of her dilemma. Cold spiderlike fingers raced up and down her spine, taunting every second she breathed.


    "Axel?" Rune tried to call once more, with her voice almost trembling. "Axel, it''s me, Rune. I heard a scream." She tried to get an answer again, choking slightly on her words.


    The scenario reminded her too much of the day her mother died. A sudden stab of fear assaulted her, causing her to feel as if she was dying.


    "Axel, I''m going to open the door!" She exclaimed and gripped the doorknob tight. Stranged pain rose in her throat as she opened the door slightly.


    Then suddenly, the door was closed again with a loud force from the opposite side. "Don''t!" Axel shouted, making Rune jump back in shock. Hazel eyes turned wide at the door. She found herself on razor''s edge of panic.


    "I''m fine." Axel tried to reassure yet it still sounded inconvenient for her. Something was wrong. He needed help.


    She tried to make Axel open the door for her a few times. The boy still insisted on staying inside.


    She knew he was hiding something big. But she would wait until he decided to tell her whatever problem he was facing and knew that she would always be there for him.


    So then she sat in front of Axel''s room, waiting. She leaned on the door without knowing that Axel was right on the opposite of her. Rune drifted to sleep on cold tiles, staying as she waited for her best friend to come out.


    The following day, she woke up to the sun and the sound of birds, feeling all the ache within her body. She blinked as she realized she had fallen asleep sitting. But by how she still had her back on the door, Axel still would not come out from his room.


    She gently stood up and faced the room again. She brought a hand to the door with a knuckle ghosting over it, trying to decide whether she should know or not.


    Rune brought her hand down and walked away from the door. The girl would glance one or two times over her shoulder to make sure if the boy maybe would open the door.


    She would leave him be for now. It''s the weekend anyway. There was no school today.


    ??????


    Axel had been trying to control his disappearing hands all day, focusing on making them solid. He did not know what was happening. Maybe this was the side effect of becoming a demon.


    He had been ignoring the fact that he might be a demon right now. He still believed he was a human. He hoped he was still a human.


    Axel walked to the mirror again, noticing how the moon had found its way on the sky again, telling the boy that he had been staying inside all day. He didn''t even drink or eat a single thing.


    He took the blue lens and put it on, covering the part of him that he''d grow hatred on. He took a deep breath, made his way to the door, and opened it.


    Right when the door opened, he quickly met the sight of Rune in front of the door, sleeping on the floor. Her red hair covered her whole sleeping face, and Axel found himself crouching down beside her.


    He brushed the hair from her face and tucked it behind her ears. Axel watched her sleeping face in a daze. He could see her breathing as her chest heaved up and down at a certain rhythm.


    Then Rune slowly opened her eyes, causing the hazel ones to meet with the pair of blue ones. She took a while as she tried to grasp the situation.


    When the realization kicked in, the girl jolted up, almost bumping her head with Axel''s chin.


    "You''ve come out! I was so worried!" She exclaimed in relief and hugged the boy out of nowhere. She hugged him like the world was going to end soon.


    "Something''s- something''s wrong with me." Axel began, muttering in her ears as he melted in her hands. "Something''s really wrong."


    "Mmm-hmm. It''s okay, it''s okay." She hummed, soothing the boy.


    "You know. It''s okay to be weak, right? It''s okay to cry." Rune continued as she never let go of the hug, attempting to calm the boy.


    "I can''t cry." Axel croaked. He really couldn''t cry. His tears would turn black, and they would remind him how he wasn''t the same species as his best friend anymore.


    "Something''s wrong when I cry." He whispered, afraid that he might actually shed tears again in her embrace.


    "But I see no harm on crying," Rune answered. And boy, how it sounded so comforting in his ears.


    "I know." Said the boy, hopeless. "I just can''t." He added, and Rune only tightened their hug. It was a slightly funny sight how Rune almost disappeared within the boy''s arms when she was the one who was comforting him.


    Axel pushed her away gently and made a distance between them. He stared at her with two meaningful blue eyes, searching for warmness with her delicate face.


    "Rune, I''m not a good person." He stated, feeling how a sudden lump was choking his neck.


    "I''m the worst person you could ever possibly befriended." Axel continued, finding himself diverting his gaze away to the floor instead of looking at the pair of hazel eyes.


    "You are still the best in my eyes no matter what happens." She answered it fast with no hesitation.


    And how it only made Axel drown in guilt even more.


    "And what if I''m someone you hate, Rune?" Axel asked, almost hauntingly.


    "I could never hate you." She yet again said fast, too reassuring.


    Axel was too scared that it would crumble the second she found out, the second he told her who he was.


    Axel bit his lips. "But what if- what if I''m worst than a human could ever possibly be? What if-"


    "But in the end, you''re still Axel in my eyes." Rune cut him off and hugged him for the second time, calming him down.


    "I will always be here for you, Axel."


    Axel wished it was true.


    He would believe it was true for now.


    ??????


    Axel did not have nightmares that night.


    He did not dream of demon Cain''s hand stabbing his chest. The erupting pain, the neverending force within him, and-


    Oh, Aster was talking to him. Axel was not listening at all as he let his food turn cold while swimming in his own thoughts.


    He had been anxious when he came to the school that morning. Axel would always tuck his hands inside his pockets as he feared that they would disappear again.


    The day went well without any weird things happening to him. However, the boy could not push away the lingering bad feeling that had been haunting him all day.


    Axel waited. He waited for something to happen while at the same time praying for nothing to happen.


    The cafeteria was loud with students'' chatters, but the sudden noise coming from the speakers were louder.


    There was a loud screeching noise from the speakers all around the school. It made a ringing voice, causing everyone to cringe at the sound.


    "Test test, hello?" A familiar voice echoed around the school so suddenly, making the students stop whatever they were doing and focus on the voice source.


    Axel''s breath hitched at the sudden familiarity. His heartbeat raised, and cold sweats started to form on the palm of his hand. Spams of worry crossed his face as it turned pale.


    "Axel, can you hear me?" The voice continued, and oh how Axel knew who that was.


    "I''ll assume so, considering people are banging the door in the room I''m in." He casually stated, and the youngest Vergessene could hear the smirk just from his voice.


    Everyone''s eyes were on him now. Aster raised an eyebrow to him while Rune blinked at him as if waiting for answers.


    "Anyway, this is the mercenary speaking, and I''m here to talk to my murderer."

 Chapter 76 - Another Breakable Friendship : Part 3

    In life, you always needed something to blame.


    Like how you blamed God for creating you without you wanting to be created or how you blamed your teacher for giving you a bad score.


    Axel always wondered who he had to blame for all the things that got thrown in his life.


    You know, before anything went to hell, Axel was actually having a good normal day with two hands that did not disappear since the morning. He had nailed his chemistry test, listened to Aster''s ego talk, and he was having a pleasant conversation with his best friend, Rune.


    Things were beginning to look up for him.


    Until they didn''t.


    "Come on, Axel. You shot the guy two days ago as Axel. That means you don''t care about your identity anymore, don''t you? So why hide?" The mercenary stated with a lasting playful venom in his tone.


    Axel just sat there as his body began to tremble. The cold dread that slowly trickled into his mind and took control of him caused an urge to run away right here, right now.


    "Dude," Aster warned quietly, green eyes looking at Axel with a lasting horror.


    "Don''t you miss me, Axel?" Kiaran taunted; it was too mocking. He knew he was in control of how Axel''s life turned after this. He always had control of Axel''s life.


    Axel could never run away in the first place. Kiaran would always be watching.


    "Well, if you ask me," There was a pause as Axel let the silence eat him away. He did not even dare to look at Rune''s eyes or to see her expression right now. He just froze and snapped his mouth shut.


    "-I sure miss my dear mute murderer." The sentence echoed down the hall through the cafeteria, and Axel could feel his world crashing down right before his eyes.


    "...what?" Rune whispered in disbelief. If Axel had looked over to her for a moment, he would see the face of someone that tried so hard to deny the fact that her own best friend was betraying her.


    There was a long, very long silence. The sudden quiet clawed the air, slashing right through Axel''s ears. For a moment, the universe stopped existing outside this cafeteria. It was just him and the people inside.


    Various eyes watched him with doubts and uncertainty. Most of them filled with dread and terror, looking at him with an etching fear instead of the usual belittling gaze.


    The silence was broken when a man approached the cafeteria with hands hidden inside his trench coat. He walked slowly and steady with students that tried to go into the corner and be as further as possible from the mercenary.


    "I was hurt, really." Kiaran began with a voice wrapped up in a pang of fake sadness. "When I realized you were gone, I thought you were kidnapped again."


    "So I searched for you for a very long time." He faked a whine and sighed. "But then I found out you were hanging with police clown and your so-called best friend here."


    Aster stepped forward and shielded Axel with his body. Kiaran raised his eyebrows and let out an amused huff. His black mask moved up a little, telling Axel that his brother was grinning at him.


    "You know," Kiaran darted, blue eyes glinted in danger. "-you are playing your role as the mute murderer really good right now."


    "Shame you didn''t have a mask on." He sneered lightly, dangerously.


    "I''m sorry, sir. But I think you have the wrong guy." Rune decided to speak up this time, joining Aster by shielding Axel too.


    "He''s not the mute murderer." She continued, pushing away all the doubts in her mind.


    "Oh?" Kiaran sang, entirely impressed by her. "I have seen many people denying before me, but you are the most oblivious one, president clown."


    Rune was not swayed at all by the mercenary''s taunting. She just hardened her gaze at him, gritting her teeth like a wild animal. "Fuck off."


    He chuckled at her and widened his smile. Rune could see the madness that slowly ascended in the mercenary''s ocean eyes.


    "Then how about this." Without warning, Kiaran wrapped his hand on her neck before she could actually react and brought Rune up in the air. The girl desperately tried to wriggle from his grip, clawing his arm with both of her hands.


    Aster jumped at the mercenary and tried to punch him. Kiaran easily slapped him away and sent him onto a nearby table, splitting it in two.


    Everyone started to scream loudly, shrieking away from the scene before their eyes. Some tried to run away without triggering the mercenary at all. Some were recording everything with their phones while still trembly trying to save themselves.


    "That was a low blow." The criminal commented before focusing on Rune again. Kiaran took a knife from his pocket with his other hand and brought it close to the girl''s cheek.


    "I wonder what would happen when I slice your pretty face." The edge of the knife almost touched her face when suddenly, it flew away from his hand.


    As if someone was controlling him, Axel instinctively kicked the knife. He did not think as the weapon flew in the air. The boy caught it and used its back to hit Kiaran''s hand that was holding Rune''s neck.


    The mercenary dropped the girl onto the ground with a hidden smile, the kind of smile that knew he had won. In between the brief pause of their fight, he looked at Axel''s protective eyes challengingly, tauntingly.


    He swiftly took a revolver from his pocket and aimed it at Rune. Kiaran took no time to pull the trigger, knowing that he could never manage to kill the girl if Axel was here.


    And he was right.


    Axel flipped into the air and threw a kick down onto Kiaran''s hand, making the revolver get thrown away. The two jumped back from each other, and the boy gave no time to rest as he slid down the floor to kick the mercenary.


    Kiaran easily dodged and returned a kick toward Axel, causing him to crash onto the floor. Axel stared at his brother with anger as he got up again and ran to him.


    He took the revolver from the ground as he ran, aiming it at Kiaran with bursting fury. However, the older only stood there without moving and raised his eyebrows at him.


    "What? You''re going to shoot me in front of her?" That sentence managed to make Axel stop. Like a cracking statue, he took a deep breath and looked at his brother with two careful eyes.


    "See, president clown? Your ''best friend'' has been betraying you all this time." The mercenary''s eyes darkened, taunting Rune without diverting his gaze from Axel at all. He was mocking the younger, punishing him.


    "Axel," Rune called with a slight tremble. "You''re not-" She choked, bracing herself. "You''re not the mute murderer, right? You''re just good at fighting, right?"


    The boy took a long slow deep breath. Blood drained from his face when he heard her voice, hoping that everything was just a dream.


    He always did that lately, trying to tell himself that everything was not real. He said to himself that everything was fine when it wasn''t. Everything messed up, and he just couldn''t rest.


    He just couldn''t breathe. When he thought he did, he wasn''t.


    Axel slowly turned around toward her, reaching his hand at his best friend. "Rune,"


    "No, it can''t be-" She cut him off, chuckling with a pool of irony. "You can''t be a monster."


    "Rune," Axel tried again, fighting the tears that started to build within his lids. "I''m sorry."


    She looked at him as if he was a ghost. Rune clenched her fists, hazel eyes becoming bloodshot as she stared at Axel. "No..."


    Axel took her arm. "I can explain, please-"


    Rune slapped the hand and jerked away from him. The loud slap rang in the air, so loud and clear. "Get your filthy hand away from me, you monster!"


    The black-haired boy automatically took a step back, staring at Rune with helplessness. He gulped down the lump that had been occupying his throat, choking him.


    "You liar! Are you even my best friend?" Rune brokenly cried. Tears started to fall down from her glowering eyes. Her face was red from anger and the overflowing tears, looking at Axel like he was the lowest being on earth.


    "I am your best friend. I''ve always been. So please-" Axel begged, pleaded. He begged as if he would die. He begged like he was asking someone to spare his life.


    Rune calmed her breath, staring at him with teary eyes. The hazel colour that was usually bright had become dark as she gazed at him the way she never did before. She looked at him the way a person would look at trash.


    "Then I wish you were never my best friend."

 Chapter 77 - The World Against Him : Part 1

    "So I don''t see why your Rune would hate you since you''ve been friends way longer than us." Demon Rune stated that day, giving Axel false hope.


    Because that was a lie.


    The longer you''ve known each other, the bigger the hatred would be. Maybe Axel''s counterpart was lucky for having a different outcome in his and his Rune''s friendship. But he was dead. Axel should have known that their story was different from the start.


    So when Rune said, "I can be your home if you want to."


    It would be a lie after she found out the truth.


    Axel knew it wouldn''t last. It was easy to tell because the foundation of their home was already ruined from the start. Nothing could fix it.


    Aster had said, one night when the moon accompanied the two. "Dude, I''m sure she''ll accept you. I mean, you two are like soulmates."


    That turned out as a lie.


    Because if they were soulmates, then they wouldn''t be facing each other like this with an invisible wall between them, as if they were never friends in the first place. Hazel eyes were drowned in betrayal while the blue ones swam with guilt in the same ocean they were in.


    "You are still the best in my eyes no matter what happens." Rune had said that yesterday, and it did not last long.


    That was the biggest lie from her mouth.


    Because now, she looked at him like he was the worst person on the earth. Her mouth spat venom at him, melting his heart as it killed him slowly.


    "I could never hate you." She had reassured him yesterday and how the table turned now.


    Because it was just another lie.


    The angry tears in her dark hazel eyes with her shaking, rage-filled voice as she screamed at him defensively was a sign of easy hatred. As if the words from yesterday meant nothing.


    "But in the end, you''re still Axel in my eyes," Rune stated that day, believing her sweet words that Axel started to believe too.


    That was another funny lie.


    Because now, both of them did not trust those words. Axel was not just Axel in her eyes, he was a criminal, the lowest being in the world. The prince had opened his mask and became the monster.


    "Then I wish you were never my best friend." Rune spat harshly, like a dagger that was planted in his heart.


    That was the truth.


    Because there were no lies left between them. No masks to hide and no truth to be revealed. It was just them and the truth.


    But Axel, like the naive boy that he was, still hoped. He did not heave anything left, so he desperately tried to cage the only thing that he had.


    "We''ve been together for so long. Does that mean nothing for you, Rune?" Axel began, almost hopelessly, despite the fact that he tried to hold hope. It was almost laughable.


    "You''re the reason I''m alive." He continued, being as true as ever. Because there was no point in lying when all your words sounded like a lie.


    Axel grasped the vague hope within him, gripping at it like he would die the second he let go. He pleaded to the universe, begged God to give him at least one hope to hold onto.


    "Then I wish I had died."


    Like being struck by lightning, Axel stiffened. Sudden coldness hit his core, swallowing the inside of him. Her words were like shredded ice that was thrown rapidly at him.


    "I see you, and I see my mother''s corpse." She spoke with a black mood that no one could dispel. Her face pinched with too much hatred. "I look at you, and I see a monster."


    "-not the sweet boy I used to know. Because that part of you is just a lie." She darted, hazel eyes filled with darkness rather than the usual bright light. "-Everything is."


    "I wanted to change, Rune." Axel put a hand on his heart, leaning a little to the front as he retorted back, despondent.


    The wavering hazel eyes looked at him with disgust, something that Axel usually received from Cain, but now it was plastered on his best friend''s face. "Can you?"


    "Can you change those lives you took?" She spat; tears had dried from her face as the sadness turned into a wave of glowering anger.


    "Can you change the lies of our friendship?" There was a slight taste of betrayal in her tone that she covered with her fury.


    Axel did not know the truth nor the lie of what answer should be given to her. The tongue stuck in his mouth, entangled within.


    Upon not getting any answer, Rune''s face darkened with tears that were threatening to fall. "You should go with your mercenary, right? Killing people again?"


    "I don''t- I don''t want to kill anymore." Then the truth finally came out, the thing that Axel had been wanted to do since the first time he killed the man at the very age of twelve.


    "Then maybe you should consider killing yourself, murderer." The last words from her mouth caught Axel off-guard. The bitterness somehow turned into a deadly poison that was eating the boy alive at the very moment.


    His eyes became empty, and he could feel the blood pounding in his ears. His heart thudded in his chest, finding it hard to breathe, to just take a gasp of breath.


    "Rune!" Aster yelled and went to drag her away from Axel. "That''s not an appropriate thing to say to a person." The blond gripped her shoulders tight with worry on his face.


    Without looking away from Axel''s empty blue eyes, "Then thank god he''s a monster."


    Axel could not focus on anything as he felt the world begin to crash around him. He felt it would burst, his heart. His hands shook, and his feet tingled. His vision became disfigured, as if he were looking through a fish-eye lens.


    The words kept repeating unwillingly in his ears. They taunted him, pushing him further to fall down from the cliff of the sudden panic and hurt he felt. They kept telling him to kill himself with the sweet voice of his best friend, that had turned bitter.


    And then suddenly, a tear finally flew down his cheek, staining it black.


    Axel could not control the tears that kept falling and falling, tinting his clothes black¡ªdropping onto the floor like a messed up fallen ink.


    His vision was blurry, and he could not see the sudden shock in everyone''s faces that were all looking toward him like he was some kind of a museum figure whose sole purpose was being watched.


    The black tears on his right eye slowly absorbed the blue contact lens, revealing a bright red eye that had been hidden.


    Everyone but the mercenary took a step back away from him as some of them let out terrified gasps. Even Aster took a step back.


    "Loser, your eye-" The blond choked, tremblingly looking at him as he relived the moment where the mindless demons chased him down.


    Axel wiped the tears on his cheeks, only to stain his hand black. A short intake of breath came from his mouth as it trembled.


    Kiaran smiled maniacally at the sight of his little brother, totally unfazed by him. He was enjoying the drama, it was fun to watch something crumble.


    "Poor Axel. You can''t choose dark and light at the same time." The mercenary sang, walking closer to his murderer with the madness surrounding his being.


    Kiaran put a hand on the boy''s shoulder, hauntingly. "You have to choose one."


    "Now, what are you?" He asked, sneering and probably trying to hold a laugh at his little brother''s naiveness.


    "A hero?" He tilted his head and grinned widely. "Or a villain?"


    The older brother almost fell when Axel''s body was suddenly gone for a moment, completely disappearing from his sight. Kiaran let out a noise of amusement as he watched Axel fell into a pit of panic attacks.


    Axel''s body kept flashing back and forth from disappearing to appearing, causing everyone to even try to get farther away from the young murderer.


    Kiaran took a step back, letting Axel continue his little play. He watched his younger brother like a person who was attending a theatre play. He waited for the next scene to play with amusement.


    Hero? Villain? Axel did not want to choose.


    Why did he always have to choose? Why? Why couldn''t the world just let him rest for once?


    His mismatched eyes looked over to Rune and Aster, who were now looking at him as a real monster, terrified and scared. He moved his gaze to Kiaran, watching the manipulative blue eyes that just kept taunting him again and again.


    He did not want to choose.


    So, just like he did last time when he was given two choices between the bad and the worst, he did not choose. He ran.


    He thought he created a choice of his own but in the end, he was faced with the same things over and over again. And he realized he was never able to create an actual choice for him, he just ran.


    Axel looked at himself and made him disappear. In a haze of conflict, you always managed o do something you weren''t able to do earlier.


    So he ran without no one knowing where he went. He just ran without a home to come back to. The boy just ran.


    Rune''s words rang in his ears as the wind fought with him. No, it wasn''t the words that she just uttered venomously from her mouth, it was her words from yesterday that somehow managed to hurt him more than anything.


    "I will always be here for you, Axel."


    That was a fucking lie.

 Chapter 78 - The World Against Him : Part 2

    Axel suddenly vanished from everyone''s sight in the blink of an eye. The drop of black tears was the only proof that he was there.


    Right before he disappeared, Axel had a sorrowful look in his mismatched eyes. Rune was the last person that he saw, staring at her with hopelessness. The world seemed to slow down a little as he looked at her for the last time with sadness.


    He was a criminal. There was no need for her to feel bad for him.


    But deep down, there was a pang in her chest. It spread like bugs that clawed in her skin. It ate her heart slowly, choking her. She believed it was because of the betrayal. Of course, it was because of the betrayal. What else could it be?


    "Well, that was an interesting play." A dangerous voice broke the silence.


    Everyone''s eyes moved to him now as they realized there was still a dangerous person within them. No one dared to speak, wishing that the mercenary would not recognize their existence.


    "I told that naive boy already that no one would accept a murderer like him." The mercenary muttered, looking like he was talking to himself.


    He let out a sigh and clicked his tongue. Kiaran ran a hand through his hair, causing it to cascade back down to his forehead. "He didn''t listen to me and even tried to run away to just be with you. His beloved best friend and all that bullshits."


    He finally looked at Rune. The ocean eyes were too deep, hiding the malice within them. "He even went against me just for you to be okay, protecting you from the shadow."


    The red-haired girl tried to hide her trembling hands and faced the mercenary with her head held high. She wasn''t going to back down easily and tried to stand high on her ground, it seemed.


    Too bad Kiaran owned the ground already.


    "But I know you would hate him when he told him who he truly is." He shrugged and formed a hidden smirk behind his mask as he continued. "We need character development for the play, right?"


    Rune''s mouth formed a frown as she gritted her teeth. Two hazel eyes narrowed at the criminal with tight lips accompanying them. She stayed silent at his taunt and waited for him to finish.


    "I was waiting for the time when you would ditch him and push him away right when he told you everything like a naive child that he was," Kiaran continued, taking the challenge Rune had given to him. A challenge of when she would break her high ground.


    "-but I have become impatient." He huffed, tilting his head at Rune with glinting blue eyes. "So I sped the process for you and him."


    She gritted her teeth at him. Rune clenched her fists that the nails turned white.


    Kiaran smiled almost genuinely at her. "You''re welcome."


    The mercenary took the knife that had fallen on the floor and fiddled with it. "Axel needed to know that he did not have anyone in his life."


    He pointed the knife at her. "Not even you that he cherished the most."


    "Right, what is the saying again? A little heartbreak for a bigger purpose?" He brought his black-gloved hand to his chin, pretending to think. "Yeah, that is."


    "You are-" He pointed at her and closed one of his eyes, circling the knife around her head from his vision. "-the perfect candidate for the little heartbreak."


    "It was dumb, really." He taunted again, pushing her into her limits of staying quiet and calm. "-for how fast you would turn a blind eye to him while he sacrificed everything for you."


    Rune opened her mouth to speak but quickly shut it down again. There was no purpose to answer his taunt. It would only make him win the situation.


    Kiaran''s face darkened as he threw the last taunt. "It seems like you''re as pathetic as your father." He grinned at her. Even though Rune couldn''t see it, she could see the blue eyes that told her that he was smirking. "The fruit doesn''t fall far from the tree anyway."


    "Don''t you dare talk about my father like that." She finally took the bait and went into Kiaran''s manipulative cage willingly.


    Ah, she already broke off her high ground and went mad. That was boring.


    "Oh, you lost. That was anti-climatic." Kiaran sighed and looked away from her to the wall behind her. "You''re no fun."


    He stared at the wall with eyes that waited for something to happen, eyes that knew too much of the situation he was in. "Stage one complete. Now we are moving to stage two-"


    Kiaran raised his eyebrows and tilted his head again. "In five, four, three, two-"


    The wall suddenly broke down into pieces, crumbling. It created a big hole that soon revealed a bunch of police cars behind armed police officers.


    "Mercenary!" A familiar blond shouted with anger more than usual. Two green eyes furiously shot daggers at him.


    "....one." Kiaran ended his counting down with a clap. His mouth formed a happy grin, and excitement filled his dark eyes. "Just on time, police boy! Bravo!"


    But then the excitement turned into a serious one with a killing intent aura that surrounded him. Valerian let out the same aura, not wanting to lose in another fight with the criminal.


    In a swift move, the mercenary let out a gun, pointing at the lieutenant as Valerian did the same thing right at the same time. The two sworn enemies faced each other again after a month with the same intention as before.


    "Let''s dance again, shall we?"


    Before the two enemies fell into a long last battle, everyone started to run. The rest of the police helped them to evacuate while Kiaran and Valerian tried to slice each other''s throat.


    One did not want to kill, and one wanted to.


    You would be surprised to know that the one who wanted to kill was the lieutenant instead of the mercenary.


    But don''t get it wrong, it was not like the mercenary did not want to kill because he had a tender heart; he just did not want to dirty his hands. It was troublesome and disgusting.


    Aster and Rune ran side by side as the police led them into a safer place. Both of them were too preoccupied with their own thoughts. Each of them had their own worries about the same topic.


    Rune shook her head when someone asked if she was hurt or not. She just let her eyes drown in silence, ignoring the blond that had been staring at her for a while now.


    Aster offered a bottle of water and forced it into her hand. "That was a bitch move, Rune."


    The words caused the red-haired girl to look over at the Edelweiss boy. She showed a slight confusion by frowning at him.


    "Saying stuff like that to Axel." The green eyes met the hazel ones with disgust. "You''re more of a loser than him."


    "He is not just a loser." She ventured, spreading her hands defensively. "He''s a criminal, a murderer, a monster!"


    Aster put a towel over her shoulders and turned his back on the girl. "He''s your best friend." The blond uttered that with a lingering venom as he walked away from the frozen red hair.


    ??????


    "Not a while ago, the mercenary had revealed the identity of the infamous mute murderer." The woman on the television stated, showing a picture of a boy with a white mask.


    The room was dim as a 16-year-old girl sitting on a couch, watching the news in a daze. The only light that shone in the room was from the television itself. The curtains were closed, and the door was locked. She wanted to be alone.


    There was another pang in her heart again as she continued to watch it. She must have been hurt by the betrayal. The murderer had been lying to her for years, pretending to be weak when he killed countless people behind her. She did not even want to say his name anymore. It left a bitter taste in her mouth.


    She wasn''t feeling any guilt at all.


    She wasn''t sad that their friendship was over.


    She wasn''t sad that she lost him.


    She wasn''t sad that he was gone now.


    She was fine.


    She didn''t-


    Ah.


    Rune noticed the warmness and looked down to her thighs to see tear stains that kept falling down from her face. She was crying.


    The mercenary was right. She was pathetic.


    A white knight crying for a prince that had turned out to be a monster. She was protecting the wrong person all this time. Maybe she was never a white knight in the first place.


    Maybe mother was wrong.


    "It was surprising for a boy at such a young age to be the criminal that killed more than a person could ever do. Further investigation for Axel Vergessene will-"


    Rune grabbed the nearby glass on a table and threw it into the chattering box, breaking it as it crashed with the glass. The water caused the television to short circuit and freeze right when Axel''s picture was on the screen.


    The red-haired girl let out a sad chuckle and let herself break into a fit of unstopping sob.


    She was truly pathetic.


    ??????


    Right at the same time, a boy sat on top of an abandoned building and buried his face on his knees as he hugged them. He tried to divert his focus from all the billboards around the building that kept showing his face.


    He was feeling the same pang in his chest as his ex best friend.


    Pathetic, really.

 Chapter 79 - The World Against Him : Part 3

    Axel didn''t know how long he had been walking. Probably one day or two days, maybe more. Time was confusing, after all.


    His throat was sore, and his stomach ate itself. His lips had become pale the last time he saw his reflection on a puddle. He did not even know when was ''the last time''.


    Because sometimes, if he were lucky, he would see his mismatched eyes in the reflection. And other times, he would not see anything at all as if he wasn''t there. As if he was a ghost.


    It scared him.


    What if he disappeared forever? What if he would forever be in the shadow? What if no one searched for him? But if someone did, it would probably be Kiaran or his demon family, and Axel did not want that to happen.


    What did he want, really?


    Ah, he went back to this question again. It was a cycle that kept happening as he roamed in an empty street. It seemed like the moon was not even wanting to hear his thoughts as it hid behind the black clouds of night.


    He wanted a real family. So the world offered him a fucked up answer by sending him an even more insane family from another world.


    And so he changed it and wished for a normal life without getting wrapped up with his own last name. Just being Axel was enough. So he got a new friend and stayed with his best friend.


    And the world got angry because he abandoned the answer from his first wish and decided to mess everything up.


    He knew it was Kiaran''s fault, and yet his brain kept blaming anything but Kiaran. It was as if his head was conditioned that way.


    And most time, he would blame himself.


    Axel suddenly stopped after letting himself wander for God knows how long. He took a long deep breath and gazed at the dark sky.


    The dim street was empty as quiet buildings surrounded it. He stood in the middle of it, letting the wind blow away his fluffy hair, swaying it around. The boy snapped his eyes shut and tried to listen to his surrounding.


    He could hear the rustling of the trees and the movement from the third building from his right. He quickly opened his eyes as he managed to finally catch the source of the disturbance that caused him to stop his walk.


    Right after he opened his red and blue eyes, a man in black was thrown out of the window and possibly died. Considering the pool of blood that kept coming out of the man, Axel knew he could not make it.


    Poor guy.


    Axel sighed and walked over to the building out of curiosity. Maybe he really shouldn''t have done this since his face was all over the news, but then again, what more could he lose anyway?


    He lost everything already, even to the point that he had lost his own humanity and possibly life too.


    He stood right in front of the building entrance and stared at the inside. The door was already broken, so he did not have to waste his time by opening it or crushing it.


    A man''s body flew over to where he stood, and the boy dodged it easily. The poor guy went past his head like a fly. He looked back at the dead man for a moment and quickly diverted his gaze to the inside again.


    He felt chills run down his spine like needles, stabbing his body when he saw a certain red porcelain mask. The hood fell from her head and revealed her beautifully braided hair when she flipped in the air.


    Everything she did was unintentionally beautiful, even when she mercifully killed the three men in front of her. She elegantly landed on the floor and accidentally caught Axel''s mismatched eyes.


    Overwhelmed by the sudden shock when she saw his little brother, the assassin failed to notice one of the men was still alive and knocked her gun from her hands.


    The man pointed the gun at her, commanding Adreanna to raise her hands in surrender. She raised them and quietly stared at the enemy from behind her mask, making the atmosphere more dangerous than ever.


    The man chuckled. "You can''t run away now, slut. Say goodbye to the w-"


    The man suddenly dropped down to the floor when Axel smashed his head with a chair, creating a mess from the parts of the chair that scattered around right after making the man fall. He threw away the chair''s leg from his hand and looked over to his sister, who was adjusting her cloak and porcelain mask.


    "Uh, this is kind of awkward, isn''t it?" Axel started, trying to hide his trembling hands from Adreanna''s sight.


    She finally looked up and focused on the boy, probably. Axel could not tell from the porcelain mask that covered her whole face anyway. It was kind of intimidating, really.


    "Thank you for the help," Adreanna said with her usual monotone voice.


    Axel, who was taken aback by the sudden thanks, flinched. "Ah?"


    This was the first time Adreanna showed her gratitude. What''s gotten into her now? Was she planning to kill him right here?


    "Axel?" Adreanna asked when she did not receive any answer from the boy and tilted her head. Her long braided hair fell to the side when she did it.


    "Right, um." Axel scratched the back of his neck. "You''re welcome, I guess. It''s not much anyway. You could easily do it without me intervening."


    Adreanna stayed silent, not moving at all. Totally not scary, nope, not at all.


    The boy fiddled with the edge of his clothes and cleared his throat. "I better get going then. Nice to see you?"


    "Me too." She answered without moving an inch. It was too uncanny. She was like a living statue.


    "Right." Axel snapped his fingers and turned his back on her. "Bye."


    The boy was only a few steps away from her when she suddenly spoke again, almost making Axel''s heart jump out of his chest.


    "Where-" Adreanna paused, trying to find the right word to ask. "Where are you going?"


    Axel bit his lip at the question. He honestly didn''t know where he would go either. In the end, he probably would walk aimlessly again and wait for something to happen.


    "I don''t know. I don''t really have a place to go." He decided to answer with truth because Adreanna must have known about his whole identity situation, right?


    If she actually cared, that is.


    "I''m kind of famous right now, so-" Axel shrugged nonchalantly, trying to melt the chilling ice within the air, vaguely explaining his situation in case she didn''t know.


    "Do you want to go with me?" She offered, completely out of nowhere.


    "What?" He croaked quizzically, finally turning around to face his sister again. He frowned at the friendly confrontation. Because the last time they faced each other was when the world burned. He still remembered how they tried to bring each other down.


    He did not really hear what happened to Adreanna after he was being taken away by his family''s demon version. Everything was happening too fast at that time.


    Adreanna offered her red-gloved hand to him. "Join me, Axel."


    For a second, everything morphed into the day when they were young. For a moment, Axel saw tiny Adreanna offer her hand to him with her long unbraided hair in her old training room.


    He looked down to the offering hand, and everything yet again morphed into a different situation. The empty hand suddenly had a gun in the grip, pointing fiercely at him.


    The world was burning behind Adreanna as her clothes were covered with the ashes from all the bombs Kiaran had planted that day. She stayed still as she waited for the answer of her offer in between the war their brother had caused.


    Axel unconsciously took a step back. The memory rotted in his vision as he tried to calm the sudden panic within him. He was trying to breathe, but he couldn''t. Someone was holding his throat and choking him, taking all the air that he could possibly get.


    "Are you okay?" The sudden question from Adreanna broke all of his thoughts, causing the boy to look up at his sister.


    The assassin did not retreat her hand away as she used the other hand to open her red porcelain mask, revealing a face with a horizontal cut right below her left eye. The stoic face was full of concern as she kept her hand offered at the boy.


    The boy diverted his gaze from Adreanna''s face to her hand again. Axel did not take the hand that time when they were young. He also did not take the offer the day the world burned.


    And this time, as he slowly reached out his hand at her, he finally took it.


    He had nowhere else to go anyway. What could go wrong?


    She awkwardly put her other hand on Axel''s head and patted him. The boy stiffened at the sudden show of affection, causing both of his cheeks tinted with a slight blush from the unusual movement by Adreanna.


    She huffed, and if Axel looked up for just a moment there, he would find a slight smile on her face. A really vague one.


    "Very well."

 Chapter 80 - A Cage : Part 1

    Alfred slammed the door behind him and sped walk to his desk. He kicked the chair while grunting to himself. The man sighed, brushing his hair and messing it up with his hand.


    The city was in shambles after the identity of the mute murderer was revealed. Alfred had been trying to prevent it from spreading all over the media, but the ministries were all against him.


    "We should keep the identity hidden from the media. It''ll cause a catastrophe if everyone knows who he is," Alfred said, just an hour ago, in a pretty small meeting room for the higher-ups.


    "Why are we protecting a criminal? Rather than doing that, we should expose everything so everyone could call the authorities if anyone ever catches a single hair of him." One voiced out, and everyone screamed in agreement. The meeting ended that way.


    It irritated him, really. The boy was so young. What was Cain thinking?


    But then a wave of regret drowned him in a second, knowing Cain was young too when he had killed all his family.


    "So you raised your family to be like you, huh?" Alfred muttered to himself, sneering for Cain and him.


    "This is really karma." He chuckled sardonically. He moved his hazel eyes to the window, staring at the breeze of wind that kept trying to get in his office.


    "When will you realize this karma is for you too, Cain?" He asked as if his ex best friend could hear what he said.


    "I hate that karma falls into our children." Alfred diverted his gaze to the picture of his late wife holding a baby with beautiful red hair.


    "Why did they have to suffer because of us?"


    ??????


    Alfred stood in front of his daughter''s room, taking a deep breath before he knocked on the door. He went back early despite the pile of problems that had to be done. He knew Rune was in shambles because of the reveal.


    He needed to talk with her.


    "Rune," Alfred called after knocking three times. Somehow, he felt anxious wanting to calm his daughter. He never really did this kind of thing before.


    "I want to be alone, father." A voice answered not long after. There was an etching sorrow within it that caused Alfred to frown.


    "I know yesterday''s event might shock you. I want to make sure you''re okay." He did not wait for his daughter''s approval and opened the door.


    The room was so dark without any lights on, only the moon that gave the stolen lights so the father could see the sight of his daughter. Rune was curling on the bed, showing her back on Alfred.


    "About your best friend..." He began, carefully trying not to make the situation worse. "I''m sorry that happened between you two."


    "I know you must be hurt by him but-"


    "I don''t care." She spat viciously without giving a single glance at her father. "He''s a monster. He''s not my best friend."


    "He never was." The last words came as pitiful from her mouth.


    And Alfred understood what she was feeling right now. He quietly closed the door behind him and sighed. "Why did you call him a monster?"


    "Because he murdered people." She answered fast without a second thought.


    "So everyone who had killed even one person is a monster?" Alfred tried to reason, knowing how he was a murderer himself.


    "Yes."


    "Even though the one they killed was a criminal?" He softened his voice, asking the dangerous question while trying not to worsen anything.


    There was a mere silence between them. The atmosphere was too dark and sad at the same time.


    "...yes." She finally responded.


    Alfred walked closer to her bed and cautiously sat on its edge. He looked at the wall in wonder, mind going into another place as he spoke again. "I used to have a best friend too."


    "I was pretty much in your situation." He added, remembering how Cain holed up in his room after discovering that his family was a criminal.


    "He wasn''t a criminal at that time, but he was from a family of criminals." The man continued. A flash of how naive Cain was, went inside his mind.


    "I thought he was the same as his family, but it turned out he did not know a single thing about that."


    Alfred had thought that Cain was a criminal and even dared to think of ending Vergessene''s life that day. His father told him to kill Cain too, but he was already attached to the boy and realized that they had become a real best friend after years of pretending to be one.


    Well, Cain thought their friendship was real back in the day. Alfred realized it too late. He realized they were real when he could not go back the way things were anymore.


    "But my best friend still loved his family."


    Cain would still worry about his little brother even though he knew Raziel was a criminal. He would think about his brother all night and try to find a way to go back or run away with him.


    "And his family loved him." There was a bitter taste in his mouth after he said that.


    Alfred finally looked over to his only daughter. "So the question is, was my best friend a monster too by being born in a family of criminals?"


    "He''s not." She responded relatively fast, slowly moving her head to him. "He doesn''t kill people, right?"


    "He used to never even shed a single blood." He agreed, smiling as he remembered their innocent times back in the day.


    His gaze suddenly darkened. It looked really dangerous under the light of the moon. "But then the family was killed." He stated, almost coldly.


    "The family was murdered as they begged for my best friend to be alive. They begged and begged to never kill my best friend because he wasn''t part of any of the criminal things they did."


    "And the killer left my best friend alive. But the killer killed my best friend''s loved ones in front of his eyes without any sympathy."


    "Was the killer a monster too, then?"


    The question hung in the air as Rune looked away from him again. She did not answer for a pretty long time, seeming to pile up in her own thoughts.


    "Was he, Rune? Was he a monster?" Alfred asked again, even though he knew the answer.


    "They deserved it anyway." She shrugged, causing her loosened hair to sway a little.


    Alfred sighed again. "So, let''s change the situation then."


    "If you were in my best friend''s situation and I was the criminal that the killer murdered, would you see the killer as a monster then?" He dropped the bomb and turned the film around.


    Another silence was thrown between them. This time it was longer than before.


    Rune got up from the bed and sat beside him. "You can''t put me in that situation, father. That''s unfair."


    "So my best friend''s situation was really unfair then." He retorted back, raising his eyebrows at her.


    The man closed his eyes for a moment, taking all the courage within him as he put a hand on her shoulder. "The thing is, my daughter-"


    "I am the killer."


    A frown started to form on her innocent face. The pale lips slightly opened as she tried to process her father''s words.


    "...what?" She croaked. An obvious sign of confusion was on display.


    "I killed my best friend''s family." He repeated his words clearly. The man''s face morphed into guilt that was covered by coldness.


    "Am I a monster too?" He asked, knowing that he had been calling himself that without having to ask his daughter.


    "You''re lying." She denied, raising her voice a little. Her hazel eyes wavered a little as she stared at his eyes.


    Alfred dropped his head down, catching a breath while trying to push away the guilt that tried to crawl back to him after a long time. "It''s up to you whether you would believe me or not."


    "I just want to say. There is no good or bad." Two pair of hazel eyes met. One of them was widened in surprise. "Everyone''s always in between."


    "Axel is a good kid wrapped in a bad situation." He continued.


    Every time he looked at the boy, he would see the young Cain, too young to be in a criminal world. It was cruel, really.


    "He''s just like my best friend." He confessed, desperately trying to shove down the lump in his throat. "Too young to be matured."


    "I can see how Axel adored you so much. How he clings to you because you''re the only one he has at the moment." The man said while the world was shoving all the memories of regrets in his mind.


    "When my best friend was in Axel''s situation, I gave him a place to stay too." And how he wished he hadn''t because every time he remembered those days, it would hurt him more with grieves on how he had lost the Cain he used to know.


    "-Until I betrayed him and killed his family." The statement made Rune''s breath hitched. Alfred could catch how she suddenly went stiff.


    "I lost my best friend, and I regretted it ever since." He tried to reason again, not wanting the history to repeat itself. It was enough. "It''s like I lost half of me."


    "Your mother and my best friend were the ones who made me whole." Because Alfred really did not know what would he do without them.


    And now that he knew, he wished he hadn''t.


    "And I don''t want you to lose half of yourself just like I did." The sentence almost sounded pleading, begging. It was enough.


    "It doesn''t matter!" Rune shoved him away, shouting angrily with waters that began to collect at the bottom lid of her eyes.


    "Your situation had no relation with me! You don''t understand what I''m feeling, and you are not wrong!" She denied and denied it again. She did not even care anymore.


    Alfred looked at her in understatement. He was at her place once, denying how he hurt his only best friend and turned him into a deadly criminal. He had denied that it was his fault and blamed anything but him.


    "It''s right for you to kill the criminals." Rune finally lowered her voice.


    "Axel," Rune cringed at the name, saying it only made everything sound worse. "-was hiding the fact that he was a criminal all along." She continued.


    "Then what if I told you the reason why Axel is a criminal was because of me?" The man began. His red hair glinted under the dim light. It was almost like blood.


    "...what?" She halted with a shaky voice. Rune could feel her heart thumping too fast at the statement.


    "After I killed my best friend''s family, I turned him to be a monster," Alfred said, only making Rune more anxious.


    "I was creating a monster by killing monsters. He became a criminal, a long-lasting one." Uttered the man as a sight of the hitman who covered his whole head flashed in his eyes. He remembered how Cain had brought his father''s head and tossed it to him.


    That day he realized he had been doing the wrong thing. And he still had the audacity to be angry.


    "And then he had children." He carried on, and the sentence sent shivers down Rune''s spine. She knew where this was going.


    "And I just found out that one of his children was the mute murderer." That was what she had been waiting for, the truth. The agonizing and cruel truth.


    "My best friend forced your best friend to be a murderer because I let the cycle continue." Alfred went on, spilling all the wrong things he had done, telling his own daughter that he was a bastard himself, a monster. "I thought by killing his criminal family. The crimes would stop there."


    "But just like a fruit from a tree that died and made another tree from its seed inside, I made a new criminal because I killed the tree."


    The realization made Rune unconsciously let a tear down her face. Alfred did not know what she was thinking, but he knew how she felt right now.


    "Axel never asked to be born in that family. Just like my best friend did." He explained, knowing that he was saying this just to manipulate his own regret.


    "When you''re stuck in a cage since you were born, you would eat and absorb everything inside it just to survive."


    "Because you weren''t made to be like those outside the cage. You aren''t free to do what you like or to absorb what you want. You are made different. That''s why you''re in a cage."


    "You aren''t given a choice of anything."


    Another tear fell down on her face at the statement. The look that she made was a realization that she was selfish. And Alfred knew it too well.


    "And your best friend found a key to break free tried to run away from that cage by coming to you." Alfred sounded apologetic this time. He wiped the tears with his thumb, calming down his daughter.


    "I hope you understand what I meant, Rune." He hugged the poor kid, wishing that someone did this to him back in the day.


    "I realized it too late about my best friend''s situation. I just don''t want you to regret everything just like I did."


    But it was too late.


    She already regretted it.

 Chapter 81 - A Cage : Part 2

    "This is where you live?" Axel asked as he stood behind Adreanna, who was unlocking the door in front of her.


    "When I''m not home, yes." She answered flatly, opening the door as she let her brother get in first.


    "I sometimes take a nap on an abandoned building." She added while closing the door behind them.


    "That''s... great." The boy awkwardly retorted back. He opened his shoes and put them aside before getting further down to her apartment.


    The apartment was pretty small. The building looked old, and the neighbourhood was pretty empty. There were small cracks along the walls, looking like they would fall down at any given moment.


    But despite how poor the apartment was, Adreanna managed to make it look good. She neatly put everything in their places, making them outshine the crappy building. She probably chose this apartment building because it was a good place to hide from the police''s radar.


    There were faces of governments on the wall. Axel stopped in front of it to inspect them. The amount of ''x'' on their pictures was concerning.


    His eyes caught a picture of the president with a question mark on it. The boy squinted his eyes when he saw something was hidden behind it.


    He reached his hand while tiptoeing a little. Adreanna was taller than him, so it made sense why he struggled right now. When his finger reached the edge of the picture, he quickly plucked it from the wall, causing another picture to fall that was hidden behind the president''s photo.


    Axel put the president''s photo back on the wall and went to pick up the fallen picture. He widened his eyes when he found a picture of Rune, smiling formally at the camera.


    He raised his eyebrows when he read the words on the picture, messily written yet still managed to look beautiful.


    ''Axel''s best friend, do not harm.''


    Oh. That was pretty considerate of Adreanna despite her being a literal walking statue all the time. Though the words on the picture probably would not work because Rune was not his best friend anymore.


    But let''s keep it that way so Adreanna would not actually harm her.


    "Drink." Adreanna suddenly spoke while standing beside him, causing the boy to hide the picture behind him in a hurry.


    He looked over Adreanna with a forced smile while trying to calm his racing heart. Sometimes he would forget that she was the most remarkable assassin and could appear out of nowhere like a ghost.


    She had already put away her cloak and porcelain mask, leaving them hanging on the wall near the door.


    Adreanna still stared at him without a single glint of emotions on her face. Axel looked down at her hand and noticed that she was offering a glass of water.


    "Oh, thanks." He hurriedly took the glass, realizing that he had been making her wait for too long.


    Axel chugged the water in one go. He finally drank after a while.


    The boy did not feel thirsty beforehand. After getting the water running down his throat, he quickly realized how dry his throat was.


    "He was foolish." She suddenly spoke again. It always came out of nowhere.


    Axel blinked in confusion. "What?"


    "No matter how smart Kiaran is, revealing your identity was a stupid move." She continued impassively before walking away from the boy, leaving him to process her words alone.


    "Oh, right." Axel nodded in agreement while quietly putting back Rune''s picture to where it was.


    "Here." She popped up beside him so sudden again, though he was already prepared not to get startled this time.


    The boy looked down to her hand again to see what she offered this time. He frowned when he saw a black shirt and black short pants.


    "Is this Kiaran''s clothes?" The boy questioned with a doubt. Did Kiaran meet up with her so many times? He never told him anything about it.


    Well, to be fair, his brother never told Axel anything since the beginning.


    Adreanna put the clothes in his hand and a towel on top of it. "He likes to break in and stay here sometimes." She dully explained.


    "He-" Axel choked on his words, looking at her bewilderedly. "-will he break in?"


    "Maybe." She blinked slowly. Her long eyelashes batted on her cheek as the 19-year-old teen watched her brother stiffen at her words.


    Adreanna''s sea-coloured eyes caught Axel''s trembling hands. She diverted her gaze to the boy''s breathing that had become ragged.


    "He won''t come. He stays here once in a blue moon." She reassured without a single tone in her voice.


    "What if he did?" The boy''s eyes twitched as he stared at her wide-eyed.


    "Then I''ll tell him to go," Adreanna stated easily, still staring at him with her two beautifully uncanny eyes.


    "He can''t- he shouldn''t know that I''m here. Please." Axel tugged her sleeve almost desperately.


    "Okay." She put her hand to Axel''s hand. It was as if she was trying to comfort him. Maybe she did.


    Adreanna moved her hand to Axel''s face and brushed his hair away from his eyes. "Wash yourself first. We''ll attend your wounds later."


    "My wounds?" Axel asked after calming down a little.


    "Ah, right. My wounds."


    She must have noticed the faded scars on his neck. He really did not tend his wounds that much back in Rune''s house. The red-haired girl helped him heal, but the injuries were too much, and some of them left a big scar that she could not recover by simply mending them.


    So Axel lied to Rune that the wounds were healed. He had lied to her too many times.


    "I better take a bath, then." Axel stiffly said to her before slowly making his way to the bathroom.


    Adreanna watched the boy clumsily get inside the bathroom. She stared at where Axel was with hidden thoughts and glanced at the president''s picture.


    The oldest Vergessene made her way to a cabinet and opened it. She grabbed the medkit inside while grabbing a handful amount of bandages beside it.


    She put it on the bed and took another towel. She didn''t have to wait too long before Axel got out of the bathroom with Kiaran''s clothes.


    It was pretty big but not that large for the boy. Kiaran and Axel''s bodies were pretty much the same aside from their heights. So the clothes fit Axel enough for him to wear.


    She noticed the scars on his legs after wearing Kiaran''s short pants. Adreanna moved her eyes up to Axel''s red eye and stared at it for a long time. The boy noticed the look she gave and quickly covered it with his wet hair.


    "I won''t ask if you don''t want to tell me about it," Adreanna uttered to him and pat the place beside her, telling him to come to her.


    Axel rushed to her side and sat down on the bed obediently as she started to open the medkit and bring out a needle.


    "Roll your pants up a little." She ordered, and Axel did as she told in silence.


    She froze at the sight of the wound on his thigh. Axel tried to catch what she was thinking at the moment behind her emotionless eyes.


    "It healed up. It''s fine. Don''t worry about it." He decided to say that to her despite not knowing what went in her mind.


    Then Adreanna tended all his wounds thoroughly. Axel would grimace when she stitched some of his opened wounds and bandaged them all.


    In the end, the bandages were all over his body except his face. They wrapped both of his legs, arms, and neck.


    When Adreanna put the last bandage on his arm, he noticed the scars on her neck too. He could not help but divert his gaze to the horizontal scar right below her left eye again.


    "I got them from another me when she kidnapped you." She suddenly told him without giving the boy the chance to ask.


    "I tried to bring you back, but I was in a coma for a while. I lost to the demon." There was some bitterness in her words, it was vague, but Axel managed to notice them.


    There was so much happening when he passed out that day. He did not even know she was fighting another Adreanna. And Axel would lie if he did not feel a little warm for the fact that she tried to save him.


    "Are you okay?" Axel questioned with concern. She had never lost to anyone before. For him, she was the strongest person in the world.


    It kind of made sense that she lost to herself.


    "Yes," She answered truthfully and finished the last bandage. "Thank you."


    "Oh. Yeah. You''re welcome." He cleared his throat and looked anywhere but her face.


    "When I woke up, I searched for you." She began while putting in all the medicines inside the box of medkit again. "But you were with your best friend already. So I left."


    "Thanks for searching, I guess." Axel felt a little sour at the mention of Rune. He tried so hard to forget about her. It only made his heart even more.


    ??????


    Axel wore a red jacket that he borrowed from her with a hood that covered his head. The boy put an eyepatch over his red eye to hide the colour.


    Both of them were on their way to a nearby convenience store to buy something to eat. Adreanna wore a red crop top and black jeans. She wore a black drape over the blood-coloured crop-top. The girl''s hair was neatly braided, just like it always did.


    They both got in the store with some men stealing glances at her. Axel would sometimes glare at the people who would look at Adreanna in the wrong way, even the slightest.


    Axel''s eyes caught a cupcake on display, and quickly made his way to the aisle, separating with his sister.


    He took two cupcakes with a smile and went to ask her if he could buy them or not. "Adreanna, can I have-"


    Axel snapped his mouth shut when he saw her getting surrounded by police officers and quickly hid away.


    "Adreanna Vergessene, sister of Axel Vergessene, you''re under arrest."

 Chapter 82 - A Cage : Part 3

    Adreanna was not expecting to meet Axel tonight. She also was not expecting him to run to her instead of Kiaran. And for Axel to cower when she merely mentioned the probability of Kiaran visiting her place, she was not expecting that either.


    She never knew what the boy wanted or despised. Since they were little, she would merely inspect Axel from afar. Because every time she tried to approach him, her little brother seemed to treat her like she was dangerous and always dodged or ran from her.


    She did not understand why he did that.


    All she knew was that Axel adored Kiaran and would only steal glances at her. So she let it go. She was raised to be the oldest, and the one father would always count on anyway. She needed to be the strongest.


    But after seeing the gaping wound she had given to the boy when she shot his thigh that day, there was a weird tugging feeling in her heart.


    She felt that weird feeling whenever she noticed Axel got abused by Kiaran, just like that day he withered on the floor inside the mad scientist''s building.


    That tugging feeling grew stronger when Axel exploded in a red aura. And the feeling became like a knife slicing her heart when she could not save Axel from being taken away by her other self.


    She really did not understand the feeling at all.


    So when Adreanna woke up from her coma, she quickly rushed from the bed, ignoring Cain''s yells for her to stay. The feeling was still there, and she needed to get rid of it. It made her feel weird and not in a good way.


    Not like how Zack explained about love, like butterflies in the stomach. This feeling hurt her.


    So when she found out that Axel was laughing with his best friend, safe and sound, the feeling had gone away.


    But oddly enough, she felt empty.


    Now that the boy walked beside her, wearing her red jacket with bandages all over his body and an eyepatch to cover the red eye that she hoped Axel would tell her someday, she felt warm.


    It was not empty anymore; it was warm. The tugging feeling would sometimes come whenever she looked at the bandages, but overall, it was really really warm.


    Especially when she saw the glimmering blue eye right when he caught an aisle of cupcakes, the warmness spread on her body, and she felt pleased about it.


    She felt like she had just destroyed the whole government and killed every single one of them. It was that kind of feeling. It pleased her.


    She would destroy the world for Axel, maybe.


    So when the 19-year-old was about to buy more food for Axel so that the boy would show that kind of glint on his eyes, just like when he saw cupcakes, some people had to ruin everything.


    "Adreanna Vergessene, sister of Axel Vergessene, you''re under arrest."


    Adreanna coldly gazed down at the police officer alongside his two comrades behind him. The appearance of the three made her feel like a fire spreading inside her instead of warmness.


    She did not like it. She wanted to spit all the fire on them.


    "As you are aware, your brother is the number one fugitive in the world right now, and we''ve come to ask his family to the point that we came to your house." The police tried to explain without keeping his guard up.


    He probably thought she was weak compared to Axel.


    "-and all we found was ashes." He finished explaining, leaving Adreanna to try to process his last words.


    "...ashes?"


    That must have been Kiaran''s plan. Father would not let the house burn down that easily. Let alone doing it himself.


    Ah, Kiaran would really get scolded by father. Would he be grounded for eternity?


    "Right after the reveal, your house burned down into ashes, miss. We could not help but think you are helping your brother to run away. So you are under arrest." The police officer''s words turned into biting this time, more stern as Adreanna still gave them a cold gaze.


    Everyone in the store had gathered around her slowly. Some even started to record her with their phones. Murmurs began to form around, and everyone was looking at her like she was some kind of show.


    She disliked it.


    "What if I am helping my brother?" Adreanna tilted her head, letting her braided hair fall to the side. Despite her face being flat and emotionless, the people around could catch the dark glint in her stunning blue eyes.


    That did make those who were watching the scene take a step back.


    The police officers started to slowly put their hands into their pocketed guns and gripped them. "Then we will be doing this in a violent way if you won''t cooperate with us."


    Her gaze darkened. "I wouldn''t mind." Her elegant voice echoed, sending chills to the people around.


    Both Adreanna and the police officers were waiting for something to start first. In that agonizing minute, everyone could feel the scary atmosphere building up rapidly.


    "I mind!" A sudden voice suddenly chimed in with hurry.


    Then a boy with black short pants and a black shirt with a red jacket over his shoulders appeared between Adreanna and the police officers in a blink of an eye. His blue eye caught the sudden shock mixed with terrified on people''s faces.


    Axel smiled at them. "I really really do mind!" He exclaimed, awkwardly opening his arms wide and shrugging.


    His blue eye glinted ominously at the police officers. "Your job is arresting me, not my sister. So kindly fuck off, sir."


    Adreanna''s dark gaze started to disappear as she stared at her brother in front of him, who was shielding her.


    "That''s Axel Vergessene, the mute murderer!" Someone yelled, causing some ruckus started to happen in the store. It was a messy sight to see, really.


    Everyone started to run away while some of them still dumbly tried to record the situation. The police officers were now pointing their guns at him and ready to pull the trigger at any given time.


    Despite having only one eye to see, the boy managed to dodge all of the bullets that were being fired at him. One of his bandages went loose on his right arm when he snatched the gun from the nearest police''s hand.


    Adreanna calmly watched the fight happen, staring at the police officers with two uninterested eyes. She moved her head one or two times to avoid the bullets.


    Axel pulled the trigger and aimed it at the police''s thigh. Another police tried to throw a punch at him with the back of his gun, and the murderer easily deflected it with his left arm then shot the opponent''s shoulder.


    He did not even flutter at the sight of the last police officer in front of him and kicked the man''s neck, causing him to pass out on the floor.


    Axel looked back to his sister and quickly took her hand. He gripped it tight as they ran together under the watching moon. It was probably past midnight already since they were only there to get some dinner.


    It seemed like there was no dinner tonight.


    "You didn''t kill them," Adreanna commented in between their escape. She just followed where Axel dragged her to, quietly letting him lead the way.


    "Ah, yeah. I just want some change of pace." He answered right away and looked back at her for a second.


    The boy grinned at her. The moon that was standing right in front of him ricocheted on his skin. It was a blinding sight to see. And it was warm.


    Adreanna opened her mouth to speak again but rudely got cut off by the sound of police sirens chasing behind them. Even a helicopter started to come to the two at a fast speed.


    Axel noticed an alleyway and quickly took a sharp turn and yanked his sister with him. They went deeper to the alleyway and crouched right behind a dumpster.


    "I''m going to face them. You stay here. Don''t fight." Axel stated as he reloaded the gun that he stole from the police earlier.


    Adreanna watched her brother thoroughly, trying to understand why he said that. "Why?"


    "You''re not wearing a mask. Your identity might get revealed." Axel opened his red jacket and put it on Adreanna''s head to cover her. "Stay here, sis."


    He quickly turned around and took a few steps away from her. But the black-haired boy stopped for a moment and managed to smile at her one more time. "It''s a really scary nightmare to get your identity revealed, you know? I feel like I''ve been freed from a cage just to get into a bigger cage."


    "I don''t want you to feel the same way as me, Adreanna." He huffed and started to run from her while waving. "So stay there and let me handle my mess."


    Adreanna just froze in her place as he watched the boy leaving her behind the dumpster. She did not understand the boy at all. Why did he smile when his eyes looked so pitiful? Was it what they called sadness?


    A helicopter shined its lights at him, causing Axel to squint slightly. Cars were covering the alley entrance, and more than ten police officers were pointing their guns at him.


    "Put your hands in the air." The leader commanded harshly, fiercely pointing the gun at him.


    The young murderer sighed. He knew this would happen so he hid his gun away from the beginning. He raised both of his hands while scanning the area.


    He could take them. But it would be hard to not kill all of them right off the bat. He was used to blowing their heads off.


    But he did not want to be a murderer anymore. He was sick of it. He would find a way, somehow.


    The leader opened his mouth to speak again. "Axel Vergessene, you are under arrest for committing-"


    "Murder and lots of murders and more murders. I know." Axel gave them the kindest smile that he could ever possibly give.


    The leader clicked his tongue and seemed to move his eyes around. "Where''s your ugly sister, huh? I know she runs away with you."


    Something tickled Axel like a bolt of lightning when he heard the police''s words. He widened his blue eye madly and tilted his head dangerously. A sign of irritation rubbed off the atmosphere as he grinned in disbelieve with etching insanity.


    "....ugly?"

 Chapter 83 - Us Against The World : Part 1

    "...ugly?"


    Axel''s face twitched into something sinister. There was an aura of darkness that started to surround the boy. "Who?"


    "You mean Adreanna is ugly?" His words sent shivers down to the police officers. Some of them started to back off a little.


    Axel tilted his head down and glared at the leader. "You take that back."


    The said leader felt sweat running down the side of his forehead. He tried to keep his ground high. Despite the apparent tremble in his hands, the man still fiercely aimed his gun at Axel.


    "You dare insult my sister''s beauty!" The 16-year-old snarled. He began his attack with a right overhand punch. The leader dodged the sudden attack and fired his gun three times at the boy.


