Zack's vision started going blurred. The crushing pressure could be felt on his windpipe, skin burning from the hard squeeze of fingers.
He couldn't pull air inward, it felt like it was jammed shut like a locked door. He didn't have the strength to pull Ender off him.
Though he didn't even tried to fight back, his barely holding consciousness was just whispering a few words which were echoing in his mind.
~ If I am this kind of person. Then why was I born? Why am I living? What is the point of my existence?
Meanwhile Ender's expression wasn't furious, it was just dead. Really dead. While Zack's consciousness was slowly slipping away. His vision almost disappeared.
He wondered with every last ounce he had.
~ Lord... why was I born... If I had to spread misery everywhere...
Out of blue, someone poked a specific part of Ender's neck which stunned him as he fell beside him.
Zack gasped for breaths vigorously. His vision gradually started recovering to see Lisa, but he couldn't see her face, it was blurred to his vision. There was another girl beside her as well.
***
"Well we have arrived just in time."
Misha spoke with a mused face. Observing both of them who were lying on the floor.
"I told you this was a bad idea."
Lisa mumbled, glaring at her with a blank gaze.
"He got a bit demonstrative, which makes sense because it was like dropping a bomb to his head. Now he'll ignore him for a few days."
Misha shrugged her shoulders lightly, as though nonchalant about the situation.
"Ugh!"
They both glanced to see Zack groaning in pain. He was gradually getting up, leaning to the couch while lying on the floor. His breath hitching quite severely.
He looked up to them, startled.
"Y– You guys?"
"Don't worry, and tell the nanny that he has some nausea, so that's why he's here."
Suddenly when they heard footsteps approaching, Misha and Lisa disappeared to thin air just in time.
"Huh!? What happened here!?"
Fiona stared with disbelief, seeing one lying on the floor, unconscious, while the other was barely conscious.
***
Azon was standing by the grave of someone. He had come to a ruined graveyard. The name of the grave wasn't quite visible because it was quite damaged.
Also the moonlight wasn't that bright today. Azon rummaged and pulled out his cigar, it lit up on its own as he sucked it all. Staring at the grave.
His expression wasn't quite visible because of the dim light.
"Sir! What are you doing here!?"
A man's voice came, shattering the dread silence shrouded over the graveyard. Azon didn't look up at him, when he came closer to a man taller than a door. Flinching.
"Sir..."
"This grave condition is bad. Take as much cash as you want and fix it."
The man stared at the grave in silence.
"But sir... This grave is centuries old."
Azon glared at him, his dead silence glare made the man clear up his throat.
"N– No worries sir. Just give me the details and it'll be done by tomorrow."
"Tomorrow."
Azon mumbled and started walking away from the graveyard. The dim crystal blue moon shimmering over them.
Moments Later...
They reached home in no time. Azon opened the door as he directly went to his room.
Ruis and Sara sat on the dining room couch, catching their breaths.
Lisa and Misha sat alongside the other couch. Leaning to the cushions.
They had used a nausea excuse for Ender and for them to not get caught by Azon.
"So what important topic were you about to discuss with us?"
The girls exchanged glances, wondering if they should share it now. Fiona was sleeping and the whole house had gone silent. So it was a good chance.
Lisa finally made her guts. But before she could speak.
"Can you bear the truth?"
It was Misha who had said it. They both got surprised, it was quite an unexpected question for them to be heard.
"What kind of truth?"
Ruis hissed, his brows coming closer.
"Our truth."
She spoke with a blank look. Sara, who wasn't understanding any substance of the conservation, said aloud.
"Just get to the point."
Misha exhaled, her head facing down. Her arm rose up and some golden strings started revolving around it.
Both understood the moment they saw those strings.
"Memories?"
With Sara's whisper, the strings started flowing in the air, approaching towards them. Lisa was astonished by Misha's firm will.
The strings become halved, both extend their hands to catch them. As soon as the strings were about to make contact with their fingers.
"You won't see Zack the same after this."
Before Sara could say something, the golden strings attached to her fingers, absorbed by her very being.
Memories started flowing in her vision, they weren't her memories. Yet she lost herself and collapsed, shivering. Her eyes widen with fear, with terror.
Ruis was sitting on the couch, strangely his nonchalant expression didn't twist to something worse.
His eyes seemed startled, yet he could handle it much better than anyone else.
After the memories ended. Sara began coughing. While Ruis turned his gaze down.
"N... No way. This can't be."
Sara places her hands over her head. Clenching it harder than usual, she was murmuring something. Her eyes filled with awe.
