Chapter 182: Jane Don’t Cry

The only source of light in the room was a single, thin beam of early morning sun slipping through the small crack of the metal window blinds. It cut across the dusty wooden floorboards, ending right at the edge of the bare bed.

Jane sat on the edge of the mattress, her knees pulled tight against her chest. She wrapped her pale arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees while staring blankly at the single beam of light on the floor.

Her long, dark hair fell messily over her shoulders, covering half of her pale, hollow face. Her dark eyes were completely dull, lacking any trace of life or warmth.

She didn’t move. She barely even breathed.

Inside her quiet mind, the silence was deafening. But behind that silence, deep within the dark corners of her soul, the other voice was always whispering.

’Look at you,’ the cold, ruthless voice inside her head sneered. ’Sitting in the dark like a useless, broken doll. Crying over spilt blood. You make me sick.’

Jane tightened her grip on her legs, digging her fingernails through the fabric of her pants until her skin hurt.

She closed her eyes tightly, trying to shut out the voice. But closing her eyes only made the memory come back faster.

The memory of that terrifying night.

She could still hear the desperate, piercing screams echoing in the dark alleyway. She could still smell the thick, metallic scent of fresh blood pooling on the grass. She could still see the horrified, tear-filled purple eyes of a young, defenseless girl looking up in pure terror.

Viora.

Jane hadn’t wanted to do it. She had cried, begged, and screamed inside her own mind, pleading with her body to stop, to put Viora down.

But she couldn’t control her own arms.

The ruthless killer inside her had taken complete control of her body. It had laughed with cruel delight as her claw like hand slashed down, tearing through the air and severing Viora’s sight forever.

When Jane finally regained control of her body that night, the surrounding was silent.

Viora was lying on the ground, bleeding, broken, and blinded. And Jane had stood there, covered in her friend’s blood, trembling.

Ever since that horrible night, Jane had been drowning in a sea of endless guilt and suffocating depression.

"I’m sorry..." Jane whispered softly into the empty room, her voice cracking with heavy emotion. A single warm tear slipped down her pale cheek, falling into the dark carpet. "I’m so sorry, Viora..."

’Stop crying, you pathetic brat!’ the cruel voice inside her head snarled loudly, trying to force its way back to the surface. ’She was weak! Weak creatures deserve to be broken! If you keep crying, I will take over again and finish the job! I will carve her heart out next time!’

"No!" Jane gasped out loud, clutching her head in both hands. "No! Don’t touch her! Stay away from her!"

She rocked back and forth on the edge of the bed, her body shaking violently as she fought against the dark entity locked inside her own soul.

CREAK.

The door of her room slowly clicked open.

The dim yellow light from the hallway spilled into the dark room, casting a long shadow across the floor.

A tall, lean figure stepped inside, holding a small wooden tray with a glass of warm water and a plate of simple bread.

It was Bane.

He had neat black hair and sharp black eyes hidden behind thin, silver-framed glasses. His face looked calm, composed, and completely contained, but deep inside his dark eyes, a heavy trace of worry and exhaustion was hidden.

He looked at his sister sitting in the corner of the dark room, clutching her head and trembling like a frightened animal.

Bane let out a quiet, heavy sigh. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

He set the wooden tray down on the small side table near the bed.

"Jane," Bane called out softly.

Jane flinched at the sound of his voice. She slowly lowered her hands, looking up at her brother through her messy dark hair. Her eyes were red, swollen, and filled with fear.

"B-Bane..." Jane whimpered, her voice barely a whisper. "She’s... she’s talking again. The monster inside me... she wants to hurt Viora again."

Bane’s expression didn’t change, but his fingers twitched slightly against his side.

He walked over to the bed, sitting down on the wooden frame right beside her. He reached out with his hand, and smoothed back the loose strands of dark hair blocking her pale face.

"She won’t hurt anyone, Jane," Bane said softly, keeping his voice perfectly controlled. "I won’t let her take control of you again."

"You can’t stop her!" Jane sobbed quietly, fresh tears spilling over her eyelids. "You know you can’t! When she takes over... I can’t feel my hands! I can’t feel my legs! I just watch through my eyes like a prisoner while she slaughters people!"

She grabbed the front of Bane’s shirt with her trembling hands, looking up at him with desperate, bloodshot eyes.

"I ruined Viora’s life, Bane!" Jane cried out. "She can’t see the sky anymore! She can’t see the light! She’s living in endless darkness because of me! Because of the monster inside me!"

Bane stayed quiet, letting his sister release all her bottled-up pain and terror.

He knew every single detail of what had happened. He had watched his sister collapse into a catatonic state right after, screaming Viora’s name over and over until her throat bled.

Bane raised his hand, gently wrapping his arm around Jane’s trembling shoulders, pulling her close against his side.

"It wasn’t your fault, Jane," Bane whispered. "You didn’t choose to have that curse placed inside your soul."

"It doesn’t matter!" Jane cried softly into his shoulder. "My hands did it! I cut her! I... I don’t deserve to be alive, Bane. I should just let the Association kill me. Maybe then Viora will finally be safe..."

Bane’s black eyes narrowed sharply behind his silver glasses. A dangerous glint passed through his dark pupils, though his hold on his sister remained soft and protective.

"Don’t ever say that again," Bane spoke sternly, adjusting his glasses with his free hand. "You are my sister. My only family. I promised mother before she died that I would protect you, no matter what happens."

