Trigger warning : There is quite an intense argument in this chapter along with some references to sensitive topics (e.g. Self Harm) , it could be rather distressing or upsetting to read so I do say proceed with caution , or please wait for the next chapter.

'They are devils.'

'All of them.'

'Don't you dare think for a second they are anything different.'

A breath parted from pale bitten lips as the sound of bandages ruffling filled the accompanying silence.

'Make sure to treat them like the evil they are bred from.'

'Like the evil they WILL create.'

'And nothing less.'

Nimble fingers shook as the hold on unravelling gauze got tighter as the memories haunted again.

'But….'

'Hm?'

'He's a….child?'

'And?'

'How could he-'

'AAAAGHHHHH!'

The heartbeat inside her heightened with fright as she vividly recalled the blistering burn that was freshly imprinted on her hand from the doings of the elder mistress. A tremble seized her whole body as the trauma of that day still existed with her even this many years on.

But that wasn't the end of the misery that was to ensue.

'Are you questioning the law of the gods?!'

Weary onyx orbs watched as skin was revealed to her eyes once again.

'That face is the face of evil.'

Skin that was paler than the rest of her ghastly turned complexion.

'That mark branded on their skin testifies to it!'

Skin that was swollen and sore.

'That blood running through their veins is rotten!'

L ittered with strikes across her damaged flesh by a knife that was never left too dull.

'It doesn't matter if they are aged or an infant.'

And would face the brunt of chastisement again.

'A devil is a devil.'

Her teeth gritted , hating how these specific words had become an ingrained mantra. Taking another swig of the booze beside her , she let the burn of alcohol travelled down her weighted throat , trying to cleanse her insides of the poison she had let prevail and guide her all this time.

'If the gods deem them as one , then they are.'

Guide her into further darkness.

'No questions about it.'

Guide her into further misery.

'Do you understand that?'

Under the guise it would make her ignore the cruelty of this world and what she wanted to escape.

'Or are you one becoming one of them too?'

But it did her no good.

'...I...'

'…I understand.'

And the alcohol wasn't enough.

But then again on nights like this ,

It never was.

She gagged at the taste of acidity pervading. Whether it was due to the devil's drink she had been drowning herself in , or her own rancid taste , she didn't know. But the burn was there. Present and filling her as time went on with an abyssal scald.

Just like it did all the time now.

In the deep , dark hours of the passing day.

When there was nothing she could turn to , to ignore the great sins she committed.

And continued to do so each day.

And hence they would just keep haunting her with no stop.

Until the one day she'd have the will to silence them once and for all.

But when would that be?

'Black hair lady?'

'...'

They grew louder by the day.

'Why crwying?

'...'

Each time she saw that woman or that boy.

'Oh!'

'Your hand hurt!'

'...'

Her wretched sins would swarm her again.

'Vwery hurt!'

'...'

Blight her again.

'Look rwed!'

'...'

And they'd be made to amount.

'Lot of rwed!'

'...'

Made to fester inside and deepen.

'Black hair lad-

Because she thought that would save her instead.

'Shut up you devil.'

But that was just another mistake amongst many.

Tears beaded out of her dark and shadowed eyes as the memory that punished her most about her doings rang loud and clear again. As if it hadn't already branded itself on her very soul at this point.

With the next instrument she was going to use to mar her skin with brandished high , the treacherous words spoke to her again and she was back in that moment.

'...Do you…'

All those years back.

'…Do you actually believe that?'

When she allowed her heart to truly blacken.

'Are you…'

To a point of no return.

'Are you really…'

Just for her own interest.

'...Turning on me too…?'

Just for her own selfishness.

'...Mika?'

Just for her own cause.

'...M-Mika?"

Just for her own liberation.

'M-Mika?!'

That's what she foolishly thought.

'M-Mika p-please-!'

'Shut up, shut up, shut up!'

A shriek ripped through her throat in a shattering cry as she tightened her grip around the handle of the blade she wielded and aimed to stab it into her forearm with full force. Not caring how much blood that would splurge out or what damage would be left or even if she would be able to hide it.

As she had enough.

And she wanted it to end.

The sins.

The screams.

The scars.

All of it.

But as the blade was about to make contact with her scarred forearm , she felt a grip force her arm back and the weapon away from inflicting any damage. Relentless , urgent and attentive with a worn out leather touch.

It didn't take her long to deduce who stopped her.

Even in her half drunken stupor.

And because of that she could feel a cool sweat starting to glaze over her skin.

"I knew it."

He was meant to be gone by now.

His shift ended hours ago.

Why was he still here?

She saw him leave.

Did he come ba-

"This is what you were hiding from me?"

The raven haired guard's grip increased around her forearm as his scorn filled the air. Mika swallowed thickly , wanting to do anything but continue this conversation , with him especially. So her eyes began to dart around frantically , anywhere her elder half brother was not in her line of sight.

Trying to look at any other darkness other than the one brewing in him beside her.

But it did her no good.

"Mika."

Mikhail was persistent.

"Mika, I'm asking you something."

Like he had always been in matters with her.

"I expect you to answer me."

And she'd have been a fool to even think he would let this pass without hounding her. Now that the cat was out of the bag about what she had been doing , there was no way stuff wouldn't escalate.

Though to be honest , she didn't even know if she was in the mind to try and stop it if it did.

Her muscles tensed under his grip , showing off her discomfort in the situation but he did not budge. Rather his hold firmed further , telling of no negotiation other than the truth , to which she wasn't sure if she wanted to admit yet.

But at the same time…

She didn't want to suffocate in this foreboding silence any longer.

"...Why are you here?"

She rasped through a dry mouth , the stench of booze leaving her lips in a noticeable waft that made her brother's nose crinkle. He looked at her , almost annoyed by her words , realising what she was doing. She had understood as well , but she just wanted to say anything that would stop her from revealing the inevitable too soon.

As she knew it would lead to something that she wasn't ready for even more.

But given how unimpressed her brother appeared and how that haunting glare in his eyes seemed to grow , there was no guessing what direction this encounter would go in.

It was just a question of 'when' it would go bad , that kept her wondering.

"...Is that really what you have to say?"

