6.8.
“Huh?”
“Heh.”
“...”
“Reese, get out.”
The four of them happened to reach an impasse at their room. Sequencee and Reese had returned through the window, Leticia and Schwii just came back from the main door. Both groups happened to cross paths at just the right time.
Sequencee, surprised by their return leaked a mutter as he laid sprawled on the couch, meanwhile Reese who had just finished washing up didn’t think they’d return so soon.
Leticia was speechless, Schwii was giving Reese a death glare.
“I’ll see you tomorrow master.”
“...”
Reese promptly left the suite, Schwii eyes remained glued to her until she disappeared completely.
“Where the hell did you go?” she then narrowed her eyes at Sequencee.
“Some sort of construction zone.”
“So you had fun?”
“Nothing about killing her was fun,” Sequencee grumbled.
“You had fun right? Eloping with her like that?”
“S-Schwii.. Sequencee probably didn’t do it on purpose.”
“I know that but still!” Schwii’s face was burning up. Not from shame, but anger. “You could’ve at least stop her right?!’
Sequencee sighed in his heart.
“Sorry.”
“Sorry? That’s the only thing you’re going to say when Leticia and I almost got raped?”
“.. What?”
“You don’t need to know it. Not like you care anyways.”
“Schwii.. the hell happened?”
“Not like you care anyways!” She screamed.
‘Damn it Reese..’
“Did you know what they tried to do? Do you know how worried I was? Why can’t you be more assertive when it comes to these things?! It’s enough that you have three wives, you’re going to add another one?” Tears glistened near the edge of her eyes, “I give up! Do what you want!”
Schwii stormed into the bathroom.
Leticia watched as she slammed the door shut. A few beats later, she quickly came to his side.
“Sequencee, I.. I’m really not angry okay? I know it’s not your fault.. just, Schwii..”
He nodded silently.
Leticia raised his weak body up and gave him a hug. Memories of the short dream she had earlier bubbled to the surface, Leticia did her best to suppress it. This wasn’t the time for that, the rising tension and conflict had to be resolved first.
“Are you alright?” Sequencee asked.
“I’m fine.. you?”
“You’re trembling.”
“You’re trembling too.”
“What happened?”
“Sequencee, can I.. kiss you?”
Sequencee didn’t say another word. He planted his lips on her’s.
Everything he had heard up to this point, these perplexing emotions in his mind– he just wanted something to take his mind off it. He didn’t care anymore, whatever consequences this small act of passion would entail.
Schwii sitting on the floor of the bathroom with her knees bent, face looking towards the ceiling. She could hear the conversation between Sequenecee and Leticia as tears leaked from the edge of her eyes. Tracing the contour of her cheeks down to her chin, a bead of liquid fell.
“I didn’t mean to be mad.. I don’t want to be.. but that damned homunculus..”
Schwii muttered.
“What should I do now..”
Tomorrow, they were going to visit ‘her’ grave. It was going to be an emotional day, they had to rest up to prepare for it– yet by some chance this bullshit happened.
Her worst fear came true, and the trigger of it was clear: Sequencee’s complicated relationships with other women.
At the moment in time, what should she even do?
Things could’ve ended simply if only Schwii waited for them to return instead of heading out to find the two. If she was more trusting of his motives, this whole situation could’ve been avoided.
On the other hand, if only Reese hadn’t acted as she did, things wouldn't have escalated like this.
Schwii grabbed her hair and tugged at it. She screamed soundlessly– the anxiety and fear that couldn't be quelled.
===
Petals scattered.
A wide field of white flowers, slab paths built out of quarts forming concentric circles, ‘their’ names etched onto the plaque which lined the inner few circles. An overcast day with dark clouds seen in the horizon, the winds were strong.
The memorial ground which was built upon the remains of the deceased served as a reminder to the people.
Lysia Estia and Reed Estia; Leticia’s mother and father.
Anna; Sequencee’s mother.
They stood before the stone plaques.
Someone was kind enough to arrange their names together.
“Mom, it’s been a while..”
Torrents of emotions churned within, the regrets which he had kept inside gushed out.
– He had never attended her funeral, hadn’t he?
That frightening night where he received the revelation– he was the son to the father who ruled all demon-kind.
The thoughts he had back then, now that he thought of it, was quite idiotic. Did it matter that he was a demon lord? What could be more important than paying his final respect to the person he cared most for? A simple excuse like this had him run off like a chicken?
“Father, mother, I’ve returned with my friends.. a lot happened the past three year, I..” Leticia got down on her knees before the grave, her hair shadowed her eyes as she continued to talk about her life.
‘If only.. I didn’t run away..’
