District Y of the West Summit City.
Thirty minutes before Aeon and Asahina conversed with Alina on the phone regarding the subsequent punishment conduct, which revealed that Bloodline Culling of Cain Argos' entire bloodline was now deemed unnecessary due to unprecedented circumstances.
In the dawn of the night, in this fairly luxurious abode, a woman in her early forties with shoulder-length, smooth dark hair was seated at the long, mottled marble-tailored table; her dim, black eyes were fixated on the pot sitting atop swirling little flame, patiently waiting for something to be cooked.
Her skin was fair, quite fitted, and desirable considering her age. One look and no one would dare think that she was in her forties at all.
"I wonder if Cain's doing well… just like his father, this one's his favorite breakfast." Donning a white bathrobe, with her leg crossed, the woman mumbled in nostalgia.
It was then that a dreamy voice echoed some distance away from her… It was from someone she was not familiar with, who was sitting at one end of the same table.
"You can deliver it to your son if you want to."
Cain's mother's body instinctively exuded star mana; her gaze landed on the source of the chilling voice while she was putting up her guard. However…
"Who- what…?"
Cain's mother couldn't describe the feeling she was having right now.
Though strangely, she was certain it was some sort of fear.
'What's this...? Am I afraid right now?'
Seeing the enigmatic figure, prompting her to stand up, Cain's mother gulped in tension.
She eventually understood her palpitating heart.
That what she was feeling right now was the oldest emotion mankind had ever known…
…the fear of the unknown.
It was because… rather than who dared intrude on her home, "what" was the right question.
"Ah. You can't see me properly, right? You're not worthy, so let's leave it at that. Let's get to the crux of the matter, Miss Argos."
'Is this some kind of Celestial-type godent power?' Cain's mother thought, seeing the girl in a very familiar and unique student uniform, whose face seemed to have been blocked or resembled that of a swirling white misty ink similar to a painting stroke of abstract art that only a certain few could comprehend.
"How did you get in here? What do you need-"
"Do you know what your son, Cain, had done to my Oppa?" The silhouette interjected, cutting off Cain's mother's words.
Hearing the dreamy voice that was also filled with subtle and intense malice, Cain's mother had chills down her spine.
'How… how could someone…?!'
"Hey, Miss Argos, I'm asking you a question even though you don't know the answer."
The student… raised her body, then leaned and spread her hands on the table, like a teacher's usual pose when it's the moment of asserting one's authority over her students.
Even though this was her very home, Cain's mother was frozen in her place. It was as though she was the intruder and had no right to speak against its housemaster.
"Sigh. Seriously, there's no point talking to you. Let me get this straight. I don't care if your son broke the Summit Rules and already met his creator, but did you know-"
This time around, Cain's mother cut off the silhouette's voice.
"Y-you… Wh-what did you just say?! M-my son is dead…? That can't be!" Cain's mother shouted at the top of her lungs.
"My son can't be like that. He's a good kid, blah blah! Since when someone's parents admitted to other people that their kid's a damn mess? Just as I said, I don't fucking care about your son's death, but you surely can tell why I'm here."
Hearing the female student's words, Cain's mother gauged the consequences of her son's transgression; she was aware of it as someone with a connection with one of the Seven World Corporations.
Unfortunately, whatever was happening within the Summit Academy would barely escape to reach the ears of the parents outside. And if it ever did so, it would most likely be too late.
"…Tell me what did Cain commit…?"
'I need to protect my family!' She thought inwardly, knowing the possibility of this figure's intention of visiting this place at this serene hour. She knew that bringing her son back was nothing but short of utter delusion, which prompted her to focus on the now and perhaps mourn later.
But then, some mistakes just couldn't be corrected in one's lifetime… or if it were words, couldn't be taken back.
"What… did you just say?? Why… Why…"
Instinctively, Cain's mother pulled a dark sword from her very subspace bag, which then resonated in her soul as star mana intensely manifested.
