''Speak''
'Thought'
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~Ryu POV~
Pathetic, truly pathetic, hating your power? That is just pathetic.
I know the reason why she hates it. She did say that her power is the thing that is responsible for killing her parent, but for hating her power because of that? That is just pathetic.
No matter what happened before, the past is the past, and it doesn't matter whether your power is the thing that is responsible for killing your parent or the thing that is responsible for destroying the world. It's your power, and you should accept it because the power is who you are.
Refusing to accept would simply make you not be able to move on.
Just like my Rashomon, her power is the thing that is responsible for her situation right now, but unlike her, I never hate my power. In fact, I'm grateful to have this power. After all, I would never be able to survive in this town for the last three years without it.
My power might be the thing that is responsible for my situation, but I never hate it, and I accept it as part of me. And she should never hate her power because, like it or not, the power is a part of you, and to hate it means to deny it and deny your power, is to deny part of yourself, which you should never do.
''I hate it.'' Mia said again, but mostly to herself this time, ''I wish everything that is happening right now is nothing more than a dream. I wish I could go back to the past like it once was. I don't want this power. I just want my parent back.'' Mia said
Understandably, everyone abandoned here probably wants to go back to their old life, including me.
When angels get banished from heaven, they become devils and a very being that is ugly, pitiful and pathetic. They all wish that it's a bad dream, a dream that they know they would never wake up from; that is why they accept that dream and continue to live on, even if it means living as devils, living in a dream.
Like everyone who lives here, we all wish this is just one bad dream, but we know it isn't. That's why those who accept it continue to live on, and those who deny it and try to wake up from this dream died.
''Don't be stupid.'' I said, getting her attention, ''The past is the past, the future is the future. A man is a man, and a woman is a woman. That is all there is to it. Thinking about the past would never bring it back; thinking about the future would never bring it to reality.
What matters like now is the present because all living thing is living in the present. It's doesn't matter whether you are living in a dream or reality. A sane human will say that they are living in reality; an insane human might will say that they are living in a dream.
It's doesn't matter what they said, and it's doesn't matter what you say. The only thing that matters is that you are living here and now, dream or not.''
With it, silence come upon us again. I kept looking down toward the street while letting my word sink in, Mia. I don't know what she is thinking right now, but she might seem to be lost in thought. Finally, Mia breaks the silence.
''Then... Are you sane or insane?'' Mia said, causing me to look back at her in the eyes, causing her to tense up slightly.
''What do you mean by that?''
''I mean, you d-did said that a sane human a-are living in reality while an insane human is living in a dream, so I just want to k-know which one are you?''
What a good question.
Am I living in a dream or reality?
Am I sane or insane?
To be fair, I don't know it myself. If anything, I don't even know what is truly sane and what is truly insane. I have been living my life as it is, never thinking about my state of mind because it never matters to me, because I had always been alone since I been living here.
But this girl just made me start questioning myself.
Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
In the end, I gave her my answer.
''I don't know.'' I said, ''I never draw a line between sane and insane. I always move that line as I see fit for myself, and no one else can. If anything, I think that the one that is truly insane is this world, for making me, making us judge what is truly sane or insane.
So to answer your question Mia, I don't know whether am I living in the real world or not.''
''I... see.''
With that, silence come upon us again, and we stay silent for the entire night. Nobody starts a conversation, and we simply sit while looking down on the street. The only sound that we can hear is the sound of a gunshot and screaming, which seem to cause Mia to flinch every time she hears it.
Time quickly passed, and the morning sun slowly rose, signalling a new day. Mia, who has also been sitting next to me, seems tired, even though she has more sleep than me. I would usually go to sleep now, but I do not feel tired at all.
So with it, I stand up and decide to head outside. I also decide on what to do with Mia after hearing about her story.
''Let's go, Mia.''
''Where are we... going?'' Mia hesitantly ask
''We are going to meet an old woman.'' That is all I said
We quickly leave the building. I quickly head toward the shop owned by the old woman while also letting Mia follow me from behind. I knew that I could never take care of anyone. Since I have lived here, I have been alone, and it will stay that way.
