Redmont, Serisis.
8:27 p.m. 19 th Banem 1092.
The room’s temperature dropped several degrees as the Maggots stared into Kashi’s cold gaze. An unnervingly sinister aura coiled around the daeben and struck the Maggots with a deep unease and fear.
Even Syèl, who’d encountered his fair share of death, found his muscles tensing up as he looked into Kashi’s unfeeling eyes. It was impossible to guess the thoughts behind those black holes, but the halben could feel death’s familiar grip within Kashi’s gaze.
“…Kashi?” Lunette once again called out.
Kashi’s gaze slowly but deliberately shifted to meet hers. If it was possible, the daeben’s gaze darkened even more, causing Leila to cry out, “Lunette! Get Back! That’s Not Kashi!”
Stunned, Lunette questioned, “Wha— ugh! ” The question died in her throat as Kashi forcibly seized her by the throat. “K—Ka—” Lunette struggled to call out as she beat against Kashi’s arm.
Unfortunately, Kashi seemed to be long gone. Whatever remained within that body only had one purpose: to see Lunette dead. Kashi tightened his grip, gaze scarily neutral as he observed Lunette’s pale, choking expression.
“Let her go!” Shadow, the first person to recover from the shock, charged at Kashi with his daggers drawn.
Kashi cast a sideways glance at the charging assassin.
Boom!
Perhaps due to his rage, Shadow failed to react as earthen slab shot out of the ground and then smashed into his chin. The blow not only knocked out the assassin but sent him flying toward Kashi, who caught him by the neck.
The brief but deadly exchange finally woke the rest from their shock. Syèl, Shokō, Jade, Leila, and Absalon got into battle positions as they demanded the siblings’ release. In reply, Kashi spread out his arms.
The Maggots were forced to remain in place for fear of attacking the siblings by accident.
Frustrated, Syèl shouted, “Kashi! What the hell are you doing!?”
Kashi, however, ignored the halben’s shouts. His full attention was on Lunette, the hatred in his eyes palpable as he watched the life slowly ebb from her eyes.
Lunette’s chest burned as she struggled to suck in, even if just an atom of air. Unfortunately, Kashi’s tight grip clenched her throat shut, ensuring nothing seeped through. Amid her panic, a thousand memories flashed through her mind. From the day she first achieved ‘cognitive thought’ to the first time she was given a ‘body’ in a virtual world. She remembered the weeks and months spent in the virtual world with Shadow and the other A.I prototypes.
Lunette’s face slowly turned blue as she thought back to the first time she met Kashi. A small smile spread on her face as she recalled their adventures together. A sense of peace washed over her as she recalled going on stage with Kashi (though he was disguised) and singing to thousands of people.
Knowing how this would end up, would she still have gone with Kashi on that boat ride? Yes… Yes. She would. Kashi had allowed her to truly ‘live.’ He had shown her that she was more than just a series of commands. He proved that even a program like her was capable of falling in love. That experience alone was worth all this…
Kashi frowned as he watched a lone tear fall from Lunette’s eye. His expression wavered for the first time as she grabbed his arm and then looked him in the eye. With the last of her strength, she finally whispered,
???
“…I’m sorry.”
Kashi opened his eyes, confusion, and pain in his gaze as he stared at a portrait of The Avengers drawn on the ceiling above. He recognized that picture. Suzuki drew it when he was six. Which meant… The daeben sighed and then sat up. He examined his surroundings, and sure enough, he was in the toy-laden room where Suzuki spent most of his sentient childhood.
Kashi’s gaze traveled around the room to rest on a small child, 8-10 years of age, huddled in a corner, with a hood pulled over their head. The daeben rose from the bed and walked over to the child. With a tight smile, he squatted next to the kid and then gently pulled down the hood.
A young Suzuki, with cold eyes devoid of any expression, looked up at Kashi. However, unlike those outside, Kashi was not affected by that glare. He knew too much to ever fear Suzuki.
