《The Search for Freedom》


 1 The Trouble I Caused

    Lil


    The sun was going down on the horizon. I could hear my own footsteps while walking down the street. I came from our school. The very old and wrinkled structures were aligned on both sides of the streets. Some people were sitting calmly on the chairs outside their huge houses while those children were ying. After a few minutes of walking, I arrived at the front of our house. Our house was just simple, and we were just as simple too.


    My mother was a vendor, while my father was a peasant. They both had notpleted their schooling. My mother had only finished her elementary days, and my father was in high school. Because their families were indigent, they were forced to stop schooling and work instead. But though we were poor, my parents were rich in love. They always provided my necessities, such as shelter, food, clothing, learning, and love.


    I sometimes dream of bing rich. I was envious of my ssmates whose parents were giving them everything they wanted. I was envious of other people who lived in huge houses and did nothing but sit on their chairs and y Mahjong with the other wealthy people.


    The door thudded, and I noticed my mother was wearing a in, green shirt with a stain in the center; when I was younger, I mistook that stain for an eye, and I was afraid to look at it. My mother was wearing old leggings and sneakers too. I knew she was hard to get to buy her own things; she was always wearing her old clothes.


    My parents worked every day, though sometimes they could not eat their meals just to get to work early. My father was a farmer who owned a small piece ofnd for cultivation, and my mother was the one who sold the harvests from our farm.


    For me, my mother was the most beautiful woman in the world. Her brown eyes seemed to tell me how much she cared; her pointed nose, brown skin, and pink lips that never became dry. Though she was always working, she still had time for herself, for me, and for my father.


    "Oh! Son, what happened to your forehead?" She asked.


    I touched my brow and felt a bit of pain. The thing seemed wet. As I looked at my finger, I saw a dark, red liquid with an inexplicable smell. I knew it was made by those boys who could do nothing in their lives but wait for their victims in the streets. But even though there were many bullies who always hurt me, I''d never told my mother and especially my father, because he would surely find a way to punish them.


    "Nothing, I just bumped myself on the pole," I lied.


    "Come in and we will cure that," my mother invited. "You don''t feel pain?"


    Though I made too many mistakes, my mother never became mad. She was always telling me that "we cannot go back in the past and change what we have done wrong. Let us live in the present time and get our lessons from it, so that we can''t do it again in the future."


    "Aw!" I eximed. "Please make it easy. It hurts." Iined, whimpering, and trying to avoid my mother''s fingers touching the wound on my forehead.


    "Sorry, but it''s just a small wound, so stop overacting," my mother replied.


    "Hey, what happened to that child?" My father got inside the house, hung his hat on the peg, and sat down on the wooden chair beside us.


    I knew he came from the farm because he looked exhausted and the moisture on his face and neck had diffused. My father was the most handsome man in the world, though sometimes he was unkind and overprotective. He had a high- pointed nose, short ck hair, which took a long time to grow, and round, brown eyes.


    "He said that he bumped himself into the pole," Mom replied.


    "Birdbrained, and you also believe in your child? He might be fighting with those street boys, because a mark from the pole wasn''t the same as that wound which looked like it was from a sharp object?" He guessed.


    My father was an intensely strict man! He didn''t want me to fool around. However, I knew that even though he was a hard wall, acting as a column in our house, he still cared about me and my mother. But I could not be free from his cage because he was so inquisitive.


    My mother defended, "You''re not an investigator, Jay. I know that our son would not fool around; he''s already big enough to know what''s right and wrong. Am I right, Lil?"


    "Yeah, I''m not doing anything wrong; I came from school," I replied.


    "Good," my father said, "but if we know you''re doing something, we won''t show you any sympathy; instead, we''ll aggravate your wounds."


    "Can you stop threatening your child?" Mother asked. "He''s already big, and soon he''ll have a girlfriend and start his own family."


    "You will never do that thing as long as we don''t allow you to. You need to finish your schooling first before you can have a girlfriend. You''re just sixteen, and the responsibility of being a father isn''t as easy as you think."


    I tried to convince them, "Don''t worry, ma and pa, I will help you first before making my own family," although I knew they wouldn''t believe me.


    "You don''t need to do that, son; just do the things that you want. As long as you''re not hurting others, don''t feel sorry for them," Mother added.


    "Leona! Maybe that''s why your son is getting stubborn, because you are letting him do anything he wants to," my father scowled.


    "But what''s wrong with that?" My mother stood up and eximed. "Why are you always mad even though there''s no reason to be?"


    "I''m just telling the truth. I''m hoping that you will realize it," he defended.


    "Telling the truth? I''m hoping you can realize that whatever you''re going to say to Lil, he''s still our one and only son."


    Hearing and seeing my parents fight in front of me, I suddenly stood up and eximed, "Please stop this! If you will fight because of me, maybe it will be better if I leave this house, so that you won''t fight anymore."

 2 The Old Man

    A day full of troubles had psed, and maybe that day was the worst day of my life because I got a wound from those bad boys, and my parents also fought because of me, although I didn''t do anything wrong.


    How could I stop other people''s discrimination? Those who would rejoice when they saw others suffering from the pain they had caused. What was it in me that they were doing that? Perhaps it was because I was poor and they were wealthy; it might have been because I was nice and kind; or perhaps it was because I didn''t fight back.


    I was sometimes discouraged from going to school because of those bullies, but I also thought that I could not be sessful if I did not continue my studies. How could I help those people who were oppressed by wealthy and wicked ones if I could not be sessful? I would rather hurt than feel nothing at all.


    My mother might be already in the kitchen. She woke up early every day to prepare our breakfast while my father was still lying in bed. I sprang out of my bed, rolled my sleeping mat, donned my white slippers, and walked towards the kitchen. I wasn''t mistaken: my mother was preparing the vegetables to be cooked.


    She was in her old coat and fitted jeans. They seemed to fit, but I knew that she couldn''t fit into her jeans anymore because she had worn them for many years. And if her size had not changed, then she wasn''t human.


    I hoped that my mother would not go hard with the thing she did. Though I knew she had other loose clothes to wear, maybe she chose a very fitted rather than a very loose one. I walked near and hugged her from the back, to make her feel how much I loved her and to give her hope. Her untied hairs seemed to creep and tickle my face.


    I remembered when I was young and my mother was ying with me. Those games never disappeared from my mind until now. It was confusing to me if she was hiding something, because every time I yed with her, her hair was creeping, and it made meugh as it tickled me.


    At that time, I was ying with my mother''s hair because I didn''t have anyone to y with. When I grew old, it crossed my mind if it was possible that a woman like her could control her hair if she wanted it to do so.


    I wasn''t an inquisitive boy. Though I had many questions about my family, I kept them in my mind, and after many days passed by, I could easily forget them, especially if there was an opportunity to ask.


    She removed my arm from around her and greeted me, "Good morning, son. Do you want to eat something?" She asked while groping the chopping board on the woodenpboard above her head.


    "Good morning, ma. I would eat anything you have prepared. I''m going to the bathroom to bathe myself first," I replied.


    "Okay." She chopped the vegetables on the wooden chopping board.


    After a few moments, I went outside our house and started walking down the quiet street. My neighbors were cleaning their yards, trimming the tall weeds, and watering the nts.


    The street was shaded by tall structures, blocking the morning sunlight. There was a limited amount of transportation in our area: no vehicles, but carriages were going back and forth. Though we were not influenced by the modern world, everyone there didn''t feel any difficulty in life, perhaps except for me and my parents.


    As usual, the bad bully boys were there again. I wasn''t lucky that day, for they were many andrge. Laterally, two of them got as close as I expected, then they began pushing me against the hard wall. I tried to punch one of them, but he was so big that he could not feel any pain.


    He was going to punch me back when I saw an old man going towards us. He was in old and porous clothes with some stains on them. I looked at him, as if he were mesmerizing me. But I came back to consciousness when the boy pped my face.


    "What are you looking at there, huh?" He furrowed his forehead. "Are you waiting for someone who can help you?"


    As I took a glimpse back to where the old man was, I saw him raising his hand, and then, in two shakes of amb''s tail, the bad boys disappeared from the ce. I tried looking for them. They were just around me, but then I didn''t know what to feel. They werepletely gone.


    "Who are you?" I queried, stepping backward. "Please don''t hurt me!"


    "Don''t worry, I will not," he replied. "I''m here for an important reason."


    "What is it?" I halted and grasped the straps of my backpack.


    "Do you want to be a hero? Do you want to help those innocent people from the bad ones who are oppressing them?" He inquired.


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    "Do I look like I''m joking?" He stared at me, and I saw the seriousness in his eyes. He opened his palm and ordered, "Look at this. This is the power that I''m going to give you."


    A bluish cloud appeared and floated above his hand, and it mesmerized me again. I came back to consciousness when he closed his hand. I realized he wasn''t joking, that he had power, which could make my dreame true, which was to be a superhero!


    "Okay, I will ept your offer. I want to have that power. To be a superhero so that the bad guys won''t bully me again," I replied.


    A devilish smile appeared on his face. His eyeballs were round and white, but hecked two horns to be a real devil. "I will only give this to you if you agree with my condition," he added.


    "I agree with everything. Just give me that power!" I eximed.


    The old man opened his palm, and the bluish air floated towards me. It entered my ears and nose. I felt pain and it made me look down and grasp my head. There seemed to be something creeping down my veins.


    After a few seconds, I felt no pain anymore. Instead, I felt like I was full of vitality. As I looked up, the old man had already disappeared from the spot where he was standing, and I didn''t know where he went.

 3 The Flash Report

    Ka


    From the window of my bedroom, I could see that dusk had quickly arrived. While the darkness began to show, the moon and stars started to shine. It was already night, but I could recognize everything inside my room, for it was awash in the silver moonlight which would only disappear if I closed the windows.


    I could see the solid dark shadows that indicates the carriage house and the stables. The moon, like a thin wafer of pale lemon, hung impaled upon the slender shaft of a solitary pine standing on the grassy hill, but now covered with snow. Everything below seemed luminous, glowing dreamlike in the cold moonlight.


    The hither and thither movements of the cold air chilled me, so I closed the windows and lowered the pink drapes. I turned on the lights, took my pink backpack and notes to the desk, and answered my assignments. Though I had a wealthy family, I would never reckon with the servants and tutors. I wasn''t an ambitious girl; I just wanted to live a simple life like anyone else. I also hate those maids who followed me wherever I would go. The people around seemed putting me inside a cage, that every small movement I made, they captured it.


    My mom owned vastnd she inherited from our ancestors. Thatnd was the whole town where we currently reside. Meanwhile, my father was a notorious man in the city because of his numerous businesses andpanies. Though I was their only daughter, I''d never aspire to inherit their wealth; I just wanted to live a simple and peaceful life. Many people believed that having a lot of money would lead someone into danger, and I was one of them. After I finished my homework, I fixed my things and put them back inside my backpack. I donned my pink sneakers and went downstairs. I counted every step I took and collided with whatever I could, to find some sce. I continued to the living room and sat down on the couch.


    "Amara? Amara!" I called my personal maid who hurriedly got near to serve me. "Can you please turn on the TV?" Iid down on the couch.


    Amara had been working for us for over five years. She was already twenty-four, and I was treating her as my elder sister since I didn''t have either sister nor brother. I only had parents, and I didn''t know how to live without them. "Ka, just tell me if you need something, I''m going to the kitchen to prepare your dinner." Amara left me and continued to the kitchen.


    sh report: "A wealthy couple named rk and Aya Breaks were found lifeless inside the Sunshine hotel. The police are now investigating the heinous crime. We are conveying our condolences to the families and friends of the couple named rk and Aya Breaks."


    "Mom? Dad?" I jumped out of the couch and shouted with mixed emotions.


    The servants ran towards me and saw what was on the television. They tried to soothe me, but my tears dripped down the floor. No words could express how I felt, and no scale could measure how much I wept. I was both sad and mad: sad that my parents were gone and mad to those merciless inhuman who killed them.


    "Please bring me to my parents; I need to see them now!" I ordered.


    "Sorry Ka, but we can''t bring you there now, especially since we don''t know where they brought your parents'' corpse. Maybe we can go there tomorrow morning?" Amara guessed. "It''s already night, you should go to the dining room and eat your dinner."


    I didn''t mind Amara. My rheums would not stop dripping. I didn''t know what to do, what I only knew was that I wanted to see my parents. Many hours had psed, but I was still lopsidedly lying on the couch, hiding and pressing my face against the couch. It was just yesterday when we were so happy. I could not believe that everything would turned into memories.


    "Ka, please eat your dinner. Nothing will happen if you''ll only lie there," Amara advised. She was about to say something when I interrupted.


    "Just leave me alone!" I shouted. "I want to see my parents!"


    "Okay Ka, I would leave you here because I''m also drowsy. Just go to the dining room if you want to eat." Amara walked out of the living room.


    I stood up and turned off the television and lights. If I could also turn off myself, I already did that, so that I could not feel the pain. I sat down on the couch once more, waiting for daybreak so I could see my parents. I could not believe that they would die so easily as that, because they had many guards who were always with them.


    While stifling myself, there were many questions crossing my mind. Such as how could I live without my parents? How could I manage everything without their help? How could I give equity and justice for their death? Perhaps it would be better if I died too.


    I was trying to stop breathing, but I could not really waste the opportunity to live in this cruel world. I could not prevent myself from breathing, because Icked the courage to do that. I knew that ending my life could not solve the problems. I suddenly jumped off the couch and cried, "Don''t leave me alone!"


    The whole living room suddenly turned light. I saw Amara and the other maids who were going towards me. I could see mercy and care in their eyes which seemed to tell me not to give up. I sat down again on the couch, and Amara also sat down beside me.


    "I believe that you can, and I will never leave you even whatever happened." Amara tried to convinced me as she made meid down.


    Iid down on the couch with my head perched on her legs. She also leaned on the upper part of the couch while the other maids went back to the room where they were taking a rest.

 4 The Pinkish Cloud

    I never found a way to fill all the silence. In the weeks that followed the greatest tragedy of my life, I jumped from my bed every morning, donned my pink sneakers, a ck leather coat with a hood and went out of my dark room. Every morning, I would do a step-by-step move on the winding stairs and look at the paintings hanging on the wall.


    Whatever I would do, I could not forget my parents. Everything seemed gone from me: my happiness, my courage, and my weaknesses had scattered. The kind of life I had was meaningless; it did not had any destination; it was just flying with the cold breeze.


    Sitting on the concrete stairs in the front of the mansion, wist deep in thought because if I''d think of my parents, I didn''t feel so alone. Looking at the groves and copses of trees came whip-crack sounds as the slight breeze moved their icy branches.


    The sunsets had changed. They were not as beautiful as they looked before. I had memories of my parents being everywhere around the mansion. I did nothing all day but to reminisces those good memories.


    I knew I was living in a part of the country where throughout a year meant ice, snow, and cold weather. That was why I always wear my parka every time I go outside the mansion.


    All those days, every sundown, I sat down on the piles of snow and remembered the way my parents hugged me, the way we''d throw snowballs at each other, the way they''d teach me how to build a snowman, and the way they''d nced and smiled at me.


    Night had gathered within a few short minutes; still, I was looking at the ck-and-white world of smooth, dark roads, snowy roadside fences, and the tracery of trees.


    Amara got out of the mansion and walked towards me. She was wearing a white shirt with a blue cor, a ck leather coat striped with pink thread in the center, and long pants were fastened around her waist and hanging down loosely to her legs. Her hair was tied by pink bands into two portions were both bouncing as she walked. She halted beside me and looked at the fireflies were spreading their intermittent light and flying around the foliage of trees. "Don''t you want to get inside?" Amara asked. "It''s cold here."


    I took a snowball and threw it to the groves then told her, "I''m just fine."


    "Fine? But it''s been many days since you haven''t eaten well or slept well, and look at yourself: you''re not the Ka that I knew." She sat down beside me.


    "It''s not your business; I can do anything I want. Just leave me alone!"


    "Not my business? Your parents told me that I must take care of you whatever happens, and now you''re telling me to leave?" She queried. "You forsook everything: your schooling, your friends and yourself. Your parents won''t be happy if they sees what you''re doing."


    "My friends? Do I have friends? Everyone leaves me behind, even my parents. I''m alone in this cruel world!" I cried.


    "Please don''t cry. I''m always here for you. From now on, you can consider me your best friend." She wiped the tears diffused on my face with her pink handkerchief. "I''m going inside to prepare your dinner, and please eat it because I don''t want to see you be a skeleton."


    Amara stood up and walked down the wide entrance between the alignedmpposts. I saw her entering the wide door of the mansion. She continued walking until I saw her diaphanous silhouette passing by through the window made of ss.


    In a few moments that followed, I saw a dark moving shadow, taking the walkway several feet away from where I was. After some seconds of looking at it, I recognized it was a horse attached with a carriage. It halted in front of me and an old woman stepped out.


    She was wearing a leather coat and long pants. Her long, curly hair was spreading around her back. I was not sure, but she was an ugly old woman who looked like a hag. She walked towards me and stared at the mansion.


    "I can hear the whisper of sorrow, and a heart shouting for justice," she insinuated.


    I didn''t know what she was talking about. She might be a crazy passerby. As I stood up and turned to leave, I felt a cold hand which seemed to be a hand of death that held my arm.


    She whispered right through my ear, "Do you want to get revenge on those merciless people who killed your parents?"


    I noticed, her voice wasn''t totally a voice of an old woman. It was a little melodious and she talked normally as if she were a young woman. Perhaps she was joking when she asked if I wanted to exact revenge on the people who murdered my parents, because I knew an elderly woman like her would simply copse under a bullet of those criminals. However, I also knew there was nothing to lose if I''d talk with her.


    If you''re loving the book, nel5s.org is where the adventure continues. Join us for theplete experience all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you! "How did you know that my parents were gone?" I queried.


    "It''s been many years since I started watching you and your family; I also knew those cruel people who killed your parents."


    "Who?" I asked. "Please tell me, I need to catch them, so that they can pay for their sins, and I can also give justice for my parents'' death."


    "I will only tell you if you''ll promise me to retaliate against them. You will kill them as what they did to your parents."


    "But how can I kill them if I''m only sixteen and I don''t know how to use a gun because I haven''t touched one since I was born?"


    "Trust me, I will give you power, so that you can kill them without exerting much effort," she responded. "Do you want to have it?"


    "Power? What kind of power?" I asked. "Of course I want."


    She opened her mouth, and there was something jumped out. It was a pinkish cloud that floated towards me, it entered my nose and mouth, and because of that I could not breathe well, I lost consciousness.

 5 The Injured Finger

    Lil


    "Help! Help!" I shouted.


    I sprang out of my bed and realized that everything was just a bad dream. My room''s door screamed decrepitude, and I saw my mother walking towards me in her old pajamas. The wooden bed was cracking when she sat down on it. "Why were you shouting? Is there something wrong?" She queried.


    "Nothing, I just had a bad dream and it seemed real," I replied.


    "Dream? It''s the first time that you''ve had a dream."


    Perhaps I shouted because I had never experienced having any dreams before. I always slept well every night, and I sometimes took a nap in the afternoon. Was there something wrong with why I had a bad dream?


    I remembered the old man who gave me a bluish cloud. He was the only weird thing that happened. He told me it was a power, but it seemed to have no effect. He might be fooling me too, and that didn''t have any connection with my dream. He could be insane and was only trying to turn me into a monkey. Did I look so weak that many people were underestimating me? I knew the only problem was with them and not me, but I was also a fool who let them break down my wall. "Do you want to sleep again?" My mother directly looked at my eyes.


    "Maybe not, it''s already morning." I stood up and walked towards the door. "I should help you prepare our breakfast."


    My mother followed me to the kitchen, where I helped her chop the meat so that we could cook food for our breakfast. I could not forget the old man who was so serious in every word he said. I could not decide what to believe: if he was crazy or if he was not.


    He was the one who made those bullies disappear, and nobody knew where they were sent. Their parents were searching for them, which startedst night. That man was so powerful that he suddenly disappeared without a trace, as what he did to those bullies. Did I need to find more evidence to know that he was serious?


    "Aw!" I eximed.


    The dark red liquid spouts out from my finger when I identally chopped it with a sharp knife. I covered it with my shirt so that the bleeding would stop. How unlucky I was. I knew it was my mistake because I was thinking about many things at the time, and instead of chopping the meat, I had chopped my finger.


    "Oh Lil! What happened?" My mother asked me in an appalled manner.


    "Nothing, I just wounded my finger." I replied with a happy voice, but the truth was that it was a voice of fighting against extreme pain. I closed my eyes and lips with a bit of force and pressed my injured finger against the cover of my blue shirt.


    "Your face tells me that you feel pain." She nced at my finger.


    "It''s just a little wound; let it heal itself." I told her though, though I could not stop myself from whimpering. I did nothing but hold my breath.


    "Don''t be stubborn; I can see some blood on your clothes. Let me see your finger, so that we can heal it." She took my hand.


    "Look! It''s not just a little wound that will quickly heal. Don''t move it, or your finger will be totally detached from your hand."


    I did not say anything, but looked down at my feet and did not move. I could see a thick, red liquid dripping down the rough floor.


    "I had already told you not to help me in preparing food, but you still did. Now look what happened to your finger. You will surely regret it if you had totally cut that!" My mother scolded me while I was looking for something.


    I noticed my finger gradually healing itself while she was looking for any textile. The pain I felt had gone and everything came back to its normal condition. It was so cool and I could not believe it! I seemed to be a vampire in a movie (de), that however someone would cut my body, it would heal itself!


    My mother went back towards me with a long strap that reached the floor. She held my hand and was appalled by what she saw. "Where''s your injured finger?" She asked in a curious manner.


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    She also took the other one and searched carefully. She scrutinized every part of my hands and was puzzled because she saw nothing but my normal hands, with five fingers each, mauve nails, and the rumpled center on each of my fingers. I did not want to lie to my mother, but I also did not want to tell the truth for an unknown reason. She still would not believe me if I told her the truth, because even I could not believe it.


    "Injured finger?" I pretended not to know. "What are you talking about? I don''t have an injured finger."


    "But I saw it clearly just a while ago," the mother defended. "It''s impossible that your injury would disappear like that!"


    How could she say the word "impossible"? I knew that there were many impossible things she could do besides what happened to my finger.


    I mumbled, "Sorry ma, but you have just wasted your time."


    As I continued chopping the meat, I didn''t worry if I could chop my finger with the knife that glittered when struck by the light from themp, especially since my hand had the power to heal itself alone.


    Meanwhile, my mother could not move on from what happened. She sometimes red at my hand when I wasn''t looking at her. I had already finished chopping the meat, and I left her alone in the kitchen to take a bath.


    From the window of my bedroom, I could see the sun starting its journey in the sky. I donned my blue shirt and trousers, looking at my handsome reflection in the broken mirror.


    High nose, short and straight ck hair, brown skin, mauve lips, and high eyshes. I was wondering why my eyes had bluish flecks, though my parents both had brown, round eyes with ck flecks.

 6 The Things I Admired

    In my brain I screamed, "Yohoo-I can live forever!"


    I slightly shifted my hands on my chest back and forth several times. It was incredible! I could not believe that I had that kind of power. I didn''t need to be afraid anymore. Even if someone tried to cut me into pieces, I would onlyugh at them. Many impossible things have happened to me since I met that old, weird man. He was undoubtedly powerful, for he made my dreame true. I became a superhuman! But something crossed my mind: about the condition he wanted to tell


    me.


    I didn''t know if I had that condition in order to be a superhero. I admitted it was my mistake. I didn''t listen to what he wanted to say. However, I didn''t worry too much, because there was nothing that could be hidden forever. I was pretty sure I would discover that thing soon.


    Though I already had the power, it never entered my mind to stop schooling. I wanted to see my ssmates who were studying their notes, writing something on their papers, answering tests, reading books, and listening to our teachers'' discussion.


    Nothing could stop me from going to school and doing everything I could to achieve my dreams. I understood that the power I had would not help me achieve my goals and might even endanger me.


    My beautiful teacher, Jayne Salvador, fixed her things on the desk. She carried them with both hands and walked towards the door. She opened it and got out of our ssroom.


    My ssmates hurriedly followed her outside. They were crowded at the door. I didn''t know what they were thinking. What I only knew was that they seemed to be in an elementary ss and not in a high school. Those children were even more obedient than they were.


    Unlike those children, my ssmates couldn''t even follow the smallest instructions from our teacher. But I knew I could not me them, because sometimes stupidity was cleverness. Being disobedient sometimes helps someone avoid danger. Looking out the window made of ss, I could see the students were going outside their ssrooms too, so I fixed my belongings, put them inside my blue backpack, zipped and slung it across my back.


    "Hey!" France eximed. "Where are you going?"


    France was my ssmate. He had been my ssmate since my elementary days. Until high school, he was still my ssmate and also a seatmate. France was a kind boy. He sometimes defended me from those bad students. He had a high nose, round, brown eyes, short, curly hair, thick, ck eyebrows, brown skin, etcetera.


    I replied, "I''m going home, you know, it''s already midday."


    "Wait for me, I will join with you," France said while fixing his notebooks. He unzipped his ck backpack and put his things inside. He carried it on his shoulders and attempted to go. "Wait! You have forgotten to zip your backpack." I told him, took some steps, and zipped up his backpack.


    He said, "Thank you," and then we went outside the ssroom.


    We sat down on the bench first, waiting for the throng of students to disappear. Then we got out of the gate and took the street. The structures never felt tired of standing on both sides.


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    I was impressed by the way they stood on whatever hurricane passed by. The structure is better than any other, quiet andzy for any trouble. Nobody could criticize or judge them because they were notmitting any crimes against humanity.


    "It''s nice to know that there''s no bully anymore," France said.


    I bragged, then chuckled. "They are lucky because they didn''t show their faces to me, or else I would have kicked them out of this world."


    "Whoa, are you really mad at them?" He queried. "I heard the news that those boys were missing many days ago, and their parents were still searching for them until now."


    "Yeah, I also heard that news," I told him.


    Though I knew, I didn''t tell anyone about that thing. Nobody would believe me either, because I was the only one who could see the old man. Other people would only make fun of me, for they would think I was a crazy boy who talked


    nonsense.


    "Where do you think they are now?" France asked.


    "I don''t know and I don''t care wherever they are. They might be happy there. We should not care about them, for they have themselves every time and we also have ours," I replied.


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    "You have a point," he agreed. "We should not think about those inconsiderate people who don''t care about us either."


    "Oh yeah, we should walk fast so that we can get home early." I suggested while looking at my shoes and minding my own steps.


    We walked fast on the concrete road. Sometimes I looked at what was ahead and also looked back to see how long we had already traveled. After a few moments, my friend stopped walking.


    "Lil, I will be here," France informed me. "That''s our house." He pointed his index finger at the huge, white-painted house by the street.


    I knew, unlike me, France came from a wealthy family. So I nodded. He tapped me on the back portion of my shoulder as a sign of goodbye, then he walked towards their house. He got inside the door and shut it, so I continued walking down the quiet street.


    After a few moments, I reached home. I got inside and searched for my parents, but as usual, they were not home yet, because it was midday and they were busy working. My father was probably on the farm, while my mother was on the market.


    I would do these things alone. I was quite capable of taking care of myself, feeding myself, feeding the animals, and feeding my dog, Cyril. A dog I saw on the street a month ago. She was looking weak and pitiable at that time, so I decided to take her home.


    Every time I was going towards our house, Cyril would also run towards me. She would jump and lick me anywhere, even my face. She always wanted to y with me, and sometimes slept beside me. The only problem with her was that she was sometimes dirty and made my school uniforms and clean clothes dirty. I even admired my dog. Perhaps it''s because I didn''t have any sisters or brothers, the reason why I always treated her as my younger sister.

 7 The Puzzle

    Ka


    I was holding my chin on the windowpane, looking at the sky filled with low-flying snow clouds, though there was a break through which the sun shone. Some trick of prismlike crystal, some sun-and-moisture phenomenon, gave the falling snowkes color, and as they materialized in the sunlight, twinkling downward, they seemed to vanish.


    I might have had a very long dream about the old woman who offered me a pinkish cloud. I didn''t know what to believe. Perhaps everything was only a dream, because when I woke up, I was lying on my bed. Perhaps everything was only a dream and I fell asleep when I was having a conversation with my personal maid.


    I was feeling bored of sitting on the chair by the window. Just a while ago, when I woke up, I decided to open them so that the darkness would disappear. I realized that everything around me was not doing anything wrong to me, and it would be better if my bedroom wasn''t dark, because darkness seemed to swallow me.


    Picture-perfect memories weren''t just scattered on the floor, but also around my room. The spots where I had good memories with the two people I loved were still capturing my attention. I also realized why some people didn''t want to be close to others; if they passed away, it would be hard to forget them.


    I promised myself I would never be close to anyone again, because they would only cause me pain. They could witness the strong and brave Ka, who would never let anyone hurt her. She''d never trust unworthy people, and those criminals would pay for the sins they hadmitted!


    The arms of my wrist watch were pointing at eight o''clock in the morning. I stood up and went towards the closet to choose a shirt to wear. I needed to take a bath, because I could smell my stinky self. After a few minutes, I took the winding stairs and listened to my own footsteps.


    Some servants in the mansion had already left. I knew they were thinking that I could no longer manage everything. The mansion wouldn''t be a grand house again because many people were working for us, such as domestic servants, an army of cooks, parlour maids, footmen, hall boys, gardeners, butlers, and coachmen.


    I didn''t know how many people were working in the mansion. I got inside the kitchen and saw some cooks who were cooking food for our breakfast. It was good to see that not all of them had left. I would be a skeleton if there was no one who could cook food for me.


    "Good morning, Miss Ka," they said.


    I didn''t know why they lowered their heads, maybe showing respect, though they didn''t really need to, because they were free to go, but they only went back to their work.


    "What do you want to eat, Miss Ka?" Chef asked.


    I replied, "You''re working here for many years; you already know what foods I want to eat." I then walked towards the refrigerator.


    I am a bit choosy when ites to foods. I didn''t want to eat foods thatcked ingredients; I didn''t want to eat spicy foods, insipid foods, bitter foods, sour foods, sweet foods, creamy foods, etcetera. I didn''t want anything because I wasn''t eating.


    The cold water flowed down my esophagus. I put the ss on the table and went outside the kitchen. I got inside the bathroom and prepared the bathtub. I didn''t want to take a cold bath, but a warm one. It was so cold outside that I would be frozen if I couldn''t feel even a little warm.


    After I took a bath, I changed my clothes and went to the living room. I realized that I couldn''t take revenge on those criminals if I sat down there and waited. I couldn''t go to school anymore, because I needed to manage a lot of things in the mansion. I would like to spend my time searching for those wicked gangsters who killed my parents rather than listening to my teacher''s boring discussion.


    I remembered the old woman in my dream. She told me that she knew those killers, but she didn''t tell me anything about them. Perhaps she, too, was absolutely a dream and everything wasn''t real. I should forget that ugly woman because she couldn''t help me with my problems.


    The tall and antiquated mirror attracted my attention. It was older than me, than my parents, and maybe older than my grandparents. Mom told me that she had inherited that from her great grandparents. She was always telling everyone in the mansion to be careful in their moves so that they couldn''t break the mirror.


    I took my hairbrush from the table and Ibed my straight, long, silvery pink hair. I didn''t know why I had different hair from my parents. My mom had straight golden-brown hair, while my dad had curly gray hair. I didn''t know if I had grandparents because they didn''t tell me anything about them ever since my world began.


    While looking at the mirror, I saw Amara going towards me. She was wearing a blue shirt, jeans, and pink sneakers. Her hands were inside the pockets of her jeans, as if she had a lot of money to burn, but the truth was, her pockets only contained a hole. I hadn''t given their sries yet, because I knew they would leave their jobs if I couldn''t give them their wages.


    "Let meb your hair." Amara took the hairbrush from my hand, then she softlybed my hair like my mom would do.


    "Sister Amara, can I ask you something?" I looked at the mirror.


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    "Yes. Of course. You don''t need to ask permission before asking me a question, because you''re my beautiful princess," Amara replied. "Tell me what''s that?"


    "Do you know who came into my roomst night?" I inquired.


    "Sorry Ka, but I don''t know. What I only remember was that I was waiting for you here on the couch and, because I felt drowsy, I fell asleep. Maybe the parlour maids or the guards?"


    "Maybe. But they wouldn''t touch me as long as I didn''t tell them."


    "Oh, that''s mysterious!" Amara became confused. "But I assure you that I did not bring you inside your room."


    "Let''s not think too much about it. We should get inside the dining room, because I''m hungry." I stood up and walked towards the door.


    "You''re right, what''s important is that you''re here safe and sound."


    If nobody brought me inside my room, maybe it was also possible that the old woman wasn''t just a dream. She looked weird, and she might be powerful too. What I only remembered was that there was a pinkish cloud that came out of her mouth. It floated towards me, entered my nose, mouth, and ears, and I didn''t know what happened next.

 8 The Zombie Boy

    Many days passed by, but I hadn''t gotten any information about those merciless gangsters who killed my parents. I had already sent some men to find them. The police, too, didn''t have any update regarding this. I should create posters telling people that they could receive a big reward if they could tell me anything about my parents'' death.


    It was already night. I was alone in my room. I lie alone on my bed, listening to music and thinking of my parents until it hurts. But what else could I do? Tormented and torn apart.


    If my parents were not dead, I wouldn''t be lying on that bed anymore. Perhaps I was ying outside the mansion, traveling to other ces, sightseeing, and learning about how immense the world was. But everything that happened was the opposite of what I wanted.


    The light inside my room suddenly disappeared. I could see nothing but darkness. I could feel the cool air from the window''s crack. The hairs on my arms and legs stood up as the diaphanous curtains danced with the wind.


    I sprang from my bed and looked for the lighter that I had put somewhere, but I couldn''t find it. I went towards the window and raised the curtains. I''d rather feel the cool air than be in a room where I could see nothing.


    Using the lighter, I tried to light a candle, but it wouldn''t give light because of the blowing air. It would be better to lie on my bed and sleep. I didn''t need a light if I was going to sleep, because I''d still close my eyes.


    I walked towards my soft, upholstered bed,id down, and closed my eyes. I was quite capable of sleeping with the cool air until I saw something, though my eyes were both closed.


    It was the pinkish cloud which was showing me something odious. A boy who was hurting a pitiable girl. I went near and touched it to know if it was true or I was just dreaming. There was something, such as a strong forceing from the cloud, and it pulled me inside.


    "Aah... Aaahh... Aaaahhh... Aaaahhhh!" I groaned.


    The strong force was absorbing me. I felt like it was grinding my whole body. After a few seconds, I fell down on the pile of withered leaves.


    "Where am I?" was the question that crossed my brain. "Where''s my bedroom?" Where''s the mansion? Where am I?"


    I looked around and noticed that I was in a ce covered with withered leaves from trees. I also noticed the sun was near the horizon. The leaves were falling to the ground as the breeze whispered, making them dance. I tried to calm myself. Maybe it was a dream again.


    I saw a boy kicking a girl near to the hard wall that surrounded the ce. They were the ones who I saw on the pinkish cloud a while ago. I was confused about why it was afternoon there and not evening. I didn''t know where I was. I didn''t even know how to go back. I was slightly ufortable there. It wasn''t the ce I most wanted. But I could do nothing, so I turned my attention to the boy who was kicking the poor girl.


    He was wearing a baggy ck shirt, ck cks, and white long sleeves. He had wearing a baggy ck shirt, ck cks, and white long sleeves. He had short, curly ck hair. The poor girl was wearing a purplish-blue skirt and a white shirt striped with purple fabric, and she had long, banded, curly ck hair.


    "Hey!" I eximed. "What are you doing to her?"


    The boy stared at me with zing red eyes. He seemed to be an addict taking illegal drugs. Perhaps that was the reason why he hurt innocent people, like what he was doing to the girl. He suddenly ran towards me and tried to bite me. He wasn''t an ordinary boy, for he was strong and fast and seemed like a zombie in the movie (Train to Busan).


    Because of my fear of being bitten by his sharp teeth, I kicked him with all my force, which made him tumble away. Perhaps he was out of consciousness because he hadn''t moved there for a while. I went to the girl and helped her stand up. I noticed that she was beautiful: she had a high nose, pink lips, white skin, and brown eyes. She might be younger than me.


    "Are you okay?" I asked in apassionate manner.


    "Thank you for saving me from that zombie!" She replied.


    I looked at the boy. Maybe she called him "zombie" because of what he was doing. Suddenly, and startlingly, he stood up firmly and ran towards us. He tried to bite the girl who was leaning against the wall. The boy had sharp teeth that glistened when stroked by the sunlight. He appeared to be a bloodthirsty vampire looking to suck the girl''s blood.


    I had no choice but to pick up therge stone from the ground and hit the boy in the nape. His head cracked and a dull, whitish, soft, watery, inexplicable thing exploded from his skull. "You''re a killer! You''re a killer!" The girl shouted with mixed emotions, then cried. "You killed my brother! You killed him."


    She quickly ran towards the exit as if there were many demons chasing her, and she didn''t want to be captured. That was why she ran quickly and stumbled over the wood that was in her way. She stood up and continued running towards the exit of the walled ce.


    I was looking at my hands and thinking about how I did that kind of thing. I wasn''t a killer! What I did was simply self-defense, because if I didn''t kill that boy, he might have been the one to kill me. I didn''t mean anything. I didn''t mean to kill anyone. I didn''t want to be imprisoned!


    What should I do? I was in a ce that I didn''t know. I didn''t have anything there. How could I survive? Perhaps I will just die. The clear liquid from my eyes dripped down to the withered leaves.


    Minutes psed, I heard and saw the police cars had stopped at the entrance of the walled ce. But before they entered, a pinkish cloud appeared several feet away from me. The strong force from it absorbed me. It spun and grinded my body, making me lose consciousness.

 9 The Two Ladies

    Lil


    It was a sunny day. I asionally visit our farm or the market to help my parents with their work. I wasn''t a hard-working boy; I was only doing the things I could and wanted to do. Why should I do something I couldn''t? Especially if there was no good reason for doing it?


    The life of a sixteen-year-old boy like me was so monotonous. From Monday to Friday, I walked back and forth between home and school. Sometimes, I frown and shrug while sitting on the bench, looking at the blue sky, wondering when I could ride my silver ne and go anywhere around the.


    Change was inevitable. Everything might change. My dreams, my appearance and identity, my learning, preferences, my beliefs, and many other things had changed. If in the past, I let someone bully me, then I would never let them do that again. I didn''t believe in magic, but without doubt, it existed. Teacher Jayne was right: "You would only believe in something if you had experienced it."


    I took the road to the farm where my father worked. I knew he needed someone''s help with nting crops, and that was why I decided to go there. I was looking at the green nts creeping up the tall wall beside the street, counting every step I took. People were in deep slumber, and I could hear everything singing a luby.


    As I walked on, there were two women ahead who seemed to be fighting. I went near and observed, to know why they were fighting in the center of the road. They were both wearing fancy dresses. They might be from a party. I got nearer, but they had not noticed me.


    "I have trusted you my whole life, because you were my best friend, but what did you do? He was already my husband, but you stole him from me! How could you do that?" She asked in a crying manner.


    "I''m sorry sis, but it wasn''t my mistake if that man fell in love with me. It was your mistake that you didn''t watch your husband, and maybe he was searching for a woman who''s more beautiful, sexy, and excels at bed," the other woman responded.


    "How dare you brag about yourself in front of me? And you appear brave, even though you''re the one who hurt me?"


    "I''m just telling the truth, you''re already wide. That''s why he searched for a woman like me-who''s young and outbidding."


    "What a scamp! I know you were the one seducing my husband, and he wouldn''t go with you unless you flirted with him!" the victim eximed.


    While watching the two women, there was a strong force that pushed me towards them. It was so strong that I could not fight against it. I dashed off and emerged between them, and they both confusedly looked at me. They were about to say a word when, suddenly, I punched their faces with my two fists. I didn''t know why, but it wasn''t me. It was my hands, which seemed to have their own brains. I couldn''t control them anymore.


    My fists would not stop punching the two pitiable women. They tried to fight me, but because I was too strong, or my arms were so strong, they could do nothing. even though there were two people trying to stop me. They had many bruises on their faces. In a few moments, they both lost consciousness; they copsed on the concrete road with bended legs, just like in a movie I had watched on our neighbor''s television. I didn''t know if they were still alive, but my fists decided to stop, and then I felt like I could control them again.


    I was hazed, confused, worried and full of regret about what I did. I grasped my hair, and my tears dripped down when I realized they were dead! It was all my fault. Why were those things happening to me?


    "I did not mean it! I did not mean it!" I screamed while running towards the ce where my father was working. I didn''t want to be imprisoned, was the word that crossed my brain next. If they knew I was the one who murdered those women, they would surely throw me in jail!


    I still had many dreams in life, and I didn''t want to waste many years in jail. I hoped that no one saw the crime Imitted; otherwise I didn''t know what would happen to me. I wiped my tears with my clothes and continued walking towards my father. I pretended that I didn''t do anything wrong, but in my brain the sin I hadmitted was reigning.


    My father was nting crops. He was wearing a pointed hat, ragged clothes, and boots that he had worn every time he went to our farm for many years. I could see the sweat that had evaporated on his face and neck. My father had been removing the weeds there, so that the growth of the crops wouldn''t be affected.


    I noticed I was full of sweat. It seemed that I had just taken a bath, and I could see the shape of my body in my bluish shirt. I was running fast a while ago, thinking that there was someone chasing me and wanting to kill me, like what I did to those women.


    "Oh! Son. What are you doing here?" My father noticed me.


    "I came to help you nt the crops." I replied, and feigned a smile.


    "Are you sure?" He asked. "Well, that''s a good idea, so that we can finish our work fast and go home early."


    Sometimes my father didn''t want me to reply to his questions. I didn''t know why, but he was always adding his words after asking. He didn''t want me to interject him. He knew what I wanted to say, so I needed to be careful, or else he would know my sin. He was so strict, and he might be the one to throw me in jail if he found out I''d killed someone.


    "Did you dry yourself after taking a bath?" My father asked in a dubious manner. "If you can''t endure the sunlight, you may go back home now."


    "No. I simply forgot to dry myself before leaving the house," I lied.


    I knew he doubted me, because we both knew our farm was far from our house and it was impossible that the water would still be on my body if I just walked from home to go there.


    My father''s investigator version had shown up again when he asked, "Did you do something wrong that you were full of sweat and seemed to have been running from our house towards here?"

 10 The Annoying Curse

    Death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death


    I was lying down on my wooden bed with my hands on my nape. I hadn''t slept well thinking about the crime I''dmitted. I remembered the way my hands punched the two women.


    Those happenings were so fast, and as always, the regret was in thest part. It was all my mistake that I was so weak and there was nothing I could do to stop my hands from doing that crime. Perhaps that thing was part of the power the weird old man meant. If I wasn''t mistaken, that power wasn''t called power anymore, but a curse.


    What did I do wrong that the old man gave me that kind of power? It was just stupendous at first, but I could not squeamishly see that I was hurting innocent people who were doing nothing wrong to me. I hate that kind of power, hoping that someone would take it from me.


    A bluish cloud appeared in front of me. I sprang out of bed and went near. I didn''t know why it appeared. I touched it, but it was the same as the air. I could only see it because it had a different color from other gases. I was startled when a cold hand that seemed to be the hand of a dead person seized my arm. The hairs on my skin stood up.


    I was a mere stripling, and I didn''t need anyone''s help, because I knew that on most asions there would be someone who could help me. I fought against my fear and tried to pull the hand back. I realized it belonged to the old man who gave me the bluish cloud. He stepped out of the bluish cloud.


    He was wearing the same clothes as the first time I met him, but his face had be cleaner than before, and perhaps he had also grown stronger, for even his grip on my arm had left a mark.


    I removed his hand from mine and the mark slowly disappeared. He was at the perfect time, for there were many questions in my mind. About the power he gave me and also about the bad effects of the power. I knew that killing those innocent women was part of it, and I didn''t want to have that kind of curse anymore.


    "Please remove this from me," I begged him in a low voice.


    He stared at me with an asking gaze. He might be curious about why I quickly changed my mind, but then, his seriousness turned into a joke when he suddenlyughed like a demon.


    "It''s not my problem anymore. I''d already told you that there were some exchanges in giving you the power. Everything that you experienced, experienced, and will experience is part of it," he replied. "How dare you say that?" I scowled. "You cheated me. You said it was a power, but it was a curse!"


    "Everything was your mistake, boy. You did not listen to my words before epting the power." Heughed again. "You people are so thirsty and would do anything just to have power!"


    "You were the one who offered me this, and I have no desire for power! Remove it from me and plug it into your lungs! You''re a cheater! You cheated me! It''s a curse!" I eximed in a continuous manner.


    I tried to punch his shameless face, but he was also like the cloud, which could not be touched. I wondered if that was how he could touch me, though I could not touch him. Maybe he really was a powerful one. And maybe my parents heard me talking alone inside my room, which awakened them and knocked on the door. The old man and the bluish cloud suddenly disappeared from the spot where they appeared.


    I was thinking about an alibi which I could use to defend myself from the scourge of truth while going towards the door. I mollified and cated myself before opening it. Then I saw the curiosity on my mother''s face.


    My father might be still asleep, and that favored me. I knew that my mother wasn''t an inquisitive woman; she would listen and believe me like a fool in every word I wanted to say. Unlike my father, who made his own inferences and turned me wrong in the sight of anything, anyone, everything, or everyone.


    "What happened? Is there something wrong?" She queried.


    I replied, "Just practicing my speech for the school contest."


    I knew my parents would not attend, even though there would be a grand program at our school. They were always busy working to get or buy what we needed every day. Even though they were not busy, they still wouldn''t look there. Maybe they were afraid of being seen by someone. Maybe their fear of the crowd of people turned into a phobia?


    "You woke up early. Are you sure there''s nothing wrong?" Mother inquired dubiously, looking me in the eyes.


    I always avoided having eye-to-eye contact with anyone. So, I knew that she wouldn''t doubt if I was telling the truth or not.


