Chapter 256 – At one time

Chapter 256

From the very beginning, I had never believed that Father had truly abandoned us when we were both still young.

It wasn't that I wanted to ask for more, nor did I want to demand anything regarding his departure. There was only one thing I wanted to ask of God above: please let all of us stay together until the day death finally took us all.

That was what I thought after learning my father's name and hearing the story of his sudden departure, which had coincided with my younger sister's birthday.

Life was unpredictable. I knew that. That was why choices existed, each leading down its own path.

Thinking about it again, I realized how foolish I had been to bring up memories that should have remained buried. After that conversation, I said goodbye to my mother and asked her permission to move into the room where my stepfather had previously lived.

I didn't want to burden her. I knew that raising three children alone and taking care of the entire house by herself was already enough to leave her bones aching with exhaustion.

After receiving her permission, I moved my belongings into the empty room to the right of the living room, right beside the staircase and directly adjacent to the storage room.

The following day, I argued with Ren again over the same issue. Strangely enough, despite his usual indifference, Ren actually cared deeply about his family.

How foolish I had been not to realize that he, too, was struggling with the loss of the only person who had ever truly mattered to him, leaving him to live under the same roof as someone who wasn't related to him by blood in the slightest.

That Sunday night, I met with Isabelle.

Yes, that day marked a change in our household's daily life because that night, I said something I should never have said.

"Isabelle, you should stay away from that man. Even though he's about to graduate, 'he' will ignore all of us."

"Is that true?" Isabelle asked to make sure, her tone still as innocent as one would expect from a girl her age.

I nodded confidently.

"He always scolds me and forbids me from pursuing my hobby, too," I declared loudly.

"Hmm, isn't that a bad thing to do? Mother says we should respect others unless they do something deviant," Isabelle said, trying to recall her mother's advice more clearly as she rested her ring finger against the corner of her lips.

How foolish I was. A child her age had said something that even I understood to be dangerous. Being interested in the supernatural could often put someone's life at risk, regardless of whether that person was good or evil.

"Yes, it's true that 'he' shouldn't forbid someone from pursuing their hobby," I replied, my voice rising slightly.

Before returning to my room, knowing that Mother would soon finish tidying up the house as usual, I made sure to tell her one more important thing.

"One more thing. He's not your older brother. I'm your real older brother!" I declared loudly, pointing at myself.

At the time, I had no idea what expression Isabelle wore after I told her the truth, since Mother's room was completely dark.

I wanted to question Mother's taste, but I realized that everyone had their own preferences, and some people simply couldn't sleep with the lights on.

After that, I left the room and hurried back to my own to study for a while before going to bed, preparing myself for the following day.

Monday.

That morning, I woke up without the slightest concern about what had happened the night before.

My mother remained silent for quite some time, watching me stretch for several seconds without saying a word or changing my expression.

"Did Zavi have another fight with your older brother?" Mother asked worriedly.

"No, that's just your imagination, Mother," I replied softly as I slowly got out of bed.

After that, I hurried to the bathroom without realizing that Mother was watching me from behind, standing completely still.

I had no idea what was going through her mind. Even after I finished bathing, I noticed that she was still in my room.

At the time, I tried to think positively. Perhaps she was reminiscing about her late husband. Since I didn't give it much thought, I put on my school uniform and hurried to the kitchen to grab a sandwich before leaving for school.

Yes, children my age, twelve and older, went to school on their own. As it happened, although it wasn't really a coincidence, I traveled by horse-drawn carriage to my school in the Tezny District, at No. 12 Ahiston Street.

According to what I had learned, cities elsewhere possessed technology far more advanced than that of Moran, the city where I had lived from birth through my early teenage years.

...

Days passed. Since November, time had moved on until only a few days remained before the month changed. We were all preparing to welcome the new year, hoping the coming year would bring good fortune to everyone.

As I walked through the school gates, my gaze immediately fell upon a handful of students notorious for their arrogance and extortion. Worse still, they often bullied others, myself included.

I tried to ignore their presence and continued toward the school's main entrance. However, one of them noticed that I had arrived.

At that moment, I couldn't think of anything to do except run away and get to the classroom as quickly as possible. Of course, they weren't about to let me escape so easily.

The only way to make them give up was to outsmart them. People like them were always behind in both academics and physical education, so I took advantage of their weaknesses with remarkable efficiency.

"Chase that little runt! Don't let him get away!" one of them shouted, fully aware that I would make a fool of him.

"All right!" they replied almost in unison. Their voices varied. Some sounded enthusiastic, others weak, while a few seemed reluctant to obey the person they called "Master."

And so, the fun began.

"Hey! No running in the corridors! Do you want this?" One of the teachers raised his muscular fist toward me.

I acted indifferent, though deep down, I was trembling at the sight of how imposing and ferocious the split-mustached man looked.

"Whatever," I muttered, occasionally glancing over my shoulder to check their movements.

Behind me, they struggled to catch young Zavi, even though they knew their efforts were ultimately futile.

Having experienced this countless times and studied each of their failures one by one, they eventually managed to catch me. Naturally, they didn't forget to vent their anger through their mouths.

Yes, their mouths. One of the most dangerous weapons humans possess.

"Hey, runt! You think you can run away from me?" one of them asked. He was the one everyone called Master.

