Smith, Vanessa, Miwafe, Jack, and Rin arrived at Elizabeth's home. They had come to investigate recent incidents linked to her brother, Cobi. The atmosphere was tense as the group exchanged uncertain glances. Elizabeth, who had been noticeably calm earlier, sat silently as Smith began his questioning.
"Elizabeth, do you know anything about what's happening? About Cobi?" Smith asked, his tone gentle but firm.
Elizabeth lowered her gaze, her hands trembling. Tears began to stream down her face. "Yes…" she whispered. "I'm sorry. He made me do this."
The room fell silent as Elizabeth struggled to continue. Finally, she added, "A while back, Cobi used the money he earned from show business to fund his plans…"
Before she could finish, Jack jumped up, his eyes wide with realization. "I knew I recognized that guy! He's a famous actor, right? Always cast as the main villain because of his sinister looks."
Elizabeth nodded solemnly. "Yes, it's true. Cobi is my brother. He doesn't understand what he's doing, please… I beg you, don't hurt him."
She then began to recount Cobi's story. As she spoke, the group could feel the weight of her emotions, as if they were stepping into the past themselves.
"When we were young, Cobi always dreamed of becoming an exorcist. It was all he ever talked about. We even planned to join the Seirei Exorcist group together. Our parents supported us initially, but everything changed when Cobi's looks caught the attention of casting agents. Our parents, especially our mother, wanted him to take over their acting career. Cobi resisted at first—he was passionate about becoming an exorcist—but eventually, he gave in to their pressure.
"His first audition was for a popular script, and he hoped to land the protagonist role. But when the director saw him, he said Cobi was perfect for the villain. Cobi refused, saying he didn't want to play a bad guy. But in this world, actors have no say. The director told him that the protagonist role was already cast and that villains had to be striking and memorable—just like him. Cobi was only 25 at the time, and the director added that protagonists were usually played by actors aged 30 or older."
Elizabeth paused, wiping her tears. "Our mother sided with the director. She told Cobi something that would change him forever: 'There are only two kinds of people in this world—good and bad. If you're not one of them, you're useless.' She meant it in terms of acting, but Cobi… he took it literally."
The group listened in stunned silence as Elizabeth continued.
"Cobi reluctantly accepted the villain role, and he was incredible at it. So incredible, in fact, that other directors began requesting him for their productions, always as the main antagonist. But the more he acted, the more he became trapped by his image. He started to regret his appearance, saying it was the reason he'd never be able to join the Seirei Exorcist group.
"I told him to separate acting from reality, that the two were different. For a while, he listened. But as he kept playing villains, I could see him changing. He started to say strange things, like, 'Why does the villain always lose? It's bad writing.' I was terrified when I realized he wasn't just acting anymore—he was becoming the roles he played."
Elizabeth's voice broke as she recounted the turning point in Cobi's life.
"One day, Cobi was rehearsing a scene with a neighbor. In the script, the villain was supposed to stab a girl with a knife. It was all pretend… or so we thought. But Cobi… he actually stabbed her. When others rushed in, Cobi just stood there, smiling. The girl died from blood loss before she could be saved.
"That incident destroyed everything. The girl's parents were furious. They hired men to take revenge on our family. Cobi wasn't home that day, but our parents were. The men killed them both."
Elizabeth choked on her words, her body trembling as she relived the nightmare.
"When I came home and saw their bodies… I couldn't stop screaming. Cobi returned later and found them too. But instead of grieving, he just stood there, repeating our mother's words: 'If you're not good or bad, you're useless.' That was the moment Cobi changed completely. He decided to embrace the role of the villain, not just in acting but in real life."
The group exchanged uneasy glances as Elizabeth revealed what happened next.
"Cobi killed the men who murdered our parents. He said it was justice, but the way he smiled… it wasn't my brother anymore. After that, he told me to pack our things because we were leaving the city. He explained his plan—to use his standz ability (separation) to separate humans from their standz and create Seireis, beings he could control. He believed this was the only way to rule a world that had rejected him."
Elizabeth looked at the group with pleading eyes. "That's why he founded the Shelon organization. To gather people with standz and use them for his purposes. But I know there's still hope for him. Please, don't give up on him."
Mark stood up, his face set with determination. "We'll stop him before he does anything worse. But if he hurts Bri…" His voice hardened. "He's dead."
Elizabeth tried to thank him but couldn't stop crying. Meanwhile, their boss arrived, surveying the scene. He listened as Smith explained everything—the ambush, Elizabeth's confession, and Cobi's plans. The boss clenched his fists in anger as he reported the situation to the Seven, a group he despised but was forced to obey.
One of the Seven's agents responded coldly. "The Seven doesn't handle minor calls. I'll deal with this myself."
The boss gritted his teeth but calmed himself, relaying the details. With the Seven's approval, Smith, Jack, Rin, Mark, Vanessa, and Miwafe prepared for battle. Their goal was clear: stop the war Cobi was planning and save Bri.
As they geared up, Ninda approached the boss, asking if she should join them. The boss shook his head. "Your strength is valuable, but we need someone here in case they attack again."
Meanwhile, at Shelon's base, Cobi arrived with Bri in his custody. He ignored the Seirei Exorcist group entirely, his mind focused on one thing: ruling the world.