A kid was born, but the mother died. The father, who couldn't hold his grief over his wife's death, abused the kid like someone did to a slave.
The kid, who didn't know anything, took it for granted. The kid mistook it as a loving, doting act of the father.
Why would the kid think so? Of course, the father misled her. Every time he abused his child, he would always say it was a way to show his care for her.
The kid didn't understand anything, so she accepted and didn't complain whenever her father abused her. She was secluded, isolated from other humans, and had no way to know what a caring parent should be like. How she should be treated. How she should have lived a human life, not a slave or even animal.
At one point, when she reached seven years old, the father returned home drunk. While in that state, he blabbered about how everything was worthless: him, her, the world, everything.
Again, as an isolated kid, she was influenced by how her father saw life and the world. A pessimistic, which slowly turned into nihilism.
The beginning. The point of no return.
And the actual turning point was when she reached ten years old.
It was raining that day, and her father's sickness got worse. She returned home after desperately searching for someone who could cure her father.
She was covered in blood. Not her blood, but 'beasts' that got in her way.
The father muttered something under his breath when he found her daughter standing in front of the door, looking like a criminal who had just finished her serial murder.
She leaned in to hear what her father had to say and caught the words 'worthless' and 'leaving.'
"Father. Where are you going?" she asked.
The father coughed.
"Nothing..." he said weakly. "I'm returning to nothing."
"Where is that?"
"It's anywhere..."
Thunder roared. A brilliant flash of light cut through the darkness, casting an imposing silhouette against the backdrop. The sharp countors revealed a figure entering the house.
The father's eyes widened as he saw the figure drabbed in a dark cloak. A flash of recognition in his eyes.
The kid turned around when she noticed her father's eyes. Her own eyes locked on the figure.
"Ah, mister," she said. "My father, he-"
The unknown figure patted her head. "He's returning to nothing?"
The kid nodded.
"Yes. But I don't know where is that place."
The figure searched his robe.
"It's where your mother is. And your father is finally meeting her."
Tilting her head, the kid looked at his father. Her face was innocent.
"You're meeting with mother? Can I come along?"
The father frowned.
"No!" he forced a yell, which was a bad move. He coughed up blood.
The figure crouched and patted the kid.
"Don't worry. I'll send you to where your father and mother are later. For now, you need to kill him so he can meet your mother. Don't you want to see him happy?" the figure whispered.
The figure pulled a knife from his robe, handing it to her. Then they pointed at her father.
"Kill him."
...
"Kill him."
Same situation. Different circumstance. Nihila stared at the knife, then at Brandon.
Brandon glared at her with bloodshot. He wriggled like a worm, trying to escape from a certain death. He knew at the very start that Nihila wasn't the best partner to keep around. She was too unstable and weird.
He knew she could betray at any time, but she didn't. Well, except right now.
Brandon didn't know what Sorath said to her that made her follow his words, but he knew his life would end if he couldn't escape from there.
Nihila stepped forward, taking the knife from Sorath. For every step she took, it made Brandon's heart beat faster. At this rate, he would die from a heart attack before Nihila could kill him with the knife.
It might be better that way, he thought. He could return to the real world if that was the case.
Bewildered and speechless, the twins looked at Nihila standing before the 'worm.'
"Wh-"
But before they could finish their words, Nihila lunged at Brandon, killing him in the blink of an eye.
At first, the twins breathed in relief, thinking it was a good call to kill a betrayer. However, that was before they realized Brandon wasn't turning into blue particles light after death.
"Wait, why isn't he disappearing into lights?" Enri asked, looking at Nihila and then Sorath.
"He's dead," Nihila spoke calmly.
"I know. But... isn't he supposed to return to the real world? His body... or corpse, too."
Enri glanced at Sorath with her 'what the hell is going on?' face. She wanted an explanation. She tried to find the logic behind this.
Before she could say anymore, Atri patted her shoulder and gave her a reassuring look. Then she looked at Sorath, thinking if it was what he meant by how she would die for real in the Awakening Phase and not return to the real world.
Wanting to confirm her answer, she walked toward Sorath.
"Is this what you meant back then?" she whispered.
Sorath nodded. "Yes."
Atri looked over her shoulder, staring at the purple-bladed knife Nihila held and one she took from Brandon when she incapacitated him. It was not purple, but at least it had that color-bladed, which was blue.
She raised it for Sorath to look.
"Is it this? The weapon that could kill someone in the Awakening Phase?"
"Yeah," Sorath confirmed. "Take it with you. You might need it later."
Atri stared at the knife for a long, considering Sorath's words. After a while, she nodded.
"Alright."
Then a shout came from Enri.
"You what?! How?!"
She was talking to Nihila. Of course, she shouldn't have done that... if she wanted to stay calm.
After a few heated arguments between Enri and Nihila, Sorath sighed. He was about to step in and smooth things over when Enri, surprisingly, didn't lunge at Nihila. But pressing her nose bridge instead.
"That's bullshit... how did they even do that?" she said.
Although she didn't really want to know, Nihila answered densely.
"I don't know. My job is to eliminate people, not thinking about how the weapons were handed out."
She turned around, giving Sorath a side glance as she walked past him.
"Let's go."
Sorath snorted and then turned around. "Alright."
"Wait! Where are you guys going now?!" Enri shouted.
"Hunting," Sorath said, glancing back. "Two people are more than enough... or maybe three? Luke, come here."
Enri grabbed Luke's hand before he could walk away, but her attention was on Sorath.
"You can't bring him! He's a member of your house, right? Don't you think it will be fair if you leave him with us here? As an insurance?"
Sorath sighed. "It's not like I'll abandon you guys," then he glanced at Atri. "Don't you trust me?"
Atri was frozen for a moment. And when he was about to say something, Enri interrupted.
"Don't talk, Atri. I know for damn you will agree to whatever he said." For the first time in a while, she snapped at her twin. Not thinking too much about what she just said, she turned to Sorath again. "Either bring us along or leave this guy here."
"Fine," Sorath raised his hand, feigning defeat. "We will all go together if you don't want to be at a safe place at all."