-1 week earlier-
Ha...Ha...
All white...and all dark…
The forest that didn't have any leaves left only the pile of snow covering the trees and branches, as the ground. I ran away the heart out of a fucking stranger, but he wasn't an ordinary stranger. He was a fucking executor or a killer or a henchman, I don't know. I accidentally saw him kill a group of men who didn't look like villagers. He must have been hired to kill that gang, or perhaps he was the one who hired himself. It was his business, and I didn't want to get involved. But he noticed me. I tried to explain that I wasn't one with the gang, and I meant no harm. I came here to the village only for one thing. Zephyra.
After he saw my face, he lost his shit and ran after me with the sword in his hand. I didn't have a chance to pull out my gun because he was too fast.
"Ha...ha.."
I can't see anything.
"Fwip-Fwip-Fwip."
I can't see his body but hear the branch to branch, the effect and the impact of his feet on the stone.
Suddenly I noticed the light torches ahead. I looked up. And it was a village sign. Finally I got here.
"Fwip!!"
Then the sword was thrown, and I quickly dodged to the side. He missed me.
"Arg!!!"
But I slipped on the wet snow and fell down to the ground.
"Thug!!"
He ran and jumped at me and grabbed his sword beside me. While he pulled out the sword and was about to put it under my chin, I took out my gun and aimed at his throat.
"Click."
I was about to pull the trigger.
"STOP!!"
"How dare you disrespect the village in front of me!?"
The old lady yelled at us, and all the villagers with big bodies ran out and circled us with torches and local weapons I had never seen before.
"I thought you left."
The old lady.
"I have to kill the last one."
The low voice spoke up like a drum echoing.
"Is he the Hunger?"
"He's one of the leaders."
"What!? Who the fuck is the Hunger? That gangster that you killed? I told you I am not one of them."
"Low down your weapons...both of you...Now!"
"..."
"If you don't put down, I will not allow you to come back here."
Then, the man on top of me pulled his sword away and stood up.
"The gun."
The old lady told me. Then, I placed the gun where it belonged.
"Why are you here?"
The lady walked around to be in the middle, saw my face, and asked me.
"I came here to talk with the leader of the village."
"About what?"
"Are you the leader?"
"I am. Why because I'm old?"
"...I want you to have Zephyra back."
"!!?"
Suddenly, that big guy aimed the pointy sword at my throat.
"Don't you dare speak her name!"
"You know her!?"
"And how dare you have the guts to walk in here. He's sure one of the sons of that fucker."
"..."
That man used his sword to push my chin up.
"See... he's just like him... I'm sure not just the look."
"!!"
"Hey...he must have a reason to come here by himself."
The old lady stopped him before he poked and stabbed through my neck.
"By himself? Those Hungers are one of the Stygians."
"What!?"
"Don't act innocent."
"Kid didn't know, easy..."
The old lady.
"How could I be easy? That family killed her!... his family... his."
The big man pointed his sword at me, and poked in the air non stop.
They knew.
"If we let him go, there's no guarantee that Zephyra will be safe... my Zephyra..."
"!!?"
Did he say my Zephyra?
"Who are you!?"
I asked.
"Don't fucking open your mouth in front of me...or even call her name. The reason she's doing this is because of your family, that blonde hair who killed her mother, and that evil man who looks like you stole her from me...my only heart..."
!!
"You're her father?!!"
"The one and only, and I'm about to do her a favor...that...kid... has bared ton of shitty brutal things by herself...if those Hungers didn't exist, she and Catalina would live together happily...with me...And I should've been there...when your father ordered the Hungers to search for..."
"Don't tell me that the business, the Dirtline business, they captured the kids from here..?"
"Not just from here, around the continent...She wants it to end."
The old lady.
"...That's why she came back to the city...that could be dangerous! She can't do this by herself. She could be killed!"
"The one who is to be killed is...your father...and that devilish, his wife."
The big guy was furious and getting even more enraged.
"Of course, she can. She has a lot of help, even if she does it alone. I ensured that she could do it too...because the rage she had ignored for a decade had already risen far too high."
The old lady.
"...Aren't you scared for her?... She might...Aren't you afraid that you will lose her...the only daughter you have."
I told the big guy.
"Don't play tricks with me."
"I don't...because I am afraid...I'm scared to lose her...I lost her once, but I don't want to lose her for good...please..."
"Hmpt."
"Why?"
The old lady asked.
"Because I love her."
"!!"
"You don't deserve her...even her name."
Her father.
"I know I don't deserve her...after trying to help her so many times, but it all runs back to the start...So please bring her back. She can live her new life here or somewhere far from us, from the blood."
"So your family will be free!? Hah. Instead of bringing her back, why don't you go back and stop the bullshit from your father!"
"..."
"She ran for her life... it was time to cut the main core."
He explained.
"..."
"I am scared...scared to death that she might be gone from me...but it's her inclination... and after we spent time together...even only a few days. I knew that I couldn't talk her down. She's just like her mother...she can do anything to save what is important to her from menace...And she's just like me...She can kill anyone who causes it."
"..."
"You should have known by now if you really love her..."
"..."
I have to go back.
My body was walking by itself straight to the village entrance, even if my feet were losing balance and feeling numb.
"!!"
Suddenly, my body was pulled around.
"Tell Charon...I'll see him soon."