    "Um, the truth was, I had not slept well," I replied.


    "It''s still early. Do you want me to sing you a song so that you can sleep?"


    "Mama, I''m not a baby anymore. I had grown up already," I told her. "You should go back to sleep."


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    "You''re sixteen, so don''t be shy: I can even sing a luby for your grandmother. It''s not based on your age, okay?" She exined


    "Okay." I walked towards my bed.


    My mother entered the room and shut the door. She walked towards me and sat down on my bed. Iy down with my head perched on her thigh. She started to sing a luby. Her voice was so beautiful and gentle that it made me fall asleep in just a few short minutes.


    When I woke up, my mother wasn''t beside me anymore. And I wasn''t searching for her either. I knew she had a lot of things to do, and I didn''t want to waste her time. It was she who offered me her time. Having a mother like her was so rare, so I was thankful.


    I could not be happy as long as I did not have peace of mind, but I also did not want to be imprisoned for something I did notmit. It was the old man who had to be imprisoned. He must be punished.


    I myself was telling me that it was also my mistake, because I was such a fool who was only thinking about my own happiness. I wasn''t thinking about the things that might happen because of one wrong decision: the reason why I suffered. Going outside the house, looking at the tall grass seemed to taunt me. I saw my father feeding the birds visiting ourwn every morning. I could see the beehives hanging from a branch of a tree. I got stung many times by those bees, but I was lucky. I was still alive.

 11 The Life Mysteries

    Ka


    "What am I doing here?" I asked myself.


    My world tottered. It seemed like there was an earthquake in the ce where I was. though there wasn''t even a small plot ofnd. I seemed to be in a vacuum.


    "Hey, Ka, wake up!" The woman''s voice eximed.


    I sprang out of my bed and realized I had a dream. A dream about the void I saw Amara was sitting on the bed beside me. Now I knew that she was the one who had shook me and had been trying to wake me up. "Good afternoon, Ka." Amara greeted me and smiled sweetly.


    "Afternoon?" I asked in a shocked voice.


    "Yeah, it''s already afternoon. Try to look outside your window so that you can see that the sun is already at the center of the unblemished sky."


    I donned my pink sneakers and went towards the window. I raised the curtains and glimpsed the scene beyond. Amara wasn''t joking in her words that it was already afternoon, but she was wrong about saying that the sun was already in the center of the sky. I could only see the gray clouds instead of the afternoon''s unblemished blue sky.


    "I went here because I''m worried about you. You have been caging yourself here. You did not show your facest night. Is there something wrong?" Amara asked while stepping towards me.


    I didn''t reply to her question; I just looked outside the window.


    "We already prepared your breakfast. Come! Let''s go downstairs." She came, opened the door, and got out.


    After wondering how long I had been sleeping, I lowered the curtains and followed Amara downstairs when something crossed my mind. The boy, who seemed to be a zombie, whom I didn''t mean to kill.


    How merciless! I wasn''t thinking about what I would do. I was just lucky that the pinkish cloud showed up again, or else I couldn''t go back to the mansion, and I might have already been inside the prison or have be a beggar. Bygones were bygones; they wouldn''te back. I should forget those things, because even if I med myself all day, I still couldn''t bring back the time and the life of that boy.


    "Let''s get inside the dining room." Amara continued.


    I didn''t know how to thank Amara for all the goodness she did for me. The reason why I hired her as a butler in the mansion was that I didn''t know who to talk with if she wasn''t there. But I wasn''t treating her as a servant.


    Amara opened the door to the dining room. I saw and smelled the aromas of delicious foods served on the long table. I went towards the spot where I was always sitting if I wanted to eat. I sat down on the chair and filled my te with food. The dining room was so quiet and different from before, for when we were eating, my parents were talking about everything. The servants were just looking at me. I didn''t need too much food if I ate alone. Therefore, I invited them to eat with me so that the mncholy inside the dining room wouldn''t reign.


    I could see the smiles on their faces. It seemed like they didn''t have any problems, or at least they weren''t thinking about them. I knew that pain couldn''t always be seen in tears; sometimes it was present in smiles.


    It would be better to smile than to frown and shrug. All our problems were just temporary, and if we could do nothing about them, we shouldugh, and they would leave us on their own volition. My parents were always telling me not to waste my time on those things that, whatever I was going to do, would not change anything.


    The ce in my dream suddenly crossed my mind. I had never been there before. I didn''t know what kind of ce that was where I could see nothing there but a void.


    After I ate my breakfast, I went inside my parents'' bedroom. The room was spacious, with arge braided rug on its gold-oak floor. There were many picture frames of my parents hanging on the walls. Many days had psed before that day. I often wondered if I could resist looking at their pictures. I knew they were happy wherever they were. Unlike me.


    There was only one bed inside. I was already old enough to know what a married couple was doing. I knew that my parents loved each other without doubt. But I was confused as to why they didn''t make another baby.


    Perhaps I wouldn''t have been so sad those days if I had a sister or brother. Maybe my parents were just busy with their work and business, which is why they did not give me a sister or brother. They might have thought that they could not take care of a child because of their busyness.


    I sighed. There was also an oversized couch where someone could sleep. Maybe sometimes they use it when they are sulking against each other. Maybe my dad would sleep there while my mom was on the bed, and they would just stare at each other, thinking about their problems, so that they could sleep together in one bedter.


    I didn''t stay longer in the room because I was allergic to the smell of an old room. I was allergic to everything that seemed old and antiquated and never attracted my attention, especially if it had a dull color. I wasn''t interested in antiquated things, even though they were expensive, because I had the capability to smell the memories of the people who used them in the past.


    Sitting on the wide balcony and looking at our widewn that was covered with thick lying snow, which had never been covered before, My parents always told those servants to remove the snow, for it could pile up until they''d reached the mansion.


    They told me that there was a possibility that our mansion would be covered with snow or frozen by the cold ice, which I also wanted to happen when I was young. Perhaps it was cool to live in a mansion made of snow, but tomorrow, if the weather was nice, I''d hire a worker to remove them, because I wasn''t that little anymore.


    Though it was already midday, the breeze never stopped blowing. I remembered the old woman who gave me the pinkish cloud. There were no days I didn''t remember her. I realized that everything that happened many days ago wasn''t just a dream. The old woman wasn''t just a dream. Maybe she had a connection to why the pinkish cloud brought me to the ce where the zombie boy was.

 12 The Unwanted Instinct

    Another day passed by; another day full of sadness, another day of regrets, another day of taking the winding stairs, another day of talking with Amara and the other servants, and another day that I wasted. Tomorrow was another day, and after tomorrow there would be another day, and so on, another day. It only meant one thing: that life was just a series of monotonous days and nights.


    What if I use the pinkish cloud to go somewhere? so that I wouldn''t be bored with repeating things in the mansion? Nonsense. I didn''t even know how to summon that thing, but how much more control it to go somewhere I wanted? I didn''t know if the old woman really gave me power or if she just cheated me, because I never had the power she was talking about. She only gave me a headache and work, which I could get nothing out of. Where was the power she''d mentioned? I sighed again, though I knew I could live without any power.


    I had been sitting on the upholstered couch looking at the paintings made by a famous artist. The paintings have been hanging on the wall for many, many years. Maybe I was in elementary at that time when my dad hung them there. I could smell the memories of my parents'' mansion. Everything around me was a souvenir or a remembrance of many things my parents did.


    "Um, Ka, I''m not intruding, but I noticed that you are always looking at the paintings of your dad," Amara said. "Do you want us to rece something in this mansion?"


    "No! Everything is fine. You don''t need to rece anything," I replied.


    I knew that whatever I did, everything would not be imbedded in oblivion. The problem wasn''t with the paintings or with anything around them. It was inside me, inside my heart and soul. I knew my parents could not be reced there. I indeed didn''t need to rece the paintings or anything around me because they were not doing anything wrong to me.


    "Okay, I''m going to the other rooms to clean them," Amara said. "I know many rooms are now dusty, because some of the servants have been leaving here. There''s nobody who would do them."


    "You don''t need to do that. There are some of the other servants who can clean the other rooms, so just leave it to them," I replied.


    "But Ka, I have nothing to do if I wouldn''t be helping them. I don''t want to be just wool-gathering here." She insisted while standing up from the couch, but I grabbed her hand, which startled her.


    "Where are you going?" I asked in a way that was simr to what my mother was doing if she wanted someone to follow her order.


    My hand drew back on Amara''s, causing her to fall to the upholstered couch. I didn''t know why I was so strong that I could pull her in just the blink of an eye, though she was taller and heavier than me.


    "How could you do that?" Amara queried. "How could you pull me that way? You are so strong now! "


    How could I pull Amara like that? I screamed the same question in my brain.


    It wasn''t me who pulled her, and it didn''t cross my mind to pull her either. What was happening to me? Does my hand have its own brain? How could my hand spontaneously pull Amara? Maybe it was my instinct, but how could I have an instinct like that if I hadn''t done that thing before?


    "I''m sorry, Amara, but I didn''t mean to drag you. I don''t even know that I was so strong." I stared at my pink sneaker below.


    "No, you don''t need to say sorry because I wasn''t hurt. I''m just confused about how you could pull me that quickly."


    "You''re not the only one who''s confused. I''m also confused about it."


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    "Don''t worry too much, maybe that''s just normal."


    "Okay, but don''t bother yourself with helping the other servants, or else I will be kicking you with my strong legs."


    "I will obey you, not because I''m tired; I just want to be truthful; I''m afraid that you''ll kick me. I don''t want to bounce in the hard cols. My beauty will be gone if you do that."


    "Haha-don''t worry sister, I''m just joking. You''re still beautiful, even though you will be bathing in mud. ''Beauty is not based on your appearance; real beautyes from your heart,"" I told her.


    "Whoa, you''re so intelligent," sheplimented. "Though you are not going to school anymore?"


    "Going to school will just waste my time. I can learn, though I''m just staying here. There are too many books in the library of the mansion." I nced at my watch and saw that it was already nine o''clock in the morning.


    "But Ka, though I haven''t finished my schooling, I knew that it''s different if there''s someone who will teach you many things. I mean, you know, such as a teacher." Amara stood up.


    "Where are you going?" I looked at her.


    "In the kitchen, I will help those cooks prepare our lunch." She walked on the glossy floor towards the living room.


    Amara was a bit stubborn. She had been saying that she would obey me, but why did she leave me alone inside that wide living room? If I showed her kindness, she wouldn''t ept it, but if I ordered her to do something, she would ask me to show some kindness. I didn''t know if what she wanted was a shrimp with pearls, or if she was the same as a fussy woman who wanted a shrimp with pearls. But I couldn''t me her, because it was really boring if you were not doing anything. Does having strong hands help me do something? Or would it just bring pain to other people? I didn''t mean to hurt anyone, and I would never mean to hurt them. What if my next move couldn''t be carried out by the word "I''m sorry" anymore? What should I do then? I didn''t want to hurt someone without any clear reason.


    I was tired of sitting on the couch, so I decided to visit the library of the mansion. I knew that reading books could give me sce. I wanted to read a romance novel so that I could forget my problems.


    I got out of the living room. I walked on the concrete, glossy floor and looking straight ahead, I slightly raised my head as my mother told me. She was always reminding me about having perfect posture, to look tall and respected in others'' eyes.


    The servants'' eyes widened when they saw me. I was wearing one of my favorite purple dresses. Mom told me that she had inherited that from her grandmother, and I also inherited it from her. I didn''t know what that gown was made of until I came to wear it, though at first I didn''t want to wear any antiquated garment.


    I frequently felt as if I were in a fairytalend, with the servants treating me as their princess. They were bowing their heads as I passed by their front. That was how respectful the people around me were.

 13 The Unknown Murderer

    Lil


    Many days had passed since the crime my handsmitted, but I was still thinking about those things, and it was difficult for me to concentrate in my studies as a result. My grades, my performance, my attitude, my atmosphere, my life, everything was affected by the incident.


    All those days, I had staggered to my feet and swayed a little, walking down a quiet street, bbergasted. Looking at the aligned structures, they were also showing sadness. Sometimes I sat on the riverbank, frowning and shrugging while looking at the sun going down on the horizon. The sunlight seemed cold instead of scorching rays.


    I couldn''t think well, sleep well, breathe well, speak well, or even calm myself. I was going to lose my sanity. But I was still lucky that even though the curse could control my body, I had been thinking normally.


    I asked myself why I was still thinking about the crime. I wasn''t the one who did it, but someone who cheated me. I''ve never experienced that kind of thing before, so I didn''t worry if whatever happened to the world. I had peace of mind because I knew that I was doing no wrong. But since the old man showed, I couldn''t define the difference between right and wrong.


    Even from whatever angle I looked at, I couldn''t say that it was my hand and not me who did the crime. I knew my hands were both attached to myself, and it was my brain that could only control them. I already have the courage to cut off my hands so that I can not do wrong anymore. I already did it, but I''ve been thinking about those things which could be affected.


    I couldn''t say that my hands had their own brains or that I couldn''t control their brains. There''s no scientific exnation for that. I was pretty sure that people would judge me for being a crazy boy. I knew if they asked for any proof, the curse would defend itself.


    What should I do to make myself stop thinking about the crime? First, I would make myself busy. Second, I would never mind the world. Third, I would eat three meals a day, even if I wasn''t hungry. I would get enough sleep, though I wasn''t drowsy. Lastly, I would stop thinking about anything, though it was difficult to stop because my story was all about that.


    I knew there were too many people whomented the death of their mother or sister, acquaintance or family member. I knew they wanted to give justice to their loved ones who died because of me. I also knew that I didn''t want to be imprisoned. If I could only remove my soul from my body, I already have. Everything was my body''s mistake, and my soul was innocent.


    I sat on the feeble green grasses that had lost their robustness. I knew the reason. Looking at the wide sky with some clouds forming rounded masses heaped on top of each other above a t base at a fairly low altitude, but faded. The high mountains that were standing apart before wanted to lie down.


    It was difficult to estimate how enormous the world was, but my world was shrinking, thinking of any ce where I could escape from the scourge of problems, problems that I didn''t know if they had any solutions to or if they were just nothing but problems themselves.


    The sun had already set on the horizon. It wasn''t as beautiful as before; everything seemed faded. The sunset wasn''t the same anymore. It was nothing but a normal or even an abnormal sunset I''ve ever seen. The dusk wasing slowly towards me until it passed by quickly above my head and didn''t want to stay for a while beside me. Everything around me hated me, even myself.


    I knew my parents were searching for their sinful son, so I got up and walked towards my house. The ce was totally dark. I could see the fireflies spreading their intermittent light everywhere. I wanted to catch them and put them inside a small jar to make amp made of shimmering fireflies, like I did before, but they were avoiding me too.


    I eventually arrived at home. The silhouette of my house on the ground could be seen. The moon was shining brightly above, whereas the stars were too far away, and I knew they didn''t want to be near me. I say that having me near them would only make them lose their beauty as I would infect them with unforgivable sins. Even the door of my house wouldn''t let me enter, so I knocked several times, then it cried out of terror.


    "Where have you been?" mother inquired, concerned."It''s already evening, but why are you still outside?"


    "From the prairie," I exined.


    I was confused if there was something wrong that they had locked the door of our house. Maybe they had forgotten that they had a handsome son and they didn''t care or worry about him anymore.


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    "And what did you do there? Come in, it''s dangerous outside."


    Dangerous? What does she mean? There was a big question mark in my brain. I got inside the house and sat down on the stool beside my mother. My father walked towards us. I was curious why he was looking at me, and his eyes wereshing like a stormy sea.


    "Where did that boy go?" He asked. "Does he not know that there was someone causing danger outside while he was still strolling?"


    "Maybe he does not know about the recent happenings in our town, but you don''t need to be mad at him," the mother defended. "Let''s tell him about it in a calm way."


    "That''s again, he won''t listen if you say it gently. You must warn him now, else we don''t know where to pick him up."


    "Um, son." My mother called my attention, so I looked at her. "Please don''t go outside again, especially at night."


    "Huh? Why?" I queried. "Is there something wrong?"


    "There''s someone killing people in our town!" Father remarked


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    Motherfucker! Perhaps they''ve already heard about the females I murdered. Another said that we knew who we were and did not know what we might be. But I didn''t even know who I really was.


    "We heard that there were two women found lifeless in the street. What a terrible death they got!" mother eximed.


    "What a merciless person who killed those innocent women!" Father added "Bestial was the one who would kill them!"


    "Their families are surelymenting at this time."


    "The killer must be caught earlier, or else there will be many innocent people who will experience what happened to them."


    "Oh son! Why are you lulled? Is there something wrong?" My mother looked at my eyes. "Are you crying?"


    "No, I''m not. It''s only dust that entered my eyes." I lied while transferring my sight to my pair of rubber blue slippers.


    I knew that if I could hear those words again, I could totally lose my sanity. "You killed them! You killed them!" The words something or someone screamed beside my ears, or that might be me.

 14 The Absent Friend

    Avoiding the eyes of people, avoiding gossip, and avoiding the things that made me remember the sin Imitted. I avoided the attack of conscience, though it was unavoidable.


    The gossipers surpassed the market, the news outpaced the virus, people''s eyes vanquished the juries, and everything conquered the one being pursued by death when avoiding me. However, nothing could outpace my family. Because even if the strongest hurricane struck, they would never abandon me, and I was grateful to some people who were willing to sacrifice their happiness for someone they cared about. I was sitting on my chair inside our ssroom and looking at the door, but I had slipped into a reverie when I saw someone. Someone who has made me fall in love since the first day of school.


    Jayne Salvador, our beautiful teacher, entered the room. She was in a cored white shirt and jeans, though she was still beautiful in whatever clothes she would wear, even if she would wear undergarments. She had a high nose, white skin, kissable lips, high eyshes, and thin eyebrows. Plus her long banded hair, lovely form with high, rounded, firm breasts, a small waist, curving hips, and shapely legs.


    No man would not fall in love with her, but the painful part was that everyone knew she broke every man''s heart and also mine. It was impossible that a beautiful woman like her was single. It has been many months since I started falling in love with her. I hoped to grow up soon so that I could court her. I always showed her my flirty smile, but she avoided making eye-to-eye contact with me.


    Though she wasn''t showing any sign that she loved me too, I was contented with what I could get. Whatever it was, the broken heart would heal. The most important thing was that I was happy with what I did. And I could lose anything for love rather than live an arid, sad, cynical, skeptical, and irritable life in the world.


    I remembered the text that I had read. I always read that book in our house, in school, on the riverbank, on grasnd, or anywhere. We were poor, and I couldn''t buy any books. So I was reading the one and only book that told me that "Because the more our life was one of love, the more it was sweet, poetic, and painless; or else it was apanied by sacrifices that increased the love and made one experience the delight of weeping in peace."


    "The life of love was an intecing, a poetic crown of sweet sorrow, of sad beauty, of poetry of sorrow and of sacrifice, and this seeds in being dear, almost sighed for."


    "Of all your loves, seek those that are more noble. The more sublime the object loved, the nobler the love itself. The more noble the faculty from which love emanates, the sweeter the love."


    "How hateful was a life without love. The earth and men seem ungrateful. The sun is cold, and death seems to be the only good that ends all pain."


    Teacher Jayne sat down and put her things on the desk. She started checking our attendance. While she was mentioning the names of my ssmates, I noticed that France was absent, but teacher Jayne said that she already knew the reason why he was absent.


    "Everyone, please keep quiet and listen to me. I will tell you why Mr. Lim is absent today," teacher Jayne said.


    Some of my ssmates started talking about their sulking, though our teacher hadn''t yet told them the reason why my friend was absent. They were saying that our teacher was so unfair because she excused France, though even if they were absent, she would really mark them as absent.


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    "Shhhh... keep quiet everyone. Give me a second to exin. I''m sure that you will understand everything better."


    My ssmates stopped talking and listened intently to what teacher Jayne had to say because she said those words in such a pleading tone. They wanted to take note of every word that she wanted to say.


    "How can I start this?" She thinks about where to start. "Your ssmate, Mr. France Lim, is absent today because"


    I was surprised when I heard teacher Jayne say that France''s mother was dead! Dead! Many times in my head, the word "dead" repeats itself.


    "Dead, dead, dead?" was the sound made by my ssmates.


    "So what kind of excuse is more eligible to be marked as an excuse and not an absence in our ss?" Teacher Jayne asked. "If you''re not believing me, then let''s go there tonight to convey our condolences to your ssmate." Motherfcker. I hoped that my inference wasn''t real. France Lim was my only best friend. I would be empty if he''d gone. I would be more alone in the world. What kind of life did I have? Why would the universe get everything from me? What did I do wrong? Please forgive my sins! I wanted to live a peaceful life.


    I tried to calm myself. There was still a big chance for your inference to be false. Perhaps I could visit my friend after the ss to convey my condolences and to prove that my inference wasn''t true. I couldn''t get peace of mind if I didn''t make sure of something, and my conscience wouldn''t let me sleep if it happened.


    Teacher Jayne continued checking our attendance. I replied with a cold "present" when she mentioned my name. I could not smile in a flirty way anymore.


    "Mr. Ward, are you okay?" teacher Jayne asked.


    I replied with a cold "I''m fine." Then my ssmates stared at me.


    Perhaps they noticed that I was frail. They only knew a robust boy named Lil. But I wasn''t doing anything wrong with them anyway. I didn''t care what they would think. as long as I wasn''t hurting anyone.


    Many hours passed, and I was still sitting on my chair, thinking about my friend, whom I knew was bereaved by his mother''s death. Another hour psed, and the ss was finally over.


    As usual, my ssmates were crowded at the door of the ssroom. It had been a month, but they hadn''t learned how to take it slowly. I had been hoping that everything could be done in a slow way so that we could not hurt anyone because of our haste.

 15 The Two Guards

    Ka


    Many times, I identally hurt the workers around the mansion. They might think I was a reckless girl, which was exactly what I thought of myself. But aside from everything, I was very grateful because they understood me and didn''t leave me alone in the huge mansion.


    Though they didn''t know why I could do things which they had never seen before, Amara also told me that maybe I was doing them because I had not moved on from my parents'' death. However, everything had happened and it could not be retrieved. It is up to them to rationalize what has happened.


    I sat alone on the stairs, often looking at the paintings with my hands on my knees, sometimes inside the pocket of my parka. I had been remembering my mother when something suddenly showed up.


    I was so unlucky. It was that pinkish cloud again. I knew it wanted to absorb and grind my whole body again. But I was wrong. Maybe I still had a little luck because my memories were not erased after it brought me to the other ce that I didn''t even know.


    Maybe there was still a little luck left in me, because the pinkish cloud which was supposed to absorb me didn''t do what I expected. I suddenly stood up and looked straight ahead when it entered my nose and mouth for some reason that I didn''t know.


    I seemed to be swallowing water, and it was creeping down through every vein in my body. But I hadn''t lost consciousness, and I could still breathe, though there was something stopping me. Something that might be recing my blood with a gas, a pinkish gas.


    But goddammit! I wasn''t so lucky as I thought. My whole body slowly stiffened; my fingers, my hands, my arms, my legs and so on. I couldn''t control some parts of my own body. I didn''t know what was happening to me, but I could only think, see, hear, and feel.


    It was so ufortable when I could not even move my own legs. Every portion of my body had its own brain; thus, they could move themselves without the order of my brain.


    "Help!" I tried to scream. I tried to stop myself from moving, but I couldn''t. feeling hard. I could not even show an expression on my face.


    My legs slowly brought me outside the mansion and I continued walking towards the gate. I wanted to go back inside because it was cold and there were big nuggets of snow and sleet falling. But however I would try, my body just became more stiff. I could do nothing; my inference was proven to be correct, that I sometimes lost control of myself. It became terrible because it was only my hand, but then my whole body!


    I was walking outside the gate when the two guards saw me. They were wearing thick white shirts, long ck pants, and waterproof boots. Then they walked towards me.


    "Miss beautiful, what are you doing here?" He asked.


    "You should not be here, because the weather is cold, and you might be struck by the falling sleet," the other advised.


    "Please help me!" I screamed in my brain. Maybe I seemed to be a zombie because I wasn''t even looking at their faces, but at my feet.


    Instead of asking for their help, my foot kicked one of the guards. He bounced higher, and the others saw what happened. His eyes widened, and he hurriedly ran towards the mansion.


    While the guard who had bounced against the snow was crawling on the thick, cold ice going somewhere, my feet would not stop walking. I went towards him. My foot with a five-pound boot eventually stepped on his back; I could tell he was hurt by its weight. The pitiable guard tried to move, but he could not.


    "Miss Ka, please stop this!" He screamed and cried. "I''m so sorry. Please forgive me if I said something wrong to you. Please let me go-aah! It''s so painful!"


    His tears were falling down as he nced at me, and the muscles in his face flexed as he clenched his teeth. I was the one who felt sorry for him, because I knew he wasn''t doing anything wrong, and he was only worried about me.


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    Instead of assisting the guard, my feet stepped on his back with such force that he copsed. His face was buried in the snow, and his hands were both sped together, as if he was straining to avoid the death that was smiling at him. I jumped on the guard''s back and made him totally bury himself. Then the snow covered the heinous crime which my body hadmitted, but I knew that however the dead body drowned in the pile of snow, it would float someday. "I''m not a killer!" was the next word that crossed my brain. The words that the girl shouted at me many days ago came back to my mind. "You killed him! You killed him! You''re a killer! You''re a killer!" The cool breeze was screaming in my ears. "Where''s she?" Amara asked while going outside the mansion.


    "She''s there. I can''t believe she kicked my co-worker like that."


    "I can''t believe you too, especially if your friend didn''t do anything wrong," Amara added while going outside the gate.


    I was afraid that I could also kill them. I knew my body would not follow me, because it was so selfish that it would only follow what it wanted to. Until I noticed a drop of liquid falling from my eyes. They were still lucky because my control of myself hade back again.


    It was so glum that I had lost another life. I knew what I did was a big sin, and I didn''t know how to escape my conscience. I could do nothing but wipe the tears out of my face with the tip of my parka.


    "Oh Ka, where''s the man he said you had been kicking?" Amara asked in a dubious manner. "Tell us why you kicked him."


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    I didn''t know what to reply. I didn''t want to look merciless in other people''s eyes. I didn''t want to be hated by the people around me, and most of all, I didn''t want to be a prisoner. So I didn''t tell them anything. "Perhaps he already ran away because of fear." The guard scratched his hair thenughed for an unknown reason.


    "Hey! Can you stop joking, even just for a while?" Amara reprimanded him. "Have you forgotten that you were running towards me just a while ago? So stop the crap because it''s a serious thing."


    "That''s right," I interrupted. "He ran because he was thinking that I would do something wrong. Perhaps he was thinking that I might kick him."


    "Look Amara, there''s nothing to worry about." He appeared to be unconvinced and curious, as if he was just hiding his real expression.


    "But why did you tell me that Ka had kicked off your co-worker?" Amara queried.


    The guard was lulled as he looked at my eyes. Maybe he was ashamed of bringing me down, or he was afraid that I might kick him too if he would admit the truth. So he just avoided my eyes, looked at his boots, and stayed quiet for another while, perhaps to think about what to say.


    "If you don''t want to answer me, then we should go inside; I still have many chores to do." Amara turned back and attempted to go.


    "Wait! Amara, I will tell you the truth now." He stopped her.


    "Then tell me directly, because there are many things waiting for me inside the mansion."


    "The truth was... miss... miss Ka, really kicked the guard so that he bounced higher and plummeted against the thick ice."

 16 The Seductive Playmate

    What kind of worker was he to down even his boss? He was really not thinking about what I could do, that I could remove him from work because of what he did. He didn''t know that I was only kind to those who were kind, but I was also cruel to those who were cruel. However, I knew I could not me him because what I did was undoubtedly a mistake, and he was only telling the truth.


    I was still thankful to the only person, Amara Spicy, whom I trusted and considered my sister; the woman who could understand anything and the woman who cared about me, though sometimes I was stubborn. I was grateful because she did not believe the words of the guard who wanted to destroy our good partnership.


    Maybe Amara believed that I could not hurt someone without any reason, and she was right, because it wasn''t me who hurt anyone, but the curse from the ugly woman.


    My problems with the guard were finally solved because I had already fired him without hesitation. I wasn''t so cruel as what someone would think, for I didn''t let him go without giving him his sry. I was also kind to those poor people like him, and I wasn''t totally mad because even though he was poor, he didn''t know how to lie.


    Therefore, I gave him money so that he could start a new business and would not show his face to me again. There were only two things he could do: to keep silent and live a peaceful life or to report what I did, but I would not let him live peacefully.


    However, I knew that he could not do it. I wasn''t underestimating him, but he was so weak and seemed to choose to keep silent rather than wrangle with me. I was pretty sure that I wouldn''t be imprisoned as long as he didn''t have any evidence about the crime.


    Those days, I was afraid to sleep alone in my room; I was afraid to use the bathroom. I was afraid to go outside the mansion, especially at night, and I was afraid to be alone because I knew a pinkish cloud would appear out of nowhere in front of me. I was afraid because there was nothing I could do to fight the dark magic.


    Everything seemed unavoidable. I couldn''t avoid going upstairs and not sleeping in my bedroom. I was a princess, and I didn''t want to sleep in the room with maids and servants. Maybe it would be better to fight the cowardness and face the trials. I knew the ordeal would only end when the challenger faced it.


    Taking the concrete glossy floor, going towards the library of the mansion and listening to my heavy footsteps, which seemed to be telling me to go back. but nothing to worry about or be scared about. I knew there were many guards and servants near the library. I didn''t care if the pinkish cloud would appear and I''d do something contemptible again. As long as I was alive, there was nothing to worry about.


    I didn''t want to feel sorry for other people because I wasn''t doing anything wrong to them. I''d better fight to survive and be terrified of anything that might happen. I knew nothing was permanent and everything would be alright, as the problem was temporary.


    The library''s dimness was a bit surprising; the drapes had been drawn against the ring outside light and nomps had been turned on. A fire leapt in the stone firece, sending dancing light around the room. I didn''t close the door so that if something happened, I could quickly run outside. But though the door was open, it was still dim inside.


    The room was lined with shelves housing thousands of books. In the center stood a heavy refectory table strewn with the books that I had started to read thest time I visited there. There was also a sofa facing the firece, and its silhouette could be seen on the glossy floor.


    I went towards the table and sat down on the chair beside it. As usual, the librarian did not touch the books I had read nor fix them. Otherwise, she would surely waste her time searching for the book for me.


    Slowly, my eyes adjusted to the dusky gloom. I was conscious of the movement, a shadow, really, beyond the back of the sofa. So I stood up and went towards it to check if anyone was there. Nothing to worry about. He was just a boy who might have been around the same age as me. But I knew he wasn''t a servant because I recognized the people who were working around the mansion.


    He looked innocent in his v-necked velour shirt and tight-fitting navy pants; he was barefoot. His face looked familiar, but I could not remember him. He had a high nose, brown eyes, and skin. A thick, unruly thatch of ck hairy above his high forehead, with one stray lock falling forward. He was a little taller than me.


    "Who are you?" I inquired. "What are you doing here?"


    "Hey Ka, it''s me, your ymate from when you were a kid." He replied and hurriedly stood up from the sofa, his face filled with happiness, and he winked at me.


    "Do I have a ymate? Why cannot I remember you?"


    "Maybe because we were just little at that time, you know."


    "But I don''t know you. Can you tell me anything that could make me remember you?"


    "We knew each other for a long time. How could you forget me so easily?" He queried.


    "Just tell me, or else I will kick you there!" I ordered in a mad manner.


    "Oh! You''re so brave now, though you just relied on me before, especially when there was someone who intended to hurt you."


    He got near me and stared at my eyes. I could see the flirty smile on his face. I could tell that he was handsome, but I wasn''t easily pleased. I had promised myself that I would never trust anyone again. He must not trust him because he would only cause me pain. So I removed myself from his front and went towards the upholstered chair beside the table.


    "Have you remembered me?" He asked again.


    "How can I remember you if you did not even tell me your name?"


    I felt ufortable that he knew who I was, but in contrast, I didn''t even know who he was. Did he have a n to introduce himself? Or would he just force himself to admit that he was my ymate when I was younger?


    Was it possible that I had amnesia and I was unable to recall what happened? Many thoughts raced through my mind, including, what kind of girl was I that I could forget my past so easily?


    "Ka Breaks, I''m Nick, your ymate when you were young."


    "Nick? I haven''t heard that name before. Can you tell me more about yourself?" I asked, then smiled at him.


    "I''m living in another town far from here. That''s why I cannot find an opportunity to say hello to you. When I was younger, I was always here because your parents sometimes invited me to go with them. You know-your parents and mine were business partners."


    Quiet suddenly appeared in the library room after Nick said those words. Maybe he didn''t know what happened to my parents, or maybe he did know and he also meant to hurt me.


    "You''re lulled... Did I say something which made you feel sad?"


    "No, I just remembered my parents." I sighed and shrugged.


    "Oh sorry, I had heard what happened to them, and my mother had also told me about it, and I did not mean to mention that."


    "That''s okay, but can you tell me what you are doing here inside the library? And you were also lying on the sofa just a while ago. That made me think that you had memorized the bypass here."


    "Even though I was only six years old when I was always here, I cannot forget the view around your mansion. I also cannot forget your appearance and that beautiful face, which always appears to me in my dreams," he exined, shing a flirtatious smile.


    "A guard told me that you were inside the library. That''s why I came here. You were not here, and you know-I''m ashamed to enter your mansion without permission. That''s why I justid down on that sofa."

 17 The Coffins Load

    Lil


    I walked down the street, listening to my own heartbeat and counting my own footsteps, so that the tiredness would turn into sce. It was quite weird; there was no one outside their houses, and the doors and windows were all closed. I might be the only one outside. Even the beggars who were sitting on the street-side before had disappeared.


    I didn''t care what other people would do. They had their freedom and it was their life. They were in charge of themselves. Perhaps I was thinking about that thing because I cared. An emotional defense mechanism I learned that everyone had a responsibility to each other; their lives were adjoining; and no one could live alone, except me.


    "What else can I do?" was the question that always stayed in my mind. I knew I could do something in every situation. But if not, I could still hope that everything would be fine. I hoped that my inference wasn''t true and that my friend would be alright soon.


    Eventually, I arrived near the gate of my friend''s house. There were many people on thewn. They might be all France''s family, friends, acquaintances, etcetera. I felt ashamed to get inside. I didn''t even know anyone there, so I attempted to go. "France, your friend is here!" Someone yelled. "Tell him to get inside!"


    I waited a while to see my friend. Time was flying, but he didn''t have a n to show his face. So I decided to go home because the sun was also going down on the horizon. I didn''t even have any right to peep at the dead, so I turned to leave when I heard someone calling my name.


    "Lil!" France half-shouted while running towards me.


    He was wearing baggy corduroy pants, a printed white shirt, and white slippers. His curly hair was bouncing as he jogged, then his watch fell down on the ground, so he went back and picked up his watch, then he continued towards me. "Sorry bro, I made you wait too long." France donned his watch.


    "No, that''s okay," I replied, while grasping the strap of my backpack.


    I thought that France was sad because I could see a little, but not much, sadness on his face. However, I wasn''t sure about it. I also knew that pain wasn''t always in tears, it was sometimes present in smiles. "Do you want to get inside?" France asked.


    "For what?" I replied, though I knew what he meant. He mustn''t have said those words because I didn''t want to get inside the coffin with his mother.


    "To take a glimpse at my mother, who''s lying inside the box."


    "Um, France, I just want to convey my condolences."


    I didn''t mourn what you''re thinking, bro. I knew that this day woulde, and I had prepared for it. You''re even better than my father, because he didn''t show his face. Maybe he''s busy flirting with his concubine. " I could hear the sadness in his voice. "Oh! I''m sorry to hear that." I made a sad expression on my face.


    I was sad and guilty about everything but the thing that happened to my friend''s family. I didn''t know if what happened to his father, but I was sure that whatever happened, he was still his father.


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    My heartbeats were so loud that I also heard them. My heart seemed to jump out of its rib cage. My inference became stronger when France said those words. I remembered the conversation between the two women who were fighting. It urred to me that one of them was France''s mother. I was taken aback to see her face. I knew I could not bear to see the person I bruised. May that woman forgive me, and may my friend forgive me too.


    "I''m so sorry for what happened to your family," I apologized.


    "No, you did nothing wrong. Instead, I must be thankful to you."


    My guilt wanted to swallow me whole. I didn''t know how to get rid of it. I needed to find a way so that I could pass that trial, because everything might change in just the wink of an eye.


    "Sorry bro, but I need to go home, for the dusk ising."


    "Don''t say sorry. It was my mistake that I made you wait too long, and because of that, I must apany you to your house."


    "No need, I can manage to go home, especially now that it''s getting dark. You must stay here. I can drop all the ghosts in my way."


    "Are you sure? You are not scared of ghosts? Haha."


    "I would catch them and give them to you if you wanted." I patted his shoulder and turned to leave.


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    "Ha-ha. But seriously, beware! The killer is just looking there!"


    "They will beware of me!" I shouted. "I will broil them."


    As I walked on, there were many questions crossing my brain, such as, how could I kill the mother of my best friend? How could I destroy one''s family? How could I be so merciless and numb, though I knew I wasn''t that kind of boy? Was it right to me the old man for everything that happened? I knew I also made a mistake, which was why those tragedies happened, but I was also a victim.


    The evil someone did followed him, the good he did returned to him, but I didn''t know what to believe in, because I didn''t even know if what I did was either evil or good. In the eyes of nature and myself, it was clear: I''m the most sinful person in the whole world. I could do nothing about it but hope that everything would be alright and I would notmit a sin again.


    I wasn''t sure what would happen next; I wasn''t sure if I would be able to handle things anymore or if I would just copse. Just like the rainfall, when the cloud could no longer handle its weight, it would fall.


    After a few minutes of walking, I arrived home. My parents had locked the door again. They really thought that someone was killing people in our town, though the sun had just set and the dusk wasing towards me.


    I walked towards the door and knocked on it. My mother would open the door and ask if I had been where I had been. But I was wrong, for it was my father who opened the door. I didn''t care who would open the door either. I was happy as long as there was a door that would open for me.


    "Christ!" Father scowled. "Leona! Your child iste again!"


    Did I make the greatest mistake of my life that my father would scold me like that? I really did, so I must not feel like I was innocent if my father scolded me. What a hateful son I was! What a repulsive son! Perhaps it would be better if I went away from the world.


    Even the moon refused to shine because it didn''t want to show itself to me. The light would be defeated, and darkness would reign in the world. The most painful thing: the reason was me.

 18 The Beautiful Locations

    My father wasn''t totally a cruel man. What he did was a way of showing care and worry. Scolding a child was a way of disciplining them. He still had a heart that even though I did something wrong, he wouldn''t hurt me. My father was so full of love that he could recognize even the smallest mistake I made, but he didn''t know the greatest mistake of my life. I didn''t know what to expect from his reaction if he knew I killed someone. Would he listen to my exnation? I really need courage before telling him.


    I was afraid of hurting and killing someone, though I was hurt. I didn''t want them to experience what I experienced. I was afraid of being imprisoned, though sometimes I fought those bullies. I was afraid of doing something uwful. I was afraid of myself. I was afraid of the things my body could do. The dark magic in me was a stroke of a stray curse.


    Sitting on the chair, looking at the bowl of sweet-potato-chips in front of me, I sometimes softly squeezed my nose, catching the flies that wanted to perch on the table and squashing them with my fingers.


    If all my problems were as small as flies, I''d already caught and squeezed them. I would not put them in a jar because they would be able to escape. But my problems were still problems. Even if it looked like a fly, sometimes they were difficult to catch.


    Cyril started to bark, and I didn''t know why. until I realized there was a swarm of flies approaching me. I didn''t realize that they were not just a few. I heard their loud chattering. However, I was thankful because they didn''t attack me. They halted at my front and seemed to be talking to me. In the few seconds that followed, they formed a whirling hole. A disgusting hole! There was a very strong forceing from it, then pulled me inside.


    A moment psed after I heard Cyril''s continuous barks. I felt dizzy as if something was spinning me around. The flies brought me to a ce I didn''t know, then they suddenly disappeared. I realized everything had changed in a few seconds. What else could I do? If everything had already happened, it would be better to find a way to go back.


    It was morning there! I screamed in my brain. I knew it was already sundown in our town. peculiar. Perhaps I was in another country. Standing on a road. There were many trees on both sides. I didn''t know what kind of trees they were because I had never seen simr trees before.


    Perhaps it was only my hallucinations. I stood up and gave my face a slight p. It wasn''t just slight. I felt a bit of pain. That kind of boy I was, if I didn''t want to give myself pain, it would be different. Everything was really not a hallucination. They were real. I had mixed feelings. I didn''t know if I would smile or cry about being there.


    While walking on the concrete road covered with withered cherry blossom leaves and flowers, I saw many huge houses and buildings. It was a city. For sure, the people who lived there were wealthy. But what was I doing there? Why did the flies bring me there without any clear reason? Those flies were ruthless. Perhaps they were vassals of darkness or vassals of the bitchy old man.


    My problems multiplied since he showed his despicable face to me, but he hadn''t shown himself again. Perhaps he smelt that I would chop him into pieces if he demonstrated with his devilish face.


    The ce where I was was cool and serene. However, for me, the most beautiful ce wasn''t in the world. Maybe that ce was an imaginary one. He could not see anything but emptiness; he could not hear anything but himself. There were just a limited number of people who could see what was beyond that void. There was a limited number of people who saw the hidden paradise.


    When I was younger, most of the evenings I would climb andy down on my bed. The best part was when my mother would tell me a story, a story that until now had reverted in my mind.


    The Mother would always start on the word, "Far and beyond this world, there is a ce, a ce where you can see nothing but a void..."


    After saying those words, I couldn''t help but fall asleep. It had made me more confused about the next words my mother would say. Because I wasn''t asking her about unimportant things, I also didn''t ask her about the whole story. I knew that she only told me the story to make me fall asleep.


    After a few minutes of taking the road, I saw a park ahead. I thought I would get there and take a rest for a while because I was tired of walking. So I walked nearby and sat down on the white bench. Perhaps I couldn''t go back to my parents anymore. I knew that I could not survive in that ce alone. My family, friends, or acquaintances were not there. What should I do?


    In my brain I screamed, "I was lost!" Grasping my head and messing with my short hair, which took a year to grow, That thing too was so strange. Although nobody had cut it since I was born, it had only grown an inch after sixteen years. My father''s hair was like mine, so slow to grow longer. That was why we were not cutting them, or else we would be bald-headed.


    Sometimes I thought that I wasn''t born on Earth, that I wasn''t a normal human, that I was born in another world, a world where abnormal people lived. A ce where there were no idents and nobody died, a ce where everyone lived happily and peacefully forever.


    There were many differences between me and other people. From how my hair would grow to the things that were happening. It seemed that many of the impossible things I''d witnessed were magic. I could not believe how magical my life was. But alongside that magic, there were hidden bad effects on me, effects that could not be seen by just looking at my face. It was hidden in my very smile.


    But I was in a ce I didn''t even know. There was no magic that would bring me back to the ce where I was born. There was no magic in times of sorrow. Magic would only show itself in times of happiness. It was just the same with those stic friends who would only talk if they could get something from someone. It was preferable to have a loyal friend from a ttering foe than one who only became your friend for money.

 19 The Whole Story

    Ka


    I didn''t know why the boy named Nick visited me yesterday. He came just to say hello and left before nightfall without saying goodbye. He talked a lot about his family. He told me that his parents wanted to negotiate with me. But I didn''t believe him. They might only cheat me and plunder the wealth I inherited from my ancestors. I needed time to think things through. Maybe I needed to meet his parents to know if he was telling the truth.


    Many things were messing with my mind. I had woken up, and I remembered the dream I had. It had been many days since thest time I had a dream, but justst night I dreamed again about the ce where there was nothing but emptiness. I didn''t even know what kind of ce it was. I didn''t even know why I was dreaming about that ce. Maybe it was an indication, but an indication of what? Did that indicate emptiness? Maybe it indicated that I would be empty, that nobody would be left behind.


    "Nick nock nick nock," the steady, recurrent ticking sound of the clock. I remembered the boy who introduced himself to me as Nick. Did we really know each other? Or was he just making a monkey of me?


    Though everything was difficult to believe, I could not deny that he had a point in every word he said, and he was also serious while saying them. He might have been my ymate when I was young because he looked wealthy, and he also told me that his parents owned vastnd. It wasn''t that our ages were the same and he knew many things about me.


    I shook my head. I didn''t know why I was thinking about the boy who had no connection with me. He wasn''t even my acquaintance. I remembered the words he said: he was always dreaming of my appearance and beautiful face. It was impossible for him to sketch my appearance in his mind, for he''d mentioned that thest time he saw me was when we were six years old. He seemed to be not serious at all.


    I rolled myself on the bed and snuggled to find afortable position. There seemed to be something spinning me around, making me crazier. The clock suddenly chimed. Even with its chime, what I could hear was the name of that boy. I sprang out of my bed, donned my pinkish sneakers, got out of my room and shut the door. Taking the winding stairs to go down What kind of boy was he that even my footsteps were telling his name?


    Everything around me was screaming "Nick!" But I could not smell any memories of him. I could see him in the paintings on the wall, on the glossy floor, on the antiquated mirror, and on the door.


    The memories of my parents have been reced by those of that boy, who wasn''t even my acquaintance. But inside my heart, nobody could rece the love of my parents and my love for them. And if that happened, I would make sure that the person who wanted to rece them was worthy.


    "Good morning, Ka," Amara greeted me in a cheerful manner. "It''s too early, but you''re frowning again. Is there something wrong?"


    I shook my head and faked a smile without saying a word. I hauled myself to the upholstered couch and sat down. Amara walked towards me and took a seat by my side.


    "Do you know that boy named Nick South?" I queried, pretending to be curious so that I could avoid the obvious reason why I asked.


    "Nick?" Amara responded. "Sorry, but I never heard that name before, only from you." She shrugged slightly. "Why did you ask me anyway?"


    "You know, he just suddenly appeared here yesterday," I replied.


