The sun didn't show itself yet, but the birds' chirping managed to wake me up from my sleep
I then pushed myself to get up from the bed, before I rubbed my eyes
. . . It's morning already. . .?
. . . Guess I'm too focused on my training last night
Just then, I heard a few knocks on my door, before I saw him enter my bedroom
"Good morning, Adam " Sir Cale said to me
"Good morning. . . " I said, groggily
"Hmm, you have improved it seems "
". . . Improved? "
"Yep, 2 days ago I needed to wake you up by freezing this room. Now, you can wake up before I open the door " He said, grinning at me while rubbing his chin with his fingers
"Huff, I don't know if that's a compliment or not. . . "
"Hahaha, now get up. Go take a shower and have breakfast. We continue our training later "
". . . Roger that, sir " I said, weakly saluting him
He then closed the door before I got up from the bed and stretched myself, reaching for my towel, and went to take a shower
It has been 2 days since I stayed at this mansion with Sir Cale. And while I was with him, he had taught me several things about my power
He taught me how to increase my mental processing speed with my super speed, increase my reaction time, and even taught me how to increase the velocity of things when I throw them
He's a good teacher, as he never raises his voice at me, but his training methods are. . . 'Hellish' if it were a word
Yesterday, at the back of the mansion
As I was standing outside the mansion, I saw Sir Cale use his telekinesis to elevate a rock that was twice my size with such ease before dropping it in front of me
"Adam, throw this big rock " He said to me
"Oh, ok. Sounds simple-"
"To that mountain " He said pointing to the mountain that was at least 10 km away
"What?! Sir Cale, please tell me you're joking "
"Hahaha. . . No, I'm not. I'm serious "
"Wh-What. . . Why? How?? "
"I don't know. . . Nah, just kidding. I want you to use your super speed and build up a huge momentum "
"Big momentum?? "
"Yep, then you throw that rock to that mountain over there. Simple right? "
"Simple?? Sir Cale, this rock is at least twice the size of mine! "
"Young man, you never know unless you try. Come on, give it a try first "
". . . Huff, alright "
I then lifted the rock with all my might, spinning around using my super speed before throwing the stone
But the stone itself didn't get far away, as the stone landed a few meters away from me
"Hmm. . . 10 meters. . . You know, I expect a lot more from you "
"Oh come on, Sir. . . You basically asked me to throw something that is twice my weight! "
"So you're admitting that you're weak? Giving up already? "
As his words reached my ears, my hand slowly tightened into a fist, as it triggered my past memories that are deep inside my mind
I then took a deep breath and steeled my resolve before lifting the rock again, spinning around, and throwing it away
And this time, it was slightly farther away than the first time I threw it away
"I won't give up. I refuse " I said, walking to the rock before lifting it again
As those words came out of my mouth, his lips then slowly curved up before talking calmly
"Then, I want you to at least throw this rock a kilometer away. Do it before evening and we call it a day "
"Yes, Sir "
"If you failed, no dinner for you "
"W-What?? Sir, that's way too much! "
"Well, you can keep complaining until evening, or you can start throwing that rock. Your choice "
I then looked at him, who was now giving me a dumb grin
"Huff. . . Anything for dinner I suppose " I said grumpily, repeating what I was doing earlier
"Brr. . . What a harsh training. . . " I said, my body shivering as I remembered the training
I then finished my shower, put on the clothes he gave me, and walked downstairs
As I arrived at the dining room, I saw him already starting to plate sandwiches with 2 cups of hot chocolate beside the plates
"Ah, Adam. Take a seat " He said before sitting down on his chair
I then sat down across from him and started to eat my sandwich and drank the hot chocolate
"So, how's your thinking speed now? " He asked me
"Hmm. . . A bit faster than before "
"Oh? How much faster? "
"Well. . . Not much, just 3 seconds faster "
"Hmm, 3 seconds is not bad. Although-"
" 'Although I know you can do it much better than this'. That's what you want to say, aren't you? "
"Hahaha. Wow, you really think much faster now " He praised me before enjoying his sandwich
"Heh, I work hard you know? " I said before munching my sandwich with pride
He then reached for his hot chocolate cup and stirred the spoon slowly
"Can I ask you something, Adam? "
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"Err. . . What is it, Sir? "
"You and your friend, Dani. You both seem like good friends, no? "
"We are. We have known each other since we were both children "
"Ah, I see. Why so? "
