"So Vermis, are we gonna go to hell and pay Lucif a visit?" Shin continued to force vermis into letting them.
Vermis shook his head. "Again, no Shin I'll pay him a visit... Alone."
"...Damnit."
"Give up Shin. Remember we have to train the two girls into learning the basics of ascendance?" Sen pat Shin's back.
"Screw it... Fine." Shin walked out of the room.
Sen followed up. "So... see you later, I guess? How long does it take to travel to hell anyway?"
"Two months, to be exact. Hell isn't a place I can just pop in and out of smoothly," Vermis said, his tone clipped but steady.
"I get it. Good luck, Vermis." Sen gave a small nod before leaving the room to follow Shin.
Left alone, Vermis sighed and leaned back in his chair, his gaze drifting toward nothing in particular. "Damnit, Lucifer. If only you hadn't let your pride consume you back then... you could have stood among heaven's leaders. You could have been so much more."
His voice softened as his wings unfolded behind him, their ethereal feathers shimmering faintly in the dim light. He looked down for a moment, his expression heavy with regret. "I hope, after all these years, you've found it in yourself to forgive... if not me, then at least yourself."
With a deep breath, Vermis stepped forward, phasing cleanly through the wall as his wings carried him out into the open sky. The faint hum of energy rippled in his wake as he disappeared.
Outside, Shin leaned against the doorway, arms crossed. His expression was unreadable. "I bet you he did the whole dramatic 'passing through the wall' thing."
"…Shin, can I ask you something?"
"You just did," Shin replied, his tone sharp but detached.
"Don't start…" Sen sighed, his voice softening. "Do you ever think about it? About how many people we've killed? Even if they were evil or monsters… we killed them. Doesn't that mean we're already off Heaven's list? That we won't… won't even see our parents again when we die?"
Shin leaned on the railing, staring at the distant horizon. His gaze was cold, yet distant, as if trying to bury the weight of Sen's words. "Think of it this way: the more we kill, the more people we save. That's the only thing keeping me going."
Sen hesitated before speaking again. "You know I said I was okay with this, right? That I was fine going to hell with the people we've killed? But… I think I lied. I'm not ready for that. Not yet."
Shin's expression didn't falter, but his voice grew heavier. "Then accept the truth, Sen. I've already made peace with my fate. I'm going to hell—there's no question about that. But you? You still have a choice. It's up to you whether you accept that fate or fight for something else."
Shin sigh, looking at Sen. "I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to be cold... Look Sen in the end, like it or not we chose this fate."
"We chose to get our hands dirty to save people, because of us people lived, got a chance for another start." Shin gently pat Sen's back. "You understand?"
Sen nodded. "I understand... We do what we need to do because we are the people who others looked up to save them."
"If we die and go to hell, at least we will go there together. Even if we don't met our parents one last time on the afterlife..." Sadness loomed over Sen, the thought of not seeing their parents after everything they went through is rough to stomach.
"You boys bear too much," an elderly woman suddenly spoke, stepping into the quiet.
Shin and Sen instinctively tensed, but when they saw her frail figure, they let their guard down.
"...It's hard for us," Shin admitted, looking away. "We've killed so many people and monsters that 'murder' just feels like another word now."
The woman offered a knowing smile. "May I tell you two a story?"
Sen blinked. "It's… been a while since anyone told us a story. Our parents were the last. After they died, we never heard another. We were too focused on becoming strong, on saving people, on killing…"
"Ma'am, have a seat." Sen quickly brought out a chair, ensuring she was comfortable.
The woman sat down with a sigh, then began.
"World War II—"
"Wait a minute, World War II?" Sen perked up. Shin's eyes narrowed.
"How old are you... respectfully?" Shin asked.
"106," she answered without hesitation. "I was born in 1919 and served in the war as a sniper. Killed over 89 enemies—Japanese, Germans, Italians."
Shin and Sen exchanged glances, stunned.
"Respectfully… How are you still walking on your own at your age?" Shin asked, his tone genuinely curious.
The woman chuckled. "Oh, I suppose I'm just strong." She didn't seem offended—in fact, she found his reaction amusing.
"Please, continue your story," Sen encouraged.
The woman nodded. "I killed 89 people during my service. Soldiers, enemies of my country. And do you know what that made me?"
Shin and Sen stayed silent, listening.
