"Elyan is dead."
My sister's cold voice sent a shiver down my spine. But it was warranted.
'So the news did reach them after all.'
To them, I had been dead for weeks. To the people who knew of me, I had been dead for weeks.
But hearing the matter of factly way the words came out of her mouth put me off slightly. Almost like they didn't even leave a slight possibility of my survival in their mind.
The stone wall of the kitchen, the residual heat from the breakfast mass. A window that showed another small room. One with a chair and the subjects. There were people around there too, but everyone was minding their business, as per usual fashion.
I peeked inside and saw the faces that I'd been waiting to see for so long. Mom looked just like how I left her, maybe a little paler. But Lin- Lin was unrecognizable. Or rather, she was, it was just that her appearance now matched that of a couple of years ago.
She was slim and had not even an ounce of fat left on her.
But my eyes quickly followed to see the faces of two complete strangers.
I was pretty sure that they weren't Luoris. Men dressed in white sitting in front of my family. There was a knife being sharpened in the kitchen. That was where the sound of the blade originated from.
"haah..." I briefly sighed. My family was safe.
That was all I cared about presently.
On a calmer look, it occurred to me that it was the church that intruded on my home. Perhaps for their final check. Denying the slightest chance of survival after having me killed. Taking care of the loose ends. The men of God were acting like murderers.
'Actual scum.'
I wanted to burst in and turn their faces inside out but I understood that wasn't an option for now. If Mom and Sis saw me they would react. If they reacted, the church would find me out. Our safety would be compromised.
"Why are you here?" Sis asked with a hoarse voice. She was almost furious.
My family probably got the same news as everywhere else. That I was killed while being thrown off a cliff after hitting the hero... and that the perpetrator of the fall was a lower member of the clergy. Another member of the clergy was seated in front of them. No wonder they were furious.
No matter how much Mom believed in God, I doubt even she would be able to forgive the people who killed her son.
"Don't be like that, miss." The priest said. The worst part of the exchange was that the man sounded sincere and not sleazy. As if they convinced themselves of the bullshit they were about to spout.
"Do you expect us to be nice after all you did?!" She slammed her hand on the table.
"It was Elyan who started the fight." The priest wiped his brow.
"Cut the crap, that boy was such an angel. And he had no reason to pick a fight." She shouted again.
"My my. Don't be too quick. We aren't here to add to your plight, but here for reparations." The man ran his hand across his suitcase.
The room went silent.
"What reparations?" Sis' voice was a little weak.
"Nothing much. Just a little promise." The man poured himself some wine. "Just promise us that you'll tell us when- excuse me... IF Elyan returns.
Again, if he returns."
'Eh?'
"How could he return?! He died 2 weeks ago!"
"I know. He can't, can he? So this makes for a perfect deal favouring you. You get paid for an impossible feat! A blessing from God, indeed!"
It's not impossible that I return! I'm right the fuck here! What the fuck was going on?!
He was paying them to lose all hope of my survival. Of the slightest chance that I may return. He was buying my absence from their lives!
No.
IF I returned. Think. THINK! WHY WOULD THEY DO THIS?!
"Why?"
"We just have to apologise." The man ran his finger across the butterknife. There was no way they didn't know what the man was talking about. Even though- Ah...
They want to trap my family too. After taking the money, if I do return it to them and they don't tell the church. They would get labelled traitors for breaking the word of oath.
Our town's church belonged to the 27th God. The God of oath.
Then my family would lose their livelihood, and I would eventually get caught by the church yet again and killed for good this time.
'But was I always able to think this fast?'
I could hear the sound of sips coming from within.
But my family wouldn't do it. They shouldn't take the money. If they did it was as good as discarding me and any hope of my survival. They would be selling me out to the people who made my life this living hell.
They wouldn't. They shouldn-
"How much?" My sister sighed.
All of a sudden the world turned around. My mind broke into shambles, my ears decided not to cooperate and the pit of my stomach turned. It was just like that day. Not another loved one, please.
.
.
.
'Huh?'
This had to be a misunderstanding. Don't do this to me.
"We'll tell you if he comes back. Or maybe we won't. It depends on how much you offer." What was Sis on about?!
You can't do that!
I can't stand this. Please.
'MOM STOP HER!' This had to be a joke right? If she told the- If she- There was no way I could take the church on by myself. Mom just sat there in silence. Before I knew it I was standing in front of the door not even trying to hide.