I no longer care about making connections with other humans being. People often say that you can never live alone, but I know that I can live pretty long by myself. So instead of feeling alone in a group, I should be alone in solitude.
Before I hesitated on what to do with Mia, there was an idea of letting her live with me, but after hearing what she said last night, I knew that she and I would never be able to work with each other. Mia, a girl that still clings to her past, a girl who can't accept her power, a girl who want to wake up from this nightmare, would never be able to work with me.
So, in the end, I decided that I would let her live with that old woman because she seems to be more capable of raising someone more than me.
So after a few hours of walking, which seem to tire Mia out, we finally at the old woman shop. I know that the shop would already be opening at this time of day so I was not worried about that.
Opening the door, the same old woman look at me from the counter.
''Oh, it's you. You are early this time.'' She said before her eyes landed Mia '', And you bring someone else this time.'' She said, and I could clearly hear the amusement in her voice.
''I take your advice.'' I simply state.
''My advice? You actually listen? Well, I will be damned. Here I thought you actually only knew how to do one thing. So how does it feel?'' She asks me.
How does it feel indeed? Well, to put it simply...
''Nothing, I feel nothing. And I think I might never try to do it again.'' I answer her.
''That a shame.'' The old woman sigh ''So why are you here?''
''Can you take of her? She lost her parent, and she had nowhere to go. I also know you want an employee to help you with the shop, so I think you would take her in, right?'' I said
Causing the old woman to sigh. ''Damn, brat.'' she mutters; she then turns her gaze toward Mia.
''What your name, girl?''
''M-Mia.''
''Mia, go upstairs, take a shower, and come down here and help me. As for your cloth, I will find a new cloth for you later,'' She said, causing her eyes to widen before quickly nodding her head and heading upstairs. After Mia is upstairs, I turn toward the old woman.
''Also, be careful. She is a mutant, and she can produce black particles from her body that can kill or destroy anything it touches. She seems to produce it only when her emotion is unstable, so be careful with that.'' I said
''Really? Why don't you tell me this sooner?''
''Are you gonna throw her out now?''
''Throw her out? Heck no!! If anything with her around, I can protect the shop more easily!!''
''Is that so?'' With that, I head straight out for the door, but before I leave, the old woman asks me another question.
''Will you go and save more people?'' The old woman asks
Isn't it obvious?
''No, I don't think I will. Saving people is just my style.'' I said
''So, what? Are you going to keep killing?''
Am I going to keep killing people? Just thinking about killing people make me feel that foreign feeling again. Just thinking about it makes my face move on its own; I don't know what face I'm making right now, but the old woman eyes seem to widen from it.
''Yeah, I think I will.'' I said before leaving the shop.
~3rd POV~
After half an hour, Mia finally came downstairs and looked around the shop.
''Are you looking for that brat?'' The old woman said from the counter
''Um... yeah?''
''Don't associate with him would only bring trouble.''
''But you let him into your shop.''
''Yes, I do. The only reason is that he is a customer, nothing more, nothing less.''
''Then why should I not associate myself with him? I mean, he did save me, and I don't even get to say thank him.''
The old woman can only sigh at Mia response.
''Listen here, girl, the only reason he saves you is that I tell him to try to save people; you just so happened to be the lucky person that he saves. He probably would never do it again.
As for the reason why you should never associate yourself with him, well, let me answer that question with another question.
Do you know what kind of face he makes when I ask him will he continue killing?''
''No?'' Mia said, and she was clearly scared of the answer; Mia simply didn't know why but Mia just didn't want to hear the answer.
''He smiles, and not just some small smile either. It was a full-blown smile of enjoyment. I don't know what you think about him, girl, but that brat is insane.
You might think he is not a bad person because he save you, but let me tell you one thing. There is a saying that no one is born evil, that just wrong.''
''Because sometime, a man is evil because they are just born evil.''