"A murderer," she said simply. "It doesn't matter if you're a soldier, a warrior, or anything else. The moment you kill, you become a murderer."
The air grew heavy.
"But what matters isn't what you are. It's why you did it." She leaned forward slightly, her gaze sharp despite her age. "I killed to protect my country. Now, let me ask you… Why do you boys get your hands dirty?"
"Is it because it's fun?" she continued. "Or because you want to save as many people as possible?"
Shin clenched his fists, Sen lowering his gaze.
"I know you worry that when you die, you'll be sent to hell for what you've done." Her voice softened. "But does it really matter? Because of you two, many children, men, and women have been given a second chance. Rather than dying horribly at the hands of monsters, they've been able to live."
She leaned back, her gaze turning distant. "When I spoke to your angel friend, Vermis, I was happy to hear that my husband is in heaven. He even told me that I, too, will join him when I die. But truthfully? I wouldn't have minded if I went to hell instead."
She let out a soft, aged laugh. "I fought for something I believed in. I dirtied my hands willingly. If that means hell is my final destination, then so be it."
With that, she rose to her feet and walked back inside, leaving the two brothers in thoughtful silence.
"...She isn't normal, you know?" Shin muttered, still staring at the door the elderly woman had disappeared through.
"Yeah... she's incredible," Sen said, still trying to process it. "Eighty-nine confirmed kills—Japanese, Germans, and Italians. Do you know what that means?"
Shin exhaled, putting the pieces together. "She must've been redeployed from battlefield to battlefield. A sniper like her wouldn't have stayed in one place—wherever they needed someone precise, she was sent." He shook his head slightly. "And even now, at her age, she still moves on her own, still remembers it all... like it never left her."
Sen crossed his arms. "That's insane."
The fortress had a strange calmness to it. Faint murmurs came from deeper inside—the voices of the people they had saved, resting, talking in hushed tones. The wind carried the distant hum of life, a reminder that their actions had given these people another chance. Beyond the fortress walls, the ruined city loomed in the distance, infested with demons. A stark contrast.
"...What she said," Shin finally spoke, his voice quieter but firm. "She's right, isn't she?"
Sen looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers as if feeling the weight of every life they had taken. "...Yeah," he admitted. "If she's ready to go to hell, then I should be too."
Shin exhaled, gripping the edge of the railing they stood near. "What we do matters. We're the ones who give people a chance—to survive, to be better, to start over. Even if it means we burn for it in the end."
Sen met his gaze, unwavering. "Then so be it."
Shin gently patted Sen's back. "Don't think about it too much." He shifted the topic. "Anyway, let's talk about the training. We need to get Kirin and Kaide to access their Ascendance."
Sen nodded. "Alright, I'll take Kaide."
"Then I'll handle Kirin," Shin said. "It won't be anything extreme. They're not going to kill hundreds of people, so they don't need the kind of hellish training we went through. Just the basics—control over their Ascendance, healing, and survival instincts."
Sen leaned back slightly. "Should we teach them hand-to-hand combat too?"
"Yeah," Shin said without hesitation. "Even if we're here to protect them, it's better than leaving them defenseless."
Sen thought for a moment. "And if they want more? Like learning to handle a weapon?"
"It's the same plan. I'll train Kirin, and you take Kaide. I don't need weapons, but I still know how to use them, so I can teach her if she wants."
Sen smirked. "Yeah, yeah, because you can just rip people in half."
Shin didn't react, his voice calm as ever. "Because I can. But that's not the point. It doesn't hurt to be prepared."
"…I'm heading inside. Too much walking today," Shin said, turning toward the door.
Before he could step in, Sen called out. "Hey, what's with you and Kirin?"
Shin stopped but didn't turn around. "What?" His tone was flat.
"You and Kirin. There's something there," Sen said, nudging him with a knowing grin.
Shin gave him a blank stare. "I treat everyone we save the same. So what?"
"Nope. Wrong," Sen shot back. "I've seen you shut women down without a second thought. No hesitation, no interest. But with Kirin? You get close. You help her. You actually care—more than usual."
Shin didn't respond immediately, but the slight pause before he turned away spoke volumes.
Sen smirked. "Thought so."
Shin gave a cold shrug and stepped inside.
"Shin, you're unpredictable, but not to your own younger brother," Sen chuckled, whispering to himself.