    The boy flipped to the back by kicking the man''s chest and danced around the bullets in the air. He was not given the time to rest as another swarm of bullets came at him from all over the place.


    The boy''s feet touched the ground slightly before he jumped again, easily dodging all the bullets like it was some kind of a dodging ball game. He launched himself to the leader again and strangled him onto the floor.


    Axel choked the man with both of his hands, causing him to desperately grasp for air. "You may insult me, but you can''t insult my family." He dangerously uttered at the leader.


    The man''s eyes moved to the left side and tried to shoot Axel''s left shoulder with his unguarded right hand. The boy quickly noticed it and darted to the right. The bullet managed to slice his skin a little, causing some drop of blood to come out of his shoulder.


    There were other bullets that tried to shoot him from the back. The mute murderer clicked his tongue and quickly brought up the gun that he stole earlier.


    He swirled around the bullets and fired his shots. There were no bullets missed as they all found their place inside six police officers. Everyone who got shots dropped to the ground while trying to brace the pain.


    There was a shot that came from the sky and almost blew Axel''s head off. It went just an inch away from his ear in a flash of lightning. He looked up to see the shooter inside the helicopter.


    Right, he forgot about it. He was too caught up with the leader-


    Oh no.


    Axel ducked and hit the ground in a roll to avoid another bullet coming from the leader of this supposed to be arrest. He ran to a nearby wall and bounced off it, spinning in the air as he let more bullets find themselves on the police officers'' shoulders.


    The leader was the only one who managed to dodge. As expected from the head, anyway.


    There was a rain of bullets that tried to eat Axel away again and caused him to grunt a little. He went sideways and threw himself to another wall and ricocheted from it.


    He aimed the gun at the helicopter and-


    And the gun fell from his hand.


    Wait, why did it fall from-


    The boy looked down to see nothing. His hands had disappeared entirely alongside his arms that kept reappearing and vanishing as they wanted. He shook his arms a couple of times, hoping they would come back again.


    This was just great timing, wasn''t it?


    There was a tremendous sound of gunshots from the air, and Axel just chuckled slightly at himself.


    "Crap."


    This was really not a good time for the disappearance thing to act up. The world really hated him that much, huh?


    Upon having no arms invisible right now, Axel relied on his legs only to dart around the bullets and hoped for the best. It was way harder, and the boy could not land a single attack without his hands.


    He could kick the people around, of course. But the helicopter was a lost cause.


    Axel knew he was blinking only for a moment as an average human would do. He swore he just did it without even reaching a mere second. But when he opened his eyelids again, there was already a woman standing in front of him, shielding him as she took his fallen gun.


    Adreanna''s gaze was colder than before that it could freeze the people who saw it. She shot the helicopter''s blade and caused it to sway, trying to stabilize again as it went farther away. It probably would crush somewhere soon.


    She looked back at Axel, and surprisingly, the cold gaze turned into the usual emotionless eyes. "I suppose if your identity is already revealed, there''s no use for me hiding." She stated flatly.


    "The cage that you spoke about," She paused and gave a really slight smile that Axel could miss easily. "-I''ll accompany you in it."


    The boy''s face went red at her words and action. He never knew that Adreanna cared about him this much.


    "It''s a really scary nightmare to get your identity revealed, you know? I feel like I''ve been freed from a cage just to get into a bigger cage." His words earlier rang in his ears as he stared at his sister fought in silence.


    That was...nice. Huh, it really felt nice.


    Axel looked up to see Adreanna spun in the air and shot a ridiculous amount of bullets in one go.


    Oh.


    Axel''s face suddenly morphed into panic. "Don''t do the ultimate raining bullets thing!" He yelled.


    Adreanna froze at the shout and let her bullet waste to the ground before she finished her attack. She snapped his head over to Axel. "The ultimate...?"


    "The badass thing you do when you want to kill a bunch in one go." Axel tried to explain in a hurry. "I will really much prefer it if you didn''t kill them."


    There was a beat of silence as she stared at Axel. The youngest never knew what she thought whenever she did that to him. The oldest blinked, letting her eyelashes flutter and nodded.


    "Okay." She put down the gun in her hand and looked over to some police officers that were still standing.


    She turned back toward the attackers and did a quick spin. Adreanna aimed for the nearest person''s neck and made him pass out.


    She did not stop moving and leaned back to avoid a bullet coming her way from the left. She gave the person a cold glance and targeted the man''s jawline by throwing a fast jab that was followed by a crack.


    Adreanna easily wiped out the rest of the police officers and stopped right in front of the leader. She kicked the gun from his hand when he tried to shoot her.


    The oldest Vergessene walked slowly and cornered the poor man. She moved her head close to the man to the point that their nose almost touched each other. The leader''s face was as red as a tomato now as he could not divert his gaze from her.


    "You''re hideous too." She spoke to him without any attached emotions in her words. Adreanna bumped her head to him and knocked the leader out in a second.


    She coldly gazed down at the man on the floor before turning her back on him. Her gaze landed on Axel''s disappearing hands and stared at them for a very long time.


    She looked up at the boy and noticed that Axel was staring bewilderedly at his hands too. Adreanna made her way over to him and patted his head, making the boy snap out of his panic.


    "You''re good when you were handling them." She complimented, and it almost made Axel think that she was getting possessed.


    Or maybe she was always this nice. He just never got the time to actually spend real time with her.


    "Ah, yeah. I learned it from you." A blush crept on his cheeks as he shyly stared at her.


    Adreanna just stared at him, almost disapprovingly. However, she was too emotionless for Axel to actually know what she was expressing.


    "Uh..." Axel awkwardly hummed and moved his blue eye away from her. He was focused on the blood on his bandaged legs instead.


    "You were supposed to compliment back or say thank you," Adreanna stated.


    The youngest Vergessene blinked sheepishly. "What?"


    "When someone compliments you, you should return the compliment or say thank you." She repeated her words.


    "Ah." He opened his mouth in understanding. "Thank you, then. You are good too."


    She patted his head again and nodded in approval. "There is a bakery near this way. It opens early in the morning."


    "But it''s still night-" Axel cut his own words and stared at the sky, which was not as dark as before.


    "Oh." He tried to scratch the back of his neck and realized his hands were missing. "Nevermind."


    Well, being in an alleyway with two tall buildings that almost covered the sky caused him not to notice the sunrise that tried to show itself to this cruel world.


    In the end, with some blood dripping from Adreanna''s hands and bloodstains all over Axel''s body, they made their way to the nearest bakery.


    "W-welcome!" The baker welcomed them sternly, trembling in their sight. "Take whatever you want, i-it''s free."


    "Really?" Axel tilted his head happily.


    With a delighted grin, Axel beamed. "Give me your best cupcake."


    The baker warily stared at the two. Adreanna had some bloodstain on her neck and hands that were covered in red liquid. The boy only had his legs with the red stain that was etched on his bandages. Not to mention his disappearing hands as well.


    "Stop staring. He wants a cupcake. Right now." Adreanna said, and the baker caught it as a threat.


    "Y-yes, right away!" The poor baker quickly took all the cupcakes and put them in a bag.


    That was a really weird night for Axel.


    "Wipe your hands, you''ll have blood all over the cupcake." He chimed, making Adreanna obediently clean them off.


    But strangely, Axel felt free.

 Chapter 84 - Us Against The World : Part 2

    "About my disappearing hands and eye-"


    The leftover cupcakes were sitting on the table near them. Axel managed to eat them when his hands finally went back to normal. Both of them had arrived in the apartment just a while ago.


    Now Axel tried to explain everything to Adreanna about his situation.


    "I think- I think I''m not a human anymore." Axel took a deep breath and stared at her blue eyes.


    Unlike his ones that one of them had turned red.


    "The demon version of father, you, and Kiaran were- they were-" His heart pounded in his ears as he felt like a void of hell swallowed him.


    "They-" He gulped, an intense wave of fear overwhelming his senses. The feeling of being stabbed by demon Cain''s hand with an insanely amount of pain haunted him like a ghost.


    Axel trembled, and his eyes felt like they were being wrapped in a white sheet. "They were making me-"


    "Hey, take a deep breath." Adreanna''s emotionless voice oddly felt comforting as she awkwardly brought her hands to Axel''s waist.


    She wrapped her hands around him and hugged the boy tight. "You don''t have to explain if you don''t want to."


    "No, you need- you need to know," Axel mumbled in between her hug.


    "They are trying to make me into their dead Axel." He gently pushed Adreanna away and stared at her face again. He had calmed down a little bit.


    "The me in the other world is dead, and they are trying to make a replica of him." He explained. It was easy to know that his other self had somehow gone somewhere until the demons were desperate enough to make him something he was not.


    If the other Axel had gone somewhere in the world, they could easily bring him back. But if his other self had gone to the afterlife, then they could not bring him back.


    So they tried another way to deny his death by making Axel their ''real'' Axel.


    "They changed me. It hurt so much when they did it. I felt like I was dying. And I think dying is better than being in that situation." Axel stroked his hair back and diverted his gaze to the floor with an empty stare.


    "When they tried to turn me into a demon, I had prayed for the world to just kill me instead." Axel smiled pathetically to himself before he continued.


    "But either the world was being kind, or it was just too cruel to let me die."


    Adreanna stiffened at his words. She stared at him, almost pitying. It was vague anyway since the girl could not express anything on her face.


    She realized that this boy was too young for that. She never thought about it because she had been like this since she was a child. So she did not care about Axel because they were the Vergessene anyway.


    But Axel had gone through another type of hell in the other world.


    "The thing is, I think this may be part of his power," Axel uttered and brought his hands up that had started to act up a little again.


    They disappeared and reappeared all they wanted, like a broken film.


    "I think everyone has power in the demon world." Axel waved his hand a little, trying to bring it back.


    He looked over to Adreanna, who was focused on his hands too. He opened his mouth to continue again. "Like how Kiaran could thrall my movement and brain, or Cain could summon a hoard of undead or your other self with-"


    "The porcelain feathers." Adreanna cut him off and stared at his eyes with unexplainable emotions.


    "Yes, that."


    "This might be his power that I got or a side effect for becoming what I''m not supposed to become," Axel explained and sighed when his arms started to disappear too.


    "-because I''m a human, right?" He asked but almost like trying to reassure himself. That he was still him, that everything would be okay. Even though it really wasn''t.


    But he would wait for a happy ending, eventually. Every story had an ending, and he wanted a happy one.


    "If I become a demon, I should''ve been mindless like those people back then." He carried on, chuckling with irony in his tone. "I just don''t know what I am."


    He looked at a ceiling with surrender and snatched his eyepatch open, revealing his inhuman eye. "I never knew what I am."


    "You''re Axel," Adreanna stated, tilting her head to the side a little as she stared at the boy.


    "You said the same thing as my best friend." Axel closed his eyes, and the memory of how Rune reassured that he was still Axel in her eyes no matter what happened played in his mind.


    He chuckled again. It sounded sad this time. "It''s funny how she said that, yet she''s not my best friend anym-"


    Axel quickly cut himself off and smiled at his sister. "Nevermind."


    Adreanna scanned the boy with her ocean eyes. Axel knew she loved to take the situation in front of her intensely, but it was chilling for some reason.


    "Let''s learn to control it." She suddenly spoke and pointed at his disappearing hands with her delicate finger. "Your new power."


    Axel blinked and looked back and forth between his hands and her. He frowned a little and waited for Adreanna to speak more.


    "Instead of treating it like your weakness, make it your strength."


    ??????


    Axel had been staring at his hands for almost an hour now. Sweats formed on his foreheads as he glared at them to disappear.


    He had fallen into a fit of triumph when his hands had reappeared again. But then, another problem occurred, and he could not make them disappear.


    Adreanna had just finished renewing his bandages and looked at Axel''s hands with two almost curious eyes.


    She turned on the television and let it run in the background as the assassin helped Axel by staring at his hands too. She sat beside her youngest brother and joined his staring contest.


    "Is it going to help just by staring?" She chimed in as both of them never diverted their gaze from the hands.


    "I don''t know what to do," Axel uttered and widened his gaze, hoping that his hands would miraculously vanish.


    "I learned from someone that to do something, you must have a reason." Adreanna began and stared at a pink ribbon on the corner of her whiteboard.


    "Whether it''s killing or surviving, you must have a reason why you did it." She added and put a hand on Axel''s shoulder. The boy looked back at her with a questioning gaze.


    She gripped the shoulder. "Think of a reason why you want to control them."


    "I will make the Livedam city safe from those petty criminals!" The mayor''s voice was heard from the television and broke the atmosphere between the two.


    Adreanna''s gaze darkened at the voice and stared at the government pictures on her wall.


    Axel was not surprised when he saw a picture of the mayor as well when he followed her gaze.


    "I need to go tonight." Said the oldest as she stood up from the bed.


    "Do you really have to kill him?" Axel ventured. His eyes followed Adreanna''s movement as the assassin loaded her guns.


    "He had raped children and silenced them. He was using his power as the new mayor to hide his evil deeds."


    Adreanna put the gun inside her pocket and moved her head over to Axel with blue eyes that had frozen into piercing ice. "I''ve killed all the governments. I need to kill the rest."


    Axel nodded and diverted his gaze to the pictures of the governments again. "But they just recycled them and got the new ones when one died."


    "You''ve killed the last mayor when-"


    The flash of how all the buildings exploded when they were fighting each other suddenly appeared, causing Axel to clear his throat at the sudden awkwardness.


    "The last mayor is dead because she was taking the people''s money all she wanted, and then the new mayor is even worse than her."


    He stared at her again. "So, are you going to kill him again, Adreanna?"


    "Until when?"


    Adreanna put a smoke bomb inside her clothes. "Until there are no corrupted ones in the governments."


    Axel sighed and moved his mismatched eyes over to the television. He watched the news teller talking about some useless stuff and sighed.


    "But Adreanna, I think" He paused and tilted his head at the television. "I think everyone is a little bit corrupted, don''t you think?"


    "I mean, look at Kiaran." Axel stared at how the news spoke about the mercenary again with hollowness in his eyes.


    "Look at me." Then the television changed into his face, talking about him.


    "Or you," Axel stated the last sentence as he came back to watch Adreanna again.


    He was right, she thought. She was corrupted as well. But if you had already been born as a corrupted one, did that mean she was normal and not corrupted? She had been like this since the beginning anyway.


    But she needed to do this. She needed to do this for her.


    Adreanna stared at the pink ribbon again. She needed to do this for Maera.


    "I have my reason to do this, Axel." She answered without looking at the boy.


    "Can I come? I might learn a reason to control this thing." Axel offered, smiling innocently as if he was not a deadly murderer.


    "Well,"


    Adreanna never had anyone to come. She always worked alone. But he could come anyway.


    "Sure."


    She was not aware that she had just created another reason to live. To kill and protect.


    It was Axel.. But she hadn''t realized it yet.

 Chapter 85 - Us Against The World : Part 3

    Axel took a deep breath as he crawled inside the ventilation. He carefully followed Adreanna''s movement in front of him. The air was so tight inside, but they needed to kill the mayor.


    She needed to kill the mayor. Axel was just tagging along.


    Axel was using the same cloak as her. The difference was that Adreanna wore a porcelain mask, and Axel did not wear anything to cover his face. He didn''t have his mask with him, and Adreanna only used her usual mask. Besides, there was no use for him to hide anymore. He just covered his red eye with his usual eyepatch.


    He glanced through the slats below him as he passed it. He could see the people inside the room, chatting with each other. Some were buried in their own works like their lives were depended on it.


    Axel silently hoped they wouldn''t get caught in a crossfire.


    He almost bumped into Adreanna''s back when she suddenly stopped crawling. Axel stopped at the right moments as he waited for something to happen or some explanations from her.


    "It seems like it''s a dead end. We can''t get through the fan." She uttered as Axel tried to see past her.


    There was a fan at the end of the ventilation. They might have to go through the slats earlier and drop down to where everyone was to get into the mayor''s room.


    Then he suddenly remembered. When he inspected the room for a second earlier, he saw an electrical switch, and if he could turn it off, it might turn the fan off too.


    "Adreanna, I see an electricity switch earlier, and I probably can turn it off for you silently." Axel offered while whispering, trying to keep it low.


    "Okay." She agreed and tried to steal a glance at the boy behind her.


    "Axel? Where are you?" Adreanna asked as she squinted her eyes at him.


    Axel frowned in confusion as he stared right into her porcelain mask. "I''m still here."


    "No, you''re not."


    "I am-" Axel looked at his body to see nothing. He blinked and still found nothing visible within his body parts. "Wait."


    "Oh." A realization quickly hit him like a clap of thunder. "I disappear again."


    His eyes widened as more realizations truck him. "That''s not g-"


    Axel fell and went through the vent in a mere second. He felt his breath hitched as he stood right in front of a lady who was staring right through him.


    He would never know how gravity worked with his body. It was still a mystery on why the hell he could stand here and-


    He wasn''t standing.


    He was floating. He god damn floating like a ghost.


    There was something heavy on his back, like invisible wings. He felt them despite not being able to see them himself¡ªno wonder why he felt heavy when he first turned into this state.


    He awkwardly stared at the woman in front of him and moved away slowly. "Okay, I can turn it off, alright. No one can see me. No one can see me." He mumbled to himself as he walked over to the electrical switch.


    Someone was walking over to him, causing the boy to panic. Axel tried to fly away, but it was too late when the man suddenly went past him.


    There was no reason to panic, then.


    Axel bit his lips when he arrived at the switch. He just realized he could not touch it in this state. Still, the young murderer tried anyway. He could not let Adreanna down.


    "Come on, just switch off." He gritted his teeth as he went over the switch with his finger so many times.


    Then, like a miracle, he managed to show his finger a little and switched the electricity off. The lights went off in the building, causing everyone to stop moving for a moment.


    "Oh, the electricity went off. I''ll get it on in a sec." A guy near Axel muttered and made his way over to the switch with a flash from his phone. Axel became wide-eyed at the gesture.


    Nope. You shall not turn it on.


    Axel desperately made both of his hands appear and threw all the nearby books down the nearest table, causing the person to jump at the sudden voice. The guy let out a girly scream and cleared his throat afterwards.


    "Ghost hands!" He screamed in a girly voice again as he shined his light at Axel. It must be a terrifying sight to see two floating hands, huh.


    Axel took this chance to flow over to the ventilation and checked if she had already passed the fan. He shoved his head inside and saw no sign of Adreanna around. When he was sure that she was gone, he went back to switch the light on again.


    But when he did that, oddly enough, everyone''s eyes were on him.


    Oh, wait. He was standing again right now.


    "You-" The guy opened his mouth and pointed at Axel. The rest of the people in the room started to call for help while backing away from him silently.


    "Shit." He cursed and quickly stormed out of the room.


    Adreanna usually killed without appearing, and her steps were so light that no one would notice. She was the quiet assassin. It was so rare for someone to catch her when she was working.


    But because of Axel, she could not do it quietly. He really didn''t mean to be her burden today. He just wanted to help.


    Axel ran to the mayor''s room and slammed the door open with a heaving chest. His hood fell from his head to the back as he did so. Adreanna instinctively aimed a gun at him and quickly lowered it down when she realized it was her brother.


    A corpse was lying on the ground with a hole in his head. The mayor had died, it seemed.


    Axel did not have the time to inspect the mayor any further and looked at her in a haze of panic. "Adreanna, I''m so sorry, they saw me and-"


    The sound of sirens and helicopters surrounded the building now. There was an alarm blazing in the building, telling everyone to evacuate.


    It was too late to run.


    "Axel Vergessene, surrender now. You''re under arrest." Someone spoke with a speaker outside, making the boy bite his lips nervously.


    Then suddenly, the wall that was facing the outside of the building got thrown into pieces and exposed everything in the room. Red dots aimed at Adreanna at a quick speed, causing the woman to tilt her head at them.


    Axel frowned. Everyone was focused on Adreanna instead of him. There were no single red dots on him, only aiming at his sister.


    He looked down slowly to see that he had become invisible again. This was good for him, but at the same time, he could not help Adreanna by being like this.


    It seemed like the police had brought more to capture him. There were three helicopters outside and countless cars below.


    The assassin faced everything without showing a single sign of her being scared. She put both of her hands in the air while making a sign with her thumb to tell the boy to run while he could.


    Why didn''t she fight? She could''ve thrown them off easily, right? Why did she give up? Was this amount too much for her?


    Was that the reason why she always did everything quietly? But she was stronger than him, was she not?


    A rope of electricity was thrown at Adreanna and tied her hands to her body in a flash of light while electrocuting the assassin. A grunt was heard from Adreanna as her knees dropped onto the ground.


    Axel tried to help to get the rope away from her, yet he could not do anything since his hands had disappeared. He tried to make it appear as he did earlier, but they still would not come visible.


    "A warrant of killing on the spot has come out. Aim your bullet to her head." Someone yelled from the helicopter, causing the boy to snap his head at the man.


    There was another helicopter coming, recording the situation as they talked about the assassin''s death sentence to declare it to the world.


    This was all because of him. He could not do anything. Kiaran was right. He was too naive.


    "I learned from someone that to do something, you must have a reason." Her voice from earlier suddenly echoed in his mind while the boy had a breakdown.


    "Whether it''s killing or surviving, you must have a reason why you did it." The voice continued, haunting the boy''s ears.


    "Think of a reason why you want to control them."


    Reason, huh.


    Axel looked down at his sister as he floated above her. This might be the reason. He really really wanted to save her.


    He wanted to control his power so he could save her. He wanted this power not to be a burden but a helpful thing for him. He wanted to help her.


    The reason was that he wanted to help Adreanna. No, he needed to help Adreanna. It was always the reason since the beginning.


    Axel gritted his teeth as he touched the rope. His hands were still going through it, but he would not give up. Tears started to well up down his eyelids as he desperately tried to free Adreanna.


    Then, like a miracle, he touched the rope while his hands were still invisible and caused the rope to vanish into thin air. Axel stared at it in shock as his body slowly reappeared in front of her.


    "You find your reason," Adreanna stated, snapping Axel out of his daze. He stared at her porcelain mask with too many thoughts jumbled inside his mind.


    The boy''s face slowly morphed into determination as he made himself disappear again. He flew over to helicopters outside in a flash of light, causing everyone''s guns to vanish as if they were never there.


    Everyone warily looked around in confusion when their weapons disappeared one by one. Axel touched every single thing that could harm Adreanna and made sure they vanished for good.


    He quickly reappeared again beside Adreanna, who was already standing. "You could''ve killed them. Why didn''t you?" Axel asked her, almost sounding angry.


    She tilted her head at him and opened her hood, revealing her neatly braided black hair. "You don''t want me to kill them, do you?"


    "I''m just fulfilling your request, Axel. As long as you''re with me, I''m not going to kill anyone aside from my mission." She continued, and Axel''s face morphed into a guilty realization.


    "If you request something from someone, you have to make sure the person is capable of following your request." She added, and Axel could hear the genuine words behind her toneless voice.


    "That''s why I know you would help me." She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. She almost sounded proud, and it made Axel feel warm.


    "Oh." He awkwardly smiled at her. "I''ll-"


    "I''ll help you for sure! Just count me in! You can order me with missions. I''ll gladly do them!" Axel beamed with determination. A grin formed on his lips as he looked at Adreanna with fire in his blue eye.


    She scoffed softly and patted his head. The oldest put the hood back to his head and brushed some specks of dust off it.


    The two of them moved their heads at the camera that the reporter recorded live. Adreanna tucked her porcelain mask off and dropped it to the ground. She coldly stared at the camera as if challenging for the police officers to search for her and Axel.


    Axel looked at her with surprise. He watched as her hair waved with the wind while her cold face gazed down at everyone. Her beauty silenced the crowd as no sounds were coming from them at all. They just stared at her.


    But then, he remembered her words last night. She said she would accompany him in the cage he was in. That put a slight smile on his face.


    His sister was so cool.


    The assassin stepped on her porcelain mask and cracked it with her leg. On her way out, she grabbed Axel''s hand and disappeared into the night with a rope gun in her other hand.


    Kiaran, who was watching the news, grinned in pleasure. He chuckled at Adreanna''s choice to reveal herself. Ah, Axel still had someone to run to, it seemed. He really did not like that his sister was getting in his way.


    But then again, it was all according to his plan. His plan could go various ways. The choice and the fate of Axel was the one who determined it.


    It didn''t matter anyway if, in the end, everything was going just like he wanted.


    The headlines were full of talking about the assassin and the mute murderer''s identity. The information really made the government wary of the rest of the Vergessene family and sent a high-class warrant to arrest them.


    The scientist watched the news with a pique of interest. It was really according to the mercenary''s plan. The Vergessene family was all messed up people, anyway.


    She needed to bring back her best friends while killing Alfred and Cain on the way. She would make sure that they died in her best friends'' place. Both of those bastards should just die since the beginning.


    Adreanna and Axel stormed through the night, jumping from building to building, unaware of the watching ''eyes'' that were following them.


    The guy in a torn navy cloak observed them from afar. He watched them despite the navy cloth that was covering his eyes. A sideways smile perked on his lips as he let the wind sway the edge of his messy cloak.


    "Interesting." He hummed, staring at Axel and Adreanna with an ominous look behind his covered eyes. "You''ve managed to run away from Eos, Tithonus."


    "It''s going according to Kiaran''s plan, it seems." He sighed and chuckled a little. "That guy is annoying."


    "I need something to drop his ego down." He fiddled with his fingerless gloves and played with the edge of them. "It seems like the mute murderer''s kidnapping was his plan too, despite how I''m helping the desperate demon family in a way."


    He clicked his tongue and smirked. "Huh, as expected of the mercenary."


    "I wonder, at the end of this play that you believe you lead, will you like the ending that I''ve rewritten for you, Kiaran?"


    In a haze of the night, stood the unknown guy in a torn cloak with a mad grin, even crazier than Kiaran''s.


    "I can''t wait to see your tears again, just like how I managed to make your counterpart cry."

 Chapter 86 - Bonus : A Cowards Point Of View

    Leo always had been a coward.


    He had so many friends and always been the top three in class. He was also popular among the school, and no one had ever touched him for years already.


    But he was a coward.


    He remembered that day like a core memory. He could never forget it even he wanted to. Because that day, his life changed so much and had been perfect since this point of his life.


    He wasn''t like this before. He was the lowest person in the school. He had no friends and could not even get a good score because Aster would beat him up with his minions if he did.


    He was still in elementary school that day. Aster punched him because he hadn''t done the blond''s homework. He was sick yesterday, so he abandoned what Aster told him to do.


    Everything was blurry as he covered his head with his hand and curled up on the floor. All he could feel was pain and pain only. Aster kept kicking him and suffocating the air.


    There was laughter around him. Everyone treated him like trash. But he had no guts to fight back. He was a coward, after all.


    Then it stopped. The kicking and laughter suddenly stopped.


    "Hey! You shouldn''t- you shouldn''t beat someone up like that!" Someone yelled in front of Leo, shielding him from the bullies.


    Leo fought the fear and opened his eyes to see the person who was protecting him. He opened his eyes to see black hair and a pair of ocean eyes. He could see the fear inside the boy that was shielding him and yet, and yet-


    The boy fought for him and saved him from Aster and his minions. That person was not a coward, unlike him.


    He learned that his name was Axel the next day. That boy had become his saviour, his hero.


    The bullying had stopped, and he started to gain friends slowly. Everyone who was always afraid to befriend him before, started to befriend him since Aster was out of his radar.


    He finally became an average student. Everything was because of his hero. All thanks to him.


    But Leo never managed to say thank you to Axel. He kept his mouth shut and diverted his gaze from the boy.


    Because if he approached Axel, Aster might bully him again.


    Aster moved all his bullying toward Axel now. His hero was the one who took all the beating and insulting. Axel took his position before and replaced him.


    Every time he went past Axel who was getting beaten by Aster and his minions, he would pretend that he didn''t see anything. He would pretend that he didn''t see the betrayed and hurt look inside Axel''s torn ocean eyes.


    They could have been best friends if Leo had tried.


    But he didn''t try. Because he was a coward.


    So he ignored Axel for years and let the guilt slowly kill him and eat him away to the point he would become numb.


    Now they were in high school, and Leo stayed a coward.


    ??????


    Leo remembered that day too, the day he had received another unsuspected hero.


    His parents both were working in some kind of guild. His parents always wore a uniform with ''DM'' mark on it, and Leo never knew what it meant. All he knew was that his parents were under the government.


    He was waiting for his parents to finish their work because the key was with them and Leo forgot to take the spare key to his house. He sat alone in the guest room in the big building.


    It was night already, but his parents took a long time to finish their job. He scrolled through all the social media on his phone, trying to kill time by doing it. He let out one or two sighs in every minute, hoping that his mother and father would just finish soon.


    And then an alarm blasted through the building. It was ear-piercing and caused Leo to cringe at the sound.


    He saw how everyone ran away and hurriedly went upstairs. Every person''s eyes became terrified, and Leo frowned at the sudden blasting warning.


    "Alice, hurry up! The mercenary and the mute murderer could kill us in one go if we''re on their way!" A man had screamed while dragging a woman behind him who was trying to go the other way instead of the exit.


    "They are trying to take the black arrow! We can''t let them have it!" The woman exclaimed. Despite her trembling legs, she still tried to turn the other way.


    But then, there was an explosion above the floor Leo was in. It was so big that the ground above them cracked at a fast speed.


    The floor above the woman and the man started to fall, slowly, too slow in Leo''s eyes. His feet were screaming to shove them away and save them.


    So why. Why couldn''t he move?


    Leo just stood there, watching as the man and the woman get crushed by the floor above, letting the blood spill and flow onto Leo''s feet.


    He was a coward. He was a goddamn coward.


    His knees had given up and let him fall onto the ground. He screamed, so loud that he could not hear anything. He did not know how long he had been screaming. Everything was blurry. He might be crying. He just didn''t know.


    He didn''t even notice the crack above his head as well.


    The floor above him started to break, and it was only a matter of a second before it crushed him too. Leo noticed it too late when he finally looked up. His eyes widened, and his breath stopped at that second.


    Ironically, he could not move at all at that moment. He was such a coward that he could not even save himself.


    He shut his eyes and waited for the impact to happen. But it never did. Instead, someone pushed him away and dragged him away from the falling floor.


    Like some kind of deja vu, he opened his eyes slowly to see a pair of familiar ocean eyes, dragging him away from the fallen floor to a safer place. The mute murderer was saving him.


    The criminal put him in front of the exit door and dropped him there. Leo was trembling and trying to put a distance between them. Should he say thank you? Should he say anything?


    In the end, like the coward that he was, he didn''t utter any words. The mute murderer vanished from his sight as his parents came up to him with tears in their eyes.


    He found another hero that day.


    And he stayed a coward. He never told anyone what happened that day and let another guilt crush his soul.


    He kept being a coward and kept his mouth shut about both of his heroes.


    ??????


    Leo was always a coward.


    He really... he really didn''t know what to say.


    When he watched Axel fighting the mercenary to save Rune inside the cafeteria, he really didn''t know what to say.


    When everyone started to run away, he just stood there, staring at his supposed to be hero in between all the catastrophe. Too many thoughts went inside his mind as he tried to learn what was happening.


    The mute murderer was Axel. Axel was the mute murderer.


    Both of his heroes were the same person.


    The mute murderer was the boy who always got bullied by Aster. The weak boy was actually strong. His hero had always been saving him all this time.


    The criminal was just a boy. Yet he had killed far too many people to count. God, Axel was too young for this, wasn''t it?


    Leo watched as Rune spat venom at Axel. The only girl that had always been by his side- no, the only person that had always been by his side now pushing him away as if they were never friends before.


    Just like Leo did when Axel helped him-


    It was unfair for Axel, wasn''t it? Leo could push his guilt away just a little when Axel became friends with Rune. But now, everything was too unfair.


    Part of his brain screamed that the mute murderer deserved this because he had killed too many people. But from Leo''s point of view, Axel''s life had never been fair.


    The mercenary was betraying him. Rune was pushing him away. Everyone was judging him, pointing their fingers at him.


    Axel went back to that time when Leo was saved by him from Aster. Axel went back to that time when Leo almost died. At those moments, Axel saved him from all the unfair things that the world tried to throw at him.


    Axel was experiencing the same thing as Leo again.


    He wanted to jump in like Axel did, like the mute murderer did. He wanted to jump in and just brought Axel out of there. He wanted to save his hero.


    Instead of doing as his brain had been shouting him to do, he stood there, watching as black tears fell from Axel''s mismatched eyes.


    Leo tried to help, really. He wanted to hug the boy like he always wanted to do since that day Axel took his place. He wanted to thank the boy for everything and repay him. Despite how Axel was the mute murderer, the look in his ocean eyes was too familiar as his pathetic look.


    It was the look of despair¡ªthe look of someone who had been receiving too much unfairness from the world.


    But unlike Leo who had Axel to come and save him, the mute murderer had no one to come and be his hero.


    So in the end,


    Leo kept being a coward.

 Chapter 87 - A Debt : Part 1

    "Look, I can make it disappear like this. It''s like a glitch." Axel waved his left hand in front of Adreanna as he walked backwards with a cupcake in his other hand.


    His left hand appeared and reappeared just as the boy commanded. Adreanna kept walking forward with no emotion on her face while Axel kept walking backwards in front of her.


    "I wonder if I can make the entire city disappear..." Axel tilted his head up to the moon above him, letting the hood on his head fall back to his neck.


    "Wait, can I make people disappear?" He mumbled as he brought his hand up to his face while kept walking backwards.


    Axel quickly shook his head and looked down to the ground. "No, that''s killing."


    "No, I shouldn''t do that. That''s worse than murder." He continued as he took the last bite of his cupcake.


    Axel looked up to Adreanna and looked at her with his unpatched blue eye. "Yeah, I shouldn''t do that." He giggled at her and smiled.


    Adreanna grabbed Axel''s left wrist without notice and dragged him to her side. The boy widened his eyes at the sudden movement and noticed that he had almost crashed onto a street light.


    She sighed and patted Axel''s head. "Look forward when you''re walking."


    He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."


    Adreanna brushed the blood on her wrist with her red gloved hand. Today was the first time she worked without a mask right after revealing her identity a week ago. His boots clanked with the ground as she walked; there were bloodstains all over them.


    She usually killed people clean without a mess. But since she could only kill her target just like what she had promised with Axel, she had to fight the others without a weapon. She might accidentally hurt them if she used her gun.


    They had just come from the bakery again. The baker always gave them free cupcakes every time they got in there. Adreanna always wondered why. It was not like she did not have money, she was pretty rich after all.


    Axel and Adreanna would arrive in their apartment a few blocks away. She was enjoying the walk with her youngest brother when suddenly her phone rang.


    It would never ring unless it was from a family member. She did not even prioritize Zack''s phone call. The last time she did, his phone call ruined her mission.


    Axel took another bite from another cupcake as he watched Adreanna''s phone with curiosity. She took out her phone and looked at the number with a sudden coldness freezing her entire ocean eyes.


    Adreanna looked at Kiaran''s name with an icy gaze and stole a few glances over to Axel, who seemed to not notice who''s the caller.


    She quickly picked up the call and brought the phone to her ear. There was a slight static before a familiar voice started to speak.


    "Hello, my dear sister. How are you?"


    Adreanna side-eyed Axel who was focusing on his cupcake with an innocent-like face despite the blood on his clothes. They were getting closer to the apartment in just a few steps. She should let Axel go inside first then talk more with Kiaran in private.


    "What do you want?" She stated, straight to the point.


    "Oh, nothing much. Just checking up on you." Kiaran huffed with a playful tone. "By the way, where are you right now? I''m inside your apartment, and I can''t seem to find you."


    Adreanna quickly dragged the back of Axel''s cloak when the boy was about to get inside their apartment building. She pulled him away from the building at a quick speed.


    "I''m at work." The assassin easily lied, still dragging the boy who was now staring at her with a confused look.


    "Oh, what a shame. This handsome brother of yours really miss you, you know?" Kiaran whined, almost mockingly. "I''ll wait for you to come home, then." He continued, faking the obvious false sincerity in his tone.


    "No need." She dully said.


    "Aw. That''s a bit harsh, don''t you think?" He talked as if her words actually hurt him.


    "But I think you have something of mine." Kiaran''s playful tone quickly turned into a frigid one. Adreanna gripped her phone as she glanced at Axel''s questioning gaze.


    A sudden dangerous aura formed between the two, erupting from the pair of older siblings without uttering a single word over the phone.


    "Let''s meet up tomorrow." Adreanna paused and tightened her grip on Axel''s arm. "Eight o''clock. Morning." She continued, waiting for the other line to answer.


    "Oh? Okay." His cold tone turned playful again as if it was never there. "See you tomorrow, then."


    Adreanna was taking a gamble here. He did not know if they went back to the apartment right now would make sure that Kiaran was not there at all. They could not reserve a place either, police would notice it right away.


    "Just a reminder." The mercenary chimed in, and Adreanna could hear the grin in his words. "-remember your place, Adreanna."


    The once cold gaze inside her eyes had darkened. Her ocean eyes looked like a black void that could swallow everything up.


    "Remember that I''m way superior to you despite everything." Kiaran continued, taunting Adreanna even more. "-and remember that you will always be alone."


    "You think Axel, and you will stay forever like this?" He chuckled and did not even try to hide the mock in his words.


    "Remember the real reason why mother died." He provoked her even more, digging into a conversation where he should not have.


    Adreanna''s phone cracked slowly as she gripped it harder. Axel''s face had morphed into worry by this point, trying to find a way to calm her.


    "Nothing ends well with anyone who ever had any relationship with you." He taunted, yet spitting everything like a fact.


    Adreanna''s gaze had gone fully dark by now, ready to kill anyone that touched a single hair of her. Yet her face stayed emotionless, and that was what made it more terrifying.


    "-just like how your friendship with Maera ended."


    Her phone had completely cracked by this point. Kiaran had not managed to even end the call when the phone smashed into pieces and fell from her red-gloved hand.


    "Adreanna? What happened?" Axel put both of his hands on her arms, trying to calm her down. She looked over Axel for a very long time, letting the silence of the night surround them.


    "Kiaran was the one who called me." She uttered the word, dropping the bomb right in the middle of nowhere.


    Axel''s worried face quickly turned into a terrified one, morphing into a haunted gaze that was staring at Adreanna with helplessness. "What- what''s he saying?"


    "He wanted to come to the apartment." She observed the boy''s emotions like some kind of a television show.


    "He- right now?!" Axel choked. The hands that were supposed to calm Adreanna were the ones that started to shake violently.


    "Tomorrow," Adreanna answered, and Axel''s eyes had become distant right after she said that.


    "Axel," Adreanna grasped both of his shoulders, staring into his shaking blue eye. "I won''t ever let him lay a finger on you."


    "I promise." She tightened her grip.


    "You promise?" Axel asked, and it was so broken. He asked like a kid who always got lied to by his parents.


    She put up a pinky finger in front of him as she lowered her height a little to match with her brother.


    Axel stared at it for a moment before looking back at Adreanna''s face. "You know about it?" He asked, and a sudden chuckle came out of his mouth. "I don''t know that there''s this childish part of you, Adreanna."


    A wave of warmness struck Adreanna when Axel''s face had turned into his normal bright one. She felt the sudden weight in her heart had gone just by looking at him like this.


    "Okay, pinky finger." Axel intertwined their pinky fingers. "Promise you''ll stay by my side, forever?" He asked, and the moon world watched the pact made between the two broken siblings.


    "I promise."


    ??????


    In the end, both of them got back into the apartment past midnight. Adreanna was the first one to come in and scan the place. She noticed a cup that was probably used by Kiaran earlier and threw it into the trash.


    When she had already made sure Kiaran was nowhere to be seen, the oldest Vergessene had to make sure the building''s surrounding as well. You never knew what more tricks Kiaran had that was hidden in between his sleeves.


    "I''m going out for some fresh air," Adreanna said as she went to the front door. The teen looked back at Axel one more time before she closed the door behind her.


    "Don''t sleep too late." Then the door was closed.


    Adreanna started from the highest floor to the lowest one, eyeing every single corner for a possible scheme that Kiaran may or may not have made. She rushed out of the building and looked around again.


    There was no one around except a guy who was creeping behind her right now.


    Before the man could do anything, she turned around at an inhuman speed and stared at the man with two uninterested eyes.


    "What a lady doing out here at night?" The man pointed a knife with his right hand to Adreanna''s neck.


    She did not answer the question and let the man''s smile widen. A blast of wind blew Adreanna''s hair that was covering her face a little and exposed her entire face to the man.


    The man quickly staggered back at the sudden realization. He dropped the knife as he kept walking backwards from her. A frightened gasp adorned his throat when he stared at her wide-eyed.


    "O-oh. You-you''re the assassin." He tried to laugh and lighten the atmosphere. "Of course, of course! Everyone who lives here is a criminal just like me, eh?"


    Adreanna did not utter a single sentence as she just stood there, like a statue. Everyone who was near her right now could feel the murderous intent that followed her like soldiers following their queen.


    "I live here too, you know." He added, searching for a way to get out of the situation and trying to look anywhere but her.


    "I''m just gonna- gonna go." He turned around and quickly walked away from her. But the sudden relief was only a mere second before he was suddenly pinned to the ground with his knife that he had dropped in Adreanna''s hand.


    "I promise my brother to never kill." She muttered, blue eyes shining brighter than the moon.


    "I won''t kill you." She continued, tilting her head and blocking the moon from the man''s face. Her gaze was like a hunter that had found prey.


    "But I have this feeling that''s been bothering me. These voices that keep telling me to hurt something."


    "To crush something."


    She spun the knife in her hand as her eyes glowed even brighter, blinding and piercing. "I don''t know what emotion it is, but I don''t like it."


    She dragged the knife from the man''s hand to his neck. "Don''t worry, I''ll call the ambulance when I''m done."


    A piercing cry rang across the city that night.

 Chapter 88 - A Debt : Part 2

    "No matter what happens, don''t come out of the wardrobe."


    Axel nodded as she watched Adreanna close the wardrobe on him, leaving the boy in complete darkness. There were some clothes around him and some hanging ones on his left and right.


    He brought both of his knees up to his face and hugged them. The silence and the darkness overwhelmed the boy, he really hated it.


    Then there was a crash sound from the window with a faint thump. Axel felt needles prickling his skin as he noticed where that sound came from.


    "Hello, my dear sister!" Kiaran''s voice was heard loud and clear by the boy. The voice was too close from where Axel hid, and he could not help but hug his knees tighter.


    "Do you know how much I''ve missed you? Come on, give me a hug." Kiaran playfully spoke. He did not even care to hide the blatant lies in his words.


    "Cut the crap, Kiaran. What do you want?" Adreanna retorted back tonelessly.


    "As expected of the one and only Adreanna. Cold, unforgiving," Axel could hear Kiaran''s mad grin without even seeing the mercenary himself.


    "-and emotionless." There was some lingering hatred within Kiaran''s statement.


    Just hearing his brother''s voice made Axel''s chest tight. He still remembered the lasting control demon Kiaran did to him just by speaking. His words were sweet, but it was deadly. He could not do anything as the control took over, it was as of he did not own his body anymore.


    And somehow, at this moment, Axel felt the same thing all over again despite no one controlling him.


    "But it seemed like you have changed, hm?" Kiaran continued, taunting Adreanna even more. Axel knew there was something hidden between their conversation, something obvious yet like some kind of taboo to talk about.


    "My dear reliable sister, the number one in the family, has gone soft?" The secondborn Vergessene''s voice had turned into a mock, belittling. Almost like he was disgusted.


    "Revealing her identity for the youngest, protecting and spoiling Axel." Kiaran darted. The mention of his own name caused the youngest to shiver. The air suffocated him, and he felt like his breath was taken away by the mere statement.


    "I thought you have no emotions? Or was I mistaken?" He scoffed, and Axel could feel the dangerous aura outside the wardrobe erupting from the two.


    "You didn''t even shed a single tear when mother died. What changes?"


    Axel could not help but take a little gasp. It felt like his throat was closing off as the aura between his older siblings had become treacherous.


    "Oh, I know!" Kiaran let out a brief chuckle. "You must be using Axel as I did! You find it convenient to have someone to kill for you, right? Or just simply fighting for you."


    "I''m not using him. He''s a human, Kiaran." Adreanna finally said something after letting Kiaran speak for a while. Axel noticed how she did not care that she was getting insulted head-on by her brother, yet she opened her mouth just to defend him.


    That eased his shoulders a little. She was protecting him, he shouldn''t be scared.


    "And so was mother." The playfulness and taunting voice that Kiaran always used had gone cold now. "She was a human too."


    "But I don''t think that''s the case anymore, no?" He spat, pushing Adreanna into the depth as she kept her mouth shut.


    "Mother is dead." His voice was surrounded by a concealed wrath. A buried down the anger that Kiaran always contained with his lies. "And Axel is not a human anymore."


    "Sooner or later, he probably won''t be your ''brother'' anymore."


    Axel put a hand on his mouth to calm himself down. His body shook violently as the boy tried to control his breathing. He should stay calm, he should stay calm, stay calm, stay calm, stay-


    "Anyway, enough of the bluffing around. I think I left some clothes in here, right? Let me just take them real quick." Kiaran had turned into his normal safe again.


    He knew, he knew, he knew, he knew-


    Footsteps could be heard approaching the wardrobe as it opened slightly, causing light to blind the boy for a moment.


    Axel felt his heart stop.


    ??????


    Kiaran reached his hand to the wardrobe slowly. He did not startle when Adreanna stepped up and grabbed his wrist, gripping it hard.


    "Oh? Why did you do that?" Kiaran raised one of his eyebrows and shrugged off his sister''s hand.


    "Perhaps, you''re hiding something from me?" He gave her a sideways smile and two glaring blue eyes. "Know your place, Adreanna."


    "No-" Adreanna reached her hand to block Kiaran again, but it was too late.


    Kiaran opened it wide, looking at the inside with hidden emotions. "Huh, where do you keep my clothes?"


    He observed Adreanna''s eyes as she looked inside the wardrobe. There was nothing there except clothes, but Kiaran caught the relief between her emotionless eyes.


    "I''ll send them to you personally later." She said it flatly, but there was obvious anxiety in between her words.


    Kiaran scoffed. She really did become soft.


    "Right, I almost forgot." He raised both of his eyebrows and clasped his hands. "Where''s Axel? Can you give him back to me now?"


    He watched as Adreanna kept staring at his eyes without being swayed at all by his taunt.


    "...he left."


    "He left, huh." Kiaran eyed the empty spot on the wardrobe and tilted his head to his sister. He grinned, the usual type of grin that showed everyone he had won.


    "You remember your debt, right?" Kiaran watched in glee as Adreanna''s eyes slightly widened. She sure showed a lot of emotions nowadays. When did his sister actually start to become a human for once?


    A pity, really. They weren''t born to have humanity within their grasp. She was a killing machine and Kiaran was just a-


    He grunted at the sudden thoughts in his mind and focused more on Adreanna that had completely frozen in her place. She diverted her gaze away from him to the wardrobe before looking back to meet his eyes.


    "You want me to pay the debt right now?" Her voice almost sounded like a whisper.


    Kiaran brought a finger up to his chin. "Let''s see." He pretended to think as his lips formed a little smirk. She needed to know her place, after all.


    "Nah, it''ll be such a waste using it on a boy like him." He brushed it off and waved his hand in front of her.


    "I want to use the debt for another reason." He smiled, copying Cain''s fake kindness.


    "But let''s talk another day." He turned around from her, making the down edge of his black trench coat flap a little.


    "I want to talk in private with no one to hear our conversation but us." He put a hand up to wave without looking back while walking to the front door.


    Kiaran stopped at the door and put his black mask up. "It really is a shame that Axel''s not here. His big brother also miss him, you know?" There was a knowing glint in his blue eyes before he finally left.


    ??????


    Kiaran clicked his tongue as he remembered how Adreanna tried to protect Axel too much. It irritated him in some way.


    He currently was lying down on a white table, watching the scientist meddle with her usual work with disinterest. He sighed as he looked at the ceiling with boredom.


    Everything had been too quiet lately. He could not do any more mercenary thing to wait for the second big war he had planned to do. If he did any more job, it would ruin the build-up for the final conflict to come.


    He really could not wait to watch people''s expressions for his grand play.


    Though, facing his counterpart was really amusing. He could not wait to meet him again someday. He did not have any plan to meet him, and he believed the other did not have it too. Fate would bring them together anyway.


    He would call it a side story of his play.


    Now that he mentioned it, he wondered how Valerian had been doing. That lieutenant must have missed him dearly with the usual hatred that always got thrown to him.


    It was amusing how Valerian was the only outsider who wasn''t afraid of him. He had to admit. The Edelweiss really did make his play much more interesting.


    "Old lady, is everything done? I don''t really want to waste more time. The story''s getting boring." Kiaran whined, and as always, Alea would ignore the boy completely.


    "World burn was such a great opening for a conflict, but it''s still just the beginning." He sat up and gave her the usual insane grin. The scientist sighed and rolled her eyes at him.


    "Let''s turn this world into a real hell."

 Chapter 89 - A Debt : Part 3

    "Hey, ugly assassin!" A young teen rushed her way to a certain assassin with a red porcelain mask.


    "Wait for me!" The teen yelled again, trying to catch up with the said assassin. Her long bob hair that was the same colour as the assassin''s bounced around as she ran.


    A round glasses with a bright pink colour adorned her eyes that had pupils as deep as the void. The colour of her glasses matched with her leather slit hooded dress. There was an attached darker pink studded arm wrap and hoodie alongside a black waist clincher.


    It was quite flashy, but don''t blame her taste.


    Her over-the-knee black boots clanked with the ground when the teen breathlessly ran to the assassin.


    "How the fuck is she so fast-" She paused for a moment before continuing to try to catch up with the assassin again.


    "Ugly assassin! Hey!" She finally managed to catch up with her who had already stopped walking for a while.


    Adreanna had already sitten down on the edge of the building, completely ignoring a certain pink obsessed girl beside her. She looked down to her target from her red porcelain mask, observing the situation coldly.


    "You are no fun." The said pink-obsessed girl huffed and quickly took a seat beside Adreanna.


    Her long bob hair swayed with the wind, joining Adreanna''s braided hair. "Can you show your face? Are you that ugly to the point of hiding it?"


    She sighed when she got no answer and squinted her eyes at Adreanna. "Are you sure you''re a human and not a robot?"


    "Yooo, girl." She waved her hand to the Vergessene''s face and got no response.


    "It''s been five minutes, and I feel like I''m talking to a statue." She crossed both of her hands to her chest and followed Adreanna''s gaze to the poor government that probably would die in an hour or so.


    She stole glances at Adreanna and looked over to her braided hair. The young teen took a pink ribbon out of her pocket with a beaming smile and attached it to Adreanna''s braided hair like a hair tie.


    The assassin quickly looked over to her, suspiciously inspecting the girl. The said girl only gave her a proud smile as she spread her hands.


    "Ta-da!" She triumphantly stated. "Pink ribbon suits your red theme, don''t you think?"


    The girl took out another red ribbon from her pocket and attached it to her hair like a headband. "So it''s only right if red ribbon suits my pink theme."


    She playfully nudged Adreanna''s side with her elbow and smirked. "We''re like a duo now."


    "The duo assassin!" She happily exclaimed, smiling as bright as the sun above them.


    Adreanna took a long time to observe the girl beside her like prey. There was an uncanny aura that emitted from her red porcelain mask as she kept staring at her.


    "You''re a serial killer, not an assassin." 16-year-old Adreanna uttered without a single tone in her voice as she diverted her gaze to the government again.


    The girl clasped both of her hands. "Oh, so you do talk!"


    "I''m willing to change my title into an assassin if you show me your face." The serial killer grinned and wiggled her eyebrows at the unamused assassin.


    "I''ll be going to public and say ''yo, the serial murders that had been happening around the government is actually me. Don''t call me a serial killer, call me an assassin just like my partner ugly assassin over here.''"


    "Take it as a gratitude of encountering the great Maera herself." She proudly put a hand on her chest.


    Adreanna suddenly jumped down to the government as fast as the wind, leaving Maera blinking confusedly at the sudden disappearance.


    "Eh...?" She muttered before belatedly realizing that the assassin had blatantly abandoned her.


    Maera quickly followed her and jumped down as well. "Hey! Hey, ugly assassin! I''m just joking."


    ??????


    A pink ribbon glued on the edge of a whiteboard outshined everything on the wall as a boy froze in front of his brother''s gaze. The wardrobe had been opened by Kiaran as Axel felt like his life had ended right then and there.


    When Kiaran opened the closet, Axel did not notice that he had disappeared.


    Because Kiaran-


    Kiaran was staring at him right in the eyes.


    But then it seemed like his brother pretended that he did not see him. Axel knew that blue eyes very well, the blue eyes that knew everything.


    So he was perplexed when Kiaran talked as if he wasn''t there and how Adreanna had pretended that he wasn''t there too. Then the boy looked down and saw nothingness, not a body, not a stray of hair, just nothing.


    Maybe the demon power was responding to his flight or fight stance.


    "You remember your debt, right?"


    A debt...? What debt?


    Axel warily observed Adreanna''s emotionless eyes that had become wide. He frowned when he caught the look in her eyes that was too unusual. She never showed any emotions like this before.


    "You want me to pay the debt right now?" Her voice almost sounded like a whisper.


    Wait. Did she want to pay the debt by giving him away? Would she give him away? But she- she promised, right? Adreanna would never break her promise.


    ...right?


    Kiaran brought a finger up to his chin. "Let''s see." He pretended to think as his lips formed a slight smirk. Axel knew that manipulation too well.


    "Nah, it''ll be such a waste using it on a boy like him." His brother brushed it off and waved his hand in front of her.


    A waste?


    Axel seemed to be lost in his own train of thoughts as the conversations between his older siblings kept going. There was static covering his brain like thick clouds, and the boy could not hear anything. His mismatched eyes went blank while he stared at the floor outside the wardrobe.


    He did not realize that Kiaran had left nor noticed that Adreanna had been calling him to reappear.


    "Axel?"


    Huh, was someone calling him? That voice sounded familiar. There was also someone standing in front of him. Was it her voice?


    "Axel, Kiaran''s gone now. You can appear again."


    Oh.


    Axel snapped out of it and looked up to see Adreanna looking right through him. He took a deep breath and thought about a reason to appear. Biting his lip, the boy could feel his body slowly becoming solid again.


    "Are you okay?" She softly asked despite having no tone at all.


    Was he okay? He really did not know. She had been asking that question so much, and Axel really did not know what was the definition of ''okay'' was.


    Axel clenched his fists as he stared at his sister. "Adreanna, the thing you talk about with Kiaran, what is it?"


    His nails became white for how hard he clenched them. "What debt?" He continued, putting all the courage to simply ask a question that he did not actually want to know the answer to.


    "I can''t tell you about it." Adreanna''s gaze turned colder in a second, causing Axel to flinch away. The boy desperately tried to hide his trembling hands.


    He was just getting used to showing everything to Adreanna so why- why would this happen? Was he really that naive?


    "Why?" He asked again with his leftover courage, venturing and wishing for something of an answer.


    He did not need an answer actually. He just wanted reassurance and truth. That she would not use him like Kiaran said, that she was doing all of this just out of care instead of seeing him as an object.


    He felt it again- the helplessness of being in a situation where you did not know anything. He always felt that way when he was with Kiaran, only obeying his every word.


    And he hated that Adreanna acted like Kiaran right now.


    The boy''s mismatched eyes stared at her with hopelessness. The dark circle under his eyes looked more pathetic in this situation.


    "I just can''t." Her words were sharp, making the boy snap his mouth shut.


    Adreanna turned away from him and went to snatch her black cloak from the wall and red gloves from the table near her. "I need to go tonight."


    She started to dress up even though it was still morning. Axel quickly rose up from the wardrobe and made his way to his sister. "I''ll come-"


    "No. You can''t." She cut him off without giving a single glance at the boy.


    Axel did not get to voice his thoughts to her as she slammed the door close on him. Adreanna left him staring at the door with despair.


    If Kiaran really wanted her to pay the debt that time, would she give him away?

 Chapter 90 - A Payment : Part 1

    "Mr President!"


    The door burst open as a man in a messy suit ran inside. His face was full of panic as he stood before Alfred''s desk. With a face as white as snow, he tried to compose himself in front of the president.


    "What is it?" Alfred looked up from the paper in his hands with disinterest. His hazel eyes coldly stared at the man as he continued. "If this is about you trying to interrogate my daughter for befriending Axel Vergessene, I will fire you."


    The man looked startled at his statement before clearing his voice. "N-no sir, it''s about your wife."


    Alfred''s grip on the paper tightened to the point that his nails turned white. The edge of the sheet crumpled when the man tried to stay calm at the mention of Isabella.


    "What about my dead wife?" He asked tautly. He deepened his gaze at the man like a blade that would cut the man''s head off.


    The half-moon outside his window adorned the night that had become colder than ever. The air was thick while Alfred waited for the answer from the trembling man before him.


    "Someone dug her grave, and now her body''s gone."


    The paper in Alfred''s hands had ripped into two pieces by the time the man finished his sentence.


    ??????


    Kiaran was still hanging around the scientist''s lab when the sun had kindly let the halved moon take its place. He watched Alea''s work from behind, peeking around her shoulder with false curiosity.


    His blue eyes caught the arrow that had been kept inside some kind of small tube with water in it. The water had roots swimming around it, emerging from the dark arrow itself.


    Alea was working on another arrow to put inside another tube. Kiaran could not wait for the hell to run upon this city again. It would be really interesting to watch.


    "You came way sooner as I expected." Kiaran suddenly spoke beside the scientist''s ear without looking away from her work.


    "Wait, no. Actually, I did expect this." He chuckled and formed a little smirk behind his mask.


    Alea stopped her movement and looked back to see Kiaran''s eyes who were still glued on her work. She frowned a little before glancing back and to the darkest corner of the lab.


    She could faintly see a person standing in the shadow¡ªa glint of identical blue eyes as the mercenary''s hiding in the dark. The scientist rolled her brown eyes and went back to continue her work.


    "If you two want to fight, fight outside." She muttered as she slowly put the black arrow inside the tube. "If you break anything in here, I won''t hesitate to kick you out."


    "Oh, no, no." Kiaran grinned and side-eyed Adreanna with an insane gaze. "We really get along as a family. Aren''t we, Adreanna?"


    The latter finally appeared from the shadow, slowly approaching Kiaran with eyes that were as dangerous as her brother''s. Both of them let the fight hang in the air as they faced each other with discontent.


    "What do you want?" She did not beat around the bush as she coldly stood before him. The siblings ignored another sigh coming from the scientist beside them while trying to observe each other.


    "You know, that''s the only first thing you said every time we see each other," Kiaran complained while shrugging. "Can''t you say hi or something?"


    Adreanna did not answer his question as she merely watched her brother under the dim light of the lab. The only sound that surrounded them was the clanking tools from Alea''s work and the boiling water of the tubes.


    The scientist put the last tube aside and quickly walked away from the ridiculous scenario between the two Vergessene siblings. Before she reached the door, Alea stopped for a second and stared at the back of Adreanna.


    "Assassin. Fix my ventilation before you leave. I know you get in from there." She monotonously spoke and blew her brown curtain bangs as she turned away.


    "I swear these people never use the door." That was the last word that came out of the lady''s mouth when she slammed the door close.


    "Don''t worry about her. She''s just pissed that I broke another window." Kiaran tried to joke and went to sit at a table. He crossed his legs and out a hand to support his weight when he leaned back.


    Kiaran caught Adreanna''s thrilling gaze and snorted. "Right. I guess you hate seeing me just like how I hate seeing you."


    "Let''s get to the point now, shall we?" He tilted his head hauntedly stared at her. "I want you to join my force as the payment of your debt.


    Adreanna''s blue eyes showed a sign of doubt as she deepened her gaze. "That''s all?"


    "Yes." He clasped both of his gloved hands and showed her his smiling eyes. "I want you to be in the next world burn. This city will soon turn into hell, and it will be so beautiful." There was glee in his voice as he finished his sentence.


    "The finishing touch of a tragic story, of a tragedy with Axel as the main character." He continued, keeping the mad enthusiasm in his words. "It''s just so glorious."


    "A story of the child that was supposed to be normal just like what mother wished him to be. She put so much hope for Axel because her firstborn is a fucking emotionless monster."


    "Right, Adreanna?" Kiaran showed the usual mocking eyes, knowing that he had touched a nerve in his sister.


    Adreanna was still staring at him without any sign of emotions, proving his every word right. "I asked you, is that all? Stop spouting nonsense. You are wasting my time." She retorted back, getting tired by Kiaran''s whole shenanigans.


    "Oh, my dear sister." He sang, almost like a sign of pity. "We all know it very well that I wasn''t spouting nonsense." He continued, causing the murderous aura between them to thicken.


    "Anyway, I think you would love my plan." He quickly smiled again, manipulating their atmosphere with his fabricated friendly tone.


    "We''re going to kill off the president this time." He clapped and celebrated in front of the unmoving Adreanna.


    "Don''t worry. You aren''t the one who will kill him." He patted Adreanna''s shoulder and swirled around, wavering the edge of his back trench coat like he was on a theatre.


    "The old lady will. She has a grudge, you see. That''s why she''s all grumpy and stuff." He added, smiling wider behind his mask.


    Adreanna hated the fact that even though Kiaran did not ask her to pay the debt this way, she would join him either way. She also hated the fact that her brother knew about this.


    Both of them wished for the fall of the city. Kiaran hid behind his murders while Adreanna hid behind Maera''s reason.


    "And what do you want from me by joining you?" She asked loud and clear, making Kiaran''s eyes widen in delight.


    "Sometimes, I forgot that you''re also smart, dear sister." He chuckled and fiddled with a coin that he always kept inside his sleeve.


    "Well, since I have no murderer on my side anymore because a certain person hide him from me-" He flashed a dangerous knowing look at her before continuing his sentence. "-and I''ve always been living up to the name of the mercenary who never kills,"


    "I want you to be my murderer as a payment of your debt." His messy hair cascaded down his eyes as he stopped circling around his sister.