Zephyra's father told me in his mad voice. I could see both his eyes with fire rage in different colors. He had a scar on his right eye, crossing half his face. And he pushed me away.
I went to North Mountain to find someone authoritative and influential on Zephyra, someone she could listen to and follow. I wanted her to return to her hometown and live her new life.
I knew now why she came back and what the reason was. It wasn't just revenge. She would like to save and protect her people. Even if Kaiza was with her during the hardcore mission, it wasn't enough. It was not just a dangerous mission. It was a blood-core one that could change and transfer the city's page.
Not only the group of families in Sovereign, the gangster in Dirtline, but also Veronica. She was the reason why I wanted her to be far away from us. I feared she would do the same to her as she did to her mother.
And I thought the Dirtline was out of the picture. My father knew himself well about the causes he brought to the family. And now he did it again?
Veronica, she was the one who convinced him for sure.
The Stygian Mansion
I ran inside without a pause.
"Where the hell is she?"
I shouted.
"Mr. Achlys!! You're back."
The servant.
"Where the hell is Veronica?"
"The head lady is in her office, sir."
I ran upstairs and headed to her office. Before I entered, I noticed Serena was ahead of me, but I didn't have time to say anything.
"Achlys?"
She called my name. But I already was inside Veronica's office.
"We gotta do something!! We're doomed if we still let the--"
I heard her voice.
"You!"
I shouted and hit her desk aggressively.
"!!"
She turned her chair.
"Achlys!?"
"You're the one who let the Dirtline continue!!?"
"Ha...Your father agreed with this. We...are continuing."
"Make it stop!"
I shouted.
"I don't want to...we are far from stopping...and tell your little missy to stop meddling with my fucking business!"
She got up and put her hands on her desk hard.
"You're losing, Veronica. When are you going to accept that...your fucking minions in the North Mountain are all dead."
"You're there!? That's not good, that's not good...Yamazaki took down Keithland, Hwaland...and the North Mountain!!?"
Veronica was losing her mind, pacing herself behind the desk.
Yamazaki?
"She did Slaven too...and...she will after Gerardo."
"What did you say!? Slaven!?"
"What should I do!?... What should I do..!?"
"!!"
I grabbed her.
"Tell me what she did to Slaven!?"
"She killed him!.. She did all of it. Yamazaki killed all of them in Keithland. He's with her!... I don't fucking know how...But she made him do it...and now she will after Gerardo...and eventually...me...She will after me!"
"..."
"...She might be after Charon too...No... I can fix it...I still have the Sovereign people...and tell Gerardo to kill her before she comes here!"
Veronica talked to herself while planning outside her mind.
"Stop!! If you kill her like you kill her mother, I will kill you first!"
I yelled at her and pushed away, but she fell to the chair.
"!!!"
"What!?"
And then Serena stepped in.
"You killed her mother!?"
Serena.
"Yes!! I killed that witch, and I'm about to kill her devil daughter, too!"
Veronica shouted back without embarrassment.
"How!! How did you..."
Serena was still confused.
"Heh, does it matter?"
Veronica did a little smirk.
"You're evil!!"
I raised my voice again.
"Me evil? Why don't you look at yourself? Achlys, you killed many men more than me. And look at your little lover who never ever looked at you back! She's also evil. She killed those guys, murdered."
She got up again and put her face directly to me.
"The most evilest of them all is you, Veronica."
I clenched my jaw and told her.
"..."
She glared at me.
"Don't tell me...you poisoned her tea?"
Serena.
"Hehe, good job, beautiful Serena. Now you have something other than beauty."
"Father!?"
Serena shouted.
"!!"
Veronica's eyes widened.
"You're going to do it with my father, too!!?"
Serena ran to us and pulled Veronica's arm harshly.
"What are you saying!?"
I turned to Serena.
"You poisoned him! and you take him away from us...like you did with Zephyra's mother!"
"!!?"
"Is that true!?"
I ask furiously.
"..."
"Where is he!? Where did you take him!!?"
Serena.
"Far away from the chaotic annihilation."
"!!!"
"You, mother..!!!"
I raised my fist out.
"Achlys!!! He might die soon."
Serena shouted at me.
"No...He's a long way from death...but sure, he's dying."
"Slap!!"
Serena slapped Veronica's face.
"We have to find him before...Serena...He might be dying, but...he can be dead right now! If we don't find him before..."
I was so frustrated and scared. I was in such a scurry and trying to wrap my mind.
At that moment, I had a lot of information in my head, and I was afraid for my father and Zephyra.
"Before who? Zephyra!?"
"Her father."
"What?"
"Her real father, he's about to kill him."
"Tell me!! Where is he!?"
I screamed at Veronica.
"..."
"There's fucking no time!"
"...Zephyra's father?...he's going to kill Charon?...she has no father like she has no mother."
Veronica.
"!!"
This woman was far from evil.
"I will not tell you...I need Charon to be alive. If I tell you, it will lead all the fuckers to him!"
Veronica told me with her crazy eyes.
"YOU!!"
Serena grabbed Veronica's hair and slapped her again.
"This little shit!"
Veronica grabbed Serena's back and slapped her back. They pulled each other's hair.
"Is it the time!?"
I shouted.
Fuck, everything was...
"You go!! Find him!.. I will deal with this old crone!"
"Old crone!?"
"Slapp!!"
"You'll never find him!!"
Veronica shouted at me from behind.
Think...Achlys, think...where could she take him?