The wall clock showed 11:17 p.m., but no one in the house was asleep.
Mina paced back and forth in the living room, her heart pounding in her chest. She and her mother were waiting for any sign of Keres, who hadn't returned since he left home earlier in the evening.
Feeling a knot of guilt in her stomach, she recalled their last conversation before he left.
She had been so immersed in her plans for tomorrow's holiday that she had ignored his unusual behavior.
Agreeing to feed Jelly was one thing but he even agreed to the ice cream treat, something he had never done before.
'Maybe he's sick of us,' she thought, biting her lower lip. 'Perhaps he's left us for good.'
Her guilt soon transformed into regret as she started to wish she had followed him, or at least asked him where he was going.
When the thought crossed her mind, she found herself wondering what he did every Monday and Tuesday evening, when he disappeared after school.
Keres had been living with them for over a year, but he had always kept a distance from them. He had his own secrets, his own friends, his own life.
He never opened up to them, except for the occasional small talk, stoic remark or that irritatingly sarcastic smile.
A wave of panic swept through her as she blamed herself for not being a better sister and a better person. She felt like she had let him down, along with her family and herself.
She glanced at her mother, who was on the phone, calling everyone she could think of. Lizzie had already contacted Keres' school, the neighbors, the game stores, the cafes, and anyone else who might have seen him or heard from him. But no one had any clue, any answer, or any help at all.
Her gaze shifted to Jelly, who was curled up in her mother's arms, half-asleep. The toddler was too young to understand the situation, but she sensed the anxiety in the air. She whimpered softly, and clutched her mother's shirt.
Mina looked at the door, hoping for the neighborhood patrol officer to arrive with Keres, safe and unharmed.
Lizzie had gone out earlier, to file a report with the Dell Corp. A patrol officer promised to search the streets and call them if he found anything, but he hadn't called. Nor had he brought Keres back yet.
Mina felt a shiver of fear, as she realized how alone, vulnerable, and helpless they were. She wished she could do something, anything, to find Keres, and bring him back home.
She needed to make up for her past mistakes, and show him that she cared. It was then—
Trrrrrriing
The doorbell rang, startling both Lizzie and Mina simultaneously. They looked at each other, hope and fear battling in their eyes.
"Mina! Go check who's at the door!" Lizzie yelled, abandoning her phone on the table.
"Stop yelling, I'm on it!" Mina snapped back, irked by her mother's tone.
"Then hurry!"
Responding with an eye-roll, Mina hurried to the door, silently praying that it was Keres, that everything was alright.
On reaching the door, Mina placed her hand on the knob, quivering with anticipation. She hesitated for a moment, realizing that something was wrong.
Keres wouldn't ring the doorbell, he would just walk in, like he always did. So who was at the door? Who could it be, at this hour, in this situation? A cold sweat ran down her forehead, as she wondered if it was someone dangerous.
Feeling a surge of emotions, she pulled back her hand, fearing that it was someone who had something to do with Keres' disappearance. Worse, someone who had taken or harmed him.
A pang of dread ran through her veins and when she heard a knock, louder and more urgent—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
She jumped back, startled by the noise. Next, she looked through the peephole. Relief instantly washed over her when she recognized the neighbor.
Lizzie, holding Jelly in one arm, gently craned her neck to peek at the door as she followed along.
"Who is it?" She asked, suspense etched on her face. Mina immediately glanced back and replied.
"It's just Mrs Faber" She said, reassuring her mother.
However, when her gaze extended beyond her mother, her heart seized in an abrupt pause. A figure, draped in a ghostly white garment, loomed just meters behind Lizzie. An unsettling aura emanated from him, flooding Mina's senses with waves of terror and unease.
His long, jet-black hair was tightly bound in a ponytail, exposing a face marked by scars that told silent tales of battle and survival. On his forehead, two peculiar marks resembling twisted horns hinted at a darkness that lurked within. Though his eyes were closed, Mina could sense the unsettling intensity of his gaze fixed upon her.
He pressed his hands together, forming a gesture more reminiscent of a ritual than a prayer. And as he parted his lips, a low, raspy voice slipped through the narrow space between them.
"Bags of garbage shelter themselves within our treasure trove... Pigs, Rats, and Monkeys plague every inch and corner of our home... Although our eyes stay wide open, keen and aware; we turn a blind eye to their unsightliness even so" He spoke as if reciting a script, his disquieting voice piercing Mina's soul like unseen shards of glass.
On the other hand, Lizzie shuddered, gasping in shock. She immediately backed away from him, her mind racing to comprehend how he had entered their home. More importantly—
"Wh-wh-who are you? Wha... what do you want?" She questioned to no response.
"It is not that we are benevolent or merciful. It is because we are too indifferent, too imperfect to meddle with these insignificant creatures" The spectral figure carried on with his words, completely disregarding her presence.
"However!" His voice sparked, causing the lights in the room to flicker in response.
"When garbage festers, tainting our surroundings, we must exert our might and dispel these eyesores... Not out of resentment but because it is our duty, for we are... the chosen ones." He concluded, a hint of pride resonating in his voice.