    Adreanna stared dully at him. She wanted to grind her teeth for how helpless she was for going against him. She had promised Axel to never kill unless it was her mission, not Kiaran''s mission.


    But then again, deep down, she knew that she would never get to keep the promise.


    Kiaran lowered his mask to show a winning smile at her. "So, what do you say?"


    ??????


    A guy with a blindfold and a torn navy cloak stood right on the building''s rooftop. He just finished listening to Adreanna and Kiaran''s conversation, watching the two with so much interest and resentment.


    The wind played with his coak as his fingerless glove hand held a dark bow with back roots painted the weapon. He spun the bow like a toy, watching the divided moon behind his blinded eyes.


    "Not going to lie, Kiaran. I kind of enjoy your play." He muttered, smirking like he knew everything.


    "I wonder what Adreanna would choose." He darted, breathing in pleasure. "I''ve taken a little interest in her."


    He sat down on the edge of the building as he let the moon accompany him alone. "Poor Tithonus." He chuckled, pitying that turned into a mocking.


    "Your Eos still can''t let you go." He swung his feet back and forth, putting the bow beside him. "Kind of a pity that Zeus is haunting your back too."


    "I really really love this story." The madness started to form in the back of his throat as he laughed maniacally.


    "Ah, I can''t wait for you to experience the ending that I wrote for you, Tithonus." The bow started to form a black hole that slowly ate him away.


    And then he disappeared into the night.

 Chapter 91 - A Payment : Part 2

    "You can''t hear it. You can''t see it."


    A man with a blindfold hummed. He let the wind play with his torn cloak as he sat on a tree, hiding below the fallen leaves. He raised one of his knees up and rested his elbow on top of it.


    "Yet, it''s there. It''s everywhere." He continued humming, enjoying the breeze of the afternoon sun. The blinding light of the world would soon vanish as a moon took its place.


    "But don''t you know? It''s like a show." He darted as a leaf fell on top of his hood. The man stared at the sun despite having a blindfold over his eyes. "Where you go, it''ll follow. Frequently than your shadow."


    "It''s in your room. It''ll be your doom." He sang, haunting the graves that were surrounding the trees he was on. "It''s in your head till you''re dead."


    He stared down at the nearest grave to the tree. Lavenders adorned the tomb as if it was a garden instead of a dead one''s resting grave.


    "It''s in your heart that''s changing from soft to hard." He stared at the name that''s beautifully craved to the grey tomb.


    ''Cecilia Vergessene.''


    He sighed as he saw the hole on the grave. The body had already disappeared, and he was watching the person that stolen the dead woman away.


    "You should turn the lights on." He kept singing when a certain hitman slowly approached the grave.


    "In the cursed mirror, you''ll see the darkness''s form." He finished the song and coldly stared down at Cain.


    The wind played with his cloak for the last time before the bow in his hand slowly morphed into a dark void.


    And as always, the man disappeared without a trace before anyone could see him.


    ??????


    Cain missed his wife. He had been missing her for years. Every corner he saw, every lavender he smelled, everything reminded him of her.


    He could not stand it anymore. He could not stand the unsee stitches, the broken pages, the cover-up lies, or the hidden cries. Yet he stood alongside the fake happiness, the made-up faces, the dollhouse family- the ones that everyone would see.


    She was the only one he ever had. When he thought no one was there, when he thought that he had lost everyone around him, Cecilia stayed.


    After he lost his family and was betrayed by his only best friend¡ªthe only thing in his mind was revenge and doing what Raziel wished him to do.


    But when he had achieved everything, when he had done everything that Raziel wished him to do and to be, he lost his way.


    He did not have a purpose in life anymore.


    So Cain started to wonder. How does it feel to be drowned in water? Or a knife through his vein? Will it remove the pain?


    He started to imagine. How does it feel to shoot a bullet through his skin? Or maybe his head left hanging? Will it change everything?


    He started to daze out. How does it feel to jump from the cloud? Or standing in a busy street? Will the aching eventually quit?


    But when he stood on the edge of a building, ready to end anything, a woman with a pair of violet eyes that would make all the violet flowers envied her cried, shouting at him to stay¡ªgiving him a reason to stay.


    Cain finally had a purpose again. She gave him a purpose to be alive.


    So he started to delay all the possibilities in his way. He pretended to be okay until it became real day after day.


    But then she left him too, eventually, just like everyone did.


    Cecilia asked him to be happy, saying that it should be his purpose in life.


    She was cruel, really. She told him to be happy so he would not join her soon. She knew that he could never be happy without her by his side.


    When she was gone, Cain did everything she had asked him to do. He forced all reality, trying to stay ''happy''. It was all fake, and he knew he was only lying to himself.


    In the end, he needed someone to blame, even though all truths eventually came.


    He did that because the truth hurt. But Cain didn''t realize that it made the lies hurt even more.


    So Cain had a new purpose that had never been reached until this point in his life. To be happy.


    With lavenders in his hand, he started to visit her again. Reassuring his dead wife that he would be joining her soon. He would be happy soon so she should wait for him.


    He walked as the sun tried to hide away from him. His pace was still and steady. The man''s heart was beating rapidly. He was always nervous about meeting her.


    So when Cain stood in front of her grave, lavenders fell from his hand, scattering on the ground. The leaves danced around him, singing to him, mocking him.


    His gaze darkened that the sun itself desperately tried to let the moon switch with it. He clenched his fists too tight until the nails made his palms bleed.


    Someone took her body, and Cain would turn the world upside down just to find her.


    ??????


    The scientist opened a hidden room that the mercenary would never find in her building. She pushed a painting of three women hiding their faces with their hands and made the wall slide away, opening the way for her.


    She slowly walked in. The sound of her heels was the only thing that adorned the air. While letting the wall close itself behind her, she stopped in front of two big tubes and smiled at them.


    A woman with blonde hair was inside the left tube. She wore a white dress that covered the wound in her stomach¡ªthe cause of her death.


    Another woman with black hair was in the other tube. Her short bob hair flowed with the water around her. She looked like she was sleeping peacefully. A white dress covered her body, and she looked like a princess just by ''sleeping'' like this.


    Grief was another case for Alea.


    She was scared, thinking, ''maybe it''s too late to fix everything when they were already dead.''


    She felt empty, and yet her eyes still could not see the truth. Every night, she would grab her own hair and whisper, ''what''s happening to me?''


    The regrets filled her mind, and she knew she would never be free from the regrets.


    She was sad, she was mad. She did not want to be a bad person until she found out that she was a two-faced woman. She would sometimes feel like her body wasn''t hers.


    That was the time when she finally lost Isabella after losing Cecilia. The world mocked her and punished her for everything she had done in the past.


    So when she found out how to bring them back, she did not hesitate to try it.


    She visited their graves every day to make sure their body would not wither away. She took care of them, making them stay pretty because they would always be beautiful.


    Alea also tried to stay young, so they would try everything again from the beginning when her plan worked. They would be best friends again.


    They were her only family. She did not have anyone other than them.


    The scientist put her hand on Cecilia''s glass with a smile that had never worn out by the time she got in the room. "I always envy your beauty. You didn''t even try to be pretty. Lucky."


    "I''m glad I wasn''t too late to make you stay pretty. I thought your body already withered away, but I think that damn Cain was desperate too."


    Alea''s brown eyes twitched as she gritted her teeth. "That''s why- that''s why he should die for you."


    The lights flickered a little. The hollow of the night outside the building cried, telling the people to rest while they could.


    The scientist closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. Under the dim light, her gaze fell over to Isabella. The shag haircuts waved a little when she slowly made her way to the blonde''s tube. "Bella, I-"


    Alea choked and bit her lip. "I know you told me to move on from Cecilia when she''s gone. And I know you would say the same when you''re gone."


    "But I-" She paused, giving her best friend a weak smile. "I can''t."


    "It''s okay. I''ll fix everything. I''ll apologize properly when you both wake up." She chuckled and tried to fight away the tears that started to form in her brown eyes.


    "I''ll treat you in our usual cafe. There''s a new menu. I think you''ll like it." Her voice wavered. Something in the back of her throat was trying to choke her while she talked.


    "It''s my fault." The woman''s voice cracked, lowering her head down that her curtain bangs hid her face away.


    "It''s my fault." She repeated her words like a mantra. Tears finally fell down from her eyes. She could not hold them back anymore.


    She desperately stared at the two while she slowly became a sobbing mess, "So please-"


    "Please go back." Her knees gave up and the woman fell in front of the tubes, kneeling in front of Isabella and Cecilia.


    "I''ll pay for the price of your hatred when you two wake up." She whispered. Pathetically tried to smile in between the tears. "You two always said that you were happy by marrying them."


    "But I want to be happy too."

 Chapter 92 - A Payment : Part 3

    The door creaked open slowly. A 19-year-old assassin slowly got in, closing the door behind her.


    She had just finished talking to Kiaran. It was already past midnight time. Adreanna was sure that Axel had already fallen asleep.


    So she did not expect the boy to sit on the edge of the bed, staring at the wall with a dull look on his face that was too inhuman. He looked like a lifeless boy, a living picture.


    When he noticed her presence, Axel''s face quickly turned kind and innocent, smiling at her as if the Axel that she saw earlier was just an illusion.


    "Adreanna? I was waiting for you." He uttered with obvious doleful eyes that the boy desperately tried to hide.


    Adreanna stared at him for a long time, letting the silence at them both. There was a heavy feeling in her chest as she watched her brother.


    She walked over to him and lowered her height. She grabbed both of his shoulders with a tight grip. "Axel, I''m going to destroy the city and all the governments." She stated, getting to the point.


    Axel''s mismatched eyes saddened before quickly masked by him again. "You already did that, though?" He softly asked.


    "Why''d you do that again? It''s going to be endless." The boy diverted his eyes from Adreanna and looked to the ground. He fiddled with the edge of his clothes nervously.


    "Everyone turns their back on you, Axel." Adreanna cupped both of his cheeks, staring at him with a hidden emotion that she could never get out.


    "You don''t have to care about them." She continued coldly.


    Axel had no choice but to look to his sister''s elegant ocean eyes. He stared at her distantly, trying to shove the uneasy feeling in his heart.


    "Join me, Axel."


    ??????


    Kiaran blew his messy hair as he lazily walked on the street. He put both of his hands inside his pocket while looking around the city.


    He was going outside as Kiaran now. It had been a pretty long time since he got out like an average person, and he knew it probably would end soon.


    Just like the city.


    He snorted at his thoughts and continued walking. He distantly looked at the half-moon that slowly tried to be a crescent shape. The 18-year-old scanned the surrounding in silence. Few people would steal glances at him. Sometimes he would forget that he was a good looking guy too.


    He kicked a bottle on his way and sent it flying to a street cat. When he walked, the street lights flickered a little¡ªsuch a dramatic atmosphere. He liked it either way.


    That also meant something probably would happen. Alas, maybe he would get a little entertainment in his walk.


    "Give me all your money." A deep voice was heard from the corner of a dark alleyway.


    Kiaran clicked his tongue. A mugging, typical. What was this? Trying to make him a hero? The world must have gone mad or probably tried to mock him.


    Though, he would take the entertainment either way. He purposely tried to take the surroundings and ''enjoyed'' the night of the city before he destroyed it. It was a mistake, really. It was too boring.


    Kiaran peeked on the alleyway to see the crime scene from the entrance. Valerian would jump in if he were the one who was in his position like the hero that he was.


    So why the hell did Valerian become the victim?


    Kiaran deadpanned at the blond who was getting cornered by three muggers. He put his tired bitch face on display as he watched his sworn enemy scorn the muggers pathetically.


    Valerian was holding a box of cupcakes as if his life depended on it. His groceries were on the floor, probably dropped down right as the leading man cornered him.


    The mugger slapped his face, and Kiaran was surprised that the lieutenant did not even try to fight back. It seemed like the cupcakes were more important than his honour and life.


    "I would prefer if you walk to the nearby police station and offer yourself with your friends, sir. And please don''t destroy the cupcakes, my brother had been feeling depressed, and I am trying to cheer him up." Valerian dully stated.


    "For your information, this is the last box." He added before earning a laugh from the three criminals.


    "You''re funny. But I think it''s enough already." The man pulled the trigger in his gun, and Valerian quickly dodged down, still griping the box in his hand.


    Though the lieutenant was too busy focusing on the cupcake that he did not realize the other muggers had already aimed a gun at him.


    Kiaran clicked his tongue. That would be a really dumb way to die.


    The lieutenant noticed them too late.


    By too late, he meant that he did not get to kick the muggers asses when the muggers had already gotten ass-kicked by someone.


    Kiaran easily knocked down the first mugger by slamming him to a wall. He pinned the other mugger to the ground, earning a gasp from the woman before knocking her out cold.


    "Sorry, but I want him to watch my play. He accidentally became an important character, you see," Kiaran whispered to her ear right before she lost consciousness.


    The person who had failed to shoot Valerian earlier quickly aimed the back of Kiaran''s head, pointing it to the point that the tip of the gun touched his head.


    The Vergessene raised both of his hands and smirked. "I would not ignore the blond if I were you." He stated, smiling knowingly.


    The mugger did not have the time to process his words before a crack was heard. He dropped down to the ground right after Valerian whacked his neck coldly.


    Kiaran stretched his hands and wiped off the dust from his clothes. Eyes were burning holes on his back while he tried to adjust himself.


    "Who are you?" Valerian asked cautiously, still gripping the box of cupcakes tight.


    "Oh, no one. I''m just passing through." Kiaran finally turned around and copied Cain''s usual fake kind smile.


    Valerian had started to glare daggers at him when the air had become thick between them. "You have the same face as someone I know."


    "Oh, really?" Kiaran raised both of his eyebrows with the same smile.


    "I''m not stupid, you know." The lieutenant stated, keeping his guard up as his green eyes became more cautious.


    "That demon is obviously your counterpart, mercenary." He continued, earning a look of glee from Kiaran like a child getting candy.


    "It''s not that hard to put two and two together." Valerian still went on, feeling weird to see the mercenary''s face like this.


    "Especially after the mute murderer..." He lowered his voice at this part. There were some weird emotions in his voice.


    "And the assassin''s reveal too." Valerian stared at him with his usual hatred look. "You are a family of criminals. I don''t know about your parents, though, but I''ll find out soon enough."


    Kiaran clapped slowly and still kept his smile at his sworn enemy. "As expected of police boy, of course, you''d find out." It was almost a mock from him, and the lieutenant caught it quickly.


    "Though I wonder, why didn''t you tell everyone about my identity?" He tilted his head, and Valerian found it more irritating now that he saw his face.


    "Or do you want to keep me all by yourself?" He teased, smirking.


    Valerian rolled his eyes before following Kiaran''s head movement. "Why''d you help me from the muggers?" The lieutenant asked, copying the mercenary''s speaking tone.


    "You''re trying to make me keep you all by myself?" He retorted back and raised one of his eyebrows.


    Though the teasing only made Kiaran''s grin grow even wider. "Ha. Touch¨¦."


    Valerian sighed and slowly walked over to his fallen groceries. "I thought you were older than me. We are the same age, and you keep calling me police boy."


    "Here." He took two cans of coffee and tossed one of them to Kiaran. The latter easily caught it with his hand and stared at it in wonder.


    "Oh? I thought you''d go all crazy and try to take me down. Is this a poison?" Kiaran opened the lid and went back to stare at Valerian.


    "You know damn well it isn''t without me having to confirm it." The Edelweiss said and quickly drained the can dry.


    "Besides, it''s my rest time. I''m not a lieutenant right now." He added before tossing away the can into a trash bin.


    "And you''re not the mercenary too, so I don''t see a point to try to kill each other at this moment," Valerian said that, and Kiaran knew that he cared more about the cupcakes than him right now.


    It kind of irritated him a little.


    "I was really mad at you, and I still am. But I have a little brother that''s waiting for me to come home right now. He''s more important than anyone in this world." Valerian informed as he leaned on the wall, glancing at the three muggers on the ground.


    The Edelweiss''s forest eyes caught the Vergessene''s ocean ones. "I won''t ever use a boy''s naiveness just to ditch him away again. He''s sixteen, for fuck sake. He needs someone to rely on."


    Kiaran and Valerian shared a deadly knowing look. Both of them knew what the hidden imply in the lieutenant''s words was.


    "You do know I could easily kill you right now." Kiaran dangerously tilted his head again, sending a murderous intent at the unshaken Valerian.


    "You wouldn''t. You never kill." He ventured, sending back a murderous intent at the criminal.


    "There''s always a first time for everything." He walked closer to Valerian. "You can be an exception, police boy."


    Valerian stared at his enemy without a single fear. "I know you."


    "Do you?" Kiaran dangerously asked, raising his eyebrows as the space between them got smaller.


    "Then let me ask you." The mercenary pointed his finger at the mugger near them. "Will I take that woman''s wallet or will I not?"


    Valerian raised his eyebrows back at him and sighed. "You piece of shit, give me back my wallet."


    Kiaran chuckled and finally backed away from him. He tossed the wallet back at him that he had stolen from the lieutenant just a second ago.


    "You do know me, huh." He hummed and looked at the moon in wonder.


    "Then let me ask you another thing." He began again, staring at Valerian with his usual playfulness.


    "Will I do another world burn or will I not?"


    Valerian''s eyes widened as he gritted his teeth. "You-"


    "I like playing these games with you, police boy. Don''t worry, I''ll save the front seat just for you." Kiaran cut him off and left him in the alleyway in a mere second.


    "Consider this as a payment for saving you today." He finished his sentence before finally disappearing from Valerian''s angry eyes. He drank the coffee in his hand, somehow, it felt tastier than usual.


    This was good entertainment indeed.

 Chapter 93 - Declaration Of The Play : Part 1

    Behind his mask, Kiaran smiled at the news teller after he hijacked the entire channel. There were some people lying on the ground, passing out. Only some were still conscious, and they all did not dare to move an inch.


    The said news teller cowered in fear, raising her hands in defeat at the sight of the mercenary. She trembly stared at him, trying to shove down the sob that started to form against her will.


    "I''ll take it from here." He commanded, and she quickly moved from her seat, running away from the mercenary.


    "Don''t leave the room, or you''ll die," Kiaran stated without even staring at the woman who was about to reach the door.


    She froze at his words and slowly turned around. Tears started to stain her cheek as she kneeled on the floor beside some of the people who were still conscious. She probably had a panic attack at the moment.


    "Alright, you camera guy." Kiaran pointed at the guy with square glasses and nodded at the camera. "Turn the camera on, and the rest of you should make this a live station."


    No one moved. Everyone just stared at him in fear. Some of them did not know what to do.


    Kiaran rolled his eyes. "Are you all foolish, or do you just want to die?"


    Everyone started to scatter around like mouses in a nest that had a cat in it¡ªno, a lion would be more precise. They went to do their jobs, knowing that their lives were hanging by a thread.


    "W-we''ll go live in three," the glasses guy exclaimed, setting up the camera with trembling hands. "-two, one."


    "We are live." He declared, and everyone started to watch the mercenary with sweats, fearing what he would speak about, what he would do.


    "Good fucking morning, every citizen in Livedam city!" He spread his hands, ominously staring at the camera with glinting blue eyes. "It is I, your one and only mercenary, the machiavellian, your worst fucking nightmare."


    "I hereby declare you, the long-awaited play, the coming soon entertainment you people will experience first hand." He exclaimed loudly, eyes full of glee as he madly stared at the camera.


    "-The second season of the world burn."


    Everyone in the room started to gasp. Some of them choked on their own tears. The camera guy even started to go pale to the point that he might pass out at any rate, just like the news teller woman.


    Kiaran smirked behind his mask, tilting his head dangerously to the camera. "So please do enjoy the show. I insist."


    ??????


    The television''s screen cracked as Valerian threw the remote at it. "This motherfucker-" He gritted his teeth, staring at the mercenary''s masked face on the camera that seemed like mocking.


    Valerian was about to get angrier until he heard footsteps closing, approaching the living room.


    Aster appeared from the corner with green eyes that were not as bright as it was before. "Val?" He croaked, rubbing his eyes with his hands.


    Aster''s eyes questioningly stared at the television before diverting his gaze to his brother quizzically.


    "Hey. You rest well?" The lieutenant''s face quickly changed into a resting face, softly staring at his little brother.


    "Tch, I''m not a kid." Aster still managed to spit even though he looked like he hadn''t slept for days. Which almost likely true because he kept having nightmares about Axel.


    His eyes moved to the television again, looking at the news behind the cracking screen. "That''s the mercenary? Another world burn?"


    "...yes." Valerian gritted his teeth, trying to stay calm in front of his fragile little brother.


    "You are fucking weird today." Aster slightly glared at him, frowning a little. "Usually, you would complain about the mercenary in front of me all day non-stop." He finished his sentence and went back to look at the shattered screen.


    Valerian tried to smile. "I just don''t feel like it."


    "That''s so not like you. Some demons might possess you right now. Are you sure you''re not possessed?" Aster tried to joke, trying to lighten the situation that had been too depressing lately.


    "You don''t look scared about the mercenary''s declaration." Valerian quickly changed the topic and dodged his little brother''s question.


    Aster''s face quickly darkened. "No, not at all."


    "I''ve been getting saved a lot in these situations, you know?" He chuckled pathetically and sighed. "-by a certain someone."


    "Maybe I should''ve stepped in that day." Aster''s green eyes became distant as he looked at the television. The memory of how Axel was surrounded by the people that cornered him played in his mind. The guilt started to choke him again. That''s fucking annoying.


    "I''ve been a damn trash to Axel, and I keep being that way until the end," Aster muttered quietly, avoiding his brother''s pitying gaze.


    "It''s not your fau-"


    "No, It''s my fault." The youngest Edelweiss cut off the lieutenant right before he managed to finish his sentence.


    "Axel is not the only one who had killed people, you know?" He smiled sadly, staring at his older brother with hopelessness.


    "He killed people physically." Aster continued. A flow of guilt and fear adorned his green eyes.


    "I killed people mentally."


    Valerian''s eyes widened as he opened his mouth to speak again, to tell Aster that it wasn''t true. But yet again, the youngest beat him to it.


    "I realized that after what happened to Axel." He trembled, eyes started to pathetically cry again as he had always done all night. The strong appearance that he had tried to build for years had shattered as if it was never there before.


    "If I hadn''t bullied him a lot, do you think-" He choked, trying to search for an answer in Valerian''s surprised face.


    "-do you think he won''t be a murderer?"


    Valerian gasped. Identical green eyes had become wide. "Aster, it''s not-"


    "It''s karma, isn''t it?" Aster yet again cut him off. Tears had been pouring like an unending stream. It was too pathetic. His parents would mock him for it. Valerian probably already did.


    "It''s my fault. I''m fucking useless. This is why- I can''t even be bad or good I''m just a fucking useless piece of shit and-"


    "Stop."


    Aster suddenly got shoved by his brother for a hug. Valerian caressed his back and wrapped his hands around the boy''s back. They were hugging as if the world would end soon, and it made Aster become a sobbing mess.


    "Aster, stop. It''s enough."


    "I could have-" He sobbed, gritting his teeth at his pathetic cries. "I could have saved him from becoming a monster."


    "I could have saved him from having that look in his eyes," Aster added, gripping the back of Valerian''s clothes tight.


    "All these times, I thought the look that he gave me was fear." He uttered truthfully, remembering how Axel would look at him every time he bullied the murderer.


    "It was not. I was wrong." He confessed. The guilt was too much to handle. No matter how he tried to say that it wasn''t his fault, he could not.


    "That day, that''s his real fear." He continued, remembering the look from the mismatched eyes that Axel gave to him. He placed it too well, like a record that would never break.


    "And I''m part of the fear."


    The look that Axel gave him before the day of his big reveal was the look of giving up.


    The dark tears stained his cheeks as one of his blue eyes morphed into a crimson colour, like fresh blood that had been forming inside his eye. His pale face that usually gave in to any situations thrown at him, at any situations that Aster created for him, the look had vanished.


    Axel had the same giving up look when he was forced to reveal his identity. He also had the same look when he bullied him. He had the same look when his family never attended any school activities that required a guardian.


    Aster thought that the look would form again right then and there. He was used by it, knowing that it would happen. But that day, he finally saw the fear in his eyes.


    It was fear of giving up. There was a fucked up determination in his eyes like he was afraid of losing something, losing someone. He was afraid of everyone turning their back on him.


    Axel did not want to give up that day, and Aster just realized how everything was part of his fault.


    Axel wanted to stay normal, and how Aster had just realized it. That was the reason why he was so afraid of telling Rune who he was because he did not want to give up on her.


    But in the end, the fear slowly morphed into a gave in, and the boy vanished.


    People always had a different point of view of everything that happened in front of their eyes. One could see dead people as a blessing or traumatizing just based on what they thought of themselves.


    And that boy Aster saw what Axel had become as his fault.


    A point of view could be deceiving, really. You would blame someone based on your beliefs and would support someone based on the facts.


    But sometimes, the lines between the two were blurred. The world seemed to love to mix the good and the bad.


    The world was cruel.. But the lines were crueller.

 Chapter 94 - Declaration Of The Play : Part 2

    "We''ll be going against the whole government, including the president. Attacking the president means that we will attack the whole country." Adreanna reloaded her guns as she spoke, focusing on every weapon on top of the table.


    "Okay." Axel hummed, mismatched eyes locking on the apartment floor. His feet were dangling on the edge of the bed as he sat there.


    "I''ll protect you, I promise." Adreanna quickly chimed in, putting down the weapon in her hand.


    She walked toward Axel slowly and sat beside him. With an emotionless face that did not match with her act right now, she put a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort the boy.


    That was how Maera taught her to do. Her friend used to comfort her this way. She never thought that she would use the serial killer''s method like this.


    "I''ll stay by your side. So don''t worry about anything, okay?" Adreanna softly speak. It would sound really nice and sweet if her voice were not toneless.


    Axel stayed silent at the statement. The boy lowered his head even more as his eyes glazed over something, glinting in sadness.


    "I will always be here for you, Axel." Rune had said one day.


    "I''m here, so you don''t have to worry about anything." Kiaran, too said one day.


    They both turned out to be a lie. Axel hated how similar Adreanna''s words were right now. He did not want this to be another lie, so it was better never to put too much hope anymore.


    Everyone would leave eventually, right?


    Axel had to quickly swallow back his saliva after feeling the dread clawing his throat again.


    "I want to train." Axel dodged Adreanna''s words and easily changed the topic. He finally looked over to his sister with his usual wanly eyes.


    "Train?" She blinked, calculating the boy''s intention. "But you''re talented enough already."


    Axel diverted his gaze away again from her. He stared at the pink ribbon on the edge of the whiteboard dazedly. "I was just copying you since little."


    "Of course, I would be talented. You are the one who''s talented, Adreanna." He remembered how he watched Adreanna train every day from afar, fearing that his father might get mad by him being there.


    Kiaran told him to stay away from Adreanna and Cain so many times to the point he felt like it was a sin just to appear in their sights.


    "You never trained before?" She asked, still trying to understand her brother more. It was hard to know why his face looked like that for her.


    "I did train." Axel''s eyes became dull as he answered her. They became duller even more as he started to lose in his own thoughts.


    Of course, Axel knew it too well about training. It was hell for him, but he needed to do it anyway. He always did.


    "A lot, actually."


    ??????


    A twelve-year-old boy heaved up and down with sweats drenching his whole body from hair to feet. His knuckles had bled down from hours of punching the tree inside the forest near their house.


    His lips were pale from the lack of rest he was having. Axel who was too young to be trained into a murderer fell onto the ground as his legs gave in. The bruises and scars on his skin were countless.


    His hands could not even be called hands anymore for his many burns and cracking skin. It was his fault anyway; he was not too skilled at how to handle a gun.


    "That''s all? You wanted to protect me by being like this?" Fourteen-year-old Kiaran spat as he leaned on one of the trees. He looked at Axel with disappointment, as if the boy was the lowest being on earth.


    Axel tried to look up from the ground, desperately trying to stay awake. "I-I''m sorry, Kiaran. I''ll train more and-"


    "Train more? Until when?" He raised his eyebrows as he slowly kneeled down to get a closer look.


    Axel''s blue eyes had dimmed, trying to keep little lights on them so he would not pass out. His whole body trembled in pain as he could not hold it anymore.


    Everyone was having a summer vacation, yet the boy was filling it with training and murdering. He needed to cover the bruises, so Rune would not panic when they got back to school later.


    "As fast as possible. I promise I''ll protect you, brother. I will always-"


    Axel did not get to finish his sentence when he suddenly felt an ugly sting on his left cheek. He snapped his mouth shut right after and lowered his gaze to the ground.


    Then he felt something running down from his nose like water. The said water dropped onto the ground, staining it red. Axel could hear a gasp not long after. It wasn''t coming from him.


    "I-I''m sorry! Are you okay? I didn''t mean to." Kiaran uttered, cupping both of Axel''s cheeks gently to see his face.


    There was an etching worry on his brother''s face. Somehow, it felt really nice. Axel would not mind getting hurt if he could see this expression often.


    It just felt really nice.


    He was suddenly thrown into a hug. Kiaran was holding him like a fragile glass that would break any time, and Axel found himself leaning into the touch.


    "I''m so so sorry." The older mumbled. There was a slight tremble in his voice. "You know that I love you, right? I''m doing the best for you."


    Axel tried to nod, cautiously not to bump his head to Kiaran''s chin. "Y-you don''t have to apologize. It''s my fault."


    He smiled. It seemed like all the pain in his body had vanished. "I love you too, Kiaran."


    There was a slight silence that almost made Axel wonder if Kiaran heard him at all. He was glad that it did not take too long for his brother to actually answer him.


    "No, I love you more."


    ??????


    "But it does not really matter anyway." Axel brushed it off and tried to form a reassuring smile to Adreanna.


    "I just want to train this thing." He brought his hand up and made it to be slightly disappeared. Then it went back to being solid again. Axel only managed to control it a little.


    "It''ll be a problem if I can''t control it. I don''t want to be a burden to you." He still smiled, not wanting to make her worry.


    Axel could not get what Adreanna was thinking as she stared at him for a long time. He hated that he could not know what was going on in her head. He hated that he never got to grasp any situation he was in.


    "Alright," She sighed and got up from the bed quickly, leaving the boy behind. "Let''s head down to the basement."


    Axel tilted his head wonderingly. "Basement?"


    ??????


    They had arrived at the empty basement not long after. There were some punching bags around and some kind of training stuff. Axel wondered if all of this was Adreanna''s.


    An eyepatch was covering his red eye right when he got there. A red eye is a sensitive thing for people nowadays, you see. They were still traumatized from the mindless demons event that day.


    He and Adreanna left to do their own things. It seemed like she wanted to give him some space to train alone.


    Axel brought the trash around the place and put them in front of him. There were some empty bottles and plastics for him to try his training. He wanted to train on how to make something disappear with his demon power.


    He grabbed the nearest bottle and stared at it for a while. He put it down and grabbed it back repeatedly, trying to figure it out. He kept trying to focus on how to make it vanish like that day.


    Then an answer struck him like lightning.


    A reason.


    If he had a reason to make something disappear, it would. And if he did not have a reason, he would only touch it without making it vanish.


    But to overcome how to make it disappear when he did not have a reason, he needed to do something about it.


    Axel grabbed the bottle again and stared holes at it. If he did not have a reason to make this bottle disappear, he just had to have a wishful reason if he never had this demon power.


    He had to manipulate a reason and make the bottle disappear.


    He thought of a reason if he was normal¡ªif he was just human. Then he would not have to make it disappear. Because he had this demon power now, he needed to make the bottle vanish.


    He manipulated his own mind to think that he had to make the bottle vanish.


    He learnt to manipulate his mind easily. Besides, he had always experienced it first hand anyway.


    "A reason." He whispered, and like magic, the bottle disappeared in his hand.


    Axel did not realize he was smiling at the power. He was smiling at how he could finally adjust to being a demon.


    He may have realized that he was being manipulated by Kiaran, but he did not realize he had manipulated himself for the most part of his life,

 Chapter 95 - Declaration Of The Play : Part 3

    Up, down, left-


    Axel flew as he let his body disappear completely. He trained his speed while adjusting with his light body.


    Adreanna watched him from afar, raising one of her eyebrows every time a part of Axel''s hands appeared to touch some of the garbage and made them disappear. It looked like a flying hand every time he did that.


    "Shit-" The boy cursed when he accidentally touched one of the punching bags and made them disappear.


    He had been adjusting to make everything disappear, but he still could not switch between making it disappear or just slightly touching it. It took time for him to focus on that.


    Being some kind of a ghost could be an advantage for him, especially on how you could move fast while disappearing from people''s eyes. He wondered how his counterpart adjusted with this power.


    He wondered if his counterpart hated him for impersonating him.


    He just hoped he had a good rest now. He should apologize to him when he dies someday.


    Axel swirled and made himself reappear as he landed on the floor with sweats adorning his head. Right as he touched the ground, he turned around and brought out his gun to shoot a bottle on top of the lockers and hit it right on the mark.


    "No, wait-" The gun in his hand slowly disappeared as the boy cursed himself again.


    "That''s the last gun." He muttered as he slowly turned over to Adreanna. "Sorry." He apologetically smiled at his sister, fidgeting with his hands.


    "It''s fine. I have more." She dully answered. Despite her trying to tell that it was alright, her tone really did not match what she intended to say.


    Adreanna took out the gun in her pocket and offered it to the anxious boy. She frowned upon his behaviour, causing Axel to flinch after seeing her face. The boy took the gun slowly, still wary of his sister.


    "Sorry." He uttered again, looking at her with an etching nervousness within him.


    Adreanna tilted her head. "I told you that it''s fine."


    She frowned again when Axel cowered away from her. Was he afraid of her?


    "Axel-" She snapped her mouth shut and cut her own words when some footsteps were heard from the stairs.


    Axel and Adreanna turned their heads to the source of sound at the same time. Their blue eyes glinted in silence as they waited for the people to appear. While waiting, the youngest adjusted his eyepatch to ensure his red eye was covered.


    One, two, three-


    The pair of siblings counted the number of people in their heads while their gaze darkened. Axel slowly started to make himself disappear while Adreanna''s hand moved over to where her gun hid.


    Four, five, six, seven.


    Seven people. They could be police that had found where they were, or they could be the FBI. Maybe someone else that was more dangerous?


    Axel had almost disappeared completely when the people finally came to their sights. Adreanna sighed when she saw seven men that were just nobody. The way they dressed up basically told who they were.


    Gangsters. Wannabe mafias.


    Axel noticed them right away and cancelled his power. He just stood beside Adreanna while staring at the seven gangsters quizzically.


    "Ay, what you two doin'' here? This is our place." One of them screamed, clicking his tongue as he squinted his eyes to the pair of siblings.


    "I thought it''s for the public?" Axel blinked as he politely asked, stepping forward so that his sister stayed behind him.


    "Shut your mouth, boy." The gangster spat, dragging the bat in his hand as he stopped in front of Axel and stared down at him.


    "This is our land, and you have no right to be here." He tried to intimidate Axel who did not even bat an eye at the intimidation.


    "You should pay for getting into our property." The man''s breath brushed Axel''s face, causing the boy to cringe.


    "We could beat you up easily, you know?" He grinned, feeling the high pleasure of making the young boy in front of him struck in fear.


    That was what he thought anyway. He did not think about his stinky breath at all.


    "My sister lived in this building." Axel ventured, still unfazed by the man''s appearance while trying to stay away from his breath.


    This man did not learn personal distance at all.


    The gangster seemed to finally notice Adreanna''s existence as he gawked at her. His grin grew wider as he watched her. Everything about her was beautiful, and all the gangsters had diverted their attention at her with glowing eyes.


    "Your sister, eh?" He smirked as he walked closer to Adreanna who had been standing there like a living statue.


    "You still should pay cuz'' this basement is ours, young boy." He added without looking away from the beauty in front of him.


    His behaviour was disgusting, really.


    "How much?" Axel asked, glaring daggers at the man for looking at Adreanna with that disgusting look.


    "Three hundred dollars." He stated as he walked even closer to Adreanna.


    Axel frowned. "That''s robbing."


    "Well, you can always pay with something else." He did not even try to hide his dirty intention as he grabbed Adreanna''s braided hair and smelled it.


    That was Axel''s last straw.


    Before Adreanna could even react, her brother had already jumped and kicked the man''s head, sending him to kiss the floor.


    The other gangsters quickly came to his aid while glaring daggers at Axel. The boy''s face turned cold when the man''s eyes looked at him again.


    "How dare you punch me! Do you not know I am? I am the head of the mafia around here!" He shouted while brushing the blood on his lip.


    Axel''s blue eye turned dangerous while he walked closer to the man. "Let me ask you back then,"


    "-do you not know who I am?"


    A hand touched his shoulder slightly, making him turn around. Axel blinked in confusion when he met Adreanna''s eyes.


    "Axel, let''s train again. I''m going to teach you." She uttered while taking the gun inside Axel''s pocket and putting it in her brother''s hand.


    She grabbed Axel''s hand while helping him to aim at the gangsters. "We have free training buddies, so don''t let it waste."


    "Axel?" One of the gangsters mumbled. Not long after, the realization hit him like a plane.


    "S-sir, that''s the mute murderer." He quickly whispered to the man that Axel had kicked earlier with worry. "And if that''s his sister, then it''s the assassin." He continued while trembling under the criminal siblings'' gaze.


    The man gritted his teeth at him. "I don''t give a damn if he''s the mute murderer or-"


    A bullet went past the man''s head and the subordinate behind him, cutting their hairs a little. If the shot was lower, it could''ve killed both of them without having the time to even notice.


    "...what?" The gangster croaked as his eyes shook when he tried to see the mute murderer and the assassin in front of him.


    "Shoot it like that." Adreanna emotionlessly taught while Axel listened carefully, nodding along with her without giving a single damn about the gangsters'' states. "Therefore, you can kill two persons with one bullet."


    "If you don''t want to kill them, aim it like this." Adreanna aimed the gun at their feet. With a single shot, the bullets took three people''s feet at the same time, making them fall miserably while screaming in pain.


    "It''ll make them unable to walk."


    "If you use the right moment to shoot, you won''t waste any bullets and times." Adreanna loosened the grip and let Axel grip the gun alone. The boy scanned the weapon as he stared at her with a bright smile.


    "W-we''re sorry! Please spare us!" The man earlier bowed down to them that quickly followed by their men. They begged for their lives desperately, hoping that they would spare them.


    Axel and Adreanna met with the man''s eyes. The man could feel the murderous aura forming around them, and he trembled even more.


    Axel tilted his head as he aimed at them. "Like this?"


    The bullet pierced through three people''s hands, including the leading man, making them all gasp.


    "Yes." Adreanna ruffled his head, and Axel returned it with a knowing smile.


    ??????


    The oldest and youngest Vergessene came out of the basement with a gun in each hand. There were some drops of blood on the clothes after they ''trained'' even more.


    Though they left one person in good shape so they would at least have someone to bring them to the nearest hospital.


    They arrived in the main lobby. The receptionist glanced at them for a moment and looked away again, unfazed. It wasn''t surprising though. She must have seen so many criminals here since this place was where every criminal hid.


    The small tv on the top corner of the lobby flickered a little, catching the siblings'' attention.


    "Good fucking morning, every citizen in Livedam city!" The familiar voice caught the two''s attention even more. Kiaran appeared on the screen, spreading his hands as his eyes glinted in danger. "It is I, your one and only mercenary, the machiavellian, your worst fucking nightmare."


    "I hereby declare you, the long-awaited play, the coming soon entertainment you people will experience first hand." He exclaimed loudly, eyes full of glee as he madly stared at the camera.


    "-The second season of the world burn."


    Axel staggered back, dropping the gun in his hand. Why would he do this again? Why, why, why, why-


    He choked as he felt a wave of nausea hit him. The memory of how he was fighting, the pain erupting in his heart, the kidnapping, the turning-


    Axel quickly turned his head over to Adreanna and stared at her flat face bewilderedly.


    "Adreanna, do you-" Axel stared at her warily as he tried to calm his ragging breath. "-did you know about this?"


    Adreanna kept her mouth shut while emotionlessly staring at her brother.

 Chapter 96 - Another World Burn : Part 1

    Cain slowly walked into the abandoned garden. The man wore a mask that covered his whole face with a suit. Behind the suit, there were all kinds of weapons and disguise for him to kill a person easily.


    There were no sounds of his footsteps stepping on the ground as he made his way out of the roots and the untreated flowers in the dull-looking garden.


    The head of the Vergessene family finally arrived at the middle of the garden, staring at the achingly familiar red hair who was sitting on one of the benches, crushing the lavender in his hand.


    "I think we both know the reason why we''re here." Alfred began, slowly diverting his hazel eyes to the hitman as he let the lavender fall from his hand.


    "I''m sure you don''t want to see my face right now, and so do I." The president began to stand, facing his ex best friend with two unfriendly eyes.


    In a blink of an eye, a gun was aimed at Cain by Alfred as the red hair dangerously stared at him. "Where did you keep her?"


    Cain''s blue eyes glinted deadly, returning Alfred''s stare from behind his mask. "Aren''t I the one who''s supposed to ask that?"


    There was no need for any words to be spoken by the two. Both of them knew each other too well that they quickly charged at one another with murderous intent.


    The billboard across the garden shined those two with its bright light, overpowering the half moon on top of them. They clawed at the same time and quickly jumped back to avoid the impact.


    Alfred fired his first shot to Cain''s shoulder, and the latter dodged it with a roll onto the ground. The Vergessene did not let himself take a break as he threw a knife to his enemy''s shoulder while the said enemy dodged it by flipping to the left.


    Then another shot was fired by Alfred just as Cain threw another knife, causing the bullet and the knife to bounce back and drop to the ground.


    Alfred quickly changed his weapon to a knife while Cain changed into a gun. They tried to attack each other again and repeated the same thing.


    Alfred gritted his teeth and screamed as he charged himself to his ex best friend with another knife. Cain did not have enough time to duck when the weapon sliced down a diagonal line on his mask, revealing his left eye and the downside of his face.


    The Vergessene returned the attack with a kick to the red hair''s left head, sending him to fly onto a nearby overgrown pile of roses. Cain aimed his gun at the roses and slowly walked closer to get a better look.


    A knife went flying over his right ear as he easily dodged it. He shot the pile of roses when he saw an inch of the red hair. Alfred rolled to his right just before the bullets got him.


    With rose petals on his body, the man got up again and launched a surprise attack with a shot to Cain''s hand. The latter dodged it with his gun, causing it to fall off his hand as he grunted.


    Cain''s blue eyes raged in a fire as he ran to the man with a glowering aura. Alfred staggered back a little when the hitman grabbed his wrist, making the gun in his hand drop down to the ground with a terrific thud.


    The red hair tried to hold Cain who was trying to make him fall to the dirt, while the blue-eyed man pushed him more and more as every second passed. Both of them gritted their teeth at each other, grinding one another.


    But then, the bright billboard beside them glitched, morphing into a certain familiar mercenary who was staring at the camera with his usual insane look.


    Kiaran''s voice rang, adorning the deadly silence between the two. He kept speaking while both of them tried to hurt each other.


    "-The second season of the world burn."


    Both of the two ex best friends'' faces snapped over to the billboard. They growled at the same time and finally let go of each other''s hands.


    Alfred grabbed the bruise in his hand as he glared at Cain. "This isn''t the end, Cain. You started this."


    Cain tilted his head down dangerously. "I''m the one who''s supposed to say that, traitor."


    And they both vanished from the garden like dew under the sun.


    ??????


    ''Two more days to go. Livedam''s central park.''


    The words were etched on every screen in the Livedam city, telling the people where the world burn would first begin. The ominous words stayed there, terrorizing every single person in the city.


    People started to evacuate, running away for their dear lives. Cars were trying to cross the city as the traffic jam got worse and worse.


    Alfred stood in the meeting room with a relaxed face that was contained with too much anger. He just got in the office as soon as he heard the news. Every single person in the room did not dare to ask about the bruises and cuts on the president''s body.


    His red hair was a mess, and so was his clothes. He ignored his bleeding cheek as he began to talk.


    "Everyone, prepare for an ambush. This city will go into lockdown and war. Evacuate all the people within two days- no,"


    His hazel eyes glinted as he stared at the people in the room. "One day."


    ??????


    It did not take long for Cain to find Kiaran. He was just finished scolding the boy for burning the house down, and now he tried to burn the whole city down.


    Again.


    His secondborn was standing on top of a building as if his son knew that he would come. Kiaran was enjoying the breeze when he slowly moved his head over to him with his usual mercenary clothes. The mask was already gone from his face, stating that he calculated Cain''s arrival at this moment.


    "Just in time, father." He uttered. An overly friendly tone was forced up the teen''s throat, and Cain caught it easily.


    "Kiaran, what is this?" He asked, demanding an explanation from his son.


    "My play!" Kiaran spread his hands and grinned in joy.


    "You never watched my play before." He darted, kindly smiling at Cain as he explained. "For all those years, you abandoned me with no one to watch my project in school. And now, I finally made one where you could finally watch."


    The smile on Kiaran''s face became ominous as he stared at Cain with mock. "Look at how considerate your son is."


    "The previous play is not really enjoyable. I can agree with you on that." He brushed it off as he slowly walked over to his father with something going on in his mind.


    "So I made another one for my one and only father to watch and enjoy." He chuckled and stood beside his father, facing the opposite way of Cain''s.


    "Though, I know you don''t like it if you only ''watch'', right?" He whispered, smirking a little as he side-eyed his father.


    Kiaran scanned the bruises and cuts while slowly moving his eyes to the torn-up mask on his father''s face with amusement.


    "So, dear little me being so generous to my only parent-" He paused and spun around Cain as he bowed a little to give a sign of ''respect''. "-therefore, I give you a part of the play so you can experience it firsthand! Yay!"


    Kiaran arrived in front of his father and tilted his head. His overly excited face quickly turned stoic in a split-second, as if it was never there.


    "I want you, father, to kill every government that try to flee before my play begin." He explained with a dull voice. The insanity in his blue eyes matched with Cain''s.


    Cain raised one of his eyebrows and tilted his head back at his son. The wind blew off his half mask and revealed his wavy length hair, swirling along with the wind.


    Kiaran''s trench coat cascaded up and down, following the wind''s beat. "If you feel like it''s a burden, let me tell you this, dear father."


    He brought his face closer to Cain''s as he smiled with an etching madness adorning his face. "You''re not doing it for me. You''re doing it for your favourite child."


    Cain''s face slowly frowned at his son''s words. His ocean eyes tried to search for the meaning behind Kiaran''s words. He probably realized it too late but had Kiaran always been this smart to handle a situation and a favour from people?


    Kiaran widened his smile as he managed to completely trap his father under his string of marionettes. Everything went according to his plan, and the teen felt the pleasure coming from it.


    It was really really fun. The most fun thing that he had always done.


    "She''ll be sad if the governments managed to flee." Kiaran whispered, catching the realization in Cain''s identical blue eyes.


    "You obviously don''t want that to happen to your loveable daughter, right?"

 Chapter 97 - Another World Burn : Part 2

    "I''m joking, dad." Kiaran laughed at Cain''s serious face. He pushed the word ''dad'' at the end sarcastically.


    He wondered how long it had been since his father stopped using the fake kind smile on him anymore? It seemed like the man realized that the overly kind smile would not work on him.


    He was not that naive, you see.


    He learnt how to manipulate from the best person anyway by experiencing it first. It did not take long for the student to beat the teacher.


    "Of course, you won''t do something like that, considering Adreanna could do it on her own." He shrugged, playing with the coin that was in his hand all the time and tossed it to the sky.


    Kiaran caught the coin and flipped it to his palm. "But she has another thing to do, you see."


    "I know my words won''t work on you anyway. You probably won''t do it for Adreanna head-on foolishly." He smiled, flashing Cain''s identical fake kind smile.


    "So what if I change the mindset of your character for the play this way." Kiaran threw the coin and let it get inside his trench coat sleeve. He leaned closer to his father with eyes that formed a crescent moon shape.


    "I know who stole mom''s body." He whispered playfully. "It''s not the president, by the way." He added before opening his eyes to see Cain''s shocked and angry face.


    "The one who stole her is the one that offered me to grand my play, to make the world burn happened. Her idea is really really fun to do. She is the craziest person that I''ve ever met."


    "You should kill that scientist instead." He hummed at his own words and looked at the traffic below the building.


    "I don''t really know why she stole her, but that was her intention from the start." He muttered, letting the wind crash onto him, blowing his messy black hair away.


    "She did not tell me, though. She did not need to anyway. She was just saying some things that I had to do for her so that I could do my play properly." He shrugged and raised his eyebrows at the mess down below.


    Everyone started to run like their lives were on the line. Which was true, by the way. They probably tried to leave the city before another world burn happened.


    "She was a good mastermind but not smart enough." He smirked to himself, side-eyeing his father, who slowly approached him and stood by his side.


    "I easily found out her intention from the start. She was not the type of the people that wanted to do a world burn just for fun like me." Kiaran revealed his plan, realizing how Cain stole some glances at him, probably trying to understand him.


    The man had many opportunities to understand him before. But it was too late. Kiaran was not the same son that he used to abandon.


    He was a better version of Cain. The best one. The more wicked one.


    Kiaran loved the irony of it. It filled his heart with so much joy.


    "The scientist must have had another intention." Kiaran flashed another smile at Cain as he tilted his head dangerously.


    "So if you want to know where mother body is, do what I ask you to do, father." He still kept his smile while looking at his father. It was another way to mock the man without being too obvious.


    It was fun.


    "You let your mother get stolen?" Cain''s face went dark at his son, containing the rage within him.


    Kiaran flared up his nostrils. "She''s dead anyway. I can''t bring back someone who''s dead, can''t I?" He shrugged easily, feeling a mouthful of glee as he managed to make his father mad again.


    "Besides, you let your youngest son get stolen too." He raised his eyebrows, stating the fact that made Cain''s face freeze.


    "And he was alive." Kiaran snorted while walking away from Cain to the edge of the building.


    He wore his black mask again and brought out a rope gun from his coat. He smiled for the last time before completely covering half of his face. "So I don''t think you have the right to say that."


    Then Kiaran let himself fall from the edge, leaving Cain wordless with a buried rage.


    ??????


    The hitman had killed the last government that tried to flee from the city. He blew the car right away as it reached the border, making a ruckus for the people around that tried to evacuate.


    It would send the message clear anyway. Especially if Alfred watched what had been going on in the news. They probably showed how the hitman killed people that tried to evacuate, but only some and not all.


    Alfred was smart enough to know that Cain only killed the government-


    Cain looked up at the sky and shot the helicopter''s engine, sending it to crash onto the nearby house.


    -and maybe killed some of those that were in his way.


    He scanned this surrounding that was full of fire and screamed. Someone fell in front of him and looked up at him with fear. The person was cowering away from him, and Cain smiled kindly from behind his mask.


    "P-please spare me!" The person yelled and quickly got up, stumbling his way in order to avoid the hitman.


    Ah. Cain forgot that he was wearing a mask. Those who saw his kind smile would die right away since they saw his face. That person was lucky.


    He raised his hand in front of his face and caught the knife that almost went inside his eye. He spun the knife pointed it to his right without even looking at the person who tried to creep up to him.


    "You''re bold trying to attack me in that state, Alea. I thought you were dead, you know? It really is nice seeing you alive. Seems like you''ve become a talented scientist, hm?" He smiled, finally looking at the woman that was pointing a white gun at his head.


    "I was facing an annoying bastard, and I lost my mask to cover my identity." She grunted, staring at Cain with high murderous intent.


    "But I handled him better than you, anyway." She added, making Cain raise his eyebrow, intrigued.


    "Him?" Cain repeated her words with a knowing look behind his mask.


    "Huh." The kind smile still etched on his face. The kind of smile that he always wore every time he faced his opponent. Though he knew that she was not seeing his face right now, he still kept the smile anyway.


    "I don''t care who he is if he''s weaker than me," Cain stated as he dodged the shot from Alea, ducking down to the ground as he sliced the woman''s hips.


    She retreated back and hissed. "Of course, you don''t care."


    "You never do." She gritted as she glared daggers at him. Her body was full of bruises, and her clothes were full of burns. It seemed like she had a gruesome fight with ''him''.


    "Even when your son got stolen, you did not give a single damn about it." She spat, raising her head high as she aimed the gun at him again.


    Her face darkened. "Or when Cecilia died."


    Cain suddenly disappeared from her vision in a blink of an eye, running at her with full speed and throwing the woman beside him into a nearby house.


    Alea went flying into the window and landed inside. The woman fell onto a table and groaned.


    There was a family on the corner of the room, and she gritted her teeth at them. The mad scientist blew each head off with her modified gun and caused the family''s body to rot slowly.


    Cain sauntered to the front door and kicked it. He opened his mask and smiled at her kindly.


    "Be careful with that mouth, scientist." Cain''s face still contained with his smile as he spoke. If you saw his face, you would believe that it was genuine when it was not.


    "I don''t really want to kill you because you were Cecilia''s best friend." Cain grabbed her collar and made her get up from the ground to face him.


    "Oh, still trying to ''care'', huh?" She sneered, staring madly at him. "Your son, the mercenary sold you out, you know? He told me that you would be here."


    "That''s funny. He also told me that you would be here." Cain chuckled. It was way too friendly for the deadly intention within him.


    "He even told me to kill you off." He shrugged and threw the scientist to a wall, making her bounce back down to the ground.


    Cain crouched and stared down at Alea. "My son is the best, don''t you think? I''m starting to enjoy his play." He grabbed her brown hair and forced her to face him. "By having the stage to kill you."


    "You know what, you''re right. I don''t care." He darted, staring at Alea''s teary brown eyes. "I don''t care. if you will die."


    "Cecilia will accept it if your death will make me happy anyway." Cain gripped the hair harsher, causing her face to become red.


    "You took everything from me." She tried to speak, having it hard to even swallow her own saliva.


    "Oh, really?" He questioned emphatically with a pair of sympathetic blue eyes.


    "That''s sad.. " Cain tilted his head and smiled before pushing a gun to her head.

 Chapter 98 - Another World Burn : Part 3

    "Axel-"


    The boy ran from his sister, clenching his fists as he gritted his teeth. The red jacket that he borrowed from Adreanna flapped around from the impact of the wind. He ignored the weird stares from the people around him that probably still did not notice that he was the mute murderer.


    The moon followed him as he ran aimlessly, trying to calm the feeling of mixed anger and sadness for the fact that Adreanna kept everything from him.


    Then he stopped.


    He stopped on the empty side road where everyone probably had evacuated from their own houses and tried to save their own lives. Axel bit his lips at his own actions.


    Since when did she have to say everything to him? She did not betray him. Why did he overreact? Was he overreacting? Why did he get angry? Should he get angry? But he was just staying with her, so why-


    Why was everything so confusing?


    Axel gnashed his own lips when he grabbed his black hair. The air was too tight and he felt like he would die for running out of breath.


    "Everyone, stay in line! More cars will come. Please don''t panic! Everything is being handled just fine." A woman in her late forties yelled, catching Axel''s attention from his own anxiety attack.


    A building not too far from his right was in a commotion. Everyone kept pushing one another as they tried to get in a car. The woman''s face was full of worries, but she still tried to calm herself down for the people around her.


    "The kids will get in first and the pregnant women. The next building has to wait for a moment until all the people in this building evacuate. Please remain calm. We still have two more days." She commanded while holding a kid in her hand.


    "The mercenary could kill us right here and now. Are you going to be responsible for this, ma''am?!" A man from the next building chimed in, angrily demanded the woman.


    She put the kid inside the car and stared at the man with cold determination. "I will be responsible for everything, sir. I can assure you, everything is going to be fine as long as I''m here."


    Axel frowned. The woman seemed familiar. He must have seen her somewhere.


    Then it got him. It really brought him to the point where his eyes widened. The woman''s picture was on Adreanna''s wall. She was the vice president of this country that often got underestimated to the point that many people ignored her.


    Axel watched as she helped a pregnant woman get inside a bus. There were more cars and buses coming her way, trying to help her evacuate the people around.


    The man from earlier looked at her with disdain. "A woman like you should not order shits. You are fucking useless for this country. I am not betting my life on a mere woman like you."


    The vice president tried to smile. "Sir. I know I''m not as great as the president himself, but I''m here to help you evacuate. So please wait for your turn."


    "For my turn?" He repeated her words and scoffed angrily. "Yeah, right. As if I''m going to give my life up just for this nonsense. I''m leaving on my own. I don''t care about your command or not. The world is going to burn, and everyone is going to die."


    The man quickly left the building and walked on his own. He made sure to spit in front of her before leaving the scene.


    "Sir, wait-" She tried to catch him up but then a swarm of people went past her, following the man''s movement to go on their own. Only some people were left to hear her order.


    The vice president fell to the middle road from how many people were pushing her. She groaned while trying to ignore the cuts on her arms. That was the reason why she did not have the time to notice a car coming her way at a fast speed.


    Axel quickly rushed to her aid. He pulled the woman into his arms and flipped to the air right as the car went past him. She let out a little yelp when he gently dropped her down to the side of the road.


    Axel quickly wore the hood of his jacket and lowered it down. He tried to avoid the light and covered his face when the woman got up to face him.


    "Thank you for the help, young man. That was very brave of you." She brushed off the dust on her clothes and tried to put on the best smile for him despite her being hurt right now.


    "You''re the vice president, right?" Axel asked, still praying that she would not notice who he was. "Why didn''t you evacuate first?" He continued. It was weird for a government that high to not care about her safety first.


    The woman chuckled. "Ah. The people are still in here, no?" She paused and pointed to the people around. "Just because I''m the vice president, doesn''t mean I''m going to abandon them."


    "This position doesn''t make me a queen or a goddess." She stared at Axel''s blue eye and rested her hand on top of his hood.


    "A queen or king did not live because of their people. They live for their people." She explained under the beam of the moonlight. Axel felt as if he had just seen a real goddess despite what she had just said.


    "Being a vice president doesn''t mean I can do whatever I like." She darted while signalling her people to get in the car. "I don''t control people. People control me."


    She diverted her gaze to Axel again and retreated her hand from his head. "I''m just following their wishes and trying to do my best."


    Axel froze in front of her smile. He watched her with sincerity. The woman looked so tired, and yet she still managed to talk to him and tried to handle everything.


    Then a phone rang inside her pocket, making the vice president quickly turn away from him.


    "Ah, wait a second." She muttered while bringing her phone to her ear with a serious face.


    Axel watched her back with an unexplainable gaze. She was going to die sooner or later, right? She was one of Adreanna''s targets.


    He never really thought about the people he killed before. Kiaran always had all the information, and Axel would just mindlessly follow his brother''s orders.


    The boy tried to look away from the woman to shove the early guilt within him. His blue eye quickly caught a young girl who was staring at him like he had grown a second head.


    The ponytail kid with a teddy bear in her hand was looking at him wide-eyed. Axel raised his eyebrows, making his eyepatch tug upward a little. The girl pointed at the wanted poster near her and then went to point at his face.


    Oh.


    Axel lowered his hood and put a finger to his mouth, signalling her to shut her mouth. He did not mean to be scary, but he guessed that he was pretty terrifying in the girl''s eyes.


    The girl froze in fear and nodded. She turned around and quickly rushed inside a car as if she had just seen a demon.


    Which, ironically, she just did.


    Axel diverted his focus to the woman again. She was frowning as she received the call. The boy observed the vice president quietly.


    She was a good person, but she was the government. Would Adreanna kill her too?


    She was not like the other governments, though.


    "I just got a call. The governments that tried to evacuate had been wiped out." She spoke to one of her men after ending the call. Axel managed to catch a glimpse of her words.


    "I told them to help the people first... damn it!" She raged, biting the lower lip to calm her nerves.


    "The hitman is trying to kill every government that tried to evacuate, warn them all now!" She commanded to her men, shouting as she tried to focus on evacuating the people first.


    She turned around and put her phone into her pocket again. "Right. Young man, you should evacuate-"


    She snapped her mouth shut when she did not see any sign of the boy anymore. "Huh. Where did he go?"


    The woman tried to search for him again. She looked around and found no trace of the boy. Maybe he had gone into one of the transportation?


    She exhaled and ignored the wanted poster in front of her. "He seems familiar.. I hope he will be okay."

 Chapter 99 - Another World Burn : Part 4

    Axel watched the vice president from afar. He stood on top of a building with a red hood that fell from the wind around him. The moonlight rained upon him, and the boy felt a weird kind of guilt watching the woman.


    Maybe that was the reason why he waited for the woman to finish evacuating people. Unknowingly, the boy tried to protect the woman.


    The wind moved in a weird way for a split second, making Axel side-eyed the shadow behind him.


    Axel suddenly froze as he felt a dangerous presence breathing in his ears. His blue eye sharpened, getting ready to take down whoever was standing behind him right now.


    He clenched his right fist and spun around, throwing his hand to the person behind him. The said person caught his hand with ease, causing Axel to widen his blue eye.


    A familiar torn navy cloak and the obvious blindfold over the said person''s eyes made all the hair in Axel''s body stand. The person smiled at him, and somehow it felt a little familiar. It was as if he''d seen that smile somewhere.


    The person put away Axel''s hand to the side and tilted his head gently at the boy. "Hello there, Tithonus." He showed an unhinged grin when he watched Axel''s shocked face.


    "Don''t be all guard up like that. I''m just here to chat." He chuckled and slowly walked beside Axel, staring at the people down below with disinterest.


    "Is this the path you''ll choose?" He asked, smiling at the stiffened boy. "Following your sister who''s clearly hiding something big? Hm?"


    Axel threw another punch, and the man easily dodged away, flapping his torn cloak as he flipped over the boy''s head. The man landed behind the boy easily, as if his feet had no sound at all.