"Why… Why are you asking that…?! Why!? Why?! Why it seems easy for you to forget what Cain did to my Oppa?! Why?! Why?! Why?! Seriously, Why?!"
The female student's seemingly lunatic behavior caught Cain's mother off-guard.
But it provided her an ample amount of time to remain composed and ponder.
'Wait… She's not here because of the punishment due to my son breaking the Summit Rules? That means…'
"You crazy bastard. I thought you were sent by the Summit Government, but I guess you're just a naïve and obsessed bitch who loves whoever this Oppa is… Why? Did my wonderful son kill him? Haha!"
Her reaction was inappropriate, considering she had just learned the irreversible fate her son suffered. One could say this was a coping mechanism for the sake of herself… and others.
"Me… Naïve…? Bitch…? I mean… the former's farfetched, but you could say I am my Oppa's bitch."
"Insane bastard, die!"
At that moment, Cain's mother lunged forward in superhuman speed. With her hand grasping a dark sword emanating star mana in the form of the dark element, she cleaved it diagonally towards the female student's entire body, from the neck down to her torso.
Whoosh!
But then, with minimal movement, this figure whose countenance depicted that of white mist, as though her existence was something that couldn't be revealed or seen by anyone other than one person, dodged Cain's mother's slash.
Of course, her barrage of sword slashes continued relentlessly.
'The fact I didn't detect her earlier means she's no ordinary godent. I need to be care-'
"You're smart. Unlike your pitiful son in the embrace of nothingness."
Whoosh!
Spurt!
The next thing Cain's mother knew was that her one hand holding the dark sword was separated from her arm, causing her muffled scream to echo throughout the spacious house.
Her momentum was shattered, and she didn't know what happened.
Seeing her biting her lips, whilst she slumped on the tiled floor, the female student chuckled.
"That's dedication…" The female student walked towards her, leaned forward, and raised her chin so that they could see eye to eye.
"…avoiding to scream to not scare your hiding little boy."
Hearing this, Cain's mother's eyes widened.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about… but do you think you'll survive after this?! Don't you know my husband?!"
However, the female student with an obscured face seemed not to care.
"What a cute hybrid you are, Miss Argos, having telepathy and body strengthening as your godent powers. Well, not too unique in this world, I guess."
Retracting her gaze from Cain's mother, the female student, who momentarily turned her back from her, then eerily added,
"Baby boy… come here to your big sister."
She didn't know whether this was some sort of arrogance or negligence, but it was an opportunity nonetheless!
< Abel, run! You know what to do! > Cain's mother telepathically advised her little boy.
In the next moment, disregarding the grave injury she had, as she continued to bleed seemingly incessantly, she lunged forward and locked the intruder of their supposedly peaceful home in her embrace.
"Over my dead body!"
She then heard a sigh.
"You know… I miss my Oppa hugging me like this from behind…"
"I don't know who this person is… but you seem like a pervert, so die with me!"
Telepathy, in some way, could be deadly, especially if it's used to shatter the mind of the receiver.
< DIEEE! >
However…
"Huh…?" Cain's mother was dumbfounded.
As someone working in the Gemini Universal Medicine, her telepathic ability was tested and proven to make its target insane given the high output of frequency.
The female student, unaffected by telepathic ability, just glanced behind her with a nonchalant expression—at least, this was what her reaction seemed like.
"How utterly boring."
Cain's mother then sensed two hands reaching for her head…
Crack.
"Sigh. If you only behaved well, I could have told you my sex stories with my Oppa. It's exciting when you think about it. Ugh! It's making me horny again, but it's not yet time to visit him."
Thud!
With her neck cracked, Cain's mother fell backward.
***
The little boy Abel Argos of the Argos Family ran away with a small disc in his grasp.
It was a temporary, limited teleportation device.
Trembling heavily, he couldn't help but mumble in this cold dawn,
"I don't want to die… Dad, Mom… I-I don't want to die…"