    "Appeared here? Yesterday? But why didn''t I see him?"


    "You didn''t because we were inside the library."


    "I hope to see him to find out what makes you curious."


    "I''m just confused because he told me that he was one of my ymates when I was young. Perhaps you didn''t know him, because it wasn''t that long since you started working here," I exined.


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    "Ka, I''m not threatening you, but you must beware of those people whom you''ve met, because you don''t know what they want from you. You might be in danger, especially since you are the only one who can see that boy you mentioned. Maybe he''s a ghost."


    "A ghost? That''s impossible! He looked so handsome to be a ghost."


    "Handsome?" She emphasized the word, then showed a taunting smile at me. "Maybe that''s the reason why you''re thinking too much about him because he''s handsome."


    "Can you stop leading me? You don''t know the whole story."


    "Um, would you tell me the whole story about the handsome boy?" She sneered.


    Because she was insistent, I told Amara the whole story: how and where I saw Nick, what he told me, and what happened. I told her that he came from a wealthy family and that his parents were partners in business before. Amara became more confused, but she was fighting against the confusion and made a funny face.


    She looked at me and asked, "Is there no other thing that happened?"


    "What do you mean?" I inquired, though I knew what she wanted to say. "No, there was nothing else that happened other than that."


    "Are you sure?" She gave a taunting tone of voice again. "There was nothing happening between you and that boy?"


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    "Nothing, he only looked at my eyes with a flirty smile and told me that he was always dreaming of my beautiful face," I exined.


    Sometimes I tell the truth to prove myself and to make everything favorable to me, and I sometimes lie for the same reason.


    "Did he not kiss you?" The words totally came out of Amara''s lips.


    "Huh? Of course not!" I replied, looking for a way to get rid of the things that didn''t favor me. I was avoiding the words, which made me ufortable. I knew that Amara would be more confused if she saw that I was dazed. She removed her attention from the thing and said, "Good, now you may forget about him. You should go to the dining room and eat your breakfast." She stood up and walked towards the door.


    "Hey, where are you going? Don''t you want to join me?"


    "Don''t worry. Nick is there; he will join you!" Amara half-shouted.


    I turned my attention to other things, but what came to my mind was also a problem. I knew that my problem with Nick South would be gone soon. But I knew that my other problem was difficult to fix, especially since I could not understand what it really meant. I didn''t know how to expel it. For many nights, I could not sleep well. The kind of nightmares that would not set me free, because every time I would close my eyes, it would begin to show.


    Maybe I was lucky that day because I didn''t have a bad dream, especially about the ce of emptiness. I would forget about that ce. Perhaps it was normal to have a dream about it, because everything would be fine.


    Other people told me that what they dreamed about was the opposite of reality. Maybe the meaning of the emptiness would create the opposite result in my life, or maybe the emptiness itself wasn''t empty, there might be a lot of hidden things within it. Maybe it was full of something, something I didn''t know, and that must be buried in oblivion.

 20 The Old Woman

    I was going towards the window of my bedroom when something appeared in front of me. What the hell? This again? The pinkish cloud which did nothing but cause pain? I was wrong. I wasn''t lucky that day. However, instead of the pinkish cloud that was going to absorb me, there was someone who stepped outside of it.


    This was her again: the antiquated and ugly woman. Her appearance had not changed, nor even the clothes that she was wearing: a leather coat and long pants. She had long, curly hair that was spread around her back. But the most eerie part was her face, which I could not look directly at, so I just looked down at the floor to avoid it.


    "How dare you show your face again after everything you did to me? You''re such a wicked, contemptible hag!" I shouted.


    Sheughed at me and asked, "Are you not happy to see me?"


    "How can I be happy to see the old woman who cheated me? You told me that you were going to give me power, but what kind of power is this?"


    "If you won''t stop scolding me, then I should leave!" She turned back and attempted to go, but I didn''t let her.


    "Wait a minute! I still have some questions for you."


    She stopped,ughed like a demon, and faced me.


    "Can you tell me why the pinkish cloud brought me somewherest time?" I asked in a calm voice.


    "If you really want to know, then kneel down on my front and beg me, or else I won''t tell you anything!" Sheughed again, as if she could do nothing with her life butugh andugh andugh.


    "You are heartless! If you''re really thinking that you can drop me down so easily, then you will be disappointed."


    Sheughed again. "Then you can get nothing from me!" She turned to leave when I realized something.


    "Wait! Don''t leave I will do what you want. Just tell me everything!"


    I knew I could lose my dignity doing what I was going to do, but there was no one else inside my room. I''d rather lose my dignity to that woman than lose my dignity to the people in my own town if they knew that I was a killer. I slowly kneel down on the floor and look at her demonic face with an asking gaze. If she was happy to see me in that position, She chuckled. An inexplicable thing appeared on her face; I couldn''t directly look at it.


    "Now, tell me about everything." I snuggled to find afortable position, then I totally sat down on the floor at her front.


    "You may rise, because I''m notfortable talking with someone who''s sitting down on the floor in front of me."


    What kind of hag was she? If she''d told me anything, why did she need to make me kneel down? She was so crazy, she wasn''t thinking about anything. She wasn''t thinking that she had hurt someone.


    I stood up and faced her, but I couldn''t directly look at her ugly face. She seemed toe from the world where demons lived. The veins on her face seemed to be snakes that were slightly moving and wanted to bite me.


    $Why won''t you look at me? I''m notfortable talking with someone who''s not looking at me," she barked again.


    "Just tell me what you want to say, but I won''t look at your face, whatever happens. You''re so ugly and I cannot stand that!" I was so brave and certain of my every word.


    "You''re so stagy, but I like a brave girl like you." In a few seconds, she fell down into silence, then said, "You may now look at me."


    What was she talking about? Was that all she wanted to say? Sorry, but I wouldn''t look at her as long as you didn''t mention the pinkish cloud; she was just making me a fool by making me follow her orders even though they didn''t mean anything to me.


    In the few moments that followed, I noticed she wasn''tughing as much as she used to. Maybe she felt irritated that she had wasted her time talking with me, so she already left. But I was mistaken. "If you won''t look at my ugly face, then I should leave now. What a fool you are! You''re just wasting my time!" She broke the silence.


    She was a bit mad and annoyed. It was good to know that she knew and admitted that she was ugly and nobody could look at her face. Even her whole body, and hairs, seemed like creeping snakes. She was about to leave when I stopped her again. As she turned back to me, I was so appalled to see her appearance. What a mother-fucking jerk! She was so merciless that she cheated me many times! "Do I look handsome now?" The boy asked in a mixed voice. "Don''t worry, I''m still the old woman, the hag you were talking about."


    He showed me his flirty smile. The thick, unruly thatch of ck hair thaty above his high forehead, with one stray lock falling forward, was still there and its position had not changed.


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    "You! You''re so merciless, and you cheated me again!" I eximed.


    "It wasn''t me who cheated you, but yourself." Sheughed.


    She had a point; it wasn''t her who cheated me, but myself, because she couldn''t cheat me if I didn''t let her. But she was so clever, though she was already old. She was excellent at pretending to be someone.


    That woman was so powerful that she could change her appearance. I became more ashamed of looking at that boy because of what I felt. I would rather talk about the appearance of the old woman than the flirty one. She could also copy anyone''s voice. She was still using the voice of an old woman, though her appearance was that of a boy.


    Amara was right in her words. I must not trust anyone, especially those whom I have just met. I was so ashamed to know that the old woman and the handsome boy were one. Because of the embarrassing moment that happened, I grasped my head and clenched my teeth.


    "Oh Ka, why won''t you look at me and say something? I''m not ugly anymore. Look at my face. I''m so handsome." She bragged thenughed like a demon or a demon herself.


    "I won''t look at you as long as you are taunting me."


    "You''re such a shameful girl! I will leave now!"


    Perhaps her face and eyes were very red andshing like a stormy ocean or fire while saying those words. She sounded mad, and I also heard a crack when she kicked the leg of my poor table.


    I looked back and wanted to stop her, but she''d already disappeared. What a shame! She was the one who wasted my time and not me. She was so shameful! A cheater! Such a crazy old, ugly, evil, demon! I knew no word which could exin how wicked she was!

 21 The Body Snatchers

    Lil


    I was feeling tired, confused and discouraged about being there. In the park, sitting on the white bench covered with shades of tall trees I didn''t know. I didn''t know what was happening. Iterally saw a motorcycle with two men riding on it. They passed by using the road several feet in front of me.


    "Help! The thieves had snatched my purse!" A woman yelled like a pig.


    She was wearing a white shirt, ck skirts, ck sandals, and jewelry that glittered when hit by sunlight. She was stunning and possibly wealthy. They were circling around the park. She might have had a sentimental value and there was money in it, but why would she never stop chasing the two men?


    I knew I could no longer look at those who were taking the circling road around the park. They were making me feel dizzy. Those snatchers seemed to be ying with a woman who wasn''t happy with what they were doing.


    They circled around the park many times until I stood up and walked towards the roadside. When I jumped and kicked those men in the necks, the motorcycle was taking the road in front of me. Incredulously cool! I had only seen those moves in movies before, so I could not believe that I could perform them myself. The snatchers had tumbled down the rough road. They were so frail that in one move, both of them had copsed and lost consciousness.


    The woman jogged towards me. I could see she was sweating. She stopped in front of me and chased her breath. She looked exhausted. I realized she wasn''t just an ordinary woman because she was so beautiful and also young. Began with her face: kissable, enticing red lips when she smiled; dark, thickshes shaded her round honey-amber eyes; thin brows pointing sideways, like little wings; and a high-pointed nose.


    I took the pouch from a snatcher and walked towards the woman. While handing her the ck pouch, I saw her beautiful round face and her long, tied hair, which was bouncing when she ran. I heard her say a word when she epted the purse, but I could not understand it.


    "Miss beautiful, can you speak English?" I asked.


    She didn''t reply, but when she furrowed her forehead, I knew she hadn''t understood me either. What else could I do if we could not understand each other? She looked so beautiful and wealthy, but why didn''t she know how to speak English? Perhaps she was saying "thank you," because her words sounded like gratitude. But I was wrong, because there was someone behind me who suddenly grabbed my arms. I could feel my bones had been fractured.


    I nced at the snatchers who came back into the world of living. They were in long ck pants, ck shoes, ck jackets, and hoods. I could not see their eyes because they were wearing ck eyesses. I tried to escape, but they were so strong that I could feel the pain when they clutched my arms.


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    They seemed to have a word, but I could not understand theirnguage. The woman had already eluded them. Maybe she didn''t want to be involved in our fight. I knew that whatever I would say, they couldn''t understand me. Even though I had cried and my tears rolled down my face, they were so heartless that they could not understand what I felt.


    One of the snatchers goes towards my front while the other holds my arms firmly at my back. I knew what they were nning to do, and I wasn''t wrong. The merciless man angrily punched my abdomen.


    My tears and sweat were dripping down my feet because of the extreme pain I got from helping others. Why was that happening to me? Why was the exchange painful if I did good to others? The man punched me many times, like a punching bag, until I vomited a red liquid, and there was also blood oozing from my nose. I felt like my intestines had been torn.


    I knew hope was gone and that was thest day of my life. But I still had a little luck that the woman had indulgence toe back and to save me. She was holding a big stick and slowly walked towards us. She reached for the back of the man who was punching me in the abdomen, and she forcefully stroked his nape.


    The man keeled down the road. He was out of it again, and the other had let go of me and fled in terror. My flesh and blood seemed in disarray.


    But the fight had not ended. The man who escaped a while ago came back with a sharp, glittering object. He ran towards the woman, who looked exhausted as I could see her pale face diffused with sweat.


    "He is going to chop you!" I slowly shouted.


    Despite my weakness and the pain emanating from my stomach, I knew there was something I could do. I still had the strength to pull her out, and I did that without any doubt. She was in my front and we were looking at each other''s eyes. She was shocked and confused about why I did that.


    "Aw!" I jolted and raised my head up in a sudden jerk, my eyes stuck ahead because of the paining from my spine. My bone was totally fractured and cut by the man, whom I didn''t even know.


    The word "magic" crossed my mind. Please show yourself to me. I needed your help. It was raining sorrows, and I was hit by one of the bullets. All I felt was pain: pain from my stomach; pain from my back; pain from my bones; pain from my flesh; and pain from my heart and soul.


    The woman was appalled while looking at me. Her eyes widened. My teardrops fell down her beautiful face. After a second, I totally, totally fell down on her big breasts. My world stopped turning around.

 22 The First Kiss

    I had power from the old man, and I was expecting that nobody could kill me, that I could live forever in this world; I wasn''t wrong in my expectations. I didn''t feel any paining from my body anymore. Not because I was already dead, but because of magic. Magic that helped me and gave me another chance to breathe.


    My world resumed from turning around, and the fight wasn''t finished yet. I pushed myself against the road with my strong arms and slowly stood up. I slightly craned my neck and faced the trouble. I jumped, and with all my force, kicked the snatcher''s nape, then he tumbled down.


    What was I thinking when I couldn''t control myself once more? The curse might have been aroused. The man wanted to stand up after being knocked down, but he could not raise himself. He crawled on the rough road. My feet cautiously followed him until they kicked the merciless man who could not even show mercy to himself. He ricocheted against the wall and totally met his smiling death. His head cracked, and blood diffused onto the wall.


    He was already dead, but I still could not control myself. It walked towards the other man, who was out of consciousness, while the woman was watching me, observing what I was going to do. She sometimes yelled something I could not understand.


    Perhaps she was cheering for me without knowing that she would be the next. I sat on the bench like she was watching a horror movie, and I was the actor who yed the role of a killer boy. I wanted to tell her to escape, for my body might hurt her too, but I could not say anything, and I could not even open my lips.


    I reached the man who came back to consciousness. He suddenly stood up and took the big stick that the woman used to stroke him a while ago. He continuously stroked me with that, but I could not feel the pain because I myself did not tell him what I should feel.


    My whole body became more stiffened every time he struck me. His sweat was raining down the road while my body was letting him strike itself. I knew that when I could control myself again, I would probably feel the pain it caused and there would be a lot of bruises.


    After a few minutes, the man stopped striking me and kneeled down in exhaustion. My feet were so merciless that they kicked him. He rebounded towards the bench where the woman was sitting. My feet brought me to the spot where hended. He wasn''t moving anymore, but my feet wanted to y ser. They would not stop kicking him.


    Until they felt tired and turned back to the bench where the woman was. I knew what it was nning to do, but I could do nothing to stop it. It continued to the spot where the woman was.


    In my brain I screamed, "Hey, what are you doing? Don''t hurt her, she''s not doing anything wrong to us." Don''t hurt her! Otherwise, you will lose control of my body and I will kill myself!"


    It stopped in front of the woman, and I did not expect that it would do something incredulous or ridiculous, something disrespectful that only a rude man could do. I could see theint on her face about what the curse was doing. After that, she forcefully pushed me and ran away.


    I felt like something had gone. I had lost the excitement about doing the thing again. I had my first kiss with a woman I didn''t even know. Ever since my world began, there had been nobody who kissed my lips, my cheeks, or my forehead, but that day, I had my first kiss with a woman who was older than me. I knew I wasn''t the one who kissed her. It was the power of the old man that was making a fool of me, because after our lips touched each other, I came back to myself. I should forget about everything that happened that day. Nothing would happen if I thought about them. I needed to devise a strategy to avoid punishment for the heinous crime I''dmitted and return to my home.


    Maybe I could ask those people to know where I was. I knew which country I was in; all I needed to do was to return to my home. Teacher Jayne told me that there were many cherry blossoms in Japan, but I wasn''t sure if I was really there. There were no more people in that ce, but structures and tall buildings. My inference had the possibility that it wasn''t correct, because I also knew that Tokyo was the most populous city in the world.


    My parents would surely scold me again if they knew where I came from and that I had suddenly disappeared. But what if I couldn''t find my way back home? What would happen to me? I didn''t want to be a beggar. I tried to make myself believe that there was still hope.


    While walking on the road, I saw a group of people ahead, wearing simr clothes, until I realized they were cops, and there was a police station too. It entered my brain that I didn''t want to be imprisoned, but I didn''t know what to do. I didn''t want to go back because the dead men were there, and in not long, there would be someone to discover them.


    My problems with the crime were eventually solved when the bluish cloud jumped out of my mouth, and it formed a hole with a strong force inside that pulled and brought me back home.


    Everything hase back to normal. I emerged from the small hut in front of our house, sitting on the wooden stool beside the table, and the bowl of sweet-potato-chips was still there on my front. Cyril had approached me, then she licked my face; perhaps she smelled sweat and blood on my body, which caused her to stop what she was always doing.


    "You bitches can easily recognize the smell of blood," I remarked.


    Cyril ran towards her kennel, which I made yesterday. Maybe she was hungry. I should get inside the house and pretend that nothing had happened, so that I could take a bath, feed Cyril, do my homework, eat my dinner, and sleep early because my whole body was sore.

 23 The New Worker

    Ka


    What on earth was I told that there were too many other people, but why me? Was there no other beautiful girl in the world that all the punishments were given to me? After many times that the old woman-who looked like a hag-cheated me, I was afraid that that ugly woman might cheat me again. She was so hateful that she couldn''t see the wrong things she did.


    I would never trust anyone again, especially those boys, because they would only fool me. I would spend my time doing something that could make me happy and make me forget the greatest tragedy that happened. I would not look for those things which I didn''t have; instead I would be contented with what I had. I realized that the more I searched for something, the more it became impossible to find.


    What happened didn''t show a bad result from all angles. There were always positive sides to every situation. I didn''t need to worry about negotiating with Nick''s parents, and I would not think about that boy anymore. Especially since I knew nothing about the way my parents ran a business, I might only lose something.


    Sitting on the porch, looking outside the open metal bar and ck-painted gate, Looking everywhere except where the thick, hard, solid ice lies. The spot where a heinous crime wasmitted by my hands many days ago.


    The worms might have already eaten the guard''s flesh, a pitiable guard who did nothing wrong to me. Those problems were unavoidable, because even if I slept about them, they would find a way to show themselves, even in my dreams. I heard a sound which seemed to be a walking horse. I wasn''t wrong. There was a horse carrying a carriage. It stopped in front of our gate, and a handsome man stepped out of the carriage.


    I didn''t know who he was. Maybe one of the workers, or an acquaintance of one of the workers. I knew that sometimes their acquaintances visited them, especially if there was something important.


    The man was wearing a gray shirt, white pants, and boots. He went towards the gate and pressed the button for the doorbell to ring. He looked innocent and kind. Maybe he was also respectful and clever because he did not enter the open gate.


    I didn''t want to judge him too soon. He must prove himself to gain others'' trust. He couldn''t please everyone. Nobody heard the doorbell. Everyone was busy, so I donned my cork-soled boots and went towards the gate.


    I grasped the ck-painted metal bar and attempted to say a word, "Who are you?" I gazed at his face.


    "Good afternoon, miss Beautiful. If I wasn''t wrong, you''re the princess in this huge mansion. Am I right?" He slowly took my hand and kissed it, but I abruptly took it from him. "Sorry, but you don''t need to do that. I''m not used to it."


    He stood up straight and firmly, like a hard tree, looked at my eyes and asked, "Your eyes are both so beautiful. Can I know your name?"


    "I''m Ka Breaks." I told him.


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    Maybe something broke inside of him when he heard my name. That might be the reason why I was always broken. But it wasn''t my mistake if I had that kind of name. I knew it wasn''t eligible because I was so beautiful for that name. But as my dad said before, "we cannot judge someone through his or her name and appearance."


    A respectful person wouldn''t judge others by their names or appearance. If they were respectful, they would not say anything bad about others. My dad also told me that one could only gain respect and real power if he also respected himself and the people around him.


    The man took something from the thick ice by my feet. He stood up and looked at my eyes again. He had light brown eyes, a high, Roman nose, high eyshes, thick eyebrows, and some hair on his cheeks and chin. He had a brooding shoulder that carried a gray backpack.


    "Miss Ka, can I wear this ne?" He put a ne on my front. It was shining, though there was no sunlight.


    I knew that ne was mine and I inherited it from my mother, whom she said that she had inherited it from her mother and so on. I also knew how expensive it was because it was made from real gold. I promised Mom that whatever happened, I would not pawn it.


    My mom was right, because even me, this ne-I could smell the memories of the mom of my mom, the mom of my grandma, the mom of my great grandma, and so on...


    I took the ne from his hand, but inadvertently, his hand held mine. In the few seconds that followed, my world turned slowly, and then he said, "Sorry." He removed his hand from mine and looked away.


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    I wore the ne all by myself. I was still lucky that I had not lost it. My mother would definitely show me again and she might pinch my ear and say, "You''re a careless girl. If your ears weren''t attached to your head, you have already lost them too."


    The man turned back, and I slipped off into a reverie. He wasn''t old at all; perhaps he belonged in his early twenties, and he was so attractive that he had captured both my eyes and heart. But the thing I loved about him was his demeanor. He was so respectful and gentle that I witnessed his transformation even though we had just met.


    I came back to consciousness when he said, "Miss Ka, my friend who works here told me that you need someone who can work for you."


    "Um... yeah! I need someone who can work for me because there are many jobs waiting here. Just go to Amara if you want to apply. She will supervise you," I replied.


    "Okay, miss beautiful." He turned and attempted to leave.


    "Wait, can you tell me your name? So that we can get to know each other, because it would be unfair that I was the only one who told you who I am and I know nothing about you."


    He turned back and said, "I''m Steven Klee. You may call me Steve or whatever you want. Miss Ka Breaks."


    "Okay, Steve, you may continue. Maybe Amara is inside the kitchen."


    He showed me the most beautiful smile I had ever seen, then he turned to leave. His backpack seemed to be heavy because it was bulky, and I also noticed on his face that he was exhausted. Maybe he came from a faraway ce. I wasn''t totally merciless that I wouldn''t ept him to work here, or else he would go back shrugging.

 24 The Power of Vision

    The appearance of a handsome man could not be erased from my mind. The way he kissed my hand, the way he looked at me, and the way he''d smile. Why should I think about that man? What a dimwit I was. How could I fulfill my promise, that I wouldn''t trust and be closed to anyone, if I was showing the fragile version of myself again?


    The same with the ss that was so easily broken and, after being broken, couldn''t be repaired again, and the pain I got would stay forever. But I didn''t worry too much because if the ss had broken, it could be used for other things. Maybe that was the thing that was really meant for me.


    I sit on the rocking chair inside my spacious bedroom while reading a book. Maybe the life of a poor person was more exciting than the life of a wealthy one. It might be the same with the stories about those poor people who worked hard to be rich. They studied hard, did part-time jobs to maintain themselves in school and also help their families. Until someday, they''d be rich and live happily ever after.


    Whereas the life of mine didn''t have even a little excitement. What I only had was sadness, monotonous and full of mncholy andment. Every time I woke up, I could only see the white-painted ceiling. After the day passed by, I went towards my window and thought again about what had happened yesterday, finding the mistakes and hoping that they would not happen again in the present or in the future.


    Someone said that the whole universe would conspire with him if he believed in the beauty of his dreams. The cosmos would help him achieve them. But what if there was also someone who wished and believed that he could not achieve his dreams instead of believing that he could? Those people who would not support him and were afraid of what he might be?


    Maybe those were the reasons why my dreams wouldn''te true even if eons had psed, because a powerful woman had conspired with the universe to make my life worse!


    In my heart, my dreams were so simple. I wanted to be simple and to live a simple life. I also wanted to give justice for my parents'' deaths, but it seemed that I couldn''t give that to them anymore because the whole universe was conspiring to make foes and hindrances in my way.


    It had been a month since my parents'' death, but I had not gotten any information about the killers. I knew that if another month psed, the death of my parents would be forgotten by everyone, and even those police who were giving attention and investigating their death would just let the thing fly with the cold breeze.


    Why was I thinking of those things without even thinking about the people whom I killed without showing any mercy? Well, I didn''t need to feel sorry for them because I wasn''t the one who killed them, but the old woman who looked like a demon.


    Maybe that was my fate, to be a girl who could do nothing but follow the will of the wind. To dream and dream as if I could live forever and not die as a fool. Perhaps Amara was correct when she said it was different to have a teacher rather than teach myself.


    I was alone in my room again. It seemed like I was making myself a prisoner, though there was a huge space outside and anywhere. There were too many things that would enter my mind if I went outside. There would be many things that I could remember and smell the bad memories of other people, including my own parents.


    From the window of my room, I stared at the crescent moon hanging impaled on the slender shaft of the solitary pine. I was thinking about why my parents had decided to build the mansion there, though there were a few livable houses nearby and it was far from the city. I knew there would be more advantages to living in the city, but I also knew there were such disadvantages. It was for them to decide where they wanted to live. It wasn''t my business anymore. It was already evening, and seemed to be a normal day. I lowered the drapes and walked towards the door. My bedroom became dark, but it wasn''t the dimness that shocked me, but what I saw when I opened the door.


    Everything was different-what I saw was different from what I should have seen. I wasn''t inside my mansion anymore when I stepped out, but in a ce that I didn''t know. I tried to go back and see if I could still find the door to my room, but it was toote. I was lost in the darkness.


    Though I was in another ce, my clothes were still the same. A ck coat striped with pink fabric, a white skirt, and my pink sneakers. It made me think that I could not really imprison myself in my bedroom because the universe would still find a way to bring me anywhere.


    I knew that there was something unpleasant, uwful, heinous, inexplicable, and always happening to me, and it seemed to happen again. Maybe it was looking for a chance to happen. The sin might be waiting for me tomit it. That thing would never leave me anymore, and as long as I was alive, it would pave the way for it to happen.


    Everything around me has gradually changed. The first thing I saw was the blue sky with some rounded dull white clouds. The sun was already far away above my head. It was surprising that I could look directly at the sun, though it was dazzlingly gold. Maybe it was also a part of my power?


    It was noon there, but when I nced at my watch, I saw that its arms were pointing at 7:03 pm. That watch was stuck. Maybe I was very far from my town because I saw no snow and ice sleet falling from the sky. There was a concrete road and thempposts were aligned on the roadside.


    Incredible! It seemed that I could see what was ahead, and what was beyond the wall there, and everything beyond the houses, and what was beyond the buildings, and what was beyond the huge tower. That was incredible! I wanted to jump. I wanted tough. I wanted to shout. Until I screamed. Yohoo! I could see things even kilometers away from where I was!

 25 The Bruises

    Lil


    I sprang from my bed and donned my blue slippers. I could feel the warm sunlight entering the small holes in the ceiling. It was the first time I woke upte in the morning. I knew that I would bete to my ss that day. I was so exhausted that I slept for more than ten hours, and I could still feel the pain in my abdomen.


    I grabbed my towel from the line. The door cried out when I opened it. I entered and shut the door, hung my towel on the holder and got naked.


    I noticed the fist-sized, red bruises on my abdomen and was perplexed as to why they hadn''t healed, despite the fact that even arge cut on my hand would normally heal on its own, but why not? Perhaps it wasn''t part of my body or anything else about the power that was given to me by the old man. I didn''t care about that anymore. What was more important, I was breathing.


    My awareness became active when the cold water poured down on me. I wasn''t sure how I should feel, whether I should be happy or sad because of what I did to those people. I felt both: sad for killing those men, and d for helping the woman.


    I knew it wasn''t my mistake, because it was they who were doing wrong to me, and if I had not killed them, maybe I would have been the one who got killed by them. I wasn''t obliged to worry. It wasn''t my mistake if they died, because I wasn''t the one who killed them. The curse might be so strong because if I died, it could not use my body anymore, or else it could reinvigorate my dead flesh.


    After taking a bath, I fastened the towel around my waist and got out of the bathroom. I walked on the rough floor and continued into my bedroom. I shut the door and opened the box, then took my clothes. While wearing my trousers, I heard the door thud, so I hurriedly put on my pants and looked back to see if it was him.


    My mother got into my room. I was curious why she seemed to be scrutinizing my abdomen. Until I realized that I had not worn my shirt, and my mother saw something like a fist-like bruise. I had witnessed how her tears dripped down onto the floor.


    "Oh Christ! What happened to my son?" She got near me. "Are you okay?" The mother wiped the tears that had fallen down her cheeks. She looked everywhere but at my face. I hugged her tightly, though my abdomen was still painful. I wanted to calm her up.


    "What happened to you, son?" She touched my face.


    Mama, can you stop exaggerating? It''s just a bruise." I told her.


    "That''s a bruise! How can I stay calm?" She asked. "Tell me who did this to you and we will punish them!" Her hair seemed like snakes as they stood up and seemed to bite someone.


    "I''m fine, mamma; look at me; I''m still alive." I knew that she didn''t need to punish those men who did this to me, because they were already gone and got their uwful punishments.


    "Then what if you had died? They must be punished so that they cannot hurt you again and also the other children."


    "Mama, c''mon, just be calm." I went towards my bed and groped my socks below it. "You don''t need to worry. Look, everything is fine. You don''t need to punish anyone."


    But son, I can''t let it pass by. "Everything wouldn''t be fine if we let it continue." She took my white shirt, got close to me, and handed me my shirt. "We need to report to the police those people who hurt you."


    "Mama, why won''t you just rx and forget about this thing?" I tried to convince her why I was wearing my white shirt.


    "Son, why won''t you let me know who those people are that hurt you? I won''t rx as long as I see you suffering from the pain they caused."


    I was lulled, thinking of an alibi, then said, "Mama, you don''t need to worry because I already reported them to the police."


    "Are you sure?" She furrowed her forehead. It seemed that she had been affected by my alibi because her mood had changed.


    "Believe me. You don''t need to worry. I smiled. I''m of age to know what to do if someone hurts me. Trust me, you don''t need to worry." "Okay. So we shall forget it and go to the kitchen because your father is waiting for us and so that you won''t bete for your ss." "It was you, eh? You did not wake me up early."


    "Hey, you child, can''t you wake up on your own? You''ve said that you are already big enough to help yourself, so don''t tell me that you can''t wake up if I didn''t arouse you. Anyway, can you tell me the reason why you have slept so long?" She queried.


    Hey you, your lips seemed to be a machine gun, but I knew I couldn''t me my mother, because she was just worried about me. It was my mistake that I couldn''t tell her the real story. Now I believe that if someone had started to lie to someone, he would be addicted to doing it. Whatever they would say, he would not be affected anymore.


    We got inside the kitchen. I saw my father was already eating his breakfast. It was the first time I saw him eating alone. Sometimes I e the kitchen. I saw my father was already eating his breakfast. It was the first time I saw him eating alone. Sometimes I didn''t even see him eating. When I was young, it made me wonder if my parents were eating their meals or not. And they were always watching me eating food and seemed curious about why I was eating it. "Do hurriedly eat your breakfast, so that you can go to your school early," Mom ordered.


    "Leona, don''t say that to your child; he might choke," my father reprehended.


    "Just calm pa, you might be the one to choke yourself because you''re eating too much," I mumbled.


    Perhaps mom heard what I had said, which is why she replied, "Just let him." You already know what a thief he is when ites to food."


    "And he had stolen your heart, mama?" I asked.


    "You should not talk about that thing. I''m not food," she replied. "Look at your father. He choked himself because you''re mentioning him."


    Did it really ur to you that if you mentioned someone, something would happen to that person? Teacher Jayne told me that it was only a belief of the elderly and could not happen in real life.


    But why do people do not believe in magic? Based on my experience, it was true. Perhaps because they hadn''t experienced what I was experiencing. Teacher Jayne also told me that the best teacher was someone''s experience. She said that someone was not doing anything if he didn''t have any experience of doing something.


    Surely, if an impossible thing happened many times, someone could do nothing but believe in it, so if my father choked many times, it could force me to believe that talking about someone had an effect on them. However, I could not let go of the possibility that it was just a coincidence.


    If, on the other hand, I mentioned someone''s name and that person bit his own tongue, I knew the world would never be at peace. The word means that if someone just mentioned the name of their brother, there would be a lot of people who would be affected. As one life touched the other, and that wasn''t really hard to understand.

 26 The Distinctions

    I knew my parents were already doubting something was happening to me, especially that there were many times they saw evidence of that. My mother might have already noticed many weird things. I knew that even though she would not ask me, she could sense that as my mother.


    How many innocent people do I need to kill? How many people would be bereaved because of me? How many sins do I need tomit before I can be free? I was only lucky that no one was searching for me or who witnessed those crimes. Everyday, I walked the streets back and forth. And though I was sometimeszy, I could endure anything for my dreams. Every time I saw Teacher Jayne, my tiredness would disappear. Her smile gave me happiness, and her soft voice gave me strength. That might sound un-contemted, but I wanted to marry her.


    I sat on the bench under the shade of a huge tree that seemed older than the campus. I didn''t know why our principal would not let anyone cut that tree; perhaps a dryad who lived inside. Or perhaps I had totally lost my mind, and I wasn''t willing to search for it.


    Teacher Jayne was going towards me. She was wearing a blue shirt, striped pants, sandals, and a satchel of papers and books. I had fallen in love with the way she slowly walked towards me, and my heart was beating so loudly when she sat down by my side. I was disturbed, and I wanted to stand, to jump, to shout, but I did nothing but hush myself.


    She looked at my face and greeted me. "Good afternoon, Mr. Ward. What are you doing here?" She ced her satchel on the bench.


    I didn''t know what to reply. I was bewildered because it was the first time she talked to me like that. Before, she would only pass by in front of me and continue walking towards the ssroom without even looking at me. It wasn''t my business after all, especially since she was a teacher and I was her student.


    "I''m just sitting here, waiting for the throng of students to disappear." I smiled while trying to avoid making eye-to-eye contact with her.


    "You look happy; I can see it in your face. Would you like to tell me something?" A cloud slowly lowered darkly into her eyes.


    "I''m smiling, but it doesn''t mean that if someone smiles, he''s happy."


    "You have a point, and good, because you''re smiling even though you''re not happy, or are you?" Teacher Jayne asked. "I''d noticed that you''re always bbergasted these days. Why?"


    "We can smile in whatever situation. I''ve been facing a little problem, and like in mathematics, there''s no problem without a solution," I replied.


    "You''re so smart, but it''s also okay not to be okay if we''re facing problems and it seems that we cannot find any hope." She seemed to be carrying the whole world with the way she talked and blinked her eyes.


    I was confused about her words, so I asked, "Is there something wrong?"


    Teacher Jayne was my illegal drug. I was already addicted to her, so when she was sad, I also became sad. If she seemed to carry the whole world, I also did. I wanted to take her burden and make her happy every day, every night, every hour, every minute, and every second.


    But at that time, her sadness gave me mixed feelings that I never expected to have. I was happy for myself and sad for my teacher when she told me that her boyfriend had left her behind for an unknown reason.


    "How could he do that to you, Miss Jayne? You looked perfect, your appearance is perfect, and you''re also kind to everyone. Your boyfriend was so blind that he could not see that," I told her.


    I also never expected that he would leave me so easily without a clear reason. What I only knew was that he loved me. "He was a respectful and kind man, and that was the reason I loved him," she replied.


    A kind and respectful man? How could she say that if he just left her behind? He could not be called kind and respectful because he did not even show respect and kindness to her. He just left without even saying a farewell. He did not deserve someone like my teacher.


    "Maybe there was an important thing he needed to do, which is why he hurriedly left me. And you must not think that people love you because of your appearance; you''re still young and inexperienced," Teacher Jayne defended. "Maybe." I sensed that a man like him had just made my teacher a fool. I believed he would note back anymore. But my teacher seemed confident about her words, and even the glum on her face had disappeared. "Thank you for spending some time with me, but I need to go now." She took her satchel of books and papers, then stood up. "See you in our ss tomorrow." Teacher Jayne walked away. I also stood up and went home. Perhaps she wasn''t the right person for me. Because even from whatever angle I would look at her, she was different. Our ages, preferences, beliefs, and many other things. Perhaps I was still too young to have a girlfriend, and perhaps what I felt for her wasn''t love, but infatuation. Teacher Jayne told me that infatuation and love were different.


    Infatuation was an instant desire; one set of nds calling out to another, while love was a friendship that had caught fire. It takes root and grows one day at a time. Infatuation was marked by a feeling of insecurity. Someone was excited and eager but not genuinely happy. There were nagging doubts, unanswered questions, little bits and pieces about her, and I would just as soon not examine them too closely because it might spoil my dream.


    Love was quiet, understanding, and the mature eptance of imperfection. It gave someone strength and grew beyond that person to bolster his beloved. Someone was warmed by the presence of their beloved even when they were away. Miles could not separate them. He wanted her to be near, but near or far, he knew that she was there and he could wait.


    Infatuation said that they must get married right away. showing that he could not risk losing someone. Whereas love said that they must be patient. They should not panic, but rather n their future with confidence.


    Infatuation has an element of sexual excitement. If someone was honest, he could admit it was difficult to be in one another''spany unless he was sure it would end in intimacy. Love was the maturation of friendship, telling him that they must be friends before they can be lovers.


    Infatuationcked confidence. When someone was away, he wondered if she was cheating. Sometimes he would check. Love means trust. He was calm, secure, and unthreatened. His beloved felt the same way too, and that made them even more trustworthy.


    Infatuation might lead him to do things he would regretter, but love never would. Love was a mood booster. It made him look up. It made him think. It made him a better person.

 27 The Curses Plan

    Ka


    The thing was so cool. There were many things I could see, even far away, but it gave me another problem, because I didn''t know how to stop myself from seeing those things. How could I focus on what was in front of me if there were too many things bothering me? so unpleasant. What kind of curse was that? My tears were dripping just because of it.


    I wiped my tears away from my face with the tip of my coat, then I looked back ahead. It was incredible that tears were the only solution to stop the unpleasant thing. My normal vision came back and I could clearly see what was in front of me; thempposts and the houses ahead.


    There were huge trees in the grasnd near the road. Fruits were hanging on their branches, and I hadn''t seen anything like them before. Those fruits might be uneatable and might cause me pain or allergies.


    In my town, I could only see fruit once a year. I was always eating pork, beef, and junk foods, but it seemed like they didn''t have any effect on my health. I knew that whatever food I ate would be useless because it seemed that I was eating nothing.


    Since I was young, I had doubted that I wasn''t a normal human, for there were many differences between me and the other children. I could survive without eating food for a long time, maybe a week, a month or even a year. I would only eat if I wanted, if there was someone who wanted me to eat, and if the food looked and smelled delicious.


    I didn''t want to be obvious about who I was because I knew the people around me would say that I was an abnormal girl. And it wasn''t my job to know how people would look at me. The problem was with them, because they couldn''t see the different parts of me.


    Nothing would happen if I just sat down there and thought about a certain, or even uncertain, thing. Change is constant, so I should find a way to change my expectations. I might need to take the very first step towards those houses so that my mission there would be done quickly.


    I might have needed tomit a heinous crime before I could get rid of the curse. Though I didn''t want to do anything wrong, the universe would still pave the way for it. I felt like the breeze was pushing me towards the house and seemed to scourge me if I didn''t follow its order.


    Sorry to the world, but I have realized that I must not waste the opportunity to live. I needed to do that thing in order to survive. I still wanted to live longer, and to give my parents the right justice, to live a happy life with the people I loved and those who loved me back.


    I needed to be strong and brave for my freedom. I would squeamishly give everything for the life that I was dreaming of. I''m sorry to the people who became and would be victims of the curse. Sorry to the people who sacrificed their lives for a mission that was nonsense and didn''t have a clear reason.


    I was walking on my exhausted feet. I had never walked on a long road covered with the shades of trees and somempposts before. It was a challenge for me to walk on that road and listen to my own footsteps. Looking at the colorful butterflies along the roadsides What kind of ce was that? Everything seemed to be singing a luby. They were making me fall asleep.


    If this hadn''t happened, I would have already fallen asleep in my bedroom. After the first day that she demonstrated to me, there were many impossible and eerie things that happened next. But what happened could not be undone. There was no use looking back or wondering, because my past was a strange and unfunny thing.


    I was the type of girl who always looked for someone to me for what was going on. Though I knew that it was all my mistake, why were those things happening to me?


    When I was fifteen, I remembered, I already dreamed of having a handsome husband, children, and a family. The plot of my life had been nted in my mind. The arrangement was there, from the beginning to the end: spending my days with my husband, making unforgettable memories anywhere, traveling the world as long as we could, and having many children was a part of it. Even the smallest details were also there: the names of my children, swimming at the beach, etcetera etcetera.


    When I turned sixteen, I realized that life wasn''t as easy as I had thought. My fate wasn''t only that I could make it. Sometimes, the wind would change the way it blew. I realized that there were many possibilities for something toe and change my life, and I wasn''t wrong. I was then suffering because I had not prepared for what might happen.


    Nick South was real. Now I remember he was once my ymate when I was young. Our parents were partners in businesses. He was always with me before, but I didn''t know the reason why he had just suddenly disappeared. Maybe he was only busy with schooling.


    The old woman always seemed to be watching me because she knew that I had a ymate. Her memory was better than mine, despite the fact that she was already old and I was younger than her for many years. Perhaps I had forgotten a lot of things. But why? Though I had not experienced amnesia, I could not find someone to me because nobody was suitable for it.


    Drifting alone on a quiet road I wasn''t suffering for anything if I could only control the power. Maybe the old woman could tell me something about that. If it happened that I could control my power, I would believe that I was one of the lucky ones, because even though there were many ordeals in life, I did everything and passed them all. I would be happy to gain power that would never hurt innocent people, unlike the one I had.


    Conscience was so powerful that even though I couldn''t control my body, it was persecuting me. But how could I follow the whisper of conscience if I could not even control myself? The silent whisper of conscience that I could not hear because of the curse


    I chose which path I should take, but the curse had taken its own path; it was going towards the house that looked haunted. It was sending shivers down my spine. And I couldn''t see the positive side of that situation.


    Shit! My hand took an axe, which was attached to the bleeding wood in front of the house. The axe glitters with sharpness. How could I avoid what it was going to do? I couldn''t even close my eyes or wink. Every time I allowed the curse to control me, I became poorer than a zombie but more merciless than Satan.

 28 The Unexpected Death

    My feet brought me towards the door of the yellow-and-white painted house, then my right hand knocked on it while the other one held a sharp axe. There were many windows around the house, and drapes that could be seen outside. No garbage, not even a little dirt on the walls, though they were painted with dirt-pursued paint. Having that kind of house was so beautiful, simple, and peaceful, but why did the curse want to break the peace there? Didn''t it know that the people there were not doing anything wrong, or maybe it was envious of what I had observed?


    That was such a merciless curse. I knew it wouldn''t show any sympathy because it only had a brain and didn''t have a heart. It could kill everyone who was in its way, even a poor child, even a baby who was still inside his mother''s stomach. It was sharper than any sword, heavier than any load, hotter than the sun and hell.


    The owner of the house was probably sleeping at those hours because everything there seemed to be singing a luby. The sun-kissed was so warm, nobody wanted to face it. The foliage of the tall coconut trees was dancing in the cool, intermittent breeze.


    Though no one opened the door, my hand wouldn''t stop knocking. It knocked harder and harder until even my ears reported that they heard thunderps. Even with my eyes, I saw the house was shaking a bit because of the strong and continuous knocks.


    My hand didn''t feel tired as long as nobody was opening the door. It was absolutely certain of what it wanted to do. I hoped that nobody would open the door, whatever happened, or else they would meet Mr. Death.


    I knew the house could not be easily destroyed because it was made of cement, stones, sand, and a few trees. There were two ways to enter if nobody opened the door: use the axe to break the door or the windows made of ss. The people who lived in that house seemed lucky because the curse didn''t know any other way to enter. That dimwit''s body waspressing itself against the door.


    Gosh! The door suddenly cried out! I saw a woman wearing a in white shirt striped with ck and white pants that were striped with white. I didn''t know what its color was or what it was striped with, because it had a bnced ck and white color. There seemed to be a skin of a zebra in the movie (Madagascar). She was also wearing a pair of white slippers.


    She had a high nose, red lips, thick brows, white skin, and long banded hair. Her attractive mauve eyes were just like mine. She was a little bit chubby, and we had the same height, but I knew that I could be taller than her. But it didn''t matter anymore, because however tall we were, we could not avoid bing shorter as we grew older.


    I didn''t care what that woman looked like or how tall she was. What I cared about was that she made the biggest mistake of her life when she opened the door. That was thest day she could see the world. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" She queried. "Are..."


    She had not finished her words when, o my gosh! My hand cleaved her head with the sharp axe! It caused a big crack on her forehead or in her cheek. The woman died easily. But even though she had already bitten the dust, my hand would not stop striking her with the hatchet.


    Perhaps it was so mad and irritated that the woman had not opened the door quickly enough, and that was the reason for the flogging. But whatever the reason it had, it was still wrong, merciless, evil, uwful, and the most unpleasant sin in the whole wide world that I saw with my own two eyes.


    My hands dragged the woman inside the house and she shut the wooden door. She looked so pitiable; my hands seemed to make her a wooden doll when they stroked her whole body. She received a lot of wounds everywhere: on her abdomen, chest, head, arms, shoulders, etc. The red liquid sshed and shed on the door. Minutes psed before my hand stopped striking the woman.


    My body turned around. There was an upholstered couch inside, a television, a table, chairs made of polished wood, soft pillows, etcetera. The house only looked beautiful from the outside, but inside was a mess. Maybe it turned into a mess because there was no more space for anything, whereas in my mansion, anywhere you looked was spacious.


    People were the same with that house: they looked good, kind, innocent, and beautiful when we looked outside, but I am sure that there were just a few people who were clean inside, and mostly a mess. Like me, but they could not judge me because it wasn''t my mistake; it was the curse that messed me up. It messed up my whole life!


    I thought that there was a family living in that house, but there was only a mess. Still walking towards the kitchen, the curse seemed to be searching for another victim. My hand also opened the empty cauldron. Maybe it was thinking that there was someone inside it. What a dimwit body. It went towards the cupboard and opened it, seeming to be searching for something, but did not know where or what it was.


    After searching in the kitchen, we got out and checked the bathroom, but nobody was there, still holding the axe in our left hand. My feet brought me towards the other room, and my hand turned the knob.