The assumption he had of himself back then– what of it now? Was he the person he thought he would be three years later? Was he the demon who brought demise to the people?
Sequencee laid down the banquet of flowers– the species that used to grow in their backyard.
His stupid thoughts only created problems. He hadn’t chosen the path of self sabotage– what kind of life would he be living now?
“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect my brother, I’m sorry for being selfish.. I just.. I had enough of it. I want to be free, I want nothing to do with any of this anymore..”
Only Leticia’s voice could be heard amidst his silence.
Schwii and Reese were standing a distance away. An obvious distance could be seen between them.
“I hate to say this to you, but I wish I could’ve done something back then,” Schwii muttered.
“For example?” Reese turned to her.
‘Why am I even talking to her?’
Schwii thought about it and shook her head. She was getting caught up in the mood, she wanted someone to talk to.
‘If only Iona was here..’
“You always have now to make up for it. Or better put, don’t you think it’s a blessing that it happened?”
“Blessing? You call this a blessing? These thousands of lives?” Schwii shot her a sharp glare.
“Think about for a moment,” Reese placed both her arms behind her back, she stared up at the gloomy skies. “If you went back in time to change just one thing, would you be confident that things would be as wonderful as it is now?”
“I find it really difficult to comprehend your thoughts at times Reese. You speak of misfortune as a blessing, and turn blessings into absolute calamities.”
“Harsh, but I suppose that’s how it is.”
“Do you have no shame?”
“I do. But if I had held onto such a notion, I wouldn’t be here,” Reese smiled gently.
Schwii was getting pissed at her nonchalant attitude, but all of it changed in her next words.
“I personally killed my mother,” she said without breaking her gaze.
“.. What?”
“You’re scared of this, isn’t that right?” Reese’s eyes glowed for a moment.
Schwii staggered a couple steps backwards.
“It’s because of this, that my mother died. This ability I was given, no, this gift I chose. I killed my mother, lost my friends, and from henceforth till the day I die, I will be treated like a monster. Is this a gift or blessing, Schwii? Can you answer me?”
“You’re insane..”
“That’s rich coming from someone like you.”
Reese giggled.
“I don’t mean to antagonize everyone. Perhaps the way I see things naturally incurs haters. Call me cursed, treat me like a disposable tool for the hero, whatever you wish. What is important is how I feel. I don’t operate on the same level as normal people who see hierarchy and status as a way to protect themselves from danger. It’s an illusion you know? Thinking that all the power and authority in the world will grant you security– what a joke really. Security comes from here, it comes from being able to be honest and give no two fucks about what people think.”
“I.. don’t disagree but..”
“Mn, that’s why you make a good match for master..”
“...”
“.. That’s how I see it at least.”
Schwii thought deeply about her words. Beyond sharing something of philosophical quality, could she have some other intention behind her words?
A drop of water splattered on Reese’s face, she squinted her eyes.
“It’s going to rain today?” she rubbed her nose.
Schwii, following Reese, glanced up towards the sky.
‘I should reconsider my thoughts.’
Losing her mother by her own hands– did that make Reese a monster, or a stronger, wiser person?
It pained her to admit, but she knew her thoughts create the situation around her. For Reese to say that she killed her mother, how much worse was it compared to Schwii’s self narrative of being the one who allowed her mother to be imprisoned?
“I’m sorry about yesterday night.”
“Ah, that’s my fault. Don’t worry about it.”
Schwii gave her a side-long look, Reese grinned.
Rain began falling, water soaked the ground.
But the four of them were still dry. Sequencee had created a barrier high above them to block out the water from their particular location.
“What should I do now mom?” Sequencee muttered.
Like Leticia, once he had gotten over the guilt, he began talking and talking..
For almost an hour, he had said most of what he wanted.
– You already know what you need to do.
A voice echoed in his mind.
‘Ah.. that’s right..’
The affairs of life had caused him to lose sight of this simple goal he had since he was young.
Sequencee patted Leticia’s shoulders. She tilted her head to look at him, clear traces of tears could be seen.
With a wry smile, he took out a handkerchief and wiped the side of her eyes.
“It’s getting late.”
Leticia shook her head. She stood up and stretched her hands into the air.
“I’m fine now. My parents.. they will be alright. I need to take care of myself more. If you want to come back here tomorrow, I don’t have any problems with it. I’ll stay back.”
“Then.. let’s call it a day and prepare to meet up with Shiro.”
“No.”
“No?”
“Sequencee let me be selfish just this once,” a newfound resolve in her eyes
Eyes just like the ones he knew from the young Leticia of the past–
“I’ll go pay a visit to Count Stravince’s mansion.”
‘So I’m not the only one huh?’