". . . He took care of me the first time I met him. And he's the one who helped me reach this state with my power "
"I see. . . I noticed you're protective of him. Is there any reason for it? "
". . . I see him as my little brother. He's magicless after all, and. . . And. . . "
"And? "
". . . And he always takes care of me, so it's fair for me to do the same for him now "
". . . I see " He said calmly before drinking his hot chocolate
". . . Sorry, sir. . . I need to use the bathroom for a moment "
I said before getting up and walking upstairs, getting inside the bathroom, and closing the door
I then walked closer to the sink and gripped it with both my hands, taking a deep breath, and slapped my cheeks a few times over
"Ok. . . Ok. . . It's fine Adam. . . Don't remember it. Just move on and learn from your past mistake "
After calming myself down, I then walked slowly and reached for the door
That's when I heard a voice, shouting from beyond the door
"Help! Help me! "
A familiar voice that I hadn't heard for years
And a shout I wished to never hear ever again
"This voice. . . No. . . No way! "
I then quickly opened the door and saw my little brother being pinned down by two adults, while one of them molested him as the other was slowly slicing his body with a knife
"No! "
"Noo! "
"Nooo! "
"Adlar! " I shouted before rushing to them
"Don't interrupt " I heard a man saying beside me, catching me off guard and pinning me down on the floor
"You! Fucking let me go! " I shouted at him, trying to release myself from his grip
He then gripped my hair and forcefully lifted my hand before leaning closer to me and putting his finger on his lips
"Shh. . . Look at them. Aren't they having fun right now? "
I tried to close my eyes, but he then forcefully opened one of my eyes with his hand, forcing me to look at them
"Shh, kid. . . You have an enjoyable taste on your body " The man said before I saw him licking his stomach
I then saw him lick his tears
Then his lips
He then stuck his tongue inside his ear, before pulling it out and licking his lips
"Stop! Stop! Stop!!!! " I keep shouting at them
The other man then keeps on stabbing Adlar's forearms using a kitchen knife, enjoying his screams
He then cut Adlar's hair with it before putting the hair inside his own mouth
"Hmm. . . You really have an enjoyable taste, kid. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! " He laughed maniacally before cutting off Adlar's finger
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! "
He then slowly put the finger he just cut into his mouth, enjoying the taste of it
"Ahh~, how delightful~ " He said before I saw him raising the knife once again, this time aiming for his arm
Afraid of the horrifying scene, I then closed my eyes, before everything around me fell into silence
As I opened my eyes slowly, the surroundings had changed as I was now lying down in a mortuary, and the first thing I saw was his body, lying still beneath a white sheet
"Why. . .? Why. . .? Why. . .? Why. . .? " I murmured to myself before I slowly curled my body and hugged my knees, tears flowing from my eyes
"I'm sorry. . . I'm sorry. . . I'm sorry. . . "
The light then flickered a few times before the room blacked out, then flickered back on
I then raised my head slowly and saw him staring at me, his eyes wide open as if he was angry at me
"Ahhh! " I screamed as I backed away in fear
"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE ME??!! " He shouted at me
"I. . . I'm sorry Adlar. . . I'm so sorry. . . "
"WHY?! WHY?! WHY?! WHY?!WHY?! WHY?! WHY?! WHY?!WHY?! WHY?! WHY?! WHY?!WHY?! WHY?! WHY?! WHY?! "
"WHY ARE YOU STILL ALIVE??!!!! "
"WHY I'M THE ONE WHO DIED?!!! "
He then pushed himself off the mortuary bed and slowly crawled to me, his eyes still wide staring at me
"No. . . No. . . Stay away. . . " I said, crawling back until my back hit the wall
"WWWWWHHHHHHHYYYYYY?????!!!! "
His shout made me instinctively cover my ears with my hands, as I curled myself in fear
"I'm sorry. . . I'm sorry. . . I'm sorry. . . "
His body was then mutilated and his appearance started to change into the man who licked his tongue on his body
Then, his appearance changed again into the man who ate his body parts
Then, his appearance changed into the entity whose face I couldn't see
Then, his appearance changed once more into the guy I fought before
He then got up and walked slowly towards me, before he slowly leaned his head closer and closer to me
". . . How pathetic "
He then summoned a sword in his hand before he raised it above my head
". . . Please. . . Please. . . Please don't harm me. . . Get away. . . "
As I keep whispering to myself, what Dani said to me before suddenly resurfaced in my mind
"Instead of thinking about what they will do to you, think about what you will do "
. . . Think about what I will do. . .