    The room was also a mess: there were many clothes, towels, nkets, etcetera, hanging on the clothesline. I saw a handsome man lying on an upholstered bed. He didn''t have clothes on the upper portion of his body. Maybe he was the husband of the woman whom I killed a while ago.


    My feet brought me inside the bedroom, and I locked the door. Maybe it was making everything sure so that if the man woke up, he could not escape whatever he would do.


    Perhaps it was saying, "Don''t worry, man, I''ll help you meet your wife in hell or heaven."


    I went towards the bed where the man was lying. He seemed to be in such a deep slumber that he didn''t hear any sounds I made. He was wearing boxer shorts, and I could see his white shaggy legs. He had big muscles in his arms, abdomen, and chest that moved slightly up and down as he breathed.


    He looked fit and well-stretched. He had a high nose, short hair, and a clean face. That handsome man seemed to not have or care about anything or any problems that came or mighte.


    What I could only do was to hope that he would have another chance to wake up from sleep. Everyone deserves to live a life and has a responsibility to take care of their lives. However, what else could I do to give him that chance if there was no other thing but to hope for the best, though it was hopeless?


    Certainly, my hand was going to strike the man when he woke up and rolled himself on the bed to avoid the axe that wanted to pierce him. I screamed in my brain: "Don''t hurt me!"


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    I knew that I could not feel any pain because it was my body that made its moves and it was my body that could feel pain. Shouting was just my instinct. Maybe I could also feel the pain that it would cause if everything came back to its normal condition.


    "Who are you? What are you doing in my house? Why do you want to kill me?" He panted with his curiosity.


    What was the use of screaming if he could not hear me? I tried to scream many times, but nobody could hear me. He was an innocent man. It would be so uwful if he just died without any clear reason. I knew he deserved an exnation, but how could I exin everything if I couldn''t even say a word?


    My hand tried to stroke him many times, but he avoided all of my attacks. He looked trained in fighting. He punched me many times, and I caught all of them. But however he would punch me, I couldn''t feel any pain.


    Until my hand became mad and vigorous. It did not stop striking the man with the glittering axe. Until it hit him in his abdomen, another strike on his foot, another strike on his arm, another strike on his chest, and he totallyy down on the floor.


    He was full of blood streaming down from the wound on his abdomen, left foot, left arm, and right chest. The bed that was upholstered in white velvet had be reddish-white because of the blood from the body of the pitiable man. "Please don''t... kill... me..." he stammered while imploring.


    I could see from his face that he felt so much pain. He was so pitiable, but what could I do? My hand totally shut him up by striking his head with the glittering axe, which was then covered with blood.

 29 The Power of Hearing

    Lil


    I knew if a couple didn''t really love each other, there was a high possibility for them to break up. Because even though they were already married, change was constant. There was a big chance that someone''s wife would be out of zest when she was with him. That could be a reason for separation. just like what happened to my friend''s parents.


    I was going back home when I saw France Lim. It had been many days since Ist saw him. He wasn''t going to school anymore, and I didn''t know why. I didn''t want to make an inference about him, because it wasn''t my business if he wanted to do whatever he wanted to do.


    He was sitting on the bench near their house''s gate. I went near him and sat down there too. Walking back and forth from home and school could be exhausting, even though it was only a kilometer away. If I became rich, I would buy a lot of transportation so that students would not have to exert effort or waste time walking.


    "Hey bro, why are you not going to school anymore?" I asked.


    France had changed. He seemed to have his own world. He was ying games on his phone, unlike me, who has never touched a phone ever since I was born because we were indigent and I didn''t want my parents to waste their money on that. I didn''t need it in order to live.


    Perhaps he wasn''t going to school because nobody supported him. He had told me once that his father didn''t care about them. Everything was his father''s mistake, because if he had not cheated, they would have been a happy family until


    now.


    I noticed that the curse didn''t hurt those good people. Perhaps if it thought that somebody was fighting, it would stop them. However, I could not let it go because they were also humans.


    He didn''t answer me, and it seemed that he didn''t have a n to go back to school. He might be addicted to ying Mobile Legends. Though I didn''t have a phone, I could hear those games they were ying because of those students who would ask others to join them. Even those teachers sometimes yed Mobile Legends with their students.


    "France, are you okay?" I asked again.


    However, he didn''t say anything. His eyes were stuck on his phone, and his fingers were busy tapping its screen. Maybe it was very difficult for him because he had no parents anymore. He only had his siblings, but he also told me that they were not that close.


    "Okay, if you won''t talk with me, then I will go now," I said.


    Someone said that those who couldn''t understand your silence surely couldn''t understand your words. He might need time to think, but he wasn''t thinking if he''d y all day. I didn''t care. His life wasn''t mine.


    Therefore, I stood up, carried my backpack, and continued walking down the street. France has really changed. Before, every time that I would say or ask something, he would always respond on time. However, I knew I couldn''t me him. I must be the one to be med because I was the reason his mother died. It was all my mistake that he was doing that.


    Even though I would say that I didn''t care, my conscience was telling me it was all my mistake. He was so kind to allow that to happen; he was the one who protected me from bullies since we were young. whereas it didn''t cross my mind that his mother would die because of me. I was curious about why I had not seen him before, and I had not identified the woman.


    It is really difficult to move on from the death of someone you loved. I believed that others were just saying that the death of their beloved was causing them depression, though they were the ones depressed because their beloved didn''t want to see them sad.


    Those who died also didn''t want to die, but what else could they do if fate was against them? that they were wasting their time on someone they cared about who had already found peace in thend of spirits. They were really not meant to live longer in the world.


    One more thing: dead people received more flowers than living ones because regret was stronger than gratitude. That was the reason why we needed to spend more time with someone we loved, because we didn''t know when we would die, and it was inevitable.


    France might bementing because I could hear what he was talking about, even though I was far from him. Poor France. He was thinking that nobody cared about him and he was alone. He didn''t know what to do anymore. He told me once that he wasn''tmenting his mother''s death too much. He told me that he knew that time woulde and he had prepared for that, but it seemed to him that he had underestimated the power of change.


    There was one more thing. I realized that it was weird because I could hear a lot of things, such as people fighting,ughing, crying, teasing, etcetera, etcetera. The noise was getting louder and louder.


    It was incredible and cool, but I knew it had a bad effect. Many weird things have happened ever since the old man demonstrated. Perhaps it wasn''t only that, there would be many things to happen. It was all my mistake that I agreed to have the bluish cloud without thinking. But everything was done, and I couldn''t go back to fix what I screwed up.


    It baffled me. I couldn''t think well. My head was aching, and it seemed that the whole world was talking in my ear. I could hear them even when I was covering. I should go home to find a way for them to stop. After a few minutes of walking, the noise had disappeared. I realized that it was really hard to hear the whole world because everyone seemed to have problems. Many people were sulking everywhere.


    I was already at the front of our house. I opened the wooden gate and continued to the door. It was good to know that my mother wasn''t scared of the person who killed the two women. Before it was even afternoon, my mother already closed the door, and even my father was infected by my mother''s smartness and bravery.

 30 The Masses

    It was pretty clear that if someone made one wrong decision in a temporary situation, it could affect their whole life. It sometimes happens when he feels difficulty in a situation. The reason triggered him to make a wrong decision and cling to the sharp sword without thinking that he might tear apart. The only thing on his mind was to escape from a certain difficulty. He didn''t think that there were other solutions to his problems. He couldn''t see that because he was blinded by the negativity and refused to look at the positive side even in the most difficult situation of his life.


    There I was again in the grasnd, the ce where whatever problems I had, nature would absorb them. The breeze would chill me through the bones and would help me forget my problems. Lying on the evergreen grass that seemed to creep and tickle my face. I might fall in love.


    Everything seemed to have been turned back to normal. Unlike those days when everything was avoiding me. I realized that was exactly the situation when someone carried hatred for somebody inside their hearts. It seemed like a rotten potato. If he could not tolerate its smell for just a week, he could not imagine what it would be like to have a stench of hatred in his heart for a lifetime.


    I was thinking about the noise that chattered in my ears. I am just lucky that I discovered how to control that noise. Perhaps it was power, a power that only a limited number of people could have. It was even simpler than what I thought. I didn''t need to be mad to make it quiet, for it would leave me in volition if I didn''t want to hear it. It was a new power that I could hear anyone, even from far ces. The power wasn''t just simple because someone who had it could do many things to help others. And it could be a way to make the world a better ce.


    That power might also havee from the old man, but there was also a possibility that I was mistaken. If that power came from him, perhaps that would have shown up to me earlier. Time flew. It had been a month since he offered me the bluish cloud.


    If that wasn''t from him, there was a possibility that my inference was true, that I wasn''t a normal human, but what was I? Perhaps a superhuman? Who was destined to save the world from the darkness?


    I was out of rationalization if I didn''t prioritize myself and believe that my dreams woulde true. It might happen that everything would be the opposite of what I thought. So I must consider it because it wasn''t based on certainty. The jingles of people beside my ear dragged me from thinking. I didn''t know what it wanted to indicate, but I was sure that someone was in trouble. I knew where the noise came from; it seemed nearby. I didn''t need to worry anymore about how to get there because the bluish cloud had shown up and created a whirling hole where the strong force pulled me in.


    Just a few secondster, I fell down in the crowd of people. It seemed that the bluish cloud brought me to a fiesta instead of bringing me to the ce where there were troubles. I had been wondering if it would be bloody if it happened because I could not control my body again. I wasn''t underestimating it, but I knew it wouldn''t happen because I couldn''t fight against the crowd of people, and I also didn''t want to die.


    Many people said that if you could not control something, it would be the one to control you. And they were right, because I was experiencing the same thing. But it wasn''t as easy as they thought. It was so hard to control myself when it wanted to move by itself.


    There was something I needed to do in that ce. However, I knew it wasn''t me who needed to do something there, but the curse from the old man. If I could only control my body at all times, I would never hurt other people as long as they were not doing wrong to me. As long as the power of the old man that invaded my body wouldn''t control me, I would notmit a sin.


    It was the curse that needed something from me, and not me from it. I agreed with the old man because of my situation at that time. There were a lot of bullies who were trying to hurt me, and I also wanted to be a superhero and nothing else, as the old man told me. But everything was done, and I epted that everything was all my mistakes and not others.


    The curse started to control me. I could feel something creeping in my veins. Perhaps it was recing my blood with gas. I knew it was the reason the curse had taken control of my body. I was hoping that the curse wouldn''t enter my heart and brain, otherwise I didn''t know what could happen to me.


    It seemed to be plotting something ridiculous. It was already night, but there were many people around. My feet walked on. It might be allergies in the crowd. Or it could not do anything bad to anyone there.


    I didn''t know what the reason for the crowd was. Perhaps there was a party because everyone was wearing formal clothes. I felt ufortable because I was the only one who was wearing blue trousers and a white shirt, and some of the people around me were looking at me. I seemed to be a zombie who was looking downwards and walking slowly around the ce.


    It was the second time that something had brought me somewhere. First, it was the swarm of flies that brought me to the ce where I had my first kiss, but I did not mean to kiss that woman, and most probably, she was not the woman I liked. But it appeared that the curse enjoyed what it did and seemed to do that again.

 31 The Bloods Stain

    Ka After I killed the couple who were living in the house in the ce I didn''t know, the pinkish cloud brought me back to the mansion. However, I had been unable to understand why this was happening to me. The old woman was probably just making a monkey of me. She knew that I felt the difficulty of the curse, but she still didn''t say anything about it. It wasn''t her mistake at all; it was mine, because I was so choosy that I didn''t want to talk with her.


    It was already midnight when I arrived at the mansion with the cloud. I knew there were marks of blood on my clothes and I could smell them by myself. I took the winding stairs down to the living room. It was already midnight, and the servants and workers might be sleeping in the rooms.


    The darkness seemed to swallow me. I searched for the light switch and turned it on. I was not wrong; I saw in the antiquated mirror that my clothes had many red marks, especially my skirt, because it was white.


    The door suddenly cried out. I saw someone''s reflection in the long mirror. It was Amara who got inside the living room. She was the butler in the mansion, and I hadplete faith in her. She was the only one who always supervised everything in the mansion. She was wearing pajamas and pink sneakers right there, and she was going towards me and was appalled by what she saw.


    "Gosh!" Amara eximed. "Ka, what happened to your skirt? Is that blood?" She queried in a stupefied manner.


    Finding an alibi I didn''t want her to doubt that I did something wrong, uwful, heinous, or criminal. I didn''t want her to doubt that I was killing people. Most of all, I didn''t want her to draw the inference that I was a ghost who was searching for a victim every night. I didn''t want her to leave me. Maybe she already noticed that I was always gone from the mansion, usually at night.


    "It''s... Yeah, it is blood." I stammered and told the truth. There was something that entered my brain. "You know, I''m a girl, and I hope that you can understand what it means." I tried to speak normally.


    Perhaps it could be used to avoid the scourge of truth. It made me confused that even though I was already sixteen-I didn''t know why. I might be an abnormal girl. I didn''t know why I wasn''t having a period, or even an exmation mark; all I had was a question mark. I only knew about it because it had been discussed by my teacher.


    "Do you mean that you''re having yours?" She asked, confused.


    "Yeah, that''s exactly what I mean." I could see in the mirror, the curiosity frowned on her face. Maybe she felt it was difficult to believe that I was having the thing they called a menstrual period-and that I didn''t know how to manage myself. "Are you sure you''re just okay? Do you know what to do?"


    "Yeah... Of course, just leave me here. You''re probably tired."


    "Okay, but call me if you need help or anything."


    Amara went towards the door and went back to where she came from. I felt relieved because I had avoided something and the possibility that people would hate me. I went towards the bathroom, opened the door and shut it. I turned on the shower and took a cool bath, which shuddered me.


    I really needed to be careful so that nobody could know my secret. I needed to find a way to cover it, or else I would be alone in the huge mansion. I knew who I was but had no idea what I might be. I wasn''t a wicked girl. Though sometimes I was mad. But it didn''t mean that because I was mad, I was already bad, that I didn''t have any feelings. Being mad with a reason wasn''t a bad thing at all. The bad part was that when someone was mad without any reason.


    Everyone was born mad and the others remained the same, but it didn''t mean that someone could not avoid it. Others were trying to change themselves. I didn''t know why I was thinking about that thing or if my mind had been affected by the curse of the old woman.


    I didn''t want that to happen, that even my brain would be affected. I knew I couldn''t be who I was if every part of my body was controlled by the selfish curse. I didn''t know what would happen to me or if I would be picked up. My wish was that the curse wouldn''t touch my brain, or else I would lose my mind.


    I used my pinkish towel to dry myself and put on my ck leather coat and long pants. I was still shuddering because of the cool water. I was using the hairdryer when I remembered the man named Steven Klee.


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    No woman could easily forget him. I wanted to know more about him. I didn''t know why I got interested in him. I thought there were many other boys out there who were younger than he. Maybe what I wanted was something more mature, more masculine, a man who could save me in times of difficulty.


    I wanted a man who could be a hero to me, because I have never had the experience of having one. Dad couldn''t protect me or even protect himself from those people who killed him and mom. I knew that what I wanted was difficult to get, because I wanted a man who could sacrifice his happiness, preferences, beliefs, and even himself for me.


    It was already two o''clock in the morning when I climbed into bed. I didn''t have any idea how many hours I wasted in that ce. What I only knew was that there were two innocent people who died because of me.


    Though I was already lying on my bed, I could not fall asleep because I could see someone even in the darkness. I was curious to see if I saw through the power given to me. I didn''t know what kind of power that was, but I was happy that it knew what I wanted to see.


    Steven Klee was also lying on the bed in the dormitory. He was in such a deep slumber that I could even see his chest was slowly moving up and down as he breathed. I even fell in love with the way he breathed.


    Oh mother, please don''t be mad at me. I knew that I wasn''t that kind of girl. I didn''t want to fly lower, but I wanted to sleep with him in the same bed. I wanted to feel his warm breath and let the night pass by.

 32 The Conspiracy

    "Goddammit! What are you doing here? Are you watching me sleep? Can you get out of my face? You ugly woman?" I scowled. I sprang from my bed, donned my pink sneakers, and went towards the window. I opened it and let the sunlight enter the room.


    That day was so bad because I had not slept well, and then I was irritated that when I woke up, the first woman I saw was the old woman who cheated me. She was wearing long ck pants and a leather coat, the same as the clothes she was wearing the first time I saw her. Her ugly face seemed to have changed a lot. Some of the veins on her face, which seemed like snakes and wanted to bite me, were gone.


    There was one more thing that I realized about her. She wasn''t too ugly at all, and her eyes were mauve, which turned me curious because we had the same eyes. However, it would never cross my mind that we had a connection to each other just because of that. I wasn''t bragging, but I didn''t want to have any connection with that ugly woman, because she was so cruel.


    "What kind of demon are you that after what you did you still have the courage to show your face again?" I eximed.


    The old woman was sitting on my bed, seeming stuck in her position as she stared at my pillow. Maybe she was watching me sleep all night, but I knew she would not show her face to me if she did not need anything.


    It seemed like she was out of consciousness or she was sleeping soundly. Was she a crazy woman who watched me even in my sleep? Maybe she had been watching me all her life and she also knew everything about me. I never expected that there was a woman like her who could not mind her own business. She could not even change her clothes, but she still had time to irritate me. What a brazen, huge hussy!


    I went back towards her and, because I was so mad, I could not control myself to p her face, but I had failed my take one. I tried it again to see if it was real, and I realized that it was weird because she seemed like a demon I could not touch. My hand was just passing through her face. Maybe I was crazy that I could see her but not touch her. What an ugly ghost she was.


    I noticed her eyes were both closed. I didn''t know what to do or how to wake her up, because I couldn''t touch her. So I decided to shout in her ear, though it seemed like the work of an insane girl, because it was just the air where I wanted to shout and not her ear.


    "Hey, freaky old woman, what are you doing inside my room?" I eximed.


    It seemed that she was affected by my shout, as she suddenly opened one of her eyes and looked at me. I was thinking if she would ask me if it was already morning and if what she was doing was in my bedroom, but I was wrong. "Ka! How dare you disrespect someone who''s older than you? Have you forgotten the sins you havemitted that you''re making yourself clean in front of me?" She scolded me in an annoyed manner.


    How could she scold me like that without even thinking if I was the one who was being sinful between us? I really wanted to kick her out of the world so that she could do no wrong and her foolery would end there.


    I wasn''t perplexed any longer if she already knew my name. The curse seemed to be active again, and I could not control myself from outrage to fight the old woman, a ghost or demon: she was despicable, inexplicable, wicked and immoral. I didn''t know who she was; she might be already dead; it might be her spirit which I could see and talk with. It was horrendous, but there was nothing that could stop or defeat the outrage I felt for her.


    "How dare you say that after you have destroyed my whole life? You''re a heartless demon!" I tried to lower my voice so that nobody could hear me, but it was uncontroble. Even my tears were falling without my awareness. Though I was mad, I thought that maybe she still had a little concern about me when she reminded me to respect an older woman like her; she also reminded me of the sins I hadmitted, though it wasn''t me who did them, but the curse that came from her.


    I knew there was only one person I had killed during the time when the curse was not controlling my body. He was the zombie boy whom I didn''t want to remember anymore. It wasn''t even me who had wanted to kill that boy, but himself. I would not have killed him if the pinkish cloud had not brought me there, to the ce where he died.


    The freaky old spirit was the one who was making herself clean in my front, though there were a lot of cruel things she did, not only to me, but also to the four people that I had killed. She was so heartless that whatever I would do, she would not recognize her mistakes.


    "Calm down, Ka, and don''t cry. I did note here to fight you. Instead, I''m going to help you get rid of that curse." Her face seemed worried, but I wouldn''t believe her facial expression because it could be fake.


    Though I didn''t want to talk to or see that demon again, I also could not deny the fact that I needed her help for my freedom. I knew that she knew many things about me, and she might not have meant to put the curse on me. I was experiencing a dilemma; a girl versus herself. Maybe I needed to calm myself first and think for a while about what to do. I wiped my tears, went towards the window and looked outside.


    She went towards me and told me in a serious tone of voice that she knew I was baffling. However, there was nothing to lose if I conspired with her, because we aspired to the same thing. "How can we say that we want the same thing? You''re crazy."


    "Ka, don''t deprive or deny it. I''m not crazy and I have known you for a long time. We just want the same thing, and that''s to be free."


    "How can I make sure that we want the same thing, and you''re not fooling me again? You didn''t even tell me anything about yourself. How can I trust a woman or a ghost like you?" I queried.


    I didn''t care if I could hurt her feelings with my words; it did not matter anymore. I knew that she did not have a heart or feelings, because she wasn''t even human, but a spirit; a demon!


    "I''m Alicia; I''m already dead, but there''s one thing which makes me not want to rest in peace. That''s because I can''t be free from a curse. The same with what you''re experiencing, there was also someone who cursed me. Even though you won''t believe me, I didn''t mean to put you under my curse. It was that I needed to do it so that I could also be free. If you conspire with me in seeking our freedom, there will be a good chance for our goal to be aplished."


    I eximed, "I would only conspire with you''ll if you removed this curse from me!" I seriously did not want her to use me again for her own interests, because I also had mine.

 33 The Never-ending Boxing

    Lil


    It was my first time seeing cars, vehicles, motorbikes, and many other forms of transportation going back and forth on the highway, though it was already night. Thempposts and the lights from them seemed like stars in the sky, illuminating and twinkling. But unlike them, the stars would never run out of light even though eons psed. I was walking against the wind, and I didn''t know where my feet would take me. What I only knew was that it was searching for another victim again.


    There were many huge houses on each side of the streets. Some have two floors, others have many, like buildings. The other thing I noticed in each house was that their doors and windows were all closed. It might have been because it was already night and nothing other than that. Nothing would happen if I walked all night on this highway. It needed to stop so that everything woulde back to normal.


    My feet eventually halted. I might be tired of walking, but I was wrong. There was a two-story house near me. Its windows were open. I knew what the n of the curse was. It walked towards the gate, which was visible under the moonlight. The gate was widely opened. The weird silence seemed to swallow me. I saw the gate''s dark silhouette with pointed spears on the ground and a few neighborhood houses.


    When I was young, I was afraid of the dark. I was thinking that there were ghosts dancing in it, but then I realized it was normal because everyone had experienced being afraid of it, and some remained the same. They didn''t know they could sleep with it, that no matter how much they''d avoided the dark, they could not avoid closing their eyes and enduring the darkness to fall asleep. That was what made me brave. The darkness would only appear if someone thought about it, if someone used their eyes, not their minds.


    Others argued that someone was afraid of what might appear in the dark rather than of the dark itself. They were such idiots. They had not thought that every time they closed their eyes to sleep, nothing had shown up. The darkness itself was the only thing someone could see in the dark.


    My hand slowly opened the gate and my feet walked on the grassywn towards the door of the ck-painted house when someone showed up. The man was in a white shirt, ck trousers, and a denim jacket without a fastening in the center. His face was a little bit diaphanous in the moonlight, and I know for sure he could see my face because it was lit by the moonlight. His shadow walked towards me.


    "Hey, boy. What are you doing here? Don''t you know that you''re standing on Mr. Haggard''s property?" He asked.


    I screamed in my brain, "Mr. Haggard?" How could I know if I didn''t even know where I was? I would not do or say anything because it wasn''t me who wanted to do something there. The curse was using my body to do its own thing, and I didn''t know what it really wanted.


    "Are you deft? What exactly are you-" The curse would not let him finish his words when my feet suddenly kicked him.


    I had no idea that the curse had a special ability like martial arts; the man caught all its punches and kicks. However, he wasn''t as easy to drop because he was also good at self-defense. Though he had caught all my punches and kicks, he wasn''t affected, like he only considered everything a y.


    "Do you really want to y boxing with me? Do you want me to teach you how to be a good boxer?" He tried to punch me in the face several times, but my body deflected all of his blows.


    "Oh! It seems like you don''t need any training!" He smiled. "It''s already night. Why won''t you go back to your house anyway? Your parents might be searching for you now."


    Perhaps my parents were searching for me, because it was already afternoon there when the bluish cloud brought me there. Perhaps it was night there, or perhaps time wasn''t moving there. I needed to think about an alibi so that my father would not scold me again if he found out I did not go home early. Perhaps they were already aware that I had abruptly vanished and would also abruptly appear.


    "You don''t want to go home?" He asked. "You have a home?"


    I didn''t know what the curse wanted to do. It wouldn''t do anything but punch the man who could do nothing against me. He seemed to be ying boxing with me. Until I recognized his face, he had a high nose, ck round eyes, short hair, a clean face, and brown skin.


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    I felt like I could not go back home until daybreak because we were punching each other like nothing. What an idiot he wasn''t to stop and give up instead. He was so uneducated that he would fight with me all night. Every time I punched him, he defended himself and punched me back. If it hadsted longer, my whole body would be full of bruises because of that nonsense thing.


    It was I who would be suffering from the pain the curse had caused. Those kinds of things will always happen in the world. If those kinds of things always happened, I could not live longer in the world. There were many things I needed to do, and I didn''t want to waste my time, but what my body was doing was absolutely wasting my time.


    Minutes psed, and I felt the drops of sweat from my face were falling down. I didn''t know why there were too many drops dripping from my face and whole body, though I had not drunk much water. I also noticed that even though I wouldn''t drink water, I''d never be thirsty.


    The man was panting. Soon he would not be able to endure anymore and would give up. I could see the moisture diffusing on his face, and his arms bing wet with sweat. His whole body had surely felt the warmth because he was wearing thick clothes.


    He might be tired because he eventually stopped punching me. Then he tried to remove his denim jacket. Perhaps he felt warm because of the nonsense thing he was doing with me. The curse also stopped for a while and seemed to be panting.


    "Do you still want to y boxing with me?" He took a glimpse at his watch. "It''s already eight o''clock... Don''t you have a n to stop, to go home, and take a rest?"

 34 The Enlargement

    If I could say a word, I had already shouted everything I wanted to say. I knew he was a kind man, for he didn''t seriously hurt me and he wasn''t irritated though my body wanted to kick and punch him. He was kind, that even though I didn''t reply to his words and questions, he still didn''t go anywhere. But I also knew he wasn''t as patient as paper. I didn''t know what he could do to me if he was out of patience.


    After a while, my feet brought me towards the man, and I continued kicking and punching him. As it were, it was like ying boxing, and I didn''t know what it really wanted to do. I didn''t know if it was just ying with the man or if it really wanted to hurt him. Perhaps it was just a warm up and the real fight was going to happen.


    As what I expected, the y round was over. Everything was getting more dangerous when the curse used its real strength, the strength of dark magic. It controlled my arms to punch the man''s face, making him tumble down on the ground. It controlled my leg to kick him, making him roll over the yard, but he was not out of consciousness.


    That man was so hard that even though he could receive thousands of punches and kicks, he wasn''t affected. Though my hands had made him tumble and drop many times, he still had the strength to stand up and fight me. He was so powerful as he made me bounce and plummet on the grassywn with a single kick to the neck. I felt a slight pain.


    He might be running out of patience; he didn''t want to y boxing with me anymore, for it wasn''t really a y. He might be mad for wasting his time on a bothersome boy. As I estimated, he was five times heavier and five times stronger than


    me.


    I had been underestimating him. It didn''t cross my mind how strong he was. I might be just a small stone to him. But even though I was like that, he could not kill me easily because I was so hard that however he threw me against the wall, I would rise and continue fighting.


    The man''s face turned dark; his eyes seemed like ashing stormy sea of outrage. He was staring at me in a mad manner. He never leave me alone, but sat down on the ck bench below themppost.


    My body stopped for a while; the curse seemed to be thinking of a way to defeat the man. In the few seconds that followed, I felt something was creeping in my veins. Until an incredible thing showed up. My eyes widened, as if they had their own brains too, in seeing that my muscles were slowly turning into bigger ones.


    My shirt had been torn by the muscles in my arms that wanted to get rid of the congested feelings. The muscles on my body also became bigger. They were the steel-hard muscles I dreamed of having, and I finally had them in a few seconds. There was something bad happening, such as I could not feel even a little bit of pain. The word "uninteresting" seemed uninteresting because it might have favored me if I could not feel pain. I mistook it for something more important, for it had a great effect on me if I could feel pain. I''d rather hurt than feel nothing at all, because it only meant one thing: the curse was controlling even my feelings and sense of touch. It seemed that it had totally controlled my whole body. I didn''t know what would happen to me if the curse entered my brain. For sure, my whole life would be destroyed because of it.


    The man was also appalled when he saw my appearance was changing into a strong man. Who would not be surprised if your body or muscles suddenly loomed bigger? I was then bigger, stronger, and weightier than he was. He would no longer be able to carry me; instead, my body would be the one to carry and throw him into the outer space.


    After a few seconds, he tried to elude from me. Perhaps he was scared that I might break his bones. However, he had not escaped from my hands when they caught his legs. They slung him across the air and threw him towards the hard corners of the house. Perhaps I was lucky that nobody saw what I was doing. I also noticed there wasn''t even a little noise from the house. Perhaps there was nobody inside.


    I was lucky. I could still hear or that the curse had not yet controlled my sense of hearing. It would be very ufortable if even my ears were affected by the curse, because they were very important to me.


    The man had been growling in pain when he slipped from my hands. They carried him again and threw him on the hard ground. His gurgles became louder; it showed that he was really feeling pain. Though it was very noisy there, nobody wasing, and it was preferred for me because if nobody could see me, I would be safer.


    After many times, my hands threw him to the post, there was no way to say he was breathing. Perhaps his bones have been broken. Though he looked so pitiable, there was nothing I could do about it but hope that he might forgive me. The serial killer was my body, and I wanted to make myself believe I was innocent.


    My feet walked towards the porch and continued to the house''s door. I didn''t know what kind of people were living there because I noticed that everything around was painted ck. My hand knocked on the door many times, but there was nobody there to open it. There was no one inside, or if there was, they were probably in a deep slumber because the moon was close to the center of the sky.


    Everyone might be sleeping because all the houses were dark and there was not even a singlemppost. I could only hear the chattering of the crickets, which could not be predicted if I were where they were. The traffic on the street was also lightened, and the light from the cars had disappeared and turned into a wide, dark highway.


    The dead man was lying there on thewn. He was full of bruises. I was always reminding myself that everything that happened and would happen wasn''t my mistake, but of my body, of the curse, of the old man, of the victims, of everything that could be med.

 35 The Inference

    Ka


    I knew a little bit more about Alicia; she told me that she was already dead and that someone had cursed her. Why couldn''t she rest in peace? After that, she did not tell me more about herself. Though she didn''t remove the curse on me, I did not waste the opportunity to conspire with her, because I also wanted to be free.


    I knew Alicia could help me get rid of it because I knew she was powerful, but she told me that she could not remove the curse once it had already infected my body, but I should not worry because she knew it could not easily control my whole body. She was going to tell me what to do in order to get rid of it when someone knocked on the door of my bedroom.


    "You should go now, for someone might see you here," I said.


    "Ka, have you forgotten that I''m already dead and you''re the only one who can see me?" Alicia responded.


    Maybe it was also a power that I could see ghosts; maybe I had a third eye; or there were many hidden things about me and my family. My parents had not been telling me about it because that power could also harm me, but it was just my inference.


    "Are you sure that nobody can see you except me?"


    "Yup! Alive people can only see me if I allow them to."


    Alicia walked towards the window and stared outside. I went towards the door, opened it and let Amara enter my room. Alicia and that door were the same; someone could only enter if she allowed them. But there was something more. I would only open the door if I knew the person who wanted to enter. I wasn''t curious anymore if Alicia knew me for a long time. It was me who did not know her well.


    "I can hear your voice downstairs. Whom are you talking with?" Amara had gotten inside my bedroom and looked around as if she were investigating whether there was someone inside. But she saw nothing. She was just passing by through Alicia.


    Amara didn''t know there was someone inside; she couldn''t see the demon. I was also sure that Amara would not believe me if I told her the truth. She might think that I hadpletely lost my mind.


    "Sister, Amara, there''s nobody inside. I''m alone here."


    "You''re thinking that I''m searching for someone here?" Amara asked.


    "Ah... I mean... Yeah, because you seemed to be searching around."


    "Yeah, you''re right. I''m searching if there''s someone here because I heard you scolding many times and your voice sounds very mad."


    "That was nothing. Look, there is no one here."


    "I see, but why are you shouting here alone? Are you lost in kindness?"


    "Of course not! I was just singing here," I replied, then chuckled.


    "Singing? But shouting is different from singing... I have noticed a lot of weird things happening to you these days. Are you hiding something from me?"


    "You''re such a serious woman. You have known me for over five years. Do I look like I''m hiding something from you?" I smiled and defended, "I was just singing here. What''s wrong with that? You already knew that I don''t know how to sing. That was why I shouted."


    "Well, I can do nothing about it anyway. You''re already of age, and you also have your own preferences, beliefs, and businesses to deal with, and me, I''m just your maid."


    "Can you stop saying that? You know that I''m not treating you as a servant. You''re my sister, and you can do everything around the mansion. But as with you, I also have some secrets, and we both need privacy."


    "You''re so clever. Can you tell me one of your secrets?" Amara chuckled when saying the word "secrets," and I sensed what she meant. "Do you have a boyfriend?" The word totally came out of her lips. "You''re overthinking it." I replied, "I don''t have a boyfriend. You''ll even coerce me to tell you. Maybe a crush, I have a lot."


    "A crush...? Would you tell me something? Or a clue?"


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    We got out of my room. I shut the door and took the winding stairs. Alicia had also gone with us. I was amazed because she could pass through the door even though it was closed. She was indeed powerful. "Then tell me," Amara said.


    "He''s a man."


    "You''re really out of your mind." Amara took a big step down the stairs, as if she did not want to talk to me anymore.


    Whatever. I didn''t care if she was mad; I knew she could not tolerate not talking with me for even a short time, because we were always having a conversation.


    I also hoped I wasn''t wrong in conspiring with Alicia. because one wrong decision could change everything. I wasn''t even thinking that she would make a monkey of me, because she had a clear intention, and that was to be free from the curse. Maybe I needed to sacrifice or tolerate some things so that I could also be free from her curse.


    Alicia seemed to be cruel at first. My beliefs appear to have been shifted. I used to believe that if someone was cruel, that person would never be good. However, it wasn''t officially known that Alicia was nice. She might be using me for her own dark purposes again. She must prove herself before I will totally trust her. My problems might be solved if she would help me, but they would be worse if she would not.


    Perhaps she wasn''tpletely an immoral demon because she asked my forgiveness for always irritating me and causing problems. She exined that she also needed someone''s help to solve her problems.


    I went towards the balcony and sat down in my favorite spot. Looking at the pile of snow where the guard had been buried, I could not forget that guard, though it had been a month since he died. The snow would disappear soon and the grass would grow, but my regret would just stay if I did not stop thinking about that thing.

 36 The Questions

    Alicia suddenly showed up by my side and said, "I know you''re now thinking again about the guard you killed, but don''t worry too much because I can help you forget him."


    I faced her and asked, "How can you help me?"


    "That''s so easy, Ka. You only need to make yourself busy."


    "But how can I make myself busy?" I queried


    I sensed that there was something she wanted me to do. As might be expected, she would only use me for her own benefit. But I wasn''t sure yet.


    "Do you remember what I mentioned about something you can do to break the curse?" She sat down on the concrete-hard chair at my right side.


    Her words sounded interesting, especially since my sole aspiration was to get rid of the curse, which also came from her. I experienced a dilemma. She probably would not tell me anything without expecting an exchange, or she could also benefit from what she wanted me to do. But as long as I could do it, I would never waste an opportunity to find out what I needed to do in order to break the curse.


    "Tell me what I should do to get rid of this," I ordered.


    "I''m sure you can do this thing, but you need to be strong because it''s not as simple as what you''re thinking."


    I replied, "I thought you knew me for a long time. I also thought that you knew my weaknesses and courage."


    "Yeah, But this thing-I don''t know if it would conquer you, your weakness or courage, because I observed that you were not showing your courage and weaknesses to each other."


    "What do you mean? Can you just tell me directly?" I queried.


    "I mean, you really need courage in doing this thing, but I also know you have your weaknesses because nobody doesn''t have their weaknesses and that might lead them to misfortune. But whatever your decision will be, you still don''t have any other choices if you want to get rid of it."


    Though she had not mentioned what I needed to do. How could I understand what she meant if she would not tell me? Her speech was so long and twisted that I tried to calm myself, because I was hoping to find out something. Maybe what she was saying could help me to pass all the trials in doing the thing that she wanted me to do and would lead me to break the curse.


    "Old Alicia, can you tell me about it directly?" I have been listening to you, but you have not told me what to do!" I eximed.


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    "Okay. Just calm down, and stop calling me ''old Alicia'' again, because I''m not as old as what you''re thinking," she replied.


    "Alicia, can you tell me how old you are?" I asked.


    What kind of woman was she? Maybe she was escaping to answer my question about the curse. She didn''t have any ns to answer it because she was changing our topic. But I knew it depended on her. If she wouldn''t tell me, then I would not force her either. I also knew that I could not coerce her because she seemed to be a ghost to me. What I could only do was to wait to see when she would be willing to say something about it.


    "I don''t know my age. I never think about my age, because even if I''m dead, I can consider myself alive. But I know how old you are. You are sixteen and will turn seventeen next month, right?" "Can you tell me what will happen if I die?" I asked.


    Alicia exined, "It''s only your body that will be buried, but your spirit can be brought to a ce where the spirits are staying."


    A ce of spirits? Was there really a ce like that? It never crossed my mind that if I died, I could consider myself alive. Maybe it was interesting to die, because I could not feel anything just like Alicia; I would be air. But it also never crossed my mind tomit suicide, because I was afraid of dying, but how much more if Alicia wasn''t telling the truth? Instead of a paradise ce, I would be brought to an inferno where fire never ceased.


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    The ce of spirits might be magical and those people who died were brought there; that might be a ce where someone couldn''t feel boredom, loneliness, resentment, and most of all, pain. I was hoping that there would be a ce where everyone had their freedom, where people could live without being tamed, but that was almost impossible. I was making an inference, but if that would happen if someone died, I would like to follow my parents there.


    Our conversation would be just a waste of time because Alicia would not tell me more about anything, especially about the ce of spirits. Instead of exining something to me, she would make me baffled. I knew everyone had their own unique demeanor, and Alicia''s demeanor was selfishness. Everything she was doing was only for herself. I knew her motto was to love herself without minding others. They would only be hindrances to her own interests. However, she might not be so selfish at all, because she considered my situation after doing things. However, there was one mistake she made and became the root of my misery: she did not consider me before taking an action; she did not consult me about what she wanted to do.


    Meanwhile, I also made one mistake: I did not consider anything that might happen before epting the pinkish cloud, which was not, to my knowledge, a curse. I became the fuel of my own misery. It means that we both made mistakes and should help each other fix what we did wrong.


    "Is there something bothering you and you''re lulled?" Alicia broke the silence. "If you have any questions, don''t hesitate to ask me."


    If she wouldn''t ask, she didn''t know I had prepared numerous questions for her, which I kept in my mind sincest night for fear they might be lost. It was she who did not have any ns to answer them. But then an opportunity struck, so I should start with something important.


    "Alicia, I have an important question, and I hope you will answer me honestly," I said, then winked at her.


    "Tell me what it''s called and I will answer you if I can."


    "Do you really know who killed my parents?" I widened my eyes. "Please tell me who they are."

 37 The Lascivious Couple

    Lil My hand knocked on the door several times, but there was nobody there to open it. until it realized the door was not closed. My hand slowly thrusted it, which made a sharp-crying sound. I entered the house and slowly shut the door. As I turned, I noticed it was so spacious there. The living room had three couches and a ss-topped wide table with four wooden vanished chairs around it. There were many paintings hanging on the walls, and a tile-made staircase wounding to the second floor.


    It was a huge house, and there might have been a lot of people living there. My body started searching around the house. There was nobody there, but the curse would not stop searching for something it could not find. We climbed the stairs and I was surprised by what I saw.


    The room was covered with hanging ck curtains that reached the floor and danced as the wind blew, and there was something happening just then, but the body of mine would not give them privacy.


    Behind the curtains, there were lights, and the silhouettes of two moving people could be seen on the curtains. A man and a woman were doing the thing a couple normally does. It seemed like I was watching a delicate movie yed by twoscivious couples.


    It seemed like the curse was also enjoying watching them make a baby, but as time went on, perhaps they were tired of what they were doing. I was wrong. They had stopped when they heard the sound made by my body as it touched and identally fell from the painting that was hanging on the wall.


    "Did you hear that sound?" The woman inquired. "It seemed like something had fallen down on the floor."


    "That''s nothing to love. Don''t mind it, that''s just a little sound. Come, let''s continue this because it''s getting warmer now." The man attempted to shower her with his rain of kisses, but she avoided them. "What if there''s a thief who has entered our house and wants to rob something?" She attempted to spring out of their bed, but he stopped her by grasping her cor bone and making her lie down. "That''s impossible. Have you forgotten that we have a strong guard who''s watching outside our house? So rx." He whispered right through her ear in an annoyed manner, but she would not listen. "I cannot calm down as long as we don''t know what it was." She pushed his face away. "What if you look for it before we continue this? I really have a strong hunch that there''s someone who''s watching us." "Okay. I will look for it. Don''t leave here, and don''t sleep." He kissed her forehead and sprang out of bed.


    The curse seemed to know what was happening, because my feet brought us behind the wall to hide, and it seemed like it had a dark n. Meanwhile, the man was checking the fallen painting. He took it from the tiled floor and hung it back on the ck-painted wall.


    There was a baseball bat lying beside me. My hand took it and prepared to strike the man once he passed by there. My hand didn''t fail to hit him. He did not waste the opportunity to strike his head. He did not fall down at the first attempt; he had only been shaken and be dizzy.


    On his second attempt, he was still standing and about to fall. When it stroked him again, he totally dropped down on the floor, and the wooden white-painted bat was torn. My hand punched him many times; the red liquid spurted out from his nose, assuring me that he was already dead, until his heart stopped beating. My feet kicked him, and he rolled down the stairs.


    My feet brought me towards the spot where the woman was lying just a while ago. I cautiously walked towards her, but she heard my heavy footsteps.


    "Love is that... you? So... is there someone who has entered our house or was it just nothing?" She asked in a perplexed manner, and became more surprised at seeing my handsome face. "Who are you? What are you doing here? Where''s my husband?"


    She was about to spring from the bed when my hands stopped her and grasped her neck. It seemed like they were withholding her breath. I could hear aining sounding from her lips, a sign that she felt pain. However, instead of showing pity, my hands became more firm in their grip, and that made a sound like cracking. It seemed like her bones in her neck were broken, until her head fellnguidly.


    That was the worst day of my life because I saw how my hands killed those three people, but I could not even do anything to help them. The only thing I could do was to hope for their forgiveness. I knew I was the most sinful person in the world because I killed three people in a day.


    If time could be restored, I already did it, so that their lives would also be restored. I might have been there in the past, turning my wrong decisions right. But as my mother said, "we cannot go back to the past." That was why someone should make sure that he had pondered over every decision he would make. One wrong decision could make him me himself forever.


    The bluish cloud reappeared at that point, dragging me back into my small bedroom. As I looked outside the window, I realized it was already evening; the moon was shining brightly in the starry sky.


    I closed the window and took my clothes from the box. My parents would be confused once they saw me in that condition. I also knew that even though I looked okay, I still could not escape their questions.


    My father would scold me again, my mother would be very worried, and, as a result, they would fight again because of me. In conclusion, there was a possibility that my family would be broken, and that was something I would never wish to happen.

 38 The Dispute I Started

    I was lucky that my parents didn''t see me going towards the bathroom, or else they would surely have scolded me and asked a lot of questions. Perhaps time didn''t move when I left home, and perhaps time in the ce where I was moving didn''t move though I was no longer there. I didn''t care about that anymore. If time wouldn''t move, then it favored me, and if time would fly, it favored me too. Time was time, spending itself on everyone. It couldn''t be seen or touched. It would only pass by and would nevere back again.


    The only thing I didn''t want to happen was when the curse would consume much of my time because it could affect my whole life, my schooling, and the dreams I wanted to achieve.


    After I took a bath, I dried myself with a towel, then wore my blue underwear, in shirt, and ck pants. I hung the towel back on the clothesline and got out of the bathroom. When I was walking to the kitchen, I saw my mother brushing her long, curly hair. It seemed like she was talking alone, or she was talking with her hair, because I heard it by myself.


    "My hair, can you tell me if there''s something wrong happening to my son recently?" She asked like an insane woman. "I noticed many weird things like bruises and wounds on his body these days."


    Though her hair did not reply, it seemed to be saying something to my mother which I could not understand. I was not surprised anymore if there were many wonders about her, especially since I experienced wonders by myself too. I went towards my mother and hugged her from behind to let her know I was fine, though I had been facing a lot of difficulties at that time.


    "Oh! Son, what are you doing and where have you been?" Mother inquired, her voice calm and melodious, rather than shocked.


    "Guess it, mama," I replied.


    "I don''t know, tell me."


    "Why won''t you try to get your hair?"


    "It won''t tell me, it doesn''t even know how to talk."


    "From the grasnd."


    "No lies?"


    I did not reply to her, but continued inside the kitchen and checked the cauldron to see what was in it. It was my snack, though I wasn''t hungry at all. It was only a pretext to make my parents believe I was


    Sometimes I even forget to pretend, but my parents still didn''t notice it. Maybe they were hiding many things from me, but whatever they were, if they were going to tell me, I would never me them and ept everything. "eptance" was a pleasant word that everyone should know. If someone epted someone wholeheartedly, whoever or whatever they were, they were showing them their love.


    After I ate my meal, I went back into my bedroom. I locked the door andy down on my wooden bed. I covered my face with a nket. As I rolled myself, I noticed something. It was someone who offered me the bluish cloud. I jumped from my bed and, instead of lying, I sat down there.


    I looked at him and asked if he was doing what he was doing inside my room. If he wanted to add another problem like what he did every time he''d show But I noticed his face had be younger than before. I sensed the reason why he put this curse on me. Perhaps because it could help him be younger?