Mikhail said in an almost scoff. He waited to see if there was anything else that Mika would add to that statement , and actually address his concerns , but she seemed reluctant to do so.

Why?

He wasn't going to hurt her or anything.

He just wanted to know what was happening.

And why she was like this?

With cuts and scratches littered over her forearm. With tones of layered and deepening red , purples and brown that contrasted against her now ghost like skin. And with the stench of liquor so raw and staggering around her , it could almost knock someone out.

He watched with piercing eyes of green-grey steel as he noticed his sister's body language. How her gaze wandered everywhere but on him. How her body tried to create distance between them. How her flesh kept trying to rub about in his grip and slip out , but he wouldn't let it.

After a few more moments of trying to force out an answer from his sister with an intrusive gaze , he gave a deep breath and softened his approach around her to see if he could dissolve the tension.

His cold eyes started to show some hints of worry for the only person he cared about as he tried to separate from the brooding guard persona he had to live with.

Though it's not like Mika saw or felt the change to notice or even care about his intentions.

"Look…"

He started as he struggled to find the right words to say to her without getting her to close up even more. Given how their communication as siblings had suffered , this seemed strangely more difficult than he believed it would be.

But eventually he found the words to continue.

"If you must know…."

"I've been worried about you Mika."

He told her in a low tone as his grip around her arm became more forgiving , yet the rigidness didn't seem to disperse from her as wanted.

"You work unnecessary hours."

"You don't even come home some days."

"And you barely have been speaking to me."

Those words left him with an evident pain , bitter from how his sister seemed to distance from him after he cared so much about her. After he wanted nothing more than her to be well.

But here she was.

With a heavily discoloured arm full of scabs and barely healed scars. ready to inflict more. On the way of being drunk out of her mind , and not even telling anyone about it.

Not even him.

"And now that I see you've been doing this shit."

He shook his head as his eyes seemed to burn from seeing such a sight on his sister. If he had to be honest , it angered him that she would do this to herself , but even more than that , it frustrated him that she was hiding this from him and had been doing so up until now.

How long had she been getting away with doing this?

And how could she keep this from him?

"I know something's up now Mika."

"Tell me."

He asked with firmness returning , the softness that she remembered of her elder brother was quickly tainted by the brooding man who watched the world with hatred and treated it with roughness again.

"I've given you my answer now I expect yours."

Even though he might have not intended for him to slip out , just hearing even a semblance of him was enough to make any thought of her opening up to him in trust forbidden again.

"...Leave me alone."

She told with a hoarse throat as she tried to break her grip away from his hold , but he immediately closed in on her. Not wanting to deal with listening to him anymore , she tried to use her free hand to grab a bottle beside and take a generous swig , only to find the bottle was also swept away from her reach.

"Mikhail!"

She gritted , her blood rose quicker due to being under the influence of both frustration and intoxicants. Mika finally shot him with her own glare of intensity , to tell him that she really wanted to be alone , but he didn't let up.

"Why are you being like this Mika?"

"Answer me for fuck sake!"

His own temper started to rise to match her audacity as his eyes hardened with that glare she hated.

"Don't you understand how worrying it is for me to see you like this?!"

"Why the fuck are you doing this to yourself?!"

The concern of her brother was there , but the one who she wanted it to come from was not.

"Say something!"

Whether it was the sharpness of his voice or those words that commanded her so harshly , she didn't know , but tears started to stream down her face like she was a baby and she sniffled to herself whilst broken sobs cracked out of her lips.

"I can't take it anymore M-Mikhail."

"I-I j-just c-can't."

She couldn't withhold the pressure any longer. Her sins , her memories , her selfishness , those faces , the pain , her brother , his change.

It was all too much.

"I-I c-can't…."

Her voice dragged on with her cries , surprising the charcoal haired guard as his eyes widened from seeing her being reduced to such a wreck out of nowhere.

"What can't you take?"

He asked with an unexpected whisper , sliding his hand down her forearm and taking her into a brotherly embrace as he used his other hand to hold her back. Mika sobbed harder as her hands went to tug the front of his guard uniform as she buried her face into his embrace whilst continuing to spill about it all.

"T-This!"

"A-All of t-this!"

"I-I j-just c-can't!"

She shook as another wave of grief overwhelmed her until she quietened down with her repeated sniffles and choked breaths.

"I-It doesn't make s-sense t-to m-me!"

"I-It never d-did!"

Her voice was lost in the midst of cries that nearly wanted to shriek from how frustrated she was with herself. Salty tears streamed down her flushed cheeks , washing away some of the bitter residue in her mouth , only to remind her more of her pitiful state and make them fall harder.

"W-Why am I even d-doing this…?"

Mika sniffed , asking herself the same question which she had been failing to find an answer for time and time again. Because if it wasn't out of jealousy , if it wasn't out will for betrayal , if it wasn't out of selfishness…then what was she doing it for? If it wasn't out of belief….Then who was she doing this for?

She held her face in her hands as she cried even more , disgusted by what she had been doing , who she had been doing it to , by what she had become. And knowing that there was no way to ever make amends because she had gone too far.

The weight of her sins had amounted too much to shoulder , even for someone as debased as her. And her heart was too corrupt to ever be washed clean now.

Too bloodied.

Too black.

Too broken.

Though as Mika continued to wallow on , a strange rigidness seemed to reappear in her older brother with each word she spoke. Whilst his hand had been trying to rub her back to comfort her , there was an eerie reduction in his movement , and soon whatever concern could have existed in his eyes was replaced with something else.

"...Mika, do I need to remind you again?"

And she was quick to notice.

"You're doing this because they are devi-"

His sentence was not even allowed to finish as the noirette pulled away viciously from any form of contact from her brother. And if that bold move wasn't obvious enough about her disapprovement in his words , what she said next was more than so.

"Stop telling me that bullshit Mikhail!"

"I've had enough of it!"

Her voice had sharpened more than she expected it to. And she shot a vicious glare at the guard , showing that her defiance was nothing of influence but her own decision.

With her teeth grit and her body rigid , even though she had been in an emotional wreck not even a few moments ago , all traces of that pathetic woman were nearly gone as the strength in her found some way to come out for only one cause.

And he didn't like that one bit.

"What about it is bullshit?"

