Chapter 3
1862 Words
The world feels like it’s burning, as if she were in hell. But even though the world is so terrifying, she still wants to live, to survive.
Val holds her arm, now deeply wounded and bleeding. Her hand stops shaking when the woman who wanted to kill her falls unconscious.
She drops the blood-stained knife, the gravity of what she’s done sinking in.
The woman lying on the dirty alleyway floor is dead. Val gasps for breath, exhausted from fighting for her life.
Even though she killed that woman, her life is still in danger because of her wound.
She quickly grabs her bag from next to the trash can, where it flew during the fight. She takes the ground coffee and rubs it on her body to mask the scent of her blood.
She needs to get out of there immediately before a human monster arrives (monsters reincarnated as humans).
Val's POV
I sling my bag over my shoulder and put on my hat.
I’m immediately alerted by the sound of a police siren.
"Damn it!" I exclaim.
I run away from that place as fast as I can. I know what I did wasn't right, but I had no other choice. If I hadn't done it, my body would be the one lying on that filthy alleyway.
When I reach home, I immediately lock the door. My knees give way, and I collapse onto the floor, leaning against the door.
"S-Sis?!" Devi screams when she sees me. She tries to approach me, but when she sees the bloody knife in my hand, she recoils.
"I-I didn't mean to!" I stammer, tears finally spilling down my face.
"What did you do again, Sis?!" Devi asks.
"I k-killed her," I say, my voice trembling, barely managing the words.
"W-who?" Devi asks, her voice shaky.
"T-the woman… the monster. She tried to kill me, so I stabbed her." I stand up, remembering the police. "W-we have to leave."
"We’re always running—I can’t take it anymore!! If only Mom hadn’t died—" She stops when she mentions Mom.
I know she still hasn’t forgiven me and blames me for everything that happened. If I could turn back time, I would… but I can’t. All I can do is protect her as best as I can.
"W-we have to leave!" I say softly, rushing into my room to pack.
I can’t look Devi in the eye… because I know it’ll hurt even more. I know she sees me as a monster now. Now I understand how Ava felt when I didn't believe her.
"I’m not going," Devi says, her face blank.
"I can’t leave you, Devi. Don’t be stubborn," I say.
"Look at yourself, Sis?! We’re broken! Our lives are shattered. Nothing will change if I run away with you!! I don’t want to live like this!!… Why did it have to come to this? My own sister, living as a criminal! We’re supposed to be the children of a cop!!" Devi says bitterly.
I stop packing and can’t help but sob. It hurts so much to hear my own sister call me a criminal. "Even if you were the only one who understood the pain I feel… Yes, it’s all my fault! Mom’s death, Ava’s death, and even the people who adopted us! It’s my fault! Because I was born with a cursed twin!"
"Even though it’s hard, I try to understand you. But killing? Sis, that’s a whole different story. I don’t know what to think anymore. I’m scared, Sis, I’m scared that you’re not the sister I grew up with anymore."
"Forgive me, Devi, for being your sister! And for dragging you into this curse I’m living with!"
Devi doesn’t respond… I wonder what’s going through her mind. It’s so hard to read her. She’s always silent, even when she’s struggling… This is the first time she’s complained and opened up like this. I look at her when she suddenly grabs my arm.
"Your wound will get infected; you need to clean it right away," she sniffles as she cleans my wound and then ties it with a bandage. I know she’s trying to stop me from crying.
"I’m sorry, I messed everything up," I say.
"We can’t change what’s already been done," she says, sadness clouding her features. "Now, where are we going?"
"I don’t know either, anywhere safe for you. But this time, we have to go our separate ways. I have to make sure we can be together safely again. My wounds could put you in danger, and I’m sure the police are looking for me."
"I don’t know what’s been going on all this time. But I need to trust you. I don’t want what happened before to happen again. I’ll stay with Papa’s family for now, even though I know they despise us," Devi says bitterly. And because we were only adopted, the family that adopted us couldn’t accept us. Especially when Papa Fred died, they blamed us, saying we were a curse that came into their lives. And to be honest, we can’t deny that.
"I promise I’ll get you back from them when you’re safe with me. I promise that when I find a solution to this problem, we’ll be together again. I’ll find him, no matter what. He’s the only key."
"I’ll trust you again, Sis, but this will be the last time I trust what you say. I don’t want to leave you hanging alone because you’re the only family I have, so please, next time we meet… I hope we can fix everything. I don’t want to live like this anymore… full of fear, always running away from everything," Devi says, sobbing. Those eyes… they hurt me every time I see them.