    Perhaps he wanted to live longer in the world, though he wasn''t even a human being, because I was the only one who could see him. It was useless if he became younger and handsome if the people could not see him. Even for me, the only thing that I could see about him was a wicked man who could not recognize the difference between right and wrong.


    However, I was pulled out of my bed so that instead of fighting with me, he said, "Thank you, Lil." Ingratiatingly He was so irritating and I wanted to put him inside a jar so that he could not hurt other people.


    I didn''t know what to say or do but to look down on the rough floor and let him do whatever he wanted, because I knew no matter how much pleading he could receive from me, the curse would never be lifted. Maybe soon I will learn to live with it. Maybe I could learn to squeamish myself when my body was killing innocent people.


    I wondered how he knew my name, because I had not told him anything about myself. What he did know was that I was a boy, but now it seemed that he knew more about me-he definitely needed to be despatch.


    Nothing was impossible; maybe he used his power to find out and know more about me, so that he could use me more for his dark purposes, like killing people and making himself handsome. He was so selfish that he only considered himself, without thinking about others'' sake.


    "Lil, I know you''re struggling because the curse slowly takes over your entire body, but if you need it, I can help you survive that." He offered in his most solemn manner, which even seemed unbelievable!


    "How can you say so if you were the one who put me under this curse?" My voice gradually came out. "You really have no conscience." I will only trust you if you will remove this."


    "You''ve just mentioned that if I removed that curse from you, you would conspire with me. Don''t withdraw it, because the word ''you will'' means sooner orter, so I can help you to survive from that curse if you will conspire with me now."


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    "How dare you force me to conspire with you? You misinterpreted me!"


    "It''s just the same. If you are trusting me, you are conspiring with me too." He defended his wrong belief.


    "If that''s what you believe in, but I will only trust you if you prove to yourself that you really want to help me and you will remove this curse."


    "Sorry Lil, but I cannot remove that curse." He told me in the most serious tone of voice. "But! I can help you get rid of it."


    "You''re really a fool. You were the only one who put me under a curse, but then you don''t know how to remove it. What kind of demon do you think you are?"


    "Shhh-lower your voice. Remember, I wasn''t the one who said that to you, it was yourself because you did not listen to me. The most important thing for you was to have power and to be a superhero," he chided.


    "Motherfcker! You have cheated me. That''s why I epted the curse. You are an idiot old man. You''re a demon! A demon! A demon!"


    "You had cheated yourself; it wasn''t me who cheated you! You are the one who is a fool! A fool! A fool!"


    He was really an idiot who could not recognize his mistakes. Though he was the one who brought himself to me and asked if I wanted power, then he could say that I had been cheating myself. I really wanted to cut him into pieces so that he could not cheat others anymore.

 39 The Rigid Constable

    Ka


    Alicia looked at me and replied, "Yeah, of course!"


    "Then tell me who they are." I repeated.


    "I''m going to tell you about it, but it''s not yet the right time. You need to be strong and brave first, because you don''t totally know them and what they can do," Alicia exined.


    What could they do? Were they that difficult to catch? Maybe they were also spirits like Alicia, so the police officers could not catch them. It had been months, but they still had not told me anything about those murderers. I wondered if that would be the right time.


    Speaking of the police, there was a carriage which had stopped at the front of the mansion, and a policeman stepped out. He walked towards the gate and pressed the button there to make the doorbell ring. As usual, everyone was busy and there was nobody who opened the gate, so I stood up, walked towards him, and let the constable enter.


    He was wearing a denim shirt, thick ck trousers, and boots with yellow soles. He appeared to be very serious, and I could not judge him because cops were always serious about their jobs. He had a high nose, short hair, brown eyes, and a round face with some hair, wrinkles, and his eye-bags, which showed when he smiled. He was also taller, stronger, weightier, and older than me. The muscles on his arms were popping on his brown skin.


    He looked at my face and greeted me, "Good day, miss."


    "Good day too... I''m Ka Breaks," I replied.


    "Oh... you''re Miss Ka Breaks, the only daughter of thete Aya and rk Breaks?" He asked while holding something like papers, and then I was appalled when he asked, "Can I invite you to the police station? I just have some questions to ask you."


    "Yeah, I''m Ka Breaks, and can you pleasen''t mention the names of my parents again? And, can I know why you are inviting me to the police station?" I tried to speak normally.


    "Okay, sorry for mentioning your dead parents, but we had received a report about the guard who was once working here. Someone had reported that you had fought with that guard many days ago, and his family had been searching for him."


    Goddammit? I didn''t expect that he would choose to report me to the police instead of quieting down and living peacefully. He was really trying my patience. But I could not me him if his conscience was persecuting him and would not make him fall asleep every night. I also did not expect that the guard I had killed would still have a family.


    His family might have been searching for him for over a month, but it was a brain teaser that they did not visit the mansion and tell me about it. I didn''t know what to do then, and most of all, I didn''t want to be a prisoner because the crime wasn''t the one who did it, but the curse. The curse couldn''t be imprisoned either.


    Alicia was also beside me, and she told me not to worry because she would help me. Right then, she abruptly grabbed the arm of the naive police officer and shouted at me, ordering me to kill him right there, or else he would be the one to put me in prison.


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    The naive constable was also shocked when he felt someone holding his arms, though there was nobody there. Who would not be scared if they felt someone holding them but could not see who it was?


    I had not considered alternative solutions to my problems because I was afraid the constable would lock me up. I saw a big stone on the ground, so I took it and unhesitatingly stroked his head.


    The constable had cried and growled many times in the extreme pain, but Alicia blocked his lips so that he could not make any noise. But though he could not cry, his tears still told me that he felt pain. It had notsted long enough because after I stroked him three times, he was out of consciousness.


    His head was so hard that it wasn''t broken when I hit it. I stroked him again and again, but it seemed that he was a nail, and his steel-hard head could not be broken, and his feet were also pointed like a nail, as if he was going to bury himself in the ground.


    Though what I was doing was a crime, Alicia was used toughing. I didn''t know why she was doing that, but I sensed it was because of what I was doing to the constable.


    "Glue him more on the ground!" Alicia ordered


    "Goddammit! What a steel-hard head he had!" I scowled.


    "Go on faster, hit him more!" She half-shouted. "He deserves it. We should bury him on the ground so that he will be totally quiet."


    Because of fear that there was someone who could see what I was doing, I stroked that constable many times, faster and faster, until half of his body had been buried on the ground. I didn''t stop striking him until his head was the only part of his body that could be seen. But he was the same with a nail; his head was so difficult to bury in the ground. I stroked his head more than ten times, but he stopped moving and it seemed that there was something blocking his pointed feet from the ground.


    "What should we do now? His head cannot be buried on the ground!" I was panting while saying those words. My sweat was raining down onto the ground like I had just taken a shower.


    "Don''t worry." Alicia pointed her finger at the constable''s head, and I was amazed that his head waspletely buried in the ground.


    "You''re so powerful. Why didn''t you tell me that you could bury him in just a second and you made me do it the difficult way?" Iined.


    "Oh, sorry, but you need to be strong and brave so that you can conquer all the trials if you really want to get rid of the curse."


    "Trials? What kind of trials?"


    "Maybe it''s time to tell you the things that you need to know about the curse and how to get rid of it," Alicia replied.

 40 The Way to Freedom

    Her words sounded interesting. It wasn''t totally boring being with a powerful friend like Alicia, although there was something messing up my mind. It was the reason that I didn''t know why she told me to kill the constable, though we both knew there were other ways to solve the problem. Especially since she was powerful and killing someone was an immoral way to fasten someone''s lips. Maybe there was a heavy reason why Alicia told me to do that, so I didn''t waste an opportunity to ask.


    "Well, I know you''re merciful, and that''s your weakness, so we need to remove that from you. If you''re asking the reason, it''s a part of how you can get rid of the curse." Alicia tried to exin it, though it was iprehensible and made me slowly scratch my head.


    "Still, I don''t understand the way to be free. I have been asking you about it many times, but you''re just making me wonder," Iined.


    "Oh, sorry, I had forgotten to tell you about it," Alicia replied. "But are you sure you''re willing to do it, whatever it takes? Think about the word ''whatever it takes,'' because it needs your consideration."


    I thought for a while and said, "Just give me a second."


    I walked towards the balcony. Alicia was a little bitzy that she could also teleport herself from one ce to another, and she used it to emerge beside me. I was more baffled as to what really was the only way to get rid of the curse. Maybe it would risk my life and waste my opportunity to live. She had been telling me to be strong and brave for that, without even telling me what it was. But what could not kill me made me stronger, so I decided to risk everything in order to be free. "Yeah, I''m ready to die, and I will do whatever it takes to get rid of this curse," I remarked in a brave manner.


    "Oh! That''s what I like about you, because you are so brave, and that''s undoubtedly your courage. That was also the reason why I chose to put that curse on you, because you can help me."


    "Shhh-don''t mention that again. Now tell me: how to be free?"


    "The only way to get rid of that curse isn''t by risking your own life but the lives of other people. You will need to risk the lives of a hundred people in order to get rid of that curse. Now tell me if you''re really sure you can risk a hundred lives just to get the thing you solely hope for."


    The words "a hundred lives of people" echoed many times in my ears. I was thinking if it was the only way to get rid of the curse, but I heard that Alicia clearly said it was. I knew that it would be a big challenge for me. How could I be so inconsiderate to do that?


    "I know your weakness is attacking you again, but that''s the only way. And if you won''t do it, the curse won''t set you free as long as you''re breathing. Moreover, if you can''t kill a hundred people by yourself, the curse will be the one to kill people, and it might kill more than just a hundred, but thousands or more. As long as you are alive, it will always wake you up from your slumber. You don''t have any refuge. It will stay forever in every vein of your body. Can you see squeamish things every day?"


    I was eventually enlightened about what it really meant. I needed to kill a hundred people in order to be free. Though it was difficult for me, I didn''t have other choices. I thought it would be better to kill a hundred people with my own hands than to let the curse kill thousands by itself.


    However, I didn''t want to stain my hands with the blood of innocent people. I knew there was another easy way to make it. Maybe I could choose the people whom I was going to kill if I used my own hands. The curse was even merciless; it killed anyone it wanted. I had an idea that would not make me feel more guilty about havingmitted a crime. Though life had no different price, it was better to kill wicked people who could do nothing in the world than kill those innocent


    ones.


    "So what''s your take?" Alicia asked. "Are you willing to kill a hundred people to get rid of the curse? Or will you tolerate the curse which lives inside your body forever? That curse is like a toxin, slowly infiltrating your body until everything you own is affected, destroyed, and-" She had not finished her words when I interrupted.


    "I''m willing to kill a hundred people with my own hands rather than thousands by this curse." I said those words bravely, though the tears from my eyes were rolling down my cheeks.


    "Would you like to tell me why you chose it?" Alicia asked.


    "I''m not a child to let the curse decide everything. It will be better to kill a hundred people to get rid of it, and also to give justice to my parents'' death and to kick all of the bad people in this world."


    "Good choice, you are totally a clever girl! Well, you can choose who to kill if you are the one who''s controlling yourself, unlike when the curse is controlling your body."


    "Yeah, unlike you, you are a little bit foolish. If you did not offer me a fake power, I''m not in a dilemma this time."


    "Ka, please, we should let bygones be bygones and have a good partnership. You already know why I needed to do that. Don''t you have any sympathy for me? I have been strolling around for over 4,000 years; I''m exhausted. Though I''m already a spirit, I also need to rest in peace."


    "Why won''t you use your power to get rid of that curse?"

 41 The Forgiveness

    Lil


    I tried to calm myself. Though I really wanted to punch that man, I realized he was powerful, for he could not be touched, and he seemed to be floating in air. Perhaps it was also because he was an air that hecked feelings and a brain. He asked me to conspire with him or trust him without saying any reason. I had a hunch that he only wanted to be close to me so that he could use me more for his own purposes. However, it also came to my mind that nothing would be lost if we became friends. If I coborate with him, he might also remove the curse from me. But I wasn''t that foolish anymore. If he really wanted to help me, why would he not remove the curse before that? He was definitely selfish. "You put a curse on me and then you''re asking me now to trust you. Do you really think you''re trustworthy? Why won''t you take the curse from me so that we can be friends and we won''t need to fight anymore?"


    "If I can only bring back the time, I already did it, so I won''t give you that curse, because I know that I cannot remove it from you. Sorry for not telling you the truth. Please forgive me, and I''m willing to help you get rid of it." Oh! He wasn''t totally a heartless man because he knew how to ask for pardon from others and he admitted his mistakes too. But I would not trust him until he proved to me that he would assist me in removing the curse that he brought with him.


    "You''re powerful. Why won''t you use your power to set me free? Especially that it came from you. Are you a fool that you put this curse on me and you don''t know how to remove it?"


    "I''m not a fool; you''re the one who was a fool because you epted the curse without listening to me!" He defended


    What a damaged, foolish demon. That conversation was just a waste of time if he was to defend himself and the wrong belief he had. He was so selfish that he could not understand others'' feelings. He was too old to fight against me and too young to know the difference between right and wrong.


    "Please forgive me, Lil. There was only one heavy reason why I brought you that curse-because I believed in you. I believed that you could help me solve my problems, so please forgive me." He cried, though there were no tearsing out of his brown eyes, but I could see the sincerity on his face while saying those words.


    I was so kind to say, "What else can we do if it''s already happened? We cannot go back to the past and fix what we have done wrong."


    I realized that if I didn''t forgive others for their mistakes, other people might not forgive me for mine. It definitely would be better if I did not have any hatred for someone in my heart. They were like damaged tomatoes with a bad smell; they would just contaminate my heart if I kept them. The only thing I could do to remove the damaged tomatoes was to throw them away.


    "Oh!" He eximed. "Thank you for listening to me!"


    "Hey, I did not tell you that I had forgiven you. I said it to make you realize that you need to consider other people before taking an action. I will only forgive you if you can prove yourself to me. If you really want to help me get rid of the curse, please do so."


    "Don''t worry, I will apply your advice and I will also prove myself to gain your trust. I will help you with that curse."


    "Good, but you have not introduced yourself to me. Tell me your name first, if you really want me to trust you," I ordered.


    "I''m Cain, and I''m already dead thousands of years ago. I was strolling through this world with my wife when we were cursed by a powerful spirit in the ce where we should rest in peace. That is why we are searching for someone who can help us get rid of the curses of the powerful spirit. We need to go back to the ce of spirits to rest because we are tired of strolling in this world."


    "A ce of spirit?" I queried. "Is there really a ce like that? A ce where the spirits are resting?"


    "Yeah, that ce is full of wonder, but no alive human can go there, especially if they don''t have any power that can bring them there."


    "Peculiar! Maybe every spirit there is powerful and they can do whatever they want to."


    "You''re wrong. Every spirit has a limitation in the things they are doing or want to do, and also, they cannot go into this world without permission. Because some spirits might hurt humans and use their power in a way that wouldn''t defend thew of spirits."


    "Without permission of whom?" I asked.


    "Without the permission of whom?" He imitated like a fool.


    "Yeah, did you not hear it? You mentioned that you could note here unless you got permission from someone; can you tell me who it was?"


    "It was a strict and powerful spirit, and he was respected by all spirits, and I cannot tell you about that one," he exined.


    "If you don''t want to tell me, then just tell me something, such as the curse and how to get rid of it."


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    "You should sleep now. Let us talk about it tomorrow. Your parents might hear that you are talking alone here."


    "Uh-huh." I agreed and sat down on my bed. "Why won''t you leave me alone now? I''m not used to sleeping with other people."


    "I will leave if you have already fallen asleep," he replied.


    "Okay, but you should never do anything stupid while I''m sleeping, or I will kick you out." I was warned. Though I knew that he was a spirit and could not be touched, I still felt sad. "You can''t even touch me, stop bragging... How can you kick me as well?" He sat down on the floor.


    "My outrage would kick you out if you brought me another problem." I cover my face with the nket.


    "You are so brave. Therefore, I chose to put you under a curse because I knew that you could help me too," Cain mumbled.

 42 The Heavy Burden

    The first person I saw when I woke up was Cain. Maybe he didn''t leavest night. Everything was normal and it meant that he didn''t cause any problems, like a curse, which was difficult to solve. He was lying there on the rough floor like a beggar with closed eyes, and seemed to be in a deep slumber. It never entered my mind that he could also feel tired, for he was already a spirit.


    I sprang from my bed and barefoot walked towards the door. I knew, even though there were many things I needed to deal with, I also needed to go to school. Though there were too many questions in my mind, I didn''t want to lose my future because of them. I knew my parents would be mad if I did not continue my studies without giving them a valid reason. I believed that finishing school was the only thing that I could do to exchange my parents'' hard work and perspiration. The door was crying when I opened it. Cain was being aroused from a deep slumber. He stood up without saying a word and got out of my bedroom. I shut the door and walked towards the bathroom. I knew whatever Cain would do or say, nobody could see or hear him. I had been wondering if I had a third eye because I could see a spirit like him. I was even scared of ghosts before because I believed they looked scary. It didn''t matter anymore. My beliefs had totally changed because it seemed that everything was possible in the world.


    What I needed to do was to pretend I could not see him. Other people, including my father, might think I was mentally deranged, and he would transport and confine me to a mental hospital. That might be another problem to be given to me by the spirit named Cain.


    "Where are you going?" he asked.


    "I want to take a bath. Don''t you know that I''m going to school? I need to go there because my future lies in it," I replied.


    "How can you say so?" He asked again.


    I exined. "Because studying can make me smarter, and if I can graduate from high school soon, I would be able to get a good job that would allow me to be wealthy."


    "But schooling isn''t the only way to be clever and rich. There are many other ways to be clever, because they are based on your experience, not on what you have studied."


    He had a point. Knowledge did not always depend on what someone had studied, but rather on their experience. Like magic, power, and curses. Teachers had not and would never discuss them in ss, and someone would believe them only if he could experience or see them himself.


    "Just stop talking to me because I need to take a bath now. If you also want to take a bath, then you should go to the river and swim there."


    I seemed to be a fool because I knew that Cain was a bad spirit and the water could not wet him. It was so foolish because I was the only one who could see and hear what he was talking about. Though I wouldn''t admit it, it was difficult for me to treat a spirit like him.


    "Do you really need to go to school? How about the curse? Don''t you know that it can control your body at anytime?"


    "Anytime? I know nothing about the curse. It was you who put it on me-you know more about it, and you must also do something to remove it from me."


    "Are you not worried about what might happen to you?"


    "Of course not. I''m not worried about anything because you''re here. I know you''re powerful and that you can curse someone like me."


    I enjoyed turning him mad so that he could realize the curse he cast on me could affect far too many aspects of my life. I didn''t want to worry about it. I knew that if Cain could put that curse on me, he could also remove it from me. I was powerful enough to say that he could not; I would never believe every word that came from his deceitful lips. I would put all my burdens on his shoulders; I didn''t care if he felt tired of them. He made everything he made, and he must be the one to fix it.


    I entered the bathroom and mmed the door. Many things were messing with my mind. I didn''t want to believe him, because I had a hunch that he wasn''t telling the truth. He told me many things but didn''t show any proof. Perhaps he needed something from me, for he wouldn''te just to offer his help. I learned from my mistake, and I didn''t want to make the same mistake again. Especially if someone who''d forced me to make a mistake was the same as the one who told you to make a mistake before.


    After I took a bath, when I opened the door, I saw that it was really a foolish demon who hadn''t left. Perhaps he was listening to my sulking, but it didn''t really matter. The most important thing was that I felt relieved that I wasn''t the only one who would carry the burden he caused, but also him. He had fallen into his own trap. I wanted him to realize that I didn''t need him, but it was him who needed something from me.


    Despite everything, I believed that the curse was my most serious issue, and it had a significant impact on everything about me. I hate that thing. I also didn''t want someone to follow me everywhere I went, because it seemed like he was putting me inside a cage and I could not move freely.


    "Lil, do you have a n to get rid of that curse?" Cain asked.


    "What a-it came from you! So you should know what to do in order to get rid of it, right? So why are you asking me?" I replied.


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    "You''re right, but how can I remove that from you if it seems that you don''t want me to? That''s why I''m asking if you have a n to get rid of it."


    "Of course I want to be free from everything, but I don''t know how. What I do know is that you know how I can get rid of it. That''s why I''m telling you that you must remove it from me." "Do you mean you did not believe that I couldn''t?"


    "Maybe I don''t care if you were telling the truth or not, because you''re unpredictable. I only need one thing: your help to get rid of the curse, which also came from you!" I eximed.


    "I had really made a mistake about how I knew you. You''re only looking kind and respectful outside, but you''re definitely not. You''re so selfish that you only consider yourself!" He scolded. "Wow! You dare to say that, despite the fact that you were the one who was selfish from the start?" I interrogated


    "Don''t make me angry because you don''t know what I can do."

 43 The Long List

    Ka


    Killing a hundred people wasn''t just a game. Lives couldn''t be bought because everyone had a responsibility to take care of each other''s lives. What I could do was hope, hoping that the people I could kill would forgive me, even though I knew it was hopeless because murder was both a mortal and forgivable sin.


    "Ka, I know you have a special ability like seeing things, such as people from far away ces. You may use that to know who you want to kill," Alicia advised.


    "So, do you mean that it wasn''t from you?" I asked.


    "Yeah, it did note from me, but from, maybe from the curse."


    "Okay, but I don''t know how to use this power, because sometimes I cannot control it. Can you help me with that?"


    "That''s so easy to control. You only need to focus if you want to see something. You need to focus when using your eyes to see someone or something. I knew you could control that soon."


    Alicia was right because it would show me the things I really wanted to see, and if I didn''t want to see something, it would not show that thing. When I wanted to see Steve, because I really wanted to see him, the power would show him to me. If I really wanted to see someone or something, my focus would also appear. It was really useful because it could help me choose the people I''d kill.


    However, if the power came from the curse, as Alicia said, there would probably be some bad effects from using it. I should not have used this if I didn''t really need to, for the curse might have had a n to control me again. But Alicia wasn''t even sure, and everything might be different.


    I even wondered if it was a sign that I wasn''t a normal human, because ability differed from power in that humans could acquire special abilities. It was impossible for a normal human to possess powers like seeing things, even in faraway ces.


    I had a feeling that there were a lot of secrets in my personality. It also came to my mind to ask Alicia if she knew anything about it, because it seemed that she had been watching me for a long time. "Alicia, can you tell me more about myself? There are many things messing up my mind."


    "Just like what?" Alicia queried.


    "Like, what do you really think I am?" I interrogated


    "You don''t know what you really are? Didn''t your parents tell you something about them, where they came from, and what kind of people they are?" Alicia asked as if she wanted to tell me something.


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    Hearing the tone of her voice, I became confused about who my parents were. What I only knew about them was that they were secretive humans, as they were not telling me anything about their families. I wanted to know many things about them, but they unexpectedly died, without even answering one of my million questions.


    "Maybe it''s not the right time to tell you about your parents. You have many things to deal with and you must focus on them. You need to get revenge on the gangsters who killed your parents. Howbeit, what you need to do now is to be strong and brave, before I can tell you who those people are."


    "You had promised that you would help me get rid of this curse, so tell me now what I should do."


    "Use your power and choose someone who you want to kill. Just don''t forget your intentions. I''m not included if you want to kill someone anymore, because it was your decision which was needed, not mine."


    I certainly needed to be clever about my targets. Maybe I was going to kill those people who were weak, so that they could not fight back, and those people who were hurting others and seemed to be viruses in the world. I also would not waste the opportunity if someone suggested I kill them, because it would be less guilt for me.


    Those people who were thinking their lives were just flying with the cool air and had nowhere to go, especially those people who wanted tomit suicide because they were brokenhearted. Those people who felt the difficulty of life and didn''t want to live anymore, such as those old people who were unable to tolerate their pain, and those who could do nothing with their lives.


    Most of all, those gangsters who killed my parents were my priority to terminate, but because Alicia wouldn''t tell me who and where they were, I would be the one to search for them. Those people who were on my list really needed to prepare because I would just suddenly appear in their faces to take their lives. Though I knew, it was only easy to say.


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    "So are you done thinking of who to kill?" Alicia asked. "You need to do that quickly, because the curse will be active at anytime if you don''t show it that you''re killing people. That''s the reason why it wouldn''t control your body because it wanted to see if you were doing what it wanted you to do."


    "I want to ask you if I can go to the ce where the person I wanted to kill is." I knew it would be difficult for me to travel. Though it was exciting, it was also time-consuming and could tire me.


    "Have you forgotten I would help you get rid of that curse? I can bring many people from one ce to another. The pinkish cloud can also help you because it has several personalities. Sometimes it''s good and sometimes bad. If you could control it, the curse wouldn''t be difficult to defeat," Alicia exined.


    "What do you mean?" I queried it.


    "The pinkish cloud can form a portal which can bring you somewhere, as you have seen once, but what you have to avoid is when it enters your body because it means it is going to control you."


    "But what if the pinkish cloudbrings me to other ces and not to the ce where I want to go?" I asked.


    Alicia sighed. She told me that it wasn''t a problem because if I wanted to go somewhere, I could control the pinkish cloud. What I only needed to focus on was to focus on that ce, and if I was determined to be free, everything around me would conspire to give me that thing.


    "It''s only a suggestion. I know you''re thinking how difficult it is. We''re just the same. When I was young, I also could not control my power. It took me a hundred years before I could master everything," Alicia added.

 44 The Addicts

    We were going inside the mansion when I remembered that many people might be hindrances to me in doing the necessary things which could help me get rid of the curse. Especially my personal maid, Amara Spicy, who was so inquisitive. She might also leave the mansion if I did not be truthful about the weird things that were happening to me those days.


    I was confused when Alicia halted in front of the antiquated mirror and seemed to be scrutinizing her own reflection. There were probably a lot of mysteries about it since, though eons would pass, it was still there. My parents had never told me anything about that mirror, and every time I would ask, they were always changing the topic.


    I didn''t know if it was true that the mirror was older than my grandparents. I could say they were not telling the truth to me, but I knew how they would tell the truth and the unreal ones. That didn''t matter if sometimes they believed that if they told me everything, I had nothing to discover.


    "Is there something wrong with that mirror?" I queried.


    "Nothing," Alicia gasped.


    "Mom told me that it was older than her mother. She inherited this from my grandmother and maybe from my great-grandmother, but I don''t know if it was true."


    "Do you mean you don''t believe what your parents told you?" "Perhaps." I sighed.


    "Well, I can''t contradict: you know your parents more than I do."


    Alicia seemed to be lying in telling me that I knew my parents more than she did, because it was still in my mind what she told me before, that she had been watching me for many years.


    "Yeah, but I want to know about the people who work here. What if they notice the weird things happening to me?" I asked while walking towards the upholstered couch, and Alicia sat down there, too.


    "Don''t worry. That won''t happen, especially since you''re their boss, and they won''t dare ask you. But if they will, don''t tell them anything, especially about me."


    "Of course I won''t!" I remarked. I knew they would only think I had already lost my mind if I told them about Alicia.


    "Don''t worry about the people around this mansion; leave them to me and focus on your power. Focus on killing a hundred people so that you can quickly get rid of the curse," Alicia advised.


    I could not be removed from worrying about anything that might happen. I knew they might be hindrances to my freedom, for even though there were only a few people left, they were still trying to cage me. But then everything was better than before. My atmosphere had be spacious, and I could move without someone following me wherever I went.


    The only one who was watching me was Alicia, and everything was better than before, for she had a different intention, which was to help me. I didn''t need to worry too much because she wasn''t as demonic as I thought. And if someone was watching me all the time, that wasn''t a thing to worry about, for they were only showing care.


    "So, where do you want to start your mission?"


    "I don''t know." I interrogated. "I don''t know where to start."


    I realized that there was always a difficulty in facing the beginning of the road that someone was going to take. It needed a little sacrifice and hardship, for everything was difficult before it became easy. Though it seemed like from whatever angle I would look, there wasn''t even a tiny bit of freedom in the freedom I solely wanted.


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    "Why wouldn''t you use the power of your vision?" Alicia asked.


    "You''re right, but I don''t know what I want to see," I replied.


    "Don''t tell me that you don''t want to kill me."


    "Of course-I mean, I don''t know, if I want? It''s so difficult for me to know where to start. Why won''t you suggest me a ce where there are many bad people?"


    "You don''t really need to choose who to kill. Try thinking that everyone has their time to die, and you''ll kill anyone who''s in your way. If they won''t die, then they are lucky, but if they will, then it means that you''re lucky. There''s no unlucky in that moment, especially if you don''t show your weakness. Now, you''re unlucky because you need to do it faster because the curse will definitely attack you anytime."


    "You''re a bit wicked. But you have a point; everyone has their own time to die. What I only want is not to be incriminated."


    Alicia suddenly held my arm and said that she would take me to the ce where there were a lot of people to be terminated. I tried to remove her hand from mine andined that I wasn''t ready, but it was toote. In a second, we emerged in an unfamiliar ce, which seemed far from the mansion because the weather there was very different.


    "What are we doing here?" I asked in a curious manner.


    "You''re clever enough to know why we are here," Alicia replied. "Do you see those boys ahead? They are all six boys there. If you kill them all, there will be ny-nine left. So what are you waiting for?"


    What kind of woman was Alicia? I didn''t want to count the people I was going to kill, but she did it for me. There was one more thing. Did Alicia not know how to count? Why did she say that if I could kill those six boys, there would be ny- nine left and not ny-six? Maybe she didn''t know the exact word to say, and it didn''t matter anymore, because I hated counting them for the sake of my conscience.


    "But I don''t know how to fight them. Did you see that they are big and look strong? They will only kick me, and I don''t know what will happen to my beautiful face."


    "You''re so stagy, and you alsock trust in yourself. So how can we be free if you''re doing that?" Alicia asked.


    "But!" I tried toin, but she was pushing me.


    "Don''t worry too much. I will be here in case of an emergency. I will help you if there''s something bad to happen." "Okay, but don''t leave me here," I ordered.


    I walked towards the boys who were sitting on the benches below the shades of tall trees on the roadside. There were no more houses or people there, but benches, trees, tall weeds, and a long concrete road without any transportation, which was taking.


    The thick smoke from their cigarettes was floating in with the warm wind. Perhaps they were hangouts who could do nothing with their lives but join in bad vices without thinking about their roles in the world. Some were wearing in shirts, trousers, pants, slippers, and hats, while others were not even wearing any shirts, like addicts.


    However, even though their appearances were such that they didn''t seem to care what effect their vices might have had on their health, I couldn''t say they deserved to die, though their vices were the ones that might kill them, and though I didn''t want to kill people, I had no choice anymore, because I knew that my freedomy in their death.

 45 The Flattering Foe

    Lil Whatever Cain would tell me, his sins were unforgivable. He was the reason my life became poignant. He was the reason why I killed a lot of innocent people, even my friend''s mother. And I wasn''t in a difficult situation if he didn''t show his demonic face. But if he wanted to assist me in breaking the curse, why wouldn''t he talk to me instead of sting in my ear like a machine gun?


    Perhaps it was a mistake if I always disagreed with every word he would say. That I was allowing them to enter one ear and leave another annoyed him as a reply to his opinions. But though I would fight him, he didn''t run out of words, and he talked to me the whole day. He would never give up as long as he could not get my attention, and he seemed to be a tireless spirit. I didn''t know. Perhaps his real intention was to win my trust, for the thought that I might conspire with him. Cain had been following me wherever I would go. I became mad and forgot to respect the elderly. I talked back to him. The flow of words voluntarily jumped out of my lips. I knew the people around us might think I was crazy. But how could I not be crazy if he was adding more problems to my life? He was even talking to me though we were still having a ss, and that was making me more irritated because I could not focus on teacher Jayne''s discussion.


    We were walking down the street back home when I realized it was getting boring without the buzzing in my ears. Perhaps it was time to talk with him insensately about what he really wanted from me. I also wanted to know more about the curse and how to get rid of it. so that he would stop following me like a shadow-or more than a shadow-because even though there was no light, he''d never leave.


    I didn''t have a friend anymore. I didn''t know what happened to France Lim, because we lostmunication since he dropped out of school. I knew he was always there in his house, ying games on his phone as if he had his own world. But though he had changed, I anticipated that we were still friends. I wouldn''t say I needed a friend to live, but if there was someone who wanted to be friends with me, then I would ept it. It was also okay if there was no one, but life might be sweeter if there was.


    "Lil, I know what you''re thinking right now. I noticed that you don''t have any friends and you are always alone. If you want, I can be your friend. Just think about it," Cain offered.


    I wanted to tell him I didn''t want to be friends with a demon, but when I tried to speak, what a motherfucker that there was no sounding out of my lips. I didn''t know what happened. I tried to speak many times, but I could not. It crossed my mind that perhaps Cain had totally made me mute because I was always making him bad with my words. He was so cruel that he added another problem I didn''t know how to solve. "You''re lulled there. What''s wrong?" Cain innocently asked.


    It seemed like he was pretending to know nothing about what happened or why I didn''t reply to his offer, but it was difficult to believe that he didn''t have a connection to why I could not speak. He was the only one who fought with me that day because I was always kind to others. Moreover, he was the only one who could perform magic.


    I opened my lips and tried to say that I didn''t want to be friends with him because he was so wicked and nobody wanted to. I didn''t need a friend because I already had two. They were Leona and Jay Ward. Cain was only a problem for me, and he could not be a friend because he was always a foe. As a result, I recalled a poem told to me by teacher Jayne and written by the great poet William Shakespeare.


    "He was thy friend, and he would assist thee in thy need. If you were sad, he would weep. If you awakened him, he would be unable to sleep. Thus, of every grief in your heart, he would bear a part. Those were certain signs to know a faithful friend from a ttering foe."


    I realized I needed to hear Cain''s exnation before judging him. I should consider him too, though he hadn''t considered me before. He might have had a reason why he put a curse on me, and that was what I needed to hear. I needed to hear all of the words he wanted to say.


    There were many things I didn''t understand if I''d let his words enter my ear and exit to one side. So instead of saying that I didn''t want to be friends with him, I took a pen and paper from my backpack. I wrote down on the paper what I wanted to say.


    Perhaps he was only a ttering foe, and he could be a faithful friend. Though he was a spirit, there was a chance he had a conscience that was punishing him for his mistake with me.


    I handed Cain the paper and let him read it. He looked at my face and asked if I had changed my mind, that I was so mad at him, and then I would say, I wanted to be friends with him.


    Perhaps he didn''t understand what I meant, that instead of befriending him, I was scolding him again, so I took the paper from his hand and wrote something on it, then I handed him the paper back. "ttering foe?" An expression of curiosity appeared on his face.


    I tried to say, "I mean that you might be a faithful friend instead of a ttering foe," and I was surprised when my voice came back.


    Perhaps it wasn''t true that my voice had gone and it was only a hallucination, so I did not ask Cain about this thing. He might be angry at me if I admitted that I suspected him to be the one who muted me, and he would totally do that.


    "I also want to say something to you-sorry because I''m the one who muted you. I thought you would talk back bad words to me again." Cain frowned while admitting and apologizing for his presumption.


    "What-you? Why did you muzzle me? Didn''t you know that it was difficult to be muzzled? Why wouldn''t you mute yourself so you can experience the sensation of being muted?" I asked in a mad manner. "I''m sorry. I did not mean to do it. Are you mad?"


    "No, I''m not angry. I already knew you were the one who muted me because there was no one else or someone who could do that except you."


    "How about your words? Do you really want to be friends with me?"


    "Of course, I was only joking. I don''t really want it!"


    "What? Why?" He asked, dementedly.


    "Of course I don''t really want to be not friends with you."


    "So, you also mean that you''re trusting and conspiring with me?" "Maybe, but you should tell me first why you put this curse on me."

 46 The Explanation

    Thereafter, Cain told me the real reason why he gave me the curse. He said he wanted to get rid of the curse, which came from the powerful spirit. I was wondering if it was a good enough reason why he did it, or if I did not understand what he meant.


    "But what kind of curse was given to you by the powerful spirit that you had to curse me too?" I slightly scratched my head.


    "It wasn''t just a simple curse: my wife and I could not go back to the realm of spirits. It has been thousands of years since we began strolling in this world. We''re searching for someone who can help us get back to the ce where we suitably are," Cain exined.


    "Do you have a wife?" I queried.


    "Yeah, She was also cursed by the same spirit who''s even crueler than us." Cain sighed. "And I will never leave this earth without her."


    "So if you really have a wife, then where is she?" I asked.


    "She had been strolling in other parts of the world to search for someone who could help her to be free, so that we could go back to the ce of spirits together. I''m hoping that she can also find someone like you, a brave, strong, and powerful human, who can sacrifice himself to help her."


    "Don''t you know that there are a few people willing to sacrifice themselves for others? I want to tell you that I''m not one of them."


    "Yeah, I know there are a few people who are willing to help others, but I''ve believed ever since that you''re one of them. I''ve been watching you for many years, and I know you''re willing to help others." "So you also knew many things about me?"


    "Yeah, I know you have feelings for your teacher. I also know you killed your friend''s mother. I''m telling you, you can''t act like you''re so clean in front of me, or else I will tell your friend that you were the one who killed his mother. I''m sure he will retaliate against you for what you did to him. He will also kill you and maybe your mother if he knows the truth."


    "That''s what you should not do. I''d rather sacrifice myself and die than have him kill my mother!" I eximed.


    I didn''t know what to feel about being left by my mother and finding out that it was my friend who killed her. But I''m sure it wasn''t that easy, because I saw how my friend mourned, though he didn''t know yet that I was the killer. "That''s what I told you. You can sacrifice yourself for others."


    "Yeah, I can sacrifice myself for my mother because I loved her, unlike you, who''s most unlikely to be loved. If you''ll tell France that I was the one who killed her mother, I know he would understand why I needed to do that; it was because of you. He''s my best friend, and I trust him more than you."


    "You''re so confident with your words, and that''s what I like from you because you don''t worry about other people, even your friend. That''s the kind of person I need. I require the assistance of those who can assist me in returning to the realm of spirits. If you can help me, I will also help you."


    "You can help me with one thing only, to get rid of the curse of yours. But I didn''t know how I could help you go back to where you came from."


    "You can help me in many ways, but in every way isn''t that easy. There''s no easy way out because it would get harder every day."


    "What do you mean?" I queried.


    "Every way requires you to sacrifice lives, and these ways can also assist you in removing the curse which I unintentionally ced on you."


    What Cain wanted to say sounded interesting. Perhaps I could trust him because freedom seemed to lie in it. I could not only help him go back to the realm of spirits, but I could also help myself get rid of the curse. If he really wanted to go back to where he came from, it also meant he didn''t want to hurt people. He might only need to rest because he had previously stated that he had been walking around in this world for thousands of years.


    "I''m sure you''re telling me the truth. Tell me how to get rid of this curse and also how to help you go back to the realm of spirits," Imanded.


    "I won''t make it any longer. I''m telling you that I''m not the only one who can benefit in this way, but you can also benefit from it. If you can do this thing, you won''t feel the difficulties caused by the curse, and you can also help me solve my problem. However, when ites to sacrificing a lot of things, that''s quite difficult. You may feel some difficulty too, but don''t worry; it''s always difficult at first before it will be easy." "Uh-huh, so tell me, what is it?"


    "The way I''m going to tell you is the most favorable one, but if you won''t do this, you''re telling me that you''re willing to tolerate the curse to live inside your body and to control you as long as you''re breathing."


    "You''re telling me that there''s no other way to be free except by doing the thing which can sacrifice a lot of things, which you wanted to say, and I need to tolerate the curse if I can''t do it." I scratched my head. "You''ve said you won''t make this longer, but you''ve been telling me a million words."


    "Yeah, there are many things you can do to solve my problems, but there''s only one thing you can do to save yourself from the curse. You can''t live longer in this world if you won''t do it." Cain took a deep breath before continuing his exnation with a lot of branches.


    "I know the curse quickly affects your whole body, and soon it will be active again. It can even enter your brain and heart, and you will feel nothing, hear nothing, see nothing, and you will be able to do nothing when that timees. Everything you have will be lost, and you will lose control in searching for someone to kill."

 47 The Deal for Freedom

    Ka


    Alicia and I went towards the benches covered with the shade of tall trees. Those boys could see me, but I knew that they could not see Alicia because she was already a spirit. I wasn''t totally afraid of what those boys could do to me, because Alicia could make them disappear in just a second after flipping her fingers at them.


    One of the boys pointed his finger at me, then I heard him say, "Buds, look at the girl; she looked beautiful and rich." Though we were far from them, I could already hear their voices, which seemed to be fighting, and they were doing that because of me.


    The boy who wasn''t wearing a shirt replied, "She''s really beautiful. I want to taste her." However, I didn''t care if he had a good body or if he was excels in bed because I wasn''t a donut to let him taste me. What I did care about was that he might meet my boyfriend, Mr. Death.


    Another boy warned, "She''s already mine, so don''t attempt to touch her."


    What kind of boys were they? I wasn''t a food item for them to quarrel about. They weren''t just smokers, but seemed tomit sexual assault too. But I would make sure they could not touch the tip of my finger. As they also walked towards us, I couldn''t predict what was on their minds, but they probably couldn''t think of good things to do. I could sense their bad intentions even though they were away, and their faces looked like addicts from taking illegal drugs. "Hello, miss beautiful." One of them greeted me as he approached me. "Can I know your name?" He blew smoke from his mouth.


    "Kick him now," Alicia whispered in my ear.


    Because I didn''t want the boy to fight back against me, I followed Alicia''s order and kicked him without saying anything, but with all my strength in the center of his thigh. "Ahh-ha!" He growled in pain.


    I mistook and underestimated myself. It wasn''t only his cigarette which flew away, but also him who tumbled and dropped down on the road while holding his thigh. The other boys didn''t help him; instead, they pped their hands. Maybe they were thinking I was just ying, but they didn''t know that I could benefit from that y.


    "That''s what you''ll get from being rude, bud. Is it painful?" Another boy remarked. He removed his ck hat and stared at me.


    I saw he looked like the handsome actor in a movie, or he might be his younger version. He had short, dark brown hair; hard facial lines; a thick, bow-shaped beard between his lips; and a high nose. He also had thick, ck eyebrows, brown skin, and an average height.


    "Come on, who''s next?" I challenged "You boys fight me!"


    "You''re a girl. We would be hermaphrodites if we fought you. A girl like you deserves to be loved and not hurt," he replied.


    Wow! So he knew how to love, though he couldn''t even love himself since he joined with those addicts? I didn''t want to enter into their businesses anymore, for I had my own. I told them that if they were true males, then they should fight me; if they were afraid to fight and defeat me, then they were homosexuals, so they should fight me if they were not.


    "Right buds, we don''t really want to fight a weak girl like you, but we also don''t want others to step on our personality."


    "You''re right. Show her what you can do!" Another boy ordered


    "If I can defeat you, you will be mine all night, but if you can defeat me, then we will let you escape and do anything you want, deal?"


    "Deal, but if I can defeat you, will you let me do anything I want to do with you and also with your friends?" I asked.


    "Deal, but if I can defeat you, you will be our delicacy tonight. We will havoc on your entirety, outside and inside, so be prepared because we won''t let you go as long as we''re not satisfied."


    My heart was throbbing so loudly that I could hear it too, but I knew I didn''t need to worry about anything because I could still escape if I was defeated by him. There were many ways to escape from them, especially knowing that Alicia was willing to help me anytime.


    If you''re loving the book, nel5s.org is where the adventure continues. Join us for theplete experience all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you! "Don''t worry, Ka. Enjoy and consider this a game; you don''t need to defeat him. What you need to do is to kill them," Alicia reminded.


    She walked towards the t stone on the roadside and sat down there. She might want to watch how I fight the boy, and I also didn''t want to disappoint her for the first time. Many people believed that if the beginning was bad, it would be bad all throughout. However, someone could still manage and do their best so that everything would be good. So I would do my best to defeat that boy.


    After we dealt, the boys on the other side of the road tapped the back part of their representative''s shoulder, then he went to the center of the road. He raised his arm, looked at my face, and gestured for me to get near him.


    I removed my parka and only wore my purple shirt, denim jeans and sneakers. I stretched my arms and legs as a warm up. It would be better if I did a warm up before fighting with this boy. The other boys were sitting on the tree''s root on the other side of the road, spatting like dogs while looking at me.


    I walked towards the boy and prepared for the punch he wanted to release. I wasn''t looking anywhere but at his hands and feet, so that I could avoid his attacks. Even just by looking at his body, with perfect muscles on his abdomen and chest, I could not estimate how strong he was. He wasn''t a boy anymore, for he looked more mature than I thought.


    He suddenly made an intermittent joggling motion, but he didn''t release any blows. I knew he was underestimating what I could do, but I would do my best to fight him and prove him wrong, and because he didn''t release a punch, I released a punch first, but he avoided it, and punched me back.


    He was so quick and strong that I did not see his hand when he punched my jaw again. I felt the sudden pain like a st on my face. I realized how difficult it was. If I didn''t know the movements of other people, I could definitely receive pain from their sudden movements.

 48 The Road to Death

    Thereafter, sweat began diffusing around his body and mine also. I''m sure it turned red after how many times he had punched my face. I could not even hit him because he was avoiding every punch I threw at him.


    I never expected that would happen. There was nothing I could do right there but ept that I was defeated by that boy. Until something entered to my mind, maybe I could use it to see his next moves and not be hit by his strong punches. The power of my vision. So I focus my attention on it, telling my eyes to show me the next move of that boy.


    Alicia was right, that if someone believed he could, everything around him would conspire to help him achieve something. I foresaw what would happen next. I would be defeated by that boy, and it showed me his moves, so it came to my mind to defend all his movements so that he could not defeat me that time. It was so nice that I could change what would happen in my future through my powerful vision. I would never make any wrong decisions again, especially since something would always tell me the right choice.