Mikhail retorted with an apparent scoff , showing his own disapproval for her behaviour. His own features tightened on themselves as the look he got from his sister was almost challenging his words and it irked him because of that.

"You know who they are."

"You know who they are related to."

"You know what they are related to."

His voice darkened instantly as the illicit topic came to light.

"And you know what the gods have ruled about them."

"So don't be like this Mika."

"Don't be a heretic. "

Those final words left in a near growl and Mika could feel a chill run down her spine. There was a threat in those words , she was sure of it. That tone , that look of darkness in his eyes surfacing in his eyes…she was well aware now she was treading in dangerous territory.

But even then that didn't stop her.

"...Heretic?"

She rasped , her nerves still shaken from the sudden drop in temperature but yet she still found the will to remain firm. Because at the end of the day she knew that her being a heretic was the furthest thing on his mind.

"Like you've ever given a flying fuck about following religion Mikhail."

His anger stemmed from elsewhere.

"You and I both know that."

From someone in particular.

"You're doing this for a whole different reason than you lead on."

She sounded the truth with grit as she kept her visage on the older male , whose eyes just narrowed on her like her own did on him. It seemed that he didn't expect to be called out like that , but she had no regrets.

Everything she said was a word of truth.

His obedience to the law was not inherited from belief or devotion , but hatred.

Cold , dark and consuming hatred.

For none other than one person.

Only one person.

That one man.

And he could try to paint his actions as noble all he wanted , but deep down his true cause was nothing worthy of merit.

And he knew that.

But even with that being said , there was no way he was going to allow her to challenge him like this.

"Then you should understand why we need to do this Mika."

"You should understand better than anyone."

If she was going to get personal , then he wasn't going to step back from doing so either.

"Where we've come from."

"What we've had to do."

"Just to have a chance at life."

"When everything was stripped away from us."

"Since you know the most."

"You should be the last person to complain."

He could feel himself getting worked up just from uttering that grim truth. His very bones seemed to want to clench on themselves just from remembering what shit the both of them had to go through just due to a misfortune that they were made to pay the price for.

As the one who actually had to couldn't do it themselves.

So they had to do it in his stead.

Gritting his teeth in his mouth and clenching his hands into a fist , the man inhaled to try and suppress his anger that would be first to rise when remembering what injustice had been done to them.

Had been done to him.

It wasn't fair.

"It's only because of this that things are different for us."

"It's only because of this that we actually have a place in this world."

He emphasised as years upon years of mental turmoil swirled in his visage and for a brief moment , there was a sight of the broken man he hid from the eyes of others.

The man who was also frustrated , had been pushed to his limits , and was doing his best to make sense of the cruel thing he knew as life for what worth remained in it.

Mika could tell that even after all these years , that part of him still remained. The part she could somewhat recognise as her brother still. But with a quick clear of his throat and him trying to shun away any possible vulnerability he had , the one that overshadowed him was back.

"Do you understand Mika?"

And she hated it.

"It's only because of this that our lives are worthy now."

"It's only because of this we don't need to suffer anymore."

As he told her this , alongside these phrases seeming like something that had been burned into his brain as he uttered them with no pause , there was a hint of something else existing that was almost like these words were to reassure not only her resolve , but his own too.

But before she could question it , he said something else that completely stole her attention.

"It's only because of this we finally have freedom."

And for some reason a laugh started to break from her lips.

"...Freedom?"'

As if she had been told the funniest joke in the longest time.

"Freedom?"

Maybe because to her it was.

"F-Freedom?"

With his ear pressed against the cold , slightly cracked stone , a decently large brown teddy wrapped in his arms and a thickness growing in his throat , the boy listened as it all took place. He breathed to himself steadily as the sound of laughing erupted from the midst of the argument , making him both confused and a tad concerned as it only grew louder as it went on.

What was happening?

Hugging his teddy closer , the boy felt a chill go down his spine from hearing the cackling develop into something disturbing. There were so many weird things about it. Not just because it seemed to come out of nowhere , but also who it reminded him of.

But it wasn't her this time.

Someone else was laughing in her stead.

Someone he completely did not expect this behaviour from , nor even knew was possible of such. Because all he knew about this sort of behaviour was that it was of someone unstable. Of someone mad.

Was she also like that then?

Mad?

Unstable?

But why?

Considering all he knew about Mika , he would have never assumed her to be the unstable type. But from these past moments , listening to her cry and scream at someone , and then somehow start laughing….He didn't know what to think.

And it seemed with how her laughter wasn't disrupted , the person who she was speaking to must have also been lost for words.

Admittedly , there were some bits of the conversation that didn't reach his ears enough and were lost in the tension. The only things that really stood out to him were the intense shifts in behaviour that could be heard even through the walls between them , and being able to differentiate the voices present.

Mika was one of them.

Who was the other?

It wasn't another woman for sure.

Too low and harsh sounding.

Though whilst that could be said the same for the old stone faced lady's voice , the disembodied voice wasn't as in the same pitch at all.

It sounded like a man's voice actually. But not a nice man. He was deep and aggressive. Kind of scary sounding as well.

But what man would be here and speak with the bandage lady like this?

Considering he did call her 'Mika' , the boy could deduce that this mystery person must have been someone who knew her well. And she seemed to know him too as she called him by his name he believed. Which he thought sounded similar to her own name.

Though he couldn't exactly pick up what it was , as when it was said , the tones would sharpen to the point that clarity would be lost.

It wasn't really reliable listening in to the conversation like this. A lot was probably not being registered. For him to understand actually what was happening. For him to understand how something that sounded like an argument had now turned into the bandage lady laughing to herself.

But then again the truth was , he wasn't meant to be witnessing this in the first place. It was the dead of night , when he should have been sleeping.

But he couldn't , as he hadn't been able to for a while now. It took a lot longer to conk out than before , especially with all the night terrors returning and his restless mind bothering him.

And if that wasn't already bad enough…

Now this started.

Making him increasingly reluctant to sleep. Not to mention he wouldn't have been able to as the sound was getting to that level.

It seemed to be getting intense with every passing moment. And something told him this wasn't even near the end of it.

Though it did make him wonder who would start this with the bandage lady this late , and why?

Who could reduce her to such a state?