    "Adreanna basically manipulated you, you know." He shrugged, still showing his creepy smile at the boy.


    Axel gritted his teeth. "She didn''t mean to. It wasn''t her intention." The boy tried to kick the man, resulting in how easily the blindfolded person darted around him. "-and you are trying to manipulate me right now too."


    "Ah, so you were aware." The blindfolded man grinned and landed on the edge of the building. "That''s cute."


    Axel turned down the corner of his mouth to the man. "What?"


    "Your denial. It''s cute." The man cooed, playing around the edge of the rooftop like a kid.


    "The Vergessene family is bound to know by their bloody denial, you see." He paused, jumping from the edge to get close to the boy. "Because the-" The man pointed his blindfolded eye, stating about Axel''s red eye.


    "You know what I mean." He smirked when Axel tried so hard to shove down the terror in his face.


    "But your denial is cute. You even defended your manipulator!" He happily exclaimed as he walked closer to Axel.


    "I''m going to make a better play than your brother." He whispered, and Axel managed to notice the dark bow in his hand that slowly swallowed the man. "Just you wait."


    "For the end of your sad story is near, Tithonus." He flashed a last smile before completely disappearing from Axel sight.


    The Vergessene''s breath shook while his blue eye glued on the place where the man had disappeared. He quietly stepped back. One step, two step, three step-


    Then he ran, jumping from building to building as his body disappeared and reappeared a couple of times. He skidded down the next rooftop before jumping into an alleyway.


    The boy ran like he was running out of time. When Adreanna''s apartment building came in his sight, he quickly burst through the front door and used the stairs to come to his sister''s room.


    He slammed Adreanna''s apartment door open. With a chest heaving up and down, he stared at his sister''s emotionless eyes who were looking at him in silence.


    "You''re back." She flatly stated. Her eyes almost looked like she was worried, yet they still seemed as dull as ever.


    Axel made his way to her and grabbed her hands. "You still keep your promise, right?"


    "That you''ll never give me away to Kiaran, that you''ll always stay by my side, that you''ll protect me?" He sputtered the words so fast, overwhelming anxiety ate him away, and the boy just wanted the truth.


    Adreana stared at her little brother''s blue eye with hidden emotions. She quickly hugged the boy tight, trying to calm him down.


    "I believe you. I''ll- I''ll follow you." Axel croaked at her.


    And so the boy denied once more.


    ??????


    Then two days went like a heartbeat. Axel had worn a cloak that he borrowed from Adreanna. He did not even try to cover his face, only wearing an eyepatch to cover his red eye.


    Adreanna did the same. She did not wear any mask as she led the way. Axel only followed her quietly from behind, fearing the world burn that was about to happen.


    The city became like a ghost town, everyone had evacuated. Only the soldiers, police officers, and some of the governments stayed.


    They would only kill the rest of the governments and finish quickly. Axel just had to bear with everything before finally leaving the city too with Adreanna.


    She promised that they would only kill the governments, and that was it. He just tagged along to support her, and she''d kill them on her own.


    "Adreanna, where are we going?" Axel watched the surroundings with worry as they slowly arrived in Livedam''s central park.


    "Why are we going to where Kiaran would do the world burn?" He tugged the edge of Adreanna''s sleeve, demanding an answer from her.


    "Are we-" Axel gulped when they finally stood in the central park. "-are we siding with Kiaran?"


    "You''re siding with me, not him." She reassured and grabbed Axel''s hand.


    Would she give him away to Kiaran? The debt that they were talking about- she surely did pay it somehow, right?


    Was this a trap? She would not do it to him, right?


    "But-"


    "I still keep my promise. We''re just going to kill the governments." Adreanna suddenly dragged the boy behind her, cutting Axel''s word off.


    Axel quizzically stared at her before peeking around her shoulder to see what was happening in front of them. His breath caught in his throat when his blue eye met with other familiar blue eyes.


    "Hello, Axel. Miss me?" Kiaran gave him smiling eyes, and Axel believed that his brother was grinning behind his mask.


    Adreanna quickly hid him away again, protectively shielding the boy. "He''s with me."


    "Of course!" Kiaran clasped both of his hands before sending a knowing gaze to Axel. "Of course."


    "Thanks for joining me, fellow siblings." Said the mercenary as he crossed both of his hands on his chest, staring at the central park, waiting for the people to fight them.


    Waiting for his next play.


    "Now shall we begin the world burn?" Kiaran led the two and stood in front of them.


    Axel clenched his fists while looking at his sister. "Adreanna, you promised-"


    "Shut up, Axel. You''re supposed to be mute if you want to fight here." Kiaran quickly chimed in, glaring at him for a moment before focusing on the empty park again.


    Axel staggered back a little. "But I don''t want to- I don''t-"


    Axel looked over to Adreanna''s cold eyes and turned to Kiaran''s unhinged eyes. He quickly snapped his mouth shut and stayed in his place.


    Oh. He went back to his old self again.


    His pathetic self.


    He thought he had overcome everything by easily avoiding the demon version of his family''s manipulations and turning the table around on them.


    Now he realized he could easily overcome it because they were strangers.


    But now that he had to face his real family again, he pathetically went back to zero.


    Because he never passed the denial.


    It did not take long for a swarm of police officers and soldiers to aim their guns at the three Vergessene siblings. Adreanna quickly stepped forward, protecting both Kiaran and Axel.


    "You have a plan, right?" She muttered to Kiaran who was standing as if there were no guns pointing at him right now.


    "Are you contemplating my decision? Just stayed silent and killed for me." He clicked his tongue as he watched the serious faces of the people in front of him.


    "Axel, watched this." Kiaran nudged the boy when a certain person started to walk toward them.


    There was a familiar red hair that slowly walked toward them with determination in her hazel eyes. The ponytail bounced a little while she made her way over to them. Adreanna had become defensive when the girl came closer.


    Axel had become wide-eyed as he watched Rune pointing a gun at the mercenary without even giving him a single glance. Why did she- why was she in here?


    She gritted her teeth at the mercenary and spat.. "Give me back my father, you monster."

 Chapter 100 - Another World Burn : Part 5

    "Lady Rune, please step back. They are dangerous." The lieutenant chimed in, glaring at the mercenary who was giving him a playful look back.


    "You should listen to police boy, president clown." Kiaran did not divert his gaze away from Valerian as he spoke.


    "I said, give my father back!" Rune quickly aimed her gun at Kiaran''s head as her finger traced down the trigger. Adreanna quickly stepped in, pointing the revolver in her hand to the red hair.


    "I''m afraid I don''t have your dear father, president clown." Kiaran smiled from behind his mask and tilted his head ominously. "But maybe a certain scientist did. You should wait a little longer for the next scene to begin, you see."


    "Speaking of the next scene," Kiaran paused and looked back to the lieutenant. "You might want to dodge back, police boy!" He shouted and waved his hand to give a sign for him to step back a little.


    Valerian furrowed his eyebrows. The blond gripped the gun in his hand tight, concerning the mercenary''s words over him. Something was crawling in his skin, telling him that a bad thing would happen soon.


    Then he realized it was too late to notice the people around him. He gasped as he widened his eyes, jumping back at the last second when a big explosion occurred in front of him.


    The explosion''s impact sent some people away, but the blond managed to hold on. The ground trembled, crumbling as it made a big gap between him and the mercenary.


    "No!" Rune shouted as she turned around, looking at the people behind her with terror in her hazel eyes. Her gaze fell into the gap between them and some corpses that had fallen inside the ground.


    Rune gagged and staggered back, almost losing her stance. Then she gritted her teeth and spun around. The red hair pulled the trigger without a slight hesitation as the bullet went flying to Kiaran.


    The mercenary raised his eyebrows, annoyed by her. He easily darted around her bullets when the girl kept trying to shoot him.


    "You''re quite annoying." He clicked his tongue and coldly stared at the girl.


    Then something clicked inside the secondborn Vergessene''s mind. His ocean eyes quickly filled with glee as he side-eyed the nervous boy that had not moved at all¡ªprobably falling into another pit of panic attacks.


    This would be fun. This was going as planned, and it got even better that the president clown was here.


    Kiaran let out an unhinged grin behind his mask while staring at his sister. "Adreanna, kill her."


    "What?" Adreanna and Axel spoke at the same time. The two seemed to have the same doubt over Kiaran''s words.


    Kiaran raised one of his eyebrows at Adreanna''s hesitance. Things were way more fun than he thought before.


    "Don''t forget the payment, Adreanna." He reminded, smirking for the fact that he had the upper hand of all the situations.


    Her emotionless eyes seemed to go wide for a moment before turning into the usual cold gaze. She quickly aimed the gun at Rune with murderous intent. The latter aimed her weapon back at the assassin, still trying to be confident despite how she knew she would lose easily in this fight.


    Then in a heartbeat, Axel stood in front of Rune, stretching his right hand as he shielded the girl protectively. "No." He spat, glaring at Adreanna with hidden guilt behind his eyes.


    Rune looked at Axel with mixed emotions. The girl stared holes at the back of his head, and she quietly clenched her fists.


    Adreanna did not waver at his action at all. "Axel, step away."


    Axel bit his lip, almost gnawing it. "You promise-"


    "No. Killing her was not part of the promise." Adreanna cut the words through, still obediently holding the gun.


    "You said it''s only the governments. You didn''t even need to kill her. Why are you listening to him?!" Axel yelled.


    Everything always turned out this way anyway. With Kiaran controlling the situation and Axel becoming the pawn of his play, the marionette on his brother''s strings.


    Everything in this place was in the palm of Kiaran''s hand.


    "She is part of a government. She abandoned you." Adreanna tried to justify her action. It was selfish, really.


    But then again, Axel might be selfish too right now.


    "You keep caring about her even though she hurt you." Adreanna continued, still trying to make Axel step away with words.


    Because if this keeps continuing, then it would just repeat all over again. Axel and her would fight, and she would hurt him again. But that day, she was selfish. Today, she did not have a choice.


    "You won''t know why because you never had a friend, Adreanna." Axel growled angrily. A person like her would never understand his situation. It was foolish of him to hope that maybe, maybe they would be together forever.


    "I had a friend," Adreanna muttered. But her words didn''t get through Axel''s ears for how soft they were spoken.


    Though Kiaran caught it easily as he let an insane grin tug on his lips.


    ??????


    "I''m Maera." The serial killer''s long bob rebounded on her shoulders as she leaned over Adreanna.


    "You can call me Mae." She grinned, causing her round glasses to drop down her little nose a little.


    "What''s your name?" She offered her hand to the assassin that quickly got ignored by the latter.


    "Oh? not much of a talker, huh?" She deliberately retreated her hand. Maera put her finger on her chin before clasping her hands.


    "Alright then, I''m going to call you ugly assassin." She smiled brightly before jumping off to another building. She waved to Adreanna on her way out and saluted the assassin.


    "Nice to meet you, new friend! I hope to you see you soon."


    Adreanna tilted her head quizzically. "Friend?" She whispered quietly.


    ??????


    "If you are just going to betray me, then so be it." Adreanna pulled the trigger, and Axel quickly dragged Rune down.


    "Betray you?" He asked with disbelief. "I''m the one who betrayed you?"


    "You are siding with the enemy, Axel." Adreanna tried to aim at Rune again, but Axel was quicker. He managed to touch the gun in her hand and made it disappear.


    Kiaran who was watching the scene did not even try to hide his amusement and pleasure. He just stood there, looking at the two in silence.


    "Hah." Axel sneered, and his eyes finally became hard.


    So it was his fault now. She needed something to blame, and it was easier to throw it to him, right? Everyone always did that to him. He would always take the blame.


    "Rune, run to the lieutenant. He will protect you!" Axel quickly commanded, making the red hair hesitate for a second before running away. She still looked back one or two times to the boy with worry and guilt.


    "The target is running, Adreanna. The clock is ticking." Kiaran hummed, enjoying the fight between his brother and sister way too much.


    Adreanna finally stopped aiming at the girl and decided to handle her youngest brother first. She brought out another gun and rained bullets on Axel.


    The boy quickly disappeared from her eyesight as bullets fell into the ground. He reappeared again with anguished and teary eyes. "I can''t live like this, Adreanna! I don''t want to fight!"


    The bitter feeling in her chest had become heavier. The boy would throw her away to the point of facing her just to protect a person that already abandoned him. She accepted him, yet he would turn his back on her in a wink just for his ex-best friend?


    She knew that he was abandoned by his best friend when he met him that day. Because when she tried to search for him after falling into a coma, Axel was staying in his best friend''s house.


    So she accepted him and gave him a home. But he would defend his best friend just like that? To the point that he was willing to fight her?


    Her chest had become even heavier, and she did not like this unexplainable feeling at all.


    So, in the end, there was no one in their family that could get along, it seemed.


    Adreanna''s usual softened eyes that she would put up for Axel quickly turned icy, piercing into Axel''s surprised face.


    "Then just die." She uttered without thinking.


    Axel felt like his breath was taken away by her words at the moment. "What?"


    The boy''s eyes had become blurry as his hands trembled, shaking violently. "You promise-"


    "The cage that you spoke about, I''ll accompany you in it." Her words repeated in his head.


    Turned out, he was just repeating the same circumstances. The same irony. The same white lies.


    "I won''t ever let him lay a finger on you."


    And yet she was the one who laid a finger on him because Kiaran told her to.


    "I''ll protect you, I promise."


    So why did she try to take him down? Why did she lie?


    That blindfolded man was right. He was getting manipulated again.


    "You promised!" Axel screamed and his body started to flicker. He yelled while charging to his sister. He did not even try to hold back the angry tears in his eyes.


    But then he gasped when Adreanna easily grabbed his neck. She stared at him with a dull look. "Another lesson, Axel. Don''t let emotions get in the way."


    Axel did not even realize the crumbling ground behind him when Adreanna suddenly pushed him down, not letting the boy process what was happening. She watched him fall slowly to the hole before finally leaving him behind.


    As the boy fell, there were too many questions in his mind. A million thoughts came to him. His hair harshly fought with the wind as his eyepatch slowly went loose, revealing his red eye.


    Ah, so Adreanna manipulated and betrayed him too.


    He betrayed her first so maybe it''s alright.


    He had expected to be left alone. He had already experienced this before anyway with Rune and Kiaran. It was not his first rodeo. He did not put too much hope into their relationship.


    So it did not feel that hurt.


    Why the hell did he cry though.


    Pathetic.


    "Ah, I really-" Axel smiled bitterly when his body had come closer to the ground, looking at the sky with defeat.


    -really don''t have anyone, in the end."


    His body disappeared right before he hit the ground and reappeared to pathetically mock the boy that he was alone in the hole.

 Chapter 101 - Another World Burn : Part 6

    Kiaran watched Axel fall down with interest. The boy was pushed away by the last person he trusted in this world, and it went well, just as he had planned beforehand.


    Kiaran slowly walked closer to his sister and peeked into the big hole where Axel fell. "I changed my mind. You don''t have to kill the girl." He muttered before finally leaving Adreanna who was freezing in her own feet.


    "You''ve given me an interesting side story anyway." He chuckled, and his ocean eyes had slowly turned into a lunatic. Just the slightest. "And it went better than I expected."


    Some people tried to shoot him, and Kiaran did not even give a single damn about them. He just scanned the surrounding in glee, knowing that by the end of this play, everything would turn in his favour.


    Adreanna was busy shooting people who tried to land a hit on her brother that she did not utter a single word back to him. Even though she was given a chance to, she probably still kept her silence.


    The bitter feeling was not wearing off, and it made her...


    ...she didn''t know. Was this anger? Was this the feeling of betrayal?


    Was this guilt?


    Kiaran noticed the silent treatment from his sister and clicked his tongue. It had gotten quite boring, so should he move to the next scene or bother a certain police officer?''


    He grinned. Why not both?


    "Now, let me face my favourite enemy." He sang when his eyes draped over a certain blond in the field.


    "Hey, police boy~."


    "You-" Valerian snapped his head over to him and gritted his teeth. The lieutenant slowly put away the corpse in his hand that he had desperately tried to save earlier.


    Now the person had died. Everyone had begun to die. It was all because of the mercenary again. What was the point of this world burn? How could someone be this heartless?


    "Oh-hoh. It seems like I have angered you more than before, hm?" Kiaran taunted, blue eyes glinting in madness. "I''d do a thousand world burn just to see your expression getting better every time I caused a scene."


    "You fucking bastard." Valerian snarled and tried to throw a wild punch. It was not professional because emotions had taken over the blond.


    Kiaran easily held Valerian by the head and made him struggle to walk closer to him. "Ah. Wait a minute. Let''s distract the people around first before we face each other, shall we?"


    "I''m giving you a VVIP time with me." He looked around once more to inspect the situation.


    People were trying to save the fallen ones while the rest of them tried to take Adreanna down at the same time. Though, to take her down right now should take the whole world since she was indebted to him.


    She was paying by killing them off, by being his temporary murderer.


    Kiaran had a plan, of course. He always did. Sooner or later, Axel would finally crawl back to him after realizing that he had no one left. The only one he had was him and only him.


    Adreanna always fought gracefully. She would kill like some kind of goddess, a really capable person for his play. She danced around the enemies just to mercifully kill them in one shot.


    She was beautiful and elegant. She was the perfect marionette in his play. But he was the creator who hated his actress. No matter how perfect the goddess in his play, she was more like a devil rather than a goddess.


    A goddess in disguise.


    Kiaran finished looking around and finally continued the ''play''. "Let the demons rise." He shouted like a talented narrator, and soon the ground had trembled all around the city.


    The ground began to crumble once more, and everyone quickly be on guard. Valerian promptly stopped trying to take Kiaran down and shouted to the people around to be aware of made-up demons.


    People started to scatter around like flies. They tried to focus on every corner of their vision just to save their lives from the demons.


    Then the trembling ground stopped, and there were no demons to be seen. The silence was the only one that accompanied them under the rich moonlight.


    "There are no demons?" One of them said and made other people loosen their guards a little.


    "This could be a trap. Stay guarded, everyone!" Rune yelled from afar, taking a role of leadership quite well for her age.


    Kiaran quickly tried to hide. He stepped back quietly from Valerian when there were no made-up demons in sights. He had prepared the demons way long before today, and they were supposed to appear according to the scientist''s plan.


    Unless-


    "Yes, I was using you all along, mercenary." A familiar voice chimed in from behind, causing Kiaran to turn around at quick speed.


    There stood a woman that had been deceiving people with her face when they found out how old she actually was. He brown shag haircuts draped on her shoulders with curtain bangs painted on her forehead.


    Her dark eyes stared at the mercenary with eyes that Kiaran knew too well. The eyes of someone who knew that she had won.


    Kiaran was too focused on the scientist to notice the four big tubes behind her. Each tube had one person in it. A black-haired woman, a blond woman, a red-haired man, and a black-haired man.


    They were all had familiar faces. Each of them wore white clothes that covered their entire body.


    "Father! Mother!" Rune suddenly yelled. She stared at the tubes with bulging eyes.


    "Father?" Adreanna croaked carefully with a really vague frown.


    "...mother?" Her voice died down at the end as she stared at the black-haired woman.


    "You always think you owned the situation, aren''t you?" She grinned. Her usual bland face finally showed emotions, showing her true colours.


    "Well, it ended today, mercenary."


    A mirror started to go up from the ground, slowly yet steady. It has black roots all over the edges, and Kiaran knew what the mirror would do too well.


    "My counterpart will have four of them too," Alea mentioned the four ''unconscious'' people in the tubes. "-and I''m finally going to bring Cecilia and Isabella back to life."


    "Witch, come out. Let''s end this for once." Alea shouted to the mirror and waited for her counterpart to come out.


    Everyone stared at the scene with terror. No one was daring to move. Many of them were all got separated by the big hole anyway. Only some of them that were still survived Adreanna''s murders witnessed the situation. Including Valerian and Rune.


    Kiaran''s shocked face mixed with terror slowly morphed into his usual resting bitch face and chuckled. Alea quickly turned to look at him with a frown.


    "You know, old lady. Is it bad that I actually do own the situation?" He tilted his head and let out a fully lunatic look to her.


    Then a hand slowly came out of the mirror. It quickly followed by legs and body. It did not have to take a second for a red-eyed demon with black wings adorning his back to pop out from the mirror.


    "Suprise." Demon Kiaran grinned at Alea who had quickly become pale.


    "Pfft." Kiaran laughed a little before it turned into a crazed laugh as his ocean eyes met with his counterpart''s eyes.


    "That was one hell of a funny plot twist." He continued with a smile from behind his mask, and demon Kiaran returned the smile with the same exact insanity.


    ??????


    Two identical faces stood under the leaves of the tree, hiding from their sworn enemies as they let the typhoon of bullets go past the two.


    "Wait, where''s Axel?" The two counterparts acted shocked as they muttered the words out loud for each other.


    They quickly looked at one another after realizing that they had said the same thing. Blue eyes and red eyes met with the same knowing thoughts.


    "You probably knew he would leave beforehand." Demon Kiaran uttered without diverting his gaze away from human Kiaran.


    "Ah, so you knew it too." The mercenary rolled his eyes while muttering.


    The anarchist followed the movement and sighed. "It''s part of your plan, isn''t it?"


    "Yup." The human easily agreed, not even trying to manipulate the situation to control his counterpart.


    "It''s mine too." The demon shrugged. It seemed like he had stopped trying to manipulate and changed the situation too.


    "Ah, really?" Human Kiaran raised his left eyebrow.


    "The second world burn-" Both of them had said it the same time, causing the two to cut their sentences quickly.


    "Whoa." The mercenary let out an amused huff that quickly got agreed by the anarchist.


    "So. I supposed I didn''t have to tell you the plan?" Demon Kiaran made sure as he tilted his head over to his counterpart.


    "Say it just to be sure."


    The demon folded his wings closed and blew the leaves that almost fell right on his face. "It''s involving the witch, right?"


    "You mean the scientist?" Human Kiaran looked over to the demon again and tilted his head just like the anarchist did.


    "Alea. Mother''s best friend." Demon Kiaran stated, still on guard to see if his counterpart had another plan to overthrow the situation.


    Though even if he did, he would overthrow him back.


    "Ah, yes." The human nodded silently.


    "We are pretending to be used by her, right?" He made sure again, calculating the mercenary''s every single movement.


    "Mmm-hmm."


    "The scientist planned the world burn at first. She thought I''m her puppet." Human Kiaran added, blue eyes boringly watching the ground.


    "Witch is working with her." The demon finally let his guard down and followed his counterpart''s gaze.


    "You will let your mother get stolen then?" Demon Kiaran continued, still staring at the high ground below them. They both still foolishly hid under the tree after all.


    "Yes. And you?"


    He quickly looked over to the masked version of him. "Of course, I won''t. It''s not part of the plan."


    "Hah. So you do know what I''m thinking." The said masked version sneered. "Then there will be no need of further explanations."


    They both agreed in a dull atmosphere. They both seemed to realize that they were indeed counterparts, knowing how they easily read each other''s minds and had the same exact plan to work together without actually speaking about the plan beforehand.


    But they knew that they both just trying to make sure that it would go just like their plan.


    "It was a nice fight, though. Even though it was all planned." Demon Kiaran broke the silence and sneered.


    "You are quite a good actor yourself." Human Kiaran snorted and diverted his gaze to him. "Though I really wonder who would actually win the fight if we ever fought."


    "Maybe we''ll find out one day." The demon answered with a sly smile.


    "When this whole play end, I will take Axel back." He added confidently, smirking at him.


    "We''ll see who take him back first- wait, no." Blue-eyed Kiaran returned the smirk with a mocking grin. "-he''s already mine."


    "Yours is gone, demon."


    The winged demon flared open his wings and stared at his counterpart with a challenging look for the last time. He got ready to take off and sent a kind, knowing smile at him.


    "We''ll see."

 Chapter 102 - Another World Burn : Part 7

    "What?" Alea croaked. The woman deepened her frown, staring at the two counterparts back and forth with a stiff posture.


    She warily looked around, quickly shielding her best friends'' bodies. Her dark brown eyes that almost looked like black widened. She needed to do something.


    "I''ve handled your counterpart, don''t worry." Demon Kiaran smirked and threw the witch hat from his coat to the ground. "You really do think I''d let your counterpart take my mother''s body willingly like this trash?"


    "I''m your counterpart, demon. If I''m trash, you''re the worst version of it." Human Kiaran chimed in and raised his head without looking at the demon.


    "How am I the worst version again?" The demon croaked and flared open his wings in irritation.


    "Because I''m superior to you?" The mercenary easily answered and shrugged. Before his counterpart managed to talk more, the blue-eyed teen quickly continued.


    "Anyway, old lady. Here''s how it''s going to go. You''ll-"


    Then it happened. It happened before Kiaran even finished his sentence, his play, his speech.


    A silver arrow locked inside Alea''s heart in a heartbeat. It was too fast to even see in naked eyes. It seemed like the scientist also did not notice it for quite some time.


    Because it was too fast.


    But Alea did notice something strange. The mercenary''s eyes were surprised. And it was genuine.


    Kiaran reached his hand to the woman. "Wait, no-"


    Blood was forced to come out of Alea''s mouth, and the woman finally found the reason why Kiaran was shocked. It seemed like he did not know that this would happen. She also did not know.


    It was all blurry in her face. She did not know what happened next as she dropped down to the ground and laid there with blood that slowly came out of her chest, dirtying her white lab coat.


    "This wasn''t supposed to happen," Kiaran muttered with a slight waver in his throat. "This wasn''t-"


    "Hey, demon!" He angrily yelled at his counterpart, who had the same confused face as him. "Is this part of your fucking plan? I thought it''s not going to end like this?"


    "No. It''s not going to end like this." Demon Kiaran agreed, and the mercenary tried to find if it was manipulation or not.


    No. He was not like this. He should have another plan. He was a Machiavellian. He should have another plan. This wasn''t-


    Then he saw the demon''s face come to a realization. "Human, someone is-"


    Before he managed to finish the sentence, a man with a torn navy cloak kicked the demon to the mirror and sent him back. Then the blindfolded man forcefully took the black arrow in the corner of the mirror.


    He then easily shot the mirror with a silver arrow and cracked it. The blindfolded man clicked his tongue before facing Kiaran.


    Despite how he was wearing a blindfold, it seemed like he could see everything by how the man smirked when he saw Kiaran staggered back a little when facing him.


    "Anti-climatic, isn''t it, Kiaran?" The man followed Kiaran''s usual movement by tilting his head. He lowered the black bow in his hand and slowly approached the mercenary.


    Kiaran tried to control his face and faced the man head-on. Plans were flying in his head as he tried to take the surroundings. He still had Adreanna who would protect him, and she was ready to beat the man right now.


    There was also Axel down there. The boy would be up in an hour according to his calculation, but maybe there would be a miscalculation, and the boy would get here and-


    "That''s alright, mercenary." As if the blindfolded man knew that he was thinking of a plan, the man cut his thoughts off. "I''ve made a better ending for your play already."


    "Don''t worry. I''ll make sure you love it." He let out a deranged laugh and a crazed smile. "I really love your play, you see."


    "I just want you to experience your play too." He whined, too mockingly.


    "Oh, right. Before that," The man aimed his bow to the back without looking and released a black arrow. It went flying to Cain''s tube and cracked the glass.


    The water inside quickly came out alongside the man himself. His wavy hair was wet as Cain dropped to the ground, unconscious.


    "We''ll need a full member of the family to end the play!" The man happily exclaimed and lowered his bow once more.


    Kiaran gritted his teeth while still trying to stay composed. Adreanna quickly stepped up and shielded her brother while Valerian tried to aim at the man from afar.


    The blindfolded man flashed his teeth and chuckled. "I am considerate. Right, Kiaran?"


    ??????


    "Oh no, we''re lost." A blond teen sighed and accepted defeat while looking at her score in the previous exam.


    Another teen beside her with violet eyes only nodded. Her face showed no emotion as she blinked at her score. Her black bob hair draped on top of her shoulder while still staring at the paper.


    "Ha!" Teen Alea proudly chimed in and flashed her perfect score. The medium layered brown hair was a little bit messy and Cecilia quickly tried to fix it.


    Alea ignored what her violet-eyed best friend did and puffed her chest arrogantly. "This means I''m the one who''ll give the dare this time. The great Alea has beaten the Bella and this emotionless chick right here."


    "I''m not emotionless," Cecilia stated. Dully. She still tried to braid her best friend''s brown hair.


    "Yes, we know. But your face told us otherwise." Alea stated that made Isabella chuckle a little.


    "Alright, listen here, you two," Alea smirked as an evil plan went inside her mind. "I dare you two to date the famous duo!"


    Cecilia quickly stopped her movement, and Isabella''s usual kind smile flattered. Both of them looked at Alea as if she had grown another head.


    "Date? But I never date." Isabella''s soft voice chimed in worry.


    "..." Cecilia just stayed silent, of course. A toddler would even know that she had never dated before.


    "You two gotta live a little, man. Like me. I''m a gal with many men kneeling before me." Alea grinned playfully and nudged the two of them to the school''s field.


    There was a red-haired that kept busy nagging a black-haired teen, teasing him to the bone. The two wholly ignored the screaming of the girls around after they won the match.


    "Cecilia, because your hair is black, you take Cain. Isabella, you take the headmaster''s son and tame the fucker down. Kill him with kindness, as Selena Gomez said." Alea put each of her hands over the two''s shoulders, startling Cecilia who still hadn''t finished braiding her hair.


    It did not even take a week for Alfred to fall for Isabella. The red-haired man had slowly turned into a good boy because of the blonde. Alea proudly watched the two together.


    For Cain and Cecilia. They were hopeless at first. Alea had to lock the two together in the class when it was their turn to clean it and hoped for romance to come in their way.


    And it did. Cecilia asked him on a date, and damn, Cain''s face was priceless. He, of course, accepted her. Who could turn the beautiful Cecilia down? If Cain did turn her down, Alea was going to throw hands.


    "Alfred gave me a flower yesterday." It had been a month, and the two had become a slave for love.


    "C-cain too. It''s lavender." Cecilia''s face was now good at showing emotion. You would think she was emotionless and cold if you first met her. But the truth, she was only a hopeless awkward girl.


    "So that means the dare is over. You two can break up with them now." Alea shrugged and put down the spoon as she finished eating.


    "W-what?" Isabella widened her eyes.


    Cecilia''s violet eyes saddened as she looked down. "...okay."


    "I''m joking!" Alea burst out laughing and slapped Cecilia''s shoulder playfully. "I know you two totally fall for them now."


    A grave was beautifully filled with lavenders when a blond woman and a brown-haired woman stood in front of it.


    "Is it my fault?" Alea whispered. Her eyes were puffy from how much she had been crying.


    "It''s not. Cecilia died while giving birth. It''s not your fault. Stop blaming yourself for nonsense, okay?" Isabella rested her hand on her best friend''s shoulder.


    "You two originally did not even try to date. We''ve been friends for years, and you never dated even once. She specifically said that she did not want to ever date unless she had to."


    "I''m the one who made her date that man and had a baby." Alea clenched her fists and gnawed her lip. "If she didn''t date him, she wouldn''t marry him, and she wouldn''t-"


    "Alea!" Isabella who was usually soft-spoken yelled. "It''s not your fault."


    She grabbed the young scientist''s shoulders and made her face her. "It''s a fate. Fate comes in various ways. Mine and hers come with your way."


    "And her death is also fate. We can''t cheat deaths, Alea."


    Then Alea finally broke down. She cried pitifully into Isabella''s grasp, right in front of their best friend''s grave, under the hidden sun.


    Then years later, she cried alone in front of Isabella''s grave with no one to tell her that it was her fault or not.


    "So is this fate too, Bella?" She smiled brokenly to the grave, demanding an answer with her cracking voice. "You got killed by a serial killer. Is it fate too?"


    "You two died because of my dare." She gasped for air when the tears kept falling down. This time the sun hid too and started to cry with her.


    "I didn''t know that you two would marry them that day. I just wanted you two to date and enjoyed your youth." She confessed and choked on her tears. "I was okay with that."


    "I was happy that I managed to make you two fall in love because of a fucking funny dare." She chuckled pathetically as the rain fell on her face, mixing with her tears.


    "But, maybe if we just stayed together then- maybe if we lived together like we originally plan and-"


    "-maybe you two would still be here." Alea fell to her knees and hit the ground with her hands. "You two were too good for them."


    "You two were too good for me."


    Alea lay on the ground with blood that kept oozing from her heart. Her teary brown eyes stared at the tubes that were holding her dead best friends.


    "Am I too bad for you two?" She croaked weakly, not focusing on her surroundings.


    "Is it fate to die like this?" She asked, and slowly, her brown locks fell a little to her face. It seemed like fate itself was mocking her. So did the moon and the air. Everything was mocking her.


    "Everything that I did, everything that I''ve done, is it fate?" She asked again. It was such a pathetic sight to see.


    "I think it''s just-" She coughed and puked an unhealthy amount of blood from her mouth. It tainted her white coat even more.


    "-I think it''s just my fault." She whispered as a tear finally fell from the corner of her eyes.


    The pity lady finally closed her eyes, ignoring the commotion that was happening around her. She shut her eyes closed with tears that kept coming down from her dark brown eyes.


    Her heartbeat thumped slowly, waiting for the time to finally stop. So Alea waited. Alone like she always did. Alone like she deserved.


    But in between waiting for death, she felt warm. It was as if someone was holding her. No, it was more than someone. There were two people.


    They almost felt like Cecilia and Isabella. Alea did not want that. Were they here to get mad at her? What would they think of her situation? It was too embarrassing. She was always the strongest in the group, so they shouldn''t see her like this.


    So Alea pretended that she was alone until the end.


    And when she heard Cecilia and Isabella''s voices, softly saying "it''s not your fault." to her-


    Alea still pretended not to hear.


    But for Rune and other people who finally came to her body and tried to rescue the president, they would see a sad smile on Alea''s face that was full of warmth.

 Chapter 103 - The Rewritten World Burn : Part 1

    Kiaran had the most fantastic plan.


    He knew, in the end, Axel would use his power to protect the unconscious Cain and become his greatest weapon.


    So what happened right now did not make any sense.


    Really. He had never faced something like this before. He did face an unplannable situation once when he first met Valerian, but because of him, he always included the blond in his plan. Even though the lieutenant would always throw him off, he always had various plans to face his sworn enemy.


    But he never included this strange man in.


    "I am considerate. Right, Kiaran?"


    The blindfolded man''s words rang, and Kiaran knew the implication behind the sentence. The man was trying to throw the conversation that he had with his father two days ago.


    "Look at how considerate your son is."


    Kiaran grinned with a hint of nervousness behind his mask. A bead of sweat started to form on the corner of his forehead. Ah, this man played with irony too. On top of that, he knew the conversation that he made with Cain while he did not notice the blindfolded man''s presence at all.


    This man was dangerous. For the first time, Kiaran could not think of a plan at all. It was not interesting like how he met Valerian, it was intriguing and annoying in some way.


    "Let''s get started, shall we?" The man smiled with an eerie aura surrounding him. The cryptic feeling just by staring at the man''s mouth struck Kiaran, and it just irritated him even more.


    Adreanna did not even need instruction from him for her to launch an attack. She quickly threw herself at the man and fired bullets as she swirled in the air. Her braided hair swung around elegantly, and she looked like a scene right from a movie.


    But then a fast dark void appeared out of nowhere and swallowed Adreanna, erasing her from everyone''s sight. Kiaran tried to stay calm and unbothered because he knew that the man was examining his reaction.


    Another void appeared beside the unconscious Cain and slowly ate the man away from existence, probably sending him somewhere.


    "It seemed like I''m next." Kiaran chuckled, ignoring how his heart was beating irregularly. "Right, blind man?"


    "Yes, you are correct!" The mad man chuckled and gave him a crazed grin. "Your name-calling is always interesting. I am honoured to receive a name from you." His grin turned mocking, and Kiaran knew it was his time.


    There was no point in fighting. He needed to know the situation more. He would find out after he let the dark void swallow him whole.


    He felt something prickle in his hands and noticed how the void had started. This must have had a connection with that bow in the man''s hand. Was it related to the dark arrows?


    He knew the man''s gaze was burning holes at him when his vision slowly got dark. The void came at his eyes like a burning paper. It was fast, yet you could see the messed up circle as the burning ended.


    It did not take long for him to get his vision back and teleported in some kind of room surrounded by blurred glass. There was nothing but him in this 5x5 meters room.


    Someone was watching from somewhere. A hidden camera? Demons power?


    There was a possibility that Adreanna or Cain was beside him in the same exact room. This was a cliche thing to trap someone. The blindfolded man probably wanted to play games.


    ...that was quite boring for boldly saying that the man would make a better ending for the play.


    He walked closer to the glass in front of him and touched it. His blue eyes sharpened as he let his hand feel the glass. He brought his other hand up and lowered his mask, revealing his good-looking face.


    Having a good-looking face made it easier to manipulate people. No matter how people say ''looks don''t matter, what matters is your heart''. It was bullshit¡ªthose who said that stuff was the bad-looking people.


    Good-looking people always had leverage in life. Kiaran used it to manipulate many times. He fooled many women for his jobs to the point it got really boring.


    Anyway, he was getting off-track here.


    Kiaran brought his mouth closer to the glass and blew it. It made some dew in the blurry mirror. Then there was a possibility someone could see him through the mirror right now or later.


    He walked back until his back touched the glass and took a few readied steps. He quickly ran at full speed to the front glass and bumped into it.


    It hurt him a little. But based on how it did not shake at all, then this glass was made of something really solid. It felt like the mirror that had gotten infected by the black arrow.


    It could be a possibility too.


    "Have I told you that I really like that calculating gaze of yours?" A voice rang from everywhere, and Kiaran found it hard to search for the source. His blue eyes hardened as he flared his eyes opened more, trying to search the sound.


    "Therefore, I have to say thank you?" He answered with eyes that still calculated every single dust in the room.


    "You''re welcome." The voice of the man answered back, and Kiaran gave him a smile as a reply. It was not sincere, of course.


    "Make yourself at home, Kiaran." The man continued, and Kiaran did not stop looking around with his eyes.


    "So you know who I am by how you keep calling me by my name. Since when?" Kiaran tried to keep the conversation going. He started to plan many things while calculating every single tone that the man uttered.


    "You see. I admire your play, and this is coming from the sincerity of my heart." The man complimented, and Kiaran knew where this was going.


    "Are you going to fucking do a villain speech?" The secondborn Vergessene grunted. This would be more annoying than he initially thought it would.


    "I''ll explain the part of your play that I''ve written." The ominous man ignored him and continued.


    "Damn it." Kiaran sighed and paused for a moment. "Doing it myself was fun. Now that I have to hear you talk about your ''evil'' plan'' myself and- ugh!"


    A wave of black electricity suddenly struck him, sending the pain to flow through his pain. It made Kiaran fall to his knees and clench his teeth as a result.


    What kind of writing was this? This was far too cliche. His ending was still the best. This man just straight up copied some kind of thriller movies in general.


    "I told you I''m rewriting your plan. If you did not want to listen, then so be it. You''ll experience it firsthand anyway." The man sounded irritated for a moment. There was a possibility that he was around Axel''s age or his own age from the slight whine in his voice.


    "Who''s controlling this room? You''re not alone, aren''t you?" Kiaran said while huffing off breaths like he was running out of air. Sweats run down his forehead, glueing his black locks to his face.


    "As expected of the smartest Vergessene." There was applause, double ones. So there were actually two people.


    Then the glass in front of him started to slowly unblurred, revealing Axel who was restrained with black chains. The boy''s mismatched eyes widened when he saw him, and Kiaran quickly put a finger in front of his mouth, telling him to stay quiet.


    Axel pointed to his left with his head, and Kiaran quickly caught the shadow right on the farthest side of Axel''s room. It seemed like the boy''s room was three times bigger than his.


    The man slowly walked into Kiran''s vision and appeared right in front of him. It was the blindfolded man.


    "It''s me. Ta-da." He spread his hands that were wearing fingerless gloves happily. "I''m the one who controls the room."


    Kiaran stared at him, uninterested. "Are you fucking joking right now."


    Then something clicked in his mind the longer he stared at the man. "Wait." His blue eyes sharpened, glinting under the light. "You''re not the previous blindfolded man."


    "Yep, this is my counterpart." Another man suddenly appeared beside the other blindfolded man. They both wore the same torn cloak and were blindfolded. Everything was the exact same.


    "By the way, we meet again, Tithonus. The last time we met, I tried to kill you, remember?" The new blindfolded man happily exclaimed, and Axel quickly widened his eyes.


    So he was the reason why the demon Cain and demon Adreanna tried to search for the culprit who tried to harm Axel that day. Kiaran was wondering where the two had gone off to and thought that his plan was becoming easier as he effortlessly snatched Axel back to his grasp that day.


    "You don''t have to do anything, don''t worry. I know Axel is the main character in your play, and I''ll keep it that way." The original blindfolded man reassured and flashed a knowing smile. "So just stay still and let me handle this."


    Kiaran had a bad feeling about this.


    "So, Axel. As you can see. Your family members are in three separate glasses." He clasped both of his hands and turned his back on Kiaran to face Axel.


    Separated glasses? Then to his left and right were Cain and Adreanna. He was right.


    "Choose one to sacrifice and the other two shall live."


    Kiaran closed his eyes in irritation. This cliche shit-

 Chapter 104 - The Rewritten World Burn : Part 2

    Axel laid on the whole for quite some time. He started at the moon from the pit that he was in pathetically. He needed to get out of here alive and join the people up there.


    But he felt like he could not move. It was too pathetic.


    Axel could hear footsteps approaching him. Ah? Was someone alive down here? They must have been lucky.


    The person quickly covered the moon from Axel''s eyes, staring down at him with two worried eyes. She felt familiar.


    Oh, wait.


    Wasn''t she the vice president? She might have fallen to the pit and bumped her head a little. There was faint blood oozing from her forehead. She needed treatment quickly.


    "Are you okay?" She genuinely asked.


    Ah. Was he okay? He got that a lot. He''d answer with him being alright all the time. He wondered if he ever felt okay.


    A realization morphed in the woman''s face as she cocked down her head at him a little. "You''re..."


    Ah, she must have realized that he was the mute murderer already. She''d probably run or try to ask for help from the people above. Or maybe she''d kill him, who knows?


    "The young man from before!" She exclaimed, and it almost looked like she was happy to see him here. "Thank god you''re okay."


    "Ah?" Axel croaked as she continued to blabber, trying to ask if he was hurt anywhere. Someone saw him as himself, not the mute murderer. He chuckled at the thought and got a questioning look from the vice president in return.


    "Thank you, ma''am. It is me. The young man. Just the young man." He smiled as tears started to fall from his eyes again.


    Then Axel slowly got up with the vice president looming over him in worry. He brushed off her help and pointed at her forehead instead.


    "You should treat your wound first, ma''am." He politely said and ripped the corner of his clothes off.


    The woman quickly got silent when Axel started to wrap the cloth onto her forehead after wiping it. "This will stop the bleeding, at least. You should get help from the people up there."


    ''Maybe. If they didn''t die from Kiaran''s play'' was left unsaid.


    The woman kept staring at him with worry and looked right into his red eye. Axel smiled at her.


    "You should probably go. It''ll ruin your reputation if you stick with me. I''m the mute murderer, after all." He softly spoke.


    The woman did not care about his sentence at all as she pointed his eye. "Your eyes-"


    Axel came into realization quickly. "Ah, my eyes. Yeah. Actually-"


    "It''s sad."


    That caused the boy to snap his mouth shut. He looked at her in disbelieve with mixed emotions. "What?"


    "Your eyes are sad." She suddenly hugged him, and Axel just let her be. He was startled for a moment before finally realizing his position.


    "Ah, I supposed so." He pretended not to hear the crack in his voice or notice the heavy lump in his throat. Then he sobbed, and he also pretended not to know that he cried on a stranger''s shoulder. He just closed his eyes and ignored everything.


    But then, suddenly, her hug became too tight. It was too tight to the point that he felt like he could not breathe.


    He opened his eyes to check, and all he could see was black. He opened and closed them a couple of times but still could not see anything. It was as if a void swallowed him whole.


    But then suddenly, a blinding light came, and he was in a whole new place. There were chains around him. He supposed that it was why everything suddenly felt too tight.


    The first thing he did was look around for the woman. Was she okay? He didn''t want her to die.


    He widened his eyes when he noticed a familiar figure on the corner of the room. The blindfolded man was staring at him with triumph and madness.


    The blindfolded man waved at him, and suddenly, one of the glasses in front of him unblurred, revealing Kiaran inside. His brother motioned him to shut his mouth, and so he did. He gestured back to him, trying to tell Kiaran that a blindfolded man was in the same room as Axel.


    Then the man became two, and Axel did not know how to react to that. But it seemed like Kiaran was impressed by that.


    His room was the widest room, unlike Kiaran''s. Axel wondered what was happening, losing in his own train of thoughts to the point that he tuned down Kiaran and the blindfolded man''s bickering.


    "By the way, we meet again, Tithonus. The last time we met, I tried to kill you, remember?" The new blindfolded man happily exclaimed, and it made the train in his thoughts stop. Axel couldn''t help but widen his eyes.


    He remembered it clearly, of course.


    "So, Axel. As you can see. Your family members are in three separate glasses." He clasped both of his hands and turned his back on Kiaran to face Axel.


    The two other glasses became visible, revealing Adreanna who was staring at him with a quizzical look, and Cain who had just woken up from his unconscious.


    "Choose one to sacrifice, and the other two shall live."


    Ah. It was another moment where he had to choose. Another game to play. Another play to act. Axel''s face did not show a surprised look or fear. He just dully stared at his three family members.


    It was kind of tiring, really.


    "Which one do you hate the most?" The blindfolded man who tried to kill him that day sang, trying to fish a reaction from him probably.


    Ah, he should act like a boy who''s helpless. A boy who''s fell into another trap and got angry but could not do anything. A manipulated boy. A marrionette.


    "...why." And yet that was the only thing that came out of his mouth.


    "Hm?" The blindfolded man tilted his head. It seemed like he didn''t get the reaction that he wanted.


    Axel was just tired. Couldn''t this man understand? He was the one who put him in this situation, in these chains.


    "Why are you doing this to me?" The boy finally croaked, probably digging his grave by fishing out the continuation of the play.


    It was not Kiaran''s play anymore, though. Ironically.


    Why did everyone try to do this to him? He never asked to be like this. He never asked to be born. Why did he have to do this? He just wanted to rest.


    He did not want anyone to die. He just wanted to rest.


    "I''m just helping you to go past denial." The man answered, smirking as if he knew everything.


    He did not know that Axel wanted to rest, though. If he knew, he''d probably let him sleep for a moment and not bother him.


    Or not. He probably would still do this. No one would care if he was tired or not.


    "Release your anger to one of them, and you''ll finally reach stage two of grieves." The counterpart continued as he spread his hands.


    "I don''t want to. I''m tired." His voice sounded like a whisper. He truly was tired.


    "And that''s why I''m here to help you, Tithonus." The man happily exclaimed. Axel wondered if he could ever be that happy?


    "The glasses will open soon, and you just have to get in the room of people you want to ''save''."


    Right. He needed to save them. He needed to save and kill and murder and save and protect and save-


    He needed to obey.


    Axel looked at Kiaran, Adreanna, and Cain. They all were looking at him. Their faces were too blurry, and the ringing in his head hadn''t stopped since he fell down the hole.


    Did he bump his head? He was sure he didn''t because the demon power saved him.


    "After you save the two, the last person''s glass will close on itself and will die before your eyes. That''s how you finally go past denial!"


    Something clicked in his mind and snapped him out of his daze. "Only two that will be saved?" He repeated the statement and slowly looked over the blindfolded man.


    "The last one that stayed in the room will die?" Axel asked again to make sure.


    "Yes! But remember, don''t try to pull anything. Right when two people have gone from the room, the glass will close itself." The man made a motion of a closing door with his hand.


    "Can I-" Axel cringed a little at the chain that tied his wounded skin when he moved. "Can I at least talk to them?"


    The two blindfolded men with their identical torn cloak looked at each other and shrugged. "Sure. Who do you want to start with?" One of them replied with a calculating aura.


    Axel quickly diverted his gaze to Kiaran and stared at him with a knowing look. It was as if he was trying to talk with his eyes, and the older easily understood, sending him a knowing look back.


    "My brother."


    He would end this tiring play once and for all and finally rest.

 Chapter 105 - The Rewritten World Burn : Part 3

    "Kiaran."


    Axel was finally freed from the chains that were holding him and walked over to Kiaran''s glass. He ignored the wounds on his body from having to fight Adreanna and raised his head high.


    "I don''t have a plan if that''s what you want to ask." The mercenary stared at his mismatched eyes intensely.


    "I know. I never saw you have that expression before. It''s the first time in my whole life. It''s really genuine. " Axel shrugged and treated his brother the way he treated demon Kiaran.


    Axel grinned at him. "-your shocked face after that blindfolded man who kept calling me Tithonus kicked your ass was impeccable."


    "Heh." Kiaran snorted and returned the grin. "You become so bold now that you have my life in your hand."


    Kiaran sighed, staring at Axel with genuine eyes. "If you want to kill me, just kill me. I''ve been raising you with hardships anyway."


    Axel followed his brother''s sigh and brushed his hair back. "I know."


    "And I also know that you always manipulated me. You tried to guilt-trip me just now, right?" He gave Kiaran a knowing side smile.


    The latter had a surprised face but contained it good enough that ordinary people wouldn''t notice it. But it was Axel who had experienced and saw every single Kiaran''s emotions, whether it was fake or true.


    "I''m aware of that." Axel chuckled while forming a mocking grin. "I learned a lot from you."


    "But I''m so damn loyal that I hate myself, you know?" He diverted his gaze to the ground. The glaze in his eyes had become too mocking, and he didn''t know it was for himself or Kiaran.


    "In this world, you''re the most person I cared about." He went back to lock his eyes to his brother.


    "When I somewhat realized I was being manipulated, I always denied it for years, living in your manipulation."


    "I couldn''t leave you alone because you''re the only one that I had. The only one that wanted to take care of me¡ªthat wanted to be there for me."


    Axel clenched his fists and stared at his brother with determination. "That''s alright, I got this, Kiaran."


    The person who received the stare frowned. He tried to find out the person Axel would sacrifice with his calculating gaze. But the way Axel talked...


    Damn it. Kiaran quickly pitied himself. Axel was totally going to choose Adreanna and Cain over him.


    "In all story that you''ve told, Kiaran I-" The boy grind his teeth as if trying to hold something off his mind, "-you always said that I was the protagonist."


    Kiaran raised one of his eyebrows. So the farewells still continued, huh?


    "But I think it was you," Axel stated, and Kiaran exhaled in defeat. These farewells were getting too cliche. If he were going to die, he would be good while at it. It should''ve been grand and all.


    "No, it was you, Axel." The older replied and spread both of his hands. "It''s obvious that I''m the villain. The villain always die, remember?" Kiaran gave the boy a hint that he knew he would not be chosen.


    Axel answered with a smile. It was too genuine, there was no fear in his eyes. "Timandi causa est sencire." He stated, catching Kiaran off guards by the sudden Latin phrase.


    "Even though you see yourself as the villain. You aren''t." Axel was still smiling. Somehow, it felt really sad. "I''m just the pawn in your games. You are the star of it all."


    Kiaran widened his eyes. Did Axel-


    It might work, though. If Axel was planning to save him too, then it really might work. Kiaran glanced at the two blindfolded men and eyed them cautiously. Would this plan get overwritten by them too? Did they know it already?


    "Just wait for me, okay?" Axel reassured softly.


    Ugh. Kiaran really hated those words and tones. "You know I trust you, right?" The older made sure again, giving Axel an ''I know your plan and I trust you.'' look


    "Just like you always do." The younger beamed, but it still looked sad. Kiaran tried to push away his doubts.


    "Wait for me!" Axel returned and went in front of Adreanna''s room.


    "This is wholesome and all but can you fastened up a little bit? I''m getting bored." The blindfolded man on the left stated, facing Axel with disinterest.


    "This is not the basis of a play, no?" Axel raised his eyebrows at him, tilting his head with an overly-innocent look.


    "A wholesome and sad conversation." He paused and made a significant motion with his hand. "I''m doing it for you, you know? Before the grand ending, that is."


    "You''re pretty shit at this despite trying to rewrite my brother''s great play." Axel spat, earning a snort from Kiaran to support him.


    "We''ll see if it''s ''shit'' after we reach the end, Tithonus." The mysterious man challenged, and Axel knew the meaning behind his words too well.


    He ignored the man''s word and quickly faced his sister who was looking at him too deep. "Adreanna, first of all, I''m not sorry for siding with my best friend."


    "Damn. Way to start a conversation." Kiaran chimed in, lightning up the situation as he tried to believe Axel''s plan.


    "-but I''m not here to talk about that." Axel ignored Kiaran and continued.


    "I don''t have that much time but all I''m trying to say is, please get out of the cage that we spoke about on your own. I know you can do it." He smiled with eyes that tried to think of the right words to say.


    "Try dating Zack, he seems like a good guy. Live and try to find what is happiness." He beamed brightly and clasped both of his hands. "You should be happy. There are so many kinds of emotions you can explore, and I hope you can explore this one."


    "Try smiling first," Axel advised, quickly forming a little smile for Adreanna and pointing his finger to his mouth. "Like this."


    She still kept her silence. It was hard to find out what she was talking about or what she was feeling right now. But Axel did not mind. All he wanted to say and do right now was express his genuine feeling for her.


    "It''s okay, sis." He reassured, widening his smile to the point that his eyes formed a crescent moon shape. "I''ve got you. You''ll get out of here soon."


    He brought a pinky finger up to her and tilted his head. "I promise."


    There was a slight surprise on her face, and Axel was relieved. At least slowly, she would try to express her emotions. He quickly left Adreanna and made his way to the last room.


    He ignored the eerie feeling and the cryptic atmosphere that tried to eat him away. He would make sure everything would be fine.


    "Hello, father." He politely greeted with a smile. Cain stared at him silently with his tired eyes. The white clothes that he wore were starting to dry.


    "You know this is the first time you actually want to look at me, genuinely." He chuckled lightly while still keeping his smile. Cain did not even smile at him, even though he was famous for his fake smile.


    Axel was not even worth the try. If he died, would Cain became like his counterpart and-


    The boy shook the thoughts away and continued. "-and having a proper conversation, of course."


    "Choose those two." Cain tried to speak despite his voice which was really sore. "Let me die." He commanded coldly.


    "As expected. I knew it." Axel let out a happy laugh and pointed at his father. "You do love Kiaran!" He happily exclaimed. Of course, his father cared about his brother. Axel was always worried that Cain hated Kiaran too because his brother took care of him.


    Kiaran let out a vague ''tch'' and turned his face away. It seemed like he was trying to hide his emotions. He always did, though. He was famous for having so many ''masks'' for his feelings.


    "I''m sorry." Axel apologized without looking away from his father''s cold gaze.


    "Why are you sorry for choosing them? It''s my request." Cain''s reply was even colder.


    "No, no. I''m not sorry for that." Axel waved his hands clumsily and blinked a little.


    "I''m sorry for making you lose mother. If I can give my life for her to come back, I would. I knew the reason why you hated me was that I killed mother. I''ve always known the fact since I was little."


    Cain still stared at him with an unchanging expression. As expected, he still hated him for this. Apologizing could not bring a life back, but Axel had always wanted to say all of these.


    "So I''m sorry for being born." Axel continued, ignoring the lump in his throat. "I''m sorry for existing."


    "I''m not trying to guilt-trip you or anything. I genuinely want to apologize." He confessed with an awkward laugh, trying to brush off weird conclusions that Cain was probably thinking.


    "If I could choose, I''d rather not be born. That way, maybe, everything would be okay." He gave Cain a sad smile. Axel wished Cain would turn back his smile just once. He''d take anything even though it was fake.


    "And I do, love you. A lot." Axel''s voice cracked a little, and he quickly hid it with a cough. "I''m glad at least I have a parent."


    "Thank you for being my father, for letting me alive these years. It probably didn''t mean anything for you, but it really meant everything for me." Axel quickly turned away. If he kept staring at his father, he would probably cry.


    "But you know," He was not that far away from Cain''s glass as he stopped himself. "-I kind of wish you''d care for me too." He confessed and turned his head once more at his father.


    Axel''s mismatched eyes had become blurry while gazing at Cain one last time. "I''m selfish, right?"


    He gulped down his tears away and hurried to the middle again. He faced the three glasses, staring from Adreanna to Cain with Kiaran being the middle glass.


    "You done?" The mysterious man on the right asked, cocking his head at the young murderer.


    "Yeah."


    The blindfolded man on the left followed his counterpart''s movement. "Do you have your answer?"


    "Yes."


    Then suddenly, black roots formed from each side of every room''s glasses. Adreanna had become alarmed and kept her stance just like Cain''s. Kiaran just yawned and stared at the roots with disinterest.


    Adreanna managed to slice one of the roots with her weapon before completely getting dragged and roped onto the wall. Cain did not have the strength to fight back as he also got dragged by the roots.


    And Kiaran voluntarily jumped onto the roots while letting himself get dragged away.


    Slowly, the front glasses opened, finally making Axel choose who to save.


    And he knew the answer already.

 Chapter 106 - The Rewritten World Burn : Part 4

    Axel made his way first to Adreanna right when the glasses opened, earning cooed of interest from the blindfolded men.


    Axel touched the roots and made them disappear with his power. He quickly caught his sister when she was released from the hold, slowly helping her stand up.


    "Why did you save me?" She said, staring at him with her usual emotionless face. However, something was starting to flash between her eyes, something that Axel could not quite understand.


    "I promised, remember?" He easily answered the question and brought Adreanna out of the room.


    "You could''ve saved them both by sacrificing me." She added as Axel led her where he was chained up before.


    "Funny. Father said that too." He chuckled and flashed one last smile at her. "Don''t worry. I''ve got this."


    Kiaran eyed the boy as Axel slowly went past his room and came to Cain''s room instead. The mercenary''s mouth was being sealed by the roots while staring holes at his little brother who slowly vanished from his sight.


    When Axel got inside Cain''s room, the head of the Vergessene family couldn''t help but widen his eyes and try to shout at his boy. The roots were still holding him down and shutting his mouth, so he could not do anything.


    Axel formed a reassuring smile and touched the roots with both of his hands. The black roots slowly vanished from Cain''s body as the man landed on the floor with a soft thud.


    The man''s blue eyes started to form a fit of anger. "Why are you saving me?! I told you to save-"


    "Run outside the room on my cue. I have a plan, father. Don''t worry. I will save Kiaran." Axel whispered, staring at his father with determination in his eyes.


    Cain quickly snapped his mouth shut and nodded slowly. He raised his eyebrows when the boy slowly disappeared from his sight, becoming invisible.


    When Axel disappeared completely, Cain took it as the cue and ran as fast as possible to the outside room. He quickly diverted his gaze to Kiaran''s room and found his two sons inside.


    "Tithonus, what are you doing?" The mysterious man chimed in, tilting his head in Axel''s direction.


    "What? There are still two people in the room, right? You can''t kill my brother yet. The rule is the last person in the room will be killed when he''s finally alone." Axel shrugged at the man, softly glaring at the two mysterious men.


    "And you knew it''d end up this way anyway." The boy was still staring at the blindfold, pretending that he saw right through the man''s eyes.


    "We''ll see if it''s ''shit'' after we reach the end, Tithonus." Axel copied the man''s words from before, coldly gazing at him. "That''s what you said."


    "You knew it beforehand." Axel turned around and slowly released Kiaran with his power. The older gracefully dropped to the floor and brushed the specks of dust on his trench coat.


    "You both will die if you try to get out of the same times." The man behind it all reminded.


    "I know," Axel replied and sighed, letting Kiaran walk in front of him.


    Kiaran flashed a winning smirk at the man who ruined his play. "Maybe your plan is shit after all."


    The blindfolded man stayed silent for a while and returned the smirk. "Oh yeah?" He paused, earning a chuckle from his counterpart. "Look behind you, Kiaran."


    Kiaran quickly turned around. He was not given the time to react when Axel suddenly kicked him out of the room.


    The time slowed down when Kiaran got thrown away. His blue eyes widened in realization when he watched Axel''s knowing smile.


    This boy''s plan was this?!


    "No-" Kiaran did not have the time to scream when he suddenly bumped onto the wall and choked.


    He quickly got up, ignoring how his head started to bleed from the strong kick. "This wasn''t supposed to-" Kiaran sputtered and tried to catch Axel.


    But the glass was already closed, and Axel was already bound by the roots, locking his wrists and legs, spreading the boy wide in the air, making him not being able to move even an inch.


    Everything was happening too fast.


    One second, Axel was kicking Kiaran out of the room. The next second there was a heavy pain, a rust sharp black arrow found its mark on the boy''s heart.


    Oddly enough, the pain felt really dull. Maybe it was because he had felt it before, being stabbed in the chest. Something was splashed from his chest, and he could see the red on his clothes.


    Blood quickly tried to fight its way out of his throat, making it pour down from the restrained boy. Axel inhaled slowly, trying to calm his body down.


    "Axel? What are you doing?" It was surprising that Cain was the one to speak. Everyone was still processing what had just happened. Adreanna and Kiaran froze in their place, unable to move, just like Axel.


    "I could choose two," Axel explained in between the blood staining his lips. "That means I could choose one to sacrifice."


    "They didn''t say anything about me not participating in this." Axel laughed slightly, finding his daze to meet with Kiaran''s. "I''m pretty smart, eh?"


    No one answered for a while. Every single family member was frozen in shock. Because they never thought that the event would turn out like this. Because why would Axel do this?


    Cain was the first one to react as he started to shoot the glass. When it did not work, he tried to break it with his body, throwing himself at it a couple of times.


    "...what are you doing? get out of there." Kiaran walked toward Axel mindlessly. He clenched his fists and threw a punch to the glass. "Get the fuck out of there."