As he swung the sword down at my head, I slowly raised my head and stared sharply at him before stopping the sword by catching it
"Get. . . The fuck. . . Away from me "
I then got up and punched him, making him stagger back as his body was mutilated back to the entity I saw before
"YOU-! YOU-! "
My breath was frantic as I clenched my fist tightly, and the feel of fear still lingered in my heart
"I want. . . I want to get rid of you. . . "
I then lunged at it once again and threw another punch, as it mutilated once again into the madman who ate his body parts
Before it could shout once again, I threw another punch to its face, making it once again mutilated into the madman who licked his body
"AAAARRGGGGHHH!!! " I shouted before giving it my most powerful punch, making it fly back and hit the door
I then take a few quick breaths, as the feeling of fear lifts from my chest
It then mutated back into my little brother once more, before it gripped its head and started to scream
"DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU! "
"YOU COULD DEFEND YOURSELF BUT NOT ME??!! WHY?! WHY?! WHHHHYYYY???!!! "
I then bit my lips before forcing myself to run towards it and hug it, catching it off guard
"W-What. . . "
As I do so, I close my eyes as tears keep pouring out, my hug slowly tightens around him before my mouth opens slowly
"I'm sorry Adlar. . . Please. . . Forgive me for letting you die. . . "
"What are you talking about? " I heard a familiar voice beside my ear
I then opened my eyes and saw that I'm now at the graveyard, where I'm hugging a child version of Dani
His clothes and expression were exactly the same as I saw 10 years ago, the first time I met him
"W-. . . Dani? "
"Who else if not me? "
I then quickly released my hug, surprised by the sudden change in my surroundings
"You ok? " He asked me, his brow raised slightly
"I. . . I. . . I thought I was at. . . "
". . . Did your guilt still creep inside you? "
"---! How did you know that? "
"Your expression basically shouts guilt at me. I'm not blind to not notice that "
I didn't say whether what he said was true, but I looked down to avoid his eye contact while clenching my jaw, which basically confirmed his hunch
". . . Huff, follow me " He said before turning around and walking slowly
I then try to open my mouth and ask him about where he wants to lead me. But I decided to shut my mouth and walk beside him
As I walked with him, I decided to fill the silence around us with a simple conversation
"Hey, Dani "
"Hmm? "
". . . Hope you didn't feel. . . Uncomfortable with my hug earlier "
". . . I didn't. I could understand that you hugged me suddenly because of your guilt towards your late little brother. What annoys me is the feeling behind your hug "
". . . Huff, I know it. . . I'm being too emotional when I hug you earlier, aren't I? "
"No. Not that "
"---? Then. . . What is it? "
"Your hug earlier was not out of love, but out of fear "
"---! "
"You hugged me because you want to push your guilt away, not because you missed him, am I right? "
". . . I-"
Before I could answer him, he stopped walking and stood in front of a house
A familiar house
My house
"We're here " He said calmly
". . . Why did you bring me here? "
"To ease your guilt "
". . . Huh? "
"Just go inside and you will know "
I then walked slowly and gripped the doorknob tightly, before taking a deep breath and opening the door
As the door fully opened, I saw a boy sitting down on the couch, as if he was waiting for someone
"Is that. . .? "
He then turned his head slightly to look at me, before giving me a soft smile
"Hey, brother. Long time since I saw you "
". . . Adlar? "
He then stood up and walked slowly towards me, and was about to hug me. But I quickly took a few steps back
"S-Stop. . . Stop right there "
"Huh? What's wrong? "
"How. . . How do I know this is really you? "
". . . Really Adam? Don't you recognize your own little brother? I'm hurt "
"You could be another fucking entity that I saw earlier. Hell, you could be another. . . Whatever the fuck mess-up entity that my mind conjured right now "
"Well, what do you want to know from me? "
"Just-. . . Tell me what only we both know "
"Hmm, where should I start? Well, I remember one day you desperately wanted to drink some tea. So, you peed in a bottle and tried to-"
"Ok, ok, ok! I'm convinced! Please don't remind me of that! "
"Hahaha, it's funny tho. Lucky you that I was there to stop you "
As he was laughing, I then approached him and hugged him tightly
". . . I missed you "
"Missed you too, brother " He said softly before returning the hug
I then released the hug and took a step back, my eyes filled up with tears
"Adlar. . . I'm sorry "
"Sorry? For what? "
"For. . . For being too weak. . . I couldn't even save you when. . . When. . . "
"Hey, Adam. Listen to me "
As I stared at him, his expression softened before giving me a soft smile