“Hey… Su,” Kashi called with a small smile. “What are we doing here?”
Suzuki did not reply but instead pointed at the room’s door.
“Is that it?” muttered Kashi as he stood up. “You want me to go there?” The daeben decided to take Suzuki’s silence as confirmation. He began to walk toward the door when he suddenly felt a hand grasp his. Kashi looked down at Suzuki, who regarded him with empty eyes. “At least be a little embarrassed.” When the child didn’t respond, Kashi sighed and said, “Alright. Silent treatment it is then… come on. Let’s get this over with.”
With Little Su in hand, Kashi walked over to and then opened the door. A flash of light briefly consumed both him and Little Su but then dissipated to reveal a beautiful living room.
A young woman in her early twenties sat at the room’s center, joyously laughing as she played with a 5-6 years old boy. The young woman still had traces of her natural beauty. But it had been marred by worry lines, terrible eye bags, and a slovenly appearance. A stranger would sooner believe she was a recovering drug addict than the daughter of a billionaire well on her way to stardom just a few years ago.
“Mo…ther.”
Kashi looked at Little Su with a complicated expression. As expected, Suzuki reacted to his mother. If there was one thing in this world that was capable of inciting a reaction in the young man’s stone-cold heart, it would be this woman. Such was the impact she had in thei—
CRASH!
Kashi flinched, a dark sense of foreboding washing over him as he turned his attention back to Suzuki’s mother. Just as he feared, her gaze was unfocused and scary as she stared at a broken vase Suzuki had mistakenly toppled over.
“…Ryu bought that vase,” she listlessly muttered. “It was perfect. But it’s gone now… Like Ryu.”
Kashi’s heart clenched, a deep-rooted fear seizing soul as his mother stared at the cowering Suzuki with hatred and anger.
“You! You did this!” Ruri shouted and struck Suzuki hard across the face. The poor child hit the ground hard but then instinctively curled into a ball to protect himself. “You ruined my life!” she shouted as she knelt next to the child and repeatedly slapped him all over. “You took him away! Now you want to chase him away again! No! I won’t let you! You should just DIE!”
“ENOUGH!” Kashi shouted, unable to bear the torment any longer. He made to grab her but found he could not take a single step forward. It was like a barrier prevented him from interfering with it. Frustrated, he banged against the ‘wall’ and shouted, “Stop! Stop! He’ll really die! Stop!”
“Don’t bother,” cautioned Little Su, who watched the beating with nary a ripple in his eyes. “You cannot change the past.”
Kashi glanced at Little Su. Exasperated, he asked, “What’s the point of all this?”
“…You need to understand,” explained Little Su. “You may have my memories, but you never truly experienced it. You need to understand.”
“I get it. Your life was hell. What do you want to prove here?”
Little Su did not reply. Instead, he turned around and then said, “Look.”
Kashi followed the child’s lead, eager to get away from the disturbing scene. To his surprise, however, the view at his back was the exact same living room. Only, this time, Ryumaki was there with a first aid kit. Ruri sat by Ryumaki’s side, with a bright, satisfied smile. Her radiant smile shone brightly, illuminating her beauty to anyone within eyesight.
“What happened, Su? You seem to be getting injured a lot these days.”
Suzuki looked up at his mother, but then, seeing how happy she looked, said, “I, ouch! challenged Daimo-kun to a fight. Ouch! He brought friends.”
“Oh?” muttered Ryumaki with a raised brow. “What about your friends?”
Suzuki snorted and turned up his nose, “A real man does not need friends to win his battles. Ouch! ” Suzuki pouted as he glared at his dad. “Dad! You’re doing that on purpose, right?”
“Well, I’m punishing a little liar.” Ryumaki laughed as he wrapped a fresh set of bandages around his son’s arms. “Isn’t it that you’re too quiet, so you haven’t made any friends yet?” Glancing at his son’s face, he teased, “I bet you sneak off to draw on the roof, don’t you?”