He swallowed thickly as a thought passed his brain. That if he wanted to uncover the identity of the mystery man , he would have to peek for himself. Nothing too much , just leave the door of his room slightly ajar so he could let his big eyes get a glimpse of who was there , and what was happening.

It wouldn't be hard given the layout of the house was in favour for him to do such. The drama didn't sound like it was happening anywhere he wouldn't be able to see from his door.

If he had to give his best bets , it sounded pretty much like it was happening in the middle of the house.

Where all could see.

But no one would.

Unless he would be that one person.

As he was trying to make his mind up on the risk , a voice returned through the cackling that had his heart pounding and his fingers clutching onto his teddy firmly.

"F-FREEDOM?!"

It was Mika again.

"YOU CALL THIS FREEDOM?!"

And she didn't sound upset at all or like she just had a good laugh.

"WHAT FREEDOM?!"

But angry.

"YOU CALL THIS SHIT FREEDOM?!"

Really angry.

"Mika-"

"FUCK YOUR FREEDOM!"

"MIKA!"

He could feel his heart racing just from hearing the level of spite in Mika's voice. The sheer power behind it was making him anxious and hold his teddy tighter for comfort.

"IF THIS IS FREEDOM IN YOUR EYES,"

"I DON'T WANT IT!"

That seemed to be the end of the eruption for now as her booming voice quietened back into shaky gasps and sobs from what he could hear. Yet his heart still pumped violently from the aftermath.

He could only imagine , if he was here feeling like this from just listening to her intensity , then how was the person who was actually receiving it feeling like?

But he could not remain on that thought for long as he could hear another conversation had started.

Tamer and back to a tearful tone.

With his ear pressed firm against the wall again , he listened.

"I-I know life was shit to us…"

"I-I know it was unfair…"

"S-So unfair…"

He could hear Mika pause as she sniffled back some tears and choked on some of her sobs that were sounding in the silence before she continued.

"A-And I know what happened can n-never be changed…"

"A-All t-that t-time w-we've lost w-will never b-be b-brought back."

"A-And w-we've always w-wanted better…"

"F-For so l-long."

Another sorrow filled pause came from her , allowing him to make some context on what was going on before the tone of the conversation changed again with her next words.

"B-But is this the way you're satisfied to g-get t-that?"

The boy's eyebrows furrowed on themselves as he couldn't get what she was referring to. Though given how pained she was speaking about it , it must have been something she was rather conflicted on.

And he was right.

"J-Just so we aren't seen as d-dirt , d-do we put others i-in to it?"

"J-Just c-cause the w-world was our d-devils."

"D-Do we t-turn into d-devils ourselves?"

To say those statements shocked the child was an understatement. The bandage lady was claiming herself to be a devil? Or turning into one? And the person she was speaking to? Why? They didn't have tattoos on their face like him and his mom? They weren't deemed wretched or evil by the gods. Or made to have the people's hatred.

So why?

Before he could question it more , that masculine voice emerged again.

"...I don't understand what you're crying about Mika."

And he sounded angry too.

"The world has no problem with fucking us over."

Even more than before.

"We're just doing the same."

Though it sounded like he was trying to hide it.

"But to those who deserve it."

He was failing severely.

"What's the problem in that?"

Another moment of silence followed after the hostile declaration. He could feel a sweat building up on his palms from both being crouched and huddled into a corner of the room for this long , and the tension that was making his blood ripple as it heightened with the discourse.

He could tell that the man Mika was speaking to was not fond of her words , he seemed irritated by them or even incensed. Though he could not see who the man was , a fear existed in him for the bandage lady as he felt something bad might happen with how things were going.

He hoped that was only just paranoia though.

"…Those who deserve it?"

He swallowed thickly as he heard the sound of sniffling increase.

"W-What's happened to you…?"

It sounded like Mika was going to cry again then and there from saying such a thing. Though that grieving tone of her's didn't stay long , and was quick to transform into a more accusatory one.

"Have you even looked at yourself since you came back?"

And stirred the tensions for the worse.

"I don't even see my brother anymore when I look at you…"

"Did you know that?"

"Mika shut up."

"I see a callous monster."

"Shut up Mika."

"An actual devil."

"Mika I said shut up."

"What have you become Mikhail-"

"!"

"I SAID SHUT UP."

His breath got stuck in his throat as he heard the heavy thud that came before the man's voice bellowed.

And the sound of glass shattering after. Mika screamed too. It sounded like she was being hit. Why?

That man with her was her brother?

Why was he doing that to her then?

What was going on?

Why did it become like this?

As his heart raced from the turn of events , his curiosity burned to know what was truly happening , making him think back to his thought about peeking through his door again.

But now there was a fear involved.

One he didn't expect to exist.

And it rattled his nerves even more.

She lay there , on the floor , with her senses disoriented. Everything around her was spinning , almost making her nauseous from the sensation. And all that reached her ears in the moment was the sound of ragged breaths.

Whether it was her own or his , she did not know.

But the room did indeed get quiet again after the strike landed.

Tears lined her dark eyes , stinging her alongside the shattering pain in her inflamed cheek , and pricking her on top of the glass bottles that went flying off the table she was sitting near , before splintering into jagged fragments that cut her scarred flesh once again.

Mika held her cheek in agony , feeling a raw burn in the back of her throat as she stared into the darkness around them. Blood started to leak from where the shattered glass nicked her ; through the length of her skirt and on parts of her palm which she was trying to use to keep herself steady on the ground.

The smell of crimson became more apparent to the senses as it intertwined with the stench of spreading liquor to make a heightening fetor.

Continuing to do so as the two siblings had lost words for one another from what had transpired.

Tears ran down the sides of her face , the saltiness of them doing nothing but adding to the burn she was feeling both on her skin and within. Her hazed vision looked towards the floor , towards the splinters of glass on the floor that were littered around and drawing more blood from her wicked flesh as the unwanted truth settled in her.

He was not there anymore.

He was not Mikhail anymore.

Not the one she knew.

Nor the one she grew up with.

That wasn't him.

For him to strike her so callously , and with such intent to harm….He was not the one who she proudly called her brother.

He had changed.

For the absolute worst.

And that realisation shattered her more than any strike she could ever have been given.

Or even he could have given her.

