<[CHAPTER 3]>
[A Hatred, A Duty, and A Choice!]
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Three days later.
Complete darkness, a bone-chilling cold, slow, heavy breathing.
–"Hey! Are you still alive?"
You heard with difficulty; the sound of his voice was almost nonexistent. He opened his eyes, his blurry vision preventing him from clearly seeing the figure in front of him.
–"Hmm..."
You didn't pay attention to him; you were dizzy, and it wasn't even from the strong smell of alcohol and vomit that emanated from that alley.
Silence remained between you. Even in pain, a lot of pain, you tried to get up, and with some difficulty, you managed.
He took a few staggering steps, and his body gave way; you fell to the ground.
–"I... I have... to find them..."
Your vision worsened, your eyes losing their shine, your vision blurry, until...
You smelled blood, heard cries of agony, looked ahead and saw the silhouette of your little sister in the distance, bloodied, being pulled by her hair while screaming and crying helplessly.
–"...Ayra!"
It was a forced memory that invaded your mind: blood, screams, and your sister, Ayra, being dragged by her hair, desperate, broken.
You screamed, lying on the cold alley floor, reaching out your hand trying to grasp her, but your body wouldn't respond properly; you ended up fainting.
The moment your body stopped responding and your consciousness faded, the man in front of you was lost in his thoughts.
–"Poor child, he's going crazy living in these precarious situations!"
He observed the situation and pondered what to do with the boy.
–"Sorry, I could only observe… but Lyria will be happy to know you're still alive!"
He gathered his thoughts for a few moments and then took him in his arms, leaving the alley.
–"Hey, did you find anything? Report!"
He heard him holding the unconscious child in his arms as he left the alley, in the small square in the lower part of Bay City. There he was, a robust man in armor, asking for a report of the events.
–"Well, Sergeant! It matches the description… but do we really have to eliminate her?"
The sergeant observed your hesitation and in an instant his hand gripped the hilt of his sword.
–"Coward… do you want to die with him? I'll handle this easily, soldier!"
The soldier held you firmly, wanting to offer his opinion, but hesitated.
"I… I… I'll do it! Don't worry, there's no need to dirty your sword blade with this simple task, Sergeant. But let's go somewhere more suitable; we're too exposed here…"
They left the place, heading towards an abandoned house in the city's suburbs.
A filthy, dilapidated residence, two men with differing opinions and an inconvenient child.
"We're here, get this over with!"
Said the robust, armored man.
"Alright, Sarge!"
A snap of fingers followed simultaneously.
The soldier uttered those words in response. The Sergeant's eyes went blank, his pupils turned white at the sound of the kitten; his consciousness switched off.
"Return to the barracks, report mission complete, the child died, despite our casualties!"
Another snap.
"Sarge!"
The man turned and left without questioning.
The brainwashing was effective; the persuasion happened without hindrance. The victim, now a simple, controllable puppet.
–"Now, little one… you will be under my care!"
ELSEWHERE.
In Haudo's destroyed house.
The city guards arrived, alerted by neighbors bothered by the strong, unpleasant smell permeating the neighborhood from the top of the hill where the house was located.
They approached cautiously; around them, fallen bodies with various types of injuries. The smell of putrefaction burned their nostrils, until…
–"There's someone here, and they're still breathing!"
They found something in the back of the house. Beneath two bodies was a bloodied girl, expressionless, her gaze conveying a sense of death that chilled even the veteran guard in that patrol group.
–"No identification? And these bodies, did she do this?"
Silence remained; they looked at each other for a moment. She stared at the horizon, ignoring them. The feeling… didn't disappear, but she felt nothing.
He clenched his fist and looked at it, trembling.
–"I… I lost my humanity! Besides, something more precious, something, but what?"
She was in existential shock; the shock of the situation was extreme for her.
She heard the guards' footsteps in the distance, but they grew closer and closer. A light flickered in her small eyes, the metallic sound grew louder, and the armored men finally reached her with cautious gazes.
The bodies on the ground beside her were not normal; they were corrupted.
–"…she did this?"
The patrol leader murmured. The distorted bodies were dead. The first guard to find her bent down and checked their pulses again.
–"She's barely alive, but their fate is another story…"
The leader observed and then gave his order.
–"Take her to the church. This matter is not ours to discuss. They decided what to do with her… this is not human!"
Ayra didn't react, only clenched her bloodied fist, trembling.
"I..."
Her eyelids closed and she fell into a deep sleep.
"Yes, sir!"
The guards responded, obeying the orders without hesitation.