    When he tried to kick me, I had avoided it, and with every punch he released, he hit the air. And I was also punching and kicking back after him. His face received many punches and developed a red tinge. I kicked him in the center of his thigh, which made him stop fighting me. It sent him flying upward and plummeted towards the other side of the road where his friends were sitting. Their eyes widened when they saw him lying on the ground, seemingly out of consciousness. I screamed in my brain: I had changed my fate! I went towards Alicia and put my parka back on, though it was so warm there. We stepped towards the boys, who looked sad because they had been defeated by a little girl who they had underestimated her capability.


    "Kill them now!" Aliciamanded. "I sense you have a n not to follow. Kill them, because they are nning to escape from you."


    "But I didn''t know how. I didn''t want to stain my hands with blood. They might also fight back," Iined.


    "Don''t let your weakness win against you. Did you see that big stick on the ground below that tree?"


    "Yeah, I saw it, so what should I do with that big stick?"


    "You are clever enough to ask me what you should do with that big stick. Go get it and use it to kill these boys," Alicia ordered.


    It seemed like Alicia had be my boss, and I needed to follow her orders. However, I knew I couldn''t me her because I had entered into this kind of situation where the most powerful person was considered the boss. I''ve realized that if I became more powerful than Alicia, I wouldn''t need her assistance. Therefore, I needed to withstand what Alicia was telling me to do because it could help me be stronger inpleting my next mission, which seemed to be more difficult than this one.


    I walked towards the boys, who seemed to be curious about why I was going towards them with a stick. Until it happened that they guessed what I was going to do, and they tried to elude me, but surprisingly, they were unable to move from their positions.


    There seemed to be a strong force freezing them, because their faces showed that they were trying hard to move. It was Alicia who was performing her dark magic and making those boys stop moving. I knew she was the only one who could perform magic like that, for she was undoubtedly powerful.


    "What are you going to do?" The boy queried. "Please don''t continue your n if you know it''s uwful."


    "Kill them now!" Alicia half-shouted. I knew nobody could hear her voice because I was the only one who could see and hear her.


    "Please don''t hurt us!" The boy implored. "Please show some mercy!"


    "Ka! Kill them now, so that the curse won''t attack you. You need to kill them because the curse will surely attack you this time!" Alicia ordered


    One of the boys shouted in a begging manner: "Please don''t kill us! We are too young. If you kill us, you will regret it forever!"


    "Don''t listen to them; the curse will be the one to kill them if you don''t. You won''t do it by yourself!" Alicia shouted.


    Goddammit! How could I decide if there was too much noise I could hear? I raised the stick and prepared to strike the boy. When he shouted again, he had not finished his words as I stroked him many times on his head and he totally became bby.


    I kicked him and walked towards the next boy. I saw many drops of liquiding out of his blown eyes. He looked innocent regardless of the vices hemitted. He had high eyshes, thick eye brows, brown skin, short hair, and lips that became purplish-ck because of smoking. Maybe he was the quietest boy among them, but though he wasn''t saying a word, his face was telling me he didn''t want to die.


    There were no more things I should do but finish what I had started, so I did not let Alicia shout at me again. I stroked the boy many times on his skull and neck. Even though I knew he felt pain, he didn''t say anything. He was like a hard rock; he let me bring him to death as he died without saying a word.


    The next boy who was going to meet my boyfriend was the handsome boy who looked like an actor, but regardless of his looks, there was one certain thing that was going to happen: he would say goodbye to this world. His life lies in my hands, but my life also lies in his life. I didn''t care anymore if other people would judge me if I didn''t have any mercy for others.


    Alicia didn''t know the thing that I really wanted to do. She brought me there without asking me if I really wanted to go there. Next time, I wouldn''t let her decide the people whom I would kill. I would get to know more about some before bringing them to death, because sometimes, though people looked bad, it was only their looks and not their kind hearts, as my dad said. Next time I didn''t want to be in a dilemma, I would use the power of my vision to know who I wanted to kill.

 49 The Exact Story

    Lil Sitting on the long wooden chair while looking at the tall grass The bees were flying close to their beehives hanging from the tree''s branches. The wooden gate had be weak and decayed after being there for a long time. The green grass on ourwn and many other things around our house. Everything around me was aged. Even me.


    The curse wasn''t just a simple thing that would leave voluntarily. I needed to do something, but I didn''t want to talk about where and how I got that thing. What I wanted to think about was how to get rid of it. Though I didn''t want to trust Cain again, I couldn''t deny that I needed his help, for he knew a lot of things, and he was powerful. He had told me the only way to be free, and I didn''t know if I could do that thing, because it wasn''t as easy as I thought.


    I needed to kill a hundred people to be free, and I lost hope that I could. It was hopeless; I knew I couldn''t even kill an animal, but how much more human? Cain told me to try. My decision was needed, I needed, and whether I was willing to sacrifice a hundred lives or not, everything would change the direction of my life, especially since the curse might be active and would control me at anytime.


    It was true that the curse would suddenly control my body without showing any signs. It would attack me in every way it wanted to, and it would take a long time to leave me. What was more horrifying was that Cain also told me that if my whole body was controlled by the curse, it would not leave me anymore.


    Consequently, I needed to act before everything was toote. Because it was like a virus which required a vine to stop damaging my cells. I was so young to die because of this. I would survive for myself and for my family. There were many dreams I wanted to achieve, but first I needed to conquer this cruel curse.


    "Are you sure there''s no other way to get rid of it?" I queried.


    "You can do one more thing, but I''m sure you can''t do this, especially since you want to survive. But if you only want to get rid of the curse, then kill yourself so that you can be free." "You''re right," I agreed.


    "Right? Will you kill yourself to get rid of it?" Cain was stupefied.


    "Of course not! I want to conquer this curse and I will never want tomit suicide. If there''s no other way, then I have no other choice but to ept that I''m destined to be a serial killer." "Does that mean that you are willing to kill a hundred people?"


    "Uh-huh." I replied with a nod.


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    "Are you sure? Are you willing to sacrifice a hundred lives without any hesitation?" He barked again.


    "It seems like you don''t believe nor agree with my decision. If you don''t want me to kill people, then you didn''t put this curse on me, right?"


    "Exactly, I want to admit, it was the reason why I identally put you under that curse, because you can also help me go back to the realm of spirits-by killing a hundred people," Cain admitted.


    "Do you mean that their lives can help you go back to where you came from?" I asked.


    "Their lives are the key to the realm of spirits. I will offer their souls to one of the most powerful demons, and he will help me go back to where I came from. I swear to you, I will never go back to this world once I enter the realm of spirit, and I won''t trammel you again."


    "Why won''t you do the other way to go back to your ce instead of trammeling me now?" I asked.


    "Once you get rid of that curse, I can also go back to where I should be."


    "But why did you put me under this curse if you knew there was another way to go back to your world?" I asked again.


    "Have you forgotten that you told me that you wanted to be a superhero because you didn''t want other children to bully you?"


    Cain exined that he was thinking there were many people who oppressed me, and it would be easier if I would terminate them, which could also set him free. He said he knew the bluish cloud wasn''t totally a curse, for there were times it could help me. However, I didn''t know how the curse became a power if it had only brought misfortunes.


    "The bluish cloud can bring you anywhere you want. What you need to do is to learn to control it, because if you can''t, it will be the one to control you. It will take you anywhere it wants, even to dangerous ces, like inside a volcano, and you''ll automatically rest in peace," Cain added.


    After I heard those words, I had realized it was all my mistake. I could not me him for everything because he only wanted to help me, and I was so mediocre at that time, that I only wanted to be a superhero. It was me who wasn''t thinking about what might happen before dealing with something. Everything was my mistake, and I needed to fix what I screwed up.


    What kind of curse was that? There were too many things I needed to know about it, though I only wanted to be free. I could almost give up right there, thinking that it would be better if I ended my own life, for it was definitely the best solution to my problems.


    However, I knew nothing would happen if I med myself all day. I had already med myself a hundred times. It had already happened, and there was nothing else I could do but solve my problem. I was willing to do anything to end the curse and get rid of it. I didn''t need to think about my decision because I had been thinking about it all day. If I did not decide quickly, the curse would attack me again and it wouldn''t hesitate to hurt other people.

 50 The Disgusting Demon

    I realized it was better to kill a hundred people with my own hands than see myself controlled by the curse and likely kill thousands or more. From what I had experienced, the curse was willing to kill anyone without hesitation. If I could control myself, there were many ferocious people in the world, but I wasn''t saying that they ought to die.


    I realized if the curse could control every portion of my body, including my brain, it might kill more than I needed, and it would not leave me anymore. There might be thousands, or it could kill all the people in the whole world. It was horrendous as it sometimes used dark magic. So I decided to kill a hundred people rather than billions.


    "It seems that you have decided, but it''s not toote if you would like to change your mind. It won''t be as simple as that, for there''s a possibility of wrong things to happen," Cain said.


    "You told me that the curse could be active at anytime, so I don''t need to think too much about it. That''s just a time-consuming task, especially since there''s a possibility that I won''t be able to control myself anymore."


    "You''re absolutely a clever boy, for you made the right choice, and because of that, I will help you to search for someone you can kill. Don''t worry about anything else, and focus yourself on your task. I will be here, and I will help you in fighting for our freedom."


    "Are you sure you will be there not only in happiness but also in times of sorrow?" I asked as if I was challenging him.


    Cain didn''t answer me, but his silence seemed to be telling that he agreed, or I wasn''t sure, for I wasn''t a predictor, so I didn''t ask him about it. He was going to hold my arm when I remembered my parents. They might have doubted where I was going.


    "My parents would definitely doubt me if you took me somewhere. You already know how inquisitive they are," I told him.


    "Don''t worry. It''s alreadye to my mind, and there''s no possibility that your parents will notice the things you''re doing," Cain replied.


    "How can you say so if even my mother has already doubted that there''s something weird happening to me?"


    "Just believe me and also believe that they won''t notice it. Believe what you want and your belief will help create the fact."


    "You''re mistaken. I had been believing that this curse wouldn''tst much longer, but what happened was the opposite of the truth. Now tell me why..."


    I had not finished my words when Cain suddenly raised his hand. In a second that followed, we emerged in another ce. He was murmuring (possibly because I was only trying something but not doing it) as the weather gradually shifted from warm to cold.


    "What are we doing here?" I asked. "Don''t you see that I''m just wearing a shirt, trousers, and slippers, but you brought me to this kind of ce?"


    I felt ufortable because it was really cool! The cool breeze was chilling my thighs. The weather wasn''t really that fine; there was no rain, no sleet, and no snow. Perhaps it was only because of the altitude. The cool breezes blew hither and thither. I couldn''t even see what was ahead because of the mist; heaven seemed to be going down the earth!


    "Don''t worry, Lil. Trust me." Cain raised his hand, and there appeared a thick, ck coat and pants around my body.


    He was undoubtedly a powerful demon, for he could change my clothes. However, he didn''t know what my size was. The coat he gave was so heavy, as if I was loaded with one-fourth sack of rice, while the pants were so loose that they were going to fall down if I did not hold them. Cain was such a demon who didn''t even put me in underwear.


    "Why won''t you just change my clothes? This coat is so heavy, these pants were so loose, and can you put me in underwear?" Iined.


    Cain raised his hand in the air, and the heavy coat and loose pants suddenly changed. It became worse than the clothes he gave me. What kind of spirit was he? Was he deaf and hadn''t heard me? He didn''t even give me any clothes, except underwear.


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    I covered my hump with my hands and cried, "Hey! What kind of nipoop are you? Give me back my clothes!"


    "You told me that you don''t have underwear. That''s why I put you in underwear. Don''t you want to wear that?" Cain replied in a sneering manner. "If you don''t want it, then let me remove that."


    Grudgingly, I really wanted to bury him alive. He was so stubborn, and my heart throbbed faster when he said he was going to remove my underwear if I didn''t need it. There was nobody who had seen mine since I was a baby except my parents, so I wasn''t ustomed to wearing underwear only. It made me more irritated. I really wanted to kill him, though I knew he was already a spirit.


    "Please, give my clothes back to me and I won''tin to you again. Just give them back!" I implored, then shivered because of the cold wind that was ying on my skin. "It''s so cold! I will really kill you if you won''t give me my clothes back!" I shouted.


    Cain raised his hand, and suddenly, my original clothes came back, but not my worn slippers. They turned into a pair of boots with yellow soles. I ran towards Cain and tried to give him a terrible blow. "Oh! I''m so sorry." He apologized and tried to calm me. "Look, I gave you back your clothes, so please don''t be overacting."


    "And why did you do that if you don''t want me to be mad? Don''t you know that nobody has seen mine [sic] before?" I chided him. "You''re so embarrassing; it would be better if I didn''t befriend you!"

 51 The Trial and Error

    Ka


    Everything that was happening was all my mistakes. I knew I could not me Alicia if she brought me there. It wasn''t her mistake, for it was me who could not decide where to start, and that was why Alicia brought me there to kill those boys. It wasn''t Alicia, not the curse, not my fate, but me. It was me who must be med. I became a serial killer who didn''t show any sympathy for those boys.


    Maybe it was because I hated myself too much. I didn''t notice I had already killed the boy in front of me. I didn''t notice that I stroked his head many times, causing a very big crack on it. His brain had exploded like a volcano, which could not endure theva erupting.


    Though it was difficult to endure squeamish things like blood, I would simply regard everything as a trial, one that would strengthen me for future ordeals. It seemed that my whole life was a trial itself, and there was nothing enjoyable. It was only full of sadness, and there were a few good moments.


    Maybe it was because of the outrage I had towards myself. When I came back to consciousness, one of the boys in front of me had totallyid down on the ground. There was nothing left of the six boys who were alive. They were all lying on the ground, except Alicia, who was sitting there on the root of the tree while looking at me.


    Later, she stood up and walked towards me. I noticed her face had changed a lot. She had be more beautiful and younger. But I knew there was nothing impossible when it came to Alicia. It was also possible that she could change herself into a young boy, and it was also possible that she coulde back to her young and beautiful self. Alicia raised her hand in the air, and the boys who were lying on the ground by the roadside suddenly disappeared. I didn''t know where they were sent.


    Alicia halted beside me. "You have sessfully killed all of those six boys, so what''s your next n? I just want to remind you that you must quickly finish your mission if you want to quickly get rid of the curse."


    "You don''t need to remind me that, and I don''t need to be hasty just to get rid of the curse that came from you, especially since we are talking about people''s lives. I need to consider other things first before taking an action. I''m not the same as you, who do things for your own interest without thinking you''d hurt others."


    "Oh Ka! Please let us forget our past mistakes. Look, if I''m doing these things for my own interest, you know I''m not here now. I didn''t need to coerce myself to go with you. But I''m here because I want to help you, and my own interest wasn''t a part of it," Alicia defended.


    "I knew it; I just wanted to tell you that you didn''t need to help me in making my own decision, because it appears that you are taking away my right to decide for myself."


    "So are you telling me that you don''t need my help anymore? It''s good to know that you will help yourself inpleting your mission."


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    "No-I still need your help. I need some guidance to be stronger and more powerful before I will let you go. Why won''t you teach me how to fight and how to use dark magic instead?" "That''s a good idea. I won''t need to help you anymore if you know how to help and protect yourself-let me help teach you how to fight without using anything. You''ll only need your hands." "Teach me now how to use my hands in fighting," I ordered.


    I knew it wasn''t easy to fight using someone''s hands, but what could not kill me would make me stronger, so it would be better to try than to fail without trying at all.


    "If you''re thinking it''s difficult to fight using your hands, you mistook it, because you didn''t need to apply any force to fight against your enemy." Alicia walked towards me and took my hand. She raised it, pointing to the tall tree with green foliage.


    "Keep your focus on what you want to do, as what I told you, everything around you will conspire with you, and you can gain anything you want. "Believe me," she whispered right through my ears.


    Suddenly, the foliage that we were pointing our fingers at started falling down on the ground. They were falling and being blown away by the whispering breeze. Until the tree became bald as it ran out of leaves, except its raw branches. All its leaves had fallen andy thick on the ground. Though it was incredible, there was nothing else I could do but to believe what my eyes saw.


    Alicia was really powerful. She could make impossible things possible, but though she was powerful, there were still many things she could not do. just like removing the curse she put on me and helping herself to go back to the ce where she came from. However, I also knew that everyone had their own limitations.


    "Now it''s your turn." Alicia let go of my hand and seriously ordered me to, "Make that tree grow its leaves again."


    "What?" I eximed in surprise andint. "How can I make that tree grow back its leaves?"


    I knew it would take the tree a long time before it could regrow its leaves. I didn''t know how Alicia made it bald, and I also didn''t know how to bring it back to its normal condition. Alicia was so powerful that it only took her a second to change the appearance of the tree. I really needed to spend a long time before I could do what she did.


    "Don''t worry too much, Ka. You only need to focus. It''s just a trial and error. But don''t give up. You can do it!" Alicia walked towards the t stone and sat down there, still watching and observing me.

 52 The Magical World

    Learning magic and be powerful like Alicia was what I needed, for I knew it could help me in my next fight, especially since she told me that after every fight, the next enemy would be stronger than the first one. I didn''t know what kind of people I would be fighting next, but it was better to be prepared so that I could keep my life safe.


    I needed to practice dark magic because I wasn''t good on it; I couldn''t even grow a leaf from a tree by using my hand. I was still practicing dark magic with Alicia. She hadined many times about why I was so difficult to teach. But it wasn''t my problem if I was so difficult to teach, because she once told me that it also took her many years before she mastered all types of magics and power she had.


    I didn''t know what was happening to my mansion. Maybe they noticed I wasn''t there, and they would leave the mansion because of that. I wondered if they were okay. Though I knew they didn''t need to work there anymore, especially since they didn''t had a boss, I had told Amara to supervise everything if I wasn''t there. I could say, I didn''t care about them, for I knew I could help myself and survive alone, but sometimes, I couldn''t deny, I remembered those moments. They knew how to leave the mansion if they didn''t want to be my workers anymore. They had their freedom to do everything they want as long as they were not stepping on others. Unlike me. I realized that my life was even more beautiful if I wasn''t thinking about them. It was better to be carefree. Everything would be back to normal if I could finish my mission, but first I needed to practice more dark magic so that I could go back to my normal life. "So have you done your task?" Alicia asked.


    "What task?" I pretended not to know what she was talking about.


    "Your task to grow the leaves of that small nt. Have you forgotten that I told you to drop its leaves and grow them again using your hand?"


    I said, but it sounded ain: "I can''t do this. Look at me! I''m trying to drop the huge tree or even its leaf, but it''s the work of a fool."


    Alicia told me not to force myself looking at the huge tree because it was difficult for me to drop its leaves and grow them again. She said that I should practice magic on those small nts, for they were easier than those trees. I was the one who made myself a fool. She added that if I could not, then I didn''t need to force yourself. I must start with what was easier before moving to the difficult ones, for there was a right time for them. I should always remember that all great things came from small beginnings.


    "How can you say it''s difficult to grow leaves from those huge trees if I currently have a branch of a tree with full leaves? Did you see that branch and those leaves? I grew them using my fingers only." "Weeh, are you sure you were the one who made that?" Alicia queried.


    "You don''t believe me? There are five hundred leaves on that branch. Ask me how I knew the number of those leaves if I wasn''t the one who made them," I replied seriously, but seemed toughed. "Good job! But if you really made them, then show them to me now. Try to grow another branch of a tree full of green leaves," she ordered.


    If the my powerful vision didn''t show me how to grow a leaf on the tree, it would definitely take thousands of tries before I could do it. I saw that I had tried thousands of trials before I made it, but in just a blink of an eye, I made it! My future had changed because of my vision. I didn''t need to waste my time practicing dark magic for a long time!


    "Look! Now how can you tell me that I cannot grow a branch of a tree full of green leaves?" I asked.


    "You''re so clever and powerful. It took me a long time before I learned how to make things like that, but you are MIRACULOUS that you can quickly make them. Tell me, what''s your secret?"


    "I already told you the secret. Have you forgotten that there''s something helping me do impossible things be possible?" I replied.


    "What do you mean?" She queried.


    Had she forgotten that she told me once about the power of vision? Could those abilities help me fight my enemies? Or she was only pretending not to know? I wasn''t sure she knew about this thing, and she might just be testing me to see if I would tell her the truth or not.


    "Nothing, let''s just forget about it. I''m only concerned with doing what you told me to do. My focus helped me to make impossible things be possible. That''s my secret."


    "That''s good! I''ve never encountered a girl like you before. You are easy to train in how to perform magic."


    "Wow! So you quickly changed your judgement?" I asked. "Do you mean that you were teaching other people to perform magic before?"


    "Yeah, Go on. I knew I judge you so early," Alicia replied.


    "There are many people I tried to teach dark magic before, because I anticipated they could help me go back to the realm of spirits, but I mistook them, because they were very difficult to taught how to perform dark magic. I was lost of hope that there was no one who could help me and my husband to go back to where we should be, until I saw a girl-that was you-you are destined to be powerful."


    "Maybe you are right, I can see the signs that I can be powerful, but you mentioned that you have a husband, so where is he?"


    "My husband? Just like me, he''s searching for someone who can help him going back to our world, I''m also hoping that we can both get rid from the curses and go back together to the realm of spirits."


    I could me not Alicia, because it seemed that she and her husband had a hidden story if why and how they came in this world. I didn''t know if what I felt, but I was full of sympathy when I saw her crying though there wasn''t a teardrop thating out from her eyes.

 53 The Weakness of Men

    Lil


    The y round was over. I needed to be serious because killing people was serious. Cain was a bit of a joker, and he wasn''t a boring friend like other people. I also wanted to have friends who always smiled andughed regardless of their problems. Those kinds of people could live longer in this world, especially that they had high adversity quotient, and they could go through a rough patch in life, ande out of it without losing their mind. There were things that someoneughed about, but the other wasn''t affected and made them irritated, though it was normal. I mustugh about it rather than became mad, for it would only destroy the good vibes.


    "Why did you bring me here?" I asked.


    Though I knew we were there to search for people we could sacrifice to get rid of the curses that were on both me and Cain. I knew Cain would help me in searching for people we could kill, because not only my freedom lies in it, but also his freedom. I needed to do it faster for the curse always trammeling me and not making me fall asleep every night, unlike the curse on Cain which seemed to be not bothering him.


    "You already know why," Cain replied. "If you see someone strolling around, don''t hesitate to kill them. You don''t have to show mercy. They will die if it''s their time, and if they won''t, then they are lucky."


    "And why are you telling me this? Don''t you know that sometimes others'' fate lies in our hands because we are the ones who decides if we will kill them or not?"


    "Showing mercy in this kind of situation is just a weakness and it can be a hindrance to getting the thing you need. That''s why I''m telling you now: you must not show any mercy, endure everything and if you seed, you won''t taste the bitter part of it, but the sweetness."


    "The sweetness? But sweets can make me ill, it can bring me sickness, just like toothache, diabetes, hard to urinate, etcetera."


    "You''re so clever, but you must use your cleverness in the right time, because you made it far from what I really mean." "Then tell me what do you mean?" I asked.


    "I mean, did you see the man and woman ahead? They are a couple. You must go to them and do your mission. Kill them. Let''s see if they really love each other and if their love can help them survive," Cain ordered.


    Perhaps the reason why Cain said they were a couple because they looked so intimate, but there was also a possibility that they were only friends, siblings or even acquaintance. I needed to be careful in my opinion, especially since intimacy was deceitful, someone might think two people had a rtionship, though they didn''t.


    My heart throbbed faster while walking towards them. I didn''t want to kill people like them because they weren''t doing anything wrong. However, it crossed my mind not to care about them, for mistakes were only in someone''s mind, and without thinking, he could not define a mistake. Nothing was everpletely wrong, because even a stopped clock was right twice a day.


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    The man was wearing ck pants, a white shirt, and ck boots. He had curly hair. While the woman was dressed in a ck shaggy coat, ck pants striped with white fabrics on both sides. She had a long hair, and was shorter than the man, both of whom were taller than me.


    I was tried, though I didn''t know how to kill humans, but because I had seen how the curse had killed those people before, I had an idea of how to kill them. Meanwhile Cain was watching how I would kill the couple.


    One more step and I was already behind them. I was lucky that they hadn''t noticed me, especially since they were busy flirting each other. In a sudden movements, I seized their heads and forcibly rammed against each other''s. I mistook my moves. It wasn''t the right way to drop them because their heads were thick and hard.


    The woman ran away while the man wasn''t affected, and he clutched his hand, preparing to punch me without saying anything. He looked stronger than I thought, I could not recognize his face because the ce was getting darker with the fog.


    Something was whispering in my ear, despite the fact that no one was nearby. I knew it was the power of hearing, but I didn''t know where it came from. It was telling me something, right, the man''s next moves. He was going to punch my face, so I avoided him. He punched me again and again, which made him irritated as to why he could not hit me. Though he was taller than me, I had kicked his face. It was so cool! The noise beside my ear did not stop telling me his next moves; it helped me avoid receiving a punch and kick from him.


    I never thought this power could help in that kind of situation. I had been thinking before that it could not, and it would only be an obstruction for me. Unexpectedly, it had proved itself it was more than what I thought; like a friend who would be there in times of need. It was true that if something was really for me, I didn''t need to pursue it because even how much I would throw it away, it would stilleback because it was destined for me.


    After many times that the man tried to punched me, he had not hit me even once. Meanwhile, after many times I hit his face and everywhere, I realized his weakness was the same as every man''s weakness. It crossed my mind to kick him in the center of his thigh with all my force. And that made him growled in pain before bing bby.


    "Ahh-hhaaww!" He cried while holding his thigh. "What kind of boy are you? There are many things to kick. Why did you kick mine?"


    "If you were thinking I''m just ying with you, then you''ll be disappointed." I took the opportunity while he was looking down to hold his neck and seized it with all my strength.


    Perhaps he was really thinking that I just wanted to y with him, and he wasn''t aware he lost consciousness. I failed yet again, and I wasn''t sure why he still had a pulse despite of what I did. Perhaps I had underestimated him. Meanwhile, Cain also saw what happened, so he went towards me.


    "You''re good at martial arts, but he''s still breathing. Why won''t you carry him and throw him to the thick or hard object, just like that wall there?" Cain asked while pointing to the wall ahead. "You''re right," I agreed.


    I was so strong that I could carry the man alone, though he was heavier than one sack of rice. And though it was still far from the wall, I threw him there with all my force which created a loud st. "What do you think? Is he dead now?" I asked.

 54 The Hard Game

    Cain had checked the man and told me that he was absolutely dead and there wasn''t a way to bring him back to life. Cain seemed to be performing fake magic. Perhaps it was his way of offering the psyche of the man to the spirit he''d mentioned, who could help him out of the curse and go back to the realm of spirits where he came from.


    I was so merciless that I had killed too many people. I could not consider everything as an adventurous game anymore. I hoped, I could say, I didn''t care about anyone, but I needed to finish what I had started. I knew it was just a temporary ordeal.


    Staying strong is what I needed, because there were many more people to die in my hands for the sake of freedom. It even crossed my mind to stop schooling and focus instead on killing people. I couldn''t study if the curse would not let me sleep every night to search for a new victim. This thing was more important than anything else because it could cost me everything. I could resume my studies after I finished my mission; schooling could wait, but the curse would never wait. It wasn''t that I didn''t trust Cain, but I was worried, for my parents might discover what I was doing. I didn''t know what their reactions would be if they found out their son became a merciless serial killer. I was a minor and they were liable to what would happen to me.


    If they were so overprotective, why they didn''t even know what was happening to me? Even my mother, who was the light of our home, could not see what was going on. Sometimes I wondered if they didn''t really want me as their son, that I was only a fruit of their sin.


    They were always busy with work, telling me that what they were doing was for me, for my future. But I couldn''t see their points, because all I wanted from them was time. I didn''t need anything; money? I could strive for that! But the time they wasted for their belief couldn''t be return anymore. They should not prepare the road for me, but rather prepare me for the road.


    However, I would never think I had the worst parents, and I would never waste their efforts, for there was no perfect parents. It wasn''t their mistake if they were so hardworking and didn''t know what was happening to me. I should not think too much about them because they would only make me cry. What I needed to do was to finish my mission, and I would not worry about anything after that.


    Cain stood up and told me he was done. The psyche of the man was epted by the spirit who could help him get rid of the curse. Which made me think if there was a possibility for his offer to be rejected by the spirit whom he was talking about, so I asked him.


    "Yeah, there''s a possibility that he won''t ept the psyche, because he''s sometimes choosy and difficult to please," Cain replied.


    "How you will know if he epted your offer?" I asked.


    "He will show some signs, such as the disappearance of the body."


    "But why the body of the..." I hadn''t finished my words when I noticed the man''s corpse had disappeared from the spot where it was. So I knew Cain was telling the truth, and there was no reason for him to lie.


    "Lil, I trust in you, so please learn to trust me too. I know it''s not easy to trust someone who made mistakes before. But the only thing I''m asking for from you is your trust, because it can help us build a good partnership. If the dayes that we''ll be separated, there will be a lot of good memories which will be left behind, and every bad memory will be blown away with the wind."


    I don''t know why Cain was assuming for a good future waiting for us if we couldn''t predict what would happen next. I told him that I couldn''t even kill a hundred people and be free, so it would take us a long time before anything else. However, I swear to trust him if he would also swear not to do something which could lost my trust again.


    "Of course I won''t. I swear," Cain promised.


    "If that''s so, then I''m giving you absolution and blessing."


    "Thank you for giving me your pardon from all the mistake I made, but I don''t know why you''re giving me your blessing."


    "I mean, I''m trusting you again."


    "Oh-thank you Lil!" Cain eximed. "But don''t forget we still need to search for more people to kill. You need to prepare for it because the ordeal will be more difficult. I''m sure that the next person you need to kill is stronger than the one that you''d killed."


    "What? What did not you tell me that early?" I asked.


    "Because I didn''t want you to worry too much, and you need to deal with a lot of other things. I told you that there''s no easy way to get rid of the curse? And you needed to prepare for your fights if you really wanted to be free? Forgotten?" "I can''t remember that." I sighed.


    I didn''t expected that the people I needed to kill were like in a game which would be harder and harder every level until I could no longer endure it, and in that case, the game would be over.


    "I knew you would worry too much if you knew this thing, so I decided go hide that from you. Buf please don''t think it is hopeless. Lil, I''m telling you that if you''re knocked down, I will be always here. I''m willing to help you if you need my help."


    "Well, I''m not thinking too much about it. If I cannot endure it anymore and it bes game over, then I can still try again right?" I asked. "I''m willing to try and try until I seed."


    "Thank you for your understanding. I also want to say sorry to you again because I did not tell you about this thing earlier."


    "Absolution for you, and if there are other things you''re not telling me, you should tell them now, because I didn''t want you to hide them from me without a good reason."


    "There''s nothing else to admit," Cain replied. "But I know you''re hiding something from me, so when will you tell me about that?"

 55 The Destined Enemies

    Ka


    Alicia wasn''t totally a heartless woman, for she had feelings like a normal human being. It didn''t mean that she was a numb just because she made a mistake, especially that nobody is perfect. I knew it was the reason why she was there with me, perhaps to apologize for everything.


    Even though she wouldn''t express her regret in words, I gradually seen it in her actions. I could see how she would repent in silence. She also wanted to help me solve my problems from little to huge, perhaps to be able to regain her loss. I realized that not all who made a mistake was totally wicked. Sometimes they only need another opportunity to prove that they had change and would not do what they did before. What someone should do was to give that person another chance because they deserve it.


    However, there were some people who wouldn''t apologize though they knew they had hurt others. Those kind of people were defending their wrong belief. Perhaps they thought life was a weather: sometimes good and sometimes bad. Those who were hurt by them, they believed they were unlucky and those who weren''t affected by their attacks were the lucky.


    Everything had a reason, as what they would say, even their unforgivable deeds, there was a reason why they were doing that. Those people were making themselves fool, without considering others, the only one thing in their minds was their own happiness.


    "You already know how to perform magic, and because of that, I don''t need to bother myself teaching you. Maybe we can search for the next one who was destined to fight you?" Alicia guessed. "Where do you think we can find that person?" "Search who?" I asked.


    "Search for someone who was destined to fight you."


    "Are you telling me that, there''s someone who was destined to fight me?" I furrowed my forehead. "But what about those people whom I needed to kill?" I was really curious.


    "Yeah, that''s exactly what I wanted to tell you, but I was run out of time to exin, however, the people you need to kill are the people who were destined to fight you," Alicia exined. "That was the reason why amongst those six boys you had killed, one of them was destined to fight you," she added.


    Maybe it was the reason why I thought Alicia had counted wrong. And there was one thing which made me feel guilty: why I killed those six boys if I only needed to kill one among them? The one who was destined to fight me? Alicia was always making me confused, she hid many things from me, and those things would only revealed when or after the crime was done.


    How could I bring back the lives of those innocent people? I was undoubtedly a killer who wasn''t thinking; I was just doing what would enter my mind. And I didn''t know how to me because Alicia told me once I could choose who to kill, but she seemed to to be lying. If she could only say the exact words, I didn''t kill those boys. It was my mistake too that even I heard her said the word "ny-nine," and I became curious, I didn''t asked her about it.


    Nheless, how could I not also me Alicia if she was the one who knew everything? She was a mute who would only discuss her own n. She might wanted me to kill everyone though I didn''t need to. I might only add the problem, I should forget what happen because even if however I would me Alicia, everything couldn''t be undone. It was just a mistake, and if I''d break out partnership because of it, we couldn''t fix our mistakes anymore. "Why didn''t you told me this earlier? That I can''t choose who to kill though I have control to myself?" I asked in a worried manner.


    I thought I could choose those hundred of people to kill because Alicia told me I could do whatever I want if I''m the one who was controlling myself. But then, it seemed like the curse was still my boss, because I couldn''t choose those people. "Sorry not telling you about this earlier, but you''re right. You need to kill those people who were already destined to fight against you, I forgot to tell you this, perhaps because of our busyness."


    "If that''s so... okay." I sighed. "We can do nothing about it. We had started, so we must finish this. I should prepare for I seemed to fight against strong and powerful people. I need to be powerful."


    "You''re right, after you killed someone, your next enemy is more stronger than the first one. Definitely, practicing magics and power can help you and your mission be easier."


    Maybe it was the reason why I could not see or the power of sight wouldn''t show me the people who were destined to fight me. That those people were also powerful and their power were protecting them from the power of my vision. It would be more dangerous if they were not just normal human beings.


    "Do you know who''s the next person I needed to fight with? The power of my sight won''t show them to me. Do you have a hunch why?" I asked.


    "Maybe they are protected by something. I also didn''t know if who they are and what kind of things they can do, if they are powerful or not. Maybe they are not just normal humans, because if they are, I already saw them just like the boy you''d killed."


    "What if there was a possibility that we cannot see them? What will happen to me and to the curse?" I asked.


    "Assuredly, what you are thinking is impossible, because it''s like an ordeal and after the first one, there will be another. You only need to wait. If it happens that nobody shows, I don''t know what will happen, but there''s a possibility for the curse will control you again, because what it can only do is to kill anyone it wants to."


    "You''re right, but we should search for those people than to wait here, especially since we don''t know where they are. I also knew that if the curse be bored, it will control me again."


    "I have an idea if where''s the next person. Come take my hand and let me bring you there." Alicia offered me her hand; I held it and we suddenly transported to the other ce.

 56 The Vampire Girl

    I remembered many things when I wasn''t thinking about power and my mission in order to be free from this curse. I remembered when I was sitting there on the couch inside the living room of the mansion; walking on the passageway to the library, reading novels, ying with people around, and many others.


    If I could survive the ordeal, I would never dream for anything again, I would be contented from anything I have, like those people who didn''t had what I have, but though they were poor, they didn''t assume for anything. They were contented of what they had and of what they could get. I also wanted to be the same with those people, because they weren''t pursued by danger and living a simple life.


    While walking on the narrow passageway, I saw Alicia going towards me, so we meet in the alley. Maybe she already found the next person who needed to fight with. I didn''t want to waste my time in searching around if there was nothing showed up. It would only dyed my freedom.


    "So, you found the next person I need to terminate?" I asked.


    "Don''t worry about it, I already saw her," Alicia replied.


    "Do you mean the second person is a girl?"


    Alicia nodded and said, "Yeah, but though she''s a girl, you still need to prepare because your weakness may attack you again."


    I didn''t know what Alicia mean. Maybe she was talking about my sympathy to other people. This sympathy was my weakness, and if I would show my weakness to other, there was a possibility that I couldn''t be free from the curse, and be enved forever.


    My freedom lies on the death of those hundred of people. If I would let my weakness attack me, I could not gain the thing I solely want. I should never show my weakness to them.


    "Bring me now to that girl, so that we can finish this," I ordered.


    Alicia held my hand and we suddenly transported to a yground where there was no one else, but the green-painted benches, trees, and creeping grasses. The ce didn''t matter anymore, it still favored me, because if there was no people there, there was no one who could see me while doing a crime.


    "Where''s the girl you were talking about?" I asked Alicia.


    "Do you see that little girl sitting on the swing there?"


    I looked ahead and saw a little girl who was sitting on a swing. She was wearing a ck shirt and pants. Her ck hair was tied into two portions, and were bouncing on her back as she swung. I didn''t expected I would need to kill a little girl like her.


    "Don''t tell me she''s the girl who I need to kill."


    "It''s unbelievable, but you''re right. She''s the second person for you to kill, and as what I told you, you might show your weakness again."


    "A little girl like her? But how can you say that she''s the exact person if it seemed that she cannot even fight me?"


    "Don''t underestimate her, because you don''t know what she can do. I know you''ve heard the saying that, ''we can''t judge the book by its cover.'' So get near and kill her, or else you can''t be free from the curse forever."


    "Yeah I know that. But are you sure she''s one of those people who I need to kill?" I asked again. I needed to be sure about this, because if Alicia wasn''t telling me the truth again, I would just waste another life.


    "Don''t you trust me?" Alicia replied. "Kill her now, for she might loss in our sight and we can''t see her again. Don''t let your weakness conquer you; you should put in your mind that you need kill her for your freedom." She slowly pushed me towards the girl that was not looking at us.


    "Can you stop pushing me? I can walk by myself."


    There was no other choices, but to do what I needed to do. Though she was little, I still need to be prepare because I didn''t know if what she could do. Maybe she was small but at the same time terrible. She might be powerful that we could not find her quickly. Though I needed to kill that girl for my freedom, it could not be removed from me to have a sympathy, especially since she was so young to meet death.


    I was walking towards her and it seemed that she didn''t noticed me. I abruptly covered her mouth for the reason that it could make her to feel difficult to breath, so that she would be die easily.


    "Aaaaww!" I eximed.


    As what I thought, she wasn''t just a normal girl, she had a capability to remove my hand from covering her mouth. She bit it as I failed to put it rightly around her lips. What kind of girl who had sharp teeth? There was a mark left on my hand, and blood dripped down.


    I clenched my teeth to moderate the pain I felt. But I could feel the pain still. I removed my sight from the wound and reced my focus and attention to the little girl who most likely a vampire.


    Good to know that Alicia was to the rescue, but instead of helping me to stop the bleeding from my wound, what she stopped was the vampire girl who was trying to escape.


    I covered my hand with my shirt to make it stopped from bleeding. I never expected there was a girl like her who had teeth which seemed to be knife when stabbing my hand. "What do you need from me? Just let me go!" the girl yelled.


    Alicia held her arms from her back. Then I noticed that girl had reddish eyes, and round face with two cute dimples. She was cute to die, but I wouldn''t let what she did pass by. I was so mad that I could take her teeth away.


    I bravely walked towards the vampire girl and punched her face which made her head turned to the opposite position. I couldn''t believe I was so strong to do that. Her neck was broken and totally turned bby. Maybe it was because of my anger which made every veins around my body to be aroused and became stronger.

 57 The Teleportation

    Lil There were many things about me which Cain didn''t know, but why he needed to know them if it had nothing to do with him? I knew he also had a lot of secrets, and was hesitant to tell them, such as the ce where he came from. What we should do was to respect each other''s privacy, although that please seemed to be full of wonders, a ce of powerful spirits.


    I even remembered the empty ce in my dream, that was always confusing me. But I was thankful that since Cain had shown himself again, I wasn''t dreaming about it anymore. It was only a dream and it was totally a normal dream that sometimes shown repeatedly. I should forget them because they could not really help me solve my curse problem.


    Those challengers? I believed I could defeat them all, especially since the power of hearing was always there to help me. Instead of fearing and worrying about the people I might fight next, I was feeling excited about fighting again. I was excited to use the magics I had learned.


    It was cool to see my moves turned like the moves of a professional martial artist, moves which I had only seen on the television before. It was incredible that I could make my own professional moves when the power of hearing told me what I should do next.


    The power of hearing-it wasn''t that bad at all, especially since it didn''t tell me anything wrong, just like how to kill the man. It was only telling me how to defend myself from his attacks. So be it. Even the power of hearing still helped me kill the man by telling me how to punch and kick him.


    "So what should we do next?" I broke the silence where thoughts reigned.


    "Don''t you feel tired?" Cain asked back.


    "I''m not tired, but if you''re tired then you can take a rest."


    "I''m a spirit, and spirits cannot feel tiredness no matter how they exert force."


    "Yeah, I know that, so what shall we do now?" I asked.


    "Train yourself if you''re not tired," he suggested. "Someone who wants to die will show himself even if you didn''t search for him. Those people will bring themselves to you if it''s their time." "If you''re telling the truth, then why we are here?" I queried.


    "I guessed the first person you needed to kill was here, and I wasn''t wrong, so that was the reason why I brought you here, but if you want to go back, I can bring you back to your home." "You will bring me back home after killing one man, only?" I asked as if I wanted to kill more although I was so tired already.


    "Why? Do you want more, though you don''t even know how to kill that man without my help?" Cain sounded underestimating me.


    "But why won''t you teach me how to kill people without your help and also teach me how to perform magic?"


    "Do you really want to learn magic?"


    "Uh-huh, so would you like to teach me?"


    "Of course, I can teach you. Which magic do you want to learn?" "Anything, just like teleporting. Is it possible for me to do that?"


    "Are you sure you want to know how to teleport?" he asked again. "Yeah, why?" I queried.


    "It will take you a long time before you can learn teleportation. Every magic trick you want to learn isn''t as easy as you think. You need determination, so that no one can stop you."


    "No more words. Just teach me." I knew it could help me get rid of the curse faster and to fight against the strong and powerful enemies who were waiting for me.


    In my surprise, the environment suddenly changed. Cain teleported us to another ce in just a blink of an eye, and it would really be cool to know how to teleport. Someone could travel to many ces without wasting their time and money. If I learned how to do it, I would not had to walk from home to school like how I used to be. I would have more time to do the other things.


    "It''s your turn. Try teleporting yourself," Cain told me.


    "But what if I can bring myself inside an active volcano?" I asked. I knew that would be tragic, and everything would end like this.


    "That won''t happen if you''re on focused and you know where you want to go. Let me ask you: do you have n to go there?"


    "No! Of course I don''t. I''ll probably die if I want."


    "You said it. So focus on your intended ce, and stopped thinking about perilous ces like those volcanoes, underworld, inferno, etcetera, so that you can bring yourself back and alive." "Just stop talking. I''m trying my best to teleport."


    I closed my eyes and tried to imagine I was a bird flying in the air, but when I opened my eyes I was still in the same spot and Cain was looking at me. I closed my eyes again and again, imagining I was with my beautiful teacher. (She was holding my shoulders and slowly thrust her face near mine.) But when I opened my eyes again, I was still there, and Cain was watching me with an annoyed face or it was going to explode of what I was doing.


    It was absolutely difficult to instantaneously transport from one ce to another without moving or using transportation. I seemed to be a fool in doing that. I should walk while my eyes were closed, so that when I open them, everything would changed. I didn''t know how long I could endure my own foolishness. I would be crazy about assuming things which were impossible to happen.


    Cain told me that I could not teleport to another ce if I didn''t focus on it. He went near and told me to look at the spot, familiarize it, put every detail in my mind, then close your eyes and stop imagine anything, even teacher Jayne. He was sure, I could transport myself to that spot.

 58 The Destiny

    After many days of practicing magic with Cain, I totally forgotten and neglected my schooling. I had not told my parents yet about it, maybe they already noticed I wasn''t going to school anymore, though I wasn''t always in our house. Cain had promised me that my parents could not noticed it, but I could not becent because they seemed like cameras when watching me. Schooling could wait, but the curse could not, so I knew I made the right choice. The result of my training wasn''t too bad at all. With Cain''s help, I learned teleport myself from on ce to another. The power of hearing also taught me how to focus on the thing I wanted to do, because it was needed the most in order to perform magic. If I didn''t had on focus and thinking about other things, it would be difficult for me to teleport. But then, it was cool and incredible. I was grateful to the power of hearing, because of it, impossible things turned possible. Good to know that the curse did not attack me again after I had killed the first man who was destined to fight with me. I knew my freedom wasn''t totally granted by the curse, as what Cain told me, it would be active again if I missed one of the hundred people. I should kill them all, so that the lives of that first one would not be in vain.


    "Because you''ve learnt how to teleport, I think it''s time to search the next person, we shall not make this thing longer because we both need freedom and to have a rest from this," Cain informed me.


    "Do you have an idea if what kind person I need to kill next?" I asked.


    "I didn''t have an idea Lil, it''s destiny which decides about anything, so you shall not waste the opportunity when fate favors to you, it can help you gain the things you want," he replied. "But I don''t believe in destiny, because we can make our own."


    "If you don''t believe in destiny, your belief will, for sure, change, because it''s destiny which will decide what will happen next, and even you will do your best to survive, if the whole universe decided not to let you survive, then you can do nothing against it."


    "You know, it was all my mistake because I made my own destiny, I decided to ept the curse from you, I decided all things without thinking what could happened next, so believe that it was me who made and would make my destiny, nobody can stop me if I want to survive because I would do everything even I could risk your life."


    "Well, everyone has their own belief and we need to respect that, there was nothingpletely wrong at all because even a stopped clock is right twice a day."


    "So where shall we go now? If you don''t have an idea, it seemed that we''ll only make ourselves fool to search for someone we can''t find." "Don''t worry about it, I''m powerful enough to say that I don''t have any idea about the next person you need to fight with," Cain bragged.