The man in question loomed over her , displaying a break in his cold exterior as he looked down at the figure slumped so pitifully beneath him.

Mika.

His sister.

His only sister.

The only one left of his blood.

The only one he cared about.

The only one he had left to care about.

She was crumpled on the floor in front of him. Averting her eyes from anywhere near him. Preferring to look at the floor than her own brother. Whilst she bled out from the glass bottles that had decimated from bouncing off the table and onto the stone.

Sage-colored eyes watched her , unfamiliar to the sight and even more to that how it had become.

Because he knew that if he was ever to see his sister in such a state , he would hunt the bastard down himself and give them a death worse than a dog's for even thinking to harm her.

But the way she was now wasn't because of any other bastard that was causing her grief.

It was because of him.

He was the one who screamed at her.

He was the one who striked her.

He was the one who hurt her.

Him.

He was the reason for why his sister was like this now.

He was the reason why his sister was crying.

He was the reason why his sister was bleeding.

He was the reason why his sister was suffering.

No one else.

But him.

Yet the anger inside him still didn't wish to quieten down. Even with what he did and said…It blinded him too much to look beyond his own stubbornness. His own pride.

Even though the want to make amends was just at the tip of his tongue , the words were never said as the blackness swirled again from seeing her hostility arise against him again.

And it only got worse when Mika's heavy voice returned with something daring to say.

"You…."

"You said we do it to those who deserve it?"

She grated , finally finding the strength to carry on as her broken soul tried to mend itself just enough for her to say what had been bothering her.

"You said they deserve it?"

For years on end.

"That they deserve this cruelty?"

And no one gave her a solid answer she could truly justify herself with.

"That they deserve this inhumanity?"

And her anger grew with each word as the patience in her had run thin.

"Let me ask you something then."

And now the questions haunting her were ready to burst out.

The ones she couldn't say but always were in her mind. The ones that she knew if she asked more than by a mistake , she would be tormented.

Those were finally coming out.

"What did they do to deserve living a life like this?"

Her teeth grit with those words as she finally heard the relentless voice in her mind out in the open.

"What did that woman do?"

Saying what she wanted to say.

"What did that child do?"

What she needed to say.

"His father is the one who is at fault , yet these two are the ones who are bearing his punishment?"

"They are the ones who are cursed?!"

"They are the ones who are criminals?!"

Because there was no other way she could get peace.

"What kind of logic is that?!"

And she couldn't give a damn what happened to her now because of it.

"What kind of justice is that?!"

As all was lost to begin with.

"Especially from you Mikhail!"

There was nothing worth protecting anymore.

"You of all people!"

Not when it had all been destroyed to begin with.

"I can't believe it!"

"To make someone else pay for someone else's sins."

"I thought you were the last person who would want to do something like this."

"Who would believe in something like this!"

"You were the last person I thought would throw away their humanity for something like this!"

"Especially after what was done to you!"

"What was done to us!"

"And the way it made us suffer."

"The way it made us toil!"

"What we had to do to get away from that shit!"

"The fact that y-you'd…"

The strength in Mika's voice wavered , the topic that was being discussed must have been another hard one. That being said , he still did not get where this conversation had erupted from after the dramatic pause.

Even after having crept closer towards the door to get a better hearing of what was going on.

And what made it worse was that suffocating tension still had not dissipated.

No it was as if it had a heartbeat of it's own now. Rising and pounding with his one as he remained an unseen witness to what was happening in between the walls in these ungodly hours.

The boy swallowed thickly as he took a few breaths to pace his growing anxiety whilst he tried to make sense of what was going on. Admittedly there was still much about the context he didn't understand , but there were a few things which stood out to him,

The things that Mika was saying.

About his mother.

About him.

Though instead of berating them and calling them all 'devil kind' like he knew of the stone faced ladies protocol , it's like she was speaking in their favour.

Like for once , she was speaking as he saw things. As he had been questioning things. Ever since he found out about this cruel fate imposed on them. It seemed she also wanted to know why just like him.

He couldn't believe that after being struck down , the bandage lady was actually asking about such with no fear. Something that he knew was forbidden. Taboo. Something she would obviously get punished for , and by this man who was her brother nonetheless.

Yet that somehow didn't silence her.

Almost like that actually incensed her further.

He didn't know what to feel from this revelation. Whilst it was eye opening to know that he wasn't the only one who had been guilty of such blasphemy , it made him question now as to why she was the one who was saying this.

As the Mika he knew was cold , strict , a firm follower of what the capital demanded. She would get irritated with him easily and possibly end up lashing him if he upset her someway. And that Mika also would threaten him at points too. With no hesitation.

That was what he knew.

That was who he knew.

But then there was the fact that Mika changed. She became aloof. She became less punishing. She became less recognizable.

The threats were still there , along with the occasional strikes , but nowhere near as painful or hefty as they had been before by her hand. Neither was her gaze seeming as intense and chilling.

He thought it was maybe he had gotten used to beatings and her cold glances , so that's why they didn't feel as impactful. But now with all this being revealed…Maybe it wasn't him that changed…

…. But her?

Or perhaps was it not a change….

….But something that was always like this?

He really did not know.

To be honest no one really knew about the bandage lady. It's like she always kept her cards close to her chest. Like she was always on guard about something. And her temperament was unpredictable , given what mark she imposed before , it was hard to believe she would just drop all that.

And it was even harder to believe that someone as scary and sadistic as Mika would be reduced to tears and questioning the very law she followed. Someone who he knew would beat him and even his mother , and seemed to have no qualms about it in his eyes , why was she crying now?

It didn't make any sense to him.

Then again , the more he thought about the enigmatic noirette , there was one thing that stood out about her more than the rest.

It was the very thing he knew her by.

Her bandages.

Not as plentiful as his , but they would always be present. On her arms , sometimes fingers , even her ankles. There was actually no time he could recall when she was free without them. And it seemed in recent times the gauze wrapped around her increased by the day.

She was getting more hurt by the day.

He assumed at first that she must have been clumsy and tripped over a lot to need bandages. But the truth was unfortunately more grim than that , and he was now starting to piece it together.

Though before that horrid realisation could be lingered on any longer , his ears picked up the sound of discourse starting up again as the broken voice of Mika recomposed.