“Urgh,” Suzuki groaned. “How did you know?”
“You’re my son,” boasted Ryumaki and patted Suzuki’s head. “I know everything about you.” He sighed as he finished bandaging the kid’s hands. “I do wish you wouldn’t fight so much, though.”
Suzuki’s expression fell. ‘But if I don’t fight, you’ll find out what mom does. I don’t want you to leave her.’ Moments later, he shook his head and smiled as he flexed his arm, “Fighting’s all I’m good at anyway. Books are boring.”
Knock!
“Ow!” Suzuki screamed in protest, but his father was having none of it.
Ryumaki adjusted his glasses, adopting a familiar anime pose as he stated, “Don’t you dare insult the glory of books. You come from a line of genius intellectuals!”
….
Father and Son stared at each other for a few seconds. But then, unable to contain it any longer, they burst into loud, animated laughter. Ruri chuckled as well, though a lot more subdued like she was afraid something would chase Ryumaki off.
After laughing for a while, Ryumaki patted Suzuki’s head and then said, “Alright, warrior. How about this. Since this world has no need for warriors, I’ll make one you can run amok to your heart’s content. In return, study hard, and try to cut back on the fighting, yeah?”
Suzuki nodded but then muttered, “What do I do? Daimo-kun already asked for a rematch?”
Ryumaki froze. “Wait. You won?”
“Mmhm,” replied Suzuki with a nod. He quickly picked up on his father’s disbelief and then said, “I’m pretty strong, you know?”
“Huuu…” Ryumaki let out a loose breath. “We should get you into one of those martial art classes. Teach you some discipline before you break some kid’s arm.” He was about to say something else, but the beeping of a cellphone interrupted him.
Like a bomb to a city, the beep immediately killed the room’s joyous atmosphere.
Suzuki paled as he noticed his mother’s expression slowly turn ugly. He quickly grasped his father’s hands and pleaded, “Dad… Please, stay.”
Ryumaki let out a pained smile as he reached out and ruffled his son’s hair. “I’m sorry, Su. I promise, when this project is finished, the three of us can go wherever we want, anytime we want.” He pulled Suzuki into a tight hug and then promised, “Trust me, son. Just a few more years, and we’ll be set for life. I need you to take care of your mother until then. Can you do that for me?”
Suzuki winced but nodded all the same. He did not want to disappoint his father.
“That’s my boy,” praised Ryumaki as he patted Suzuki’s head. He then turned to Ruri and gave her a big hug, too, promising to get back as soon as possible. In his haste, he failed to notice how deep her hurt went. He mistook the resentment and rage in her eyes to be sadness and pain. As a result, the clueless, eager programmer packed his belongings and left the house.
Kashi swallowed hard when he noticed Suzuki’s forlorn expression. The child had already resigned himself to fate, as he knew what was going to come next…
Snap!
Little Su suddenly snapped his fingers, and the room suddenly spun in place. When it stopped, it depicted Suzuki playing with his mother. Snap! With another snap, it shifted to Suzuki protecting himself from her beatings. Snap! Ryumaki bandaging Suzuki’s wounds… A happy family. Snap! A loving mother. Snap! A spiteful demon Snap! A clueless father Snap!
An endless cycle. On and On it goes… Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap…
SNAP!
The cycle finally stopped, leaving a pale-faced Kashi standing over a hospital bed. In it lay Suzuki with a bandage wrapped around his head.
“…I remember this,” Kashi muttered as he stared at the unconscious child. “This…”
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
“This was the first time he almost died,” a voice answered.
Kashi’s gaze traveled to the other side of the bed, where Suzuki stood in his current age.
Suzuki’s soulless eyes revealed a rare hint of warmth as he reached out and caressed the child’s head. “Mother went too far. She accidentally struck Suzuki too hard, and he hit the table’s edge on the way down.”
Suzuki reached across the bed as he placed his left hand on the child’s head. “…Come.”
Kashi hesitated but took Suzuki’s hand anyway. Something told him he would die here if he did not follow the young man’s instructions.