    "Are you sure you will bring me to the right ce and not make me kill someone who''s not really needed to kill?" I asked.


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    "That''s what you''re thinking again, I already told you to trust me as how I trust you, because I know more about this things than you."


    "How can you say that you trust me if you''re saying that you know more about this than I do. Can''t you see that it only means one thing, that you also don''t believe in my capability?"


    "This conversation doesn''t have any destination if there''s no one who can condescend between us, condescend is an important thing to have a good partnership and I''m hoping that we can have it too."


    "Okay... I''m kind to let you decide about what to do because it seemed that you won''t condescend to me."


    I knew Cain had more knowledge when ite to this thing. He was already thousands years old, so I must respect him though he seemed not respected. He was too old and I knew that he also knew the best thing to do, because he had more experiences than me.


    Cain thanked me for giving way to the elder one, but he added that I wasn''t so respectful. However, there was no need to worry, because he was only telling me the thing he''d observed. He told me that respect was important, especially when a man want to capture woman''s heart, because matured people were not looking an outside appearance of a person.


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    "Thank you for your advice, but I''m also telling you ''I didn''t need to capture woman''s heart,'' so you got to stop telling me all of these crap. You said you believed in destiny, so why won''t you believe that destiny will find you the one who''s fated for you?"


    "We better search for the next person you need to kill. This conversation will just bring us to a further things and a time-cinsumed."


    "You''re right, but a continuous and long conversation is a good thing though it was time-consumed, because it can also bring us more knowledge about things from the point of view of each other."


    "Can you just stop talking? Hold my arm and I will bring us to the other ce to search for the person you need to fight with."


    "Why I would hold your arm? I can bring myself there if I want, I don''t need your help in transporting myself."


    "You! How can you bring your-" Cain hadn''t finished saying his words when I stared at him with an angry gaze. "Okay, if you''re sure. You don''t need my help though you don''t know where we are going."


    I was going to say a word when he said farewell, then he suddenly disappeared from the spot where he was standing. I didn''t know if where he went. Perhaps he was mad because of what I said. Did I bragged too much? It didn''t matter anymore. If he thought I could not know where he''d go, then he was wrong.


    The power of hearing told me about the ce where he went, so it was not difficult for me to go there too. I also knew that Cain would not touch someone who was destined to fight me. I should go back to home first to check my parents and I would let Cain search for that person.

 59 The Search

    Ka After I killed the little girl, I could not consider myself as a little merciless. What I did was never been a forgivable sin. There was no other way to make someone or even myself forgive me, though someone would say I should stop, I would not, or I could not follow them. I knew what I was doing, and they could not judge me because they didn''t know the feeling of being stuck in this situation. I started doing crimes, so I need to finish it whatever happens. I knew it was difficult at the beginning, but it would be easier soon.


    There was something incredible happened after the little girl died. I never knew or expected, but I also had that kind of power, power which only a few people could have. I had been thinking that I wasn''t a normal human, because I had witnessed evidence that proved my inference right.


    Many times, I witnessed how I became stronger; I could pull, push, and carry something, someone, or even a house with my hands. I could also see everything, even in far ces, with my own eyes. Thenstly, when the girl had bitten my hand with her sharp teeth, the wound had gradually healed by itself. There was no reason not to believe I wasn''t normal, for I was stronger than what I thought.


    There was only one exception to my inference. I remembered that every weird and incredible thing that happened, had began when Alicia gave me the pinkish cloud. Perhaps the cloud had a connection with everything? It wasn''t a curse, for it might be where my power came from. One more thing that was messing with my mind was Alicia once said that the power of vision didn''te from the pinkish cloud, or I might had mistaken it, for she didn''t know where it came. After the death of the second person, Alicia and I had been searching for the third one. I was also practicing magic, because it could help me to aplished my mission easily. Because of the power of vision, I could perform magic easily. It showed me what to do in order to perform magic. I was so grateful to have a power like this. It helped me do things easily, and I didn''t need Alicia''s help in performing magic. Soon I would be the most powerful girl in this world, even more powerful than Alicia.


    I shouldn''t do anything else but focus on searching for the people who were destined to fight me, because the faster I found and kill them, the faster I could take my freedom. I didn''t need to go back to the mansion too, I knew everyone and everything there was fine as what the power of my vision shown.


    Amara was the one who supervised everything. There were no more workers in the mansion except for Amara, Steve, Chef and the two others. Maybe they had noticed that they didn''t had a boss, so they chose to leave. But I knew everyone there was thinking that I was having a vacation alone in another country, and it would take me a long time before I could go back there because what they only knew was that I was still mourning my parents'' death.


    Alicia erased the memories of my workers about those weird things that happened, and they were thinking that I needed to go to another country so that I could move on from what happened to my parents. They would never know I wasmitting crimes to survive and to be free from the curse.


    Soon, when I mastered all sorts of magic, I wouldn''t need to worry about anything if that happened, and I could also take revenge for my parents'' death. I needed to do my best to find the next person, so that I wouldn''t waste a long time of my life seeking freedom from the curse.


    "We have been searching for a long time, but until now we haven''t seen the third person that I need to kill yet," Iined.


    "Ka, yourint cannot help us find what we are searching for, so please have more patience, because we can do nothing against destiny if it''s not the right time for the next person to die," Alicia replied.


    "But why are we still searching if we can find nothing because destiny doesn''t want us to see the person we are searching for? We''re making ourselves fools who are looking for something we cannot be find."


    "Have you forgotten the reason why we are searching? Because we want to find the person that you need to kill and we cannot waste our time wool-gathering. Don''tin because I know you are not feeling tired doing anything like me. That was why I chose you to help me, because you seemed to be tireless."


    "You have a point. Maybe it will be better if I would consider what we are doing as a game, because if I won''t do anything, nothing would happen either. I''m not tired-pursued as what you have said, so we should continue searching the third person."


    "That''s-you are clever-you can easily understand the purpose of what we are doing, and those kinds of people I like the most, those who don''t give up as long as they don''t get the things they need."


    "You''re right, so there''s no more word to say. Where do you think we can find the third person? My palm is itching, and I need to kill that person so that I can have peace of mind if my mission is already done." "Are you sure you are ready to fight the third person? Are not you scared of what that person can do or what capability or power does that person have?"


    "There''s nothing to worry about, especially since I had a good mentor," I mumbled, thinking about the power of vision. "I can protect myself from those weak people. They are just one flip away from my fingertip."

 60 The Third Person

    As what others said, "to believe without proof is idiotic." It made me think deeply, but I didn''t know what to believe. Many things were messing with my mind. It would simply bother me, and there was a chance that I would be unable to concentrate on the task at hand. Therefore, the best thing to do was to forget everything and do well what I was doing.


    Those bothersome things needed to be put aside, for they couldn''t help me solve my problem. There was nothing more important for me than finding the third person who was destined to fight me. That was exactly what I''m doing. We eventually found the third person. He was a man, but not an ordinary man. I had been observing him before I would make a move so that I would know how to drop him down. He seemed to be powerful too, so I didn''t charge at him headlong, for my life would be jeopardized. I wanted to know if he was powerful than me, though it was difficult because even the power of my vision wouldn''t show me anything about him.


    We were in a ce where there was no many houses, but an endless road. A few houses could be seen, and they seemed to be abandoned to the weeds that were growing around them; there might no electricity too. The third person who was destined to fight me was living there, in the house standing by the roadside. Perhaps he was alone in his house because we observed that there was nobodying in and out of that house except for him.


    "Why won''t you attack that man instead of wasting your time observing him?" Alicia asked. "He''s not that powerful at all, and there''s no one else here: nothing wrong may happen because your beautiful mentor is here." "Shhh, before we attack, we must get to know him well, because he might be more powerful than you," I replied.


    "You should get closer and observe what he can do. There''s nothing to worry about, because he can''t even see you because you''re already a spirit. Then kill him if you want, so that I can''t stain my hands with blood," I continued.


    "You!" Alicia barked. "You are already able to rely on me. I''m reminding you that you cannot get rid of the curse if you will not be the one to kill the one hundred people who were destined to fight you. So don''t make it longer and don''t let others touch your destined enemies. You should do it yourself, as you are the one who needs them not others."


    "I know, I know that. I want to remind you too that you''d promised to help me kill those hundreds of people, but why can''t you kill them by yourself?"


    "Oh, you are mistaken, I did not promise to kill them; I said I''d help you get rid of the curse in whatever way I could. So don''t include me in your task because you are the only one who can do that, not anyone else." "Why won''t you just go to that man and find a way to know his power and weaknesses so that he''ll be gone from this world?"


    "I''m telling you, Ka, every man has the same weakness."


    "How can you say that? I thought that everyone has their own weaknesses and courage, and that''s unique."


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    "You are not thinking. Look at the man. He''s alone there and it seemed that he did not have a girlfriend or wife."


    "So what''s the matter if he''s alone? And how can you say that he doesn''t have a girlfriend or wife if he''s handsome and pursued by women? He seemed to have many girlfriends and wives. Tell me, are you a irvoyant?"


    "I had been strolling around for over thousands of years, so I know some men are different from others, some has many women, but some believes they don''t need a woman in their lives, that they can live alone, but that belief changed when they saw a woman who truly loved them," Alicia exined.


    "What do you mean? We''re talking about how to kill him, but you go too far.. If you won''t help me in killing him, then I can kill him by myself." I stepped out to walked but Alicia grabbed my hand and stopped me from going. "Don''t be obvious that you are going towards him with your real intentions."


    Alicia let go of me and she walked slowly as if she was walking towards the other spot, she wasn''t looking at the target, and seemed to be having other purposed while doing that, then she stopped and stared at me. "That should be how you walk, don''t bring your real intentions to your enemy, so that you can surprise them when you suddenly attack," Alicia said.


    "Why do I need to walk if I can transport myself from one ce to another in a heartbeat?" This would more suprising if I''d suddenly appeared on someone''s front and attack them without walking. "Am I right old Alicia?" I asked. "You are right, but I cannot train you in teleporting because that''s more difficult as what you are thinking, and can you please stop calling me ''old Alicia?'' Call me ''Alice,'' because I''m so young for that name."


    I just had noticed that Alicia became more looked younger than before. She was opposite to human, because as she grew older, her appearance grew younger. I didn''t know if how she did it, maybe she used magic, because it seemed to be needed a long time before we could be free from the curses. It didn''t matter anymore if how young was she. Soon, I''d also learn how to change my appearance, but right there, I was so young to change my appearance into a younger one. I needed to do many things in order to be free. I must focus on it.


    "You''re right, maybe I can practice teleporting after killing that man, because it seemed to be difficult to do that."


    I knew it wouldn''t be even how difficulty it was. It would only take me a short time if I would ask the power of vision to teach me. It would be easier to fight if I could teleport. If that happened, I would not need the help of this old Alicia or Alice anymore, because I could go anywhere by myself.

 61 The Hidden Tribe

    Lil


    I wasn''t toozy to let other people do the things I should do, so I followed Cain to where he went. I wanted to help him search the second person I needed to kill. Cain would be displeasure if I did not help him from doing the things for me. The cool air seemed to tell me it was dangerous to the ce where I appeared. I had teleported to a jungle of tall and thorny bamboo trees swinging in the cool breeze. It was my first time to be there, I seemed needed to fight pandas instead of human, and I would be happy if that happened because lives of animals were cheaper than of humans. The bamboos were making a sharp, crying sounds as they swung by the cool air.


    Though I didn''t like to be in this ce, especially since I had a hunch that many weird things were happening behind those tall bamboo trees, I could do nothing about it. I should be brave though I saw a card hanging in a lumber which had been turned gray of a long run. Perhaps it had witnessed many bad weather, just like hurricane, flood and storm.


    The card said it was a dangerous zone: it was thorny ahead. However, it didn''t need to remind me, because I already saw the thorny bamboos ahead. There was nothing I could do about them, so I should start searching for the second person. Cain told me that every person who I needed to kill was already destined to fight with me, but I didn''t believe him.


    I didn''t want to waste my time in standing there, so I took the narrow path between that thorny bamboos. It was absolutely dangerous, because my one wrong move could directly end my life, because those pointed thorns were ready to prick me anywhere.


    To avoid from thinking I could not get out of here without any bruise, I focused on the very narrow path. An inch and those thorns would probably prick me. But there was no other way to enter, so I forced myself taking the path to death. What could not kill me would make me stronger, so I would just consider it as an ordeal which I needed to pass for the sake of my freedom.


    Eventually, the wave was over, and there was no more thorns in the ce around me, but it seemed to be another ordeal because there was many huge trees there. It was more better than those bamboos because I didn''t need to risk my life this time. I continued walking.


    When I reached the end of the forest, I never expected to see something like that. Something exposed in my sighed when I removed the foliage of tree. The lights blinded me for a while, then I saw a group of people or a tribe. Perhaps they chose to live there because it seemed to be safe. As what I passed by, there were too many thorny bamboos and also a forest with some wild animals like those snakes crawling around the trunk of a tree.


    As what it says, in searching for a paradise, someone needed to look what was inside the thing, because the paradise could not be seen in a glimpse to an outside appearance. Learn to look inside, because there lies, the hidden paradise that only few people could see.


    It made me think if what kind of lineage were those people. The men were wearing G-strings, and nothing other, while the women were all wearing clothes with the same color-brown. They looked not influenced by the modern world. I knew I could not judge them early without knowing their beliefs and traditions. I could understand their ways of living if I also know their cultures. They surely had their reason about the things they believed in. It was idiotic if they believe in something without any proof.


    Traditions and belief were like those monkeys who were put inside the cage to be observe. Someone put one monkey on the cage and observe what it would do, after he observed the first monkey, he put another monkey. If the first monkey was acting weird in the eyes of the second monkey, it meant that the second monkey didn''t understand the first monkey, so it would not follow what the first monkey was doing, and it would do the things that the first monkey didn''t usually do, then it could realized why the first monkey didn''t do such thing.


    The observer put a group of monkey inside the cage together, to observe if what they were going to do. The other monkeys would not do the things that the monkey did if it made itself to be in danger. The reason why the other monkey did not follow their colleagues because they saw what happened to it.


    Tradition and belief were like those monkeys, that if there was one who believes in the thing and the other saw it, they wouldn''t be confused about it because they were put inside the cage together. Believing to others were not using their own brain to have their own thing to believe, their belief lied on the others''.


    I was surprised when there was someone who suddenly appeared at my back and held my shoulder. Not to brag, but I was good in martial arts. In just a second, we turned into an opposite positions. I was then the one who was holding his arm from the back.


    "Aw!" He growled. "Good job Lil, but can you removed your hand from my shoulder? Don''t you recognize me?"


    When I realized it was just Cain, I immediately let him go. The thing which surprised and made me confused was that I could touch him though he was already a spirit. I was surprised that I could now touch Cain, though he was already spirit. I was so confused about how I did it. It had been many times that I had tried to punch him, but this was the first time it happened.

 62 The Undebatable Decision

    "Oh! Cain, if that''s really you, then tell me why I can touch you now?" I asked.


    "Huh?" His jaw drooped as he seemed to know nothing about the thing I was talking about. "I''m also surprised by what you''re talking about. I''m curious about how you can touch me now." "This is mysterious..." I thought. "Did you do something that it happened?"


    "I did not." He chuckled. "It might just be your hallucination. Why won''t you try to touch me again so that we can know if you can really touch me?"


    "Are you sure you won''t be mad if I punch you?" I asked.


    "Of course not." He chuckled.


    I attempted to punch Cain in the stomach, but my hand was just passing by on his body. It made me think that maybe he was right that it was just my hallucination, or he might be making a monkey of me again.


    "Look what happened," he gasped. "Why did you think you could touch me if it''s impossible because I''m a spirit? I''m telling you that no human can touch me, even do whatever they would do." His mouth curved into an ironic smile.


    I shook my head and said, "Maybe you''re right, there''s no human who can touch you, and I''m not a normal human because I can touch you."


    "I told you, it was just your hallucination. Why won''t you just believe me?"


    "Why won''t we just search for the next person instead of debating about useless things? Are you sure that the second person lives in this ce?" I asked.


    "I didn''t... yeah, I guessed it. Why did you ask me?"


    "Did you see those people there? They seemed to be foolish."


    "I know, but don''t underestimate them for the things that they are doing, because we don''t know what kind of people they are."


    "But it can be seen in what they are doing as what kind of people they are."


    "You have a point, but we should search for your enemy."


    Though I thought those people were fools, I also knew that probably, in their eyes, I was the foolish one. They might be curious about why I''m different from them. I was wearing a in shirt, gray trousers and slippers. If they saw me like this, they might think I''m a famous actor.


    Those people''s gazes would undoubtedly be drawn to me, and they might be perplexed if I''d appear to be different from them. Until it entered my mind to pretend as one of them, so that I could not attract their attention and also focus on searching for the second person who was destined to fight me.


    I saw that Cain started walking towards them. Good for him, he was free to do everything he wanted because nobody could see him. Perhaps he noticed I didn''t joined him, he stared at me and go back to where I was hiding. "Lil, why won''t you help me in searching for your enemy? Have you forgotten that we need to do it in order to have freedom from the curse?" Cain asked.


    "How can I forget it if that''s the reason we''re here?" I replied.


    "If you don''t, but why does it seems you want to give up?"


    "You mistook it. I can tell you if I want to give up." I sighed.


    "Then tell me why you won''t help me in searching for the second person if this is the only way to get rid of the curse."


    "Don''t you see those people there? Look and tell me if what you think are the differences between me and them."


    "Why won''t you just tell me about the exact thing directly? You are just wasting time on saying useless things," heined.


    "Do you notice that those boys and men there are wearing G-strings? Look at me. I''m wearing this shirt, trousers, and slippers. They can easily recognize that I''m not part of their tribe, and they may hurt me because of it." "You worried too much just because of that? You already know how to teleport right? Why won''t you use that if they are going to hurt you? You can also wear a G-string if you want and pretend to be one of them." "That''s what I''m also thinking about. I want to pretend to be one of them, so that I can easily go near them without attracting their attention. Why won''t you give me a G-string?" I asked.


    "Are you sure that you want to wear a G-string only? Won''t you be ashamed? We both know they look different from you. They have ck skin, while you have brown. You still cannot pretend to be one of them," Cain reminded. "See? It also came out of your lips that I cannot pretend to be one of them, so why do you let me wear a G-string and pretend to be one of them if they can still recognize that I''m not?"


    "I admitted that you''re right, then tell me what you want to do?"


    "I want to do nothing. You''re already of age if you need my help in searching for the person who was..." I had not finished my words when Cain turned to leave.


    I knew he was squealing because I didn''t want to help him, though we could both benefit from doing this. But he could not go against my decision. It wasn''t my mistake if this happened. There were countable people who lived in this ce, they could not reach a thousand; I was sure he could easily find the next person who was destined to fight me, if that person really lived here.


    There was nothing else I could do now, but to wait for hiseback. I hoped he could find that person quickly here, so that we would not need to go to other ces to search again. If I could only use the power of my hearing, perhaps the second person had already bitten the dust.


    I didn''t know why my power would not tell me anything about those people who were destined to fight me. The curse didn''t totally set me free, because though I could kill people with my own hand, I could not choose who I to kill. Cain was right that it was destiny that decided everything, but I would do my best not to be guided by destiny, especially if it was going to a bad destination.

 63 The Speedy Man

    Ka


    Alicia was a little bit choosy as she didn''t want me to call her by real name. She was assuming that she was too young, though she was already thousands of years. Though we were always with each other, she didn''t told me anything about herself and her family when she was still alive. What I only knew about her was that she was a spirit or demon named Alicia who wanted me to call her as "Alice" because she was a bit choosy.


    "Let''s go now. Don''t worry about anything because nothing wrong will happen as long as I''m here with you," Alicia reminded. "He''s just a little ant for me."


    We walked towards the spot where the man was standing, but he wasn''t there anymore, maybe he went inside his house. The house was small and simple, there was a wooden gate surrounding it; nts and animals too. This ce was nice in breeding animals and that might be the work of the people here.


    There was no noise which could be heard, everything the silence waited; therefore, I tried not to make any noise, so that the man couldn''t notice that someone wasing. I jumped on the high wooden gate, though it was five meters high and with pointed tips. Other people didn''t know I''m good in high-jumping, I had been doing it before, when I was young.


    Alicia didn''t need to jump on the wooden gate, and she even chuckled seeing me trying hard to jump. She just passed by on the wood, she could also teleport herself inside from outside. I realized how important magic and power was. They could help me to save myself in dangerous situation, and I could do many things without exerting too much efforts and wasting time.


    We were going to the door when it suddenly opened though nobody was there. I was surprised when something abruptly came out with a high-speed. It stopped by the wooden gate behind us. When I looked back, I was appalled of what I saw. I could not believe it was the man who lived in the house and the man who was destined to fight me. He was so speedy that I could not even recognized when he passed by us. As what I expected, he wasn''t a normal man who would die easily. We''d seem to have a long pursuing with him.


    He looked at me and asked, "Miss, what are you doing in mywn? Don''t you know I canin about and imprison you of what you''re doing?"


    What a pretty kind man! He had a perfect high nose, brown eyes which seemed to be telling something I couldn''t understand. His curly, dark brown hairs looked like thin noddles, his thick, ck eyebrows lying an inch by his shining eyes, and his high eyshes were curled upwards, and some hairs on his chin.


    He was taller than me and even to Alicia. He was wearing a white shirt striped with ck fabrics weaved in a bullion-style and green trouser. However, his handsomeness could not be measure through his outside appearance, but what was inside his heart.


    "Hey! Are you a thief? Why you''re still standing there? You''ll get out of mywn or you''re waiting for me to drag you out?" He asked.


    He was just handsome, but obviously snobbish. I hoped not all handsome males were snobbish like him. Maybe that was the reason why he neither had a girlfriend or wife, because matured women would not want to have a boyfriend or husband with a bad demeanor, and I''m one of them. Those grim man could make my future miserable. Well, I could not judge him, because everyone had their own belief and everyone needed to respect that.


    "I''m sorry sir but..." I hadn''t finished my words when Alicia interrupted.


    "Ka! Why are you saying that? Don''t tell me you''re enthralled by him? He looked handsome, there are many other men out there, so don''t be feel sorry to that snobbish man, kill him now and this will end," Alicia ordered. "Wait!" I interjected. "I can kill him without haste, he''s not too handsome at all."


    "Hey girl, are you a deft? Or crazy that you''re talking alone?" He walked towards me in his lovely irritated manner. "You''re trying my patience, you really wants me to drag you out of my yard, huh?" He seized my arm, but I wasn''t aware of it.


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    He was so strong, but staring at his face, I couldn''t feel pain of his firm grip on my arm. He was going to dragged me outside hiswn when I woke up to reality, I should not let my admiration for him win, so I punched his face. He jolted and leaned on the wooden gate. I haven''t expected he was so weak, or I was so strong that he was shaken though he was bigger and taller than me.


    "Shit! Do you really want to fight me?" He scowled. "What did I do to you that you enter in mywn and dare to punch my face?"


    For second time, I attempted to give him a blow, but he defended it. He was so fast, and I''m surprised when he suddenly grabbed my arm, he slung me across the air with his string arms and thrown me outside thewn.


    I was filled with terror, but at the same time, thankful that there wasn''t a cliff there, but the friendly weeds had caught me. I realized I could trust nobody who could save or catch me when I fall, not even Alicia. I only had myself, because even the ground sometimes would hurt me.


    After that, the speedy man suddenly disappeared from the spot where he was. He seemed to be a lightning with his speed as he disappeared in just a blink of an eye. That speedy man might be busy that he was in haste.


    Alicia was still in thewn, as if she had lost her kindness. She didn''t even fight the speedy man or stop him from escaping, she was just standing there and gazing at her feet. It was confusing why she let that man elude, though she wasn''t doing that whatever happened. She was the one who told me to kill anyone, but then it seemed that she''d changed.


    I stood up and stretched my bones. I got inside the gate where Alicia was. We would need to pursue that man in order to kill him. It was my mistake that I didn''tpletely terminate him as what Alicia told me to do, because it would be difficult to catch him if he''d escaped, and he did.

 64 The Pursuing

    I walked towards Alicia and shouted on her ear to wake her up from being dead to the world. She opened her eyes and looked at me. I didn''t know what happened to her. She might had fallen into reverie and hadn''t noticed what was happening. It would be difficult for me if she''d always be like this; she couldn''t help me when I''d be in danger.


    I should practice magic to be powerful, so that I wouldn''t rely on this demon, and I would be more powerful than her. After that, I didn''t care about her anymore and I would let her do everything she''d wanted. "Ka! Where''s the speedy man now?" Alicia asked.


    "Good to know that you came back to the real world," I replied. "Can I know where you had been that you were just standing there?"


    "Sorry, uh, I did not saw what happened a while ago, I had just remembered something about my past. So, can you tell me what happened and where''s the speedy man now?"


    "He already eluded." I sighed.


    "Eluded? But why did not you stopped him? Why you let him escape?"


    "What the hell! You dare to asked me that? Though it was you who didn''t even know what exactly happened. That man was so strong that he just slung me across the air and thrown away. Do you think I could stop him?"


    "So you got your lesson? That''s why I told you to kill him quickly. Now look what happened, he already eluded because of your negligence."


    "My negligence or your negligence? You told me that you would help me in killing that man, but what did you do? You were just standing there while my bones were broken because of your negligence!"


    "Sorry to hear that, but it''s your negligence that your bones were broken, and did I told you that I would help you in killing that man? Have you forgotten about what we have talked about? It was your mission to kill the hundred of people who were destined to fight you, not mine."


    "Okay, it was my mistake and not yours, it already happened, what we shall do is to search for the speedy man again."


    "It was actually your mistake and because of your mistake we needed to search for that man again."


    "I know that, but don''t make me feel that it was all my mistake, because you were the root of everything. It''s not only my mission, have you forgotten that you were the origin of this mission?"


    Alicia emit a long, deep, audible breath and replied, "We should not talk about these things, let''s search for that man again, because he''s our enemy not each other." She tried to change the topic as if she was avoiding us to discuss where and how everything started.


    "Why won''t you use the power of vision to know where he went? So that we won''t need to travel the whole world searching for him."


    "But how? Have you forgotten that the power of my vision won''t show me anything about the hundred of people who were destined to fight me? The speedy man is powerful and it''s impossible to see where he is."


    Now I knew that the reason why the power of vision could not show me anything about the speedy man, it was because he was so speedy. I also wanted to have a power like that, I could move quickly, and I could join with the lightnings. "No, you''re wrong, if you remembered the semnce of that man, the power of your vision won''t hesitate to show him to you."


    "Are you sure that it will work?" I asked.


    "Of course, believe me, believe it, believe yourself, because something won''t exist if you''re not believing in it."


    "But, I tried to use it many times and I failed," I told her.


    "Why won''t you try again? There''s nothing to lose if you will."


    "Okay, I''ll try." I closed my eyes and asked the power of vision to show me where the speedy man went.


    "Don''t say you''ll try, do it," Alicia added. "So, did you see him?"


    "Can''t you just wait? I''m doing it," I replied.


    Many times, I tried to asked the power of my vision if where the speedy man went. I didn''t know why, but I failed, it was showing nothing, but a void, the same with the ce I always dreamed of. Until now, I didn''t had any idea about why I''m always seeing that void. I had been thinking it wasn''t a normal ce because since Alicia demonstrated to me, I was repeatedly seeing it. Sometimes I''m having the same dream, but it wasn''t as always as before.


    "The power of vision isn''t showing me anything," I informed her.


    "Maybe you don''t know how to use that power?" Alicia interrogated.


    "If you''re right, then how to use it?" I queried.


    "Why won''t you sketch the semnce of the speedy man in your mind, once you''re sketching his semnce, you can also see his atmosphere, and even you don''t know the ce where he is, that''s so simple because his surroundings will be a guide for us to trace him."


    What kind of spirit was Alicia that even I would tell her that the power of vision wouldn''t show me anything, she still coerced me to do it. But I could not me her, because she was only trying her best to help me, so I must thank her instead. So I did what she told me to do, I closed my eyes, and sketch the semnce of the speedy man in my mind. I eventually, wasn''t failed. Alicia was right, that if I sketched his semnce I could also define the atmosphere or ce where he was. However, there was something wrong, the power of vision could not show me his exact location. Perhaps because he was shifting anywhere.


    "So did you see the speedy man?" Alicia asked.


    "I can see him, but I can''t define his atmosphere, maybe it''s because he''s not staying at one ce?"


    "I see, but what shall we do if we cannot trace him?"


    "If we cannot trace him, there''s one more thing we can do. Why you''re thinking very far if the answer to your question is just by us?"


    "You''re right, why am I, but what''s the answer to my question?"


    "I thought you already knew it?" I mumbled. "We don''t need to search for him in the far ces, because not long, he''ll be back to his house."


    "So, do you mean we will wait for him toeback here?"


    "That''s exactly what I mean, we''ll only waste our time if we search for that man in the other ces, he moves quickly, he''ll only escape and escape from us."


    "You have a point, we''ll waste our time in pursuing him, someone said that ''the more you pursued something, the more it would be hard to gain,'' so we should stay here and prepare for his return."


    I had been thinking if it was true that the more I pursued something, the more it would be harder for me to gain. Sometimes I thought that if I really wanted to gain something, I would do anything to gain it. If I was doing anything for my pursuits, then it would be easier for me to gain it.

 65 The Hesitation

    Lil


    I sat on the ground while waiting for Cain toe back and say something about the second person who was destined to fight me. I didn''t know why we needed to search for that person here, though there were too many ces in the world where there was no danger. Perhaps Cain thought that the people who were destined to fight with me were living in dangerous ces. It wasn''t my mistake if I could not assist him in his search for that person, because he was the one who chose toe here, not me.


    After a few moments of waiting, Cain eventually came back. I knew it wasn''t his mistake if I waited too long, but my mistake, for I did not help myself in searching for the second person. I could admit I was a bitzy, but there was no use talking about it. Perhaps Cain was right that I was destined to have a curse and to fight with a hundred people to make me realize myziness, but it could not help me solve my problem. I didn''t know why I was born like this, though we were poor and I needed to work hard to exist in this world.


    "Good news, I saw the second person you needed to kill," Cain reported.


    "Then bring me to that person now, so this will be done."


    I stood up and let Cain perform some magic, bringing us to the ce where the second person was. Cain instantaneously transported us to the ce where the grass endlessly crept. I was amazed to see a waterfall with pristine-clear water. There were many birds flying in the sky; huge trees with ripe fruits; nts swinging when the wind blew; and many others. I never expected that there would be this kind of ce here.


    "Where''s the person I needed to terminate?" I asked.


    "Do you see that river ahead? There, is the second person who was destined to fight. She''s bathing there. Let''s go, to see if she''s still there," Cain replied.


    "Do you mean that person is a woman?"


    "She''s precisely a woman, but not an ordinary woman. I witnessed, and was amazed of what she could do."


    "Wait, tell me first what she could do before we go there and attack her. I want to be sure that we won''t fail in our intention."


    "Don''t be so worried about it. I know you can kill her as easy as what it shall be, especially that I will help you doing that, so that we can proceed to the next person who was destined to fight you."


    "Stop thinking about the third person, because we haven''t even killed the second person yet. Why won''t you tell me what she did?"


    "She has the power of bamboo trees. I saw her catching fish in the river by just using her hands, hands which could turned into pointed bamboo shoots."


    "Wow-what! That''s what I''m talking about. You need to tell me what she can do before we will attack her, because my life might be in danger if she pricks me with her pointed bamboo hands." "Have you forgotten it was because of you? You did not help me in searching for her, and now you''re asking me about her power?"


    "Oh-sorry, but there''s no use talking about that now. You''re so inconsiderate that you''ll let me risk my life for your own interest."


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    "Can you stop making it opposite? You''re so brave to answer me in your rude way, but you cannot even fight a woman without my help."


    "So you''re underestimating me now?" I slid my fingers in the pockets of my pands and I sat down on the ground. "You should go away and don''t bother me again. You''re just a cause of troubles." "Just because of what I said you''re now squealing? Despite the fact that you didn''t assist me in my search for the woman who was destined to fight you, I wasn''t even squealing. You should not be like that, because we can''t get rid of the curses if you''ll just sit down there!" Cain reprimanded.


    "Can you just stop talking? Don''t you know that I''m thinking about how I can kill that woman who has hands made of bamboo?" I defended.


    "I had told you, she''s just a woman. We can kill her easily because I''m going to help you too. Can you trust me even just for a second?"


    "Don''t you ever think I want to kill that woman without your help? You told me I''m sozy, so you should not help me kill her, because I could be stronger if I kill her without your help. I just want to make you stop from underestimating my capability."


    "Are you sure you don''t need my help?" Cain sat down beside me.


    "You''ve told me that she''s just a woman who will be dropped down with just a punch. Why are you asking me that I can''t kill her alone? I''m right-you''re really underestimating me."


    Cain told me that nobody could make me feel inferior without my consent. However, he also said that making myself inferior was also a way of being humble. And being humble could build a good partnership.


    That was what he was always telling me, that being patient and submissive could help us have a strong partnership. Whereas, unexpected events could cause us to lose our patience and be non-submissive in defending ourselves against someone who was treating us as inferior and underestimating our capability in one situation.


    Those things were making me think deeply. Perhaps my characteristics had changed a lot, and I had be snobbish and disrespectful. Unlike before, I respect everyone I meet, even if I don''t know them. I knew being disrespectful could remove others'' dignity, for nurturing someone''s dignity always began with respect. There was one thing I could say about it: it wasn''t me who changed myself, but my experience, the pain, and those subconscious demeanours, for my manner depended on someone else''s treatment.


    My demeanor did not matter in this kind of situation after all. I thought being snobbish and disrespectful could help me do uwful things without considering others'' feelings. I can''t believe I''m that inconsiderate, but it should be done for the sake of my freedom.


    "If that''s what you really want to do, I won''t contradict it, but make sure you won''t fail in killing the woman." Cain pressed my shoulder while trying to stand up, as if he was having an artritis.


    "You said once that you trust me. Why won''t you also trust and believe me that I can kill that bamboo woman with just a punch?" I asked.


    "I want to tell you something about her." He replied, for the first time, in a serious tone of voice.

 66 The Bamboo Woman

    "If you want, then tell me, what is it?" I queried.


    "She has an attractive appearance, so you should fight against your lust if you want to kill her." Cain sighed as if he were really worried about me.


    "Just that? Don''t worry man, that''s just a little thing. And we''re not the same, because I''m not asscivious as you."


    "You! You have a lot of debt to me. Let''s see what will happen if you see her." Cain started walking away.


    I stood up and asked, "Hey! Where are you going?"


    "I will search for the third person who was destined to fight you while you''re doing your task here, so that we won''t need to waste our time in searching again, and we won''t need to fight anymore because of it!" "Kay, then take care!" I half-shouted.


    "They will take care of me, because I''m untouchable!"


    I didn''t care if Cain would not help me in killing the second person. Perhaps it was the right time to do something alone, for my own sake. I didn''t really care because I''m used to being alone. It was time to stop relying on that demon, because the time woulde when he couldn''t help me anymore. So I stood up and walked towards the river where the woman was bathing, as the demon had told me to.


    While going towards the river, I realized Cain was telling the truth when he told me there was a woman there who was destined to fight me. There were no other sounds I could hear except for the continuous flowing water in the snake-like river and the soft chirps of singing birds.


    The woman was bathing in the cool water. She looked beautiful and very different from the people in their tribe; she seemed to be a nymph in her curly blonde hair. Her milky white skin made me squint. She was wearing porous, thin, brown clothes.


    Her body was diaphanous to me. A lovely form with high, rounded, firm young breasts, a small waist, trim, curving hips, and shapely legs. But there was nothing weird about the bamboo hand which Cain was talking about; she was just a beautiful young woman.


    There was one more thing which surprised me. The woman was doing something that needed a little privacy. However, she seemed to want to show it to me too. I didn''t know if she noticed there was someone here watching her. Perhaps she didn''t know it, because she wasn''t looking at me.


    She removed her shirt, then I saw her boobs! The electricity of lust was creeping around my body through my veins like how the curse did. I needed to fight this for the sake of freedom. No one could help me. It also entered my mind that she was an innocent and beautiful woman just to die. I walked back and forth, thinking about the best thing to do.


    I eventually decided what to do, and that was probably to kill her without hesitation, though I could not even manage to get near. But when I looked back to the spot where she was bathing, I frowned as I realized I had lost the opportunity because she wasn''t there anymore. I began searching for her, but I saw nothing except the bubbles in the water in the river in the spot where she was bathing.


    The power of my hearing was telling me something. I gave my devilish smile when it told me that the woman was walking towards their tribe. I knew it would be difficult to kill her if she was in the crowd, because those people might join in our fight. Hence, I immediately transported myself to where she was so that I could stop her from going.


    She was surprised to see me suddenly appear in front of her. I could see her face clearly: her dark, thick eyshes shaded her greenish eyes with yellow-green flecks and were shining somewhere deep within them. Her high pointed nose, a kissable pinkish lip, and thin eyebrows; her long, curly, wet, blonde hair. In her wet clothes, I could not say anything else, but she was perfect. She was even more lovely in the way she carried the basket of clothes.


    The woman said something, and I could not understand what she was talking about. Maybe she was asking me a question, as to why I was blocking her way, because it sounded like she was asking me. I wasn''t a trantor, so I did not say anything, and I did not let her pass by either.


    A minute psed, then she said something again, but this time it sounded like anger. Perhaps she was irritated by what I was doing; that I was blocking her and would not let her take the path towards their tribe. After a jiffy, she said something again, and it sounded like she was imploring me to let her pass by, but I wasn''t affected by her words, especially since I could not understand what she was saying.


    Thereafter, perhaps she lost hope of taking it the easy way. She tried to run, but she couldn''t pass me. I followed her every move in front of her, or I even sometimes went before her, as my hearing told me, blocking her in every way she could, until her eyes turned red from madness. She put the basket of clothes down on the lumber.


    My power of hearing told me to prepare so that I could avoid any attacks she would make, because they could end my life prematurely. I witnessed with my own eyes widened at how her two hands, nails, and arms turned into bamboo shoots with pointed edges pointing at me.


    Her long, curly, blonde hair had turned into the yellow-green leaves of a bamboo nt. I never knew that there was a woman who could turn herself into a bamboo shoot when she became angry. Maybe she did not have parents and family, and she just came out of the crack on the shoot of a bamboo tree.

 67 The Weird Demon

    Ka


    The breeze whispered throughout the treetops; the tall grasses around them were dancing with them too. Counting dust, Alicia and I were sitting on the bench by the endless road. "We''ve been waiting here for over an hour. Do you really think that the speedy man will go back here?" Alicia asked.


    "Of course, I''m sure everyone wants to go back to where they came from, and even you. Have more patience because nothing will happen if you onlyin there," I replied. "Maybe nothing will happen also if we will just sat down here and won''t move, we might caught the speedy man if we''d pursued him."


    "Still nothing will happen if we pursued that man, we''ll just make ourselves fools of pursuing something we cannot catch."


    "But can''t you see that it''s more better to try and failed than not trying at all? Look, there''s nothing happening, because we''re sitting and loitering here for an hour, we will be bored, so if not now, when?" "Alice, can''t you just calm? Can''t you see that even we''re just sitting here we''re still xoing our best to catch that man. There''s no need to haste because the curse seemed to be not sensating these days."


    "You won, but you should not think that the curse won''t sense you anymore because that''s so impossible, especially since you still need to kill ny-eight people in order to break the curse. That''s why I don''t want us to waste our time sitting here. Your mission will be done quickly if you are doing something for it in every second that passes by."


    I stood up and told Alicia that we should wait for him inside his house, so that if he came back, we could catch and kill him quickly, because he could easily recognize us if we were waiting there. I immediately went inside the wooden gate and went towards the door. It wasn''t locked, so I got inside.


    There was a polished wooden table and some picture frames on the wall. When I saw the photos of the speedy man with a woman, it seemed like they were not just friends, because they simply looked more than that. This might be why the speedy man was so snobbish, because this woman was his girlfriend, but she wasn''t with him anymore, but it was just my inference, and it was fallible.


    I was surprised when Alicia suddenly appeared beside me and asked, "Hey, what are you doing here?"


    "Nothing." I put the frame back on the table. "How about you, what are you doing here?" I asked.


    "Maybe you are right, but it will be easier for us to get rid from the curses if I will search the fourth person who was destined to fight you, so that we don''t need to search and wait for that person just like what we are doing now. I''m sure you can kill the speedy man alone, so I''ll leave him to you."


    "But I... can''t you..." I hadn''t finished my words when Alicia suddenly disappeared from the spot where she stood. I could do nothing if she didn''t want to help me with the speedy man, because whatever I did, it could not affect her either.


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    That man was strong and fast, and it was impossible for me to kill him. There was only one thing I could do; I had to believe that I could. I realized that not all the time there was someone willing to help me in doing my own business. Those people would only break my heart when they changed or went away because I was relying on them.


    After an hour or two, the speedy man eventually came back. He emerged from the living room without the knowledge that I was behind him. He was wearing a gray robe and shoes with abination of white and red. It was an opportunity to finish my task, so I didn''t waste the opportunity. I cautiously walked towards him and forcibly kicked him. I was strong enough to make him lean on the wall and cover his face. I didn''t stop punching and kicking him, for I knew he would fight back if I stopped.


    Laterally, when I thought he was dead already, I turned to leave, but to my surprise, a kick from him threw me to the wall. I was filled with terror, but I was also thankful that Alicia came back; she stopped me from plummeting. But I was shocked when I fell down on the floor, making a loud st.


    My bones seemed to be broken from being dropped. Alicia was so stubborn, she didn''t even mind me, and she only focused on the speedy man. Alicia froze him using magic; therefore, he could not move or escape again. "Come on Ka, it''s your turn, do your mission now! Kill him quickly because my magic won''tst longer," Alicia ordered.


    I stood up and stretched my bones. I would need to break my bones many times before my mission was finished. I immediately went near the speedy man who had been frozen like a perfect carved statue. Blood was dripping down from his nose; it was the result of my punches.


    I saw a bewildered expression on his face. He was filled with self-pity, like he was begging me to let him live his life. But how much he would implore me, destiny would conquer everything, and with my merciless hands, I ended his travail. I shouted while turning his neck. It cracked. The man who made me wait too long was finally terminated.


    Alicia watched what I was doing. She walked towards me and seemed to be talking on a vesper; her lips were saying something, though I could not hear any words from it. I was going to say something when she raised her hands, gesturing me to stop and keep silent. Therefore, I let her finish what she was doing and first got out of the house.


    I''m sure what Alicia was doing to the speedy man was part of her malicious deception of me. She might have had a connection to what had happened to me after I killed the first boy who was destined to fight me. However, I wasn''t fully sure of it. It might just be a coincidence, and there was enough exnation or purpose for what she was doing inside.


    As I turned my sight around me, I noticed that everything looked like what it should be without the knowledge of what was happening. The same as the first time I saw them. The breeze whispered throughout the treetops, and the tall weeds were dancing cheerfully.


    Alicia eventually stepped out of the house of the speedy man. Her long, curly hair was spread around her shoulders like a hag, or more than just that. She looked exhausted. Her sweat was diffusing on her face. Even her mouth was salivating like a butch who had eaten something dainty. Perhaps she did something embarrassing to the dead man.


    "Alice, why you looked likeing back to your old appearance?" I asked.


    "Nothing," she replied and furrowed her forehead. "I know what you''re thinking, but I assure you that I wasn''t doing anything wrong."


    "But why you''re sad? Alice, isn''t it that something wrong had happened? If there''s, I know your problem is just temporary, look at you, you cannot be called Alice if your appearance looked like old Alicia."


    "I know, but just some, because this kind of problem isn''t just temporary, I would definitely bring them whenever or wherever I will go." "What do you mean?" I queried.

 68 The Fan Girl

    After killing the speedy man, I realized that being quick in every movement could make my mission be done quickly too. That kind of power was what I was attempting to master in the days that followed. With the help of my vision, it became easier than I thought. I could then move quickly like a speedy man. But it didn''t mean that I could easily master this technique, as if I couldn''t control this power, it might bring me into danger.


    I and Alicia were currently strolling anywhere, taking the road, which seemed endless. We seemed to be free from the curses, because we didn''t mind anything. Meanwhile, I was also practicing some dark magic while taking a quiet road, as I used to grow a hundred nts around.


    "Are you not tired of spreading nts anywhere?" Alicia asked.


    "Of course I''m not, look! I cannot be tired anymore!" I replied.


    "I know you cannot be tired easily, but I also know that your patience won''tst longer. I noticed you can now move faster like the speedy man. I just want to ask if ''are you ready to fight the fourth person?"


    "Of course. I''m always ready like a girl scout. Let''s not make this longer, I''m really eager to take my freedom. I don''t want to be caged by this curse and kill millions of people."


    "If that so, we shall go to that person, but before that, you must know something, about her power and weakness."


    "So, that person was a girl or a woman?" I asked. "Tell me everything I needed to know in order to defeat her."


    "Yeah, she''s a girl. A girl who looked like weak at first, but if you will know her power, you will shout that she''s indeed strong."


    "Uh-huh. That''s exciting. Please tell me more."


    "She had the power which came from her fan," Alicia responded.


    "What do you mean? What kind of power?"


    "The power of whirlwind. She can make whirlwind through her fan, and that''s the reason how she got a sobriquet ''fan girl"."


    "Wow! That''s cool..." Iplimented with amazement.


    "She''s cool, but put in your mind that she''s an enemy. You might amazed of what she can do, but please don''t n to idolized a foe, because she was already destined to fight you, not to be your friends." "Okay, is there anything else I need to know about her?"


    "Nothing else, if you already know her weakness."


    "Of course!" I interjected. "If her power came from her fan, then I must take her fan away, so that she will be totally became weak, as her looks."


    "Clever! Are you now ready to fight her?" She asked.


    "Very ready! Let''s go!" I held Alicia''s hand.


