Celis suddenly appeared and stabbed Robert's stomach with the Sumitsu Sword.
"It's over."
The sword plunged deep, causing Robert to vomit blood and bleed heavily from his stomach.
Robert grabbed the blade with what little strength he had, trying to pull it out, but Celis pushed it deeper.
Robert vomited blood and spoke.
"Did you see the two old folks who came to your house yesterday?"
The people Robert meant were the ones looking for the Sumitsu sword; they were hired mercenaries sent by Robert.
"Yeah, I killed them."
Robert chuckled.
"Heh, is that so? Too bad, they were just trying to make some money."
"Who cares."
Celis pushed the sword even deeper, piercing straight through Robert's stomach.
Celis hit Robert's face hard multiple times until it was battered, delivered a sharp elbow strike, and tore open Robert's forehead.
Not satisfied with that, Celis looked around and spotted a fairly thick tree branch. Celis picked it up, faced Robert again, and jammed the tree branch straight into his left eyeball.
Robert screamed at the top of his lungs, feeling excruciating pain.
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! GKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!"
Celis pulled the branch out and then jammed it into his right eye, pushing it deeper and deeper until the branch snapped. But it didn't end there—Celis delivered one final, full-force, heavy blow to Robert's forehead.
As a result, Robert's head hit the ground hard, cracking open both the back and front of his skull as blood poured continuously.
Celis finally lay flat on his back, completely exhausted, staring up at the cloudy sky while panting heavily.
Rain suddenly started to fall, growing heavier and heavier. Celis was confused whether to feel happy or sad about the outcome, simply staring blankly as the raindrops fell.
Hella, in terrible condition, approached Celis.
Seeing Robert hanging from the Sumitsu sword explained everything that had happened here.
Hella asked.
"Want a cigarette? I'll drop it off at your house later."
Celis answered in a low tone.
"Later. There's a girl at my house. I'm afraid she'll be uncomfortable; girls don't like cigarette smoke."
"I see."
"How are you holding up?"
"I'm in worse shape than you because tons of the living dead, demons, and ghosts kept showing up. Fortunately, the person who summoned them is already dead, so they died along with him."
"Need any medical treatment?"
Hella smiled and replied.
"No need, I have my own."
Celis didn't answer.
"....."
Hella turned around and started walking.
"I'm heading out. If you don't go to school tomorrow, I'll let you know."
Celis didn't answer a second time. Hella walked away and suddenly vanished. Celis asked himself.
"Is this the answer?"
Back in the 7th grade (first year of middle school). My parents were fighting—who knows what the reason was—and they beat me as an outlet for their anger. But... But why?... Why did they treat me like that? I didn't understand.
Yet, on the other hand, they also gave me the warmth of affection, especially my father.
Dad was always angry with me over the slightest mistake. Even for something as trivial as being late to take a bath, he would yell at me, and sometimes even hit me.
Affection? Why did they show me affection when I wasn't even their biological child? I found out from one of my dad's coworkers. He said,
"You're not their child. They eloped. They found you as a baby while they were running away, inside an abandoned house—the very same abandoned house you're living in now."
"When I found out, I didn't know what to do. I didn't have the courage to confront them about what I had been told. So what was I supposed to do? I don't know where the idea came from."
"I'm going to kill them."
However, one day, Mom smiled brightly at me. That smile was sincere, as if she wasn't hiding anything from me, and it made me abandon my dark intentions.
Celis looked at Robert, feeling bewildered by him and a little regretful.
"Why didn't I just ask him earlier? Besides, what was the point of taking revenge? I'm not even their real child anyway."
Celis got up from the spot, walking away while wiping his eyes.
"It's cold."
He pulled back the Sumitsu sword, sliced through space, and a portal opened. Celis walked right in.
At 2:43 AM, Celis lay on his bed wearing just a t-shirt.
"Should I go to school tomorrow? It's already this late."
He recalled what Hella had said earlier.
Hella turned around and walked away.
"I'm heading out. If you don't go to school tomorrow, I'll let you know."
"Ugh... better just skip it."
Celis closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, utterly exhausted.
The next day, on a bright 10 AM morning, Celis woke up feeling both refreshed and sore. He stretched his body, did some light warm-ups, and then headed to the kitchen while grumbling.
"Should I eat instant noodles or eggs again?"
Celis looked annoyed and bewildered by what he saw. Shintia was eating in his kitchen.
Shintia was eating fried rice, and she looked up at Celis.
"You're awake?"
Celis looked at her unenthusiastically.
"Why aren't you at school?"
Celis sat down at the table with a sullen expression, and Shintia replied.
"I wasn't ready to face Dea."
Taking a bite, Celis looked down at a giant plate of fried rice—a mountain-sized portion. Shintia looked confused at Celis.
"What's wrong? Don't you want to eat?"
Celis remained silent and began eating. He was surprised by how delicious Shintia's cooking actually was—well, not really.
Shintia asked curiously.
"Is it good?"
Celis nodded in response. Even though it was just average to him, he ate ravenously and quickly. Shintia had barely finished her own mouthful, but Celis had already cleaned his plate, leaving not a single grain behind. Celis stood up from his chair and spoke to Shintia.
"Eat quickly, there's something I want to ask you."
A short while later, after Celis had showered and Shintia had finished eating, they sat together in the living room.
Even though the atmosphere was calm, Celis felt awkward having Shintia around.
"Take a shower or something. Besides, why aren't you going home?"
Shintia looked startled and scared hearing that.
"Are you kicking me out?"
"No. So, what's your problem with your friend?"
"I just told her her hair looked nice, that she didn't have to bleach it, and then she got mad."
Celis put on his indifferent expression again.
"Just for that?"
"Actually, she's gotten mad at me a few times before. But... I did it because I was trying to stop her, telling her what to do for her own good so she could be a good girl. I just didn't want her doing weird things."
Celis sighed upon hearing that.
"Hmph... from now on, stop meddling in other people's personal business. Not everyone wants to be helped, not everyone wants to be controlled."
Shintia stood up, refusing to accept what Celis had said.
"No. I consider Dea like my own younger sister. Dea and I... we've been friends since childhood. We've always been together, she used to look happy, she was happy with me, but why did she change? Why is she being so mean to me? We both agreed—she's the little sister and I'm the big sister, so why is this happening?"
"See? I literally just told you. And right there is a real-life example."
Shintia felt guilty, fell silent, and sat back down.
"Actually, there's nothing wrong with guiding people, but when it becomes excessive, that's when it's a problem. I once tried to control someone to become what I wanted them to be, but in the end, they turned into someone I never wanted."
Shintia looked at him. She saw the sorrow in Celis's eyes—a gaze that offered Shintia some clarity, even though Celis himself was trapped in darkness.
Even though Celis looked calm and cold on the outside, his eyes told a different story from his outward appearance.
Celis crossed his legs, resting one leg over the other, and folded his arms across his chest.
"For now, it's better if you just apologize to her and stop trying to control her."
Shintia shook her head with a faint smile.
"I already did. I apologized to her over chat this morning, but she wouldn't accept my apology."