Upon taking Suzuki’s hand, the duo was transported to an empty white room. At the center of the room were two children. The first was Little Su, who had accompanied Kashi earlier, while the other was a crying Suzuki.
Little Su’s emotionless eyes burned with rage as he placed his hand on Suzuki’s shoulder, “At this rate, you really will die, but I won’t let that happen. Since you gave me life, I will fulfill my purpose for being born. I will shield you from mother and ensure nothing like this ever happens again. You’ll never have to see her ugly side ever again. I will make sure of that.”
Suzuki wiped his tears as he stared at the other ‘him.’ “But won’t you suffer?”
“Do not worry,” Little Su stated. “You wanted something that could take pain in your place but not hurt your mother. I was created specifically for that purpose, so I assure you, just as I have no love for your mother, neither do I have hatred. I won’t suffer, and neither will she.”
Suzuki sniffed and then said, “Don’t you want to ask what other times you can come out? It’s not nice if you only have to get beaten all the time.”
Knock!
Little Su revealed a small smile as Suzuki grabbed his forehead in pain. “You do not have the luxury of worrying about me. I will be fine. Your boring life will provide all the entertainment I need.”
Suzuki snorted but then said as he stretched out his hand, “Fine. Nice working with you then… uh, what do I call you?”
Little Su smiled as he shook Suzuki’s head. “Name’s are unnecessary attachments. This is but a temporary relationship. But… if you insist on calling me something… How about Little Su since I’m rarely around?”
“Hehe,” Suzuki chuckled as he grasped Little Su’s hand. “Finally got my first friend.”
“…That is sad on so many levels.”
Kashi remained silent as the children disappeared from view, leaving him and Suzuki standing in the room. “This is it, isn’t it? One of the two memories you keep locked away, even from us.”
“Yes.” Little Su’s eyes narrowed as he nodded. “This is the day I was born…”
“The day you were born,” muttered Kashi as he looked at Little Su with a grave expression. “If the first memory was the day you were born, then the second…”
Suzuki … no, Little Su’s gaze narrowed as he raised his right hand and snapped his finger.
Kashi involuntarily blinked for a moment. When he opened his eyes, he and Little Su had returned to their old living room. It was early morning, judging by the rays of sunlight streaming in from the windows. The child, Suzuki, sat on the couch with a pensive expression. By his side, his mother also sat with a nervous expression, like she was scared of something.
Clack!
Kashi turned to the entrance at the same time as Suzuki and his mother. Suzuki’s expression instantly brightened, an elated smile spreading on his lips as his father walked into the home, disheveled, but with a happy grin.
Ryumaki knelt down and hugged Suzuki, who ran into his open arms. Patting his son’s head, he proudly announced, “The project is complete, Su! From now on, it’s just going to be the three of us, doing whatever you want. But first, we’ll start with the National Competition.” Dangling his car keys, he grinned and said, “Who’s ready to go conquer Japan?”
“Me!” Suzuki proudly shouted, and then snorted with laughter as Ryumaki lifted, and then carried him with one arm.
Ryumaki hugged Ruri with his other arm. Smiling softly, he caressed her head and apologized, “I have made you suffer these past years. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
“Mm-mm.” Ruri shook and then buried her head in his chest. “I’m just glad you’re finally back.”
Little Su’s eyes narrowed, rage burning in his eyes as he observed his father. As a child, Suzuki did not notice it. But his father’s eyes were droopy, and his overall demeanor was tired and fatigued. Clearly, the man had spent an all-nighter to complete the project before rushing over for his son’s big day.
“It all comes back to that project,” spat Little Su. “Everything. If he had not pulled that all-nighter, things would have been different.”
Kashi, however, shook his head. “You don’t know that. It was a freak accident. It could have happened whether he was tired or in tip-top condition.”