Shin walked down the dimly lit hallway toward his room, only to find himself nearly colliding with Kirin.
"Shouldn't you be resting? Tomorrow is the start," he said, his voice as detached as ever.
Kirin simply shrugged. "I guess I'm just bored and wanted to roam around. Why? Is that restricted?" She smiled, tilting her head playfully.
Shin's cold gaze lingered on her for a moment before he exhaled softly. "...May I ask? Why are you so cheerful all the time?"
Kirin leaned back against the wall, her expression shifting ever so slightly. "Shin, back then, before we met... the people I was with were wiped out. I was the only one who survived. This is my way of ignoring the things I've witnessed."
A shadow flickered across Shin's face, barely noticeable.
"It's not like I want to forget them," she continued, her voice quieter now. "I just want to forget the way they died."
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them felt heavier. Then, Kirin blinked and said, almost too casually, "Can I hug you?"
Shin's arms crossed over his chest. "What?"
"A hug," she repeated, grinning. "You know, wrapping my arms around you? Duh."
"I know what it means. But why?" Shin's expression didn't change, but his voice carried a faint edge of curiosity.
Kirin smirked. "You're very unpredictable, you know that?"
Shin didn't respond immediately, his cold gaze locked onto her, unreadable.
"I know. That's what makes me efficient," Shin said calmly.
Kirin smiled warmly. "Just come here." She spread her arms, inviting him for a hug.
"...I'm not into that," Shin dismissed, arms still crossed.
Before he could move away, Kirin closed the gap and hugged him anyway. He stiffened slightly but didn't push her away. She buried her face against his chest, holding onto him for a few seconds before stepping back.
"So?" Kirin asked, tilting her head. "How'd it feel?"
Shin frowned—not in anger or annoyance, but something else. He hesitated before speaking.
"...Oddly comfortable," he admitted. "The last time I was hugged was when I was a kid."
"I was so focused on everything else, I forgot what this feeling was like..." Shin stared at his palm, the emptiness in his gaze betraying his words.
Kirin's voice softened, breaking the silence. "May I ask you something personal?"
Shin met her gaze, his voice flat. "Go on."
"What's your biggest regret?"
He paused, his eyes flickering for a brief moment as memories resurfaced.
"People think it was the day Sen and I lost our parents... to the demons. I can't blame myself, or them. But what haunts me is how powerless I felt. How weak I was... just standing there, unable to do anything to save them."
Shin's hands tightened into fists, his voice growing softer, tinged with guilt.
"But my real regret... is letting Sen become like me."
"When Vermis saved us, I didn't stop him from training Sen. I didn't protect him from the same path I chose. He was vulnerable, more than I ever was at his age, and I just... stood by, watching it happen."
He looked away, swallowing hard.
"We save lives, yes... but we kill too. And no matter how many people we save, that never changes. Once you kill, you're a murderer. That's something you can't escape. Not ever."
"…Tomorrow, we'll start your training. You and Kaide both. But promise me one thing—no matter what abilities you unlock, never use them to kill. Use them to save."
Shin's gaze darkened slightly as he continued. "Speaking of Ascendance… there are others out there who have it. Most don't know how or why, but some use it for their own selfish gain. Others choose to help. Those who help—we tell them the truth. But the ones who don't…" He exhaled sharply.
"I once saw a man use his Ascendance to force a woman into submission… to break her. He hurt her so badly she blacked out. By the time I got to her, it was too late. She didn't survive."
His voice was cold, unwavering. "That's why I kill every single bastard who uses Ascendance for malice."
"What happened to the girl?" Kirin asked quietly.
"I and Sen gave her a proper burial." Shin answered with his usual flat tone.
"And the man?" she asked, looking at him with concern.
Shin paused for a moment before speaking again. "I crushed his neck slowly... watched the light fade from his eyes as he struggled to breathe. His lungs filled with blood." His voice was steady, as if recounting a fact, not a story.
Kirin winced but remained silent, sensing Shin's indifference. He continued, his gaze unwavering.
"I don't make threats. I make promises. Anyone who acts with malice and no remorse, who harms others without a second thought—whether it's a man or a woman—they need to die."
Shin met her gaze. He sighed. "I'm going to bed... Enjoy roaming around."
Kirin raised her hand to ask something but put it down and let Shin go.
"Poor Shin... You are forced into a responsibility you didn't asked." She was about to continue her roam but decided not to and head back to her room to rest.