    Adreanna began to tremble when Cain tried to break the glass again. She did not know what to do. Her eyes kept staring at the arrow in Axel''s heart, and she did not know what to do.


    "But I''m a nobody." Axel''s words made the three stop breathing. "If I die, it''ll be like I was never there."


    "But if any of you die, it''ll leave a big impact. Because you''re somebody in my life." Axel croaked and coughed another handful of blood.


    "I just- I just want to rest so." Axel trembled, eyes getting sleepy while still trying to stay awake for a moment.


    "Okay. You can rest later." Adreanna tried to smile just like he had asked earlier. It was like a panic move, she just formed it quickly from the adrenaline that started kicking in her bones.


    Axel''s words were the only thing that rang in her mind, and she needed to smile.


    "Your smile is pretty. You should smile more." Axel stared at Adreanna in a daze. Everything started to go dim. It was not as bright as before.


    "I will, I will smile. So keep your eyes open." Adreanna finally moved and touched the glass with her red-gloved hand. Cain tried to shoot at the glass again, causing the bullets to bounce back. It was helpless.


    "You know when you were younger, you loved it when I told you stories?" Kiaran took over the conversation. He clenched his fists to the point that they bled, staining his black gloves.


    A crack started to form from Axel''s heart, spreading to his neck. It went like broken glass, beginning to tear the boy''s skin away. They spread like bugs, crawling in the skin, cracking it away.


    "Mmm-hmm." Axel hummed. He showed a genuine smile to his brother. "You said when I reach seventeen, I can tell my own stories."


    In a dying bed, in the middle of losing his own life, he seemed to forget all the bad things his family had done to him, just like that. The manipulation, the fear, the hatred, the boy did not care.


    "Yes, I want to hear your story, so keep your eyes open." Kiaran pleaded, begged. "Keep your goddamn eyes open. I''ll find a way. There must be a way. I should have a plan, so please, just wait for me."


    The roots kept holding Axel up, spreading all his limbs to every corner of his room, as he faced his family. It was as if Axel was being put into a theatre where the audiences were his own family. A theatre of his death.


    He kind of like this play, though. Seeing all his family worried and caring about him made him feel like he was wanted.


    He loved this moment.


    He couldn''t help but wonder if his counterpart had a nice death too. He wanted to apologize to him when he met him in the afterlife.


    "I would..." Axel coughed, and more blood trickled down his jaw. "I would love a hot chocolate from you."


    His father''s counterpart had made him one before. But he never got to ask Cain to make it for him. He never had the courage to.


    Maybe he should''ve been braver. He was naive, after all.


    Cain put both of his hands on the glass, desperately clawing to it. He wanted to speak, he wanted to utter a word at his youngest. Why couldn''t he-


    "Father will make it for you, just like he makes it for me," Adreanna vowed. "When we are home, you can drink as many as you can. Cupcakes too. I''ll give you everything."


    "But-" Axel chuckled a little. "But Kiaran burn the house down."


    "We''ll rebuild it together." Adreanna still tried to keep her smile, reassuring the boy, making him forget all the pain he was feeling right now.


    "Together?" Axel whispered, finding his voice getting weaker.


    "Yes, together, son." Cain finally uttered a word as he rested his bleeding hands on the glass. He finally smiled at Axel, and it made the boy grin, beaming at his father.


    "Okay. That''s nice." He chuckled again, and tears started to fall down from his eyes.


    Did it take death to feel happy? Ah, what would happen to them? They would be okay, right?


    Axel was just taking some rest after all.


    He looked at the three one last time. Adreanna was still smiling despite the tears in her eyes. Ah, she cried. She shouldn''t cry. But he heard that a person would feel happy after they felt sadness.


    He hoped that she would find happiness after this.


    Axel did not realize that Kiaran was just staying silent at him while smiling. There were also tears that were threatening to fall. It seemed like he was still good at holding it. The older patiently watched Axel. Was his brother trying to comfort him by staying composed?


    He hoped that he had repaid Kiaran enough for all he did for him, whether it was fake or genuine. Though in death''s entrance, everything manipulation felt true.


    His gaze finally landed on his father. His father was smiling at him. Hey, look, his father was smiling! He was smiling.


    Ah- he was smiling for him.


    He hoped that his father would feel relieved that he had finally disappeared from his life.


    Axel made his smile even wider for the three, ignoring the cracks that had touched his left eye, slowly shattering his skin.


    "Thank you." Axel breathed. Another crack was made and finally covered his whole body. "I''m sorry, I..." There was too much to say. He had so much left to say¡ªforgiveness, warmth, love, assurance.


    He couldn''t talk later. He couldn''t talk because he would never wake up again. He wished he could tell them when he made it to seventeen. Axel finally got to rest for a long time.


    The boy closed his eyes with roots holding him instead of his family. The crack adorned his skin, showing how broken he was right now. His three family stood in front of him, watching him withering in silence.


    For the first time ever, the Vergessene family lost a mission.


    And a member of their family.

 Chapter 107 - The Abandoned One : Part 0

    The roots that were holding Axel slowly retreated back, dropping the dead boy''s body to the ground. The cracks on his skin were too fragile, he looked like a broken porcelain toy that was thrown away.


    Kiaran stood there with no tears in his eyes. He just stood and faced Axel''s dead body.


    He did not even care about the fight that was happening between Adreanna, Cain, and the two blindfolded men. He just stood there.


    The glass slowly opened as the roots disappeared, showing Axel''s dead body right in front of him. Kiaran felt his feet moving on themselves, taking a slow step towards the boy''s body.


    His bloody gloved hand brushed the hair from Axel''s face, and he watched the face of the boy with empty eyes. Kiaran tried to smile again for Axel. There was something in his throat, locking all his breaths away.


    "I''m sorry."


    That was the word that he should''ve said earlier. Ah, Axel could not hear him anymore, could he?


    He cautiously brought Axel''s frail body up to his hands. He carefully hugged his dead little brother. He felt really cold, Kiaran would warm him up right now.


    "Hey. You said to wait for you. Should I wait a little longer? Will you come back?" Kiaran tried to keep his smile while his eyes had gotten emptier than before.


    Kiaran did not realize that he had been teleported back to where he was. He sat in the middle of the central park, not knowing his surroundings at all.


    "I did not plan this. I never wanted you to actually-" A tear finally fell from his right eye that was quickly followed by another tear and another and another.


    "Why did you leave me too? You told me to wait." Kiaran choked as he trembled, shaking the boy''s cracking body, demanding an answer. "You told me to wait!"


    When he realized that the boy in his hand would never answer him back, Kiaran stopped shaking his body and grasped Axel tight. The tears had rained down even more as he gasped, choked, gagged, and cried.


    His hands began to shake violently alongside his body. He jerked his head up to the sky, looking at it with blurry eyes, and screamed.


    He screamed so loud that he could not hear his own voice. His ear-piercing scream rang throughout the city. It was hysterical and sad. It was filled with despair and loss. Everyone who heard it would not dare to intervene.


    Kiaran kept screaming until he choked on his own tears and stopped, dropping his tears down on Axel''s cracking face.


    ??????


    The vice president had just been rescued by the soldiers and managed to get out of the big hole with their help. She looked around in distress, searching for a certain boy that suddenly disappeared within her grasp.


    She grabbed one of the soldiers'' hands and looked at the man in the eyes. "The young man down there just disappeared-"


    A hysterical scream suddenly caught the vice president''s attention. The cry was so broken and sad that she ran around a little, trying to find the source of it. The soldier quickly followed her in a rush.


    "Ma''am? What young man?" The soldier asked while watching the vice president''s surprised and hollow eyes.


    "...never mind." She weakly uttered, offering a weak smile at him.


    The soldier followed her gaze and looked down at the mercenary''s face without a mask, holding a boy in his hand while crying.


    "I just found him." She continued, letting a tear down to morn the young man.


    Valerian was the first one to approach the mercenary while the others aimed their weapons at the criminal. The blond cautiously walked up to him, staring at the dead body in Kiaran''s arm with a slight regret and sorry.


    "Mercenary-"


    Valerian snapped his mouth shut when Kiaran lifted his head up to stare at him. The mercenary stared at his green eyes with hollow blue eyes. It was as if the ocean in his eyes had finally poured down, unstopping.


    "I lost him." Kiaran brokenly uttered, catching the lieutenant off guards.


    "I lost him." He repeated with a mad smile. It was as if he had really lost himself now.


    "I lost him." His voice echoed again, and Kiaran laughed. The laugh was mocking and full of despair. It was such a pathetic sight for people to see.


    "Hey, I lost my brother." Kiaran insanely stared at Valerian''s wide pitying eyes. "What do I do now?" He asked the blond.


    "I don''t-" Kiaran quickly diverted his gaze to Axel again and let his head fall onto the boy''s stomach. "I don''t have a plan."


    The lieutenant froze. The mercenary in front of him right now was different. There was no manipulation or trick. It was just a brother who had just lost his little brother. It was not like his usual self. It felt like someone had taken everything from him.


    Valerian sighed and looked away from his sworn enemy. He bit his lips and quickly faced the soldiers with weapons aiming at the mercenary.


    "No one touches the mercenary." He commanded fiercely, tilting his head up as he stood to cover Kiaran.


    The soldiers hesitated. They still aimed their weapons at Kiaran, ready to shoot at any given moment.


    "But sir, he needed to-"


    "I said, no one touches him," Valerian growled, glaring at the man who tried to oppose him.


    "No one can lay a single finger on him until he could bury the mute murderer." He repeated his order while shielding Kiaran away. "I am not taking any objection."


    The soldiers still hesitated and aimed their weapons at the criminal. They doubted the lieutenant and still stubbornly tried to oppose him.


    Then suddenly, a woman made her way to Valerian and stood beside him. She coldly stared at the soldiers with her head up. "As the vice president, I''m backing this young lieutenant here. Please refrain from intervening in the mute murderer''s matter until he got buried properly."


    The soldiers finally put down their weapons with leftover hesitation. Everyone just silently stared at the mercenary and let him mourn his dead brother in silence.


    Meanwhile, on top of a building, two blindfolded men stood in front of the beaten up Adreanna and Cain, looking down at Kiaran from a building far away. They teleported from the central park to finish their fight and ended everything quietly.


    Adreanna and Cain had passed out behind them, completely lost in their raging and mourning battle.


    "There, in his dark corner, he went on withering and shrivelling till at last, he turned into a grasshopper, chirping for all eternity." The blindfolded man on the left recreated Tithonus''s ending while staring at Axel''s dead body.


    "Change it into a broken boy, cracking for all eternity." His counterpart chimed in and formed a winning smirk.


    "It can''t be helped. I just really really love a sad ending."


    ??????


    There were two different worlds with the exact same faces. One was human, and the other was a demon.


    They were meant to be separated, never crossed with one another, living their own life with choices of their own.


    Each world had its own story, tragedy, and calamity. Mirroring their own movement with each other and ironically separated by a mirror.


    The exact replica, yet different stories they were living. Different conflicts, different choices, and different endings.


    Both the boy named Axel Vergessene had met their endings. They were living different stories and different endings. They had closed their book and died in the same way yet different.


    They were counterparts, after all.


    You see, there was a vague thing and a lot of controversial thoughts about an end.


    Some said that story ended where they lived happily ever after. Some said that it ended when the person had reached the purpose of his life.


    But you forgot that an end was where there would be no story anymore. There would be no second chances after you reached it.


    The thing was, death was not always an end¡ªbecause the story had never started at all. The book was never opened in the first place. Surprising, wasn''t it? Axel''s book had never opened in the first place.


    There were those who said that death was only the beginning.


    This was his end of the beginning. The abandoned one''s ending and the dead one''s beginning.


    This would be where his story begin.


    The demon world had lost the youngest child of the Vergessene family. The family mourned. They kept mourning and mourning every day, every second. They would do anything to get him back.


    Here''s a little secret,


    They finally got him back.


    [End of Prologue]

 Chapter 108 - Kiarans Interlude : Part 1

    A middle child in a family was always forgotten. He was not important nor a burden, he was just there. It did not matter whether he disappeared or not, no one would notice anyway.


    Kiaran had always been the one who waited. He waited for someone to look his way. He waited for someone to notice and be there for him.


    He had been waiting for a long time for that. He was born in a supposedly happy family where his father may or may not be a criminal. His sister was trained to be a criminal. And Kiaran was there, yet no one noticed.


    He was such a loveable and caring person, hanging onto every word that the people he loved uttered toward him. He would always wait for them to come his way, he would always be there for them until the end.


    He craved attention. He craved affection. He craved for everything.


    Until he didn''t.


    He was only two years old that day. Too young to remember anything, too young to experience anything. God knows he was too young for any of the things that happened to him.


    He was born smart. Perhaps you could call him a genius. He was so lovable that his mother would pester him about how smart he was. And he remembered it vaguely even though he was only two.


    And that was the reason why he remembered this memory that kept replaying in his head until this day.


    His mother''s smile and the beautiful violet eyes. The eyes were full of elegance and warmth, they made Kiaran feel secure, like he was in some kind of field of dark lavenders under the warm moonlight that should have been cold.


    She was lying on the hospital bed with a baby in her stomach. She read him the story of Tithonus, Kiaran''s favourite. The story did not have a happy ending or a sad ending, it was just an unending ending.


    He giggled as he played with his mother''s hair, tangling the roots inside his hand while he held his mother''s hand with his other hand.


    "There, in his dark corner, he went on withering and shrivelling till at last, he turned into a grasshopper, chirping for all eternity." She ended the story with a smile. The pale woman caressed her son''s head gently.


    "That''s it for today. Your brother might come to the world tonight." She whispered playfully and pinched Kiaran''s nose.


    "Mom!" He whined and pouted while holding his red nose. "You read story now ''cuz tonight is no?" He spoke with a slight lisp while still covering his nose protectively.


    "Yes, my smart boy." A tired smile pestered on her face with a haggard breath. Kiaran noticed how his mother tried to stay strong in front of him and frowned.


    "Mom is tired. Sleep." He forcibly closed his mother''s eyes while tiptoeing. "Kiaran stay, mom sleep." He commanded with a grumble, earning a chuckle from Cecilia.


    "Alright, smart boy. But you can''t stay here, okay? What if you wait outside, hm?" She asked carefully, trying not to hurt the boy''s feelings.


    Kiaran stayed quiet for a moment. He opened his mouth and closed it repeatedly. He seemed to think about something before finally nodding along with his mother''s words.


    "M''kay." He pulled his hands back and got a little farther away from Cecilia''s bed.


    "Wait for me, okay?" She uttered one last time when Kiaran opened the hospital door. He nimbly walked and nodded one last time at her.


    He did not know that the violet eyes from the door''s sidelines would be the last gaze that he received from his mother.


    And Kiaran waited. He waited, swinging both of his tiny feet while sitting in the waiting room.


    He waited when they said that the baby had come out. He waited when Adreanna came out of the room with an empty gaze. He waited when Cain came out of the room crying.


    Mother told him to wait until she told him to get in again. So he waited for hours.


    He still waited when his father told him to dress in black¡ªhe kind of like the colour.


    He kept waiting when he stared dully at his mother''s body inside the coffin, getting ready to be buried. Kiaran waited because she told him to.


    He waited every night, waiting for her to read him stories again.


    He decided to learn to read by himself while waiting. She would probably be proud of him.


    Kiaran waited even though he knew she had left him and would never come back.


    But she said to wait, so he did what she told him to do.


    ??????


    Time passed, and he was already five. He was too smart for kindergarten, so he got into elementary school at a young age. He did not care about it, though. Mother said he was born genius after all.


    He became the main character in a play. The teachers praised him a lot for him being a genius that they let him be the star of the play. Kiaran was confused at first, but he went along anyway. Apparently, he was good at acting too!


    Because they said that parents would come to the play, Kiaran happily took the role. The thought that father would finally see him made him really happy. He was busy training Adreanna because she was good at it. Maybe he would see that Kiaran was a genius and a great actor too!


    He told Cain the night before the play because the man had just got home with those smelly blood all over his clothes.


    "Will you come?" He could not help but feel nervous while asking his father.


    "Just wait for me." His father''s tone was cold as he slammed the door on Kiaran''s face. The boy was too happy to care as he hummed some songs that he heard on the radio while coming up to his room.


    The next morning, he did not find Cain anywhere. He probably had come to the school earlier?


    When everyone prepared for the play, Kiaran nervously glanced at the audience, at his father''s seat. It was still empty. Maybe he was a little late. So he waited.


    When the play started, Kiaran aced everything, taking all the spotlights while still staring at his father''s seat. He still waited then.


    The play ended, and everyone started to leave. Kiaran sat on his father''s seat as he waited. Maybe work got in the way, he would just tell his father what happened in the play and show him all the flowers and trophies he got.


    He kept waiting when the lights started to turn off. He kept waiting when the teacher told him to go home.


    The next day, he joined all the plays he could join, becoming a theatre genius. He still waited for his father to come to one of his plays.


    He started to stop becoming the main character and made the play itself. He made the play where his father could enjoy, hoping that he would come to one of his plays and be amazed about it.


    So he kept creating a play while waiting.


    Because he said to wait, so he did what he told him to.


    ??????


    He was seven, and tomorrow was his eighth birthday. Usually, no one celebrated his birthday, and he would always bring Adreanna along with him to celebrate it around the city, eating and drinking all they wanted. It was his treat, of course.


    She would obediently follow and eat everything he offered. At the end of the day, she would always give him a knife as a gift. He had collected five of them, and tomorrow would be the six, probably.


    He burst into Adreanna''s room with a smirk on his face. Though, he quickly frowned when he didn''t see the sight of his flat face sister. He surely checked that it was already eleven in the evening. It was almost midnight already.


    He opened her wardrobe and peeked under the bed, searching for his sister. His frown deepened when he could not find a single hair of her.


    His blue eyes caught the sight of a red paper on the table beside her bed. He took the paper and read it loudly.


    "Wait for me." He muttered before sighing. He kept the paper inside his pocket and jumped onto her bed, messing around her blanket and decided to fall asleep there.


    He waited all day inside Adreanna''s room, moving around the bed and looking into every single stuff inside her room boringly.


    It was almost midnight again, and Adreanna probably missed his birthday already. She could at least give him the knife beforehand or something.


    Though she never came to his next birthday or the next one or the next one. He never saw her face that much anymore, and they grew apart. She would come back from a month or two trip and would disappear again in a day.


    Though Kiaran still waited anyway.


    His sister told him to wait, so he did what she told him to.


    ??????


    Kiaran was popular with his genius and his pretty good looking face. Those who came to him would always ask him to help with their works or just to help them boost their popularity.


    It was getting boring at some point. Everyone had the exact same character. If he was in a play, they would all just become side characters.


    He was nine that day when he finally noticed there was a character that behaved on his own without wanting to lick his feet to gain everything from him. Kiaran did not remember his name because if he was an important character in his life, that meant he would say the word-


    "Wait for me."


    The blond boy uttered. The pale yellow of his friend''s hair was the only thing that Kiaran remembered.


    They had become friends for like six months when the boy uttered the word Kiaran hated the most. The blond had become someone important to his life¡ªof course he would tell him to wait for him.


    Everyone did. And they would never come back, they would always leave. He started to get tired of this obvious pattern. This world he was living in was too boring. It was obvious what would happen at the end of the day.


    If he could create his own story, his own play, it would not end up this way.


    His friend that he already marked as a best friend left. He stopped coming to school because he had moved to a better one. If Kiaran remembered correctly, the blond was a genius too and needed to follow his parents'' path. Whatever that path was.


    Though the blond said that he would visit him at the weekend and hang out with him, that was the reason why he told him to wait for him.


    He told him to wait, so he did what he told him to.


    Only once, though. He waited only once. He stood on their usual spot on the weekend, waiting for the blond to appear.


    When the sun went down and the moon started to rise up in the sky, painting everything black, Kiaran still waited. When it was finally midnight, he eventually left.


    And for the first time, Kiaran did not wait anymore. He found it easy to forget his friend and started to shove down all the sweet words that told him to wait. He moved on and left the school too, moving into Axel''s school instead.


    He forgot what Adreanna had told him to wait for. He forgot what Cain had told him to wait for. He forgot his friend completely. However, he still remembered his mother''s. But don''t worry, he easily buried it down.


    He never waited anymore.


    Then one day, he somehow became someone who made everyone wait.


    And Kiaran found it quite fun to give empty words to people, to his family. It became his habit, and he had no regret doing it.


    It was fun to manipulate words and make what he wanted come true. He made everything a play, controlling whether a person should live or not, controlling what character a person should play.


    He became the one who never waited.


    He told Axel to wait, so Axel would always obey what he told him to.

 Chapter 109 - Kiarans Interlude : Part 2

    It was his fourteenth birthday. Kiaran had just turned fourteen when he found out the ugly truth.


    He sat in front of the house, staring at the empty street with a hollow daze. Axel used to sit here all the time until he fell asleep. Kiaran would be the one who brought the boy to his room before Axel could freeze to death.


    Kiaran knew he had forgotten about his friend''s promise and had been shoving down Cain and Adeanna''s promises. The word ''wait for me'' had become taboo for him.


    But somehow, his body kept moving by itself. He unwantedly still participated in many plays, creating so many shows in his school years. A show that Cain would probably like. He would also still wait for Adreanna on his birthday like a fucking loser.


    Like right now.


    The young boy hugged himself, ignoring how cold the weather was. Kiaran had been waiting for the whole day, he even skipped school just to see if Adreanna would ever come for his birthday.


    The bags under his eyes were too visible and too dark for a 14-year-old. He shivered a little when a wave of wind brushed past him. There was no moon outside. It seemed like it was about to rain.


    He had told Axel to sleep early. He did not want the boy to see how pathetic he was for waiting like this. Kiaran had been raising the boy alone with no help from his father.


    Cain always looked at Axel like he was the lowest being on earth. Unlike Kiaran, who was always overlooked and ignored by Cain, only receiving a few fake smiles once or twice, Axel had never received a single kindness from the man whether it was fake or not.


    Cain blamed Axel for his mother''s death. Kiaran knew it was not the boy''s fault.


    Even though he knew it was not Axel''s fault, he still let his father blame Axel. Because deep down, he knew he blamed Axel too.


    He raised the boy because he knew that his mother would want that. And that was it. He never cared about the boy at all.


    Kiaran sighed and made a little fog from his breath. He gazed up at the sky and saw some thunder dancing around. He diverted his gaze to his watch, looking at how it had reached midnight already.


    She missed this birthday too, huh.


    He got up from his position and quickly got inside the house. He stormed around the house, not feeling like he wanted to sleep at any moment. Maybe he was just denying by pretending that Adreanna was a little late or something. He did not care anyway.


    He glanced at the box behind the television and raised his eyebrows. Had that box always been there? Maybe Cain forgot to put it back to where it was supposed to?


    Though the box was purple coloured. Kiaran had never seen that box before.


    He shrugged and decided to open the box, peeking at what was inside. He frowned when he found a bunch of tapes with dates on them.


    Out of curiosity, he took one of the tapes and put it on the tape recorder below the television. He turned the tv on and sat down on the sofa with a boring look on his face.


    Kiaran widened his eyes when the video showed his mother when she was pretty young. He quickly jerked up and focused on the television.


    "Cain has lost it. He isn''t like how he was before. I know he is sad that his family had died, but I think he was too focused on revenge." She stated, staring at the camera with doe-eyed.


    "He killed everyone. I''m okay with it. Really. But now that he has done everything for his revenge, he wanted to kill himself." She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself for a moment.


    "I managed to stop him from jumping, but he- he always has this look in his eyes. A look of hatred. A look of loss." She explained while biting her lips. Though her face was still flat. Just like Adreanna''s.


    "I don''t think I''m enough for him. But I hope that I will be enough." She dully stated. Though Kiaran easily caught the sadness in her tone. "I hope I can be the reason that he would survive."


    "March nineteen, twenty-" The tape suddenly cut off before she could finish the sentence.


    Kiaran quickly took another tape randomly and shoved it into the tape recorder. He wanted to see his mother''s face again. He wanted to see her.


    He watched her speaking to the camera, learning about every little thing she would say. He learned about her best friends, how she got a dare to approach Cain and finally learned how it feels to be in love.


    She was so innocent. She was too pure.


    Kiaran had shoved in another tape. He did not know how many he had watched already, but he just wanted to keep continuing.


    "Adreanna, honey, where are you?" The video was shaking a lot. It was different from the previous ones. It seemed like she was running inside a forest.


    "Adreanna? Mommy is worried. Can you tell me where you are?" She screamed, searching around the woods with a shaking voice.


    "Adreanna? Is that you- oh my god." The camera fell from her hand and showed where she quickly approached Adreanna who was full of blood.


    Adreanna deadly stared at her mother and showed the dead cat in her hand. Cecilia quickly hugged her without saying any word.


    But then she suddenly stiffened as she looked behind Adreanna. Cecilia quickly shoved her daughter away and ran to the camera. She quickly turned it off while accidentally showing the thing behind Adreanna.


    The tape ended like that.


    Kiaran tilted his head and rewound the tape to see what made his mother tremble like that. He paused when the camera showed the thing behind Adreanna.


    Then he chuckled with disbelieve.


    It was a corpse. Not just a corpse but a bunch of corpses.


    So she killed at that early age, huh? No wonder why she got to train with father all the time.


    Kiaran took another tape and put it in. He had gone too deep, and his future self would hope that he hadn''t.


    It was this tape. The tape that changed Kiaran''s whole perspective on everything.


    "My daughter is a monster." The tape started with his mother''s terrified face that made Kiaran frown. "She killed all the neighbours and-"


    She took a shaky breath and stared at the camera with fear. "-and she killed her grandmother. My mother."


    Kiaran slowly turned the volume down, not wanting Axel or anyone to hear the content of the video.


    "She also killed my sister. Now I have nothing left. Only Cain and my son, Kiaran." She quickly brushed her tears, trying to stay as calm as possible.


    "But the thing is, I think, I think Kiaran is a monster too. He is worst than Adreanna. He will be."


    The remote in his hand fell down, and Kiaran could feel his whole world come crashing down. He knew he should stop listening, so why did he-


    "He is a genius. He is way too smart. God, he is just a baby, but-" She wiped her face with her hands and trembled.


    "-but he almost killed me."


    What?


    Did he?


    Kiaran did not know how long he had stopped breathing. But it seemed like the air had gone and tried to suffocate him.


    "Adreanna almost killed Kiaran''s play date, and I shoved her out of panic. The night after the incident, my only son who I tried to raise normally, tried to shove me down the stairs."


    "He planned this beforehand. I know it. He spilled his milk on top of the stairs and pretended to fall down. When I tried to catch him, he just jumped out of my hand and grabbed my feet."


    "I fell and almost dropped down the stairs. Luckily, I managed to grab onto the bannister."


    "And you know what he did? He laughed at me as if mocking me. It seemed like he was mad that I shoved Adreanna away."


    She finished her story and bit her lips again. "He will kill more people than Adreanna. He might kill me too. I have been avoiding Adreanna and let her be with her father, but I can''t avoid Kiaran."


    "I have been pretending to forget that day and be a kind mother to him." She confessed, and Kiaran did not know that a tear had fallen down on his cheek while he was watching.


    "I told Cain that I want another child. This time, I''m going to raise him and make him normal. I''m going to finally have a normal child."


    The tape ended just like that.


    Kiaran stared at the static screen without moving an inch. The tears kept falling down, and he just could not feel anything.


    So all this time, she was pretending?


    Ah.


    "Ah. Hahahaha-"


    Kiaran laughed loudly, manically. The obvious insanity etched in his voice as he kept crying and crying. Fucking pathetic.


    He looked at the last tape in the box and snatched it. He put in the tape and played the video.


    It was a video in the hospital. Was it recorded after she gave birth? Ah. Kiaran did not care. He just watched the video with two dull eyes.


    "Axel. My son. I don''t know if I''m going to make it, but I just want you to know that I love you." She recorded herself with dishevelled hair and two tired violet eyes.


    "I-" She coughed, and the camera fell from her hand. The video stopped at Adreanna who was coldly staring at her dying mother, quietly stood beside her bed.


    "The doctor- Adreanna call the doctor, please-" She begged, and yet Adreanna just stared at her, unmoving.


    There was a loud beep in the room. It kept going and blazing loudly while Adreanna just stayed silent.


    The video stopped when the beep sound had stopped. Then Adreanna slowly left the room, leaving her dead mother alone.


    It was not his fault.


    He refused.


    She died after giving birth to a son that she wanted. It was not his fault. It was Axel''s-


    But, it seemed like his mother was kind of afraid of him. Because Kiaran was too smart for a baby, for two years old.


    His mother saw him like Adreanna. Seeing the similarity in her within him. She was an emotionless weapon, and he was an active weapon.


    It was because of Adreanna.


    She wanted to have a new child because of Adreanna. Because she was a murderer. She wanted a new child not because of him, it was Adreanna.


    She died because of Adreanna.


    Adreanna did not even call the doctor. It was all Adreanna''s fault, and Kiaran just had to raise Axel normally and-


    He just-


    He just had to wait.


    He had to wait for something, at least. He just had to wait for anything. He was not a monster he-


    Just wait.


    ??????


    Kiaran''s bags under his eyes had become darker since that day. It had been a week and every day felt like a nightmare for him.


    "Hey uh, Kiaran?" The younger hesitantly called. Hands fiddling with his bag as he tried to keep up with the older.


    Kiaran ignored him. He did not have the time for him. God, couldn''t Axel just leave him alone?


    "Can we go to the amusement park sometimes? Maybe this weekend? Or- well, next week is okay too. I mean, it''s not like it''s really important, but it''s just so huge, and everyone in the school was talking about it, and I-"


    "Oh my god, Axel, can you shut your mouth for like a second?" Kiaran cut through his rambling.


    "I have a really rough day, okay? Just- be silent." Continued Kiaran with a heavy sigh at the end of his sentence.


    Axel''s hands nervously moved around as he tried to explain more. "Ah, sorry, I didn''t mean to bother you, it''s just that I was wondering since we rarely go out together and you always forbid me to get out of the house so-"


    "Oh my god, shut up!"


    Axel was startled by the sudden yell and snapped his mouth shut. He bit his lips and mumbled an apology, quickly looking away.


    Kiaran sighed and messed his own hair. "No, it''s just- it''s been really hard, okay? With dad gone, and didn''t even answer any of my messages. And I have to take care of you while I can''t really fucking take care of myself."


    Axel stared at his own feet and nodded. Kiaran gave a quick glance and sighed again. "Just be silent for today, okay? I''m not in the mood to talk."


    He was just tired. Axel got to be loved by his mother genuinely why all the times, Kiaran had been living in a lie.


    Axel got to be normal, and it was unfair. Why did he have to be the one who wept over everything?


    But then something interesting happened. They were caught by a man that day, pointing a gun at Kiaran. He thought it was just a bad day and let it slip.


    But something changed.


    Axel easily took down a man like how Adreanna did. Oh, how Kiaran wished mother saw her favourite child today. She would see a monster in him too.


    Kiaran finally realized. He did not have to wait nor be something under someone, trying to reach for attention or affection by being a good boy, by trying to be a good boy.


    If he wanted something, why didn''t he just create it? He could just take everything he wanted in a story he made. He could be anything and receive everything in a play.


    "You know, Axel. I''m kind of getting tired of getting left behind." He began with a melodic voice. There was a dangerous glint in it.


    "So why don''t we start our own things?" Kiaran put a hand on his shoulder and turned Axel''s body to face the bleeding man on the floor.


    He whispered something to the boy''s ear and stared at how Axel took his first kill that day.


    He would create a play.


    ??????


    "Hello, mom." Kiaran visited the lovely grave that was surrounded by lavender. He stood before it, staring down at her mother.


    "I''m here to tell you that I''m going to create a play. I''m going to be at the top of the world. I''m going to rule it in the shadow." The wind played with his hair a little while the boy tilted his head.


    "You look at me as a monster anyway." He chuckled and smiled. "But you know what, I''m going to be worst than a simple monster. I''m going to be the devil."


    "Sorry, mom, I know you''ll hate me for this," Kiaran confessed easily, playing with the lavender in his hand. "You already hated me anyway. I''m sorry for that. I didn''t know that I had tried to kill you, so I swear to you that I won''t ever kill a single soul."


    "I''m jealous of Axel. You want to make him have the best normal life." He sighed and put down the lavender to her grave. "But you know what? Everyone in this family is a fucking monster."


    "Do you know that he just killed a man?" He taunted, eyes becoming more dangerous as they already were. "It''s too late, mother. You can''t have a normal child."


    "Your so-called normal child is a monster in disguise." Kiaran let out a mocking laugh and exhaled affectionately. "I''ve been raising him for you."


    "But now, I''m going to raise him the way I want to." He snapped the lavender that he was putting down in two.


    "-to be a proper monster."


    "He''ll be the main character in the play that I created." Kiaran smiled for the last time before putting down the broken lavender to her grave.


    "But you know I didn''t mean to try to kill you- I just-" Kiaran bit his lips. "I will never kill, so you don''t have to worry."


    "I love you even though I know you didn''t feel the same way." He choked back the lump in his throat and quickly turned around.


    "Goodbye."


    He bit his goodbye to his mother that day, knowing that he left his past self buried down with his mother''s grave.


    He had become the mercenary who never kills.

 Chapter 110 - Kiarans Interlude : Part 3

    Kiaran would make the most outstanding play.


    He was a genius. He was the mastermind behind everything. He controlled people like some puppets on a string where he could decide what fate a person would have.


    He was the Machiavellian, king of the kings, the ruler of all.


    The first world burn went as he had planned. With Axel and Alea as his front marionettes, he knew the ending already.


    He calculated how the counterpart of his family would kidnap Axel and turn the boy into a demon. Kiaran let it happen because that way, Axel would become stronger than before.


    The thought of having a demon that had consciousness and had been serving him for years as a murderer really intrigued him. Axel was his first step to actually do a world burn where it would not only happen in the Livedam city, but the whole world.


    It was the perfect plan.


    Kiaran would let Axel run into anyone he knew, begging for their help just for them to turn their back on him. In the end, the boy would realize that Kiaran was the only one that stayed by his side.


    There was nothing more perfect than this plan.


    Kiaran knew sooner or later, Axel would realize the manipulation. The naive boy would finally grow up and open his eyes to see the real world. He would mature enough and eventually leave Kiaran too.


    So the plan was to make the boy realize that not his best friend, sister, and even father would stay by his side forever. It would be Kiaran and only Kiaran to stay.


    So the boy would be Kiaran''s greatest actor, the perfect main character in the play. The perfect monster.


    He knew demon Kiaran was watching him the whole time through the mirror. He knew that his counterpart planned the world burn too so that he could finally gain his dead brother back.


    What a hopeless denial.


    And he knew that his counterpart also planned the second world burn. In the end, they would both let Axel choose where he would go back to. Kiaran was confident that Axel would choose him.


    Well, how could the boy choose the demon who modified his humanity and turned him into something he loathed?


    Kiaran would be Axel''s only choice, and in the end, he did not have to worry about any obstacles trying to take away his main character.


    Or so he thought.


    He thought after he revealed that he was just using the scientist and that his counterpart had already handled her counterpart, it would be Kiaran and his demon version''s last fight over who would obtain Axel.


    But it didn''t go that way.


    He had been pretending to be used by the scientist just to have him getting used by a fucking blind man. He was angry and was a little bit impressed. He was about to turn the table around on the blind man because that was what Kiaran would always do.


    He enjoyed the interruption a little, thinking that the blind man was an unplannable plan like Valerian''s case.


    But he did not know that he was part of the blind man''s plan. He was his marrionette, and it pissed Kiaran off.


    Then the play had turned into a game¡ªa game of where Axel would choose who lived and who died. Kiaran was confident that Axel would not let him die, but he could not help but feel a little unsure when he talked to the boy.


    Axel was talking to him just like how the boy talked to his counterpart. Axel was being himself and spilled everything in his mind with no fear toward him. For a moment, Kiaran felt like they were talking just like brothers would. No manipulation, no play, it was just them.


    It made Kiaran feel something weird. It made Kiaran feel like something bad was about to happen.


    "Timandi causa est sencire." The words caught Kiaran off guard. He did not know that Axel memorized every Latin word he used to utter.


    Ignorance is the cause of fear. That was what the Latin words meant. Axel might have a plan right now, telling Kiaran not to ignore everything he said.


    "I''m just the pawn of your games. You are the star of it all."


    Was he?


    If Axel meant literally, then he was saying that he would be a pawn and save the three of them. That way, they would overthrow the annoying blind men and turn the scenario around.


    Axel gave the code by saying that he was the protagonist. It was almost laughable, but Kiaran got what he meant. That meant, his original plan where he wanted Axel to escape from the hole where he fell turned to be Kiaran who was trapped in the ''hole''.


    But Kiaran felt like that wasn''t it. It felt like Axel was aiming his words into Kiaran''s play, telling that he was the star of it all even though he was the one who created the play.


    Kiaran always made Axel the star of the play but was he wrong? He advertised his play as a piece of art, saying that he was the Machiavellian. But maybe he was the character in his own play too, and he was unknowingly made him the protagonist?


    Something was off. Axel had a plan, right?


    The thought of it almost made Kiaran laugh. For the first time, he relied on Axel for a plan.


    "Just wait for me, okay?"


    Kiaran''s train of thoughts quickly broke off after those words came out of his little brother''s mouth. He despised those words. He loathed those words.


    "Wait for me, okay?" His mother''s words played in his mind like a broken record, haunting him.


    "Just wait for me." That day, his father''s words seemed so sincere because he did not use his usual fake smile or overly sweetened words. Kiaran had believed him that day.


    "Wait for me." The beautifully written sentence on the paper that Adreanna left on his birthday went flashing onto his vision for a moment, mocking him.


    "Wait for me." A familiar word from a vague person played, and Kiaran hated how everything came at the same time.


    "You know I trust you, right?" Kiaran said to Axel almost desperately. Was he afraid? Was he terrified that Axel would actually leave him?


    "Just like you always do." Axel''s words were too sincere, and there was a hint of lie between them. Kiaran could see his mother, his father, Adreanna, and that forgotten friend inside the boy at the same time. The shadows of them morphed into Axel. It was haunting him.


    "Wait for me!"


    That was the last word from Axel that Kiaran remembered. Because everything after that happened in a flash. Like a blurry night under the misty rain.


    Kiaran could not cry. He was about to cry, but Axel would probably panic. He needed to be calm and calm and calm and-


    He needed to calm the boy down. Just like those nights where Axel would have a nightmare and Kiaran would hide the fact that he often got nightmares too to calm Axel.


    He would lie that he was okay for the fact that Adreanna and Cain left them two. He would lie and take care of the boy from a young age even though Kiaran knew that he needed to be taken care of too.


    God, he was too young to take care of Axel, to raise that boy. But he needed to pretend that he was calm and okay for the boy.


    He did not know why he did all of that while ignoring that he was slowly withering away. In the end, he realized that he was manipulating himself and the surrounding while unawarely manipulating Axel too.


    He learnt to be the best at manipulation by manipulating himself first.


    In the end, he got used to manipulation, and it became his strongest shield. It was easy to lie and try to turn an event into what he desired.


    So when Axel coughed a handful of blood while his skin slowly cracked like broken porcelain, Kiaran tried to stay calm. He heard what happened when Axel''s counterpart died, how Kiaran''s counterpart cried and could not control himself.


    Kiaran was mocking his counterpart, so he needed to stay calm and try to find a way to-


    There was no way, wasn''t it?


    Hey, was this what it felt to feel regret?


    Ah. There were five stages of grieves, weren''t they? Was he denying right now?


    Kiaran just needed to wait, then. Just like he always did. He just needed to wait and just wait. He was good at it.


    He should''ve-


    He should have brought him to an amusement park at least once to actually enjoy it. Maybe he should have apologized. He should have bought him a cupcake or made him a hot chocolate.


    There were too many things that he hadn''t done for Axel, so Kiaran just had to wait.


    He just had to wait.


    He would wait.


    As Kiaran hugged his dead brother and screamed, he just had to wait. Axel told him to anyway.


    When his funeral was held, Kiaran waited. Under the rain and the soldiers pointing their guns at him while he buried his brother, he kept waiting.


    When Valerian handcuffed him with a pitying look on his face that the blond desperately tried to hide, Kiaran still waited.


    When he was in a courtroom and was given a death sentence, Kiaran waited.


    Behind bars, he waited for Axel while waiting for his death. His mind was empty and his blue eyes were hollow.


    Maybe if he died, he did not have to wait anymore.

 Chapter 111 - Adreannas Interlude : Part 1

    The cracking skin that was slowly breaking the boy, the roots that hung him up in the air as a dark arrow went right into the boy''s heart. Adreanna felt like the time stopped when that happened.


    Axel suddenly stared at her, and it was as if only them were in there. His stares were judging, begging, withering. Adreanna choked on her own breath, and she could not breathe under her brother''s overwhelming gaze.


    "Adreanna, you promised..." Axel croaked, and suddenly, his mismatched eyes poured black tears and a red blinding light burst from his chest and-


    Adreanna jerked up from the bed she was on with a shaggy breath. She quickly stepped down from the bed with the overwhelming leftover feeling from a nightmare. She only managed to stand for a moment before realizing that she had lost her balance.


    Someone caught her from behind, and Adreanna saw a familiar brunette with his grey eyes staring down at her. The freckles on his skin were noticeable when she was this close to him.


    "Don''t move too much." Zack sighed as he led her to the bed slowly. "You almost died."


    "...again."


    Adreanna stared at the hacker with a frown. There were too many questions and overwhelming pressures within her right now, and she did not know what to do or how to react.


    Zack gently put a blanket over her shoulders and sat beside her cautiously, eyeing if she was okay with him being here. "You were lying on top of the building with wounds all over your body. Your father is in worse shape than you."


    He nodded with his head to another bed beside her. Cain was lying there with bandages all over his body.


    "It seemed like the one who fought you did not want to hurt you too much." Zack pointed at her wounds and the plaster on her forehead. He hesitantly reached his hand to her head, carefully seeing her expression if he could touch her.


    When Adreanna just stared at him without snapping his hand, Zack put her locks to the back of her ear and went to touch the plaster. His hand followed down to the fading wound under her eyes that she got when she fought in the first world burn.


    "You know, I feel like a prince who saved you every time you''re dying, you know?" Zack tried to joke while retreating his hand back from her gorgeous face.


    "Last time, you fell into a coma." He uttered with a slight smile. "I thought you''d end up in a coma again."


    "Adreanna, you..." Zack suddenly put both of his hands on Adreanna''s shoulders, earning a tilted head from her. He lowered his head as he tightened his grip.


    "...should really be careful, don''t you think?" He quickly shot up to stare at her face. Their face was an inch away from each other, yet it was not sweet at all. Zack was trying to shove down the irritation feeling of seeing his woman get hurt way too often despite being the greatest assassin.


    "I''m gonna lose my shit and have countless heart attacks because of you." He sighed again and quietly pulled back from her questioning gaze.


    "We''re mutual now. You''ve been saving me twice, and I''m saving you twice already." He got up from the bed and was about to make his way to the kitchen to make some tea for Adreanna.


    But his wrist was suddenly grabbed by her. It was a desperate grip, causing Zack to turn at her again with a quizzical and worried look.


    "Kiaran and Axel... where?" She whispered weakly, and Zack could see her body trembled slowly.


    "Where are they?" Adreanna went back to stare at his grey eyes. The desperation was there, yet it was as if she also did not want to hear the answer. It was as if she was afraid of his answer.


    "The funeral." Zack put his other hand on top of Adreanna''s, trying to calm her down. "Both of them are at the funeral."


    "Axel is getting buried today." He continued, and tears quickly fell down way too easy from her ocean eyes. The hollow gaze was aimed at nothing when the tears kept dropping from her eyes.


    Zack quickly hugged her, letting her bury her head on his chest. He closed his eyes and held the back of Adreanna''s head, trying to comfort her.


    "I''m sorry, Adreanna."


    ??????


    Adreanna had never cried before.


    She did not cry when she was born to the point that the doctor thought she was mute.


    She did not cry when she got hurt for the first time. She just stared at the big wound with her usual emotionless eyes.


    She did not cry when her mother stared at her like she was a monster, looking at her with despise and fear that a mother shouldn''t have shown for her daughter.


    She did not cry when her mother died. She just stared at her in her death bed, counting the second when Cecilia finally lost her life.


    She did not cry when her friend died. The lively black eyes that slowly went dim as she held her friend in her hand, she still did not cry. But she still felt a weird feeling in her heart when she could not see Maera anymore. She chose to ignore it.


    She never cried.


    Not being able to understand emotions made her the ultimate killing machine. She was used to being called an emotionless monster anyway.


    So when emotions got the best of her, it became her weakness.


    She watched people become weak because emotion got in the way and that was the reason why she never wanted to learn it.


    Axel became weak because of emotion. That was the reason why the boy was always thrown aside and got used by the people around him.


    So when she cried for the first time, she completely lost her balance on fighting. The bursting feeling within her inner self just exploded. She went to destroy the blindfolded man without a proper plan out of anger. Everything was blurry.


    But the man dodged her with ease. It was as if her attack did not work at all to him. He did not even have to sweat when he darted around her.


    She was taking the blindfolded man that arrived late at the scene, not the one who appeared first at the Livedam''s central park. Adreanna gritted her teeth as she growled, tears flowing down her cheeks when she swung her knife all around.


    "You look prettier with tears in your ocean eyes, my lady." The blindfolded man teased, smirking as he countered Adreanna''s knife with his own knife.


    His fingerless hand grazed Adreanna''s braided hair, playing with how soft her long hair was. He quickly jumped back when she tried to throw the knife at him, causing the weapon to stick to the floor.


    She ground her teeth while skidding to the side and took out her gun. She took some steps back with glowering eyes, got ready to attack.


    Adreanna finally ran forward and took a high jump. The 19-year-old assassin shot the bullets swiftly and fast toward the man, aiming at his forehead that was covered by the hood.


    In the blink of an eye, she flipped to her right and blasted another rain of bullets, hitting the first bullets that she shot half-second ago.


    Her wet eyes widened when the man disappeared into a void. She hadn''t noticed him vanishing because of the foggy eyes she had from the leftover tears.


    "A lesson, my lady. Don''t let emotions get in the way." He whispered onto Adreanna''s left ear, making her belatedly react to the presence behind her and get thrown onto a wall.


    "I''m not your lady." She finally replied to all his teasing and bit back at him. She put a hand on her stomach when she tried to stand up.


    "Oh, I get it. That man is the only one who can call you that, right?" He smirked when Adreanna''s eyes widened again.


    "Will you cry too if he died? What was his name again? Zack?" He paused, flashing his mad smile at her before continuing. "I''d love to kill him if I can see your beautiful teary eyes once more."


    Adreanna''s gaze darkened, and she could feel the fire erupting within her heart, clawing back to her eyes and spreading all over her body.


    She threw seven rows of knives at him as he effortlessly danced around them. He was about to mock her again when Adreanna suddenly disappeared from his sight.


    The man acted too late when Adreanna appeared on his right, tilting her head dangerously at him with an overwhelming black fire aura. She punched the man''s head with all her power and sent him flying backwards.


    The man''s hood fell from his hair as his blindfold followed right after and showed-


    Adreanna believed that she saw the man''s hair colour and face but yet, she could not remember. It was as if someone suddenly messed with her memory at the moment as the world turned into a void.


    Her head throbbed, and she fell forward onto a rooftop. Her hands supported her, so she did not fall flat onto the ground. Adreanna could not grasp what was happening, everything within her head was aching. Had she teleported here?


    Someone crouched in front of her as she watched the man''s shadow on the ground. She looked up to see the man with no blindfold and cloak, but why-


    Why couldn''t she see him? It was as if her brain would not accept the memory of his face.


    The man put his hand on her cheek gently. "My lady can not see my face yet. We''ll meet again as fate has its ways for our story."


    Then everything went back like a void once again.

 Chapter 112 - Adreannas Interlude : Part 2

    Adreanna was born perfect.


    She was perfect in many ways. But not in the way you think. She was perfect in a general way.


    She never shed a tear. Never laughed. Never showed any kind of emotions. She was the perfect doll, a beautiful one. A really gorgeous doll.


    When she was born, her mother thought that she was mute. She never talked or cried for two years. She was just a living doll that happened to be born in an unfortunate family.


    She was just two years old that day. A cat was staring at her, and the young girl tilted her head at it. It quickly followed her movement, and Adreanna felt like she wanted to follow the cat.


    It was a weird feeling. She wanted to hold it. The cat had a weird colour. It almost looked like red. She liked the colour.


    When she approached it, the cat ran into the woods, leaving some trails behind for her to follow. The girl slowly followed the cat. Her sparkling blue eyes scanned the area and focused on the cat''s footprints.


    She might have lost her way when the footprints had vanished. The girl looked around, and her long black hair bounced around. She found a red liquid that almost had the same colour as the cat.


    Adreanna quickly followed the red liquid until she went even further into the woods. She stopped when she saw the red liquid everywhere and found the cat sleeping on the ground.


    She picked it up and tilted her head curiously. She slowly hugged it and caressed the back of its fur. It wasn''t moving. Maybe it was a heavy sleeper.


    There was this warm thing around the cat, though. The red liquid was warm. She looked up to see people sleeping around and picked a knife that was on the floor. She pocketed the weapon and gazed at the sleeping cat once more.


    She recognized the faces. They were her neighbours. They fell asleep together. Maybe father was here too?


    "Adreanna? Is that you- oh my god." Her mother''s voice caught her ears, and the girl quickly turned around to see the woman hovering over her.


    She offered the cat in her hand, trying to show how the cat slept peacefully without moving. Adreanna quickly got hugged by her mother. Oh? Did she like the cat too?


    After that day, she never saw the cat any more. And the neighbours.


    The first time she spoke was when she found her grandmother lying on the kitchen floor with the same red liquid. She was told that it was blood and that people with blood would be gone just like the cat.


    She did not want that.


    So Adreanna plucked the knife on her grandmother''s neck and brought it to her mother.


    "Grandma gone. Blood." She offered the knife to her stiffened mother, who suddenly shoved her away and screamed.


    Adreanna''s elbow got hit by the edge of the door and bled. It stung, but she should probably follow her mother.


    When she arrived at the kitchen again, her mother suddenly shook the girl''s body with water flowing out of her eyes. "You killed her!" She screamed at Adreanna while she kept shaking her body.


    "Grandma gone," Adreanna repeated her words and offered the knife again.


    "It''s you. It''s because of you." Her mother trembled and got away from her, looking at her with big eyes. Adreanna did not like the big eyes, though. She liked her mother''s usual one.


    "Not me." She extended her tiny hand and gave the knife to her mother again.


    Her mother shook her head and looked at her with an ugly look. Adreanna disliked that look.


    "Monster..." Her mother uttered with a slightly trembling voice.


    Adreanna learnt what a monster meant that day. It was her.


    She thought a monster was ugly and big, but apparently, she was a monster too. People called her pretty. Did that mean she was a pretty monster?


    The next time she saw a red liquid was when her aunt tried to stab her. She was sleeping when suddenly, a person tried to shove the knife into her stomach. The knife pierced through her skin, and Adreanna gritted her teeth.


    There was red liquid coming out of her stomach. She tried to shove her aunt''s hand away. Would she sleep forever too? She did not want that.


    "Die, you monster." Her aunt gritted and shoved the knife even deeper.


    Adreanna thrashed around, trying to ask for help, but no sound was coming out of her mouth. She bit her aunt''s hand, causing the woman to stagger back while holding her bitten hand.


    Adreanna quickly took out the knife, causing blood to overflow even more into her already red pyjamas.


    Before the aunt could react, Adreanna shoved the knife into her aunt''s neck so that her aunt could sleep forever, just like how her grandmother did.


    Adreanna did not want to sleep forever, so her aunt should be the one who slept forever.


    Then the door slammed open, revealing a man with black wavy length hair staring at her with wide eyes. Her father came in and quickly secured Adreanna away. Her father easily treated her wound as her mother screamed once again at the sleeping aunt.


    "You killed my sister!" Cecilia screamed at Adreamma and quickly got hugged by Cain, trying to calm her down.


    "Yes. But aunt tried first." She justified, and yet no one heard her voice.


    Her mother stayed away from her since that day, never wanting to see her face. Adreanna was left alone, locked in a room. She heard that she was dangerous from her father.


    But she did not do anything.


    When she finally spoke up, no one heard her. No one believed her. So, in the end, she stayed silent again. She learnt that it was best that way.


    No one would want to hear her.


    Not even her father.


    Her father would sometimes ''test'' her and make her slice some dolls that looked like a person. One or two times, her father would test how she would handle a gun. It was weird at first, but she believed that she should be good at doing the test.


    Adreanna aimed the gun to the head and shot the doll right on the spot. She lowered the weapon and tilted her head toward her father, looking at how her father''s face sometimes made a weird movement.


    She wondered how to make that weird movement too.


    The day her mother died, she was the last person to meet her. She brought a lavender because her mother always kept that flower around.


    She got in after the doctor finished talking to her mother. When she got in, her mother did not even glance at her but she was used to it. The young girl put the lavender beside her mother''s bed and stayed silent.


    Adreanna watched her holding a camera and tried to record herself. She once saw her mother do that too. Her mother always did that and never wanted to be disturbed.


    One day, the first time she got in the room where her mother tried to record herself was when she wanted to see her brother. She tugged her mother''s dress, and her mother stared at her with wide eyes.


    "Don''t make a noise or disturb me when I''m recording. Please don''t listen to my recording too. Just stay silent and stay away from me."


    Her mother quickly left the room and went to record somewhere else.


    Adreanna learnt that she shouldn''t disturb her when she wanted to record herself. So, every time she wanted to meet her mother, she would wait until she finished.


    However, even though she waited, her mother would only ignore her and go past her. Adreanna still came to her mother''s room every day though, because that was the only way for her to meet her mother.


    So when her mother was recording a video on her bed after giving birth, Adreanna waited beside her. She stayed silent, just like how her mother taught her.


    "The doctor- Adreanna call the doctor, please-" Her mother suddenly spoke.


    Was she speaking to her? Oh, was the camera aiming at her? Should she talk? Was this a test?


    Adreanna stared at the beeping sound and her mother, who suddenly stayed silent. Was she sleeping? But she told her to remain silent and never talk when a camera was recording. Maybe she should stay for a moment.


    Her mother slept really well. Adreanna probably should leave and let her sleep. She was probably mad because she went in when she was recording.


    So the girl quietly left the room, not knowing that her mother had left the world at that moment.


    She went to many tests after her mother got buried. She saw how her father would cry all day in her mother''s grave and stood right beside her father. She would stay by his side and wait for him to finish pouring water from his eyes.


    The tests turned into training, and the training turned into a killing. Her father would make her stay away from her brothers all the time.


    One day, when she wanted to spend her time with Kiaran on his ninth birthday, her father brought her away. He said that she should not hang around her brothers because she lived in a different world than them. He told her to throw away the knife that she wanted to give to Kiaran.


    She wondered if she could join their world too. Maybe they could join her world. But her father said that they did not have the criteria to be in her world.


    She wished they lived in the same world. But maybe she could kill all the people in their way and make her brothers live in the best world.


    And so she killed all the people in her brothers'' way to make a perfect world. She became the best assassin and protected her brothers from afar, hoping that they lived under the bright light while she watched from the shadow.


    Then maybe when her father told her that she could finally finish doing all of this, she could join their world too. Maybe went into the same school as Kiaran and walked around the city with Axel.


    That was her mission for a while until she met a serial killer named Maera.

 Chapter 113 - Adreannas Interlude : Part 3

    "The pretty and ugly duo are here to kick yo ass~" Maera declared it loud as she slammed the office door open with a bomb in her hand.


    Adreanna quickly tackled the guy below her when she dropped down from the vent and shot his head. The mission ended in a mere minute when Maera insanely blew the entire office.


    "Woo-hoo!" Maera screamed when she and Adreanna jumped off the building and shot a rope to another building''s rooftop together.


    They quickly dived onto another building''s rooftop and parkoured around for a while. They stopped when it seemed like they were already far enough from the scene.


    "That was fun." Maera chuckled and sat on the edge of the building, looking at the night view with relaxing eyes. Adreanna quickly followed her by sitting right beside the short girl.


    They enjoyed their tiny moment for a while, letting the wind play with their hair as it wished. The short girl moved, glancing at her friend''s porcelain mask and nudged the 16-year-old assassin.


    "So, what''s your reason?" Maera asked out of nowhere, earning a tilted head from Adreanna.


    "Your reason for being an assassin." She continued, shooting a quizzical and curious look at the taller girl.


    Adreanna stared at the moon for a while before she answered. "I don''t know."


    Maera frowned. "You don''t have a reason?"


    The breeze went past them once again, dancing around their clothes. The sound of traffic below them was vague, adding so much atmosphere to the busy night.


    "My father got sentenced to death." Maera followed Adreanna''s gaze to the moon and sighed. Adreanna quickly snapped her head over to Maera, tilting her head slightly.


    "I was taken a hostage." She paused. Her black pupils had turned nostalgic behind her pink glasses. "It was just me and father in this world, you know? So he couldn''t lose me."


    "Maybe if it was a criminal who does such dirty work, I would have become a hero and killed all the criminals." She chuckled and finally caught up with Adreanna''s stares.


    "Maybe you''d been dead in my hands too." She joked while smirking playfully.


    "But the one who was blackmailing my father was one of the governments." Her smile flattered as she looked down, clenching her fists a little. "That person has taken me hostage to make my father kill the president''s wife."


    "So he killed her so that I could live." She clenched her teeth, shoving down the anger within her. "And then my father took all the blame and died in front of the public''s eyes."


    "It''s unfair." She whispered. In between her speaking, some of her black locks cascaded down her face from how harsh the wind was around them.


    "So every day, I put my mind and devoted my life to kill that government." There was a slight murderous aura that came as quick as it faded.


    "And I did." Maera went back to flash her usual grin at Adreanna. The grin looked fake because of how quick it flattered.


    "And I feel... empty."


    "It''s not enough to get my revenge." Maera looked at her right hand coldly. "So I killed more."


    "And more."


    "And more."


    "I''m going to destroy every government alive just like how they let my father get destroyed." She told her, but it felt she was declaring it to the whole world instead.


    "That''s my reason." Maera inhaled deeply and tried to form her usual smile again. "You should learn to have a reason too."


    They both stared at each other for a while. It was as if the whole world was empty, and there was only the two of them at the moment.


    Maera quickly coughed and looked the other way. They fell into a calm silence again, letting the wind be the one who talked over them.


    The young serial killer gazed back at Adreanna slowly, trying to tell her another story. "You know, I used to have a mother-"


    "-fucker, who the fuck are you?!" She jumped back and stared at Adreanna''s naked face wide-eyed.


    "The wind." Adreanna casually muttered with her porcelain mask in her hand. Her blue eyes stared down at Maera''s void ones, causing the serial killer to become flustered.


    "W-what?"


    "I want to feel the wind," Adreanna repeated her sentence with her gorgeous stoic face facing the even more flustered Maera.


    "A-ah. Right." She cleared her voice and gulped. "I should probably stop calling you ugly assassin."


    "Imma just call you friend." Maera brushed her face with her hand, realizing how she was wrong all this time. The embarrassment was too big that she wished she could just die.


    "You should''ve told me that you''re drop-dead gorgeous, girl." She complimented the assassin, earning nothing in response.


    Now that she could see her face, it became more awkward and irritating when her friend did not answer nor react to her words.


    "You are really pretty." She re-complimented with an awkward smile. "Beautiful."


    ''Say it. Say it I''m beautiful too. Being told beautiful by a god-like face like her would make my self-esteem skyrocket.'' Maera thought, earning a sudden determination within her.


    She felt like she saw an artist- no, a goddess right now.


    "You''re the best assassin." She continued, not retreating on her compliments. "You''re cool too when you do the ''spinning in the air before blowing someone''s head off'' thing."


    Adreanna emotionlessly stared at her. "Okay."


    Marea''s jaw dropped. "...okay?"


    A sign of irritation morphed on her face as she forced a smile. "You could have complimented me back, you know."


    "Like saying I''m pretty too." She made a wild movement with her hands as she explained more. "That''s how people communicate! Complimenting someone back when being complimented."


    Adreanna blinked innocently at her. However, her innocence was mistaken as sinister by Maera. It was scary.


    "You''re pretty too." Adreanna finally said it, earning a sad smile from Maera.


    "Ah. It doesn''t feel that nice that I have to tell you to do it." She recoiled, feeling defeated.


    "Damn it."


    ??????


    A faded wound on Adreanna''s stomach was shown as she wrapped bandages all over her chest. Maera was cleaning her glasses while facing the other way, letting her friend change into her usual clothes.


    "Are you done?" The pink theme serial killer asked as she put on her glasses.


    "Yes. You can change now." Adreanna answered flatly and wore her red jacket while checking her phone.


    "Ah. I''m not changing. I have something to do tonight." Maera finally turned around and flashed Adreanna a smile. She walked over to her friend and fixed the pink ribbon on her friend''s braid.


    "This is probably going to be my last mission," Maera uttered while being satisfied with how pretty the ribbon looked with Adreanna.


    "You''re not killing all the governments?" Adreanna emotionlessly stared at her friend''s void-like pupils.


    "I''m only killing those who had a relation with my father''s killer. Like the governments who work with that bastard." Maera wiped the invincible specks of dust on Adreanna''s shoulders by tip-toeing and grinned.


    "It''s okay. I got this. You stay here, friend." She winked at Adreanna and retreated her hands.


    Maera quickly walked away from her and snatched the gun on the table. She reloaded them while making her way to the window.


    "Adreanna. My name is Adreanna." The assassin suddenly uttered, causing the other black-haired girl to look back.


    "Adreanna," Maera repeated her name and nodded. "Heh, pretty name for that pretty face."