Lizzie felt a surge of fear and anger. What was he talking about? Was he insane? She thought, her eyes darting around, desperate to find something for self-defense— a bat, a knife, pepper spray—anything. But unfortunately, there was nothing within her reach.
"Mom..."
Clutching Jelly closer, Lizzie felt the toddler's warmth, praying fervently that he would not harm them.
"Mom..."
The doorbell rang again, meaning Mrs Faber was still there. If only she could discreetly inform her to go get help.
"Mom!" She finally heard Mina's voice from behind. And it wasn't until her daughter pointed at it that Lizzie noticed the indigo solar crosses on the man's sleeves. Her complexion instantly turned pale.
"Please, have mercy. We haven't done anything wrong. We're just an ordinary family trying to survive. Please—" She attempted to appeal to his humanity, but as soon as she locked gazes with his bloodshot eyes, she realized it was futile.
"Quiet down, trash" He said, a venomous edge enhancing the intensity in his voice.
The door's chimes and knocks abruptly ceased, plunging the room into an unsettling silence, shattered only by the snap of the man's fingers. In an instant, a nauseating noise reverberated as Lizzie burst into a horrific shower of blood, flesh, and gore. Her head catapulted, twisted, and finally came to rest at Mina's feet, her brain grotesquely exposed, and her eyes staring wide open, as if frozen in the illusion of life.
The metallic scent of blood hung thick in the air as Mina staggered backward, her trembling back finding refuge against the door. What lay at her feet was the detached head of a human, the detached head of her mother.
Reality crashed upon her like an unforgiving tidal wave, and a gasp lodged in her throat, suffocating her breaths as if oxygen itself had betrayed her.
Looking away didn't help either. Her widened eyes locked onto the unimaginable scene before her— her mother's blood, organs, and innards splattered across the walls and furniture.
Nausea gripped Mina's stomach and a scream was desperate to escape her lips, yet her mouth felt paralyzed. The instinct to run clashed with uncooperative legs. And she knew she had to put up a struggle somehow, but how exactly was she supposed to go about that?
The assailant was no ordinary threat— it was one of the hounds of the Ancient Church. A Dell, an S-ranked executioner known as the Apostle of Indigo.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks. She hoped she would wake up at any moment. It was all a dream. An executioner had no business invading their home; her family must still be safe and sound, somewhere in the real world.
Yet there, in the midst of this nightmare, Jelly's cries pierced her eardrums, shattering her to pieces. Collapsing to her knees, she felt powerless as the assailant callously lifted her baby sister as though she were a lifeless object.
The Apostle had snatched Jelly's neck as she tumbled when her mother burst into non-existence. Slimy crimson entrails painted the toddler's skin and clothes, her cries filling the air as he ruthlessly hoisted her to eye level.
"Are you... crying?" He inquired, raising his brows. Yet, Jelly's cries persisted, indifferent to his question.
"Mo... mmy..." The toddler whimpered, and in response, the Apostle winced in disgust.
"You impudent insect!" He yelled, rage seeping through his voice. His anger unleashed an intense energy as a dark, ominous chakra radiated outwards like wildfire.
"There is no greater privilege for your kind than to meet your end at the hands of a superior being" He proclaimed with a sudden calmness in his voice. But as Jelly's wailing grew more intense, the waves of his fury surged, causing the building to tremble.
"Or do you dare believe your wisdom surpasses mine, an Apostle?" He interrogated, his fingers tightening into a fist, veins throbbing with restrained power.
The walls themselves trembled, bearing cracks that sprawled like protesting veins. Tiny particles of debris rumbled and then descended, the building's structural strength slowly yielding to the overwhelming might of the Apostle.
In that moment, a voice, warped by tears, emerged from the depths of Mina's despair.
"Spare... hic... please spare her—" She pleaded, yet the man, remorseless, showed no mercy.
"Quiet down, you lack the authority to order me around" He said in a relaxed tone, turning to the teenage girl's direction.
"She's my... hic... she's my only little... sob... sis—" Her words lingered as the man abruptly cut in sharper than a pair of scissors.
"I asked you to quiet down, you little wench!" A murderous glint lit up his eyes as he swiftly swung his arm through the air, unleashing a serrated wave of his chakra.
It happened all too fast for Mina's eyes to see but a sudden numbness gripped her, rendering her utterly powerless.
Trying to breathe felt like pouring chlorine gas into a rusted metal pipe. As if the wicked air corroded her throat, a crucial connection missing somewhere within.
"Forgive me... mom..." She said.
Rather, she tried to, but unbearable agony threatened to consume her, volumes of blood leaking from her vocal chords, soaking the carpet. Thankfully darkness approached swiftly, the light in her eyes extinguishing, offering peace and solace.
'I'm sorry... Sara... Jelly... Kere—' Her thoughts faded into nothingness, swallowed by the encompassing darkness.
THUD
A severed crown struck the ground, marking the conclusion of Wilhelmina Levine.
—