And that night, as the sky wept, Devi and I left separately, disappearing without a trace. I know it goes against my sister’s wishes, but we have no other choice. Devi will be in even more danger if she stays by my side. If I’m struck by misfortune, I’d rather die alone.
Cassius’ hands tremble. He doesn’t know what’s happening to him. It started when he smelled a fragrance like a flower.
"What’s happening to me?!" He whispers, forcing himself into his room, afraid Jade might see him like this.
His hair is slowly turning red, now blazing like fire.
He doesn’t know what’s happening; he can’t control his own power. He’s transforming into a phoenix, even though he doesn’t want to.
His whole body trembles in pain, especially his back. He barely manages to stifle a cry of pain when his wings suddenly emerge, blazing fiercely. "What’s happening to me?!" He repeats, because this has never happened before. He never felt any pain whenever he wanted to change forms.
But the pain he’s feeling now isn’t the pain of a wound, but the longing for the scent he’s smelling.
Cassius completely loses control, as if the scent is controlling him. He leaps out of his bedroom window and flies towards the source of the scent.
Cassius’ eyes blaze like fire. That night, he catches sight of something as bright as the sun… a phoenix.
It’s been a long time since he last saw himself in that form. He doesn’t want to see himself as a phoenix. How could he? He was a hunter back then… a monster hunter who let his whole family and his people die in vain.
For him, his power wasn’t a gift, but a curse. The price he paid for his family’s lives.
Following that intoxicating scent, he arrives at a dark alleyway. He’s on the rooftop, watching the police investigate.
"A crime scene," he whispers.
Time suddenly stops. The raindrops falling from the leaky roof stop. The strong wind ceases, and so do the movements of everyone present.
All of this is due to the phoenix’s power. When Cassius steps onto the wet, blood-stained road, the scent emanating from the blood drops intensifies.
Blood that doesn’t belong to the body found at the scene.
Cassius is about to touch the blood on the stone road when he senses a heavy energy. It seems he’s not the only immortal present.
"What’s a phoenix doing in my workplace?" A man in black suddenly appears, his gaze cold, his skin as white as snow.
"You can move?" he utters.
"Of course, how else would I be recognized by a being who doesn’t die?" he replies, passing Cassius.
"Stand up and surrender your soul willingly to the reconciler." The grim reaper speaks, and the person being summoned obeys.
The girl’s dead soul separates from her body and answers the reaper’s call.
Cassius is stunned to see the soul’s original appearance. That girl was one of the monsters he killed before.
"Seems familiar?" the reaper says meaningfully.
Cassius doesn’t answer, just stares at the woman.
"Don’t worry, she can’t recognize you. Because you don’t have a soul," the reaper says sharply.
"You know me so well… Who are you? How did you know my past?" Cassius asks.
"Simple… I’m a reaper. I have the ability to read memories," there’s sharpness in his tone. "It seems like you’re longing for that killer."
"What do you mean?" Cassius asks.
"That woman killed her," he says, pointing to the woman he’s summoning.
Cassius’ gaze darkens. "Where is she?" His voice is filled with intense anger towards the woman.
"Your problem is none of my business," the reaper replies.
"Tell me where the hell she is?!" Cassius shouts, angrily grabbing the reaper by the collar.
The grim reaper gives a teasing smile. "Before you find her, I’ll be taking her away."
"Don’t you dare touch her, she’s mine," Cassius says furiously. "If you dare touch her, I will bring hell to you."
"Silly, I’m a reaper. I bring hell to them… like this." With a snap, the door to hell appears. Without a word, the door suddenly swallows the woman’s soul and throws it into the fiery sea of hell.
"Don’t mess with death if you don’t want me to mess with that woman," he says firmly. "I’ll give you a chance, just make sure we never meet again." He vanishes like smoke.
"How can we meet again if you’re the one running away from me?" Cassius whispers. "The important thing is that you’re still alive; you’ve given me hope again. You haven’t changed. Even now, you’re still spreading terror. I can’t wait for our paths to cross again," Cassius says bitterly.
He bends down to wipe the magical blood with his finger. "So this is your scent."
In Cassius’ dark gaze, a horrible hell is forming, one he has prepared for the woman.
But no matter how much Cassius hates the former phoenix, he can’t fight the red thread of fate that binds them together. They were both destined for each other, to heal the wounds in their hearts, even if only broken hearts remain.
They are the only ones who can end their demise. So if they want to be saved, they have to hold hands until the end, because only their love can save them from hell.
- Writer
