Richard went straight home without any diversions. He hadn't been staying at home for a while now and with the trouble he was in now, it was probably best if he stuck around for a bit and completed one or two chores before telling his parents about it. His mother was doing well now, while his father was still grumpy about his friendship with Daniel. No matter how many times he tried to explain that Daniel was nothing like Jeffery Bruce. The man just wouldn't listen.
His sister on the other hand had become completely cold. Even though they weren't really close as twins, and rarely associated with each other as regular siblings. Richard could easily tell something was off with her, and it had all began after Jeffrey's attack. He had tried talking to her many times, but she always waved him off or force him into accepting the lies she always made up. He just wasn't the usual Rachel he used to know.
He reached his bedroom and cleaned it up before resting on it. It had gathered a little bit of dust during his absent days, and spiders had decided to turn the place into a feeding ground. His parents weren't home yet, but his sister was. As usual, she didn't say much to him and he honestly didn't have anything to say to her either. He just hoped that she was alright, and whatever it was that was bothering her would be resolved soon. He missed his sister and even though he didn't want to admit or show it, seeing her like this worried him.
He rose from his bed, he had suddenly lost the desire to sleep. His sister's safety and well-being mattered more than his two hour rest. It had been bugging him ever since and had finally succeeded in making him paranoid. He walked up quietly to where she sat. She was usually on her phone all the time, but now she wasn't even fazed if her phone was taken from her. She had really changed and he wanted to know why.
He could already guess the problem came from Jeffery's attack. It could be trauma, or depression. And neither of these were good for anyone's health.
"What's up with you Rachel" Richard started. He didn't want to make anything unclear, so he went straight to the point with every hint of seriousness in him. If he tried to act all soft and caring with her, then she would sway her way out of the situation by getting serious and all angry that he was disturbing . But now that he was serious, there was no way she was walking away without answering him, even if it meant using a spell on her.
Rachel almost jumped from where she sat when she heard her brother's words behind her. She had been lost in thoughts and didn't pay much attention to her environment. She heard him, but she was going to play pretend like she didn't hear anything. He had been asking her relentlessly about her wellbeing, and she had been giving him the same answers over and over again. She knew he was aware something was off with her, but she wasn't willing to share anything with him, at least not yet.
"Rachel talk to me" Richard urged tuning his voice down a bit. He knew the girl heard him and was simply pretending like she didn't hear him at all. He was already tired and sick of her games. Anymore of it, and he might be forced into extracting his information in an unofficial manner.
Rachel could tell she wasn't getting off the hook so easily this time around. And lying would only further his disturbance. She had already suffered alone for too long, and it wasn't bad to share with her brother. After all he was the only person that could understand her.
Ever since they were children, she had always lived in Richard's shadows even though she was older. Richard was male and it was natural that he would be the next progenitor of their family and clan at large. Since Elders were mostly selected from the most powerful families of the Infernal Judgement. She wasn't fazed by this when they were kids. In fact she used to be happy that her brother was going to become someone big in the future. And most times, they would play around about how she would be his assistant and advisor.
The discrimination had gotten even worse when they began growing, and their powers began blooming. She was first to unlock her prowess and even though she showed much promise than Richard, her parents never really cared or paid much attention to her.
They were much more interested in power and title than they were in their children. They often pushed Richard to his limits and sometimes almost broke him. It had gotten so bad that at a point, magic couldn't even heal the boy. It was obvious that they considered him more of an object than a human being. But nevertheless, they never revolted against their parents.
Rachel had gotten used to everything. She had gotten used to being neglected, until Jeffery attacked. It was only then that she had realised how weak she was.
She hadn't felt as useless as she felt during the Jeffery's drama in her entire life. And she had absolutely no one else to blame but her parents. She was jealous of Richard, and angry at her parents.
They had succeeded in making her potentials go to waste. She had watched her younger brother go up against one of the most dangerous Sorcerer alive. While all she could do was flee and seek for safety as her younger brother risked his life. If her parents had shown her at least twenty percent of the attention they showered Richard, then she would have definitely be above the level she was in now.
Ever since the Jeffery incident and her realisations, Rachel hadn't been seeing things as she used to. She didn't see Richard as her stubborn cute younger brother any longer. She saw him as an obstacle that hindered her growth. An obstacle that she must removed for her to grow.
She had been trying to control herself from doing anything stupid. Her parents now appeared as villains to her. They were the root of all she was going through now, and the urge to get rid of them was even greater than it is for Richard. It was as if there was a second being inside her. A being of evil and destruction. And this being was growing stronger and stronger every passing day.
She knew she had a dark side, but this was now more than just herself and what she thought. She could almost feel this new entity in her and all it was telling her to do was kill. To rid herself of her burdens and grow. She hadn't been herself ever since this second part of her arrived and she had been battling with it for control. Luckily she was stronger and had managed to keep her inner demons in check. She didn't want to do anything she would end up regretting.
She relayed everything to Richard apart from the dark entity inside her, and her burning desire to murder him and their parents. She felt a bit relieved after sharing her burden. Hopefully, it would quench this her bloodthirsty demon.
Richard was completely shocked by her sister's words. He hadn't realized how much of a hindrance his existence was to her. It was obvious that Rachel was much more talented than he was, and if she had gotten attention and a little more training than she did, then she would have been a great sorceress by now. Or at least be better than she was now.
She was a wasted potential and it pained him. But he was even more pained and pissed by their parents attitude. He knew that they were only training him and stressing him this much because he was the one to bring back glory to the Hardwood family name.
He hadn't felt used all those time up until now. He controlled his rage and deprived himself from housing any negative emotions towards any member of his family. They were wrong in their actions and he was going to let them know about it when they got home. For now, what he needed to focus on was his sister.
He joined her on the couch and without saying anything to her, he threw his hands around her and apologized.
"I'm sorry Rachel, I'm so sorry"
Rachel paused. She was supposed to feel emotional and all. But for some reason all that she could think of was how Richard would look covered in blood. She knew it wasn't his fault, but yet something in her blamed him. 'Why had he born?' She was supposed to feel love and probably hug him back, but instead she pushed him away. His nearness to her only triggered the demon in her which only gave her one instruction.
"KILL"