Little Su chose to not reply. Instead, he once again snapped his fingers. This time, when Kashi opened his eyes, he and Little Su sat on either side of Suzuki at the back seat of a sedan while Ryumaki and Ruri sat in the front seats.
The family joked and laughed as they listened to a comedian on the radio. Occasionally, Ryumaki let out a short yawn or two, but he seemed to be in control, so Ruri did not push to take the wheel.
Little Su’s eyes narrowed as they approached a bend on the mountainous road. “It’s here.”
Suddenly, a deer jumped out from the bend, startling the family. Ryumaki quickly swerved in an attempt to dodge the deer. Unfortunately, this took him into the opposite lane, where a white truck was barreling towards them.
Ryumaki’s heart froze, and he immediately tried to swerve back into his lane. Unfortunately, it had rained the night before. The wet, slick road offered no friction, which made accelerating back onto the right path far too tricky.
The truck driver, noticing the sliding car, immediately cut to the right to dodge Ryumaki’s car. Unfortunately, Ryumaki’s car chose that moment to finally gain some traction and instantly dashed into the truck’s path.
BAM!
Kashi’s heart jumped into his throat as the truck struck their bonnet like a demolition ball, sending their car careening over the guardrail. Ryumaki, Ruri, and Suzuki panicked, shouting for help as the car tumbled down the mountain until it finally crashed into the forest below.
The crash knocked Suzuki out cold for a good while.
“Su! Suzu! Wake up, Su!”
“Mother?” Suzuki groaned in pain as he weakly opened his eyes. He winced as it felt like his body was on fire. There wasn’t a single spot that did not hurt like hell. The young boy groggily looked around as he tried to recall why he was in so much pain. Did he get into a fight?
However, the sight that greeted his eyes caused Suzuki to scream in horror. The car had suffered a nasty tumble and was crumpled all over. His father’s head rested weakly against the steering wheel as massive clumps of blood poured from a massive hole in his chest and throat.
Suzuki’s mother bled from her forehead and leg, but, as if she could not feel it, Ruri was bent backward, battling with Suzuki’s seatbelt. She coughed up blood, revealing severe internal damage, but she refused to show any weakness to her son. “Suzu!” Her eyes went wide with joy when she saw Suzuki’s eyes flutter open. “Come on, Su. Help mom with your seatbelt.”
Suzuki, however, could not move, frozen in place as he stared at his father’s corpse. “D-dad?”
“Your dad’s fine, Suzu,” Ruri assured with a false smile. “He’s just taking a short rest. Come on, Suzu… focus on mommy, please.” Tears began to stream down her face as she fought with the seatbelt’s latch. “Damn it! This. Damned. Belt! Come off already!” She paused and then gave Suzuki a pleading look, “Please, honey, help mom, okay? Let’s get this off you?”
Suzuki, however, could not bring himself to move. “It’s all my fault…” he muttered as he stared at his father’s corpse. “I asked him to take me, and now, he’s dead… I killed him, mom.” Looking to his mother with tears in his eyes, he lamented, “I killed dad.”
“No Suzu… it’s not your fault,” Ruri comforted. “Your dad’s fine. Nothing can happen to Ryu-kun, okay? Your father is invincible.” She muttered a string of unintelligible words under her breath and then continued her war against Suzuki’s belt. “Come on, Suzu… just help me with this.”
“But mom,” Suzuki cried, unable to control his rising guilt and pain. Perhaps, because of the massive blow to his head, he was delirious and could not focus on the critical task. “Dad… Dad’s dead.”
“YOUR FATHER IS NOT DEAD!” Ruri screamed, and for a brief moment, Suzuki caught sight of murder within her eyes.
The sheer hatred and threat in her eyes shook Suzuki to the core. Suddenly, his eyes lost focus. Moments later, they regained focus, but this time, Suzuki’s gaze was cold and lifeless.
Little Su had forcefully seized control.
“You cannot die here,” said Little Su as he reached out and picked up a shard of broken glass. The glass cut into his palm, drawing blood, but Little Su’s face remained static. He took the glass to the belt, and slowly, but surely, began to cut through it.