    "But I really like calling you friend, though. I never had one that stayed." She shrugged as she put a foot outside the window. The sun was bright, and yet it could not match Maera''s bright smile.


    "Stay here. Don''t disturb my prey, friend!" She waved and let her body fall from the high building. She saluted at her one last time before she disappeared with her rope gun.


    Adreanna stayed for Maera just like how she stayed for her mother. She obediently stayed in their usual place without involving in Maera''s mission.


    And just like her mother, Maera did not stay either.


    The next day, all the news were talking about the death of the infamous serial killer. Maera could not kill the government she wanted to kill, the last government that had a relation with her father''s death.


    Maera was killed by that government instead, reliving the same thing as her father. But instead of being sentenced to death, she was sentenced right on the spot.


    Everyone cheered for the government. No one was mourning her, no one cared for her reason. They only saw the corrupted mask of the governments.


    A man who just got cheered by the people triumphantly drank his wine inside his house, living peacefully with his bloody hands.


    He had done it. He let the serial killer kill all his competitors in the government society and let his name skyrocket in the public''s eyes. He was waiting by letting her help him to kill all the people he had to kill without dirtying his hands.


    He knew he''d be her last target, and it helped him so much. Now, he finally could enjoy the peace and all the fame he had gained by eradicating her.


    "What a dumb girl." He chuckled and took another gulp.


    There was a clanking sound on the furthest dark side of his room, making the man suddenly on guard. He stood up from the sofa and frowned a little, focusing on the sound, trying to see who was inside the room with him.


    "Who''s there?" He shouted, putting down the wine in his hand while tightening his white robe.


    "The dumb girl''s friend." Someone whispered behind his ear, causing all the hairs in his body to stand up.


    He slowly turned around, trembling a little as he could feel the murderous aura behind him. "Y-you are-"


    "The one who will kill a dumb man." She uttered, eyes glinting behind her red porcelain man as she beheaded the government in one go.


    That day, Adreanna found a reason.

 Chapter 114 - Prison Break : Part 1

    "Move." The guard shoved Kiaran into an interrogation room harshly. The teen barely reacted to his surroundings and staggered forward to the room as the door slammed close behind him.


    The grey walls surrounded them as if they were there to suffocate whoever went inside. The only lamp was attached to the ceiling, right above the table in the middle of the room.


    With handcuffs on his wrists, Kiaran made his way to the chair that was facing the two-way mirror. He moved the chair back a little and took a seat, waiting just like he always did.


    Then the door opened, revealing a familiar blond with his usual uniform. Some of his hair dropped down on his left eye, covering it slightly.


    Valerian made his way to the chair in front of Kiaran, eyeing how horrible his sworn enemy looked today. His black hair that was messy looked even messier. He couldn''t even call it messy from how chaotic it looked.


    The bags under his eyes and the dark circle were too obvious. Kiaran did not even care to put up with his usual mask, only eerily stared at his own reflection on the mirror.


    ''Here to say goodbye, police boy?''


    That was what Kiaran was supposed to say in Valerian''s mind. But instead, the mercenary stared hollowly at the two-way mirror behind the lieutenant, not saying a single word out of his mouth despite the fact that he was getting beheaded tomorrow.


    Valerian''s green eyes twitched slightly, trying to put up with the unusually awkward atmosphere between them.


    "So, what''s your plan now? Disappearing suddenly? Clowned yourself?" He tried to lighten the atmosphere by giving a small joke, and he did a really bad job at it. Because usually, this was Kiaran''s job.


    Kiaran still did not answer. There was a slight silence between them that was used to be lively and full of bickering.


    Valerian found out that he did not like this mercenary.


    "Your death sentence is tomorrow." He tried to search for another topic. To be honest, he also did not know why he came here today, asking for the higher-ups to let him meet with the mercenary one last time.


    He probably just wanted to say goodbye. Valerian tried to kill him before too, so he thought this was fine.


    The blindfolded man was true to his words that day, though. He really helped him to catch the mercenary.


    The blond shoved the uneasy feeling in his heart and ignored it.


    "Thanks to you, I finally finished my two-year-long mission to catch you." He continued. Was the air always this suffocating?


    "So you really don''t have any plan, right?" Valerian did not know why he asked that. Maybe he was making sure.


    However, he did not know what he was making sure of. The slight hope that Kiaran had a plan or the hope that he wouldn''t so Valerian could finally rest and the criminal finally gone from the city.


    Kiaran finally looked at him. The fading ocean colour of his eyes stared right into the forest eyes. Valerian finally caught the man''s attention, yet the usual bravely that the blond had every time he had to face the mercenary just disappeared.


    He realized that Kiaran had always joked and teased him around. He never looked at him with those two empty and piercing eyes. Maybe that was the reason why Valerian had the courage to face him in the first place.


    "I''m here just to make sure." Valerian coughed awkwardly, trying to divert his gaze from Kiaran''s blue eyes for a moment. "-So you''re not going to screw everything again like you usually do. It''ll be a hassle if-"


    "I don''t." Kiaran cut him off coldly, uninterestedly kept burning his gaze on him.


    "So, are you done?" The sudden statement from the mercenary caught Valerian off guard.


    Valerian blinked and scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah."


    "Okay." Kiaran suddenly stood up, causing Valerian to quickly move his hand to the gun in his pocket.


    He dropped his gaze down to Valerian, standing right in front of the door. "Then can I leave now?"


    That moment, Valerian realized that the usual mercenary had died alongside the mute murderer. It was as if the person in front of him was just wearing the same face as his sworn enemy.


    Valerian also realized that he also had won their usual dance with each other.


    Somehow, it did not feel as good as he imagined it to be.


    ??????


    Valerian sighed and brushed his hair back, letting some of his locks cascade down to his left eye. When Kiaran finally left, he had frozen in his seat, staring dumbfoundedly at the closed door.


    Different kinds of thoughts and doubts fought within him to the point that he could not even focus on any of them.


    The sound of the door opening broke his jumbled thoughts off. His green eyes glinted under the dim light as he caught a man in his late forties getting inside the room, holding two cups of coffee.


    "Congratulation, lieutenant. That was such a unique sight to see. Sworn enemies were meeting with each other for the last time." He sang, offering the cup to Valerian by putting it down in front of the blond. The man quickly sat where Kiaran was sitting previously.


    "You can finally relax now, huh? You are such a hard-working kid, just like your parents." He complimented, smiling knowingly at Valerian. The latter slightly smiled back and took the cup of coffee from the table.


    "It was so heroic of you to let that damn criminal bury his dead brother. To think that they were brothers really threw me off." He shook the coffee in his hand, unknowingly receiving a cold stare from Valerian.


    "How can someone use a 16-year-old as a weapon." He clicked his tongue and shook his head disapprovingly.


    "Haha." Valerian awkwardly put up with the man''s bullshit and gripped the cup harder.


    That man used Valerian back in the day, forcing him to graduate early instead of hearing what the blond had to say. Valerian wanted to go to school just like everybody else, and yet this man used him as a weapon for the city.


    He even met someone who could compete with his brain back in the day. He was only nine years old when he finally made a real friend. He lost contact with him, and his friend''s face had become blurry.


    He wished that his friend would wait for him. Instead, he was chained with all the things that he had to do without even letting him choose what he wanted to do.


    To think that someone would say something about using a 16-year-old as a weapon and yet that man was the same person who forced Valerian to be a lieutenant and hunted down the mercenary at 16-year-old was bizarre.


    Though Valerian finally made peace with his situation and devoted his life to the city. But the man in front of him was the reason why sometimes Valerian wished that he could be a criminal and slit his throat off.


    Valerian gave one last smile at the man before standing up and leaving the room with a leftover irritation. He threw the cup of coffee away into the trash, making some of the liquid come out of the trash bin.


    ??????


    Valerian had just arrived in front of his house and opened the front door just to meet Aster sitting silently in front of the television that was talking about the mercenary''s death sentence.


    Aster''s green eyes looked so much like the mercenary''s, though Kiaran was way more hollow as if darkness overflowed within his ocean eyes.


    The news changed into Axel''s face and quickly back to the topic of his death. Theories on how his death occurred suddenly appeared, making Valerian hurriedly run to Aster''s side.


    The older snatched the remote and turned off the tv in a hurry. Aster did not move an inch or even blink. He still kept staring at the television''s dark screen. Valerian cautiously sat beside Aster, looking at his little brother with apologetic eyes.


    "So the mercenary is going to die too?" Aster suddenly began without diverting his gaze away from the screen.


    Valerian closed his eyes and sighed. "Yes."


    The older blond reached his hand to Aster''s shoulder. "Are you oka-"


    "You''re going to let yourself lose him like I lost Axel?" Aster suddenly moved his head to meet with his brother''s eyes, making the said brother''s reaching hand stop in the middle.


    "It''s different. He''s a criminal." Valerian answered and retreated his hand slowly. "-A high one."


    "And so does Axel." Aster retorted back. His dirty blond hair looked like he hadn''t taken a shower for a week.


    "But he is not my friend. I''ve been trying to catch him for two years." Valerian sighed again and put away the remote in his hand. He was about to open his mouth and continue to find more reason but Aster suddenly stood up, turning his back on him.


    "Okay. If you say so."


    Aster did not even try to argue back how he usually did. The boy just walked away toward his room.


    Before the boy vanished from Valerian''s vision, he stopped for a moment. "And for your information, Val." He began, slightly looking back at his brother. "-Axel was not my friend too."


    "Until I realized it too late."


    Then Aster left, leaving Valerian haunted with the words that he had just uttered.

 Chapter 115 - Prison Break : Part 2

    Valerian equipped his brown trench coat and a brown hat. He also wore coffee-coloured gloves and the mask that Kiaran had offered to him that day¡ªthe day when they had to work together to save Axel and Aster. It was funny how now Valerian would once again break someone out of prison.


    The pale white walls with a single bed in the middle adorned his bedroom. He reloaded his gun and pocketed it. He had borrowed the mercenary''s rope gun and knives that he stole earlier.


    "This is insane. I''ve gone mad." The blond muttered as he stared at his own reflection in the mirror. He stood straight in his bedroom, facing his own shadow with a sigh.


    "Couldn''t agree more." A voice almost startled him as he quickly snapped his head over to Aster who was leaning on the door.


    Aster was wearing a yellow jacket with simple jeans. One of his hands was inside the jacket''s front pocket, resting there. The boy did his hair quite neatly if you had seen his previous state before.


    "This was your idea." Valerian returned his little brother''s tired gaze with a brooding look that was intended toward Aster rather than himself.


    "Don''t bring me into this." Aster threw a brown hat at Valerian, and the latter easily caught it.


    "I''m just saying, if you don''t want to know what depression is, save that mercenary''s ass." The boy ended his sentence with a shrug.


    "Now, if you excuse me, I''m late to my therapy." Aster wore his hood and quickly left Valerian''s room, walking away from the lieutenant who was about to save his sworn enemy.


    The moon once again watched while stealing the sun''s light so that it could reflect its dim brightness for the city. The night muffled Livedam in silence as people slowly returned to the city after their mass evacuation.


    ??????


    "Lieutenant! You''re back. Do you have a night shift?" A woman with a police uniform smiled at Valerian.


    "Oh, I just left something. I''m going to take him real quick. It''s quite annoying, actually." Valerian stated and nodded at the woman. He wore a black trench coat and hid his hands inside his pockets. His hair swayed a little from the cold wind of the night, causing it to cascade down his face.


    "That is really annoying indeed, sir." The woman agreed and watched Valerian quietly walk into the prison.


    "Though I think he is too tired that he changed an it into him." She muttered and chuckled a little. "''Take him real quick.'' That sounded like he was about to snatch a person away." She shook her head and went back to her work.


    She was right, of course. As soon as Valerian got in, he tried to behave as normal as possible, glancing one or two times at the CCTV around. When he arrived in the security room hallway, he quickly walked under the camera, pretending to see his phone when someone went past him.


    He took out a knife with his gloved hand and threw it into the camera, making it twitch for a moment and finally shut down.


    When he made sure the camera had already turned off, and no one was around, the blond silently went inside the empty security room. He knew that the one who watched the security cameras had taken a break at this hour. He had planned this thoroughly.


    Valerian quickly took off his trench coat and turned it around, revealing the brown colour that he had worn backwards. He quickly took out his mask and hat, covering his hair and half of his face.


    He meddled with the security monitors and turned them off just in a minute. Before he quickly shut them all off, he looked toward Kiaran''s monitor.


    The teen was sitting on a hard bed, facing the wall without moving an inch. Valerian reached his hand to turn off Kiaran''s camera too and almost stopped when the mercenary suddenly stared at the camera.


    His stares were too cold and uninviting. Just wait until he knew that Valerian was saving him, he should be thankful.


    He silently opened the high-level lock on Kiaran''s cell door and quickly turned off the last camera. Valerian lowered his hat to cover his eyes and left the room.


    He sped walk to Kiaran''s cell who was put with the best security in prison. It was on the furthest side of the basement.


    Valerian walked in the hallway, facing two guards who were guarding Kiaran''s cell. The two guards'' bodies hunched forward with their hands ghosting over their weapons.


    "Stop right th-"


    Valerian shot his tranquillizer gun to the two in a swift movement, not letting them finish their sentence. He crouched down on them and searched for the extra key that was locking Kiaran''s cell.


    "Sorry, boys. I don''t know what''s gotten into me either, but I need to make sure I''m not going to regret anything." Valerian found the key and quickly snatched it, bringing it over to the cell''s door.


    "Though I feel like I''m starting to regret this already." He muttered mild hauntedly when he shoved the key to the door and turned it clockwise.


    He opened the door to see a completely white room with a single bed and toilet. The teen that he had to save sat on the bed, staring at him with the same look as he had when he stared at the camera.


    "What are you doing here, lieutenant Valerian?" Kiaran flatly muttered. There was no tone in his voice like he usually did. It was out of character.


    Or maybe this was his real self.


    "Don''t call me like that. It sounds creepy coming from you." Valerian shivered for a moment before walking over and standing in front of the mercenary. "And I''m here to save your ass, by the way."


    "Don''t bother," Kiaran answered, still gazing at his green eyes with his dull blue ones.


    "Too bad. You know how stubborn I am, right?" Valerian stated while looking down at Kiaran''s hands. "Ah. I forgot about the handcuff''s key."


    "Come on, we''ll think about that later. Let''s get out of here." He continued and quickly walked to the door, scanning the surroundings cautiously.


    When it was deemed that no one was around, Valerian looked back at Kiaran again, expecting the man to be already close to him.


    So when Kiaran still sat on the same spot, the blond''s eyes twitched a little. "Why aren''t you standing?"


    The person in question did not answer. He did not even try to look in Valerian''s way and stared at the wall again.


    "Mercenary, you-" A sign of irritation filled the room as Valerian tried to control his rage. He trembled, calming himself from shouting and cursing the life out of his sworn enemy.


    "We don''t have time for this shit. Let''s go."


    "I said I don''t want to." Kiaran stubbornly answered while completely ignoring the lieutenant''s effort in trying to bail him out. And boy, how Valerian hoped that he had killed Kiaran right now instead of trying to save his ass.


    "Why are you so stubborn? Are you fucking suicidal?!" He made his way to Kiaran and shook his body with his hands gripping on the shoulders.


    "I don''t see why not." The black-haired answered, unfazed.


    The two had a staring contest for a while with their own form of determination. One had a raging fire in his eyes, and the other had a blizzard in his gaze.


    Valerian gritted his teeth behind his mask. "This bastard-"


    "Put your hands in the air! You are under arrest!" There were ten police officers outside the cell, aiming their guns at Valerian. The blond lowered his hat and followed the instruction, he had to think of a way to get out of this.


    Wait.


    They weren''t aiming at him. They were aiming at Kiaran!


    They probably thought Kiaran was more dangerous than him at the moment, knowing how they all pointed their guns at the mercenary. But the thing was, the mercenary himself did not give a fuck whether he died or not.


    This guy needed some therapy. No, he needed therapy since the beginning.


    Valerian warily looked over the police officers with a sweat that started to form on his forehead. ''Damn it. I can''t fight them while trying to protect Kiaran. Can''t he protect himself? At least have some will to live!''


    There was no other way. He just had to face them all. If they were caught, not only would he fail to save the mercenary, but he would probably follow him to the afterlife for this treason.


    Valerian side-eyed Kiaran who was still fucking staring at the wall. The blond sighed. Sweats had already danced around his palm.


    He silently took out the knife hidden in his sleeve, planning to throw it to one of the officer''s legs to buy some time.


    "Wait for me." He whispered to Kiaran, belatedly noticing the suddenly widened eyes and dark emotions blooming on the mercenary''s face.


    Before Valerian managed to take out the whole knife and went into action, Kiaran had moved first.


    The black-haired easily broke off the handcuff with one snap of a finger and swiftly snatched the gun inside Valerian''s pocket in a blink of an eye. Before anyone could react, Kiaran had mercilessly shot all the police officers in their hands, nailing every single shot coldly.


    All the weapons quickly dropped from all the officers'' hold, some of them let out a cry while the others tried to bear with the pain.


    "Don''t say those words to me," Kiaran stated, glaring at Valerian with eyes filled with darkness and rage.


    The blond was caught off-guard by the sudden movement. He froze while staring bewilderedly at Kiaran.


    "If you say that again, I''m going to fucking kill you."

 Chapter 116 - Prison Break : Part 3

    "...Did I say something wrong to you?" Valerian blinked at the back of Kiaran''s head. He never saw the mercenary this mad before.


    "Wait a damn minute." The blond did not let Kiaran answer him and cut through the conversation with the vanished rage that started to come back to his soul.


    He gazed at the fallen handcuffs that Kiaran easily broke away from and moved his eyes to the back of his head again. "You could''ve escaped this shit yourself? Without my help?"


    "Of course." Kiaran returned the stare by tilting his head to the back, raising his eyebrows sardonically.


    "I-" The words disappeared from Valerian''s mouth. The lieutenant was too stunned to speak.


    Veins started to appear on the blond''s forehead. "Then why-"


    "Because I don''t want to escape. I thought I''d told you beforehand?" Kiaran''s hollow eyes went back to face the police officers. "Now kill them off or something. That stupid brain of yours has gotten worse every time we met."


    Valerian decided to ignore the irritation within him and went to shoot his tranquillizer darts to the police officers that had just recovered from Kiaran''s shots. The blond missed the shot to the last officer and quickly jumped, tackling the man to the ground.


    He punched the guy''s face and knocked the officer out cold. He jerked his head up to throw the blond locks that were covering his eyes away.


    "You have to act. You get in from the front door, right?" Kiaran had already stood beside Valerian, snatching the fainted officer''s dark green jacket.


    The mercenary adjusted with the jacket and took the stun gun on the floor. "You have to pretend to run away from the building and show yourself to the policewoman outside to prove that you''re innocent."


    Valerian frowned at him. "How do you know that I-"


    He quickly snapped his mouth shut, deciding not to waste another breath away for this annoying guy. "You know what. I don''t even know if I''m helping you right now is part of your plan, but I don''t care."


    "Don''t worry. It''s not my plan." Kiaran snatched Valerian''s hat and wore it to cover his hair and eyes. He let out a small amused chuckle to him.


    "You surprised me again, police boy." He shot him a last smirk and waved the rope gun that he had snatched away silently from the blond earlier. "Let''s meet afterwards."


    Then Kiaran ran away from him, leaving the frozen Valerian away, trying to process his words.


    Then the realization hit.


    "Wait, where-"


    ??????


    Valerian had successfully acted like he was angry at the mercenary''s sudden disappearance. He easily fooled the woman that he had met earlier and several other officers.


    They would not suspect him for anything because they knew how he had tried to defeat the mercenary for so long. He was basically the last person that would get suspected.


    Valerian had spread some lies and manipulations, saying that the mercenary had escaped himself because he always had planned. It was weird how he easily incited false information to the people as if he had done it so many times.


    Maybe he just had been hanging with a particular person way too much.


    Now the problem was, Valerian had no single clue where the hell the mercenary went. He tried to search Kiaran''s burnt house and realized that he just had no idea where to search.


    After trying to search the area around for a while, he decided to go home. The mercenary probably would disappear for a month or so, or maybe he would come back with another world burn.


    ...which would pile up the guilt in Valerian''s soul even more, but as he said earlier, he would just regret it later.


    When he arrived at his house and was about to go to his room, Aster suddenly came in front of his door at the same time, offering him drinks lazily.


    "Why are you giving me two cans of soda?" Valerian glanced at the drinks with a slight frown.


    "That''s for me." The door in his room suddenly opened, revealing a certain person that Valerian had searched all night.


    Kiaran snatched the can from Aster''s hand and put the brown hat to the boy''s head. "Thanks for the hat, police clown."


    Aster held the hat on his head with one hand. "Oh, you know it''s mine?"


    "The amount of the dirty blond hairs that was attached inside the hat was more than a single hair that had fallen from your brother''s head. Therefore, you wear it more than your brother. Then it''s yours."


    Aster blinked at the mercenary''s explanation. "Damn, smartass."


    The young Edelweiss cleared his throat, completely ignoring the presence of his brother as he properly faced the mercenary. "I just want to say that I still hate you for what you did to Axel."


    "But I was not the best person to him too, so I guess I can''t be mad at you on his stead." He continued, staring at Kiaran''s blue eyes genuinely.


    "But still," Aster grinned as his green eyes morphed into a hidden hatred. "-respectfully, fuck you."


    Kiaran shrugged and opened the can. "Accepted."


    "You were here?!" Valerian yelled, separating his brother and mercenary away from each other. He finally finished questioning his existence and went to shout at the unfazed black-haired teen.


    "I was searching for you this whole time-" Valerian cut his own words again. he often did it to the mercenary, knowing how his irritation toward him would be endless. "You know what, never mind."


    "Never mind." He repeated his words and took the can in his little brother''s hand.


    Kiaran drank the soda in one go and tilted his head. "So, why''d you save me?"


    "You told me that we''re ''friends for now'', remember?" Valerian stated, taking a sip of the soda before staring at his sworn enemy''s eyes. "I''m just doing what a friend must do."


    "Damn." Kiaran raised an eyebrow, completely amused. "You really don''t have any friends, huh?"


    "Pffft." Aster stifled his laugh and looked the other way. His face was red as he choked on his own saliva, receiving stares from Valerian and Kiaran.


    Aster quickly adjusted himself and cleared his throat. "...I''ll leave."


    The boy floundered away from the two sworn enemies and finally left them alone.


    Kiaran side-eyed Valerian as he got inside the blond''s room, sitting on the bed as if it was his own bedroom. "I clearly insulted you. Why are you smiling?"


    The faint smile that was plastered on the Edelweiss''s face quickly flattered at the mention of it as he closed the door behind him, taking off the trench coat slowly. "Aster hadn''t let a single laugh these past days. I''m glad he''s recovering right now."


    Then silence surrounded them for a moment. Kiaran was gawking at Valerian as the guy hung his trench coat behind his door and went to sit beside the Vergessene.


    "I had a friend." Valerian began suddenly, catching Kiaran''s attention again. "But we got separated when we were young."


    "He was the only friend I had." He sighed, glancing at the ceiling as he remembered the old days. "When I got this work, I thought I''d made friends and-"


    "Well, one of them betrayed me and died. I thought Gina was my friend." He chuckled pathetically to himself before continuing, "I tried to search for this boy. Even though I don''t even remember him."


    "But he just... gone. There are no track records of him in the school, and it was weird. It was as if he never existed. We were only nine. All I remember of him was his black hair."


    Valerian did not notice the sudden shock that bloomed on Kiaran''s face, as if he just realized something big, something that the mercenary himself had forgotten.


    "He just left me and disappeared." The lieutenant continued, still glancing at the ceiling.


    There was a beat of silence before Kiaran finally chimed in, "Weren''t you the one who left him first?"


    Valerian did not question how Kiaran knew about it. He did not even realize it since, weirdly, it felt like he was talking to that boy again right now. The same comfortable feeling of a friend hearing his thoughts.


    "Well, yeah. I had to." He answered, shrugging while finally facing Kiaran who had adjusted his expression. "They forced me to move. I told him to wait, but I was not allowed to go out that week."


    "I came over the next week to our usual place, and he was not there. I kept coming back after that, searching for his house, but he disappeared."


    Valerian smiled sadly at Kiaran and sighed. "I kept coming back, but at some point, I gave up."


    "I still went there sometimes." His green eyes morphed into something longing and some spark of guilt. "You know, maybe he''ll magically appear."


    When Valerian finally realized Kiaran''s unusual stiffened face, he finally came to his senses. "Ah, I overshare."


    "Don''t worry." Kiaran quickly answered as he leaned on the wall with a foot crossing over the other. "That''s what friends would do."


    Kiaran smiled. It was the first genuine smile he gave to a person after a very long time. Valerian returned the smile with a fond smirk.


    Then they both realized that they had just made the situation awkward. They quickly looked away at the same time, trying to search for a reason to do something at the moment. The belated regret ate the two away, knowing that they both silently agreed to never talk about anything that had just happened.


    What happened in this bedroom, stayed in this bedroom.


    "Hey, uh." Kiaran began again, awkwardly coughing his throat. "That friends of yours-"


    His words were interrupted by the sudden ring from Valerian''s phone. "Wait, something came up."


    The latter quickly picked up. As he received the phone call, his face morphed from a frown into a sudden horror toward Kiaran.


    "I just got a report." Valerian put his phone away and stared at his sworn enemy with a haunted expression.


    "Someone stole your brother''s body.. They are suspecting you."

 Chapter 117 - His Broken Self : Part 1

    Axel woke up right when the sun vanished from the world. The blanket draped over him neatly, and his window''s curtain was half shut.


    It seemed like he overslept after he took a nap.


    The clock was pointing at the number seven. Ah, Axel had to help Kiaran while the older planned for the next mission. He knew that he had to kill people for him. He also knew that he wanted to stop killing.


    But anyway, as much as Axel loved to just stop murdering people and go back to sleep, he needed to fill his stomach first. He probably had screwed up his sleeping and eating habit.


    He glanced tiredly at the window as he pulled himself into a sitting position. Brushing his fluffy hair away from his face, the boy yawned and jumped over from the bed, making a soft thump sound.


    He stretched his hands up as he stood up. He felt really tired lately, maybe he should stop pushing himself too hard. His body ached all over, especially his chest. Was he dying at such young age already?


    Maybe he should take Rune''s advice to start drinking some expensive herbs that she offered.


    Axel made his way out of his room, walking into his second-floor hallway while dragging his footsteps a little. He went down the stair with another yawn, causing a tear to form on the side of his eye.


    There was a faint smell of hot chocolates and some sound of chopping knife against a cutting board alongside boiling water. Axel could hear familiar voices talking.


    He walked into the kitchen, expecting only Kiaran to be there but instead, he spotted three people. Kiaran was busy making the soup while Cain chopped the ingredients.


    Adreanna sat on the chair, drinking her hot chocolate in silence. Food set out in front of her, filling all the four chairs'' spots. Two hot chocolates and one coffee were there too, and Axel could see the steam coming out of them.


    Axel did not realize that he was standing at the doorway for too long, staring at his three family members with a weird feeling in his heart.


    "Oh, look, the sleepyhead decided to finally wake up from his beauty sleep." Kiaran put the ladle in his hand down and shot a playful smirk at his dumbfounded little brother.


    "You should fix that sleep schedule of yours. It''s not healthy." A monotone voice began. Adreanna looked up from her drink to her brother. There was a sign of awkwardness coming from her.


    "Axel won''t do what you say, Adreanna. He only listens to me." Kiaran chimed in, earning a glare from his sister. However, the secondborn did not care as he kept eyeing the boy. "You should sleep properly, your blood pressure could rise because of that."


    "I just said the same thing," Adreanna grumbled, emotionless eyes facing Kiaran with a hidden irritation.


    "It''s different if I said it. Right, Axel?" He shot up Axel with a knowing grin, leaving the boy to smile awkwardly.


    "Okay, that''s enough, you two." Cain separated his two children and offered Axel a kind smile. "Are you still half-asleep, son? You''ve been staring the whole time."


    "I-" Axel shook his head. His vision blurred for a moment as he focused on his surroundings even more. Adreanna''s red eyes- had the colour always that bright?


    Wait, why were they red? He quickly snapped his head over to Kiaran and Cain''s eyes, and they were all red. Ruby red, yet bloody at the same time. Axel''s eyes moved to the back of their shoulders.


    "Why do all of you have wings?" Axel asked. He couldn''t control his own thoughts anymore that his mouth spoke for itself.


    Their faces flickered into something. Then they had that look in their eyes as if Axel was the one who spouted nonsense when they were the one who wore some big black wings on their back.


    "What do you mean? We always did. He is totally still half-dreaming, father." Kiaran snorted, though his red eyes glinted with something deep, something dangerous.


    "No. You''re not-" Axel choked as his heart raced, he could not understand what was happening, but something was totally wrong. Something was not right.


    "Son? Are you alright?" His father shot a concerned look at him, and Axel frowned. He was okay, but everything around him was not okay.


    "Who are you?" Axel began, his mismatched eyes started to form fear and hatred.


    "What''s going on?" Adreanna suddenly put down her hot chocolate and looked over to Kiaran. The latter gave a knowing look at her, and she quickly looked over at Axel with her usual flat look.


    "Axel." Kiaran began to walk over at the boy, offering his hand to calm his little brother down. "It''s just us and-"


    "No. Stay away from me. Stay away!" Axel shouted as his back hit the wall. He started to tremble, and his heart began to ache again.


    "Axel, you''re scaring us. Are you okay? We''re your family, we''re here to help you." Cain took the lead this time, still offering his kind, concerned smile for him, trying to calm him down.


    "Something''s wrong with me. What did you do to me?" Axel whispered as he kept shaking and shaking.


    Cain put down the knife in his hand and tried to walk over to the boy. "We didn''t do anything. Let''s calm down and-"


    "You''re not my father." Axel spat. With his trembling self, he still managed to get angry. "You''re not my siblings too."


    "And I''m not your Axel."


    The last thing Axel saw was the faces of his demon family turned cold.


    ??????


    Axel woke up right when the sun vanished from the world. The blanket draped over him neatly, and his window''s curtain was half shut.


    It seemed like he overslept after he took a nap.


    The clock was pointing at the number seven. Ah, Axel had to help Kiaran while the older planned for the next mission. He knew he probably had to kill someone silently while using his invisibility power.


    He had the best power to be a murderer in this world. He also knew that he wanted to stop killing. But he needed to do it for the family.


    But anyway, as much as Axel loved to just stop murdering people and go back to sleep, he needed to fill his stomach first. He probably had screwed up his sleeping and eating habit.


    He glanced tiredly at the window as he pulled himself into a sitting position. Brushing his fluffy hair away from his face, the boy grimaced from his aching head and jumped over from the bed, making a soft thump sound.


    His body slumped as he stood up. He felt highly exhausted lately, maybe he should stop pushing himself too hard. His body ached all over, especially his chest. Was he dying at such young age already?


    Maybe he should take Rune''s advice to start drinking some expensive herbs that she offered.


    Axel made his way out of his room, walking into his second-floor hallway while dragging his footsteps. He went down the stair with a shaking hand. He probably got it because he hadn''t eaten lunch.


    There was a faint smell of hot chocolates and some sound of chopping knife against a cutting board alongside boiling water. Axel could hear familiar voices talking.


    He walked into the kitchen, expecting only Kiaran to be there but instead, he spotted three people. Kiaran was busy making the soup while Cain chopped the ingredients.


    Adreanna sat on the chair, drinking her hot chocolate in silence. Food set out in front of her, filling all the four chairs'' spots. Two hot chocolates and one coffee were there too, and Axel could see the steam coming out of them.


    Axel did not realize that he was standing at the doorway for too long, staring at his three family members with a throbbing feeling in his heart.


    "Oh, look, the sleepyhead decided to finally wake up from his beauty sleep." Kiaran put the ladle in his hand down and shot a playful smirk at his dumbfounded little brother.


    "You should fix that sleep schedule of yours. It''s not healthy." A monotone voice began. Adreanna looked up from her drink to her brother. There was a sign of awkwardness coming from her.


    There was a weird feeling in his hands, and Axel quickly looked down. He lowered his gaze and noticed the cracks all over his skin. His hands looked like broken porcelain.


    Had the cracks always been there before?


    Axel looked up again and realized that three pairs of red eyes were staring at him in silence. He stood there in confusion, scanning his surrounding that looked like he had been thrown into the past with the medieval-like decorations. Though, it was similar to his usual one.


    Was his kitchen always looked like this?


    "Wait. What''s happening?" Axel started to frown as he tried to grasp his chest. He felt sick. He knew this was not heaven nor hell.


    Or was it?


    He looked up to three that were waiting for him to say something. Axel''s lips began to tremble as he opened his mouth to speak.


    "Aren''t I supposed to be dead?"


    ??????


    Axel woke up right when the sun vanished from the world. The blanket draped over him neatly, and his window''s curtain was half shut.


    It seemed like he overslept after he took a nap.


    The clock was pointing at the number seven. Ah, Axel had to help Kiaran on his next mission. He knew he had to kill the princess tomorrow.


    But anyway, he needed to fill his stomach first. He probably had screwed up his sleeping and eating habit.


    He glanced tiredly at the window as he pulled himself into a sitting position. Brushing his fluffy hair away from his face, the boy grimaced from his aching head and jumped over from the bed, making a soft thump sound.


    His body slumped as he stood up. He felt highly exhausted lately, maybe he should stop pushing himself too hard. His body ached all over, especially his chest. Was he dying at such young age already?


    Maybe he should take Rune''s advice to start drinking some expensive herbs that she offered.


    Wait, who was Rune again?


    Ah, never mind. He probably dreamt about that person or something.


    Axel made his way out of his room, walking into his second-floor hallway while dragging his footsteps. He went down the stair with a shaking hand. He probably got it because he hadn''t eaten lunch.


    There was a faint smell of hot chocolates and some sound of chopping knife against a cutting board alongside boiling water. Axel could hear familiar voices talking.


    He walked into the kitchen, expecting only Kiaran to be there but instead, he spotted three people. Kiaran was busy making the soup while Cain chopped the ingredients.


    Adreanna sat on the chair, drinking her hot chocolate in silence. Food set out in front of her, filling all the four chairs'' spots. Two hot chocolates and one coffee were there too, and Axel could see the steam coming out of them.


    He felt like he was in some kind of messed-up deja vu.


    "Oh, look, the sleepyhead decided to finally wake up from his beauty sleep." Kiaran put the ladle in his hand down and shot a playful smirk at his dumbfounded little brother.


    "Ah, s-sorry. I think I accidentally overslept." Axel awkwardly answered while fiddling in his place, trying to avoid Kiaran''s gaze.


    Kiaran suddenly hugged the boy and chuckled. "You can sleep all you want, but you really have to fix your sleeping schedule and eat."


    Axel was startled, freezing in Kiaran''s hold as the older slowly let go with a fond smile. He ruffled the boy''s hair, making the mess out of it.


    "Right," Kiaran snapped his finger as if he just remembered something. "You don''t have to kill the princess. Just forget about that mission."


    Axel tilted his head in bewilderment. "Huh? Isn''t that like the most important mission that you had planned with father?"


    "Nope. Not anymore." Kiaran clasped both of his hands and grinned. His wings flared up a little in excitement. "And in fact, you don''t have to kill anymore."


    Axel''s face bloomed into a happy disbelieve. "Really?"


    "Mmm-hmm. I''ll protect you. We''ll protect you." Kiaran went back to the stove and took the ladle again.


    "But, Kiaran." Axel still stood in his place as he silently asked, staring at the back of his brother''s head.


    "Hm?" The secondborn hummed without looking away from the boiling soup.


    "There is no princess in my world."


    Adreanna, Cain, and Kiaran stopped their movement at the same time. Kiaran silently put down the ladle again and turned to face Axel.


    The surrounding had become hazy as Kiaran sighed and gazed at him with cold sardonic eyes.


    "You''re stubborn, Axel."

 Chapter 118 - His Broken Self : Part 2

    Axel woke up right when the sun vanished from the world. The blanket draped over him neatly, and his window''s curtain was half shut.


    It seemed like he overslept after he took a nap.


    Something was wrong.


    The clock was pointing at the number seven. Ah, Axel had to help Kiaran on his next mission.


    Yeah, he needed to help him like he usually did. Everything was fine. Nothing was wrong. That was right.


    But anyway, he needed to fill his stomach first. He probably had screwed up his sleeping and eating habit.


    He glanced tiredly at the window as he pulled himself into a sitting position. Brushing his fluffy hair away from his face, the boy grimaced from his aching head and jumped over from the bed, making a soft thump sound.


    His body slumped as he stood up. He felt highly exhausted lately, maybe he should stop pushing himself too hard. His body ached all over, especially his chest. Was he dying at such young age already?


    Maybe he should take Rune''s-


    No.


    Something was wrong.


    Axel made his way out of his room, walking into his second-floor hallway while dragging his footsteps. He went down the stair with a shaking hand. He probably got it because he hadn''t eaten lunch.


    There was a faint smell of hot chocolates and some sound of chopping knife against a cutting board alongside boiling water. Axel could hear familiar voices talking.


    That was wrong.


    He walked into the kitchen, expecting only Kiaran to be there but instead, he spotted three people. Kiaran was busy making the soup while Cain chopped the ingredients.


    Adreanna sat on the chair, drinking her hot chocolate in silence. Food set out in front of her, filling all the four chairs'' spots. Two hot chocolates and one coffee were there too, and Axel could see the steam coming out of them.


    ''Something is wrong.'' The voice in the back of Axel''s mind whispered. It was a frantic whisper, a desperate one.


    "Oh, look, the sleepyhead decided to finally wake up from his beauty sleep." Kiaran put the ladle in his hand down and shot a playful smirk at his dumbfounded little brother.


    No, no, no, no, no-


    Axel did not realize he was shaking. Sweats ran down from the side of his forehead as he staggered back from the kitchen.


    Kiaran reached his hand to the boy with a sign of concern on his face. "Axel, are you oka-"


    Axel slapped his brother''s hand, glaring wide-eyed at the brother before him. "Fuck off."


    Kiaran''s face turned bored. The concern in his red eyes had vanished as his face shifted into an upset look, almost like he was annoyed.


    "Fine. Let''s play this game."


    ??????


    Axel woke up right when the sun vanished from the world. The blanket draped over him neatly, and his window''s curtain was half shut.


    It seemed like he overslept after he took a nap.


    The clock was pointing at the number seven. He needed to fill his stomach first. He probably had screwed up his sleeping and eating habit.


    He glanced at the window as he pulled himself into a sitting position. Brushing his fluffy hair away from his face, the boy grimaced from his aching head and jumped over from the bed, making a soft thump sound.


    He stretched his hands as he stood up. He felt highly exhausted lately, maybe he should stop pushing himself too hard.


    Axel made his way out of his room, walking into his second-floor hallway while dragging his footsteps. He went down the stair with a shaking hand. He probably got it because he hadn''t eaten lunch.


    There was a faint smell of hot chocolates and some sound of chopping knife against a cutting board alongside boiling water. Axel could hear familiar voices talking.


    He walked into the kitchen, expecting only Kiaran to be there but instead, he spotted three people. Kiaran was busy making the soup while Cain chopped the ingredients.


    Adreanna sat on the chair, drinking her hot chocolate in silence. Food set out in front of her, filling all the four chairs'' spots. Two hot chocolates and one coffee were there too, and Axel could see the steam coming out of them.


    He took a seat in front of Adreanna and faced his brother and father''s back. He stared at the hot chocolate in front of him dully. There was a weird aching in his head, and it dragged his whole vision to blur a little.


    "Oh, look, the sleepyhead decided to finally wake up from his beauty sleep." Kiaran put the ladle in his hand down and shot a playful smirk at his fatigued little brother.


    "It''s only a five hours nap. I was tired." Axel muttered. He didn''t even bother to smile or look up to his brother. It seemed like emotions were getting drawn out of him.


    "That ain''t a nap, dear little brother." Kiaran shook his head fondly and went back to stir the soup.


    "It''s still a nap." Axel protested, leaning his elbow onto the table, staring at the steam coming out of his hot chocolate as if his life depended on it.


    "You''ve been staring at your hot chocolate for a while. Why not drink it?" Adreanna mentioned while sipping her hot chocolate gracefully. She always looked elegant on doing anything literally.


    Axel puffed his breath. "Well, I-" He looked up to Adreanna''s eyes, and suddenly, he felt like the world suddenly broke apart, shattering into pieces within his mind.


    "I-" He furrowed his eyebrows slowly, confusingly. "I''m-"


    Axel stopped. And when he did that, he could feel his heart and breath stopped working too. His soul absquatulated through his body while his mind desperately clung to it.


    Another minute passed, but Axel did not realize. The world turned slow, and everything was way too blurry. He felt like a deer in a headlight, knowing that a wave of death was coming his way and yet he could not move an inch.


    "You okay?" Adreanna''s monotone voice somehow went inside Axel''s haze of blurry world.


    The boy blinked. Once. Twice. Then he stared at Adreanna''s deep red eyes, like a red ocean that no one could explore, like a pool of blood, but beautiful.


    "I''m okay." There was no tone in Axel''s answer as he blinked once more. "I''m just- I''m just tired. Maybe I need more rest."


    "You can rest after dinner." She stated. Maybe she tried to soothe him as she still focused on Axel''s well being.


    "I feel ill and- and weird." Axel tried to blink again. And again. Then again.


    "Then you should take some medicine. I''ll get it for you." Adreanna put the hot chocolate in her hand down and got ready to stand up.


    Though Axel suddenly stopped her midway, reaching into her sleeve from across the table. "No, no-"


    There was a gist of memory that went past him. A sudden ache in his heart, and something cracked within his body. He tried to hold onto it but quickly lost the sight or the feel of it.


    He tried to remember. Tried to think. Tried to replay the memory.


    What did he forget about again?


    "Axel?" His sister asked, staring down at his hand that clung onto her sleeve and then to his pale face.


    Did he just think about ''his sister''? Sister. Was she his sister? Wait. Why did he think about this again?


    Axel suddenly let go of her and staggered back. The chair fell down, creating a loud sound as he stared at Adreanna with this headache that just wouldn''t stop-


    It would not stop.


    He couldn''t-


    Axel tripped over the chair and fell onto the floor. Everything swayed around him as he tried to keep his ground solid, blinking again, hoping that it would stop moving just for a fucking second-


    "I don''t-" He choked as he looked up at the owner of the feet that had just arrived in front of him. Axel could see the braided hair and the gorgeous face of his sister-


    Sister?


    No. No. No. Why-


    "You are not my sister." Axel gritted, and then a sudden pain jolted through his vein, causing him to let out a gasp. He could not feel any emotions. All he felt was pain and pain and pain and pain and-


    "I know you''re just a child." She looked down on him, staring coldly from her red eyes. Why was it red? What colour were her sister''s eyes supposed to be again?


    "I had hoped you didn''t become a murderer like me." She uttered, almost too cold and had a gist of irritation in her voice, "From what I read, a child shouldn''t be treated that way."


    "Your sister is still learning the thing called emotions." She continued. She called herself his sister while she clearly not-


    "I hope you''ll be happy this way. Because my long friend said, it was the best emotion." Adreanna''s sentence suddenly made Axel realize something.


    Happy?


    Emotions? She wanted him to feel happy?


    But he-


    Axel suffocated again, choking and gasping. He frowned and tried to think, tried to feel-


    "But I don''t feel anything, Adreanna," Axel muttered. There was a terror in his voice, and yet he could not feel any fear.


    He looked up, staring at her emotionless eyes, realizing that he stared at her with the same emotionless ones.


    "Why can''t I feel anything?"


    She tilted her head. There was a gist of something within her before she finally answered his question.


    "Then maybe it''s for the best."


    ??????


    Axel woke up right when the sun vanished from the world. The blanket draped over him neatly, and his window''s curtain was half shut.


    It seemed like he overslept after he took a nap.


    The clock was pointing at the number seven. He glanced at the window with a dull look. He probably needed to get up soon and fill his stomach. But he would worry about that later.


    Though Axel could not feel any worry at all, maybe the feeling would come back later too.


    He couldn''t feel anything.


    He went back to sleep.


    ??????


    Axel ran out of the house, he kept running and running. His feet were bleeding and started to show some bruises from how long he had been sprinting away from his home.


    Home?


    Then he fell, and his skin cracked. He bumped his head as blood started to run down from his head.


    He could not feel anything.


    He could not feel pain anymore.


    ??????


    Axel woke up right when the sun vanished from the world. The blanket draped over him neatly, and his window''s curtain was half shut.


    Should he get up?


    ??????


    He walked into the kitchen, spotting three people. Kiaran was busy making the soup while Cain chopped the ingredients.


    Adreanna sat on the chair, drinking her hot chocolate in silence. Food set out in front of her, filling all the four chairs'' spots. Two hot chocolates and one coffee were there too, and Axel could see the steam coming out of them.


    Though the three could not see Axel because he used his power to make him invisible. He flew past the wall and took the unused knife on the counter.


    He went to stab Kiaran''s neck.


    Axel was not fast enough as Kiaran''s wing countered his attack, throwing the knife away onto the floor with a loud clanking sound.


    "I can see your plan through. You should think of something better." Kiaran smirked and looked over to Axel''s body that slowly appeared.


    "But still, that was a quite nice plan." He chuckled and ruffled Axel''s fluffy hair. "I''m proud of you."


    Axel stared at Kiaran''s wing that had a little scratch within the fallen leathers. Something in his mind told him to not hurt his brother anymore.


    And yet, he still couldn''t feel anything.


    "Sorry."


    But he still apologized anyway.


    ??????


    Axel woke up right when the sun vanished from the world.


    ??????


    "This game is getting boring, Axel. Let''s hang out instead. As a family." Kiaran said as he greeted Axel when he had just arrived at the kitchen.


    Kiaran was still busy making the soup while Cain chopped the ingredients.


    Adreanna sat on the chair, drinking her hot chocolate in silence. Food set out in front of her, filling all the four chairs'' spots. Two hot chocolates and one coffee were there too, and Axel could see the steam coming out of them.


    "Then just stop doing this and let me die." Axel could feel his voice start to fade away. Maybe he was tired.


    Though weirdly, he couldn''t feel the ''tired'' part at all.


    "Ah." Kiaran put the ladle down and smiled. "Then the whole point of the game will be useless, no?"


    ??????


    Axel woke up again.


    ??????


    "Just stop." Axel came to the kitchen.


    He knew Kiaran was busy making the soup. He knew Cain was chopping the ingredients. He knew that Adreanna was drinking a hot chocolate.


    Axel also knew he was slowly losing himself. He slowly lost the grasp of everything, the grasp of his leftover humanity. He lost his emotions. He lost his feelings.


    And yet, his memory was persistent that the three of them were his family. And he needed to protect them just like how they would protect him.


    He slowly lost the grasp of his memory too.


    Though, he tried to cling to it again. He didn''t want to forget his real self. He didn''t want to forget his humanity. He didn''t want to have this stranger''s memory.


    But time changed, and so did he.


    ??????


    Axel never stopped waking up.


    ??????


    "I''m going to complain to father this time. It seems like I haven''t done that yet." Axel tugged Cain''s sleeve, making the man stop his movement and put the knife down onto the cutting board.


    Axel ignored how he referred to the demon as his own father. It just seemed right in his tongue.


    In between his hazy gaze and corrupted memories, he uttered, "I fucking hate you, father."


    He said that. Yet, he could not feel any hate nor feel anything.


    His father smiled at him, low coo erupted from his throat. Ah, his mind told him to stare at that smile. His mind made him stare at that smile.


    "I know." Cain widened his smile as his eyes made a crescent moon shape. The man hugged his broken son, and the said son let it happen. "But you''ll learn how to love us again."


    "But I''ve never loved you in the first place," Axel muttered, finding himself leaning to his father''s touch. "It was the other me."


    Cain kissed the top of Axel''s head.. "And I''ll make it only you."

 Chapter 119 - His Broken Self : Part 3

    Axel woke up right when the sun vanished from the world. The blanket draped over him neatly, and his window''s curtain was half shut.


    It seemed like he overslept after he took a nap.


    The clock was pointing at the number seven. He needed to fill his stomach first. He probably had screwed up his sleeping and eating habit.


    He glanced at the window as he pulled himself into a sitting position. Brushing his fluffy hair away from his face, the boy jumped over from the bed, making a soft thump sound.


    He stood up, staring dully at his surroundings for a moment, trying to adjust with his surroundings. His mismatched eyes did not have any lights in them as he stared once again at his window.


    Axel made his way out of his room, walking into his second-floor hallway with steady footsteps.


    There was a faint smell of hot chocolates and some sound of chopping knife against a cutting board alongside boiling water. Axel could hear familiar voices talking.


    He walked into the kitchen, expecting his family to be there. Kiaran was busy making the soup while Cain chopped the ingredients.


    Adreanna sat on the chair, drinking her hot chocolate in silence. Food set out in front of her, filling all the four chairs'' spots. Two hot chocolates and one coffee were there too, and Axel could see the steam coming out of them.


    "I want a cupcake."


    That was the first thing Axel said when he arrived in the kitchen. He sat on the chair in front of Adreanna and took the hot chocolate in front of him.


    "Next time, make a cupcake." He muttered before drinking the hot chocolate in one go. It was weird how he could not feel any sense of hotness coming from the drink.


    His tongue probably burnt and blistered. But then again, he had lost the sense of feeling any pain, so he did not care.


    "You want to keep doing this? You know we will never back down, son." Cain spoke without looking at him, focusing on his pretentious chopping ingredients.


    "Doing what?" Axel asked flatly. His eyes had no emotions as he straight up stared at the back of his father.


    "Drinking this hot chocolate? Asking for a cupcake? Or knowing the fact that you''re not my family?" He continued, putting down the cup in his hand as he stared at the soup Kiaran was making.


    "Be specific, father."


    Axel had hoped they let him have dinner first before falling unconscious.


    ??????


    He walked into the kitchen, expecting his family to be there. Kiaran was busy making the soup while Cain chopped the ingredients.


    Adreanna sat on the chair, drinking her hot chocolate in silence. Food set out in front of her, filling all the four chairs'' spots. Two hot chocolates and one coffee were there too, and Axel could see the steam coming out of them.


    There was a cupcake on his table.


    Axel silently walked to the table and sat in front of Adreanna. He detachedly stared at the cupcake before taking it with his hand like a robot.


    "Why don''t you just stop being stubborn and let it happen?" Kiaran broke the silence, staring at Axel, annoyed.


    "I don''t want to lose the game."


    They didn''t even let him get a single bite of the cupcake when everything distorted again. Axel welcomed the darkness without fighting it.


    ??????


    Axel did not wake up this time.


    When the sun vanished from the world as the blanket draped over him neatly, and his window''s curtain was half shut. Axel still did not open his eyes.


    He vaguely remembered that he only wanted to rest right before he stuck in this weird loop. He remembered how he welcomed death with open arms, giving his life away for his family.


    He deserved a rest.


    Wasn''t it too cruel that he didn''t have the slightest chance to rest even after death?


    So he rested this time.


    The clock was pointing at the number seven.


    ??????


    He walked into the kitchen, expecting his family to be there. Kiaran was busy making the soup while Cain chopped the ingredients.


    Adreanna sat on the chair, drinking her hot chocolate in silence. Food set out in front of her, filling all the four chairs'' spots. Two hot chocolates and one coffee were there too, and Axel could see the steam coming out of them.


    Kiaran teased him. Adreanna would give him some advice while Kiaran chimed in, cutting her off. They would glare at each other after Cain settled in between the two.


    Axel watched the three as if he saw a broken record. Though, something told him that this was a right to see.


    He couldn''t feel his voice anymore.


    Axel didn''t know when he had stopped talking.


    ??????


    Axel had to wake up.


    ??????


    "You should fix that sleep schedule of yours. It''s not healthy." A monotone voice began. Adreanna looked up from her drink to her brother. There was a sign of awkwardness coming from her.


    "Axel won''t do what you say, Adreanna. He only listens to me." Kiaran chimed in, earning a glare from his sister. However, the secondborn did not care as he kept eyeing the boy. "You should sleep properly, your blood pressure could rise because of that."


    "I just said the same thing," Adreanna grumbled, emotionless eyes facing Kiaran with a hidden irritation.


    "It''s different if I said it. Right, Axel?" He shot up Axel with a knowing grin, leaving the boy to stare dully at his brother.


    "Okay, that''s enough, you two." Cain separated his two children and offered Axel a kind smile. "Are you still half-asleep, son? You''ve been staring the whole time."


    Axel blinked at the three and walked over to the table, leaving the three to stare at his movement. The boy took the cup of hot chocolate and drank it.


    He did not even try to talk anymore.


    He could not talk anymore.


    ??????


    Axel woke up right when the sun vanished from the world. The blanket draped over him neatly, and his window''s curtain was half shut.


    So he had survived.


    The clock was pointing at the number seven. He had to fill his stomach.


    The event yesterday really caused havoc. He remembered how he went against his family and saved the king. He really shouldn''t have done that.


    He did not know what he was thinking at that moment, but weirdly, at that time, he felt the need to save the king for the princess. He probably should stop seeing Rune so his family wouldn''t go after her anymore.


    He really thought he was going to die when the cursed arrow went inside his heart. Though because of that incident, he found out that his family loved and cared for him. He still remembered the despair and concern look on their faces when he was dying.


    Adreanna cried too. Cain smiled for him. Kiaran genuinely spoke to him.


    He glanced at the window as he pulled himself into a sitting position. Brushing his fluffy hair away from his face, the boy jumped over from the bed, making a soft thump sound.


    He did not remember what had happened after he passed out. His eyes scanned his body. He stared at everything thoroughly. It seemed like he had lost his wings and had these cracking skins.


    Axel brought his feet to the mirror in front of his desk. He emotionlessly stared at his reflection, studying his own body. He blinked once and stared at his reflection again.


    He lost one of his red eyes. Maybe it was a side effect that his left eye turned blue.


    He should cover his blue eye.


    Axel pulled the drawer in his desk and took out an eyepatch. He glanced at the bandage under it and collected the thing.


    He started to cover his arms, legs, and neck, trying to hide his cracking as much as possible. He wrapped his hands too, completely leaving no cracking skins left except his face.


    The boy wore the eyepatch to hide his ocean-like eye. He vaguely touched his chest, trying to see if there was any wound from the arrow. When he found nothing, he stared at his reflection once again with a red eye.


    The cracks on his face were not that many. He just had to bear with them.


    Axel made his way out of his room, walking into his second-floor hallway with steady footsteps.


    When he walked down the stairs, there was a faint smell of hot chocolates and some sound of chopping knife against a cutting board alongside boiling water. Axel could hear familiar voices talking.


    He walked into the kitchen, expecting his family to be there. Kiaran was busy making the soup while Cain chopped the ingredients.


    Adreanna sat on the chair, drinking her hot chocolate in silence. Food set out in front of her, filling all the four chairs'' spots. Two hot chocolates and one coffee were there too, and Axel could see the steam coming out of them.


    Cupcakes stood out on the furthest side of the counter. It seemed like they would have cupcakes as the dessert.


    "Oh, look, the sleepyhead decided to finally wake up from his beauty sleep." Kiaran put the ladle in his hand down and shot a playful smirk at his impassive-looking little brother.


    Axel did not answer as he walked to Cain''s side, taking the unused knife and started to help his father chop some carrots. He finished his work and brought the vegetables to Kiaran''s unfinished soup.


    He poured them in, causing Kiaran to raise an eyebrow at his little brother. When Axel realized that Kiaran had stopped stirring the soup, he silently pointed at the ladle, telling the older to pick it up.


    "Oh, right. You can sit down. You just had a rough day yesterday." Kiaran smiled at him and ruffled his hair.


    When Axel finally made his way to the table, he stopped behind Adreanna for a moment. His eye stared at his sister''s braid and fixed the down part of it.


    When he finished straightening the hair, the boy finally walked to the chair in front of his sister and sat there.


    The family had a warm dinner together that night. Axel took a bite of his cupcake as he flatly watched Kiaran try to bicker with Adreanna. His father smiled at his children''s behaviour while telling Axel to eat more.


    Axel lost the game.

 Chapter 120 - Live In A Beautiful Lie : Part 1

    "When this whole play end, I will take Axel back." Demon Kiaran added confidently, smirking at him.


    "We''ll see who take him back first- wait, no." Blue-eyed Kiaran returned the smirk with a mocking grin. "-he''s already mine."


    "Yours is gone, demon."


    The winged demon flared open his wings and stared at his counterpart with a challenging look for the last time. He got ready to take off and sent a kind, knowing smile at him.


    "We''ll see."


    He flew away, knowing that he had gotten Axel back from the beginning. Right when he saw that boy in the mirror, Kiaran made the perfect play he could ever create.


    He smiled as his red eyes glinted, the kind of glint of someone that he knew he had won.


    ??????


    Kiaran was desperate.


    The demon had been desperate to get Axel back when the boy had died. He searched for answer upon answers, trying to seek how to bring a dead person back to life.


    So when he received an opportunity to actually get him back, he gave everything he could to restart everything.


    And so he saw an opportunity. At first, he was blinded by the urge to only take him back. He did not care whether the boy was human or had an entirely different memory about his family.


    And that was the problem.


    He realized it as he planned to kidnap- uh, take the boy back. He needed something to modify the boy to be their Axel. To be perfect.


    Lord gave him a second chance, and he would kill the lord if he hadn''t given him one.


    Kiaran was not in the right mind. He realized it after he changed Axel to be a demon like them. He was kind of expecting wings, but maybe that was enough.


    And so he realized it was not enough.


    "You were afraid to lose your Axel, so you tried to ask someone or maybe something for power to change me," Axel stated that day, catching Kiaran off guard.


    "But I am human, I am not a demon." Axel grew tired looking at Kiaran, so he looked away to the window, looking right to the moon.


    "You loved him so much that you tried to make me something I am not." The boy kept talking, slapping facts within the air as his eyes wandered off outside.


    "A demon." The words felt bitter for both of them.


    Kiaran finally realized that being a demon was not enough. Because no matter how much he tried to believe that the boy was his brother, he wasn''t. But he needed something to deny. He needed him back.


    He always needed Axel back.


    He did not care if this was not actually a second chance. Kiaran would make it into one even if it meant that he would burn the entire world.


    "Don''t be Zeus." The boy specified, squeezing the eyes shut, then opening them wide in an effort to stay awake. "You''re jealous of the human world, and you wanted to change it."


    Axel tilted his head, making his fluffy black hair bounce to the right a little. "What makes you different than Zeus, Kiaran?"


    Zeus was jealous. But he failed to get the thing he wanted to get. And there he was, sitting beside Axel''s bed. He got the boy back.


    He was not Zeus. He was better.


    He finally understood, right then and there. Various plans went along his mind. By keeping Axel here, it was still not enough. He still needed another plan.


    You see, here was what his human counterpart did not have.


    The pain of losing his little brother. That made him more superior than the human. Because his human counterpart only wanted a glorious play.


    And he wanted a rewritten play. A second chance. Because he had reached the end of Axel''s story, and he would turn it to be longer, he would refuse an ending by rewriting everything.


    Kiaran realized that his counterpart was the exact same thing as his old self. He was the same as the demon back then when he had not experienced the pain of losing something impossible to lose.


    Kiaran also realized that Axel would meet his end, too, no matter what. Then his human counterpart would finally go through the same thing. If it was the other way around, he knew the human would snatch the demon Axel away.


    A plot twist is the most important thing in a play. But what if you had a plot twist to cover another twist that contained the core twist?


    Oh, how great the play would be.


    "Are you Eos or Zeus, then? Tell me." Axel breathed roughly. His red eye glazed with heaviness.


    "Tell me a story."


    Oh, Kiaran would not only tell him a story, he would make him a story.


    So finally, the demon realized yet again. He would make the best story, the best play for Axel.


    He knew his human counterpart''s plan. He knew the witch''s plan. He just had to put two and two together. He would go along with the human, he would go along by being the Kiaran who had lost his touch, who didn''t have any plan because he was blinded by the thought of having Axel back.


    Then he met the mysterious man. He did not know who he was, he did not know the man''s identity. But apparently, he wished for the downfall of the human counterpart of his family.


    Kiaran calculated so many things. He could not put the mysterious blindfolded man into his plan. He could not ''play'' the man, making him his marionette.


    Kiaran had always hated things that could not fall under his control. Except for the knight boy, he was annoyed but then it became a challenge to face Valerian.


    But he found out that the blindfolded man was a great threat. Because the man knew all his plans, it was as if he was his third counterpart or even a better version of him.


    Though, he would take the chance to work with him. They had the same yet different purpose. The blindfolded man knew that the arrow that he would shoot at the boy would not kill. Because the boy had become a human and a demon at the same time.


    The human part of the boy would wither away within time. The death only stopped his human heart, and he would wake up with some cracking skin, but he would still be ''alive''.


    The blindfolded man did not want to kill the human family. He just wanted them to feel despair.


    Kiaran took the plan because he gambled about the blindfolded man. He knew the man was dangerous, but then again, he knew the man had future plans. Their meeting would not end like this.


    But Kiaran had better things to do. So he came to Zack, staring at the awkward naive man with things in his mind. The two pairs of red eyes stared at each other, one with black hair and the other was a brunette with freckles.


    Zack had said one time that his power was about memory. He could see other people''s memory if he wanted to. But Kiaran knew better.


    "I want you to manipulate my brother''s memory," Kiaran said without giving Zack a single greeting.


    "I- what the fuck?" The brunette stuttered. It seemed like he was surprised that Kiaran knew about his power.


    "Dude. That''s-" He paused, wrinkling his nose before staring at the taller guy again. "You changed him into a demon, and now you want to manipulate his memory? What? You want to put the memory of your brother into that human?"


    Zack was only joking. But when Kiaran did not answer and only deadly stared at him, the brunette sighed.