Shin headed to his room and lay on his bed, looking at the ceiling he thought. "Shin... Stop feeling so emotional, you chose this... You sweared that if no one will save the innocents... You'll be the vessel of hope... Or at least a false vessel."
"Yeah... That sounds right. I'll gladly take on the role of a false vessel." Shin looked at the clock. 11:58 pm it's been a few hours since all of them got in their fortress.
"Damnit... It's been 7 years since I lost my entire childhood." He closed his eyes and slowly drift to sleep.
2 years ago...
"Why did he came?! Why does he need to be here!?" A man yelled in anger and desperation.
"He... Killed our son in cold blood!" His wife said.
"Ma'am... Please back off... They might be bastards that deserved to be in hell but we need them for labor." The guard said. Trying his best to comfort the parents.
"Yeah back off mommy. Or I'll kill you next and gut you out like I did your son." The guy said mockingly.
"You bastard!" The father charged at him but the guards hold him off.
"Mister please... Don't fall for his provoking." The guards hold the father off preventing a fight to break out.
The guy smirked knowing he's not getting touched no matter what. "Back off or else I'll sell your organs in the black market the way I did you son and oh boy do I tell you. He's worth a lot."
"You...! There's a place reserve for you in hell..." The guy pushed off the guards hands off of him knowing he cannot do anything to the bastard.
An hour passed. The parents are crying and grieving. For god knows why the other prisoners mocked the parents with the person who killed their son.
"Look at this people crying over a pathetic kid... For god's sake are you two gonna continue to cry? It's annoying and irritating." The other prisoner said mockingly.
"Don't... Mock our grief." The father said with anger in his eyes.
"Or what?" The prisoner stand up, the audacity he had is unbearable. He acted as if he will punch them to see them flinched and then grinned.
"Calm down. This people lost their poor pathetic child." The guy who killed their kid said. With a disgusting smirk on his face.
Suddenly a man sat beside the father. "You two should stop trying to mock them. You did a unforgivable Sin."
Shin looked at them, his eyes are empty and darker than the deep ocean water.
"Or what?" The prisoner tried to punch Shin making trying to make him flinch. The audacity of this man is disgustingly surprising.
Shin didn't moved a single inch nor flinch a single inch.
The prisone smirked. "Tsk, creep. What are you gonna do anyway? You can't touch us. In this settlement we are the workers of this settlement. Without us the crops will be dead so does the other food source."
The guy responsible for the death's of the kid grinned. "What are you even gonna do? Lecture us with kindness? How to be better?"
The father is angry, the mother is crying and grieving. "You bastard... Go to hell." The father said.
"Oh come on the only thing I did is murder you kid and gut him out." The guy scoffed Mockingly.
The guy looked around and sense something's off. The guards are missing.
Shin patted the father and the mother's shoulder. With a warm and comforting smile he said. "I'll avenge your son."
"Hey what's going on?" The cocky prisoner said.
The guy responsible for the murder scoffed. "Maybe the guards are taking a break."
Shin turned to them, His gaze grim and dark as the cemetery. "You don't seem to understand. Lives aren't meant to be taken for granted."
"You killed a kid, sold his organs, and bragged about it. The room suddenly felt cold, the feeling of you being alone in the middle of the night in a cemetery, alone in the dark.
"Hey what nonsense are you saying? What a useless—" a body without a head...
The cocky prisoner is headless, the body dropped to the ground blood gashed out of it.
The guy responsible for the child's death frozed. "Wha...what just happened...?!" He looked at the prisoner's headless body.
All the other prisoners and the people frozed up. Including the parents, feeling terrified, shocked, but feeling a odd justice.
The guy who is responsible looked at Shin.
Holding the guy's head he crushed it like an eggshell. "People are odd. Some are Worth saving, some just needed to be burned off to ashes with their soul straight to the dept's of hell." Shin said as bloods, skull shell and bits of brains fall off his hand.
"And you... Are one of the people that I need to drag to hell myself." He pointed to the person responsible for the kid's death.
The man stumbled back at his feet. Frozen in feer and shock. "What... Are you?!"
Shin wave his hand getting off the bloods and the bits of brains on his hand. "Me? I'm just another murderer. But there's a difference between us."
He leaned down to the man looking at him the man flinched hard. "What's the matter? Afraid that you'll die? Like how you kill your victims?"
