Crack!
"Mama will be gone…"
"My baby.."
Swoosh—!
"…for some time…"
A faint sigh.
Bang!
"Stand up!"
A pair of eyes snapped open, staring into the midnight sky.
They were distant.
Lost.
Drowning in something deeper than pain.
A foot slammed down.
Blood spilled.
"I said—stand up!"
A figure struggled to rise.
His face was a mess—blood, dirt, exhaustion. Scarlet hair fell across his eyes, swaying like a blooming lotus stained in red.
He stood—
then collapsed.
"…Sir…"
His voice cracked.
"I'm tired."
A pause.
"I'm done with all this… why can't I be free from this torment?"
"Ha."
"Ha… ha…"
"Hahahaha—!"
Laughter erupted, sharp and cruel.
"You carry his blood… and this is your response to suffering?"
A step closer.
"Your mother must have been truly remarkable…"
A pause.
"…to give birth to something like you."
Crack!
"If you want to die, then crawl into a corner and do it."
Cold.
Indifferent.
"I'll clean up the mess."
Crack!
"Useless half-breed."
Footsteps faded.
Gone.
Patter… patter…
It began to rain as if the heavens sought to wash away the disgrace.
Blood pooled.
Then flowed.
A thin stream across the stone
Crunch!
An apple
Chewed
Slowly and deliberately
Then—
a voice echoed.
"Boy…"
Rumble!
The rain continued darkening the world.
"…would you like to make a deal?"
…
Two days later
"Did you hear? The royal instructor…"
"…his body was found mutilated."
A shiver passed through the room.
"I heard his heart was ripped out… placed on a pedestal."
"Still dripping…"
"Monsters…"
"Demons are born from the deepest darkness…"
"Sheesh—!"
"Enough."
A sharp voice cut through.
"The walls have ears."
Footsteps scattered.
In a quiet room near the servant quarters—
A faint smile spread.
Cold and empty.
Heavy breathing resounded
One breath
Then another.
Shatter!
A vase fell.
Blood-red roses scattered across the floor.
A body collapsed beside them.
The petals spread outward—
like a bed.
Like a funeral.
The figure lay still.
Eyes empty.
Something within them…
gone.
A string had been cut.
A price had been paid.
Something precious—
lost.
"Thank you… for the token."
A soft voice.
Almost gentle.
"I hope…"
A pause.
"…you'll be smiling the next time I see you."
Swoosh.
Silence—
descended.