    "This seems fuck up, not going to lie." Zack brushed his hair back, frustrated. This was going too far.


    "So can you do it or not, informant?" Kiaran tugged his brow, wings shifted a little.


    "It''s not easy to rewrite memory. You, Adreanna, and your father have to be there, being his core memory. I need three of you''s help." The brunette fiddled anxiously with his fingers.


    "You have to endure it." He continued, explaining to the Vergessene even more, trying to tell the risk. "You have to repeat everything if it doesn''t work."


    "Until it works. A cycle to make the human believe it''s where he belongs." He tried to explain more, simply to make sure if the Vergessene was insane enough to do this.


    Which Zack knew that of course, he was insane enough to do it. The person in front of him was a mad man, a Machiavellian.


    "It could take so many tries. Hundreds, thousands." He glanced at the man again, trying to shove down the headache of knowing that he would possibly faint for using this big of power.


    "-because we are rewriting a memory."


    Kiaran''s eyes were unwavering. The blood colour eyes gazed at Zack as if the demon hadn''t heard the risk and Zack''s explanation. The sun gave the Vergessene a spotlight, shining behind him as the brunette blindly stared.


    "I can take one million or billion tries."

 Chapter 121 - Live In A Beautiful Lie : Part 2

    As Kiaran crossed the mirror, his red eyes turned blue from the enchantment potion that he created. Usually, people would buy from the witches, but Kiaran did not need them.


    There was a reason why he was being called a genius. He could learn anything and everything he wanted.


    He tightened the hood around him when he stepped out of the dead witch''s mirror in her hideout. The black cloak that he wore covered his tucked wings as he arrived at the scientist''s building.


    Ah, the old lady''s story was kind of sad. Kiaran sent that witch to the afterworld so she could reunite with his mother and the president''s wife, so she really should thank him for that.


    Though the one who killed her was not him, of course. He told Adreanna to do it for him. When he explained his plan to his father and sister, it was really a chaotic hassle. Because they had to work with the one who almost killed and hurt Axel right after his turning.


    It was funny how his counterpart had no idea that he was not in control. He was also the marionette in his play¡ªwhat a shame. However, the human would finally learn from his mistake after losing Axel.


    The demon enjoyed his walk under the human world''s moon. He hummed a few notes here and there, letting the breeze blow his cloak once in a while.


    It was annoying that he had to walk all over to Axel''s grave. He kept humming mindlessly when he got out of the woods. Kiaran went past his identical house in this world and frowned.


    It was all ashes. It seemed like his counterpart loved arson way too much. He took the shovel lying nearby and dragged it with him.


    He arrived at Axel''s grave, frowning a little in distaste when he saw two guards guarding his little brother''s ugly death bed.


    "Excuse me, sir. You can''t get in here. This is a criminal''s grave." The left guard stated sternly.


    Kiaran tilted his head. They treated Axel like this, huh? That irritated the demon, but he couldn''t cause a scene here. It was a shame, really.


    "Hello there, gentlemen. I just need to take my brother''s body, you see. It''s a family problem." He smiled at the two as kind as possible, copying Cain''s famous fake smile.


    "M-mercenary!" The right one exclaimed, trying to stay as calm as possible despite the apparent fear on his face. The two guards quickly aimed their weapons at him, ready to shoot at any given moment.


    "Mercenary?" The demon cocked his head. His blue eyes glinted under the moonlight, showing the red part behind them a little. "Right. I am him."


    "But better." He grinned, and the guards quickly shot their bullets at him.


    Kiaran easily dodged by moving slightly, raising his eyebrow at the sudden attack. "Whoa. Can''t I have my brother back? I''m his family."


    "You''re supposed to be in prison." The left guard growled and reloaded his gun. He quickly tried to fire another shot.


    Kiaran jumped gracefully to the left and amusedly stared at the bullets that went past him. His hood flew backwards from the sudden gust of wind as he dodged another bullet.


    He threw the shovel in his hand away and sighed. This was kind of annoying to face the two alone. He usually had someone to do it for him.


    "Well, I''m here now. I think that''s your problem." The demons smirked before running to the two head-ons and fast jabbed to their necks with both of his hands, leaving the two to fall face-first to the ground, unconscious.


    He did not even glance at the two fainted guards and took the fallen shovel on the ground. The demon made his way to Axel''s grave. He crouched down in front of the dirt, remembering how he did the same thing to his brother months ago.


    But that time, he could not save or bring his brother back to life. Now, he would finally get him back.


    "Hello, brother." Kiaran smiled at the grave as he shoved the shovel to the dirt.


    "Don''t worry, your big brother here will bring you back to life."


    ??????


    "That is a god damn corpse," Zack uttered hauntingly, staring at Axel''s pale body that was full of cracks, lifelessly hanging in Kiaran''s hands.


    The brunette looked around to Adreanna and Cain. They looked way too calm for the fact that human Axel''s dead body was sitting right in front of them. Zack was the only one who almost had his heart go out of his chest.


    He wondered if he was the only normal one or he was actually crazy because he was surrounded by flat face Vergessene family.


    "Kiaran, for your information, he''s dead," Zack whispered. The freckle adorned his nose as he wrinkled it, staring at the demon with a look that was screaming ''dude, I think you''re in denial, but this is not how you cope with grief''.


    "Yes. Just for a while." Kiaran answered while carefully putting Axel down to his bed.


    "I''m sorry, what?" Zack quizzically stared at the insane family. Was he the only one who''s confused here? Was this a normal thing?


    "That''s why I know your memory power will work on him. He needs to lose his human heart." Kiaran explained more while brushing the hair out of Axel''s face gently.


    "We are replacing his heart with a demon one."


    Zack opened his mouth. He just did not know what the hell was happening right now. "Where did you get the demon heart?"


    "From the dead witch. She has the best healthy heart. I killed her." Adreanna chimed in while Cain just stood there, watching Axel in silence.


    "Right. Ha. Okay. This is fine." Zack chuckled pathetically to himself. "How do you know this will work?"


    "I have an acquaintance that did this once. He was the one who planned this. He showed me the person that he brought back to life." Kiaran continued. Though, his face darkened at the mention of that certain ''acquaintance''.


    ??????


    "I know you''re probably sceptical about this plan, anarchist." The blindfolded man explained, spreading his hands in triumph as he turned around to face Kiaran.


    "But I''ve actually done it once. I brought someone back to life." He continued as he snapped his finger.


    There were butterflies that flew past Kiaran, coming to the darkest part of the alleyway. The butterflies surrounded a shadow there as someone emerged from the darkness.


    A person with a white veil over his eyes and a white mask that covered his mouth appeared. The said person was wearing a cloak that had butterflies perching on his robe.


    "Say hi to this anarchist, butterfly murderer." The blindfolded man proudly spoke as he introduced his murderer to Kiaran.


    "I will fight that boy when he wakes up and kill him." He coldly spat. Eyes were hidden behind his white veil.


    Kiaran''s eyes darkened at the mention of Axel. His red eyes burnt bright, ready to chew the person off.


    "Now, now. Don''t be like that." The blindfolded man tried to separate them and laughed.


    "I really like the way you used your own brother to fight. So I copy your way and have my own personal murderer." The mysterious explained to Kiaran as he smiled with his hidden eyes.


    "This butterfly murderer here will be the one who''ll overthrow your brother. He should be dead months ago, but I saved him." He gripped the butterfly murderer''s shoulders and showed him to Kiaran.


    Kiaran frowned and angrily stared at the two. The blindfolded man scoffed at his reaction and waved at him nonchalantly.


    "Come on. Do you think I want to bring your brother back to life because I''m feeling generous? I need someone to match with my murderer so he could become stronger, you see."


    "So good luck, anarchist. I can''t wait to see whose murderer''s better." The blindfolded man smiled one last time before disappearing to the void alongside the butterfly murderer.


    Kiaran gritted his teeth.


    ??????


    "This family is insane." Zack stared at the family that had fallen unconscious inside Axel''s room. Cain was sleeping on Axel''s left while Kiaran slept on Axel''s right. Adreanna chose to sleep on the couch as her head rested on Zack''s lap.


    "I guess I''m unofficially part of them." The brunette sighed and caressed Adreanna''s hair. He carefully put a pillow under Adreanna''s head and stood up. He moved the couch closer to Axel''s bed and sat on the chair in front of the desk.


    He already used his memory manipulation on Axel while sending the three into Axel''s memory. He could not do it alone if someone did not help him from Axel''s subconscious.


    "Do it for Adreanna, Zack. You''ll be fine. That''s just a corpse and you just have to rewrite the memory of that corpse."


    "Well, a living corpse now." Zack eyed Axel''s chest, which was heaving up and down slowly. The heart had already been replaced, and he was actually breathing right now.


    He let his head fall onto the desk and grumbled. His hair fell onto his face, covering some of his freckles.. "I''m probably going to pass out for using this much power."

 Chapter 122 - Live In A Beautiful Lie : Part 3

    Axel woke up right when the sun appeared in the world. After having dinner together last night, they went to sleep in his room. A hand was hugging him tightly, while another hand from his left grabbed his arm like he was going to wither away at any given moment.


    His mismatched eyes dully glanced to the window, finding Adreanna sleeping on a couch beside the said window. Axel did not realize that there was a couch in his room. She probably moved it when he was asleep.


    He gazed down at his father''s hand that was protectively hugged him, and moved his eyes to his brother that was holding his arm. He scanned his skins, questioning how his bandages were gone now.


    His family probably removed them when he was asleep.


    He slowly moved his father''s hand from his stomach and snatched his hand away from Kiaran''s grip. He stumbly got out of his bed, making his way to his mirror without causing a single sound.


    Axel walked like a ghost as he appeared in front of the mirror, staring at his own reflection with emotionless eyes. He looked at his blue eye and quickly took the eyepatch in his drawer.


    The boy picked the bandages too and put them on top of his desk. He probably should take a bath first.


    Axel took his bathrobe and glanced back at his sleeping family. He walked over to Kiaran and put a pillow under his head. He then grabbed the blanket, putting it on his sleeping father neatly.


    Axel walked over to Adreanna and brought her hand that was dangling to the couch. He fixed the blanket and brought it up to her neck.


    He then silently came out of the room with a towel and bathrobe in his hand. The boy went inside the bathroom and slowly took off his clothes. He marvelled at the cracks once more, ghosting over them with his fingers, following the trail that stopped on his chest.


    Something was different on his chest. Axel did not realize the stitches yesterday. He probably missed them because he was too busy focusing on the cracks on his skin.


    When he finished washing himself, he went back to his bedroom, finding his family still sleeping soundlessly. He stared at them, unblinking.


    Then he robotically moved to the mirror again after closing the door. His wet hair was glued on his face while he uncannily stared at his reflection. Water dripped down his cheek and shoulders from his hair as the boy put down the towel and lowered his bathrobe a little.


    He grabbed the bandages from his desk and tried to wrap his chest, covering the cracks and the stitches. He struggled a couple of times when the bandages slipped from his hand.


    When the bandages almost fell from his hand again, someone grabbed them before touching the ground.


    "Let me help you with that." A soothing voice began as Cain showed his usual kind smile to the hollow-eyed boy.


    Cain told Axel to sit on the chair as he wrapped bandages all over his body. His father also tried to dry Axel''s hair with a towel. The boy obeyed and stared at his father from the reflection of the mirror.


    Axel took the eyepatch on the desk when his father finished the last bandages on his feet. He covered his blue eye, not realizing how Cain proudly smiled at him with something sinister hidden behind that sweet smile.


    ??????


    Cain was busy preparing for breakfast as Axel stood in front of the window in the kitchen. Adreanna was taking a shower while Kiaran helped his father by putting down plates on the dining table.


    Axel''s red eye stared outside, gazing at the unfamiliar road. He stood like a statue, wearing a neat white blouse and short white pants. His body was all covered with bandages except his face.


    He stared outside the house for a very long time. Birds were flying around freely, chirping under the warm sun with their own flocks. The leaves fell down, dirtying the house''s front yard.


    "We moved." Kiaran suddenly chimed in, standing behind Axel while following the boy''s gaze. "When you''re uh..." He cleared his throat.


    "-when you passed out for months, there was an attack where it''s only you and I in the house." He vaguely explained as Axel turned his head to his brother, staring emptily at Kiaran''s red eyes.


    "So we moved. Though, we''re building the house the same way as before." Kiaran continued, shrugging at the boy while holding the plates in his hands.


    Axel blankly stared at his brother and diverted his gaze to the plates. He moved his eyes over to the forks and knives and walked over to the kitchen counter.


    He took the forks and knives, bringing them over to the table. Kiaran smiled at his little brother as he put down the plates while Axel placed the forks down.


    Then suddenly, one of the knives fell down from his hand and sliced his other hand right after he put down the forks. Axel blinked at the knife and took it from the ground, ignoring the wound in his hand that had started painting his bandages red.


    Kiaran was looking the other way when he suddenly heard the clanking sound. His wings perked up a little at the sudden noise as he looked back, trying to search the source of the sound.


    He found Axel putting down the knife in his hand into the dishwasher and took another knife. Then his red eyes widened at the blood blooming on Axel''s bandages.


    Kiaran ran to the boy and grabbed his wrist, looking at his bleeding hand wide-eyed. Axel dropped the knife again because of the sudden movement from his brother and emptily stared at the fallen knife.


    "Axel?!" Kiaran exclaimed, causing Axel to look right into his brother''s eyes. "Are you okay? You''re bleeding."


    The boy stared down at his bleeding palm and blinked. He was unfazed by the fact that his hand was oozing blood and stained his bandages all over.


    "Is it hurt? Oh god. Okay, wait, let me-"


    Axel suddenly put his hand on Kiaran''s hand and tapped it slowly. He repeated his movement as he kept staring at his brother''s blood-coloured eyes.


    "Are you trying to say that you''re okay?" Kiaran was still holding Axel''s wrist as he spoke, trying to make sure what Axel''s intentions or thoughts were.


    "Alright, we need to do something about this." The older determined with a sudden plan in his head. "But first, let''s treat your wound first. You should be careful handling the knife, Axel."


    Axel blinked at his brother.


    ??????


    "What are you three doing?"


    Cain had just finished throwing all the plates into the dishwasher after they had some breakfast together. Now, he went back to the kitchen to see his three children sitting on the floor with papers and markers scattered all over the place.


    Kiaran was biting his lips as he finished his writing while Adreanna was too focused on her work. Axel was there, watching the two with his emotionless face.


    "Making signs so that Axel can say what he wants to say," Kiaran answered and showed the writing that he had just finished to Cain. "Like when he needs help, he''ll take this sign out."


    ''pls help me :('' sentence was on the small paper that Kiaran presented to his dumbfounded father. For an 18-year-old genius that could rule the world if he wanted to, it was pretty childish. He explained the sign like a proud person, smiling ear-to-ear at his father.


    Cain just smiled at him, deciding to let them play with whatever shenanigans they were doing right now. "And what are you making, Adreanna?"


    The 19-year-old quickly showed the paper to her father with her flat face. "When he wants someone to die, he''ll use this sign. So I can easily kill them."


    The white paper was written in red marker with a ''Kill this fucker'' sentence on it.


    "Adreanna, no-" Kiaran scolded his older sister. "We only need basic daily words for Axel. Not this."


    Adreanna tilted her head a little, letting her braid fall off her shoulder. "But isn''t this basic?"


    There was a moment of silence between the two older siblings as they stared at each other. A realization crept up in Kiaran''s eyes as he nodded to his sister.


    "...you got a point there. Alright, let''s keep this sign."


    So Axel kept watching in silence. He just sat there, staring at how Kiaran would laugh once in a while and looking at how Adreanna would glare at Kiaran when the secondborn teased her.


    Axel received all the signs and kept them with him as a treasure. He would always bring the signs everywhere, keeping them in his pocket and taking them out every time he wanted to say something important.


    He lost himself. He was not who he was anymore, and the poor boy did not know about it as he had forgotten his real self. He was not their Axel, he was not his own person.


    He was just a broken shell walking. But the thing was, he did not know that he was breaking from the inside. He did not know that he was broken.


    And so he lived in a beautiful lie.

 Chapter 123 - More Interludes : Part 1

    Ever since her mother''s death, Adreanna had been trained to be the best assassin.


    Adreanna had been drinking all kinds of poison since she was four. She was basically invincible now for all the hardships that she had been through.


    She remembered when she drank the most dangerous poison and puked blood all over the floor. Her father would kindly wipe them all away while giving her a glass of water. Despite all the hardships that her father made her go through, Cain would still treat her like she was the most precious person in the world.


    "If you''re this weak, who would protect your brothers?" Cain had said to her after helping her stand up.


    That was right. She should have protected them.


    But it seemed like Cain''s words were just an empty threat. Maybe her father just wanted her to be the strongest in the family to always keep with the Vergessene family''s legacy.


    Because Adreanna was never allowed to come home to her brothers. She didn''t even go to school as normal people would. Cain would be the one who taught her everything.


    She was too lost in her thoughts as she paid for the cupcakes that she had just bought.


    "Why''d you buy three? I thought it''s only for us?" Zack suddenly asked, eyeing the three cupcakes on the bag in her hand.


    Adreanna blinked at the cupcakes and then at Zack''s innocent face. "It''s for-"


    The shadow of Axel smiling through his tired eyes, waiting for her to bring him a cupcake, appeared in her vision. She could see the boy, sitting on the chair behind Zack, staring at her with his half-lidded blue eye and the eyepatched one.


    Adreanna ignored the breath that almost suffocated her.


    "Just in case father wakes up." She answered.


    It was a lie, of course.


    Though it was just a lie covered with the truth. Because Cain hadn''t woken up until now, the blindfolded man really roughed him up.


    Adreanna gave one of the cupcakes to Zack and brought another one for her, leaving the last one alone in the paper bag. She was the first one to take a bite and swallow it.


    Then something clicked in her. As if being struck by lightning, Adreanna quickly slapped the cupcake in Zack''s hand just right as the brunette opened his mouth to take a bite.


    The cupcake fell onto the ground, scattering on the bakery''s floor. Adreanna quickly looked back at the baker and found no one behind them. Her gaze quickly darkened.


    Someone tried to poison her and Zack. It seemed like the police had found their whereabouts and tried to attack slowly, knowing how dangerous she was.


    "We need to move." Adreanna grabbed Zack''s wrist and threw the paper bag away, leaving Zack with too many questions and a dumbfounded expression. Though, the brunette was used to her impulsive behaviour and went without an explanation.


    "To where?" He asked as he tried to keep up with Adreanna''s footsteps.


    "My apartment."


    ??????


    Adreanna would lie if she didn''t expect Axel to appear when she opened the door to her apartment.


    She scanned her apartment around with a dryly look. A sudden pang went inside her chest when she saw every corner of the room with Axel''s shadow doing something the boy usually did.


    Adreanna tried to ignore the shadows as she put down her father to the bed. She was the one who carried Cain on her back, not wanting to burden Zack even more. The brunette brought some of his belongings and slowly put them down on her desk after closing the door.


    Adreanna could not help the thoughts that kept haunting her mind.


    She remembered how Axel would have nightmares almost every night to the point that he did not want to sleep and stay awake all night. She would accompany him in silence, staying with him until morning came or until the boy fell asleep.


    She remembered how Axel trembled after he met Kiaran. Then the boy started to tremble toward her too, paranoid of her and Kiaran''s conversation. Axel would ask about the debt all the time.


    She should have told him that everything would be okay instead of brushing him off. She should have comforted the boy when he trembled, falling into a pit of worries that haunted the boy everywhere he went.


    Adreanna was too caught up with the debt that she owed to Kiaran at that time to notice Axel''s trembling self.


    Now that the debt had paid off, she still felt like something was weighing her down. It was in her heart, squeezing it, suffocating it tightly to the point that she would choke.


    Zack had said that it was called grieving.


    Adreanna finally learnt a new feeling. Though she really hated this one. She wished she never learnt it at all.


    After draping a blanket over her father, Adreanna sat on the edge of the bed while Zack was busy cleaning the room. Her ocean eyes stared at the pink ribbon on the edge of her whiteboard dully.


    The day Maera died, Adreanna had thought that this was one of her plans, faking her death. The girl was always full of surprises. She might look stupid, but she was a serial killer for a reason.


    So when Adreanna learnt that the government had taken her body, she wanted to take her back. She wanted to bury her in a good place.


    That was the least that she could do for everything Maera had done for her.


    However, the assassin knew that she could not retrieve Maera''s body by herself. She could not bring the body unscathed without having to fight some of the guards or carrying the body to the vent.


    She needed a clean way to get her body.


    Someone once said, desperate times breed desperate measures. And Adreanna was really desperate at that time. And so she ran to Kiaran, begging her brother who despised her in every way.


    It was not a secret anymore that Kiaran hated her. Adreanna realized that it was probably her fault for leaving her brother that depended on her alone. The last time they really had a nice relationship was back on Kiaran''s eighth birthday.


    Kiaran had looked at her with cold eyes right when she asked for help, not the usual playfulness just like she saw on tv. But then Adreanna dropped down to the ground, kneeling before her own brother''s feet.


    Kiaran had been startled by Adreanna''s sudden movement, but somehow, his eyes had turned colder than before.


    But to Adreanna''s unexpected expectation, Kiaran agreed to help her.


    "With a few blackmail here and there, I got your friend''s body." Kiaran nodded at the dead body in the brown coffin.


    Adreanna quickly ran to the said coffin and slowly opened it. For the first time, her eyes showed emotions. There was a mix of surprise and longing behind her beautiful blue eyes. Kiaran was the first witness to his sister''s expression.


    It irritated the secondborn a little, knowing how her sister hadn''t given a single fuck about their mother''s death.


    "Funny how an emotionless monster like you got a friend." Kiaran chimed in, eyeing his sister with hidden hatred behind his teasing eyes.


    Adreanna closed the coffin slowly, ignoring her brother''s words. She stared at Maera''s sleeping face one last time before completely covering her away.


    "No wonder why she died." Kiaran''s sentence caused Adreanna''s hands to freeze at the sudden exclamation.


    "Anyway, I''m not doing this for free. You''ll have to pay up one day." Kiaran said without waiting for Adreanna to unfreeze and look at him.


    The mercenary wore his black mask as he stood on the window. "I''ll tell you when I need your payment. Until then, just consider it as a debt." Then the secondborn free fell from the window and shot his rope gun to the edge of another building''s rooftop.


    Now it was done. She had paid her debt off. Everything was over.


    Everywhere Adreanna gone to, deaths followed her like her shadow. She shouldn''t have befriended Maera. Now she was gone just like her grandmother and aunt, and many other people.


    Maybe that was one of the reasons why she stayed away from her brothers.


    Though she made the mistake again. She had gotten close with Axel, so now he''s-


    Adreanna inhaled and brushed off her train of thoughts. She diverted her gaze from the whiteboard to her hands.


    Kiaran was in prison now. She probably should bail him out tomorrow morning, right before his execution. She needed to protect her last brother. She would not lose this one either.


    She promised herself that she would protect Kiaran. She couldn''t lose him too.


    Adreanna stared at her pinky finger. Her blue eyes started to drift off somewhere once again, falling into another depth of thoughts.


    "Friends forever?" Maera had said one day, offering her pinky finger at Adreanna with a child-like look in her black pupils.


    Adreanna had stayed still that day, emotionlessly staring at the pinky finger. Maera quickly grabbed Adreanna''s hand and brought it up to face her own hand. The serial killer quickly intertwined their pinky finger with a bright smile on her face.


    "Pinky promise!" Maera''s smile was brighter than the sun itself that day, and Adreanna learnt what it meant to have a friend.


    Adreanna blinked once, trying to divert her thoughts away. She was still staring at her pinky finger, not realizing how her mind had brought her somewhere else once again.


    One doe eye and one eyepatched eye stared at her with warmness erupting Axel''s whole being. Her brother smiled as he brought up his pinky finger at Adreanna.


    "Okay, pinky finger." Axel intertwined their pinky fingers. "Promise you''ll stay by my side, forever?" The boy asked, and the moon world watched the pact made between the two broken siblings.


    "I promise." She had said that day, and then she hurt him. She threw him off a cliff after trying to attack the boy.


    The boy was just scared at that time, trying to protect his only friend. Adreanna really should have known the boy''s desperation. She felt it once already. So why-


    She sighed and buried her face in her own hands.


    "Nothing ends well with anyone who ever had any relationship with you." Kiaran''s voice rang in her head despite how Adreanna tried to turn off her own thoughts.


    "-just like how your friendship with Maera ended."


    Her lips trembled as she bit them. Her once emotionless face had turned into a pathetic one behind her hands.


    "Adreanna?" A hand laid on her shoulder softly, causing Adreanna to slowly look up at the owner of the hand.


    "Are you okay?"


    At first, Adreanna had seen Axel talking to her instead of Zack. She then choked, flinching away from the brunette as the said man worriedly watched her.


    "Uh. This might be not the right time to say it but-" Zack hesitated for a moment, fiddling with his fingers.


    "-someone stole Axel''s body." His voice turned into a whisper, afraid that he might be making the situation worse.


    Adreanna quickly snapped her neck over to Zack with eyes that slowly turned dark. He braided hair messily waved a little at the sudden movement.


    Zack gulped and opened his mouth, "It''s your brother, the mercenary."

 Chapter 124 - More Interludes : Part 2

    When Axel came up to Cain''s glass, the man had thought that the boy would sacrifice him for his sister and brother. Because he did not care about the boy, and he knew that it would be the same the other way around.


    He did not realize that he had lost to the scientist. Though when he woke up, he could not see her anywhere. He had thought that he was being kept in some kind of prison because of her, but it seemed like that was not the case.


    He loved his daughter. He needed to let her live. He did not care about his own life, and he knew the fact that Axel would save Kiaran first. The two had always been inseparable in some way.


    He knew he needed to save Kiaran too. But he didn''t think of that at that time.


    "Choose those two." Cain tried to speak despite his voice which was really sore. "Let me die." He commanded his youngest son coldly.


    Though, he really did not expect the reaction of the boy. But at the same time, he kind of expected it too.


    Axel''s face was full of glee and relief. So at that time, Cain thought that the boy was glad that he offered himself to die. Cain really thought that Axel did not want to feel guilty about his father''s death.


    "As expected. I knew it." Axel let out a happy laugh and pointed at his father. "You do love Kiaran!" He happily exclaimed, and it just made Cain frown even more.


    He did not understand him at that time. Oh, how Cain wished he had understood the implication behind his youngest''s expression.


    "I''m sorry." Axel apologized without looking away from his gaze.


    "Why are you sorry for choosing them? It''s my request." Cain replied, staring at his youngest''s awkward smile with distaste.


    Cain should have understood the implication behind his words. He should have understood many things. But then again, if he understood right then, what would he do anyway?


    Would he stop the youngest?


    "No, no. I''m not sorry for that." Axel waved his hands clumsily and blinked a little. His youngest''s following words almost threw Cain off.


    "I''m sorry for making you lose mother. If I can give my life for her to come back, I would. I knew the reason why you hated me was that I killed mother. I''ve always known the fact since I was little."


    Cain still stared at him with an unchanging expression. Right. He hated Axel, did he not?


    "So I''m sorry for being born." Axel continued, causing Cain to look at him with a quizzical expression. "I''m sorry for existing." The boy kept talking, and it just made the man more confused.


    He knew something was wrong. He really should have understood. But he denied it. He denied it by thinking that it was a farewell for him, not to him.


    "I''m not trying to guilt-trip you or anything. I genuinely want to apologize." Axel confessed with an awkward laugh, trying to brush off the weird conclusions that Cain was thinking.


    "If I could choose, I''d rather not be born. That way, maybe, everything would be okay." He gave Cain a sad smile. Axel wished Cain would turn back his smile just once. He''d take anything even though it was fake.


    "And I do, love you. A lot." Axel''s voice cracked a little, and he quickly hid it with a cough. "I''m glad at least I have a parent."


    That threw Cain off. Though, his expression did not change much because his mind suddenly went blank. He did not realize that Axel would say the word love to him.


    Because Cain knew he himself would never say that word to the boy.


    "Thank you for being my father, for letting me alive these years. It probably didn''t mean anything for you, but it really meant everything for me." Axel quickly turned away.


    Cain did not understand then. And he still wished he had understood even though he probably still could not do a single thing.


    "But you know," Axel was not that far away from Cain''s glass as he stopped himself.


    Cain eyed the boy with his cold gaze even though the voices in his head screamed the other way around.


    "-I kind of wish you''d care for me too." The boy confessed and turned his head once more at his father.


    And Cain saw it.


    Axel''s mismatched eyes had become blurry while gazing at Cain one last time. "I''m selfish, right?"


    For a moment there, Cain could see his brother in his youngest. Raziel''s innocent and saddened smile appeared in his vision. He felt chills run down his spine. It was as if someone suddenly wrapped him in a blanket of ice.


    And he would not admit how he could see Cecilia talking when Axel talked to him earlier. Her shadow was always following Axel.


    Cain did not like her expression, though. Cecilia''s shadow would always look at him with disappointment and pity every time he saw the boy. Sometimes it was anger. He was always haunted by her shadow every time Axel appeared.


    That was one of the reasons why he loathed the boy.


    But after the boy walked away from him, everything happened in a flash.


    "Axel? What are you doing?" He had asked when the boy was the one in the glass instead of him.


    Cain had felt this way before. He had seen this scene before. He knew it well than anybody else in this world.


    Then Cain finally tried to understand.


    Cain did not know what was happening. But something was tugging him, eating him inside out. He felt like the whole world had stopped right then and there. Something was clawing his mind, telling him to move, to do something.


    It was desperation. His mind was driven to just save the boy.


    He had never felt this way before. The day the red lights surrounded the boy and crushed his youngest, Cain did not even bat an eye to care for him. Yes, he had tried to save him a little, seeing how desperate his daughter was.


    But after Adreanna passed out, Cain never gave even a single thought to meet his youngest or save him.


    Axel looked too much like his mother. And because of him, she died. Just because she wanted a child like him.


    If Axel hadn''t been born, everything would be fine.


    It was such an irony for him to think that way right after Axel told him about that too, right after the arrow pierced into Axel''s heart as the boy choked into his own blood and black tears started to drip down his face.


    So Cain let desperation take control of him. He needed to save him.


    That was his only thought at that moment as he shot the glass and tried to break it in many ways.


    His breath ragged when the clock kept ticking like a bomb. Sweats started to run down the side of his forehead. Cain did not realize what was happening. He also did not realize that he had begun to tremble.


    So when Axel slowly closed his eyes, Cain''s heart stopped.


    The boy''s figure flashed back and forth between Raziel and Axel. It kept repeating and repeating. So that time, Cain also realized something.


    Oh, it repeated again.


    How foolish of him.


    He really thought that he had learned from his mistake. It seemed like he didn''t.


    He shouldn''t have cared this much, so why-


    why did he cry?


    He realized everything now. Axel was relieved that he cared for Kiaran and Adreanna. The boy did not even care if he cared for him or not. The boy wore his heart on his sleeve, always keeping everyone above himself.


    He was too similar to Raziel.


    ''I also cared about you.'' Cain needed to say it once before it was too late. But instead, he smiled at the boy. He tried to say it, but he only smiled at that time.


    The smile was a lie too.


    So he threw himself to the glass. Tears had started to pour down from his eyes. He did not realize it then.


    ''I also cared about you.'' He just needed to say it even though it was a lie. But he needed to say it, or it would be too late.


    As Cain tried to break the glass, the words only repeated in his mind.


    ''I also cared about you.''


    He needed to say it. Just once. The boy needed to hear that once. He could not die this way. He needed to hear it once-


    Then Axel''s eyes had closed before Cain could realize it.


    It was too late, anyway.


    In the end, he couldn''t say it.


    Because it would be a lie.


    But the man did not understand that his tears weren''t lying. Cain never understood, anyway.


    The last thing he remembered was a red vision and a blurry fight. And still, the man would never understand.


    ??????


    When the black vision turned white, a tear fell down from the man''s blue eye once more. The white colour slowly morphed into various ones; a brown colour from the ceiling, the cream colour of the wall, and black colour from braided hair.


    "-someone stole Axel''s body."


    The colour became too bright at those words. Cain found himself grimacing as he tried to turn around at the owner of the voice.


    He could see a familiar face talking to his daughter. The brunette''s expression was full of worry as he opened his mouth once more.


    "It''s your brother, the mercenary."


    And Cain finally understood. He understood that Axel had gone. That the boy had died and would never come back.


    This time, he wished that he hadn''t understood.

 Chapter 125 - More Interludes : Part 3

    A red hair girl with a plaster on the right part of her forehead walked down the hospital''s hallway in silence. Her ponytail fell from her shoulder and rebounded back a little.


    She had no significant scars or wounds whatsoever. She was being examined and treated like porcelain because she was the president''s daughter.


    Rune hated that. There were more people that needed help than her. But in this corrupted city and country, it was all pointless.


    Besides, she did not get hurt in any way because Axel-


    The girl stopped suddenly in the middle of the hallway. Her hands began to tremble as she felt the walls were closing in. Her eyes widened in terror when she started to feel something climbing up her throat.


    Then she clenched her fists in a hollow rage. The young girl closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and threw any thoughts away that related to Axel.


    The girl opened her eyes and returned to the same confidence glinting within her gaze. Then Rune began to walk again, avoiding the guilt, regret, and grief that kept screaming in the back of her mind.


    She made her way to a room with two bodyguards guarding the door. They stepped aside a little, letting the girl open the door carefully.


    Rune closed the door behind her as she let herself in. A man was lying on the bed with an IV in his hand. The red-haired man opened his eyes and weakly gave a smile to his arriving daughter.


    "Father." Rune greeted and sat on the chair near his bed with an unwavering small smile.


    "Hello, my daughter." Alfred''s hazel eyes wrinkled as he stared at his only child.


    "I got stabbed by a certain scientist, you see." He tried to lighten up the situation and laughed. "I look like a mess, aren''t I?"


    Rune chuckled and held her father''s hand gently. "You''re still the best president and father I''ve ever known."


    They fell into a comfortable silence for a while. The sound of a beeping monitor and their breaths filled the room.


    "I heard the news about your friend. Are you alright?" Alfred began, scanning his daughter''s gorgeous face.


    "I''m fine." Rune smiled and gripped her father''s hand even tighter. "Really."


    "He''s not my friend anymore, and he''s a criminal, so it''s alright." She continued, flashing her teeth to form a wider smile. "I''m okay, so you don''t have to ask."


    Rune tried to count the breath that she exhaled, calming herself down in front of her father. She hardened the grip and smiled through her wavering gritted teeth, "I''m really really okay so.."


    "So.."


    "You don''t have to make that face to me." Rune looked up at her father''s pitying face as if he knew. As if he understood.


    "I''m okay," Rune repeated her statement as she tried to stop her trembling hand.


    Alfred returned the grip and brought his other hand to his daughter''s cheek. He caressed her skin softly, wiping the one tear that had fallen down from her hazel eye.


    "But your face is saying the otherwise." He smiled reassuringly for his daughter. "It''s okay to cry too, you know?"


    And then she wailed.


    She let out a train of hiccups, ignoring how her grieving cry adorned the room. Her shoulders shook as she fell into her father''s chest, wetting the hospital clothes Alfred was wearing.


    Her nose started to run, and she could slowly feel the headache in her head. But yet, she still cried anyway.


    ??????


    "I hate criminals. I wish they would just vanish." The words that Rune had uttered one day to Axel repeated in her mind. She did know it then. Yet she wondered how Axel silently kept up with her.


    Maybe he did not want to tell her because he knew she''d hate him. Maybe if she had been trying to understand him more then-


    Then what?


    Rune gripped the paper bag in her hand and walked under the half-hidden sun. She kept walking, with her mind going elsewhere. She could not stop these voices that tried to haunt her down¡ªthe voices of her guilt.


    Her other hand gripped the necklace that she gave to Axel. She had found this right after he-


    Rune choked and almost dropped the paper bag in her hand. Everyone that passed by stared at her with a frown. Some that were kind enough shot her a concerned look.


    Count the breath. Inhaled. Exhaled. Everything would be okay.


    "I can explain, please-" Axel had tried to explain that time. The desperation that he felt ricocheted onto her eyes.


    Rune slapped the hand and jerked away from him. The loud slap rang in the air, so loud and clear. "Get your filthy hand away from me, you monster!"


    Rune bit her lip hard. The voices of her guilt just would not stop. She did not want to hear it anymore. So just stop.


    "I am your best friend. I''ve always been. So please-" Axel begged, pleaded. He begged as if he would die. He begged like he was asking someone to spare his life.


    The voices kept mocking her by playing Axel''s words like a broken record. She did not want to remember what happened after. She was wrong, so please-


    "Then I wish you were never my best friend."


    "No!" Rune yelled suddenly, causing weird stares given from the people. She wept pitifully on the side of the road. The paper bag had turned crumpled from how hard she was gripping it.


    "I don''t- I don''t want to kill anymore." Axel had truthfully confessed to her that day, and yet-


    "Then maybe you should consider killing yourself, murderer."


    Rune''s knees had given up, and she let herself fall onto the ground, crying under the sun that did not even try to accompany the wailing girl.


    The paper bag dropped down and spilt the cupcakes inside.


    ??????


    Rune had bought another bag of cupcakes and tried to reach the grave again. She had stopped so many times in the middle, seeming to can''t bring her feet down the road to meet her best friend.


    This time, before the sun completely disappeared from the world, letting the moon take over, she finally arrived in front of the source of her regrets and guilt.


    She walked down silently as the guards let her in. She noticed a certain dirty blond hair boy standing in front of the grave, standing in silence with a pair of expensive shoes that did not match with his worn-out clothes.


    It seemed like the boy hadn''t taken care of himself that much, considering how pitiful he looked right now. It was funny how Rune matched with him so much right now.


    Though, no one let out a single laugh of irony, only a haunting silence that morphed with guilt and regret.


    She did not say anything to Aster as she brought out the cupcake and put it in front of his grave. She also put down a white rose beside the cupcake then stood beside the blond.


    None of them talked. No one greeted each other nor tried to acknowledge the other presence. They just stood there, drowning in their own grievances.


    They only stared at their dead friend''s grave with matching hollow eyes. For the first time, they did not try to bicker with one another like they usually did.


    After felt like ages, Aster finally turned around silently and walked a couple of steps from Rune. "I''m leaving." He said, breaking the silence.


    "You''re going home?" Rune asked without looking away from Axel''s grave.


    "No. I''m going to therapy." The blond answered, considering if he should continue to talk or not for a moment.


    Aster sighed and looked back at the girl. "You should too."


    The blond walked back slowly toward her and grabbed her shoulders to face his face. The green eyes met with the teary hazel eyes that had been pouring tears for too long.


    "You''re clearly not okay," Aster stated, staring right into her soul with his tired, understanding eyes.


    Rune did not realize that tears had fallen down from her eyes, unstopping. She did not know that she had been grieving. Had she been crying all these times?


    Yeah, maybe she should go to therapy. Maybe she really should.


    Then suddenly, someone wrapped his arms around her. And so, Rune cried in someone''s hold once again. Aster held the back of her head softly, gazing down at the pitiful red hair with two dull eyes.


    Had Axel got enough hugs? Had he got enough love like her?


    She was selfish. Aster was selfish. They both were selfish.


    And Rune had the audacity to stay selfish by denying. She thought she was a good friend. She had never been. She never was.


    The two stayed like that for a moment in front of their dead friend''s grave. A cupcake was sitting right in front of the grave, knowing that no one would eat it anymore.


    Little did they know, right after they left that afternoon, their friend would be stolen by a certain demon.

 Chapter 126 - The Mute Demon : Part 1

    "Zack, you look like shit." Kiaran removed the cigarette from his mouth and blew up the smoke. He tapped the ashes while leaning on the wall in front of the front door.


    The front door was opened, revealing a brunette with dark bags under his eyes. His hair looked like a whole mess. His clothes crumpled around as he exhaustedly dragged his feet inside.


    "Yeah, no shit." Zack retorted back with a sarcastic smile. He groaned as he took another step and stumbled on his feet.


    Someone suddenly caught him from behind and carried him bridal style. The brunette yelped at the sudden movement and widened his eyes to the person who held him.


    A pair of deep red eyes with wings adorned her back, staring into the brunette''s matching red eyes. She emotionlessly examined Zack in her hand without blinking. The latter''s face went red at the sudden gaze as he spluttered around.


    "Can you put me down? This is kind of embarrassing, Adreanna." Zack tried to hide his face with both of his hands.


    "You need more rest." She monotonously spoke, holding the brunette even tighter in her hands.


    Zack sighed defeatedly. He knew how stubborn she was with her words and belief. "Yes, I know. But I want to check on-"


    His red eyes caught the boy that had been standing like a statue beside Kiaran. His patched eye and red eye stared at Zack even more emotionless than his sister. He wore a white blouse and white shorts with bandages from his feet to his neck.


    "Oh, there he is." The brunette exclaimed and strugglingly waved to Axel. "Hey, kid."


    There was no answer for a while as the boy only gave Zack a dead stare. Axel blinked once and then twice before finally moving his hand into his pocket. He took out a few mini notes and picked the middle one.


    Axel brought the paper to Zack and showed it in front of his face. ''Hello! (???) /''


    Realization hit Zack like a truck. "Ah."


    "Sorry about that."He moved his eyes to the bandaged boy and tried to smile for him genuinely. "-About everything."


    Adreanna and Kiaran knew the implication behind the brunette''s words. He was not sorry for Axel''s death. He was sorry for manipulating the kid''s memory. But Axel would not know, either way.


    Zack struggled to open his mouth to speak more. Something was weighing the brunette down. Kiaran noticed that and quickly moved from his place.


    "Anyway, you came here for something. So let''s go." Kiaran moved his head, telling Adreanna and Zack to follow him.


    "Or did you come to flirt around?" The secondborn raised one of his eyebrows, almost tauntingly. "If you do, please do get a room, you two."


    "Ah, no." Zack''s face quickly turned red again. "I''m here to talk about-" Zack side-eyed Axel, and Kiaran quickly understood.


    "Then follow me." The anarchist continued while making his way to Axel and put a hand on top of the boy''s head.


    "Axel, we''ll be discussing something for a while. You can play around for a moment. Don''t hurt yourself. If anything happened, just knock on father''s office room, okay? We''ll be there."


    Axel unblinkingly stared at Kiaran and searched for another note. ''okay ¨R???¨Q''.


    Kiaran huffed fondly and ruffled Axel''s fluffy hair. He began to walk away from his little brother, giving a last glance at the boy as he led the way for Adreanna and Zack that was still carried by her.


    Axel stood silently, staring at the three that slowly disappeared from his eyes. He stayed like that for a very long time with no thoughts inside his head. He then looked over to the kitchen and robotically walked over there.


    He reached the empty tray of cupcakes on the furthest side of the counter and blinked. He gazed at it for some minutes before diverting his gaze to the window. Axel examined the outside for a while and blinked once again.


    Then his red and patched eye caught the front door that hadn''t been closed since Zack came in. The boy blinked slowly and quickly got outside without thinking about the consequences.


    ??????


    Axel arrived in front of a bakery and stood in front of the glass door. He looked at the inside with a flat look. Round red eye stayed to stare in the same direction. It was really uncanny for people who say the dead boy there.


    When someone opened the door and came out of the bakery, Axel walked in swiftly into the cupcakes section.


    He gazed at the cupcakes briefly until someone came up to him and smiled. "Do you need anything?"


    Axel stiffly moved his head to the lady, blinking once, then pointed at the cupcake in front of him.


    "You want to buy this?" She nicely asked once more.


    Axel did not answer. He just unblinkingly stared at the lady until she chuckled awkwardly. "I''ll wrap it up for you, then." She quickly took the cupcake and grabbed a paper bag for the boy.


    Axel pulled out a large amount of money and put it down to the lady''s hand. He quickly walked away with a cupcake in his hand as he dropped the paper bag to the ground.


    "K-kid. The change-" She didn''t get to finish the sentence when Axel had already been out of the bakery.


    Axel was about to take a bite when someone suddenly slammed him down the nearby building''s wall and made him drop the cupcake in his hand. The boy''s eyes followed the fallen cupcake and stared at it, ignoring the man that was trying to strangle him.


    "You dare to look away!" He quickly grabbed the boy''s chin harshly and forcefully made Axel face him.


    The man that had been cornering the boy gritted his teeth. There was an awful scar that went along from his chest to his neck and ended in his right eye.


    "The butterfly murderer did this to me." He spat with uncontainable rage within his voice. "I''ve gotten stronger, and I came up to challenge him."


    "But he said I have to beat you first to be worthy." The man''s hand quickly formed spikes as he jerked it back, ready to launch a punch to Axel''s unfazed being. The boy did not blink nor do anything as he stared at the man with his usual emotionless gaze.


    The man grinned insanely. Though, his grin was hideous, unlike Kiaran''s. Kiaran had a way to charm people with his insane grin. This man was straight up ugly.


    "Now, die." He uttered and finally moved his hand at a fast speed onto Axel''s face.


    Right before the spiking fist hurt Axel, a sudden ball of fire was thrown into the man, sending him onto the ground with an ugly burn.


    A young soldier with silver hair and a pair of red eyes stood protectively in front of Axel. The soldier''s hands were shaking as fear took over him. Yet the boy still stood for Axel and tried to save him.


    When the man had recovered and tried to get up from the ground, the young soldier quickly snatched Axel''s hand and dragged the boy with him. "Run!"


    "Why aren''t you screaming for help?! Nearby soldiers could help you! Thank god a soldier like me was around." He nagged Axel as they ran together, with the mute boy obediently following him.


    The silver-haired soldier did a quick turn into a building and fell onto the ground on his side. He grimaced at the sudden impact and quickly opened his eyes to check Axel''s state.


    Axel''s face planted to the ground, unmoving.


    It made the young soldier''s face turn white and go into a panic state in a mere second.


    "Are you okay?!" He worriedly took the boy''s back to face him. He quickly examined the crack on Axel''s face and fell even deeper into his panic state.


    "Oh god. Oh my god. Did I do this? I- holy shit. Okay, uh, wait, let me search for-" The young soldier suddenly stopped after something tugged the back of his mind.


    He took a slow breath as he moved his red eyes back to Axel''s face. He looked at Axel with a surprised look that turned into disbelief that quickly changed into relief.


    The wind that came from the opened window blew Axel''s black fluffy hair, showing his dull face to the soldier. The silver head felt something weigh down his throat when he saw the boy''s face.


    "...Axel?"


    The young soldier trembled as he made sure he was seeing the real person. His eyes started to water as he grabbed Axel''s shoulders as if to make sure that he was real.


    "You''re not dead?" He croaked with a happy smile. "You''re not dead!"


    "You remember me, right? You are the one who saved me." The silver head exclaimed with tears that started to fall down from his face.


    "It''s me, Leo!"

 Chapter 127 - The Mute Demon : Part 2

    The silver head smiled with his teary eyes. He choked back some tears and wiped them off harshly.


    The dim light within the empty building ricocheted in Axel''s dull red eye as he stared down at Leo. Unlike the young soldier before him, there was no single expression on his face.


    "I-" Leo gripped Axel''s shoulders and fell on his knees. He lowered his head as he trembled slightly. "I''m sorry."


    "I''m sorry for ditching you back then." Leo still looked down, not daring to stare straight into Axel''s watching eyes.


    "I don''t-" He took a deep breath and continued, "I don''t have the gut to help you. I''m afraid that I won''t be a soldier anymore if I did."


    "I can''t let my parents down." He added, letting some silver locks fall down to his red eyes as he lowered his head even more.


    "And I realize I was wrong when you-" Leo snapped his head up to Axel''s emotionless eye, facing him close with two guilty eyes.


    "I saw the arrow piercing into your chest. I saw you when you went against your family." He confessed, biting the lower of his soft lip to choke down the guilt.


    "Yet, I can''t do anything to help you, just like how you helped me to stay being a soldier. You helped me when Aster-" Leo cut himself off after remembering the state of the blond. He really shouldn''t talk about someone that was in a coma.


    "I wanted to help then, but my feet wouldn''t move." He weakly sighed, eyes twitching as he stared at the state of Axel. "I knew it was too late when the arrow shot you."


    Leo glanced at Axel''s chest before diverting his gaze to the boy again. "So, in the end, I became like this."


    Leo chuckled pathetically to himself. There were visible scars around his hands, probably from trying to save anyone he could when it was not his side of the job. He was too young to save people. He still needed some training.


    Leo was in the middle of the battleship the day Axel died. When the sky turned red and the undead raised from the ground, he had been fighting for himself. Leo was a coward. He got that a lot from the people around him.


    Yet the boy still tried to make his parents proud by achieving so many things at such young age. So he was forced to join the war when the ministries deemed him to be competent enough.


    When he grabbed the sword and threw balls of fire at his enemies, he was still a coward. When he saw Axel get thrown away, tattered in the battleship, he did not help.


    Because he was a coward.


    And when Axel faced his family and went against them, Leo could''ve helped. And still, he did not.


    Because he was still a coward.


    Then he saw the arrow flying freely, aiming into Axel''s heart. The boy had fallen down, dying.


    Leo stood. In the middle of the havoc and madness, he stood with fire around him, staring at Axel in silence.


    "I tried to save anyone I could." Leo let go of Axel''s shoulders and scratched the back of his neck. Axel could see some burning scars on Leo''s neck too. It adorned half of his neck like some kind of a messed up drawing pattern.


    "I thought it would avenge you." He flashed his teeth at Axel, closing his red eyes and forming curved eyes.


    "But I''m still a coward, anyway."


    Axel blinked once at the boy and quickly dived his hand into his pocket. Leo opened his eyes to see what the boy was doing curiously.


    When the Vergessene boy found some papers, he took one of them and showed it to Leo''s face.


    ''no (??¦à??)????''


    The silver head dumbfoundedly blinked at the paper. "No?" He quizzically asked.


    Axel put down the paper and pulled out another sign. He showed it again in front of the confused soldier.


    ''thank you :)''


    Leo marvelled at the paper for a while before cocking his head at Axel. "Can''t you- can''t you talk?"


    Axel took the previous sign in his left hand and showed it to Leo.


    ''no (??¦à??)????''


    "What happened? Is it because of your death?" Leo asked more. Face filled with worry and pity.


    Axel blinked twice at the silver head, leaving him hanging in silence with the question. Then the black-haired boy moved his eyes to the door of the building, where they both came crashing inside.


    Leo followed the boy''s eyes and widened in terror at the sound of thumping footsteps coming at a fast speed. He quickly stood up and stepped forward, shielding Axel behind him.


    "Oh no. He''s coming. S-stay behind me." Leo trembled as he let out another fire in his hand, brightening the room.


    The sky outside had turned grey before the two could realize it. The thunder started to rumble as the man from earlier stood in the doorway with gritting teeth. His broad shoulders heaved up and down while he clenched his spiking fist.


    "Come on, boy. Let''s see how you fight that the butterfly murderer told me to face you first. You must be strong, aren''t you?!" He maniacally cackled as he charged down to unmoving Axel.


    Leo, who had been shielding the Vergessene boy, quickly threw another ball of fire to the man. The said man easily dodged it with his spiking hand.


    "Your fire won''t work anymore, kid. You caught me off-guard last time." He smirked as he readied his stance to fight. "And I won''t give you a second chance to do that again."


    Leo was forming his fire in his hand to throw it to the man again. But he was too late when the said man already charged down to him, punching him right in the gut with his spiking fist.


    The spikes pierced down his stomach and made the silver head coughed up a mouthful of blood. The man did not stop as he threw another punch and sent him flying to a wall, cracking his back.


    The man spat to the ground and turned around to face the unmoving Axel. He smiled madly, clenching his fist up to the air and sharpening the spikes.


    "Hey, you bastard." Leo suddenly chimed in, making the man to raised his eyebrow and looked toward him.


    "I''ve been knocked down way too much in my life. You think I can''t take this?" He clenched his bloodied teeth and fiercely stared at the man. His body started to light up with fire, surrounding him like a blanket all over his body.


    "I''m not that weak anymore, so don''t you dare hurt Axel!" He screamed and threw himself at the man, tackling him down.


    The man grunted when the fire spread to him. He tried to get Leo off him, but the silver head was stubborn enough to cling onto the man''s back like a leech. He burnt himself more and made the fire blazing within the room, smouldering the man.


    Leo turned his head over to Axel with gritting teeth. "Axel, run! I''ll- I''ll hold him down. Just run!"


    Axel deadly watched Leo struggle. Despite what Leo told him to do, the boy did not move an inch. He just stayed there, watching in silence with no speck of emotions within his eyes.


    "You''re annoying." The guy muttered before turning around and snatching Leo from his back. He clamped the young soldier down to the ground with so much force. Leo gasped desperately when the man punched his back with the same stamina as before.


    "Ugh-" Leo coughed up another pool of blood and laid still on the ground. His nose was broken from how hard the man slammed him to the ground. Leo''s hands trembled as he tried to support himself to get up.


    Before he even managed to try, the man stepped on him and clamped him down to the ground once again.


    After making sure that the silver head could not stand up anymore, the man made his way over to Axel with a maniac smile. His red eyes were full of rage and excitement.


    In a swift move, the man gripped Axel''s neck and pushed him to a wall. He choked the boy with his hand and formed a spiking fist with his other hand.


    Axel did not struggle as he monotonously stared at the man''s crazed red eyes. "Let''s end this, shall we? I''m going to kill that butterfly murderer after finishing you off in one go."


    "I thought you were strong enough to fight me. It seems like the butterfly murderer just wants me to kill you because he doesn''t want to do this job himself."


    His teeth glinted under the dim light as he bid his goodbye. "Say hello to god for me."


    Before the man could throw his fist, someone suddenly broke the wall on his left and sent him to the ground. He tried to get up to see the person that dared to pick a fight with him and squinted his eyes.


    There were three demons standing in front of him with wings behind their back. The girl on the left had a gorgeous face while staring him down with a cold look that sent chills down his spine.


    Another demon on the right was looking down at him with mocking eyes. Though, there was a glint of irritation in those red manipulative eyes. He tucked his wings down with hands crossing over his chest.


    Then he looked over to the leading demon on the front. The man quickly widened his eyes when he realized who the demon was.


    "Excuse me, that was my kid in your hand." Cain smiled kindly, eyes forming a crescent moon shape. Though, the man below the winged demon knew better that the smile was dangerous.


    "Do you have a death wish?"

 Chapter 128 - The Mute Demon : Part 3

    Three pairs of black wings loomed over the heavily bruised man. He could not move his hands anymore as he trembled under the Vergessene family.


    "P-please. Just kill me." The man begged as his spiking hands shook in fear. His face had blood and wounds adorning it.


    "I''m sorry." Cain kindly smiled at him. The dim lamp behind him emerged behind him as he lowered his body to the man on the ground. "But I won''t die that easily."


    He gripped the man''s hair with a smile that hadn''t flattered from his face. "It''ll be such a waste, don''t you think?"


    "You see, my two children here are angry." Cain jerked the man''s hair up and forced him to see Adreanna''s dull haunting gaze and Kiaran''s insane eyes.


    "It''ll be unfair if their father is the only one who can hurt the person that makes them angry, right?" He opened his eyes and looked down at him while kept smiling.


    Then Cain released his hold on the man''s hair and turned his back, walking away with wings dragging along the floor. Before the man could catch a single breath, his cheek suddenly clamped down the ground.


    Kiaran was the one to quickly marched down to the man''s head and step on his cheek, not letting the said man breathe. He bent down to look at the man''s face under his feet with his mad eyes.


    "Is the blindfolded bastard the one who sends you?" Kiaran whispered as he


    "I don''t know who you''re talking about." The man managed to answer under Kiaran with blood oozing from his nose.


    Kiaran put more force into his foot, causing the man to helplessly grunt. He tilted his head dangerously, letting his messy hair move slightly as he bent back up.


    "Answer me, spikes fucker." He moved his foot to brush the bruises on the man''s cheek with his black boot''s heel. "I know a plan when I see it. This is part of his plan, isn''t it?"


    "I really don''t know who you''re talking about-" The man gasped when a pop sound came from his cheekbone. Kiaran stepped on him with his heel without mercy, eyes apathetically staring down.


    "It''s-" The man choked before trying to open his mouth to talk again. "It''s the butterfly murderer! He- he said that I should take that boy down first to fight him! I was only going after that butterfly murderer, I swear!"


    "Tch." Kiaran''s red eyes morphed into irritation when he heard the man''s confession. He kicked the man''s ribs before finally walking away.


    The man let out a sigh of relief when Kiaran left. He closed his eyes and let himself rest down the ground. Though, he forgot about the last person who was still angry at him.


    Adreanna eyed the man from afar, folding open her porcelain wings as she looked over to Axel.


    "Axel, do you want me to kill him?" She asked monotonously, waiting for the boy to answer.


    Axel moved his head to catch his sister''s stare. He blinked once at Adreanna before moving his hand to his pocket. The boy took out one of the papers and showed it to Adreanna.


    ''Kill this fucker.''


    "Okay." Adreanna recognized the paper and looked over to the dying man. Her beautifully braided hair fell from her shoulder as she began to walk over to him.


    The man widened his eyes before blinking in awe at the sight of Adreanna''s face. She grabbed his hand gracefully, causing the man to stare with a blush. Her red gloved hands traced along the man''s skin then gripped his hand hard.


    "Do it slowly, Adreanna!" Kiaran shouted from the back.


    Then there was a loud crack sound coming from the man''s hand.


    A deep shrill scream adorned the building as one of the spikes on the man''s hand got cut off by Adreanna. She repeated her movements slowly with no spark of emotions within her eyes.


    The man kept screaming in the background as he slowly lost his own voice. Kiaran ruffled Axel''s head and offered the boy a small smile. He quickly turned over to the front door and tilted his head with a sly grin.


    "And what a lady like you keep standing and watching us over there?" Kiaran voiced out, staring at the lady with a baker uniform, shaking in the doorway.


    "T-the-" She trembled, feeling like her legs would give out at any moment. She offered her hand that had money in it to Axel from where she stood.


    "The change!" She shrieked and threw the money to the ground. The baker lady quickly ran away from the building. She sprinted away like her life was depended on it.


    "That''s kind of rude." Kiaran grabbed all the money on the ground and put it on Axel''s palm. He patted Axel''s head once more before side-eyeing the silver head on the ground.


    Cain was doing the same thing as his secondborn. He looked down to Leo with a calculating gaze and a friendly smile.


    "Uh," Leo muttered with shaggy breaths. His clothes were half burnt, revealing his solid-looking body. There was a nasty burnt along his neck as he stared up at Cain.


    "I''m on his side, I swear." Leo tried to justify while holding his unmoving naked left hand. He helplessly sat on the ground while leaning on the wall.


    "Please don''t hurt me." He pleaded when Cain got closer to him. Leo quickly shut his eyes and looked away from the man. "I''m already dying, so please-"


    "Here. For protecting my son."


    Leo did not feel any punch or torture when Cain crouched down to his level. He frowned when he felt nothing and slowly opened his eyes to see the face of the head of the anarchist group in the kingdom.


    A potion and a bandage were in Cain''s hand as the man himself offered them to Leo. The silver head blinked in confusion.


    "Please do heal yourself," Cain uttered, and Leo quickly took the potion and bandage with his trembling hand.


    "A-ah." A voice of realization came from Leo as he tried to reply to Cain''s kind smile. "Thank you."


    Leo opened the potion''s lid with his teeth. He strugglingly tried to apply the potion to his wounds with his right hand.


    "I''m sparring you because you helped my son." Cain still smiled as he continued, catching Leo''s attention once again. "-So if you try to do something weird, you know what''ll happen."


    Leo quickly shook his head and spluttered. "No, no. I won''t do anything to Axel. He''s my friend!"


    Cain cocked his head. "Friend?"


    Realizing that he sounded so fishy by saying that he was Axel''s friend, Leo smiled awkwardly at the man. "Y-yeah. Kinda. Maybe?"


    The silver head quickly snapped his head over to Axel with worry plastering on his face. "We- we''re friends, right?"


    ''Please say yes. Please say yes. Oh wait, he can''t talk. Please pull out a sign that says yes.'' Leo prayed in silence.


    Axel blinked twice, staring at Leo with an uncanny silence. He then suddenly robotically walked over to Leo. Axel took the bandage in the silver head''s hand and started to bandage the young soldier''s shoulder.


    Leo was startled at the sudden movement as he stared at Axel''s face that was close to him. He felt a slight tug in his heart by Axel''s doing and awkwardly waited as he let the Vergessene help him.


    Kiaran and Cain watched the two in a dangerous silence. The sound of the man''s screaming had died down. Adreanna probably had killed him already.


    "Right. Axel needs a friend when no one''s home." Kiaran suddenly chimed him as he gawked at Leo with hidden intention.


    "A friend that''s not a princess." Cain agreed and widened his sweet smile more, making it look eerie.


    "They make such a good friendship, don''t you think, father?" Kiaran grinned at Leo as he cocked his head dangerously.


    Cain hummed in agreement, watching Axel as the boy finished wrapping his friend with bandages. Leo thanked Axel shyly, he smiled at the emotionless boy as he began a small conversation with him.


    Axel would once or twice offer Leo a paper from his pocket. Sometimes, he would just listen to Leo''s talk without blinking.


    Kiaran and Cain''s red eyes glinted with something. Something that was insane and full of wicked madness. Both of them stared at Leo with a hungry look.


    Leo did not realize the look that Cain and Kiaran were giving to him. He was scared to look anywhere but Axel right now. He used this moment to keep Axel busy with him and started to like the one-sided silent conversation they were having.


    Leo did not realize that he wasn''t saving himself by saying that he was Axel''s friend.. He was digging his own grave.

 Chapter 129 - A Friend, Perhaps : Part 1

    "Who''s that?" Zack dumbfoundedly blinked at the Vergessene family that had just arrived. The brunette put down the broom in his hand as he stared at the silver head soldier.