"It can't be. It can't be. It can't be!"
Ruis's breath hitched.
"When... Did you find out?"
"Recently."
Lisa replied with a sense of pity in her eyes.
"Does he know?"
"...He knows."
"Even Ender knows."
Both were stunned hearing Misha's small addition of words. At last the girls revealed what actually had happened tonight.
After hearing everything, Ruis placed his palm over his forehead. Grumbling.
"We need to act like nothing happened. This is the only way."
Silence shrouded the room which led to them the very night.
The sun rose the next day, its gentle rays scattering over the whole town. Indeed, light reached everywhere.
In the dining room, the kids had already occupied their couch.
Ruis was leaning nonchalantly, staring at the ceiling. He looked quite mused, lost in the river of his thoughts.
Sara held the book she was reading. Ender was sitting beside her, his gaze fixed on the view out the open window.
The room was silent as he seemed to be in a world of his own. Until, someone screamed right at his ear.
"Hey, it's really good! I have only read it up to the prologue and the introduction got me hooked."
Ender got startled by the sudden jolt. Then began huffing.
"I'll buy it today for your information. So stop screaming in my ears."
Sara giggled.
"You were lost as usual so some work should be done for that."
"Tsk-tsk!"
Seeing them Ruis sighed, at least someone was making up with him, he thought. All of a sudden, Azon goes past the room.
He glanced here before diverting his gaze. But suddenly stopped as if he had noticed something.
He entered the room. His gaze fixed over the book on Sara's hands. Everyone was surprised to see him this curious.
"The Cursed Prince."
He let out a whisper, standing before them.
"Was published almost 500 years ago. Even so, till today. It's a great all time classic. Based on a real story."
Sara's eyes widened hearing his last words. Even Ender got taken aback.
Ruis had no idea what they were talking about so he was just chilling.
Sara tried to ask more questions.
"R– Real story? What do you mean by that?"
"It's not a fictional work, rather a real story which had taken place on Earth a long time ago."
Sara bowed her head, still murmuring.
"We asked the seller for a fictional work..."
"Perhaps it was turned into a work of fiction."
Ruis suggested.
"Have you read this?"
Ender inquired, his intriguing eyes could be read rather very easily right now.
"Not me, but a colleague of mine. Who's long dead."
The room went silent, Azon exhaled, before departing away.
After he was gone. Sara whispered, her head still lowered as she had held the book tightly to her chest.
"I would have dropped it if I had known this earlier."
***
The girls were roaming around the streets, Zack was also with them.
To think about it this was their plan, to balance the chaos between Ender and Zack.
This was the only way they could settle it out, at least this was the best way in their perspective.
"Why the hell are we here?"
Zack muffled, yawning. The eye bags underneath his eyes showed he wasn't sleeping well these days.
"Think, who walks with two girls."
Lisa spoke with her causal teasing smirk.
"I'm not a pervert. Y'all persuaded me."
He spoke with a clumsy tone. All tired.
"If you said you're not a pervert then the thought about it should've crossed your mind."
Misha chuckled.
"Bullshit."
Lisa called a carriage passing by, after exchanging some words, which Zack couldn't hear because he was not focusing on it.
They went in and the carriage moved along, going somewhere.
***
Ender was in his room, standing by the window, observing the children playing tag.
Though his physical body was present here, he himself wasn't. Lost in Azon's words about the book.
"It's fascinating, isn't it?"
Hearing a familiar voice, he turned around to see himself sitting on a chair, his one leg crossed over another. Having a faint smile over his lips.
While his hand was holding his head. He was wearing a white coat with black shirt underneath, as usual. Ender was wearing a white shirt this time.
Ender sighed. Before sitting on the bed, which was by the chair.
"Can you tell what I'm thinking right now?"
"If Zack is connected to that book."
He spoke nonchalantly, looking at the gorgeous view outside the window.
"Not just him, wait. I need to ask Mr Azon right now."
He stood up before leaving the room while the other one stayed there.
Azon and Fiona were having a tea chat like usual. Ender knocked the door, stealing their attention towards him.
He went to Azon.
"Can I ask you something?"
Azon gave a lazy nod while sipping tea.
"Do Earthlings have a past life system?"
Azon was surprised by the sudden, unique question. He set his tea down, clearing up his throat.
"Some souls are in a continuous cycle of reincarnation. Some souls came from beyond to Earth for unknown reasons. There's both reincarnation and heaven and hell architecture."
Ender's eyes widened, even his fingers started twitching.
"Depends on your perspective, in short. The religion you chose."