"You know…"

Though what he heard…

"I never thought I would say this…"

Had his eyes widening incredibly.

"But I could live with being a whore."

He couldn't stop a gasp from leaving his lips from those words. Did he actually hear that correctly? Did he actually hear the bandage lady say that about herself? A whore? The thing he heard that his mother was called and said to be to no end?

When those vile and putrid men would visit her?

When the older stone-faced ladies would hit her?

When…Marik and the others would tease him and call him the son of one?

Mika was one of them too?

Or had been?

He could barely remain on that train of thought as more confessions came from the noirette.

"Having all sorts of men in me."

And each one of them left him lost for words.

"Doing what they want."

Because of how vulgar they were.

"When they want."

Because of how bold they were.

"Using me until I've got no worth."

Because who it was coming from.

"If it got me around before,"

"Why not now?"

Because he would never have expected this from her.

"If it could get food on my plate , my body is a measly price to pay for that."

The boy blinked from hearing her end such a statement with a cynical laugh. All the whilst his jaw had dropped from each revelation as he started to piece the clues together. It wasn't directly related but the instance that stuck out in his head now was the one from nearly 2 years ago.

When he met them .

Those sleazy rat faced men.

And shortly after , he was saved from an ill turn of events because Mika had intervened. Of course she had bloodied his hands to a pulp and threatened him with no remorse after being his unexpected saviour , but then he thought it was just her being the usual sadist she was.

Now hearing that Mika was one of those 'whore' ladies , he realised that she must have been someone that disgusting men approached too, like his mom. That those perverse rat faced beings also bought for bad intentions.

And that made the threat she left him with that night steal his thoughts again.

But not out of fear.

Or apprehension.

But a new perception.

Because as cruel as Mika's words were , her threat was obviously to deter him from ever meeting those sorts of people again. Even if they had been embellished by brutality , the message she meant to drive home was clear to him regardless.

Hence she was so adamant about him never leaving his room during the late hours after that.

Using punishment and threats as a tactic to get him to oblige.

Back then he believed she just wanted to deprive him of his freedom and make his life more miserable by living under more fear. But now…It didn't seem like that.

It was almost as if , through her cold and callous exterior…

Mika was protecting him?

She wanted to save him from such a fate like his mother's? And now he realised , like a fate she suffered too.

And it wasn't just a ridiculous assumption he made , but he could recall even in the meeting with the other stone-faced ladies , Mika blatantly lied on his behalf so no one would bring the topic up of 'selling him off'.

Fending off the reasoning of the old stone-faced lady and the one who stared at her nails with her own cruel comments , but now he believed they weren't just cruel for the sake of it.

But she was intentionally saying such for a certain reaction.

For a certain motive.

Though why?

He couldn't understand.

And any chance to ruminate on the whys were stripped away from a low voice dripping with derision making an appearance again.

And he could hear much more anger trying to hide in it than before.

"So you want to stay a slut is it?"

"You want to stay some no name whore with no dignity?"

"You want to stay a stain as a human?"

"Is that what you want Mika?"

"Huh is it?!"

His teeth clenched on themselves from the swelling feeling of apprehension as he could feel each word this man was saying was fanning the flames in a way that would soon lead to an explosion.

"Can't even be thankful I got you out of that?"

He heard the remark leave with an audible scoff and that's when he knew that what he was dreading was soon to erupt.

And he was not wrong given how Mika's voice instantly pierced with response.

"BECAUSE AT LEAST I HAD SOME SEMBLANCE OF AUTONOMY THEN!"

"WHAT DO I HAVE NOW MIKHAIL?!"

"TELL ME!"

Her voice was mixed with spitting rage whilst also being on the verge of tears again , but all the anger smoothed out the cracks threatening to make her weak.

He felt his heart pound painfully from the sharpness that raised with no warning. Though oddly enough , the response that came from her outburst was not one that matched her yet.

"You're drunk."

It was tamer than expected.

"You don't know what you're sayin-"

Stewing but still having to burst like her.

"I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I AM SAYING MIKHAIL!"

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DOESN'T!"

But that probably wouldn't take long given how things were going.

He held his teddy bear closer , as if bracing for the verbal storm to come whilst he waited with his large wide eyes staring into the darkness around him , to see what direction this suffocating tension would take.

But weirdly enough it was like the energy fuelling the intensity of the situation dissipated a bit with Mika's screams as she now panted loudly , probably spent up from her own intensity.

Yet that wasn't the end of her words.

"Do you really believe all the shit that comes out of your mouth?"

Thankfully his heart rate didn't suffer as much from what he heard next , since the noirette had calmed with the sharpness she was projecting.

"Do you really have the heart to keep doing something like this?"

"Just because of someone you despise?"

But that's not to say it wouldn't get worse again.

A pause followed in the conversation , allowing the one to be questioned a chance to respond , but the boy heard nothing come forth.

He didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

Especially given the man had nothing to say with what followed.

"Do you really have no problem with this?"

"Watching a woman get raped to the point she turns insane?"

"For years on end."

"To the point she can't even function other than having breakdowns and tantrums towards everything and everyone?"

"Even her own blood?"

"To the point she reverts to the mindset worse than a child."

"An innocent wom-."

"She is not innocent."

Mikhail's voice was back with that remark.

"She isn't."

Low and agitated , unwilling to budge. He could feel his nerves working up because of it. And not just that , but what they were speaking about too.

Who they were speaking about.

His mother. And what was shocking was the difference he could tell between them discussing her. Especially given it was Mika who was talking on her behalf.

But that confused him greatly as why would she be speaking well about his mom when she was one of the ladies who punished her? Who listened to the gossip about his mother being a whore and other unpleasant things? Who called her a devil alongside?

Why was she now turning face of the things she did?

Or was this her true face?

But if that was the case…

Why had she been hiding it?

"...Okay if you truly believe she isn't innocent , I won't argue with you there."

"Can you say the same about her child though?"

They were speaking about him now?

"The boy has no sin on him you can fault other than being of the same blood and looking like his father."

"And he gets called and cursed as a devil for that?"

He could feel his breath get caught in his throat as his heart drummed with the focus of the conversation now being on him.

"Are you really fine with the fact you brutalised him for no other reason than he looks like a criminal?

