As Seiya remained frozen in place, his feet heavy with the weight of indecision, he heard the distant voice of his sister.
Still, he didn't move. He merely stood there, his heartbeat slow and rhythmic. His eyes, vacant and distant, betrayed no emotion, a hollow reflection of the turmoil within.
In his stillness, Seiya wrestled with his thoughts, calculating the best course of action. If he failed this mission, the children back at the facility would bear the consequences. The same fate would await them if he called out to his sister.
A faint trace of care for the children lingered within him, despite the dulling of his emotions. Even though he couldn't feel the bond as acutely as before, he knew what was right—he must save those he could, despite his own inner numbness.
Yet, there was little holding him back from reaching out to his sister. Just as that thought passed, the faces of two people appeared in his mind: Suhei and Hayne.
Seiya's gaze softened, a sigh escaping his lips, warm mist escaping as he exhaled deeply.
Slowly, he turned, his eyes falling on the slender figure of the girl standing some distance away. Her black hair fluttered in the breeze as she spoke with others, her small face adorned with a smile.
A tender smile crept onto Seiya's lips as he observed her. "She's beautiful," he murmured, a soft affection in his tone before he turned away.
They seem to be doing well...…without me.
Continuing down the street, Seiya arrived at a secluded area, where dim light barely illuminated the scattered dirt and empty space. Stepping into the open, he paused in the middle of the street, waiting.
Soon enough, a lone figure appeared, walking towards him. The man, draped in a long black coat, with a hat and a walking stick, slowed his steps upon seeing Seiya standing in his path.
He approached and removed his hat.
"Now what's this? Just you? Or should I expect others to jump out and ambush me?" The man laughed knowingly, as though anticipating something like this.
Seiya did not respond. He casually shrink up his sweatshirt, revealing a chain with a dagger at one end wrapped around his stomach.
"Straight to the point, huh?" The man smirked as Seiya unwound the chain.
"We should at least—" The man's voice caught in his throat as Seiya closed the distance in an instant.
Underestimating Seiya's youth, the man had thought him just a child sent to die. But he had thought woefully wrong.
The chain whipped through the air, the dagger aimed precisely at the man's neck. Just before impact, the man swiftly leaned backward, using his leg to maintain balance while a cluster of wet sand beneath him clung to his legs, supporting his stance.
Seiya reeled in his weapon and leapt back, his gaze shifting to the sand that clung to the man's legs, intrigued by the unexpected development.
As he observed, he realized the coal tarred ground beneath the man had turned into a shifting bed of sand.
"Trying to figure out my ability?" The man taunted, adjusting his coat and regaining his posture.
"You don't need to overthink it," he added, grinning as he stepped forward. "I'll tell you if you ask—my ability allows me to manipulate sand. Anything I expend enough energy on, I can turn to sand. And this?" He chuckled, referring to the wet sand that stuck to his leg "I wetted it myself." He chuckled darkly as he advanced, the ground beneath each step turning to sand.
"Now, on whose orders are you here for the stone?" His cheerful tone shifted to one of cold menace.
Seiya remained silent and in the next moment, he saw a pile of wet hardened sand with sharp spikes, rushing toward him from the side of his eyes as the man closed their distance in an instant. Reacting swiftly, Seiya coiled his chain around the man's body, leaping backward and using the man's weight as leverage to steady his own balance.
Before Seiya could unwind the chain and retrieve it, the man yanked it forcefully, pulling Seiya toward him. A mound of hardened sand, spike-laden and large enough to shield his entire frame, rose in front of him, poised to crush Seiya upon impact. Unable to relinquish his weapon, Seiya was violently pulled toward the imminent danger. Mere inches from slamming into the sand spikes, Seiya expertly wielded his dagger, slicing through the spikes with fluid precision at lightning speed, narrowly avoiding the deadly trap.
The battle between them intensified, dust and dirt swirling around them as the ground cracked under the force of their movements. Their clash was brutal, each strike a vivid display of their skill and power.