    The said soldier''s hands were being held by Cain as he walked in front of the man. Cain gripped Leo''s shoulder tightly while forcing him to walk.


    "Axel''s friend," Kiaran answered nonchalantly as he ruffled Axel''s hair. The latter was eating a cupcake with a paper bag in his other hand.


    "If you''re asking me, that doesn''t look like a friend at all." Zack gazed back at Leo''s face, which had turned into a white sheet.


    "What do you mean? Leo and Axel are good friends." Kiaran retorted back with a sly smile.


    Zack''s face turned into a deadpan as he wrinkled his nose. "You are mad."


    "Thank you." Kiaran grinned as he patted Zack''s shoulder and went past him. Cain and Adreanna went past the brunette too, with Leo being held like a hostage in Cain''s hands.


    Zack sighed and turned around to face the Vergessene family while Axel stood beside him. "So you guys kidnap a child again?"


    Leo snapped his head to Zack with widened eyes. He was the fastest one to answer with a terrified tone. "...again?"


    "What happened to the previous one?" He continued, raising his voice a little to demand an answer.


    Zack smiled apologetically to Leo as he scratched his head awkwardly. He did not answer the boy and diverted his gaze to Axel who was staring at him with his emotionless eye.


    "What happened to the previous one?!" Leo repeated his question desperately, and Zack did his best to avoid the silver head''s question. The brunette looked at the wall like some kind of museum, pretending to have taken an interest in it.


    "Axel! Help me!" Leo''s last resort was to beg the emotionless boy for help. The silver head wriggled in Cain''s held and thrashed around, trying to reach Axel.


    "I don''t want to die!" He yelled. Too desperate.


    Axel rummaged through his papers after taking them out of his pocket. He picked the one that he had been searching for and showed it to Leo.


    ''no (??¦à??)????''


    Leo suddenly stopped struggling. He could see his life flashing before him at Axel''s paper. "...no?"


    "What do you mean by no?!" Leo had fallen into a helpless cry this time. He just wanted to help Axel, but not this way!


    "That means Axel want you to be his friend and stay here forever!" Kiaran happily exclaimed, ignoring how Axel blinked at his words and tried to shove the paper at Kiaran this time¡ªprobably trying to tell Kiaran that it was not what Axel meant.


    Leo stiffened in too much shock as he trembly tried to see the youngest Vergessene once again. "Axel-"


    Before he could manage to speak a word, Leo was thrown into a fancy room that the Vergessene family used for the guests. Usually, Zack would occupy the room. But lately, he had been sleeping inside Adreanna''s room ever since he used his memory manipulation power.


    The brunette had become really weak and got tired easily from using too much power. Adreanna did not want to let him go even the slightest and forced him to rest in her room while she watched him sleep.


    It was scary and stupid, but both of them were actually foolish at this thing called love. So no one cared anyway.


    Leo widened his eyes when there was two undead suddenly appeared from the ground and chained him up to the bed. The chains were long enough for him to roam around the room, but not long enough for him to reach the window with his hands or the door.


    "You two play for a while. We''re going to discuss something important." Cain smiled at Leo and Axel before leaving the room, followed by Kiaran and Adreanna with Zack waiting outside.


    The undead that Cain had summoned suddenly vanished to the ground again while Leo looked at the said undead with leftover fear. His gaze fell down to the chains in his hands and tried to yank them off.


    After failing to do so, Leo went to light fire in his arms, trying to melt the chains down. Axel watched the silver head in silence, standing not too far from him as he continued eating his cupcake.


    When Leo knew that it was useless to use his power and burnt the bandage on his left hand, he started to give up. He threw his back onto the bed and looked over to Axel that had been standing ominously in front of him.


    "I thought your family hated you?" Leo began, exhaling in despair while staring at Axel with half-lidded eyes. "Did they not?"


    Axel did not answer. The boy just returned the stare, unblinking.


    "So they didn''t hate you?" Leo wonderingly moved his head to the left, staring at the door. Then he moved his red eyes to the chains and sighed again.


    "Is that the reason why I''m chained up right now? For befriending you?" He frowned while looking outside the window. He wondered if his parents were looking for him right now.


    They would, right?


    Axel suddenly put a cupcake on Leo''s right hand. The boy pulled out a bandage from his pocket and took Leo''s other left hand as he sat down beside the silver head.


    "Ah. Is this your way of apologizing?" Leo blinked and quickly sat down so Axel could grab his hand better.


    "It''s weird that you''re different from Axel that I knew." His red eyes suddenly turned sad as he observed Axel''s cracked face and bandaged neck.


    Axel, on the other hand, started to reapply the bandage on Leo''s palm that had been burnt as the silver head tried to melt down the chain.


    "I guess you were really dead." Leo huffed with a bitter smile toward Axel. "I wonder what happened to you."


    "I wished I could''ve saved you." Leo bit down the lump in his throat as he stared at Axel even longer.


    When Axel finished bandaging his hand, they both ate cupcakes together in silence. The two bonded in messed up circumstances to be a friend. Perhaps.


    ??????


    Kiaran hated everything that was presented to him right now. His blue eyes disgustedly scanned the police clothes he had to wear and the grey fingerless gloved that adorned his hands.


    Kiaran also wore a surgical mask and a matching police hat that Valerian lent to him earlier this morning.


    And now Kiaran was obediently standing behind Valerian a little as the blond introduced him to the policewoman that guarded the prison.


    "This is my new partner." Valerian smiled professionally at her, introducing Kiaran politely. The mercenary almost scoffed at his action if he was not also trying to keep a facade right now.


    "You finally get a partner? That''s great! After Gina''s..." She cleared her throat at the sudden touchy subject that she accidentally uttered and quickly changed the topic.


    "But I''ve never seen him before." She moved her eyes from the tip of Kiaran''s head to the bottom of his feet. The man was taller than Valerian, and he had some weird aura around him.


    She almost caught Kiaran''s blue eyes, but the mercenary quickly lowered the tip of his head to avoid her gaze.


    "Ah. He''s from another city. He''s a little bit sick right now. That''s why he''s wearing a mask." Valerian quickly covered her question with a made-up story.


    "I see. Who''s your partner''s name?" She cocked her head in wonder with a friendly smile.


    There was a moment of silence before Valerian opened his mouth to make up a name. "Um."


    "Jeff."


    Kiaran''s eyes twitched in irritation as he snapped his head toward Valerian. "Are you fucking kidding m-"


    Valerian quickly jabbed Kiaran''s rib with his elbow and chuckled awkwardly. "Yes. His name is Jeff."


    She nodded and continued, "Is he a friend, perhaps?"


    Valerian still tried to stay as relaxed as possible and coughed. "Um. Friends for now is a more accurate term, I think."


    The policewoman''s face morphed into a frown. "Friends for now?"


    She stared back and forth between the two and then quickly blushed after a misunderstanding realization hit her. She coughed awkwardly and smiled at the two with hidden thoughts.


    "Ah, I see. Good luck."


    It was Valerian''s turn to frown at her words. "Good luck?


    Kiaran was having enough of the nonsense and stepped up, taking the lead away. "We are here to learn about the incident."


    "Oh, you mean the mercenary''s escape?" She was pretty quick-witted and started to explain the incident. "There is indeed a suspicious person and-"


    "No, no. Not that." Kiaran cut her off. "I mean the mute murderer''s body disappearance."


    "You said the mercenary was the one who took his body?" He added, scanning the policewoman''s expression dangerously.


    "Yes." She confirmed with truth, and Kiaran got irritated even more. He was irritated that she was telling the truth.


    He hated the truth.


    "You can just talk to the witnesses for more information. They are in the interrogation room right now.." She continued while pointing at the room where the guards of Axel''s grave were being interrogated.

 Chapter 130 - A Friend, Perhaps : Part 2

    The interrogation room door opened, revealing a blond lieutenant and his partner named Jeff.


    Well, ''Jeff'' was not exactly ''Jeff'' behind those policeman clothes. The surgical mask that he wore supported the role of the sick partner that he played.


    He hated the role, though. It was the worst play that he ever had to do for his 18 years of life. Kiaran grunted in silence as he made his way to the table in the middle of the room.


    Two guards were sitting on the chairs before the table in silence. There were no wounds on them aside from how pale they looked. ''Kiaran'' probably knocked both of them down earlier that night.


    The grey walls supported the room with their paleness. The only light source was the lamp on the ceiling right on top of the table.


    Valerian was the first one to take the seat as the policewoman closed the door for them. Kiaran quickly followed the blond right after while keeping his ominous presence in secret.


    There was a slight tension between the guards as they landed their eyes on Kiaran. Though, they quickly became relaxed when they saw Valerian.


    "I apologize for coming without a notice even though you two had just woken up." Valerian began, looking at the two with high professionalism and a mix of a polished smile.


    "I am also aware that you two have to go back right now if I did not intervene, so please excuse me beforehand." He continued. Green eyes glinted with a stern and soft look that matched up with the title that he achieved.


    Kiaran rarely saw Valerian this way. Every time he met the lieutenant, he would always glare at him with irritation and was easy to tease. The blond would grit his teeth and try to eat him alive with his gaze.


    Kiaran''s lip tugged a little behind his surgical mask as he observed the blond in silence. It was amusing to see this side of his sworn enemy.


    Or a friend, perhaps.


    "Yes. The mercenary was the one who took the body away." The guard on the left added, staring in much seriousness at Valerian from across the table.


    "Even though he had just escaped?" The lieutenant asked more with professionalism while Kiaran listened in silence as they talked about him.


    It was funny and ironic in some way.


    "He could be running to the grave right after he escaped." The guard on the right chimed in, defending the other guard''s statement.


    "But you said it was around eight pm? The mercenary disappeared around ten. Something doesn''t add up, don''t you think?" Valerian retorted back, scanning the two guards sharply, trying to find the lies behind their statement.


    "B-but it''s true! I saw him!" The guard''s face had become desperate with a slight agitating look in his eyes.


    Before Valerian could utter more words, Kiaran beat him first. "He really did see him. He is telling the truth."


    The blond quickly closed his mouth and snapped his head over to Kiaran with a frown. "What? But you-"


    "What was he wearing that day?" Kiaran ignored the blond and quickly diverted his focus to the guards.


    "A large black robe." The guard answered without hesitance. Kiaran could easily see the truth behind his eyes. He was good at knowing which one was a lie and which one was a truth.


    He was the greatest liar, after all.


    "A large robe? Why would I-" Kiaran stopped himself from ranting and sighed.


    "Why would the mercenary wear that? He doesn''t like that kind of style." He quickly changed his tone and copied the way Valerian acted before.


    "We don''t really know. But his back was large as if he was hiding something behind the robe." The guard explained thoroughly while trying to see Kiaran''s eyes that was hidden under the police cap.


    "Wings."


    "Pardon?" Two of the guards blinked confusedly at Kiaran while Valerian threw him a quizzical gaze.


    "Nothing. I was just lost in my thoughts." He quickly brushed their question off and continued.


    "His eyes. What colour were his eyes were?" Kiaran asked more and made the atmosphere turn weird with his questions.


    "I think everyone knows this. He has two blue eyes. Did you not aware of this, sir?" There was a sceptical look from the guard as he answered Kiaran''s question.


    "So he had blue eyes that night?" Kiaran once again ignored the question and asked more.


    The left guard wonderingly looked over to the other guard as if asking what was happening through his eyes. "Uh, yes?" He answered awkwardly with a slight frown.


    Then suddenly, Kiaran got up from the chair and grabbed Valerian''s wrist. "Police boy, let''s go. We''re done here."


    The latter quickly gave Kiaran an opposing look to his words. "What? But we didn''t get anything."


    The mercenary tugged the lieutenant''s hand and forced the blond to stand up. He returned Valerian''s opposing gaze with a determined look. "Oh. We got everything, alright."


    He quickly dragged him away from the table to the door, opening it fast as he brought Valerian with him. The lieutenant tried to bid his goodbye to the guards and policewoman while following Kiaran''s footsteps.


    Though, it seemed like the policewoman had a fever. Her face was red as she waved at Valerian and Kiaran while kept staring at them as they vanished away from her sight.


    "That impersonating motherfucker. He planned something." Kiaran grumbled as they got in the car.


    He snatched the hat away and messed his black hair up. He opened the police uniform and revealed a black shirt underneath.


    "Who?" Valerian asked curiously as he got in the driving seat while looking at Kiaran that was throwing away his surgical mask to the back seat


    "My counterpart." He stated and stared at Valerian''s eyes which slowly morphed into a heavy realization.


    "And I think I know what his plan is."


    ??????


    Valerian''s red eyes twitched as he received the death of the wanted man of the kingdom. He was not mad that he died. After all, it was bound to happen for all the spike man''s bad deeds to challenge people that he deemed strong.


    But it seemed like the man had a death wish. He apparently pissed off the anarchist family. The Vergessene family.


    The knight gripped the wanted paper in his hand and folded it harshly. How could a man be that stupid to challenge the Vergessene family?


    Valerian did not challenge them. Kiaran was the one who tried to annoy him the hell off every time. He did try to kill the demon with his counterpart that also tried to kill the other Kiaran.


    But of course, it would fail. It seemed like the blindfolded man knew that he would fail too.


    Valerian gritted his teeth. His pointed ear twitched in distress. He was angry, but he could not let it out. He was always the pawn in Kiaran''s games, and now someone tried to use him as well?


    He glanced at the paper in his hand once more and sighed. The reason why he had to look more into this event was that a young soldier in training disappeared right after he tried to fight with the man.


    Valerian did not know why the young soldier did that. But apparently, he disappeared right after the man tried to fight with the Vergessene family.


    Something was not adding up. But according to the witness that happened to be a baker, she told him that the young soldier was beaten up by the man, and the Vergessene family helped the young soldier.


    The question was, why would they help the young soldier?


    This was giving Valerian a headache. The knight hadn''t rest at all after the witch''s death, Alea. Her body was found without a heart, and Valerian knew that it all related to that damn anarchist.


    And now more problems popped out, and he had to solve them somehow.


    Sighing, he put aside all the paperwork. The blond locks fell onto his eye as he brushed them off to the back. He raised from his chair, sauntered from his seat to his office door, and got out.


    He strolled along the hallway, silently walking to his little brother''s resting room. Valerian would always have the time to visit Aster, hoping that someday, when he opened the door, the boy would be smirking as he stared at him with his playful forest eyes.


    He always had a little hope ever since he met Aster''s healthy counterpart. Maybe, just maybe, this Aster would wake up too and be healthy like that human.


    Valerian stood in front of the door and sighed. He pestered a smile to greet Aster, knowing, hoping that the boy would wake up and see his smile. Not his tired state.


    So when Valerian opened the door, he was not expecting what he was seeing at all. He never had this kind of thought before. But now that it happened, the blond trembled, gritting his teeth at the scene.


    Aster had disappeared.

 Chapter 131 - A Friend, Perhaps : Part 3

    Aster grew up seeing his brother become the hero.


    Growing up in a family with high power of the society''s security, Aster saw how Valerian slowly became the lieutenant. The hero.


    So the boy had thought that he would become like his brother someday. He used to admire Valerian so much that he would copy every little action his brother did and tried to become a hero too.


    The keyword here was ''used to''.


    Aster grew up seeing his brother become the hero.


    And he also grew up seeing himself become the villain.


    Being in the hero''s shadow wouldn''t make you a hero too. Just by following that hero''s footsteps, you would not become the same person.


    Because someone already made that footstep first and received the spotlight. Therefore, no one would care for the next hero unless the hero himself retired or vanished from the world.


    Aster was the shadow of Valerian''s shadow. No one appreciated him unless he did more than his brother.


    So he began to resent his brother a little. It was not a big resentment to the point that he wanted Valerian gone. It was only the usual sibling rivalry.


    But in the end, Aster would never be enough. He tried, god, he really did. He tried and yet no one was there to congratulate him the way they did to Valerian.


    So the boy began to create his own footsteps to receive a new spotlight, to receive his parents'' attention.


    He started to suppress people. He claimed the high ground and showed he was the superior one. He picked a fight here and there. He got called by the principal and his parents would see how their youngest was doing by getting called to the school because of his behavior.


    He finally got all the attention he wanted.


    Then one day, he met a boy named Leo. The outstanding silver hair and the perfect amber eyes supported how perfect the boy was. He received all the best scores and got all the attention.


    Yet when Aster did that, no one- not a single person looked his way. They always looked at Valerian.


    Leo became the hero in the school.


    It pissed Aster off. It was unfair.


    Then it occurred to him. All heroes needed a villain, right?


    Then so be it. That was Aster''s thought.


    He started to bully the silver head down. He was simply reminding the hero that the villain was the one that owned the ground.


    So Leo stopped becoming the hero. He became the pathetic person that got bullied by the superior villain. Aster once again owned the spotlight.


    Then one day, there was another copy of Leo. But worst.


    His name was Axel, apparently.


    The boy was perfect in so many ways. The black-haired boy got all the attention in school. And he even jumped to help Leo as if he was a hero.


    So Aster diverted his attention to the boy. He stopped bullying Leo and pretended that the silver head never existed before. He bullied Axel harsher than how he did to Leo.


    Aster did not realize that he started to enjoy doing it. He enjoyed how he made Axel suffer.


    But Axel did not back down. He did not fight back nor give up.


    He had a white knight to protect him. A sidekick. A hero''s partner. Axel got everything he wanted without even trying.


    Aster did not know when did he start to hate a hero.


    Then he met the mute murderer and realized that he prefered a villain over a hero. He admired the criminal who acted as a disguised hero as he killed people. Aster did not know when did he start to accept murder.


    So then he realized that he was a villain too.


    And after he found out that the hero was actually a villain, he denied it at first. He put up the act of foolishness that he showed in front of the mute murderer while trying to comprehend his act of bullying toward Axel.


    In the end, he became a little bit of those two things toward Axel. He became a friend, perhaps. Yet Aster was still aware of how he was a villain in Axel''s life. But the thought of two villains becoming friends wasn''t bad, was it?


    But lately, Aster wished that he was not a villain.


    He wished he was a hero and kept following in Valerian''s footsteps. Maybe that way, Axel could have been a hero too.


    Maybe that way, Axel could have lived.


    "You''re getting worse." The therapist in front of him uttered while holding a clipboard in her hand.


    "I know," Aster answered without hesitation while telling the obvious truth to her.


    She wrote something on her clipboard before looking at Aster''s tired eyes again. "You were getting better."


    "I know." He repeated his word and sighed, staring at her lazily. Not the lazy ''lazy'', but a lazy as if he did not have a will to live anymore.


    "Hey, doc," Aster spoke up before she could talk again. "Someone stole Axel''s body."


    The therapist raised an eyebrow and lowered her glasses to see the blond''s face. Axel had become a hot topic in Aster''s therapy. When the blond confessed about his relationship with the mute murderer, she had become stiff and tried to act professionally at the sudden confession.


    Now, she was used to hearing the mute murderer''s name every time Aster came to her for therapy.


    "He couldn''t even rest after he died." Aster belittlingly chuckled at his words as if mocking Axel. But he and the therapist knew that it was only his act of coping mechanism.


    "I''ve been the worst person to him. I didn''t even let him enjoy school life. I didn''t even let him be a hero and support his path to be a villain, a murderer." The blond continued, snarling.


    Then his face fell in a second, returning to his depressed state. He brushed his dirty blond hair back and let it cascade down his forehead again. "I think I am getting worse."


    "It''s not your fault that Axel became the way he was. It''s not your fault that his body was stolen." She retorted back, focusing on the pathetic boy in front of her.


    Aster shrugged with a ton of weight clamping down his shoulders. "Maybe."


    Then he smiled sadly at the therapist. "But he might have a nice school memory if I didn''t do those things to him, right?"


    "Don''t you get it, doc? I''m a villain too, just like him." Aster shoved down the heavy lump in his throat. "You are only seeing my pathetic self."


    "You never saw the real me. Maybe if you never see this ''me'', you''ll see me as the worst villain that bullies people." He continued, gritting his teeth as he told the truth to her.


    The therapist put down her clipboard onto the table. "But Aster,"


    "This is the real you."


    ??????


    "Aster, you''re finally home. Want to have a cake?"


    As Aster opened the front door, his parents welcomed him in so much warmth. They always tried to search for free time to greet him and see how he had been doing lately.


    Aster''s parents never paid attention to their child until now. The day the dirty blond hair boy asked them to go to therapy with tired and hollow eyes, they started to realize how they had lost the usual Aster.


    Then they realized that they never knew Aster at all. They realized, and they were too late.


    It was ironic. Aster could not help but laugh at it.


    "No, mom. You can eat it with Val later." He answered without even trying to smile at her and went to his room.


    The therapist''s words had been planted in his brain. He started to question which one was the real him. He began to question whether he was a villain or a victim too.


    But after meeting Axel, he knew that everyone was a little bit of both. Maybe Aster was not always a villain. Maybe he could let Axel go. Maybe he could let the guilt go.


    Maybe he was a hero too.


    The boy opened his bedroom door slowly. Somehow, there was a tugging feeling in his heart. There was a sense of danger and dread as he tried to get into his room.


    It also felt like time had become slow at that moment. He had a bad feeling and voices that screamed to not open the door.


    Then without realizing it, he already let the door open.


    Aster stood. He stood in his doorway, and he just...stared.


    A familiar neat navy cloak and a navy blindfold appeared in his vision. The person wearing them stood before him as they both had a weird staring contest.


    Aster met the blindfolded man in his room. The man that had been rumoured to be the one who killed Axel. The man that had ruined the mercenary''s plan. The infamous mysterious man on the news that haunted people in Livedam city.


    Then the blindfolded man started to lower down his neat navy hood, revealing a familiar hair colour that Aster wished he did not have to see.


    And then the mysterious man moved his hand to his eyes and started to open his blindfold, revealing familiar red eyes that were just too familiar.


    It was too damn familiar.


    It was too familiar because right now, when he saw the blindfolded man''s face, Aster was standing there as if he was in front of a mirror.


    Aster realized that time, at that exact moment, he realized that it did not matter which one was the real him.


    Because he...


    Because he really...


    He really was a villain, after all.

 Chapter 132 - Time Is A Confusing Thing : Part 1

    "You''re Aster." The dirty blond-haired human stated the most obvious thing as he stood before his demon counterpart.


    The said demon was wearing a navy cloak that looked brand new. A blindfold in the palm of his hand as his red eyes stared right into the green ones.


    "Yes, we are Aster." The demon retorted the statement, trying to snap his counterpart out of his fear-like daze. He then moved his bare hand and made a circling movement toward the door behind human Aster.


    The door quickly closed itself just as demon Aster''s hand moved. But the door did not seem like closing. It was more like reverse-opening in some way that it got closed.


    Human Aster looked back toward the door behind him with a terrified gaze and quickly diverted his green eyes back to his counterpart again.


    Demon Aster sighed and tried to approach his frozen counterpart. "Listen, we-"


    "You''re the blindfolded man." Human Aster flinched when the demon tried to touch his shoulder.


    "Just-" Demon Aster inhaled sharply before giving his human counterpart a piercing gaze. "Look. I need you to listen to me."


    "I- we- you. You are a bad guy. You are a villain." Human Aster''s back bumped onto the door as he started to suffocate on his own breath.


    Demon Aster''s pointed ears twitched in a mix of irritation and hurry. "I don''t have the time to explain about that."


    "You need to do what I tell you." He continued, sternly looking at him as if he was begging. As if he was running out of time.


    Human Aster''s hyperventilation suddenly stopped when he heard the demon''s request. The boy who was going through shock and denial earlier quickly turned into anger as he grinded his teeth.


    "No."


    Then the realization hit him again as quickly as the anger came. If his counterpart was the blindfolded man then-


    Tears started to form on the edge of his forest eyes as he trembled. "N-no. I can''t be a villain. You can''t be a villain. You can''t be the one who killed Axel-"


    "I didn''t kill him. No one did. It''s a thing that must be done." The demon quickly gripped both human Aster''s wrists and jerked the boy toward him, trying to make him understand.


    Aster''s green eyes widened at the sudden movement as he tried to wriggle out of the grip. "What do you mean?"


    "Blame the time instead of the people, Aster. It''ll be easier that way!" The demon yelled as if he was desperate. Or maybe he was.


    "Always blame the time because it''s unfair. It''s unfair." He gritted his teeth as his shoulders shook a little.


    "What?" The human, on the other hand, tried to face the unexplainable situation he was in. He could not run away this time. He could not deny. He could not do anything.


    "We don''t have much time. I don''t have time to explain more." Demon Aster''s words almost sounded like a beg.


    The human''s tears started to fall down. He did not know if it was shock, fear, sadness, or it was just exhaustion for facing too much bullshit. Nobody was making any sense. Nothing made sense. Axel was the mute murderer. Axel was dead. The boy was dead, and his counterpart killed him.


    "What do you mean? What-"


    "Time is a fragile thing." His counterpart''s face was closer to him now. He stared at him with something in his eyes. Something that only human Aster himself understood. He often saw that look when he looked at the mirror.


    "Sometimes, time is confusing too. Like right now." The demon''s eyes were too familiar, and Aster wished that the demon would just stop wearing that desperate and pathetic look.


    "You want to help your Axel, right?" He continued as the look got deeper, got even more frantic.


    Demon Aster did not need to get an actual spoken word to know his counterpart''s answer. Because he knew that the human would help Axel either way.


    The wind from the opened window brushed into the two identical creatures, blasting through their dirty blond hair as they stared at each other with the same desperate look.


    "Then do as I say."


    ??????


    Valerian drove away from the police station while trying to hold down his irritation toward the mercenary. He did not understand nor get any information regarding the disappearance of the mute murderer''s body.


    This man always did as he wished. From blowing a building to the whole city, Kiaran always did everything and treated it like a play.


    Valerian had always tried to catch the mercenary. But when he finally did, then what?


    Those questions often occurred, but he always brushed them off. He was too focused on catching him and thought that it would be done just like that when he finished doing his job.


    But then, he did catch him.


    Not technically ''catching'' when the mercenary lost his brother and completely surrounded himself to the city. But it was still a win for Valerian''s part anyway.


    Then the death sentence came, and Valerian had this uneasy feeling eating him alive.


    ''The mercenary deserved it.'' He thought.


    ''He should pay for his crimes.'' He added.


    But then there he was, after bailing out the said mercenary himself and completely betraying the whole country, he also helped him on finding out who had stolen the mute murderer''s body.


    Now his sworn enemy was sitting beside him while busy fiddling with his clothes. He seemed to be irritated from the lack of fashion on his body.


    Wasn''t he being too laid back despite having a death sentence following his trail?


    Wait. Was the mercenary being like this because he thought he would protect him?


    He probably accidentally opened the door for Kiaran while saying, ''You may do world burn part three, sir.''


    Valerian''s lips twitched in disbelief as he stared hollowly at the road. Ah, did Kiaran''s madness rub off on him after playing cat and mouse for years?


    "Spill it." Kiaran suddenly spoke without giving Valerian a glance.


    "Huh?" The blond quizzically tried to see the black-haired teen''s face while focusing on the road.


    "Those thoughts about me. Just ask." Kiaran quickly stared at him with obvious boredom and sighed as if his question was obvious.


    Valerian blinked in surprise. "Wait, can you read mind?"


    He rolled his eyes and answered, "I''m a human, not a demon. Of course I can''t."


    "You were thinking too loud that it annoys me." He continued as they stopped in red light.


    ''This pretentious fucker. How in the world does a person think too loud? Is he that of a genius to even tell what other people''s thinking?'' Valerian grumbled in his mind and waited for the light to turn green.


    "You were just cursing me, weren''t you?" Kiaran side-eyed the blond with a raising eyebrow.


    Valerian coughed. "No."


    When the light finally turned green, Valerian quickly stepped on the gas pedal and continued driving. He stole a few glances at the criminal before finally trying to ask a question.


    He knew it was going to be a mind game if he asked about the interview earlier, making Valerian try to guess all the riddles Kiaran would give to him. So he decided to ask another thing instead.


    "About the world burn," Valerian could see the slight flinch from Kiaran at the mention of it. "Were you really going to burn the world and end it?"


    "As if." He huffed and let out a snort. "If I could do that, I would''ve done it long ago."


    Valerian frowned and quickly focused on the road when another red light appeared within his vision. "Then- your speech about burning the world-"


    "It''s called hyperbole, police boy." Kiaran cut him off before the blond could utter more nonsense to him.


    "I was just going to destroy the city." He nudged Valerian when the red light turned green.


    "Why?"


    Kiaran shrugged. "Cuz I''m bored."


    "Wha-" Valerian sputtered and wrinkled his eyebrows in disbelief. "You want to destroy the world because you were bored?!"


    The car slightly went out of the way before the blond quickly adjusted his driving again.


    "Yep." He popped out the ''p'' as he lazily answered.


    "I''m just bored of waiting, that''s all." Kiaran continued and looked toward the car window. Somehow, there was a hint of sadness within his words.


    Valerian stopped the car. "Waiting for what?"


    Kiaran was still looking outside for a while, leaving the question hanging in the air within the empty street of the city.


    Then slowly, he turned his head toward the blond, staring right into the two forest eyes.


    "For everything."


    Valerian was always occupied with Kiaran''s teasing and mocking eyes. Sometimes, it was full of madness. Sometimes, it was just full of playfulness.


    The first time he saw a different thing in those blue eyes was when he held the mute murderer''s dead body in his arms. The pathetic, grieving eyes glued inside Valerian''s brain like a broken record.


    This was the second time Valerian saw different feelings within those ocean eyes again.


    It was just soft and sad in some way. It was something else.


    It was exhaustion as if Kiaran had given up on the world¡ªon his life.


    The young lieutenant never thought that he would see those looks from the criminal. The more they stayed together, the more Valerian could see the play that Kiaran unwillingly got into. The play that Kiaran would call ''his life''.


    Valerian unknowingly showed a new feeling within his forest eyes too to the sworn enemy. The usual irritation within his eyes was not there. It was a whole new different expression.


    It was not pity, it was not sadness.


    He showed the feeling of understanding.


    Because, he, too, was tired of the life that controlled him despite the fact that he was the one who was living.


    He was tired of waiting for everything to end too.

 Chapter 133 - Time Is A Confusing Thing : Part 2

    "Sir, you can''t get up right now. You need more rest." Zack put down the laptop on his lap to the table when Cain tried to get off the bed on his own.


    The brunette hurriedly put his hand on the man''s shoulder while his grey eyes warily looked at Cain''s bruises. Adreanna quickly replaced Zack by going in between the two.


    She helped her father sit down on the bed while Zack understandingly moved over to give them some space. Cain gritted his teeth as he leaned on Adreanna''s help while she gave him a glass of water.


    The daughter and father pair did not utter a single word at all while Adreanna patiently waited for Cain to finish his drink. Even the wind was louder than the two. Maybe communication was not their field at all.


    Cain had just woken up an hour ago when Zack was explaining how Axel''s body got stolen.


    "I''ll continue searching for Kiaran''s whereabouts." Zack pointed out, knowing that the two would ignore him either way.


    The brunette went back to his laptop to track Kiaran down again. The mercenary was hard to find, but Zack could find him fast, maybe in an hour. For ordinary people, he could find them easily under a minute.


    The mercenary was not ''ordinary'' in many ways.


    Actually, none of the Vergessene family was normal.


    Zack''s forehead wrinkled quizzically, forming a slow frown as he watched his laptop''s screen. Then a quick realization hit him, and a smile bloomed on his face.


    "Adreanna, sir Cain! I found Kiaran!" He exclaimed loudly and stared at two pairs of blue eyes that had gotten interested in him.


    "He''s in-" Zack snapped his head over the laptop again. But then, the brunette''s smile fluttered as he watched the screen.


    He blinked. "He''s in here?"


    And then there was a loud crash from the window.


    ??????


    Valerian had been questioning his existence too much since he bailed the bastard in front of him out of the jail. He had been thinking of the existence of God to the point that he thought about which one came out first.


    Egg or chicken?


    Valerian did not even know why he let Kiaran boss him around and told him to drive to this sad-looking apartment.


    So when they had arrived in the said apartment, his naive and foolish self thought that they would go through the front door as every normal fucking person would.


    But no. Nope.


    The mercenary was not normal, and he was aware of this.


    But it seemed like it included his so-called genius brain, apparently.


    "What are you doing?" Valerian eyed Kiaran as he took the grappling hook from the back of the car.


    "Having a picnic in the back of your car." Kiaran smiled sarcastically at him before slamming the trunk close.


    "Of course not, police boy. I am taking the grappling hook that you generously bring for me." He continued as he walked past the frowning blond while spinning the grappling hook in his hand.


    "No, but, you said that you want to visit your sister? Then why are you taking out that thing?" Valerian asked again.


    He had been asking so many things to the mercenary back in the car, yet his answer always seemed vague, sarcastic, or smartly covered the answer with another useless answer.


    ''Just ask.'' He said. ''Spill it.'' He said.


    "Well, if I can create a grand entrance, why would I pick the normal one?" Kiaran grinned at the blond as he aimed the hook at one of the windows on the building.


    Before Valerian could react nor answer, Kiaran suddenly snatched him by the collar like he was some kind of a bag. The mercenary had the audacity to shoot him a smile right after.


    "Hang in there, police boy." He said, literally.


    Then before a second even passed, Kiaran shot the hook to Adreanna''s window and brought Valerian to fly with him. Valerian''s life flashed before his eyes as he gripped Kiaran''s hand that was holding his collar dearly.


    Valerian fell down to the floor inside the apartment while Kiaran gracefully landed with two open arms after tossing the blond away. "Your saviour is here."


    "I stole that line from Loki, by the way." Kiaran finally put both his arms down and even had the time to sneer at Valerian on the ground.


    Zack was trying to process everything as he stared at Kiaran like he was seeing a wild animal. He diverted his gaze to the poor lieutenant on the ground right after. Adreanna and Cain moved their heads to Kiaran at the same time, unfazed.


    "I''m here. I apologize for my lateness." Kiaran began as he adjusted his shirt. "Before any of you talk, I''ll answer beforehand, so you people don''t have to waste your breath."


    Kiaran glanced at Cain with sorry. "Especially you, father. Pardon my language, but you look like shit."


    Cain, who was used by Kiaran''s way of talking, just sighed and tried to listen to what the teen had to say. However, he could not help but feel tense a little from the guilt and the thought of why had Kiaran stolen Axel''s body.


    Adreanna, on the other hand, had been pouring venom from her gaze to her brother. She was mad that even in death, Axel could not relax from Kiaran''s ''play''.


    "Okay, first, I didn''t take the body." Kiaran''s eyes still locked on Cain before moving them to his sister.


    "Second, it was my counterpart." He explained, matching the venom in Adreanna''s gaze.


    "Third," He continued and landed his last gaze on Zack. "I have a plan to get him back."


    Kiaran tilted his head to the three and grinned. "Any objection?"


    Valerian, who was still unwantedly sat on the floor, wondering how Kiaran knew many events beforehand. The mercenary always outsmarted everyone. He always knew what had to be done and what shouldn''t be done.


    Though, Valerian had seen the one time it did not work.


    Instead of reading minds, Kiaram probably could read a future.


    "Nope. I can''t see the future. I''m just a genius in case you''re asking for an obvious fact. I just know." Kiaran suddenly answered the blond''s thoughts and went to look at him again.


    Ah.


    Valerian blinked.


    Both then.


    "Stop having weird thoughts. It annoys me, police boy. Use your genius brain too." Kiaran sighed as he walked over to the bed where Adreanna and Cain sat.


    Valerian brushed off the sudden unwanted compliment that Kiaran probably did not mean to utter and got up from the floor. "Seriously, how did you do it?"


    Kiaran did not answer anymore as the three Vergessene fell into their own world. There was an eerie aura surrounding the three criminals.


    Valerian''s green eyes twitched at the ignorance. "Are you ignoring me?!"


    A hand rested on the blond''s shoulder as the owner smiled apologetically at him. "Don''t bother, dude. It''s in their blood." Zack sympathies with the lieutenant in silence.


    "They tend to ignore your questions."


    ??????


    Meanwhile, at the same time in the Edelweiss household, there stood a dirty blond-haired boy writing on a paper in a hurry. Aster bit his lip, ignoring his shaking hand as he wrote fast.


    He did not write like he was running out of time. He wrote as he ran out of time.


    He slammed the paper on top of his table and adjusted the navy hood that his demon counterpart lent to him. He covered his head with the hood while holding the blindfold in his hand and put it in his pocket.


    Aster did not wear the blindfold for obvious reason. He wouldn''t be able to see anything, of course.


    The boy made sure to cover his entire hair that not even a single lock could appear. He made his way to his unconscious counterpart that had fallen into his ''coma'' again.


    He carried the demon in his arms and quickly went to his window. The sun was almost hiding when he stood there with its warm light. Aster let the slight breeze of wind reveal his hair a little.


    He fixed his hood once more and glanced back to his room. With the demon sleeping soundlessly in his hold and a familiar navy hood on his head with a blindfold tucked out from his pocket, Aster jumped off the window and disappeared.


    The window was left open, making the wind freely get in. The breeze teased the paper on the table a little, swaying it just enough so it would not fall from its place. The written words were messy as the writer wrote them in a hurry.


    ''Val, I''ll be gone for a while. I''m going to save him.''


    There were messily scribbled words under the sentence. It looked like the writer hesitated if he should let it be there or not despite writing it first before the first sentence. Though, if you looked closely, you could see what they were.


    In between the messed up link, under the scribbled lines, there laid three simple words, ''I love you.''


    There was a vague thing called a story. People always had this mindset that a story began when one opened their eyes.


    No, no. All those statements weren''t trying to tell that this was the beginning of Aster''s story.


    This was the beginning of an important person to finally make Axel''s story continue.. Because the real beginning should finally come to an end.

 Chapter 134 - Time Is A Confusing Thing : Part 3

    Aster remembered the way in this part of the castle. He had been stuck in here with Axel back in the day. Though, at that time, he really did not know that he was actually with Axel.


    Well, who knew that the mute murderer was a loser like him.


    With his demon counterpart in his hands, he sneaked through the hallway, avoiding the guards around quietly. He learned it from Axel. He never knew that he would be using this now.


    He eyed the room where his demon counterpart got treated. The demon had explained everything that he should do, and this was the first thing that Aster was told to do.


    Retrieving the sleeping body of his counterpart.


    He lowered his head so that the brand new-looking navy cloak he wore would cover his face. After making sure that the guards were all gone, Aster quietly moved into the room and closed the door behind him.


    The room was full of medieval-like white interior. Aster felt like he had just gotten into some kind of kingdom story. The smell of medicines was strong. People must have thought that this Aster was sick.


    He carefully put his counterpart''s body down to the bed and tucked him in. Aster draped the blanket over the demon and stopped right when he saw his sleeping face.


    Aster sighed. He always wanted to be something important but when he got it, he finally felt the real burden.


    That made him actually think. Was Valerian has this kind of burden too? Maybe he should''ve understood that annoying big brother more.


    "You!"


    Ah, speak of the devil.


    Or demon. Speak of the demon.


    The door slammed open as Valerian''s counterpart got in with fury adorning his face. His pointed ears twitched in anger as he saw Aster''s back.


    Aster bit his lips and quickly lowered his hood to cover his eyes. He looked down so that the demon would not see his face when he turned around to face him.


    The wind started to erupt around the room like a small typhoon. It shook the walls slightly, following Valerian''s rage. "You dare stole my bro-"


    "He loves you."


    Before Valerian could get angry even more, the statement from the boy silenced him. The wind hadn''t vanished, it just stopped getting bigger.


    "Aster loves you." The boy in the hood repeated his words while staring at the ground, trying to hide his face.


    "Always."


    "He has a big ego just like you. That''s why he couldn''t say it himself," Aster muttered as the wind slowly disappeared, calming down little by little.


    "...I also can''t say it myself."


    "That''s why I''m telling you this. Because you''re not my brother." Aster slowly moved away from the bed to the window nearby. "Demon is a demon. Human is a human. No one''s at fault."


    "It''s just time." Aster took the opportunity of the stunned Valerian to open the window. "Whatever might happen, please take care."


    Valerian did not know why he stopped his wind controlling power. Something in the back of his mind was telling him to let this mysterious man go.


    "You''re different."


    Aster stopped from jumping off the window when he heard Valerian''s words. There was a beat of silence as he waited for the next statement from his brother''s counterpart.


    "You''re different from the previous guy that helped me track the anarchist down." Valerian''s red eyes glinted in something between calculating and longing.


    The wind died down as it blew Valerian''s blond hair a little. "Who are you?"


    The mysterious man moved his head a little, and Valerian could see his grinning lips. "Costume like this is pretty common, Val. You should be up to date."


    Then the man finally jumped off, leaving Valerian standing alone in the middle of the room with his little brother on the bed.


    Somehow, the sly smile on the blindfolded man''s mouth seemed familiar. It brought Valerian back to when Aster was still not in a coma. Maybe the nickname that the man called him was why he let him go.


    Maybe that smile was the reason why Valerian did not chase the blindfolded man down.


    ??????


    Five people were running into the woods, fleeing from the soldiers and police officers that had found their whereabouts.


    Just a moment ago, after Kiaran crashed the window in Adreanna''s apartment and stayed for a while, a lot of soldiers and police officers surrounded the building. Though, Zack noticed it earlier and gave them more time to flee beforehand.


    The soldiers and police officers were probably pissed right now since they would find no traces of them in the room. It was all thanks to Zack''s excellent hacking skill.


    Though, besides hacking, the brunette literally had no talent aside from that. His physical power was the worst ever. Zack had been running out of breath from how fast they walked into the woods that would let into the late scientist''s building.


    Zack almost got left behind as he tried to cope with his raging breaths. Cain was already far ahead while Kiaran ran like he was walking. The mercenary did not even break any sweat.


    Kiaran could match with his father''s speed, but instead, he decided to match with the lieutenant''s speed so he could keep irritating him. The secondborn Vergessene always used every opportunity to tease the blond.


    Zack felt like he was about to faint and failed to see the rock on the ground. He realized it too late when his foot had already stumbled over it. He widened his grey eyes and waited for the impact that never came.


    Adreanna quickly swept him before he managed to even fall and carried him in her hands. Zack blinked in confusion, and when the realization hit, his freckled skin quickly turned red.


    Adreanna stared emotionlessly at the brunette in her hand. Leaves fell down all around them, supporting the beauty of the firstborn Vergessene.


    "Thank you. You can put me down now." Zack smiled at his girl, and it was Adreanna''s turn to blink. She had a really faint blush on her cheek and quickly looked up to the front.


    Adreanna did not do what Zack told him to and kept the brunette in her arms. She carried him bridal style and went running while holding him dearly. She quickly caught up with the rest and followed right behind Cain''s back.


    Kiaran and Valerian stared at her when she passed them. They noticed Zack who had turned red as if he would explode.


    "Oooh, look at those lovebirds." Kiaran quickly snapped his head toward Valerian as they kept their running pace. "Want to recreate the scene, police boy? I''ll pretend to stumble."


    "Fuck off."


    The building slowly appeared in their vision, and they did not hesitate to get in from the front door quickly. Valerian had to stop Kiaran from barging into the window and forcefully dragged him by the collar.


    Adreanna put Zack down as they entered the building. The brunette coughed awkwardly when he received a knowing stare from Cain. He quickly opened his laptop and did what Kiaran told him to do back in the apartment.


    "The arrows are in here. Follow me." Zack led the way as they slowly walked to where the lab was.


    Kiaran kicked the door opened and made his way to the mirror that had been activated by the arrow. He glanced at the ominous box on the table and chuckled.


    "Five arrows in this world and five arrows in another." He muttered as he moved his hand closer to the mirror. "Those arrows can''t cross the mirror. That''s why they are attached to them when you brought them close."


    "I''ve tracked them down. It''s really here. Four of them are in that box, and one of them is attached to the mirror." Zack chimed in as he glued his eyes to the laptop.


    Cain opened the box and saw four arrows, just like what Zack had told. Kiaran eyed the arrows with a calculating gaze. His gaze turned into glee and madness. Valerian quickly became on guard at his expression.


    "He''s welcoming us," Kiaran stated madly.


    "Who?" Valerian cautiously asked as he kept his guard up.


    Kiaran tilted his head dangerously to Cain and Adreanna."The blindfolded men. They knew that we, no-" He stopped himself for a moment as his eyes darkened.


    "They knew that I personally would come."


    "My counterpart would take the arrow on the other side down. He wouldn''t leave it here." He continued explaining and took one of the arrows in the box. "That blindfolded man intentionally put the other arrow down on the other side."


    "Then let''s accept his play, shall we? Let''s see if it has a great plot." Kiaran showed his wicked smile to the mirror as he stood on the front with Cain and Adreanna on his sides.


    The sole mirror in the room erupted in dark roots. There were no reflections on it as the five humans in the room watched it in silence.


    Valerian and Zack glanced at each other with unspoken worry and quickly moved their eyes back to the mirror. They stayed behind the Vergessene family and knew that they could not turn back from this point onwards.


    The time kept ticking like a bomb. Time was cruel. Sometimes it gave too much. Sometimes it gave too little. Time was a confusing thing.


    No one was in control. No gods, no humans, no demons, not anything.


    Time was always in control.

 Chapter 135 - Battle Of Ownership : Part 1

    "A witness said that they spotted them in this area earlier, sir." A police officer hurriedly reported to chief Edelweiss that had just gotten out of the car.


    The said officer welcomed the two married chiefs as they both scanned the area. The chief woman in her forties followed the chief man that looked like an old copy of Valerian.


    The woman''s short dirty blonde hair waved a little at the sudden gust of wind from the forest near them. She inspected the area while her husband came up to the police officer.


    "This area is where their previous house was, correct?" He asked. Forest eyes statically calculated the situation. The wrinkles down his eyes were showing from his old age.


    "Yes, sir. The house had burned down right after the late mute murderer''s identity reveal." The officer confirmed his question, and the chief man nodded in understanding.


    "Honey," The dirty blonde-haired woman tugged her husband''s sleeve as her stoic expression caught something. "-we should probably split into groups."


    The man moved his eyes toward his woman and considered her idea for a moment. He quickly looked around to count the heads of the guards and hardened his gaze.


    "Split into three groups." He commanded as he pointed to the officer in front of him. "You search around the neighbourhoods."


    He turned to the policewoman and commanded, "You searched the house ruins and around it. Also, make sure if there are any secret passages. We never knew what the mercenary''s plan was."


    "Yes, sir!" All of them said it in unions and quickly scattered around the area.


    The head of the Edelweiss family nodded to his wife and stared at the officers behind him. "The rest of you follow me."


    They took off right after, running inside the heavy forest as they kept trying to see any tracks around.


    The chief woman caught up with her husband and ran side by side with him. "Have you contacted our son yet?"


    "Yes. But it appears that he hasn''t answered any of our calls." He tried to stay focused and followed the trails in the forest. He gave his best to not worry about Valerian at this moment.


    The teen had been disappearing a lot lately. Something obviously happened with the blond.


    The chief man gritted his teeth. It seemed like he was never a good father. Aster had been avoiding him and went to therapy. He failed to play a good role for the youngest because he was too focused on Valerian.


    He knew that Valerian would handle all the burden, so he had thought that Aster would be happy the way he was. The youngest did not have to try to be like his older brother. He could just do anything he wanted.


    But it seemed like he was wrong about that. And now, Valerian had disappeared, and Aster would not tell where he went.


    "This is regarding the mercenary''s matter. Has he given up in this case? He was so determined before." The woman chimed in. A sign of worry was in her voice as she kept keeping her fast pace down the path.


    The man''s gaze sharpened at her words. Behind his murderous gaze, a sign of worry was planted in his eyes.


    "Where are you, son?"


    ??????


    Valerian was questioning his decision as he watched the mirror. All his false determinations that people painted for him to be the protector of the city had led him to this.


    The first time he actually chose his own path was by betraying the whole city that he should have been protecting. He did it by bailing the mercenary out of jail and helping him with whatever his plan was.


    Cain suddenly stiffened and snapped his head toward the door so fast that Valerian believed it cracked. "Someone''s here."


    Adreanna slowly turned toward the door too, while Kiaran rolled his eyes and leaned on the table.


    Zack quickly rechecked his laptop, hacking the cameras around and the intruders'' communication devices. "Oh, um. About ten people and a helicopter that''s ready to fly if we get caught."


    "They also scattered outside the forest. Thirty, no, fifty with those in cars and hiding on top of buildings." The brunette continued rapidly scanning the screen like some kind of a walking machine.


    "Another trap from that man, huh? He probably sold us out to spice things up." Kiaran''s face morphed into an annoyed look. He really disliked this ''play'' so much.


    It was predictable and boring.


    Valerian who had been staying silent for a while quickly took out his gun and gripped it tight. Kiaran raised his eyebrow and tilted his head to the blond who stared back with a determined look.


    "I''ll hold them down with this guy. You three get your youngest back." The blond stated and pointed to the brunette who just looked at the situation with a confused face.


    "Your name is Zack, right?" Valerian stared right into his grey eyes, and Zack slowly nodded.


    "Uh, yes."


    "Hack the cameras in this place and track them all. We''ll get them one by one." Valerian suddenly took the lead, and Zack followed him instantly. Cain and Adreanna just watched from the back while eyeing the blond.


    "Mercenary, you go with your family and take the mute murderer back." He quickly ran to the door with Zack tailing on his back.


    Kiaran grinned in glee at the command. "Thanks, police boy! If you get in jail, I''ll bail you out too!"


    "He''s the one who bailed you out?" Adreanna''s blue eyes had turned into a darker shade as she watched Valerian.


    "Yep. Wholesome, right?" Kiaran chuckled while slowly walking toward the mirror.


    "Shut the fuck up and go." Valerian snapped his head angrily that a vein popped out on the side of his forehead. Kiaran stuck his tongue out and let his back fall into the mirror.


    Cain walked into the mirror, following afterwards. Adreanna stayed for a while, looking at Zack with her usual dull eyes.


    Zack caught her stare and waved at her. She blinked before trying to wave back awkwardly. Adreanna then turned into the mirror, disappearing into the world inside it.


    "They are still in the lobby," Zack muttered as Valerian slowly opened the lab''s door.


    "We''ll take them one by one slowly." The lieutenant led the way as they walked carefully in the hallway. They went inside a random room and hid behind the door.


    While they were waiting for the people to pass by, Zack tried to start a conversation. "You know, I can relate to you. I also like Adreanna, Lieutenant. So I guess we''re like in-laws?"


    Zack innocently formed a friendly smile toward the short-circuited Valerian. There was dead silence between them when the lieutenant''s face slowly morphed into irritation.


    "I am straight," Valerian stated.


    Zack froze. Valerian could see the question marks around the brunette''s head, dancing around as he tried to take what he had just said to him.


    "Oh," Zack uttered, dumbfoundedly blinking his eyes. "Sorry for assuming."


    There were footsteps approaching, and Zack quickly nodded at Valerian. The latter tightened his hold on his gun and cautiously opened the door.


    When the double footsteps got nearer, Valerian quickly jumped from the doorway and aimed his weapon at the intruders.


    Though, before he managed to pull the trigger, he stopped himself abruptly at the familiar faces in front of him. He stiffened and realized that he wasn''t wearing any mask too late.


    The said intruders that were about to shoot also stopped when they saw Valerian. The family met in the worst way possible.


    "...son?" His father began. Disbelief was adorning his voice.


    "Father? Mother?" Valerian tried to gulp down the dread in his throat. He lowered his weapon down and inhaled sharply.


    "I-"


    "Chief? Did you find them?" A voice was ringing from the other side of the hallway, causing the three of them to be put on alert.


    The chief woman swiftly dragged Valerian to the room he was in and closed the door on him. The two chiefs faced the officer that had just arrived, acting out as if nothing had happened with their neutral facade.


    "This building is empty. Go back to the neighbourhoods and join the other team." The chief man commanded sternly.


    The officer''s face looked like he was about to hesitate, but he chose to brush it off. "Yes, sir." Then the officer went away, leaving the two chiefs alone in the hallway.


    "I''m assuming the mercenary is here?" The head of the Edelweiss family started when he made sure that no one was around anymore.


    Valerian slowly opened the door. Guilt etched on his face as he bit his tongue.


    "...he already left."


    His parents stared at him for a moment. Valerian felt like he was being judged, as if his parents would swallow him alive.


    His father walked over to him. The uncanny familiarity within them could be mistaken as a counterpart rather than a father and son.


    "Do what you have to do." The chief man put his hand on Valerian''s shoulder. "If this is what you believe, we also believe in you."


    Valerian could not hold back the surprise on his face as he widened his eyes at the man. His father''s lips tugged upward a little.


    "You can make your own choices now." He gave a last pat on his shoulder and turned around. "We''ll help from the shadow."


    His mother reloaded her gun and smiled at him. "Valerian, stay safe, okay?" Her eyes morphed into a smiling ones as she walked away from him.


    "Your father and I will cover you." She waved one last time and chased her husband down.


    "Don''t be late for dinner!"


    Valerian was still frozen in his place, trying to take what had just happened. he thought that he probably would go to jail and that they would be disappointed in him. But it was the exact opposite.


    "You have lovely parents." Zack, who had been hiding, said. The brunette finally emerged from the shadow with his laptop and stood beside Valerian.


    "Yeah." He huffed in agreement.


    "Guess I can''t relate with this one," Zack mumbled and took the lead. Valerian''s face bloomed into a realization at the brunette''s mumbled words. He probably did not have parents or a good relationship with them.


    "Let''s head back to the mirror, lieutenant." The sadness that was displayed for a moment on Zack''s face was gone as quickly as it had come. He flashed Valerian a smile as he walked first.


    "Valerian is fine." Said him as he walked slightly behind the hacker.


    "Valerian then." Zack nodded.


    They went inside the lab again and found a completely normal mirror with black roots all over them. Zack was the one who went to touch it, and he actually touched it instead of crossing over.


    "Uh." He wiped his hand all over the mirror and cocked his head toward Valerian. "I think we have to wait?"


    Valerian went to touch the mirror too and pushed it slightly. "I think so."


    "Should we just head back?" Zack offered as he took a look at his laptop again. "It''ll be suspicious for you to suddenly vanish, right?"


    Valerian considered it for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Yeah. They can handle it on their own, I think. They are strong anyway. We''ll probably be a burden to them."


    After thinking it through, Valerian finally relaxed his shoulders and went to get the box of dark arrows. He closed it and gave it to Zack. "You should probably hold onto this. It''ll be suspicious if I do it."


    The brunette nodded and closed his laptop so he could hold two things at the same time.


    Valerian made his way to the door, looking around once more before leaving. "You''re a nice guy, Zack." He uttered from the doorway one last time and vanished from the hacker''s sight.


    Zack watched the lieutenant away and stayed in the room. He saw his reflection in the mirror, staring right into his grey eyes. A smile sorrowfully on his mouth, intended for his own shadow.


    "I wouldn''t say that if I were you, Valerian."

 Chapter 136 - Battle Of Ownership : Part 2

    "We''ve arrived," Cain stated coldly.


    The man stood in the middle, staring at the forest in front of him with his bitter ocean eyes. Adreanna and Kiaran came right on his left and right, emerging from the witch''s building behind them.


    "Now, let''s play our part, shall we?" Kiaran smirked. Though, behind his playfulness, there was a hinted darkness within his blue eyes.


    "We''ll follow you. Just lead the way." Cain commented, side-eyeing his secondborn on his left.


    Kiaran tilted his head up to look at the sun. His eyes glinted with its light as he stared at it.


    "There might be a probability that I haven''t calculated yet, though." He pointed out, cocking his head back to his father.


    "What is it?" Cain asked, answering his son''s stare with a stern gaze.


    Kiaran put on an overly sweetened smile for his father. "Axel coming back to life."


    Adreanna''s head snapped toward Kiaran. Her emotionless face was easy to read this time because of how surprised she was.


    Cain seemed to be startled by the statement and frowned. "What nonsense-"


    "Oh, come on, father." Kiaran sighed, rolling his eyes. "Why would my counterpart create the world burn play to be that perfect and flawless just to get his body? Why would he work with the blindfolded man who I, myself, wouldn''t trust?"


    "If I do not trust the blindfolded man, so do my counterpart." Kiaran pulled out a cigarette from his pocket that he had silently stolen from a police officer back when Valerian and he had to investigate the guards.


    He lighted the cigarette while positioning it in his mouth. "I didn''t realize it back then. I was going to do my plan just for my mere satisfaction."


    "And even though I hate it, I admit, I lost." Kiaran shrugged and inhaled the smoke. He removed the cigarette from his mouth and blew out the smoke.


    "But he was doing it for a whole other purpose. He was different because he had lost his Axel." He tapped the ashes, letting them fall down to the ground with wind swaying them a little.


    "He was taking a high risk just for a mere dead body of his brother''s copy." Kiaran stared down his cigarette in his hand and the ashes that fell down.


    "Now, the question is, why." He moved his head down perilously.


    "And before my counterpart managed to answer," Kiaran gripped the cigarette and snapped it in half. "-I''m going to rip his throat off first."


    ??????


    "The angel association?" Cain asked Zack when he showed him the papers of a certain association.


    "Yes." Zack''s face was more serious than his usual facade. He had been explaining about the association since they ''took'' Leo in.


    "They are making their move." He explained it even further, receiving dark gazes from the three members of the Vergessene family.


    The angel association. It was an association that had found out about the existence of another world. They had known about the cursed arrows long before everyone did.


    Zack had said that they were the ones who found out about them first. The angel association did not only contain demons as their members but also humans.


    They had been working from the shadow. It seemed like the witch had known about this since Zack found some papers from the witch''s hideout. Alea somehow got involved in this association. That was how she got the idea of bringing Isabella and Cecilia to life.


    The angel association had been experimenting on humans. Unlike the human world, where humans foolishly tried to make themselves to be a demon, the association experimented on the demons too.


    It was still vague on what they had been experimenting about, but they did not discriminate between humans and demons. They equally experimented on them.


    The association was located in the demon world. Now, they finally showed up one by one, appearing in the light.


    They were trying to catch the Vergessenes'' attention, and it seemed like they had finally done it.


    "Where did you hear about this stupid association again?" Kiaran clicked his tongue and raised his eyebrows in annoyance. His wings draped behind his back, covering the desk as he sat on Cain''s office table.


    "I''m an informant. I have my ways." Zack insisted. He felt a little anxious from explaining it. The association was too big of a problem and he did not want Adreanna to get stolen out of his grasp.


    "It''ll be too long to explain how I got it." He added, staring right into Kiaran''sred eyes with a determined look. "Instead, let''s focus on the main thing."


    "And the main thing is?" Kiaran''s gaze had turned into a calculating one, making Zack get even nervous.


    "They are aiming for you three." Zack strictly stated, gripping the paper in his hand.


    "To be exact, the Vergessene family."


    ??????


    "Damn, you''re good at this." Leo stared at the card on the ground. It seemed like Axel would win again.


    He looked at the cards in his chained hands and took the one on the furthest left. He put the card down, shaking his chain a little, making a clanking sound. Leo squinted his red eyes, calculating Axel''s next move.


    There were hot chocolates and cupcakes scattering around them. Leo believed that he would get diabetes from how much he ate and drank from stress. Though, lately, Axel had been offering all kinds of food.


    Right now, there was a plate of fries near him. Leo might have mistaken what Axel''s intention was, but he had an idea that the boy was trying to know what his favourite food was.


    "Oh? Wait, did I just win?" Leo exclaimed with a quizzical look as he put down his last card.


    Then the silver head formed a big smile. "Whoa, I win!"


    Despite how excited Leo was for his first win, Axel just stared at him with his unblinking eyes. Even though when Axel was the one who won, he also did not express any emotions.


    It was uncanny and eerie for Leo at first. But gradually, he started to accept the boy the way he was.


    "Right." Leo clasped his hands, swaying his chains as he did so. "I don''t really have a favourite food in case you want to know. I do like savoury things, though."


    "You really don''t have to cook for me every day. I''ve received more than enough despite being chained up." Leo gleamed and grinned at Axel. He had accepted his fate anyway. At least he was not in some kind of dungeon.


    "And I think my wounds are getting better. It''s all thanks to you." Leo gave a thumbs up to the boy and winked. He did not have to wear bandages anymore. Though, he wondered why Axel kept wrapping his whole body with bandages.


    Was it because of the crack? Axel had cracks on his face. Leo had thought that the cracks were only there. Maybe they were all over his body?


    Leo was curious about the eyepatch too. Maybe his eye cracked too?


    Somehow, he couldn''t bring himself to ask Axel. Leo was afraid of the answer. Axel probably went through a lot. The silver head was about to change the topic when suddenly, the doorknob shook slightly, signalling that someone would get in.


    "Did you guys have fun?" The door in Leo''s room opened, revealing the head of the Vergessene family. Cain walked in with broad wings dragging behind his back.


    Adreanna and Kiaran followed from behind. The secondborn flashed a smile toward Axel and Leo. The youngest just stared at him, unbothered, while Leo trembled at his smile.


    The silver head carefully hid behind Axel and used him as a shield. He just hoped that they would forget he existed right now.


    Cain put a hand on Axel''s fluffy hair and smiled. "Axel, we''ll be leaving for a while. You stay here, okay?"


    Axel blinked once and quickly searched inside his pocket. He took out a paper, showing it right in front of his father''s face.


    ''okay ¨R???¨Q''.


    "Play with your friend if you get lonely. I know you''ll miss this brother so much." Kiaran came up to Axel, putting a sly smile toward the trembling Leo.


    The silver head felt like his lifespan had shortened at the smile.


    Kiaran and Cain walked out of the room, leaving the stoically looking Adreanna. She awkwardly ruffled Axel''s head. "Goodbye."


    Her porcelain wings spread slightly as she let go of her hand from Axel''s hair. Adreanna went to the doorway and grabbed the door handle. She looked one last time toward Axel before closing the door.


    "I''ll bring a cupcake."