"I never, NEVER, blame you for not being able to save me "
". . . But. . . But I was there. . . I could have-"
"But you couldn't, and I understand that. We both are child at that time anyway, compared to those madmen, they overpower both of us "
". . . "
"Hey, Adam "
"Y-Yes? "
"Can you do me a favor? "
". . . What is it? "
"Take care of yourself and your friends. And stop beating yourself around my death, I already forgave you a long time ago "
As I heard his words, tears started to flow from my eyes as I couldn't hold it any longer, before I then wiped them with my palms
"Y-Yes. . . I will. . . "
Just then, I noticed the surroundings around us slowly turned into pure white, as his form slowly dissolved into particles
"Well, guess it's time for me to go now "
He then slowly raised his hand and fist bumped my shoulder, giving me another of his soft smiles one last time
"I'll see you later, brother "
I couldn't help but shed another tear before my lips slowly turned into a smile
"Ha. . . See you later "
My eyes flickered a few times over before fully opening, and the first thing I noticed was Sir Cale standing in front of me as I sat down on a couch
"Wha-. . . Sir Cale? "
"Wakey wakey Adam " He said to me, giving me a big smile
"Good evening, Adam " I heard a familiar voice beside me
I then turned my head slowly and saw Dani sitting beside me, looking at me calmly
". . . Dani? "
"Hey "
". . . What's happening. . . Why am I here? "
"Oh, that's because I put you under hypnosis magic " Sir Cale said casually
". . . Hypnosis magic? Since when? "
"Since breakfast. When I stirred my hot chocolate earlier "
". . . So. . . The moment I walk into the bathroom. . . "
"Yep. You're under hypnosis "
". . . Why? "
"Oh, your friend Dani requested it "
2 days ago, in the meeting room
"So, what is it you want to talk about? "
". . . I want to ask for your favor. It's about my friend "
"Oh? I'm listening "
"My friend's past guilt started to creep inside him again. Can you somehow. . . Cure it? "
"Oh? So you want me to make him confront his guilt? "
". . . Do anything you need. Just please. . . Help him "
". . . Heh, you're a really good friend, aren't you? "
". . . "
"Alright, I'll help. But if I help you, you owe me a favor. Do we have a deal? "
". . . Hmm, I agree. Just please call me once you started "
"Hahaha, don't worry boy. Leave it to me "
"Then. . . All of that was just part of my imagination, huh? " I asked solemnly, remembering the moment I met Adlar again
"Oh, not all of them. In fact, you really meet your little brother "
"Huh? "
"When I put you under hypnosis, I immediately asked Reggie to bring Dani here. He's the one who asked me to call for your little brother's spirit. And he's the one who guided you earlier "
"Then. . . When I'm at my house earlier. . .? "
"Yep, that's really your little brother "
I then immediately turned my head and looked at Dani with teary eyes, as he just stared back at me calmly
"Dani, you. . . "
". . . I just helped what I could-"
I then immediately hug him, before crying on his shoulder
"Thank you. . . Thank you. . . "
". . . Huff, thank me for what? All I did was just ask Sir Cale for help " He said to me calmly, but still returned my hug while patting my back gently
"Now, get off me. You're embarrassing yourself by crying too much right now "
I then slowly released my hug before wiping my tears, smiling shyly
"S-Sorry. . . Didn't mean to be cringe like that "
". . . Huff, it's fine. Just don't cry in front of people, you fucking idiot "
As my lips slowly curved up into a smile, I heard Sir Cale talking in a mock pout suddenly
"Oi now, I also help you know? Where's my thanks? "
"A-Ah! Thank you for helping me as well, Sir Cale "
"Hahaha, I'm just kidding. No need to thank me. All I did was just prepare you mentally during our training before I put you under hypnosis "
"Is-Is that why you keep giving me those harsh trainings? "
"Yep, or your mind will break instead and you go crazy. That's why I keep pushing you not to give up so you can fight back your fear "
". . . T-Thank you, both of you. . . I'm really, really grateful for your help "
"Huff, didn't I tell you not to thank me? " Dani said calmly to me
I then stared at his face for a moment, before I slowly smirked at him and ruffled his hair
"Tck, can you just accept someone's thanks without being a fucking tsundere for once? "
"O-Oi, get off my hair " He said before swatting my hand away
Sir Cale who was just watching both of us just smiled before letting out a small laugh
"Haha, you both are adorable "
". . . Please don't call us that " Dani said calmly
"Hahaha. Now, still remember the favor that I got from helping you? Well, I'm claiming that now "
". . . Huff, alright. What is it that you want? " Dani asked him
"Heh, don't worry. It's just a simple favor " He said, before giving Dani a big smirk on his face
"Play a game of chess with me "
