Chapter 78 Volume II - Epilogue

Chapter 78 Volume II - Epilogue

"Still no news, Syla?"

On a holographic screen, a man whose face was barely visible spoke to me.

I carefully considered every word that was going to come out of my mouth.

"No, sir... Last time he said a guardian was after him, so he fled to one of the secret bunkers, but he hasn't answered anyone since he got there."

There was silence for a brief moment.

"What about the bunker?"

"They haven't responded to any of the messages we've sent."

"Then it's best to assume he's dead. Larry, if I remember correctly, was A grade, right? And since he had two candidates, he was entrusted with the... thing."

His discomfort was reflected in his voice, he had always been positive about Larry and trusted him. Now this incident was clearly getting on his nerves.

"Any reports of a massacre in Cevilian, an unknown creature or a mad purple-eyed human being?"

"We're looking into it, sir... though so far we haven't seen any such reports."

"As soon as that thing finds a suitable body, it will latch onto it. There's no way it could still be wandering around on its own after so long. Although it's highly unlikely, there must be someone who managed to merge with that thing and not go mad."

"Yes, sir... We believe the same thing."

"Look at the people who have become extremely powerful recently. He or she must have jumped a few grades after becoming a Wiera. Likewise, if you detect any unusual caora use, deal with it immediately."

The man paused for a moment, then continued as if something had occurred to him.

"Who were the candidates for greed?"

"Adrian Caleo and Aiden Tenebra."

"How are they doing?"

"They both seem to have survived what Larry prepared for them in the preliminary. In fact, not only that, they did so well that the crown prince rewarded them."

"Oh? Well, which one do you think will work better?"

I was silent on the question for a while, thinking.

"We can't say anything about either of them, sir... Adrian Caleo has great potential, no one can deny that, but... Aiden Tenebra is not without surprises, we must not act rashly."

"I see. Then find the creature first, but keep an eye on the candidates. In fact... you take Larry's place, Syla."

I tried hard not to smile, though I didn't let it show, and knelt appropriately.

Who would have thought that idiot Larry would be of any use?

"Thank you, sir."

"Good... The end of Greed is near, Syla. The organization is putting pressure on us, we can't delay the nomination any longer. Don't betray my trust in you, or the authority will pass to some random person and we will struggle."

"I will give my all to the project, sir... Don't worry."

After I said these words confidently, the man must have been satisfied because he smiled.

"I will be waiting for your good news."

These words were the last sound that echoed in the room before the holographic screen closed.

Finally, I stopped smiling, chuckled around the room, and let out a short burst of laughter.

Larry... Oh, Larry...

I never expected you to help me like this after making my life difficult in every possible way!

With a big smile on my face, I turned around and headed outside.

Even though his death had complicated things a lot, I was now the one on top. Now I could put into practice what I had never been able to get that idiot to accept.

*******

~beep!

The sound of the call echoed in the room. The tension quickly enveloped my whole body.

~beep!

Please... Open up now...

~bee-

"H- hello?"

When his voice entered my ears, I just stood there for a moment. Everything in my mind disappeared.

"Clara? Are you there...?"

Hearing his familiar yet unfamiliar voice made me feel overwhelmed by emotions I couldn't describe.

"C- Clara? Hey, did something happen?!"

He stammered. His voice sounded different with each word.

He was excited but also nervous and worried. I could understand that, and I knew it meant that he really cared about me.

Wasn't that all enough?

"B-"

Still, the words didn't come out.

"Br-"

I... I can't, right?

"Ethan..."

After these words finally came out of my mouth, there was silence between the two of us.

"It's okay, Clara. You can call me like that if you find it difficult. If you're still not ready, if you want to relax a little more, you can hang up. I can also come to you right now if you need help. Who cares about the academy?"

He really saw me as his sister, he really cared about me. I could tell just from those words.

What had happened to him in the past that made him so attached to me even though there was no connection between us?

This question suddenly popped into my mind.

He said he grew up in an orphanage, but I don't know much more than that...

"I... I want to ask something..."

"Go ahead, you can ask anything you want. I'll tell you whatever you want to hear, there are no secrets between us."

"Do you have memories of my brother... the real Aiden?"

There was silence between us again.

"No... I don't."

Ah... I... I called him because I thought I could learn something from him.

Was it in vain?

Now... should I hang up the call?

I looked at the holographic screen in front of me, at the advancing seconds counter, then at the red button that would hang up the call if I pressed it.

I didn't do anything, I couldn't raise my hand, that red button was there, but it wasn't within my reach.

I didn't want to.

"I'm sorry... If you're wondering about Aiden, I don't know anything about him. I died as Ethan and then I found myself in this body, that's all."

He's not really guilty of anything, right...?

The only thing he did was to deceive me, but he told me that even though it hurt him because he regretted it in the end.

Unless he's lying again, of course, but... n0VelUsb.c0M

"Clara... I know, you're going through a lot."

He paused when his voice sounded hoarse, took a deep breath, and continued.

