Chapter 3

A year has passed since I broke my connection with Alyce and Lilia. I had to do that since the earl's been wondering what I've been doing lately besides the usual.

I am currently in China. The earl asked me to eliminate a boy named Allen Walker. I looked at his face that reminded me of Alyce. They don't really look that alike but he somehow reminded me of her. He had a deformed arm just like Lilia. I figured him to be the younger brother of Alyce. I'm sure she'll be overjoyed to know he's alive but she'll surely hate me when she finds out I killed him. It was for the best that I broke my connection with her. It will bring her pain to know of her brother's death. I can't spare him after all even if he was her brother.

Time hasn't passed much long and I learned that he actually survived that. He was as strong as her. He had that will and determination she has. It might have been a good thing for him to survive but I had to kill him again.

His innocence had changed form compared to what it looked like before. We were in battle while his friends were just watching and that bookman junior was playing with Road. I had him dying before me but his will to live stopped the approaching death. He pulled his arm that turned into a sword. We ended up into another battle and he managed to push the sword through me. I thought I was going to die, the pain was there. He said that only the Noah within me would die but he was wrong since it didn't. I lost control and fought with them until General Cross showed up then the earl.

The wound left a scar on me. It was painful at times but it's nothing that I can take. He survived again. Should I tell Alyce this time? She does deserve to know so I looked for them and then told her that I've found her brother. I also told her that he is an exorcist like his older sister.

"You show up after a long time and that is what you tell me! I'm happy that he is alive but why did the order have to take him!"

Lilia was holding onto me while Alyce just stood there happy and then angry at the same time.

"He wasn't forced like you were. He seemed willing but I guess it will be better to see for yourself. You're going. I know you are. You wouldn't be Alyce if you didn't go see your brother."

"I guess I will but I won't be seeing you then. We won't be able to see much of you. I do have to take her with me. You can't take Lilia since you have a job that takes most of your time. By returning to the order, we'll be forbidden to have any contact with anyone outside the order."

There was a bit of sadness to the tone of her voice even if she was trying to make it sound indifferent. I felt happy that she was concerned but I know it will change the moment she hears the truth.

"We won't see Tyki? Why?" said Lilia in a sad tone. Her smile from before turned into a frown after hearing what Alyce said.

"Lilia, wait there in the other room while we talk, okay? I'll explain things to you later after we have a talk."

"Okay."

Lilia went to the other room, obediently. It is quite obvious that she wanted to ask a lot of questions but she learned on her own that she can know more by being obedient since we don't really keep anything much from her if she wants to know something. We only keep things from her if she either had been disobedient or had done something wrong. We also only keep things from her if it can't really be taught to her yet so it had taught her to just play along.

"It's true that I can't take care of Lilia but we will still see each other although I don't think you'll be that happy."

"How? It's not like you're part of the order. And how did you get this information?"

I know she'll hate me now. Her view of me will change. She'll never look at me the same way. Her eyes will be full of hatred but I'd rather see that caused by me and not by her finding out from someone else. It will in reality really be eventually brought out into the light so what's wrong with having it over fast.

I had already severed my ties with her. I only came back to tell her what she deserved to know.

"I saw it firsthand."

"How?"

"I'm a Noah, Alyce. I'm part of the earl's family. I knew about your brother because I was ordered to kill him. I killed him but he survived death."

"No! That can't be true. You're lying!"

"I'm afraid it's true and I indeed was lying. I just deceived the two of you for pleasure. I will be saying my goodbyes then. And the next time we meet, it's on a battlefield."

I then left and disappeared from sight as fast as I could. I didn't really want to stay long to see that expression on her face, the look of pain and betrayal.

*Alyce's point of view

What does Tyki mean by saying that we might see again? And that I won't be happy though to see him? I know he can't be part of the order and that leads to the other side. But how? He can't be. I'm sure he can come up with a good explanation that does not involve the earl but I was wrong.

He is part of the earl's side. He said it himself.

"I'm a Noah, Alyce. I'm part of the earl's family. I knew about your brother because I was ordered to kill him. I killed him but he survived death. And I tried killing him again."

I killed him. And I tried killing him again.

Those words stuck into my mind and repeatedly played while his face kept showing up with that smile while his golden eyes looked straight unto me. I would have not believed it but his eyes showed seriousness and regret for telling the truth beneath that smile.

He did kill him. He did try killing him but my brother luckily survived. I would have been happy that my brother lived but he did try killing him.

I killed him. And I tried killing him again.

He said those words like as if it meant nothing.

He said it like as if his 'death' means nothing.

It made me so angry, so furious and so sad. The air around me became so tense and thick that I found it harder to breath. It was like as if I was drowning in all that pain and that feeling of betrayal from the person whom I trusted even pulled me down deeper. I was pulled down deeper as I fought to reach the surface. I fought with it and raised my hand to reach out.

I tried to reach out … but no hand took mine, no hand appeared to help. No hand to help me get out. There was no hand because there was no one.

The one whom I could depend on at a time like this was gone.

He never even existed.

And if he ever did live, he was dead now.

He is now dead to me.

He no longer lives.

He no longer exists. He is dead. Tyki is dead.