Ep 42. Do You Know My Name? (7)
“S, s, s…stay away!”
The doctor’s cries fell on deaf ears as Serenis closed the distance between them. He madly rummaged his lab coat’s inner pockets, and when Serenis was just close enough, the man boldly took a step forward as he produced another metal syringe from within.
A soundless stab stopped the dragonlord in her tracks as the needle buried itself into her chest. The doctor pushed the device’s rear as he injected the syringe’s contents, letting out a maniacal laughter.
“E…ha…ha, hahaha! Now you are a p, p, part of my family…!”
“…Family, you say.”
“Eha…ah?”
The doctor could only return a confused gaze to the dragonlord. His eyes then fell on the syringe in hand that he pulled out, clearly emptied of its contents.
“W, w, w, why…is it…not…w, working?”
Clink!
Serenis slapped the haggard arms holding the syringe, sending the device flying out of the doctor’s grasp. Of course the needle would have no effect on her; the doctor was practically injecting the owner with her own mana.
“D, d, did something happen…to the drug? W, why is it n, n, not working…you, or t, that…enforcer…”
A snorting laughter came from Serenis as the doctor’s ignorance continued.
“Just whose mana do you think you are using?”
A momentary crunching sound filled the room as an alien sensation crunched into the doctor’s left leg. When he looked down, an iron rod made of magic had smashed into his left calf, breaking the bones within and twisting his leg in a manner that shouldn’t be twisting in.
“Ah…HHHHHHCK!!”
“After harming those of your own brethren, did your heart not suffer even the slightest guilt?”
Another crunching noise filled the doctor’s ears as his right calf was smashed in the exact same manner. He collapsed to the floor as his legs gave away.
And still, not even a hint of satisfaction could be seen in the dragonlord’s eyes.
“When others suffered for your sake, did you not have the courage to suffer the same yourself?”
The doctor frantically wove his arms in denial. His desperate cries filled the lab, bolstered by his desire to survive.
“D, d, daughter! Daughter!! Stop this fiend! NOW!!”
At the doctor’s barked order, Light hesitantly took half a step forward, slowly approaching the wounded man and her peer. The half girl’s voice mirrored the reluctance in her steps.
“Z, Zion….I…”
Then, a red tail barred her path. Ilias was worriedly looking at her little sister, shaking her head.
“…Light. You’re not his daughter.”
“But…I…am…”
“Then who’re the people waiting for you at home?”
“You know they aren’t my real parents…I was born here. The doctor made me. Without him, I wouldn’t be…me.”
“…Light, being born somewhere doesn’t mean that’s your home. And your parents don’t always have to be the people who made you.”
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“…”
While the youngling lectured her little sister, Serenis flicked her fingers as an invisible grip tugged on the doctor’s collar, pulling him back upright. She turned around and tossed the figure sideways, making him fall onto the floor in front of the two girls.
Even then, the doctor was frantically reaching for the syringe that had fell out of his grasp. When he realized that it was too far, he immediately turned to Light.
“D, d, daughter! Ki…kirrlllr…..kill them! Kill them all! Get me, o, o, out!! Listen to me, I, I, I am…your f, f, father!!”
Although Light’s gaze met the doctor’s, she could not hear him properly; the buzzing in her head was beginning to drown out the world surrounding her. Her breathing grew heavy as she struggled to remain focused, and she could feel her obligation as a daughter conflicting with everything she’d grown to be.
A long time ago, she wouldn’t have had a choice under the influence of his curse; Light would do as he said, and she wouldn’t have had to think or ponder on what she did. Now, even after years of living free of his influence, she found it difficult to go against his words. She couldn’t even discern what was right.
But in her panicked confusion, a soft warmth wrapped around her as Ilias embraced the trembling half girl.
The dragon softly patted her little sister on the head, whispering as gently as she could.
“Light, I don’t know a lot about family, but…I can tell you this for sure. A parent, should mean so much more than just a person who created you.”
“But…”
“That can’t be all there is to being family, right? We’re not related, but you’re my little sister. No one can tell me otherwise.”
“…”
Children should obey their parents. Children owed their parents for the life they were given. Family should care for each other, and never abandon each other.
The doctor had drilled those ideas into Light ever since she was able to understand human tongue, and the outside world seemed to agree, at least for the most part. Maybe it was low, even animalistic, to despise a father figure for personal reasons.
But who made up those rules?
According to the same principles, Ilias was a horrible person. She abandoned her home and family to occasionally live with those of another race altogether, claiming them to be her family despite already having family elsewhere.
Light shut her eyes and shook her head, washing the ill thoughts off of her mind.
It couldn’t be. Her kind, caring sister couldn’t possibly be a horrible person.
All the reverted animals began to leer and growl at the collapsed figure on the floor. The hatred in their eyes spread like wildfire towards the source of their suffering. Unlike the half girl that had desperately held onto human obligations, the animals showed no restraint in displaying their emotions.
And, just maybe, they were right in doing so.
Light knelt on one knee, facing the doctor with trembling eyes. A pained expression crossed her face as she began to speak for everyone around her, holding an arm outwards to keep the other animals from lashing out against the fallen man.
“…Doctor.”
“Daughter…! T, there are more needles on my d, d, desk. Hurry…!”
The half girl shook her head in denial, remaining still on the ground.
“Why…did you do this to us?”
“W…w, what? Do…what?”
“Doctor…you said we were your children. But were we really family to you?”
“O, o, of, of course! All of you…are my d, d, dear children! Every, every single o, one!”
“…How come you never paid attention to us? Why did you hurt us?”
“I, I, I always h, have paid, attention! H, how could I ever h, h, hurt any of y, y, you?”
“Even when we starved and suffered, you didn’t pay any attention to us. You let our friends and family become our feed…you experimented on us.”
“No…no, no, no, no...I…I wanted you all to b, b, become, perfect! Yes, I wanted you to…become…perfect beings…”
“…And we weren’t family if we didn’t seem perfect to you. You were disappointed when we evolved to be normal halves. You called us failures when we didn’t turn out to be what you wanted.”
“…”
“Isn’t that why you didn’t care when everyone else died? Or when I ran away alone, all those years ago?”
“D, daughter…I was just b, busy, at the time. O, of course I cared.”
“You know…before, I thought this was normal. I thought all families were like this. But now I know…that not everyone lives like us.”
“I, I perfected you, daughter! Thanks to me, y, you became, a p, p, person. No parent can d, d, do what I did for y, you.”
Light shut her eyes. She winced at the remark because it was true; no other person could do what the doctor had done to her. If it weren’t for him, she’d still be a stray cat roaming the sewers. She never would’ve met her parents, or teachers, or any of her friends.
But it wasn’t thanks to him she had all those bonds. She’d found those herself – after risking her life to run away from this place. Never for a moment did the half girl miss the life she had here. Her creator had no place in the life she chose.
‘…I wonder if mom and dad found out we’re gone. I hope they’re not outside looking for us…’
A soft warmth washed away the pain in Light’s expression. She could imagine her parents at the door, waiting for her to come back with Ilias. They’d be worried, and maybe a tiny bit angry, but simply relieved that their daughters had come back home safe and sound.
Surely, they’d welcome them home. Just as always.
When Light opened her eyes, her body was no longer shaking. She no longer saw a twisted father figure in her eyes. It was just a delusional man who’d given her the courage to run away and find her life.
“Doctor. Do you know my name?”
“…N…n, name?”
“My name. My name is Light.”
“B..b, b, but…I…never…”
“When we became family, they gave me this name hoping that I’ll never live in a dark place again. They hoped that I’ll always be a bright person.”
“…”
“My parents…gave me this name.”