"A child?"

The discourse turned again as the responses from her brother got more callous.

"He isn't a child."

"He's a spawn."

And Mika's exasperation heightened due to them.

"Again with this!"

"Did you really just call him a spawn again!?"

And then more details were brought out into the open.

"You didn't see what he did to that child Mika."

Details he had no idea about.

"What he was about to do if I didn't stop him in time."

Details that had his eyes widening.

"He was about to kill him."

"Do you hear that?"

Details that had him trembling.

"That blue haired bastard's brat was going to murder another child."

"And the little devil was smiling about it too."

"Having another kid's blood on his hands and choking the life out of him

As he couldn't understand what he was hearing.

"Only a hellspawn would be able to do that."

"Only his spawn would be able to do that."

The child blinked , unsure of what he heard as tears started to glaze his eyes for a reason he didn't fully comprehend. He was about to kill someone? He was about to kill a child?

What?

When?

How?

He had no recollection of this.

Surely if he was to do something like that he would…?

How could he…?

And why would he…?

…H-Huh?

For some reason , the insides of the child's head started to pulse , giving him an unwanted headache that had him curling up to the plush of his teddy for comfort. He held the side of his head whilst he buried his face into his teddy , hoping for the throbbing to pass.

All this shouting and tension was hurting his head , and he wanted it to stop.

But it wasn't going to since the both of them hadn't finished.

"...At this point I wouldn't be angry even if that was the truth."

"Because look at what that boy has grown up in!"

"His mother has been reduced to nothing but an abusive and drugged up whore that wants nothing to do with him."

"He has no connection to the outside world other than living with the brunt of his father's sins."

"And all he has known is abuse , mistreatment and isolation whilst growing up."

"If that boy reached his limits , then he's not the one to blame."

"It's us!"

"I-It's m-me!"

"If t-they aren't humans anymore , w-we're to b-blame!"

"If t-they become actual d-devils , t-the sin is on u-us!"

Mika was on the verge of crying again. Whilst he heard her voice crackling , his own tears fell down his cheeks , being soaked up by the plush of his teddy as he gripped it for dear life.

"No it's not."

"W-What?"

The conversation was getting painful to listen to , and something told him he should go back and try to sleep. Stop eavesdropping on something that clearly wasn't meant to meet his ears. But he didn't have the strength to move from the wall he was crouched near , and he felt he would be bothered if he didn't hear this to it's conclusion.

But what type of conclusion would it be?

"Y-You really t-think w-we have n-no blame?"

"W-We have n-no s-sin?"

Considering what was being said.

"D-Do you even see what we do?!"

How it was being said.

"Who we do it to?!"

How it made the darkness spurn.

"What it does to them?!"

And made the tensions suffocate again with each word.

"What it's doing to us?!"

He feared the end of this was not going to be a good one.

"How are you okay with this?!"

Especially with how it was getting personal again.

"Why have you changed so much since you came back?!

Between the both of them.

"My brother would have never done something like this!"

Brother and sister.

"The one I knew , the one I loved!"

Focusing on what was between them alone.

""He wanted the best for me , he wanted to protect me!"

And he could taste how sour the air turned because of it.

"Even if things were shit , he would always do his best to keep me strong the right way!"

It was only a matter of time until things would turn for the worst.

"Where is he?!"

And it was unfortunate.

"Where's my brother?!"

Because he was right.

"IF I'VE CHANGED IT'S NOT MY FAULT."

"IT'S HIS!"

The booming voice of the man shook his senses. Literally had him quivering from it's violent eruption , like it was a deathly close clap of roaring thunder. It nearly made him jump from how he rose above anything that Mika projected with no warning.

And it only got worse to hear with how his seething anger spat with each following remark.

"YOU WEREN'T THERE MIKA!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW HOW HE LIED TO US!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW HOW HE PLAYED WITH US!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW HOW HE SET US UP!"

What he had been dreading had finally come true.

"I DON'T NEED TO HAVE BEEN THERE TO KNOW THERE'S NO WAY TO JUSTIFY THIS SHIT!"

Now that the fire was lit on both ends.

"I'VE COME TO THE POINT I COULD CARE LESS WHAT HE DID!"

"HEAR THAT MIKHAIL?!"

"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT IT!"

And neither wanted to extinguish.

"SO YURA'S DEATH MEANT NOTHING TO YOU THEN?!"

But rather fan the flames.

"IS THIS WHAT YURA WOULD HAVE WANTED YOU TO BECOME?!"

There was no way this would end without someone getting burned.

With that question leaving her lips , neither of them were willing to say anything at the moment. Bringing up their deceased cousin in this gruesome spat was neither expected nor wanted. They should have known better to respect his being. And not use his name as emotional leverage in an argument.

That was a line that shouldn't have been crossed.

But neither were in the right minds of admitting so.

But from his mention it seemed the boiling waters took some time to settle rather than stew. They took that momentary pause to take their breaths from all the shouting , and observe the wrecks they both were becoming.

Her , a dishevelled drunkard , with all her marks and scars on shows. Her ghastly white complexion flushed with rage , yet her face filled with torment as she recalled every instance of her sin.

As she recalled every vicious change she witnessed of him.

But it's not like she was only one visibly intense.

He was red in the face also.

Sharp sage eyes glared at her with no shyness. And the veins under his pale skin became more prominent as she pushed him bit by bit to places that she knew were best to be left undisturbed.

His composure was on the verge of breaking but not out of guilt or anything humbling…But rather too many boundaries were getting stepped over that he had not been prepared for. And it was only a moment's notice until it would truly make him snap .

From either of them.

But Mika was too done with it all to care.

His own ragged breaths filled the stillness between them when she became so bold. Whilst a part of him panged at such a direct remark and low blow , another part of him that was buried inside could feel there was some form of truth in those ruthless words…But any semblance of guilt or vulnerability was completely overshadowed.

Unable to confess to his wrongdoings.

"What have I become?"

So his stubbornness reigned with pride again.

"What about you?"

Crossing his arms strictly over his torso , the guard persona was back , his only defence now as this was not an argument that Mikhail could win on his own.

With a cruel turn of his lips and the harshness of his glare heightening , the next words left his lips with a grit.