“That’s it, that’s it, Suzu,” Ruri murmured as she watched Little Su cut through the belt. Her expression brightened as, within a few dozen seconds, he cut himself free of the shackles.
Little Su turned his attention to the car window. It was crumpled and compressed, with sharp glass sticking out from its edges. If he tried to break through, he definitely would not come out unscathed. Unfortunately, judging from the door’s state, trying to open it was a completely lost cause.
If he had time, Little Su would have preferred to clear the window of the glass with a cloth, but unfortunately, Suzuki’s life was on the line. Every second wasted was one closer to death. To make matters worse, he spotted the beginnings of a fire near the bumper. How long until that hit fuel?
The young man gritted his teeth and began to crawl towards the window, but a hand suddenly grabbed his leg. Little Su turned back, gaze narrowing as he stared at Suzuki’s mother.
“Help your father cut his straps, then help me out,” Ruri called, gaze hysteric and excited. “You can save us both, Suzu.”
Little Su’s cold gaze traveled to Suzuki’s father. With a deadpan tone, he stated, “Father is dead.” He then examined Suzuki’s mother. Suzuki had failed to notice, but there was a rod sticking out of her back. Who knew how long it would take to attempt dislodging that? “You are not long for this world, either, mother. I cannot risk Suzuki to save you. Suzuki must live.”
With those words, Suzuki turned to leave, but Ruri suddenly grabbed his legs again. With tears in her eyes, she pleaded, “Please save Ryu-kun. Please save him. You can leave me. But please save your father!”
“Crazy bitch!” Little Su cursed as he kicked her hand off. Years of pent-up frustration exploded as he roared and pointed at Suzuki’s father. “HE’S DEAD! TAKE A GOOD LOOK!”
Ruri panicked and then turned to look at her husband. “No… No…” She slowly shook her head, desperation rejection in her eyes as she stared at the lifeless corpse. “No! Ryu-Kun!” A gut-wrenching scream escaped the pits of her stomach as she refused the unforgiving reality before her.
No, he could not be dead. They had finally gotten what they wanted. What about the future they’d planned for? Everything. The past decade. She had endured the pain only in anticipation of their future. Now, it was all over? Just like that.
Little Su ignored her stunned expression and began making his way to the window once again.
Grab!
Ruri suddenly grabbed his leg, her gaze crazed with hatred and anger as she shouted, “You can’t leave. You can’t leave your father like this! He can still be saved!”
“You crazy—” cursed Little Su as he kicked against her hands and face to free himself. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, he could not free himself. Suddenly, he spotted the flames on the bonnet instantaneously double in size. He knew he only had seconds left.
In his desperation, Little Su broke one of the rules Suzuki set. He grabbed a glass shard, bent over, and stabbed Ruri’s hands. The shock of seeing Suzuki’s mother bleeding forced Little Su back in and brought out a delirious Suzuki.
Unfortunately, the first thing Suzuki saw upon his return was his mother glaring at him with unabashed hatred. Ruri’s eyes grew cold and distant, a snarl on her face as she angrily spat, “This is all your fault. I wish you were never born.”
“I-I-I…” Suzuki’s eyes lost focus as his mind scrambled into chaos. His mother’s face and words repeatedly played in his head a million times within a second. Once again, Suzuki froze in place, unable to move, even as the smoke and flames began to consume the car’s interior.
Realizing the danger, Little Su forcefully seized control. In his panic, he forgot to check on Suzuki’s mental state as he pushed his way out of the wreckage. The glass cut deep into his skin, but Little Su did not bat an eye, eager to get out of the car as soon as possible.
Eventually, amid all the smoke, Little Su managed to crawl through the window. Against his better judgment, Little Su paused and turned to look at the car. To his surprise, tears streamed down Ruri’s eyes, relief and joy in her eyes as she looked at her son. “Go Suzu,” she mouthed, a weak smile on her face as the flames consumed her. “Mother will be alright.”