"You can't even catch me," I replied, imitating his way of speaking.

"Why, you little...! Teach him a lesson, now!" Master ordered, pretending to smoke a blade of grass held between his lips.

The school bell rang louder than usual, yet strangely enough, I didn't hear the announcement at all.

After they were done with me, I lay face down in the schoolyard behind the building, my clothes covered in dust and several bruises scattered across my body.

As I drew a breath, I felt a burning sensation rising from deep within my throat. I immediately began crawling, my gaze fixed on the drops of sweat and blood trickling from my mouth.

'Damn it, I didn't expect them to go this far.'

A few seconds later, I collapsed because I could no longer stand. My vision and hearing were gradually deteriorating as time passed.

The only thought that crossed my mind was that my condition wasn't as bad as I had imagined. More strangely, I seemed to be enjoying it.

I even wondered whether I was insane for taking such pleasure in my own suffering.

One thing was certain. Whenever something significant happened to me, it was as though my memory couldn't retain the moment. Before long, I would forget it entirely.

A few minutes later, I realized I was late for class. Nevertheless, I decided to go inside. Once I entered, I couldn't help laughing at the state of the classroom.

"Hey, late again?" asked one of my classmates, a girl named Zeta Audervin.

"Zavi, did you just..." One of her friends approached me. He was one of the people closest to her, none other than Leo Zilvera.

I shook my head, treating the matter as trivial. Without realizing it, I noticed my classmates giving me strange looks as I walked toward my seat.

Honestly, I wasn't interested in them. After all, they were the very people who often laughed at me. Besides, I was thoroughly sick of seeing their faces, except for four people in the class. I suspected they were just as sick of seeing mine.

After school, I walked home with Zeta, knowing that we would soon have to part ways. Before that, however, we came across a street vendor selling various items that looked like ancient relics, all neatly arranged on a long mat.

We were both immediately drawn in when we noticed how crowded the resting area was. Among all the street vendors there, this particular seller had attracted the largest crowd of customers.

"Want to take a look?" Zeta asked.

"Why not?" I replied with a nod.

When we arrived, the vendor was standing behind the crowd, displaying various items such as good-luck charms and other similar trinkets.

A product demonstration.

As if by magic, I suddenly realized that I had bought a bracelet and was saying goodbye to Zeta before heading home.

"That's a nice item. Don't lose it," Zeta said before her figure was gradually swallowed by the crowd of pedestrians.

At the time, I didn't react at all. I simply stared blankly at the bracelet. Judging by its shape and design, it was clearly meant for women.

I nearly threw it away, but then I remembered that Zeta had been the one to buy it for me. Besides, what was wrong with bringing it home and giving it to my beloved little sister?

That was what I thought as I walked home, filled with feelings I couldn't quite put into words.

That night, it turned out that the bracelet I had brought home possessed magical powers. Perhaps my memory was still muddled after the morning's incident, but I suddenly recalled that the bracelet could repel supernatural entities, such as evil spirits. That only made me more curious.

As I lounged on the long sofa, lying back with one hand supporting my head while the other held the bracelet high above me, I suddenly heard a series of heart-stopping footsteps approaching from the front of the house.

The footsteps belonged to Ren, accompanied by several people whose faces were completely unfamiliar to me.

I had no idea what was happening. Rather than asking Ren directly, I found myself counting the people accompanying him.

'There are seven of them? Who are these people, anyway? And what's with that woman?'

I kept staring at the woman whose behavior was so suspicious, she kept her head lowered.

"Zavi, hand that object over."

After discussing it with his companions, Ren finally revealed the real reason he had come to see his younger brother.

At the time, they knew that their mother would be returning late from the market because she had stopped by a friend's house. Her friend was celebrating having exceeded her sales target.

Their mother had also promised to bring something back from her friend's house when she returned.

That meant we were the only ones in the house now.

"Where did you get that bracelet?" Ren asked, his voice noticeably less composed than usual.

'Is he his younger brother?' Karlvalhan Vairanz wondered, finding the two somewhat familiar despite the fact that they weren't related by blood.

He turned to look at the only woman among them, Narissa.

"Herana, could you keep watch outside? It wouldn't be good if the neighbors saw this, since you're the only woman among us."

"All right," Narissa replied, turning around and walking out through the door, which was still open.

They exchanged glances with one another. I saw it all with my own eyes, even though I hadn't turned on the living room lights.

"It seems your little brother doesn't want to hand it over," one of them murmured. His tone sounded calm, but his expression and gaze suggested that there was a hidden motive behind their visit.

I quickly got up and sat upright, staring intently at a figure whose height I couldn't even begin to estimate.

"Why do you want this thing?" I asked seriously.

After I asked the question, one of the women rose from her place and walked toward me.

Strangely, that seemingly insignificant moment felt tense, especially since the other five men didn't react at all to the woman's movements.

As soon as she sat down beside me, my heart began pounding violently, as though it were about to burst out of my chest.

I wanted to swallow, but I couldn't. I wanted to close my eyes, but I couldn't do that either.

This was strange, terribly strange. Then I suddenly remembered what the bracelet was supposed to do. The moment I looked at it, I immediately threw it toward one of the strangers.

Clink.

In the blink of an eye, I couldn't remember anything that happened afterward. When I came to, I realized I had somehow been moved to my bedroom.

'Was that a dream?'