'They are...'
Hresha recognized the people surrounding her. In the deepest of her mind, the darkest past has resurfaced. She felt her stomach turn, however, her body did not reflexively vomit, it prioritized escaping.
"Hm? This what traumatized you?"
Hresha tried standing up, trying to ignore the voice. However, her legs became limp and unusable as it dragged her slow.
"Well, you're just a child back then. It's not your fault."
Hresha lifted her head and asked with hope in her eyes.
"R-really...?"
"No, I'm just kidding. You are part of the perpetrator. You have a lot of chances to retaliate but you didn't. You were promised safety over death. However, the price for that safety is another's death... no much more than death."
"B-but I was threatened..! I was scared!"
Hresha looked back and realized that no matter how much she crawls away, the people that were staring at her were still as close as ever.
"Wait! These are not real! I've already escaped them, they are gone! I'm already an Imagi!"
Thinking that being positive instead may relieve her of the situation, Hresha smiled and remembered why they were there. What she first saw the 'people' in front of her brought shock to her but Elihim's voice pulled her back to reality, even though the contents were harsh.
"My life is already different. I'm now living my dream. I've already escaped my past. There's nothing binding me!"
Hresha confidently stood up with a smile.
The 'people' began melting. Thinking that this nightmare was over, Elihim's voice entered her ear again.
"Unfortunately, the sin that you've done is unerasable."
"E-eh...?"
"You put up a tough front but if the same situation happens, you will repeat the past. The people before are your family, remember?"
"Family?"
Hresha looked down and finally recognized the faces on the melting puddle.
"..."
"It's not that you forgot. You made them villains in your head. The stares they gave you when they realized that you're part of the atrocitie-"
"No!" Hresha dropped to her knees again. The strength that she thought she had dissipated in an instant. She could only cover both her ears but Elihim's voice penetrated those feeble hands and entered her ears.
"After your town was burned and destroyed to the ground along with your family, you were luckily set free."
Hresha could then laughter that was etched into her mind, bringing her the shivers.
"They didn't release you out of mercy or because it was promised. It's because you're just a child. They know that you will die out there on your own. That's how evil they are and you've helped them achieved what they want."
Like a faucet, Hresha's tears dropped from her clenched eyes. Her mouth wailed, wanting to drown out the voice entering her head.
"You're lucky to mee the headmaster before you died without food, water, and shelter. What if the headmaster wasn't there? What if you encountered a beast before you met the headmaster? You felt fortunate... and it's dragging your heart down."
"I don't deserve any of it! I... it was better if I just died! But I can't, I don't want to!"
At that point, Elihim's voice was already gone. The bursting laughter only filled her head. It was akin to the screams from hell to her. Repeating like a broken record.
A shadow loomed over her.
Hresha looked and saw another group of people. This time, they were the cause of her suffering. The reason why her parents cast judgemental stares onto her that couldn't be erased, the kind girl fooling her town.
"Wo... no... ah..."
Unintelligible noises began coming out of her lips. Her mind turning blank as madness was dawning over her.
Even though her mind was turning empty...
'This is better.'
'I'm going to go crazy.'
'I deserve this.'
'I'm too much of a coward to fight back.'
'I'm too much of a coward to accept my past.'
'I'm too much of a coward to look at reality.'
'A person like me doesn't deserve to live.'
An empty shell. Her eyes losing color. Her senses fading into nothing.
...
...
...
"Why is my voice use to bring out your hidden conscience? Are you making me the bad guy here?"
Hresha sharply gasped as she looked at the light that flashed in front of her. The figure of a child came out of this light. No, more accurately, came into her mind.
"But I've heard it all. I didn't think you became traumatized over something so dumb."
"Dumb...?"
The silhouetted of the child began to gain color as he got closer to her, dispelling the surrounding shadows of laughing 'people'
"In my opinion, you're still the kind girl, only naive. Haven't you tried to blame the others?"
Hresha's consciousness slowly returned to her.
"Blame the... others?"
"Yes, blame the others."
"But aren't I blaming them enough?"
"No, you're just hurt that they've judged you. You blamed yourself. This time, blame them. How can they let the despicable bandits get you and use you? Is there no responsible adult? The townspeople are too complacent, they are to be blamed. Your parents didn't teach you not to go out at night, they are to be blamed. The bandits are the cause of it all, they are to blame."
"... is that fine?"
"It's fine. They reap what they sow. Now they're dead."
Their surroundings began to shift, no, more accurately, Hresha began to change her perspective.
"The reason why you're still suffering is that you buried it and had yet to resolve it emotionally. Just accept it. Your parents are trash, the townspeople are trash, and now they've been burned."
"You're right..." Hresha replied but somehow, this was still not enough.
"But there's still something weighing you down, right? Even though they're trash, they are still your parents and your town. There's only one thing you can do."
"What?"
"Avenge them."
Hresha's eyes shone but then hesitated.
"But, it was a long time ago. What if they're dead already?"
"Yes, if that's true then just kill their children."
"Children!?"
"Children of the devil are still devils. They will grow up to become the people who you despised."
"No... we should give them a chance."
"If that's what you want."
"Really? That's fine?"
"If you can change them, that's better than fine. After all, you're not the same as the bandits."
"But the revenge..."
"So what is it? Make up your mind."
"I..." Hresha clenched her fists and a dilemma fell upon her, "But do I even have the strength in the first place?"
She looked up and terror struck her. She was not afraid at Elihim looking down on her, but terrified at what's behind him.
Elihim turned around but different from Hresha, he didn't panic. Instead, he introduced the monster to her.
"This is the true form of a Death Dweller."