Little Su’s went wide with shock. Before he could think, a desperate shout escaped his throat, “Wait!” He cried as he rose up and ran towards the car.
BOOM!!!
The car exploded, sending Little Su flying headfirst into a tree. The blow instantly knocked him out.
Kashi’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the burning wreckage. “…That’s not how I remember it. In my memories, the last thing Suzuki saw was his mother wishing he was dead.”
“That was the last thing Suzuki saw,” confirmed Little Su with a dark gaze. He snapped his fingers one last time, and they appeared in a hospital room. Suzuki lay in a bed, wrapped from head to toe in gauze. “When I woke up, Suzuki was gone.” Glancing at Kashi, he explained, “This is why I made the rule that we must not interfere in each other’s worlds.”
“What do you mean?”
Little Su stared at the unconscious Suzuki as he explained. “We may exist within the same body, but we cannot coexist at the same time. The moment our wills clash while we’re fighting for control, the mind will seek balance.” He turned to look at Kashi and explained, “In the end, the weaker will is destroyed, and balance restored.”
Little Su revealed a wry smile as he said, “Parallel, huh. Father named it so well. We can run in similar paths, but we can never clash. That is the sort of relationship we have. I didn’t understand this as a child and naively seized control to save Suzuki.” Clenching his fists, he angrily spat, “I had one job. One. To protect Suzuki from the world. Make sure he never has to experience pain again. He trusted me. And, what did I do? I killed him.”
Little Su bit his lips, drawing blood as he stared at the sleeping child. “It’s all that program’s fault. If she didn’t exist—”
“Wait! She?” interrupted Kashi, gaze blazing hot as he glared at Little Su. “Lunette?” He grabbed Little Su by the collar and roared, “What did you do!?”
“I’m punishing her,” explained Little Su as a screen appeared next to him. Through the screen, they could see Suzuki’s perspective, which currently focused on the rapidly fading Lunette.
BAM!
“You asshole!” Kashi suddenly decked Little Su so hard he fell to the floor. “Don’t you fucking dare hurt her!” He straddled Little Su and grabbed his collar. “Let her go!”
Little Su’s cold eyes remained unnerved. “I don’t want to. She must pay.”
“Are you insane!?” Kashi shouted. “She had nothing to do with Suzuki’s death!”
“If she did not exist—”
“Nothing would change if she did not exist!” roared the daeben angrily. “Father would have found something else to work on! He was obsessed with getting rich quickly! With or without Lunette, he would have worked himself to the bone!”
“Maybe so,” agreed Little Su, “but it does not change the fact she was involved. So she must pay.”
“She doesn’t have to pay for anything!” shouted Kashi. “She didn’t kill Suzuki. You Did! It’s Your Fault!”
“This is all your fault! I wish you were never born!”
Only after venting did Kashi realize what he’d just said. “No, wait. I didn’t mean it like that.”
“No,” refuted Little Su. “You did. And I will get what’s coming to me just like she is.” His eyes narrowed as he then challenged, “What about it? Will you try to end me to save her? Are you prepared to risk your life? Who knows, your will might be stronger than mine.”
Kashi suddenly froze, gaze narrowing as he searched Little Su’s empty eyes. “Is that what this has always been about? Making new personalities to ‘learn’ emotions. Did you just want to commit suicide the entire time? But you can’t shake your programming to hurt Suzuki’s body, so you raise us? Let us grow? So we can destroy you one day? Is that it?”
Little Su did not say anything, but his empty gaze spoke volumes.
“No,” Kashi refused as he rose to his feet. “I’m not doing this with you.” Gaze narrowing, he challenged, “Just let her go. You know she did nothing wrong. Don’t transfer your rage to an innocent person.”
Little Su’s gaze narrowed. “Sorry…”
Redmont Manor…
Kashi’s eyes shone with a sinister light as he glared at Lunette. “Sorry, but you must pay…”
Crack!