Shin opened his palm. Purple flames lit his whole hand. "What does it feel being afraid of your life? What does it feel being the Victim?"
Shin hold his ear and slowly melted it away. The guy screamed in pain but he didn't passed out. No matter how much pain it is.
"YOU DEVIL...! GET AWAY FROM ME!" The guy crawled away.
"Devil? Me? I would prefer being called The vessel of hope." Shin using his hand flamed up the remaining bits of his ear watching it melts.
"I'm a murderer like you. But the only difference between me and you is I go for people like you. Unlike you who destroy innocent lives who clearly have more future than you." Shin began walking to the guy.
"People tell me that I am a monster. But clearly there's far more monster than me. And those monsters are the people like you. Killing a child to sell his organs to a blackarket." Shin grabbed him by his throat and lifted him up.
"Killing people are a bad thing. But children? That's the most disgusting, vile thing you could ever do." He body slammed the guy to the wall cracking it. The guy screamed in pain as he felt his bones cracking.
Shin looked at the parents. "Do you wanna do it or I'll do it?"
The father with his determined eyes nodded while the mother is still tearing up mourning the death of their son.
"Kill that monster...!" The mother yelled at the top of her lungs.
Shin nodded, he looked at the eyes of the man. With his hand he burned the guy with his purple flame. He got devoured by the fire. The guy screamed in agony, he's body twitching in so much pain.
Shin didn't stopped. He didn't killed him fast, he killed him slowly and awake to feel everything.
He dropped the burning body. The smell of the burning body filled the entire room. "Well at least you felt the same thing as your victims felt."
Shin stepped on the burning body. He didn't stepped over he stepped on it. "Another monster is back on hell."
Shin looked at the other prisoners, he pulled out a list. "Hmm... Who's next."
He turned his attention to the parents. "You two can go. Leave me alone here with this people."
The father and the mother left the room feeling the justice of Shin's action on the man that killed their beloved son.
The prisoners are shaking in fear, sweating like nothing before. "You people think just because you are responsible for crop growing in this settlement you cannot be punished for the crimes you did. Because you call yourself 'necessary' for this settlement." Shin said.
As soon as the parents left. Shin closed the only way out. "Now let's see that cocky smile you all showed when the two guys are mocking the death of the parents son."
Shin tilted his head. The more he moves the colder the room gets. Despite it being warm the room felt different, the room felt nothing but a coffin being buried in a cold soil.
"Nothing? So cocky grin or smirk? Hmm... I guess people really show who they are in a dangerous situation." Shin read the list one by one.
"Hmm... A pedophile, rapist, robber, and a abusive husband and father." Shin nodded.
"Well the robber could be spared since there's no list here of him commiting any harm rather than robbery... But the rest." He dragged the robber into a corner roughly but not enough to harm him too much.
"Stay there and watch everyone you've know die Infront of you. Since you didn't commit any other crime or harm someone you can be spared. But this is your punishment, watching everyone and everything you've built with this people die in just a moment. Got it?" Shin said so calmly.
The place got filled with scream in agony. The smell of blood reeking. Smells of burning corpses the smell of blood and other guts filled the entire place.
Shin stepped outside. His body is covered in blood and other guts. The sun shines to his face.
7am...
Shin opened his eyes. "A dream of the past..."
"I can't remember the first time I started to feel numb killing... I hope Kirin and Kaide didn't turn the same way I did." He got up from the bed and washed his face.
The day Shin and Sen wil train Kaide and Kirin to access their ascendance, to help them access their hidden potential.
Shin stepped out of his place and met Kirin and the rest on the hallway. "Let's not waste any time and go to the training ground."
"Hey Shin. I'll take Kaide and you take Kirin." Sen pat Shin's back.
"I know, come on Kirin I'll help you access your abilities." Shin gestured Kirin to follow him.
"So what kind of stuff does this 'training' have for me?" Kirin walked behind Shin.
"Self defense, concentration, etcetera etcetera. But the most important is we will see what abilities you'll get." Shin said.
On the other hand.
Kaide crossed his arms. "I don't know about this. I'm confident yesterday but..."
Sen calmly said. "Hey calm down. I won't put you in a training your body can't handle."
"Thanks Sen..." The both of them followed Shin and Kirin into the training ground.
To be continued...