"Your brother's death, me taking his place, what you went through before that, your loneliness after the death of your parents... Believe me, though, I'm going through hard times too."

He paused again. This time remaining silent for a short while.

As if he was waiting for something. Yet he again broke the silence he had created.

"Before I spoke to you that day, I came back from the dead. There was a group targeting you because of something I had done. They threatened me with you and I couldn't take it and I lost my temper. I killed the person who threatened you, but in doing so I almost died too."

Everything he said sounded like a fantastic fantasy, but he wasn't lying. He was so serious. His voice was so deep inside me that there was no way he could lie.

"Then... my body changed. Half of my body is no longer human. That's why I've suddenly become extremely powerful lately, and I don't know exactly why, but after I came back from the dead, I got an extra passive skill called 'Absolute Mind'."

Come to think of it... My brother was really scrawny and weak, but the footage in that video made me feel like I was watching a prodigy from a noble family.

Was it really possible for someone to logically become that strong in such a short time?

No, I knew it... everyone knew it.

"The stupid skill... It erases from my mind any thought that would stress me out. It clears my mind and keeps me calm at all times, so I can't even cry anymore... I can't even get angry properly, my thoughts disappear in three to five seconds at most."

I imagined that I was living, experiencing what he was saying.

It was scary, having certain emotions taken away from a person against their will... it was frightening. Just the thought of it was enough to make my body tremble.

"I'm not saying this to make you pity me, I just want you to know that I haven't lived my life to the fullest either. I mean, I understand you well, I know what people want in such situations, so I won't force you. If you want to be alone, fine, you can be alone, but if you want my help, then I'll be with you before you know it."

He was silent for a moment, took a breath, and continued.

"You... maybe you don't think of me as your brother, but I think of you as my sister. You're the only family I've ever had, and that's why I want to protect you, Clara. As I said, if you hate me, I'll never show up."

"I... I'm having dreams."

Ethan fell silent again, letting me speak.

"Strange dreams... Dreams about the past, about my brother and my family as it was... In these dreams, my brother is not soulless. He smiles, he loves me. He even strokes my hair and sings me a lullaby, but then... something happens."

I remembered those images, the bodies I had seen behind the kitchen door, and my whole body trembled with fear.

"My brother... He kills someone, tells me to forget everything, and then the dream ends."

"So that's why you asked if I have his memories..."

I didn't answer, and I didn't need to.

"I don't know the past, Clara... I just said that, but that doesn't mean there isn't still a future ahead of us. What you said... I won't forget it. I will investigate it. If there is something strange going on in the Tenebra Family's past, it concerns both of us, I'm not going to let it go, but I don't want you to be affected by it. I want you to live as a normal girl in the prime of her youth, away from danger."

My eyes widened at his last sentence.

My brother had said the same thing to me in my dream. He had also told me that I could live as a 'normal girl'.

"I will always be your big brother even if you don't want me to, I will always protect you even if you reject me, I will always love you even if you hate me, you will always be my little sister. If you don't want to see me... Okay, I just need to do things remotely, but I will never leave you alone. You are the only thing I care about in this world and I will never let your smile disappear."

With tears in my eyes, I covered them with the sleeve of my dress, then I spoke in a low voice.

"E- Ethan..."

"Yes?"

I didn't want him to know that I was crying, that I was weeping, but I couldn't help it, it was too late.

"Would I be... would I be betraying my family?"

I didn't know what he was doing because we were on a voice call, but I could have sworn he was smiling.

"No, Clara."

He sounded very sure of himself.

"I think they would do whatever it takes to make you happy. So it doesn't matter what you do if you will be happy in the end. Listen to your heart, and decide what you want. I think they will support you in whatever you do."

"Then..."

I paused, I listened to my heart, just like it told me. I tried to understand what I wanted, even though I already knew quite well what I wanted.

My eyes teared up again, and I sobbed involuntarily, but this time I didn't care.

I let out the first thought that popped into my mind.

"I'm sorry..."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Clara. The person who should apologize... is me."

"S- sorry..."

I sniffled, took my eyes off my arm, looked up at the ceiling, and took a deep breath.

I tried to stop myself, but Ethan had other thoughts.

"If you want to cry, you can cry. Crying will help you get it off your chest. I'm your brother, aren't I? Didn't I tell you long ago, even before the cemetery incident, that you can lean on me all you want? If you have problems, you can tell me and I will listen to you without comment. You can cry your tears to me, it stays between us."

I squinted as my eyes blurred, my face soured and this time I stopped holding back, I didn't care if anyone heard me, I just cried out loud.

Ethan... he started mumbling something to comfort me while I was crying.

What he hummed... was the same lullaby my real brother sang to me in my dream.

I could feel him stroking my hair, even if it was imaginary. I could see him standing next to me, smiling at me and it was so comforting, so peaceful that I didn't even ask him how he knew the melody.

I just kept listening to him... and cried.

--Volume II: The Half-End of Humanity--

--The End--