Jane buried her face into his chest, weeping quietly. "I’m so tired, brother... I’m so scared. Every time I close my eyes, I see Viora’s blood on my hands..."

Bane gently patted her back, letting her cry until her small sobs slowly turned into hiccups.

Then, he reached over to the table, picking up the glass of warm water and handing it to her.

"Drink a little bit," Bane said gently. "You haven’t had anything since yesterday morning."

Jane looked at the glass with dull eyes, but she didn’t argue. She took the glass with both trembling hands and took a few sips.

"I received news from the outer scouts this morning," Bane spoke up smoothly, keeping his voice neutral.

Jane paused, setting the glass back down on the tray. "News... about what?"

"About the villa," Bane answered softly. "Viora is alive. She is staying at the Association Director’s private villa near the capital."

Jane’s dark eyes widened slightly. Her hands gripped her knees tightly once again. "She’s... she is?"

"Yes," Bane nodded. "And she is not alone. A young man named Woo Jin brought her there. He has been protecting her."

A tiny glimmer of hope flickered deep inside Jane’s hollow eyes, but it was instantly crushed by a wave of intense fear and guilt.

"Is she... is she okay?" Jane asked in a trembling whisper. "Is she in pain? Is her sight... really gone forever?"

"She is adjusting," Bane replied calmly. "Our scouts reported that she went out to the graveyard yesterday with the family. She was smiling, Jane. She was holding that young man’s hand."

Jane froze.

Hearing that Viora was smiling, that she was somehow finding happiness despite the horrible darkness forced upon her, made a strange, painful lump form in Jane’s throat.

It was a mixture of overwhelming relief and deep, agonizing sorrow.

’She’s smiling without you!’ the cruel voice inside Jane’s head suddenly screamed out, mocking her mercilessly. ’She hates you! If she sees you again, she will rip your throat out! She will never forgive you!’

Jane clutched her head again, letting out a pained whimpering sound. "Shut up... please shut up..."

Bane immediately grabbed both of Jane’s wrists, pulling her hands away from her head and forcing her to look straight into his eyes behind his glasses.

"Listen to me, Jane," Bane commanded softly, his voice acting like a solid anchor in the middle of her chaotic storm. "Focus on my voice. Ignore everything else."

Jane blinked through her tears, locking her eyes onto her brother’s calm face. "Bane..."

"The Director Summit is happening next week," Bane explained plainly. "The Slayer Guild leadership is planning to attack the villa and capture both Woo Jin and Viora. They want to use Viora for their ritual."

Jane’s heart stopped. The color completely drained from her face, leaving her looking paler than a corpse.

"No..." Jane gasped out, her voice filled with pure horror. "No, they can’t! They can’t take her!"

"I know," Bane said. "That is why we are going to act."

Jane looked at him in total confusion. "What do you mean?"

He leaned closer to his sister, lowering his voice into a whisper that didn’t leave the quiet room.

"I have already gathered enough classified data on the Slayer Guild’s inner barrier formation. When the attack starts next Thursday, I will try to stop them."

He looked deeply into Jane’s fear-filled eyes.

"And you, Jane..." Bane spoke gently, "you will have your chance."

"My... my chance for what?" Jane asked weakly.

"Your chance to protect her," Bane answered firmly. "You couldn’t control your body back then. But next Thursday, when they attacks, you can use your strength to protect Viora from the assassins. You can stand in front of her and tell her that you are sorry, that you want redemption, that you want to return to those old days when you were smiling together without worrying about the world."

Jane sat completely frozen, her heart hammering against her ribs.

Protect Viora... And ask for forgiveness?

The thought sounded like a impossible dream. How could a broken monster like her ever stand in front of Viora again? How could she dare to face the girl whose light she had stolen away?

’You will just kill her again!’ the dark voice inside her hissed venomously. ’You will fail! You are a murderer!’

Jane closed her eyes tightly, taking a long, shaking breath.

For the first time in months, she pushed back against the dark voice with everything she had inside her soul.

’No,’ Jane thought to herself, her small hands clenching into tight, firm fists against her lap. ’Even if she hates me... even if she never forgives me... I will protect her. Even if I have to die doing it.’

She opened her eyes. The dull, hollow look in her pupils was gone, replaced by a quiet, desperate, and burning resolve.

She looked at her brother, nodding her head slowly.

"Okay," Jane whispered, her voice steady for the first time in weeks. "I’ll do it, brother. I’ll protect Viora."

Bane looked at his sister, feeling a subtle wave of relief wash over his heart. He reached out, gently patting the top of her head.

"Good girl," Bane smiled softly. "Now eat your bread and drink your water. You need to get your physical strength back before next week."

Jane picked up the piece of warm bread, taking a small bite.

Bane stood up from the bed, stepping back toward the door of the room. He paused near the handle, looking back at his sister sitting in the dim beam of sunlight.

The dark, terrifying battle was coming next Thursday. The Slayer Guild was powerful, dangerous, and ruthless.

But as Bane unlocked the door and stepped out into the hallway, his mind was already ten steps ahead, weaving a complex web of betrayals and tactical traps to protect the only person in the world he cared about.

Jane finished her bread, staring out the tiny crack of the window at the gray sky.

"Hold on a little longer, Viora..." Jane whispered softly into the quiet dark. "We will soon... Soon be able to smile together like school days."