Don't hurt me anymore. What have I done? Why does every- why does everyone keep on betraying me?
But no one even looked at me.
"Quite the smart miss. How does a MILLION Uln sound?"
"A million five hundred." Her head hung back as if she had the deal in her palm. How could?
How... No.
I went through so much. So much pain to get here. That deity even promised me. YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE WAITING FOR ME! How... How could you?
Yet another betrayal. It dug into my chest. It hurt so much.
I got mauled over by a moose. Got my head smashed in against a wall. Got a sword pierced through me. Had a hand dig through my chest. All for this...
"You got it."
I should've just killed myself when I fell off the cliff.
They signed a deal over my life, in front of my eyes. My nails were digging far into my palm. What was I supposed to feel? My vision was getting blurrier…
Right in front of my eyes, three small boxes got handed over to Mom. She quietly took them. That was all my life was worth.
A year's worth of business.
"I thought that it would take a while for us to come to this conclusion. I'm quite glad that this didn't have to be longer than it was." The priest got up.
On my right, a sudden voice grazed me. A palm wrapped around my forehand. I didn't even notice her presence until she was right there. She ran through the town and had caught up with me. Her chest expanded and contracted as she tried to compensate for the lack of air.
"Master Elyan why are you-" Anino's voice stopped after looking at my face. I caught a glimpse of her instantly cowering and trembling in ridiculous fear. I must have looked unsightly for her to show this level of disdain. Sweat ran down her body. Almost blue from disgust.
Her small hands wrapped around her neck as if she was choking on something. I really must look like a monster to her.
My whole life shattered in front of me. I'd be insane to not be insane.
"Of course, I didn't need to think too much about it… Elyan was useless afterall." My sister flicked her hair.
The final string holding me together broke down.
The book I hadn't seen for a bit started to float in front of me. Black pages, black cover that bled crimson. The pages started to flip in front of me as if there was a storm going around the area.
[ The lack **** has been compensated. Emotion Grief has tampered (Growth). ]
[̸̙͑*̷̰͔̂͠*̴̡͔̓́*̸̺͝*̷̣̑̍]̶̮͙̑͘
A word on a page, convoluted, but getting cleared with every flip.
An unnatural river of blood started to flow down my hand.
[̴̢̡̛̩͕̞̪̙̼̿́̃͊́͛̍͌͜*̴̢̛̤͍̻͓͉̙̄̐*̵̧͓͔̩̦͙͍͊͛̿͌̏*̵̠͎͇̹̼̮̒̇̇̾͝*̷̢̡͕̟̹͉͙̌̀̓͑́̓͆̚ͅ]̴͓͒͊̈́͐
Some of my skin started to peel off and got covered by an entire exoskeleton.
[̵͈̪̩̭̦̑*̶̛̙̉̄́͐̈́̈́͑̿̀̆̚*̵̀̀̆̀̀̐͊̂͆̓̕͝ͅ*̶̥͕͇̂*̶̜̲͚̎̓̑̃͒]̴̡̡̛̼͙͙̯̾̓́̈́͊̌̈̾̇̇̓͐̔ͅ
My tattoos started to burn and glow. Anino was trembling next to me
[̷̢͈͚̱̘͓̖͈͔̓̂́̉̔͐͊̌̿̌̔́̒͜͠D̵̡̧͎͍͎͙̹̮̦̬̀͒͐̋́͊͑̃͑̀ą̴̥̦̖͖̠̫̲̗͜͝ͅe̴̡̡̙͉̠̼͔̲̐͜m̵̟̗̝͔̍̈̐̒̂̏̏̑͘o̴͖̺̳̕n̴̰͖̔]̵̧͙̻̩̩̖̦̲͇̙͖̖̎̈́̊̀̈́̇̐̎̿̊̕͘͜͝
My blood began to boil.
{D̷̼̖͕̩̭́̃͑͒̅͝ä̶̖̖͍́̉͝é̵͖͎̯̉̇͠m̷̛͗̒͆ͅỏ̶̻̖̠̳̓̈́̾̇́n̶̘̒͑̏̊}
I felt rage.
{D̶̨̖̣͐̕a̷̟͊̇̂e̷̖̐͘ḿ̸̼͆ȍ̵̞̹̗͊ñ̸̘̐̚}
Immense rage.
{D̴a̶e̶m̸o̷n̵}
I just wanted to end it all.
{ Class : Daemon's Bones }