"What have YOU become Mika?"

And he gave her an answer to finally put an end to this conversation.

"Siding with liars?"

Because he had no answer for her question.

"Siding with fiends?"

But he wouldn't admit that.

"Siding with the enemy?"

So he'd turn it back on her instead.

Though to his surprise , his half sister wasn't even near intimidated by that directness from him like he thought she would be. Rather what he saw was her lips turning in their own cruel smile as another spare chuckle came from her. Yet he couldn't understand what was remotely funny about such a remark.

But little did he know , Mika was well aware that these words would come from his lips sooner or later. He would resort back to his guard like demeanour , because there was no answer he had for her.

She knew it.

He might not have known her well enough , but she certainly knew him. She had to , so she could save herself.

But not anymore.

"The enemy?"

She was done beating around the bush.

"...Do you mean?"

And if she damned herself now because of it,

"The enemy…"

So be it.

"...You were once friends with?"

From the utterance of such a dangerous statement , the air got so thick it could be cut with a knife. She could feel herself suffocating nearly from how tense it got , from seeing that responsive pulse of anger in him and how he abnormally stiffened up from her saying that.

"Don't you EVER say such shit like that again."

His voice got progressively darker. The threat loomed over her head and stared right in the face that something bad was going to happen if she would say anything more.

All boundaries had been blurred now , she could see it.

Her blood pumped so fast in her , she could feel ringing in her ears. Her own nerves started to stiffen as that adrenaline in her started to wear out , yet even then she didn't let her own smugness fade away too quickly.

Because she hadn't said enough yet.

"Why is that Mikhail?"

And she had to.

"What is it?"

Even if it would kill her.

"Don't want to remember the past?"

Because what use was a life that you lived as a slave to an ideal other than your own?

"Can't stomach the truth?"

What use was a life that you lived for other than yourself?

"I should kill you for that."

The words left him in a fit of blackness before he could even realise what he was saying. The vision he had of her had become too dark for him to be able to save her from the wrath in him that was roiling inside.

Yet Mika did not care.

As hearing those words , another tear rolled down her cold cheek as a bitter smile lined her lips and she realised just how shit everything was. All of this for nothing. This pain , betrayal , selfishness….and she couldn't enjoy herself for a second of it.

She thought it would be easy , but that was just another mistake among many.

And now with what little she had keeping her going , that was also lost too.

She grit her teeth as anger raised in her fragmented mind and soul.

Anger at the world.

Anger at her fate.

Anger at her brother.

Anger at herself.

Her frail fists clenched on themselves as she decided she would seal her damnation once and for all with the final bellow she would make.

"THEN WHAT'S STOPPING YOU?!"

And with that were the last words she said to him before she was made to silence.

A sigh left the bluenet's lips as he sat on the hill , waiting for Merak whilst he held his teddy bear tight. From the events that happened last night , he couldn't find the will to drop his teddy , it was the only thing giving him a semblance of comfort throughout that dreadful night.

His mind was still racing from all he heard , all that happened. Even though he saw nothing , the sounds were loud enough to haunt him even hours after it all became still.

After it all ended with a loud thud.

He swallowed thickly as he could still hear the sharpness of their voices playing back in his mind , even though it was a new day. To think that loud voices like that , other than his mother's, would scare him so much , he didn't know what to think.

And even more so ,

He was lost of words with what was the context of the argument.

And everything revealed with it.

Mika's true feelings , her having a brother , her calling herself and him devils , her saying she was a 'whore' , her conflict over him and his mom , and then the anger between the two siblings regarding that man.

Which then led to the worst bit of the night.

And had him sleeping in shivers when it all went silent after that.

He…

…Couldn't even tell what exactly happened between them two for it to end.

But he knew it was not good.

Not with the loud sound that followed , not with how abrupt it just finished. Not with how incensed the both of them had become. Something must have happened , but what?

He didn't know what he heard as he became so terrified of it all , his brain must have filtered a lot of it out. But he did remember Mika having the last audible say before it went hushed.

Even though he spent the night wondering about what happened after the loud bang , his blood chilled when as he was leaving the house today , he saw red stains on the stonework near the table.

Dried blood.

But it wasn't too much.

Then again , it wasn't too little either.

What could have happened?

He believed it would have been cleaned up by now though , since he did see a stone-faced lady come into the home and start doing their daily cleaning.

But it wasn't Mika….

And that had him worried.

He hadn't seen her today , when she was usually the first person in for her job. Though maybe after last night's events , she was going to come in a bit later than normal or would take a day off maybe?

Jellal bit the inside of his cheek as he hugged his plush bear tighter , somewhat soothed by it's furry comfort , yet it didn't completely take away the anxiety coursing through him.

It was possible he was thinking too much and she would be fine. Even though his relationship with her was something weird and she was scary , he wouldn't have wanted anything to happen to her.

Hopefully she would be okay…

And he'd see her again.

Like he wanted to see his own friend Merak too.

Yet with that thought , a dread rippled through him. With the sudden disappearance of his friend , the return of Marik and his bullying and now with what happened last night between the lady with bandages and her brother , he couldn't help but want to question…

Why was everything turning like this?

Why was everything becoming…

So bad?

Author's Note:

Okay so now Mika's true character has been revealed , I wonder how opinions have changed on her since her debut and her arc conclusion. She was truly an interesting perspective to write , especially with the core themes she indirectly relates to for the series.

And to have little Jelly be witness to it all , it's vital for a plot to come up in the awaiting series and for his future motivations. And there is a great deal of foreshadowing in this chapter which will be addressed very soon too!

Trust me it will all make sense when we get to the part I am waiting for in Jellal's life. (￣^￣)ゞ

There are a few more characters that will reach their conclusion in the coming chapters, mysteries that will be closed whilst some will just be started for the next arc so I hope you'll be in for that ride!

Thank you so much for reading this chapter , I hope you guys enjoy the intensity to come.

Though something I do want to quickly mention , as of recent there was something quite serious that happened in my personal life and my family need me more , so I will have to take some more time than usual to update/write.

But I am hoping that when I can get back onto my feet and move along with everything once and for all!

Thank you so much for reading this note and your patience with me , and please take care of yourselves!

Thank you for everything x