After a lengthy and brutal exchange, both were visibly fatigued, battered and bruised. Though Seiya bore the brunt of the damage, it was clear that the man had the upper hand, but Seiya's tenacity refused to waver.
In one final clash, Seiya's dagger tore through the man's coat, lodging just above his right chest. As Seiya dragged the dagger upward, the contents of the man's breast pocket spilled out, among them a gemstone—the artifact they were desperately fighting over.
Their eyes followed the gemstone as it soared skyward. Seiya, his attention swift and focused, struck before the distracted man could react.
In a blur of motion, he wrapped his chain around the man's body and yanked him tight, using the other end of the chain—where the dagger was positioned—to carve a diagonal line across the man's face, from the left side of his forehead to the corner of his right eye beside the bridge of his nose.
The man, caught off guard, recoiled, momentarily blinded by the cut. Seizing the opportunity, Seiya leapt high, snatching the gem, and sprinting away with inhuman speed.
The man, still disoriented and unable to fully open his injured eye, chased after Seiya but no matter how fast he ran, Seiya had vanished. Furious, he kicked at the empty air, his blood dripping from his wound as he cussed.
****
Seiya returned to the facility, battered and weary. Miss Onoya greeted him, informing him that his father was absent. She took the artifact from Seiya and led him to the healing room, where he was treated and then dismissed to his dorm.
The children were already asleep, except for Hayne, who sat waiting for Seiya's return.
"You're back," Hayne said with a smile as Seiya entered.
"Mn," Seiya replied softly, walking straight to the restroom to change into his uniform.
A while later, Seiya emerged and climbed into bed.
"Are you alright?" Hayne asked from beneath Seiya's bed.
"Mn."
"Alright, I'll leave you to rest," Hayne said, his concern evident, but he retired for the night.
Seiya sat on his bed, a small knife in hand, his gaze fixed intently on the blank expanse of the wall beside him. For a moment, he lingered in stillness, lost in thought, before leaning forward to carve into the surface.
His hand moved with quiet purpose, etching words into the wall. When he finished, he leaned back, his gaze fixed on the words he had written: Today, I met Big Sister, and she was… happy.
Seiya gazed at his inscription, the words filling him with quiet melancholy as his mind replayed the image of his sister, smiling, over and over.
Before Seiya could fully lose himself in the memory, the door to their dorm was suddenly kicked open.
Both Seiya and Hayne shot up, alarmed. Two older boys stood in the doorway, their spiky hair and smug grins unmistakable.
"Hey, you. Seiya, come down here," one of them ordered, and Hayne's gaze shot toward Seiya.
The boys were familiar—seniors from the third floor, the strongest floor in the facility.
Seiya, resigned, got down from his bed and walked toward them.
"Good! You listen well," the one who had ordered him patted him on the shoulder, while the other snickered in mockery.
"We're going to have some fun tonight. Your father gave us his full permission to do whatever we want with you, so no holding back. Muehehe." The second boy's unique way of laughing echoed through the room.
"Come on! Follow us!" They urged.
"Sei~" Hayne called softly, his voice tinged with worry.
Seiya hesitated, his body frozen in place, a wave of anxiety pulsing through him. Despite enduring years of torment within these walls, this was the first time he felt such an overwhelming sense of dread.
He stole a glance at Hayne, whose face was filled with concern, and for a brief moment, Seiya longed to reassure him. He wanted to say, 'It's alright', to remind himself that there was no suffering he hadn't endured. But the words stuck in his throat, refusing to form.
He wasn't supposed to feel this way. He had become accustomed to the cruelty, the fear had long been a companion. Yet now, a crippling sense of foreboding tightened its grip around his chest. His heart hammered with fear, and every instinct screamed at him to resist—but there was no choice for one who had been reduced to a beggar.
With a final glance at Hayne, Seiya turned away, unable to offer the comfort he longed to, and followed the boys, his every step heavy with fear he could neither understand nor control.