    After a blink of an eye, we appeared at the other ce. This ce was cool too, because the breezes whispered wildly. It was surprising that the breezes weren''ting from nature; they had their own source.


    We saw a girl standing ahead. She was wearing a bluish-white shirt and a miniskirt. Her hair was tied into two portions, swinging as the wind that came from her fan blew. She was really cool! Her attire, power, and appearance suit each other''s. She seemed to be in the movie I had watched because the wind was whirling around her, though it was a normal gas which could not be seen, but could be felt.


    Alicia was telling the truth. When the girl turned back, I saw she looked weak and frail. Through her looks, I remembered my father''s words. As what he was always saying, "someone cannot be judged through their appearance." Therefore, I must look at them from another angle to see something unique on them. From what I noticed, she had a unique power that I wished to have too.


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    "Let''s follow her, but don''t be obvious," Alicia ordered.


    "I know that, don''t worry, because she cannot notice that we''re following her, do you remembered when you taught me how to walk like there was another ce you wanted to go and not towards the exact person with your real intentions?" I asked.


    "That was just when you killed the speedy man, how can I forgot that so easily. If you thought that I''m experiencing an Alzheimer''s disease, then you are wrong. I''m already a spirit, and spirits don''t have body which feel pain or can get any diseases," Alicia replied.


    "I know, but do you remembered when you said you don''t know what used to tell me something that I could performed magic so easily?" I asked.


    "Did I said that? I knew it was the power of your vision."


    "You''re asking me, so you mean you had forgotten?"


    "Of course I don''t, but that was just a question, and you know that sometimes we still asked though we already know the answer of what we are asking for, right Ka?" Alicia asked.


    "You had a point, sometimes I''m also asking about something though I already knew its answer, maybe that''s our instincts; there are some questions that would directly came out from our lips without thinking about them?" I interrogated. "Clever, that''s what exactly I mean. Unfortunately, we must not talk about this thing right now, because your enemy had stopped there."


    Alicia pouted her index finger at the spot where the fan girl stopped. O my gosh! I hoped I was wrong to what I was thinking. This could not happen, we might lost the opportunity if she noticed us following her. "What do you think she''s doing now?" I queried.


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    "I don''t know, maybe stop from strolling around?" Alicia guessed.


    "But why we won''t go near and end her life? She might be lost in our sight if we will let her continued walking."


    "Don''t you see she''s surrounded by her power? We cannot enter in that shield without her consent, so we must observe and find a new angle in which we can kill her," Alicia exined.


    "You''re so powerful to say that. I know you can drop her in just a flip of your finger, so why won''t you flip her and we won''t need to fight and exert strength in killing her? It will be easier for me to end her life if she''s already dropped down," I suggested.


    "You mistook my capability, Ka, sometimes my power doesn''t work, you know that, everything has a limit, and so it has. Now you know the reason why I needed someone''s help. I taught you magic, so that you can help me in times if my power won''t work," Alicia replied.


    "We can do nothing about that. We shall do something to take her fan, and the shield that surrounds her will be also gone," I told her.


    "Or we can also wait until she will put her fan down. We are both tireless, we can wait even years, but she cannot do that."


    "What kind of life I had, my time always wasted in waiting."


    "Stopining Ka, I know that even you would waste your years, you still have many years left to live, but that life of yours will be torn if you cannot get rid of the curse," Alicia reminded. "Huh? What do you mean?"

 69 The Squashed Head

    Lil As I expected, the bamboo woman attempted to prick me with her pointed bamboo hands. It was so dangerous if she could prick me. I was sure that her hands could inflict some wounds on me, though they didn''t look that sharp in my eyes. I was doing everything I could to avoid her angry attacks. She was determined to prick me somewhere around my body, and she was so fast, but no one was faster than me; even her fastest moves were just a warm up for me, but she tried to prick me many times.


    Minutes psed, and she was panting right then. Her wet hair and body had turned sweaty. Unlike me, I wasn''t panting. I knew I could not be tired easily as a normal human. I had the capability to not be tired, no matter what kind of fight I would be going through.


    I was d and lucky that she hadn''t pricked me; I had avoided all of her attacks. Then she stopped for a while and looked down at the ground filled with dead leaves of huge trees. Perhaps she was confused and wondering why she was wasting her time fighting with a boy that she didn''t even know. I also wondered why she didn''t just be friends with me instead of fighting, despite the fact that she could not win our game.


    Yet, the fight wasn''t over. The bamboo woman looked straight at me and seemed to want to glue me down. She suddenly attacked me without leaving the spot where she was. I didn''t expect this! She could have attacked me, though she was some meters away. It was cool that her hands were adjustable.


    It was cool for her, but this time I found it difficult to avoid her attacks because they were quick and adjustable. The bamboo woman pricked me several times. I eventually saw her smiling because she had wounded me on my face, left foot, and left arm after so many attempts. The blood which spurted out from my face, foot, and arm was streaming down. I never expected her bamboo hands to be that sharp.


    This bamboo woman was one of those people who rejoiced in seeing someone suffering as a result of their own pain. But I could not me her because I was also hurting other people, and not just hurting-I was killing them. There was a little difference between me and them; I wasn''t rejoicing if I hurt someone, and would never be d since my conscience was persecuting me for the sins I hadmitted.


    When I thought it was my end, I remembered another way to fight her in an unfair way, like how she fought me. The world would never be fair, so I teleported towards her back and made my favourite martial arts movement. I jumped higher and kicked her on the neck, causing her to bounce off the massive tree and roll down there.


    I knew she was still alive. Just like a thick, old bamboo, she needed many attempts before it could be broken. Maybe she was more than just a bamboo, because bamboos swing and bend when wavese, but this woman did not bend. She could be broken but would never bend.


    I was walking towards the woman when she suddenly pricked me again, but I was still lucky that I had avoided it. I was more than just lucky when her bamboo hands got stuck on the huge tree behind me. She tried to remove it, but she could not. Those bamboo hands of hers were so sharp, sharper than any sword, that she stuck them on the tree.


    It was an opportunity to kill her, so I didn''t waste this chance. I got the big stone beside her and stroked it over her head. A loud st deafened me. What did I do? Everything but her head had exploded. But instead of feeling guilty because of the crime Imitted, I felt relieved. There were some wounds I received from her sharp and pointed bamboo hands.


    I tore some parts from the woman''s shirt and covered the wounds on my left arm and foot with them. I couldn''t cover the wound on my face because it was near my eyes and I couldn''t see if I''d cover it. So I just wiped the blood and let it stop bleeding. I knew those wounds were far from my intestines and I was far from death, but they could still make me suffer.


    The woman was undoubtedly dead. Even her bamboo hand hade back to normal. Her beautiful face was gone, and even her head, because it had been exploded with one stroke of the big and heavy stone.


    Perhaps Cain had already seen the third person who was destined to fight me. He told me he was offering the spirits of those people I killed to a powerful spirit who could help him go back to where he came from. But I didn''t know why he left this woman for me.


    Her spirit might have gone away if Cain was not here. Anyway, I didn''t need to worry about it right there, for I was surprised when Cain suddenly appeared in front of me. He was absolutely always at the perfect moment.


    "You''re really good, Lil-it''s nice to see you finished your mission to this woman," Cain said. "But why do you have so many bruises and what kind of absurdity did you do to this woman?"


    Who would not be appalled when seeing the woman''s face had been squashed by the big and heavy stone? And so did Cain.


    "Isn''t it obvious that we had a fight? She pricked me many times with her sharp bamboo hands before she died, and that''s how I got these bruises. Because of my anger, that''s what I did to her. You were right, and, also selfish that you did not help me in killing her. Now look at what happened to my face," I panted.


    "Have you forgotten about what you told me? Do I need to remind you about what you said, that you didn''t need my help in killing this woman? You should not me me for what happened to you, because that''s your choice, and as you told me before, you''re the one who''s creating your own destiny. Now look at the destiny you made!"


    "There''s no use in ming each other. If you''re done with that woman, then can you tell me who''s next?"

 70 The Talkative Demon

    It had been twenty-four hours since I had been here in a ce where I expected to be with the third person who was destined to fight me. A weird and scary ce, because of the prevailing silence and emptiness. Though I was used to living in silence, I felt something odd there. It was the emptiness, and I was scared for so many reasons. It had been two days of being here, in a ce where there wasn''t even a tiny ant, not even an air bubble, and I was curious if I could breathe. A question, "How did I get here?" was messing my mind. I only remembered that I was trying to teleport to the ce of the third person who I needed to kill in order to get rid of the curse, and I brought myself here. I seemed to fail in controlling myself from transporting, and it brought me into nothingness. There were only three words I could say: I WAS LOST, and I didn''t know how to get back to the real world.


    Right there, I realized: it was my mistake. I was thinking about the void while teleporting. At that time, the only thing I thought about was my dream, a dream that until now, I had not gotten any exnation for. Throughout the twenty hours of being here, there was nothing I discovered. What I only saw was a void. I didn''t know what would happen, if I could go back to my world or if I would float forever in this ce where there wasn''t even a little gravity. I wanted to live a normal life. I wanted to see my family and to know what was happening to them.


    Even the power of hearing could not help me in this kind of situation. I was thinking of what its reason was, but I had a hunch it was because there was no air here. There was no air here and I was still alive. I was infallible in my hunch that I wasn''t a normal human!


    After a day of doing nothing, there was finally something that entered my brain, something that would surely end this problem. I seemed to be stupid that after a day of being here, I thought about it, but for only now. My hope came back when I realized the way I got here, because that was also the way to go back. I would make sure I would not fail this time in transporting to the ce where the person who was to die was. Hence, I closed my eyes and teleported to the ce where the third person was, as Cain told me.


    Thinking about many things was normal, but during my transportation to the other ce was a different thing, and because of that, I was almost lost the second time. I hadn''t expected that this would happen to me. I seemed to be a rolling stone, because I was transported without destination. Dazed and full of terror, but I did not let them conquer. I never opened my eyes and focused on the ce where I wanted to go.


    Fortunately, I arrived at the exact ce, but I wasn''t sure if the third person was really living here. Before making a theory about that, I must do a search first. For sure, it would be difficult for me to recognize that person because there were a lot of people living here.


    I started walking, but I stopped when someone abruptly appeared at my front. A man who was wearing a ck robe He had a high nose, hard facial lines, ck eyes, and dark eyebrows, which even seemed to drop. "Hey, who are you? Can you get out of my way?" I asked.


    "You''re so snobbish Lil, stop pretending that you don''t know me, because it''s just me and that''s just you," he replied.


    "I know you, but what are you doing here? Have you found the fourth person whom I needed to kill? It''s just twenty four hours that we didn''t saw each other, but there''s already a big changed on you." "Of course!" Cain eximed. "How about you? Did you finished your task here? Where was the third person now?"


    I did not say anything. Cain looked exultant despite what happened. I didn''t want to lose his pleasure. I wanted to say something, but I could not find an urate word to say, so I sighed. "Don''t tell me you did not finished your task here," Cain guessed.


    "That''s exactly what I want to convey. I was lost and there''s nothing that happened within twenty-four hours before I went here. But don''t worry, maybe it''s not toote to do my task?"


    "And what kind of absurdity you did that until now your task isn''t done yet?" He reprimanded. "Where did you went and what did you do for over twenty-four hours, and you just came here?"


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    I didn''t want to tell my failure to this demon, so I said, "It''s not your business, there was just something wrong that happened. I''m just asking you if it''s not toote to do my mission, so don''t go too far from that." "Of course it''s not toote though you wasted your twenty-four hours in your own absurdity." He said it again.


    "But where''s that boy right now? Do we need to waste time in searching for him?" I asked.


    "Don''t liken me to you, because I''m doing what we have acquiesced, that I will the one to search them, and of course it is your task to kill." He pointed his finger onto the ck-painted wall and said, "There he is behind that wall." "Yeah, I know that, so what shall I do now? What''s the n?" I asked.


    "I already told you if what kind of boy is the person you needed to kill. Now, don''t rely on me and make your own n to kill him, because not in all asion I will be there to help you. Don''t worry, I know you don''t need my help this time. He''s just a boy like you, why won''t you challenge him one on one so that..."


    What a hermaphrodite! I didn''t let Cain finish his words because I knew that he was going to say thousands of sorts, even though they were far from our topic. I didn''t know if he was really a spirit who was once a man, because his mouth was like a machine-gun and his words were the bullets. I walked towards the wall, which was more than thirty meters high or equivalent to a house with three floors.


    "Don''t tell me you don''t know how to get inside," Cain said.


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    "Of course I know, what I want to know is the things behind this wall."


    "Just because of that? I had been thinking that you''re so powerful, why won''t you use your power to know what''s behind this wall?"


    "There''s only one way to know what''s behind, and that''s to go there."


    "What kind of boy you are, you''re already dead if you were not always with me, because you''re thinking not about the possibilities before making a decision. You''re powerful now, what if behind this wall is an inferno and you just get there without knowing. I don''t know what..."


    "Can you stop talking even in just for a second?" I asked.


    "How can I stopped talking if you aremunicating with me?"


    "This is thest, don''t talk to me again if there''s not an important thing you wanted to say. Those people might think I''m crazy. Nheless, our works will be more easier if we''ll focus in it."


    "It''s myst word too: you shall not regret of your decision and you must not implore me again if you want to talk to me because-"

 71 The Debt

    Ka


    I was interested in what Alicia wanted to tell me, but she was also right; we needed to do something in order to kill the fan girl. That girl was more important than anything else in this kind of situation. I should not let her escape; otherwise we would need to search for and fight her. I didn''t want her to know there was someone going to kill her, or else she would have prepared for it and it would be difficult for me.


    There was nothing else we could do but wait for the fan girl to drop her fan and give up. This kind of fight was like the Cold War, in which we didn''t need or use swords and strength. This fight mightn''t have toe into ardor because if the fan girl dropped her fan, I didn''t need to exert force in order to kill her. But I could not judge someone by their appearance. I should be prepared for the possibility that it will turn out differently than I expected.


    After a few moments of waiting, the fan girl stood up and walked again. Along the quiet, lonely road without anyone else, the opportunity showed up in volition. As she dropped her fan on the road, I also used my power to grab it. Being quick in every move could really help me, and I used it.


    The fan hadn''t even reached the road when I caught it while falling. I never expected I could move like lightning and take the power of a fan girl in just a blink of an eye. She was also appalled when she bent her knees to take the fan, which he expected to be on the ground, but there was nothing there anymore.


    Maybe it was powerful, especially since I witnessed how the girl reacted when she lost it. She was both sad and angry, but she became weak without this fan. She did nothing, but to sat down on the roadside, as her sky became cloudy and her tears were the rain. In that asion, she looked pitiable for me.


    Having sympathy to those people who were destined to fight me, was just a weakness. I didn''t want to show my weakness anymore, because it would be an impediment in gaining my freedom. At the same time, I realized that seeking for freedom was never been easy, it needed an enormous sacrifice, bravery and patience.


    Meanwhile, Alicia was watching and observing what I was going to do next. I knew she could not help me in killing the girl because her power would not work, though that sounded impossible. I thought she was so powerful that she could do anything she wanted, but right there, Alicia appeared to be weaker than me, as she couldn''t even touch human, she seemed to be a floating air.


    Even though the girl looked weak, I still needed to end her life in order to proceed with the fifth person who was destined to fight me. Nothing could happen if I would just stand here and stared at my pitiable enemy, so I walked towards her and do what was needed to be done. I didn''t want Alicia to remind me about this callous weakness which seemed to be attacking me again.


    As I walked towards her I recognized her physical features. She had high nose, pinkish lips, brown eyes, average height and looked young, suiting with her age. Her weight and size was the only problem; she looked like a tall, thin pencil. She stood up and asked, "Who are you?" She was scrutinizing everywhere, but in my face, then became more curious, perhaps because she never found any familiar thing about me.


    "I hope you may forgive me," I apologized.


    She slowly closed her eyes, as if many things were messing with her mind, then she asked, "Why are you saying that? Do I know you?"


    "You don''t know me, but I will be owing you something." I stopped for a while and took a deep breath.


    "You will be owing me something? What''s that?" She interrupted.


    "Because I needed to kill you, and you must die. So I will be owing you your life." I replied in a serious tone of voice, sending shiver to her spine. "Will you be kind to lend me that?" "You needed to..." She hadn''t finished her words.


    Maybe she was surprised when I said those words. She might thought I was just a crazy girl, though I looked beautiful and serious. It was impossible for me to be crazy as what she might thought.


    Thereafter, she stood up and attempted to run, to escape from me, but she hadn''t seed. I only grabbed her body and slung her across the air. She definitely had a problem in her weight because she was so light. Without anything else, I thrown her down the road. It made a loud st. She fell down lopsidedly and began crying because of surprised, terror and pain.


    She slowly attempted to looked directly at me and to stand up. "Who are you and why... you''re... inflict... ing me?" She stammered.


    She hadn''t got far as her tears were falling down from her eyes, and also blood from her head. She hadn''t seed to stand because I stepped over her abdomen without even looking at her condition for I might change my mind. "Ah!" She growled, while I could figure out her blood were spurting out from her mouth and nose.


    The door girl totally breathe herst when I stepped over her chest with my full weight. At the same time, when Alicia saw that I did with the girl, she walked towards me, for it was her turn. Her lips reached her ear as she smiled like a demon. "Good job Ka, you''re absolutely a clever girl because you did not let your weakness win over you," Aliciaplimented.


    "I''m even more powerful and clever than you," I remarked.


    "Don''t say that you are underestimating me now. I know what made you said that. It''s because my power won''t work right?" She pursed her lips. "Don''t worry, that''s okay, I''m not mad, really."


    "Perhaps, but why you''re not mad even I would say that I''m more powerful and clever than you right now?"


    "Whahaha!" Sheughed like a demon. "Don''t think I will be mad just because of that, because I''m even happy when you learned how to brag your capabilities. I''d love to know that I had changed the weak Ka into a more powerful and clever one."


    "Whahaha! You''re right!" I agreed in an unconvinced manner.

 72 The Guitar Boy

    As time psed that I''m always with Alicia, I was maybe influenced by her ways of doing anything. I seemed tough like a demon too. I didn''t care about anything else anymore. Even my conscience became tired of telling me what was right and


    wrong.


    As usual, Alicia offered the spirit of the girl to her master. I didn''t know how she did it, because she was just a normal spirit who could not touch a human when her power wouldn''t work. Maybe she could still talk to her master, or maybe her power worked again?


    After a few moments, she stood up and asked, "We''re done with what we needed to do in this ce, so let''s go to the other ce where the next person would be."


    "No more words, bring me now to the fifth person, so that we can''t waste our time doing anything else," I replied.


    Alicia said, "You''re right, we have been wasting our time strolling like there were no curses in us, but you have even killed ten out of a hundred people who were destined to fight you."


    "I know that, but don''t make me feel like everything was all my mistake, because we both did the thing and you were the one who told me to stop for a while, though I wasn''t tired."


    "Don''t me me, because my power wasn''t working and that was why I stopped you from attacking your enemy, because I could not help you," Alicia exined.


    "Wow, you''re so helpful, but don''t you ever think you''re just dying our freedom because you didn''t trust me that I could kill those people without your help?" I asked.


    Alicia sighed and replied, "I want to trust you, but I don''t want to see you hurt by those people, because I could also feel pain."


    "What did you eat that you''re so kind to me?" I queried.


    "I did not eat anything, and I didn''t think that I care about anything else. I just didn''t want someone to hurt you, because if you die, I cannot be free from this curse anymore," Alicia replied. "Whahaha, you''re really crazy, but I like that kind of demon."


    "You looked forced to say that. If you are disappointed because of my words, then you must be strong and not be sad or lose hope. We both have reasons why we are doing these things, reasons that forced us to do something," Alicia added.


    "Stop!" I interjected. "Stop talking because you''re just wasting our time that must be spent on killing those hundred people."


    "Don''t be hasty, dear. Try to hold my arm so that we''ll know if my power had came back. I will bring you to the ce where the fifth person is."


    I followed Alicia''s order, and I was surprised that, in a heartbeat, she brought me to another ce. Her power was back! She brought me to a ce where the fifth person who was destined to fight me was. I didn''t had any idea about that person, but I''m sure, Alicia did, because she was the one who had been searching for that person.


    "Your fifth enemy has the power of the guitar. He''s a boy who can change papers into everything he wants through sounds," Alicia informed me. "You are brave and clever, and maybe you already know what to do in order to defeat him?" A boy who could change papers into everything he wanted through using sounds from a guitar? Maybe that boy was powerful, like the fan girl. The same as with that girl, I thought I could easily defeat him because there was only one way to defeat him: to take his guitar, and he would be weak.


    I was lucky that I hadn''t forgotten to take the powerful fan, which was the source of the power of the dead fan girl. Maybe I could use this fan to defeat the guitar boy. I hoped so.


    "If the guitar boy lives here, then where is he?" I asked.


    "He''s inside that mansion." Alicia pointed an index to the big and old mansion which seemed to be hunted. The guitar boy, maybe he was wealthy. There was only one thing to know what kind of boy he was, and that was to see him with my own eyes.


    There were few houses and people in this ce; all houses were huge and all people were weird, but it favored me because nobody would join our quarrel or would help the enemy.


    "Alice, do you think there are many people inside that mansion?" I asked.


    "I don''t know, have you forgotten there''s something used to tell you about anything you wanted to know? The power of your vision. Why won''t you use that to know if there are many people in that mansion?" Alicia responded. "You''re right. I had just forgotten that I had the power of vision."


    I wondered why I needed to know how many people were inside that mansion if Alicia could drop down even a battalion. Meanwhile, I also thought I needed to n and do things on my own so that someday I wouldn''t need Alicia''s help because I could help myself andplete my mission without her. Especially since sometimes her power wouldn''t work; that would be a big hassle and dy.


    Consequently, I asked the power of vision to show me what was inside the mansion and also to let me know how many people were there. It seemed that I was going to kick many people, because I saw a lot of people inside. There were some guards, servants, maids, and many others. It was absolutely an ordeal that I needed to drop those people before I could reach the guitar boy.


    I would be trying my best to defeat the guitar boy without asking Alicia''s help. I''m sure she wouldn''t underestimate me and she would never order me to do anything for her own interest only. If she thought that I''m so weak, then she would be disappointed, because the time woulde that I''d be the most powerful person in this world, I would throw her in hell, the ce where she belonged.

 73 The Cigarette Boy

    Lil Not born taciturn and probably not verbose. If the topic wasn''t really important, then there wasn''t use talking about it. Therefore, I teleported to or behind the wall where the boy who was destined to fight me was. There he was. A tall boy wearing a printed, in blue shirt, striped trousers, blue hat and ck slippers. Sitting on the same bench beside him, was a girl wearing a printed in white shirt, mauve pants and a green slippers. Her hair was tied together by a pink band. Except them, there was no more people here, maybe because it was already midday and the sunlight was so warm.


    The smoke from the cigarette of the boy which was the third person who should die was floating in the polluted air. I didn''t know why there were many people wasting their money in insignificant things. Those people could not see themselves amidst the smoke in the morning, they chose to buy cigarettes rather than foods, clothes or significant things. In effect, it made me think if which was important to them, their vices of their life. I knew they could not be judge by me, because their lives were not mine, they had freedom to do the things they want as long as they were not hurting others.


    Unfortunately, the girl which was with the cigarette boy looked dead, because I was looking here minutes psed, but she wasn''t moving. Or maybe she was just sleeping there, because her head perched on the bench''s shoulder. Buttely, Cain told me if what power did the boy had, and he seemed telling the truth because of what I saw. My hunch about the girl who was lying there on the bench became stronger when I remembered what Cain said.


    He said, "The third person you need to kill has a power of smoke, which came from his cigarettes. You must not go towards him headlong, because if you smell this smoke, definitely, you will be out of your consciousness and if you smell too much smoke-definitely, you will die in just a short period of time."


    For a long time that I''m with Cain, I learned and observed the way he talked seriously and if he wasn''t serious in his words. If his word was long and didn''t had any destination, hrious, reprimanding or something that wanted to talked like an insane man, that wasn''t important. Therefore, if his word was whether short or not, but wanted to convey, advise or warn me, that was very important and needed my attention, as it could affect my fights towards the hundred of humans or even monsters nor aliens that were destined to fight me.


    But the big question in my mind was, "How could I go towards that boy without breathing?" Necessarily, I should breathe to go there, else I would die instead of him. It was really a difficult task and I knew my next task would be more difficult than this. I would surely need Cain''s help in this kind of situation, because he was powerful and spirit who couldn''t even breathe because he was an air too. But if he wouldn''t help me with this boy then I didn''t care, because I could not control others. And if I die, that would be okay, because this life of mine was so unpleasant. If there was another chance to restart, I would live a life where nobody''s with me, I wanted to be alone.


    With bravery, I go towards the cigarette boy. While going towards him, I realized that I mistook something. One, two, three, four-four people lying on the ground, I mistook as just clothes or garbage, or nothing, but they really not, they were dead or maybe out of their consciousness because of the smoke from the boy''s cigarette. The features of the boy and girl also attracted my attention. Their faces were rted to each other, if I wasn''t wrong they were siblings, because it wasn''t possible that they were couple because of their looks seemed far from each other''s ages. I knew I could not judge them, because when ites to love, looks and ages did not matter, for there were other who were in December affair. I thought, I should die fighting for my freedom rather than to let freedom depart me. I was surprised when I wasn''t lost of consciousness as what happened to those four. I also noticed that there was no cigarette left to the boy. My hope came back and it wasn''t my end yet, but it was the end of him. There was one more thing I noticed, the girl wasn''t just out of her consciousness but truly dead and she was just lying there. She was pitiable, because of her young age, she experienced to be abandoned, but the most painful part the possibility that her own brother was the culprit.


    The power of this boy had disappeared and instead of being looked strong, he looked pitiable in my eyes because of the diseases he got from his own vice. That wasn''t my problem anymore; if he was suffering because of it, then he deserves to rest. Instead of doing the right thing, what I did was the contrary, I killed the boy by throwing him against the ck-painted wall. For sure, his bone had been broken because of it. I never did felt any weight of him when I slung him across the air. I didn''t know if what made him alive, maybe his vices too, that instead of dying because of his vices, it was what making him alive, and now, he wasn''t alive, but the contrary.


    I had thought that it would be difficult for me to kill the third person. But it was the contrary. It turned to be the most easiest. Unfortunately, that was what life was, many things were unexpected and it was sometimes surprising and there was horror. Some people, somewhere, in a happy ending, that was life, what one could do was to hope that he or she was one of those. Though I had killed that boy in just a short time, that wasn''t yet the best, because there was only one best thing for me: to live my normal life, again.


    For the sake of his freedom, just in a second after the death of the cigarette boy, Cain suddenly appeared beside me. I didn''t know if he have powers of connection to the people that I killed, but it seemed that he know when that person was already dead. And that was his spotlight, he would perform something, I didn''t know if what should I call to it, but ''vesper'' was the most urate word. After he perform the vesper, he turned and go towards me, as usual, it was time to leave and go to the next.


    "Cain, this may sound unimportant, but can you tell me what thing that you were performing? Or is it appropriate to call that as a vesper?" I asked.


    "Whahaha," Cainughed.


    I was surprised when he couldughed like a normal human, unlike before that every time he wouldugh, he seemed to be a demon who wanted to invade the whole world. Anyway, it was all my mistake, because he was always with me and I influenced him, as he also influenced me. Because before I was a little bit coward, and he was always quarrelling with me, but now, he turned me into a valiant one. It wasn''t called influenced, but because of his treat towards me, because he love to underestimate my capability, and that was why I wanted to prove to him that I could weave more.

 74 The Sun Man

    I thought why Cain was justughing when I asked him about the vesper. Eventually, I realized that we didn''t want to talk, especially in unimportant matters. But because I was really determined and it was one of my manner that if I wanted to know something, I would really coerce someone. That wasn''t truly my manner at all, because I wasn''t an inquisitive boy. I just wanted to ask and I want an answer, because I didn''t want it to mess my mind, and there was nothing would be gone if Cain would tell me about it. Consequently, I coerced him to tell me; he eventually started to talked too much words again. But throughout those thousands of words, there were just few Iprehended.


    Cain told me that the thing wasn''t called "vesper." In the ce where he came from, the ce of spirits, they called it as simple as "offering." Because they offered someone''s spirit into one who was powerful, as an exchanged in asking his or her help. He exined that in thew of spirits, there was no help if there wasn''t an exchange, which means one thing, everyone has oneself, which the other could only enter if they had an exchange for their request. In summary, vesper was a very far word, I would never say and ask anything like that again, because that was a bit, but making myself foolish.


    "Are you now okay?" Cain asked. "You told me that we should not talk about unimportant things, that''s why I didn''t want to talk about anything again, but look at you, you were coercing me."


    "Can you stop talking anything unimportant things again?" I asked.


    "What kind of man you are. I cannot understand what you really want, because it seemed that you only wanted to talk, but you didn''t want other to talk. Don''t you know that you violent my right to talk?" "Of course I know, but if you want to talk freely, then go away."


    I didn''t know why I felt like I didn''t want others to talk, especially those people who were just talking and talking, but they never did anything to changed the situation that they were talking about. Or maybe Cain was right, it was just nothing, but an ignorance, and I joined him. I knew there was nothing would be gone if Cain talked and it was not stated in thew that someone should not talk, because it was their freedom to talk as long as they were not hurting someone through their words.


    "So are you driving me away now?" Cain asked.


    "Uh... I didn''t know, maybe you can just forget about it or you''d better bring me to the ce where the fourth person lives," I replied.


    "You-re right, that''s what we shall do instead of quarreling."


    Just a second after Cain raised his hand, we already transported into the other ce in a heartbeat. A ce where there was no more polluted air, just like the ce where cigarette boy was. It was very different from that ce, and I hoped that every portion of the whole world would turned like this ce. I knew that however disciplined everyone was, some were still did not mind whatever happened to the Earth, because they were thinking that they were already died before the world suffer. They didn''t think and care about what might happen to the next generations of people. They did not think that it was the only thing that they could help to the next generations, because as what they thought, they were already dead at that time and they could not do anything except it.


    "So, where''s the fourth person to fight me?" I asked.


    "Don''t be hasty, he''s not here," Cain replied.


    "What a shit... Do you mean he''s a man? He''s not here? Then why did you bring me here? Where is he?" I continuously asked. "Dramatic, just wait and you will see him, there''s just something I want to..." Cain had not finished his words when interrupted. "What the hell is that? For sure, I didn''t need to hear your foolish words." I walked away from the spot where Cain was. "Hey, where are you going?"


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    "Just going to take the nature, don''t follow me!"


    "Okay, but wait, there''s something that I want to tell you, it may sound not important, but it may help you!"


    What the hell was Cain, he admitted it by himself that it was unimportant, but he still wanted to tell me something about it. I had been thinking if how unimportant things could help me in this kind of situation.


    "I told you, don''t follow me, my cock is going to cried out some water. You shall not dare to tell me anything about such unimportant things again, because unimportant things cannot help us."


    "If that''s what you want, but don''t me me if there''s something happened, because I did notck to warn you." He disappeared from the spot where he was, but I know where he went. As what we acquiesced, he would be going to the other ce to search for the other people in order to make it end fast.


    After taking the nature, I zipped my blue trousers which Cain gave me many days ago. As long as I was with him, I would not need money to buy clothes, because he would just give me anything I wanted. Soon, I would be mastering his magic too, so that I wouldn''t need his help again.


    I was surprised when there was someone who suddenly held my left side shoulder. It was a heavy hand which made my shoulder drooped. As what I always do when it happened, I grabbed someone''s arm and turned our positions to the opposite.


    "Hey, who are you? Are you watching me while urinating?" I asked.


    He removed my hands from his shoulder. "Hahaha, what the hell man, do you really want to know who am I? Or you are just scared that I might detach your cock from your body?" He asked.


    This man was wearing a yellow shirt and pants and ck boots with yellow soles. He had yellowish-golded hair, thick ck eyebrows, bronze eyes, high nose, some wrinkles and e on the skin of his face. Of course he had lips! Thin hairs on his chins. He was taller, weightier and maybe older than me for some years?


    "Hell you! Do you want tell me or you want your teeth drop?"


    "You''re really brave, or coward that I might break you into pieces?"


    "Bullsh*t scamp man! Are you really trying my patience, huh? Then fight me now and we can see whose bone will be broken."


    "Oh! Rx. Hahaha-you looked like red chili when you''re mad."


    "Such a callous-you looked like shit! Or you''re definitely a shit. If you didn''t have anything to say, then go away!" I eximed.


    "Don''t drive me away, but before I will go you must know that I''m number four, and I know you were destined, but before you will try your best to defeat me, I will go first before you, catch this!"


    Motherfcker, what kind of man was this, he wasn''t just strong but he had a dazing hands which I could not looked at it directly because it seemed to be a dazing sun.

 75 The Fastest Fight

    Ka


    I told Alicia that she didn''t need to help me in killing the guitar boy because I already knew what to do in order to defeat him. Alicia seemed to disagree with my decision; I didn''t know that she cared, but it was my mission and I needed to decide on my own. Therefore, Alicia could do nothing against my will.


    "If that''s what you want, I will leave that boy to you, as you are so desperate to do this alone. I will be searching for the sixth person you needed to kill, so that you won''t need to waste your time just searching for that person," Alicia told me. With pouted lips, she suddenly disappeared; I didn''t know where she went, but I''m sure she would be searching for the sixth person.


    The ce was so silent and seemed to swallow me whole. I made some footsteps going towards the mansion where the guitar boy lives. While entering the door, some guards met me. I had been practicing martial arts for some time, and I knew how to send them into thend of the unconscious through kicking and punching. Many loud sts appeared, and no doubt, the enemies became more than just what I expected.


    The enemies surrounded me and seemed to want to hurt me whatever it took. They were wearing formal attire, including those guards who appeared to be well-dressed. They wererge and looked strong. Especially those men who had big muscles in their arms and also those women who looked fit.


    With the help of being quick in my every move, which I learned through the speedy man before, it only took me a few seconds to drop them down. I thought I was so great because every time I killed one of those people who were destined to fight me, I also became more powerful, stronger, and braver than the old Ka.


    The glossy floor seemed to bury itself to the core of the Earth as I walked on it. I was full of confidence while walking towards the room where the guitar boy was. On my way, there were many people who I had to drop as they wanted to block me from going to their master.


    Eventually, I reached the person who I needed to kill. He already knew there was someone who was destined to kill him, but he swore that he would fight me whatever happened. He said that he''d rather die fighting than die without fighting at all.


    He was handsome but a little bit boastful. He had nose, lips, eyes, hair, skin, and a high stature. He also looked strong and brave. But he didn''t expected I could be so powerful and swift, but he would not be affected by my power because he would do his best to defeat me. He was a little wordy, but his every word defended himself, telling me that he was brave and powerful, but insecure, as if he was going to defeat me.


    Because of my irritation, I emerge beside him and I seized his neck. Though he was taller than me, I never felt any difficulty in hanging him in the air. I just raised my heels to do the thing. He tried to punch me, but it was toote because he was out of strength and had turned bby. When I saw that he wasn''t breathing anymore, I dropped him on the floor.


    I didn''t feel any tiredness while fighting those people. Although they were too many, I did not feel any difficulty because I was so speedy. Even the guitar boy hadn''t used his guitar to fight me because I suddenly seized his neck. He couldn''t even y his guitar or transform papers into whatever he wanted through the sounds he made. He was ying a guitar when I arrived near him, but because of his prattle, he didn''t had a chance to fight me. It only took me a few minutes to fight those people and also kill the guitar boy, so I thought it was the fastest fight that ever happened.


    Meanwhile, Alicia was shocked when she appeared near me, as she saw the boy had already dropped down and was breathless on the floor. She uttered the word, "Good job!" I became d every time I heard that word from Alicia, because it seemed to tell me not to give up and to fight until I get my freedom.


    Alicia might think that she didn''t need to train me anymore in fighting and mastering some magic tricks. Though I wouldn''t show her any sign, I knew I didn''t need her help anymore in defeating my enemies, because there was something that used to tell me about anything I wanted to know.


    As usual, Alicia offered the spirit of the guitar boy to the powerful spirit that I didn''t even see once. She seemed to be calling someone or saying an abracadabra, and suddenly, the body of the guitar boy had disappeared. Alicia had not failed; he had epted the spirit of the guitar boy, because as his body disappeared, it was a sign of eptance.


    The word "eptance" seemed so ordinary, but I knew Alicia valued that word too much. If she was unable to gain eptance from her master, her freedom, and possibly mine, would be in jeopardized. Although I didn''t know if it would affect my freedom because she hadn''t mentioned anything about it to me. She always talked about other, unimportant things, and seemed to be hiding the important things I should know.


    She eventually stood up and told me that she had already found the sixth person I needed to kill and that all we had to do now was go to where that person lived. My palms were itching, as if I wanted to punch someone. Not just punching, it was addicted to killing people. It even hurts other people who didn''t need to be hurt or killed, because they were blocking my way.


    "We are already done doing what''s needed in this ce, so we must go to the next person," Alicia said. She grabbed my hand and brought me to the ce where the sixth person was.

 76 The Bangles Girl

    I had forgotten to take the guitar, but I knew I wouldn''t need it anymore. Not because I didn''t know how to y that instrument, but because I was already powerful without it. I''m just curious where it went, because after I fought with the boy, it also disappeared from where it was. Maybe it was also sent with him to the ce where Alicia''s master brought his spirit.


    Alicia told me something about the sixth person who was destined to fight me. She said that the next person was a girl who had the power of fire bangles. A girl who could create fire through using her bangles which she always wore wherever she went.


    "Ka, you''re so clever, and I know that you already know how to kill that girl without my help, right?" Alicia asked.


    "Yeah, of course you''re right. I don''t need your help anymore. Just leave her to me if you want," I replied with a sweet smile.


    I didn''t think it would be difficult for me to kill that bangles girl, but I knew there was always a way to defeat the enemy. And that way was to take her bangles and, the same with those people I had already killed, she would be weak. However, I couldn''t judge her early because I haven''t seen her appearance yet and she might be strong and powerful too.


    I wasn''t sure how that girl could start fires with her bangles, but because everything seemed possible in the world where I belonged, it wasn''t impossible that someone could do something with small things. After the fan girl, the guitar boy, and now the bangles girl, perhaps my next enemies were earrings girl, ring man, hairpin woman, handkerchief boy, etcetera etcetera.


    Someone couldn''t judge things as small because there were many impossible things could happen because of them. As for my father''s statement that everyone could not be judged through their looks, then I believed it wasn''t just everyone, but everything.


    I had been in the park where the bangles girl was. I came there alone, because Alicia told me she would be searching for the seventh person for the same reason she always told me. To make my mission easier and faster, we could also take our freedom as fast as we do everything about killing those people.


    Without anything else, I did what I needed to do there. I used the power of the fan to avoid the fireballsing from the girl''s bangles. I avoided all the fireballs she threw towards me. She wasn''t totally that strong, because she looked weak and couldn''t move fast, as she would only fall down when I threw her a strong wind from the powerful fan.


    That girl wasn''t totally beautiful, and her looks were not interesting because she had a burnt face. Maybe it was caused by her own power, that if she could not control it, she would get burned. I really felt the warmness. Even her fireballs were just passing by me. I was so quick when I move, and she was surprised, because she couldn''t hit me with her fireballs.


    While fighting the bangles girl, there were many people who were watching us fight. Instead of stopping us from fighting, they seemed to make me and the girl into female cocks because they were betting between us on who would win. Although they could not get near because of the firesing out from the girl''s bangles. They were afraid of being burnt or thrown to the next town as a result of my powerful fan.


    Killing the bangles girl was just a piece of cake. I wasn''t bragging, but my speed wasparable to that of lightning, and she couldn''t catch me as I was faster than her blink. She dropped down when I kicked her in the center of her thigh. Maybe it was painful, because I saw her face puckered. The ce seemed to be flooded of the tears streaming down from her eyes. She looked pitiable, but there was nothing else I could do, because her life was one of the keys to the door of my freedom.


    The people screamed out of surprise when they saw I had totally ended the life of the girl. I thought it was my end, because there were too many people who saw the crime Imitted, but then I was grateful when Alicia arrived at the right time. She used her power to freeze them. They couldn''t speak or move.


    Then Alicia bragged: she said that I would had be famous if she did not came at the right time. I would be a famous serial killer, that might be what she meant. But not just because I killed many people, it was because of my wonderful powers.


    After Alicia offered the spirit of the girl to her master, the corpse also disappeared as a sign that her spirit had been epted by Alicia''s master. The foolish version of Alicia showed up again as she asked me what we were going to do to those people who had witnessed my fights with the bangles girl. Of course, I was slever, and because of that, I told her to remove their memories of the fight that happened. Then my problem was over when Alicia followed my order to remove their memories. Those people went back to their houses as if nothing had happened.


    "Woo-hoo!" I jumped in relief.


    My sweat never fell down even though I fought with the bangles girl for an hour. We had been throwing winds and fireballs at each other, and I felt like I was already in hell. "Finally, the fight is over. What we should do is go to the seventh person who was destined to fight me," I said.


    Alicia replied, "You''re doing a good job. I hope it will continue until the hundredth person, so that we can be free quickly."


    "So, what are we waiting for? Let''s go to the next, so that we can''t waste a second just standing here."

 77 The Failure

    Lil


    My eyes were so painful, as I could not looked directly at the scamp. There was nothing I could do to fight him, I could not because of the dazing lighting from his palms. I had been thinking if how I could defeat him, he was really determined to fight me, because he was still following me even I went away. Until I realized there was one more thing I could do to fight him, and that was to use teleportation. Therefore, I teleported towards his back and kicked him on his knee to dropped him down on the ground. I did not failed to dropped him down, but he just knelt down and his hands were still pointing at the same position.


    "Whahaha!" Heughed, then asked, "Are you really thinking you could defeat me easily as that?"


    "What the hell!" I eximed.


    He turned his palms towards me, and I didn''t expected it would be that so warm which seemed to burn me alive. He was really a sun man. But if he was really a sun man, why he wasn''t looked like the sun? And the heat from his hand was more likely a fire. I bounced away when something, such as a strong force from his palm pushed me.


    Right there, I knew why I called him as sun man, it was because he was so strong. Fortunately, there was no hard and dangerous things around, but green which meant a yground. As I looked back, I saw his eyes turned gold as he went near to me. I was filled with self-pity, which could thrust myself away from him.


    Because of fear to get burnt by him, I realized something I should do and that was to teleport away from him. Unfortunate and fortunate, I was in between, because it was fortune which put me in danger, and it was also the fortune why I was still breathing. I realized that I could not be die even in the worst situation if it was not my time. I believed in destiny.


    My clothes burnt, especially at my abdomen and even my abdomen itself hurt. I felt an inexplicable pain caused of burnt. I was getting ustomed to be always hurt by this mission. But then I remembered those words from Cain. He told me not to me him because he didn''tcked to warn me about something, though he didn''t really warned me about the exact thing. This might be what he meant, because I seemed to me him that he didn''t help me in killing the sun man. I didn''t got burnt like this if he helped me killing that man, he was only enjoying his freedom. I could not believe there was a curse in him if he could do everything that he wanted to do in his dead life.


    There was only few things Cain could not do; to stay in fight for a long time, to go back to where he came from, and to perform magic in a long period of time, as he could perform magic, but in just a limited time. I didn''t know why he really wanted to go back to where he came from if his life here was as beautiful as what everyone wanted. I knew it was his decision and he told me that he could only find the real freedom in the ce of spirits, because there he could take rest. What I could do was to n if how I could defeat sun man. What an empty brain I had, there wasn''t a way to destroy him. Perhaps I could deceive him, or observe him before making a n to destroy his tricks. There was something eventually entered to my mind. If he wanted to fire on fire, then I would give him what he wanted.


    I needed something-so that I could use his power to fight against himself-something which could throw his own dazing light back to him. But the problem was where I could get something like a mirror, what kind of question that it had an answer itself, of course in the houses around. What kind of hell that I needed to do this.


    Now I know what to do, I should use teleportation to take the things I needed from those houses ahead, that would be a mistake because I wasn''t just a killer, but also a robber. However, it was an important thing which other people did not know what was the real reason of the happening. As what they always do, they just witnessed a portion of happening, but not the whole story. I knew I couldn''t avoid everything which was already destined, and even I would run, the universe would pull me still.


    After my fight with the sun man, I would be coercing Cain again to teach me how to perform magic, such as making things appear, so that I wouldn''t need to rob again and my clothes would never torn because of fire or as what the sun man did. When I was going to teleport towards the houses ahead, I was stuck for the reason that I didn''t know. Consequently, I stopped thinking and try to go there again, but I was failed. When I looked around to know why I couldn''t teleport, I saw Cain behind me, raising his hand and fought my power to teleport.


    "Oh, it''s you, but what are you doing here?" I queried.


    "What do you think why I''m here?" He replied.


    I sensed what he meant. "Uh... Uh... Uh..." I stuttered. I gently rob my head. I didn''t know what to say. Finding an alibi, to bragged or anything else to avoid the talk about the sun man. "Whahaha!" He broke the silence and asked, "You looked like a coal, what happened to you, huh?"


    What kind of man, he was making fun of me. "Ah... it''s nothing, just caused by an ident. A while ago, there was a fire and I was nearly burnt," I lied.


    Though I know there was nothing I could show which would tell about a fire, only my burnt clothes and bronzed skin because of the scamp sun man.


    "Stop lying Lil, I know your burnt came from that man. I came here because I sensed that you failed to kill him and I wasn''t wrong. Look at you, because you didn''t listen to me before turning back, now that''s what you get. So next time when I''ll be saying something to you, you must take heed, because it''s for your safety. Believe me, you''ll die easily because of your inconsideration. What was on your mind was to attack and attack without knowing what kind of people you''re attacking."


    I inhale and exhale an air with force. "Okay mister verbose, that''s enough cause you won and I learned my lesson from my inconsideration, what you shall do now is to give me clothes and attack the sun man again. Nothing else will happen if you''re just saying something, but not doing anything which can change the situation you talked about."

 78 The Tickle

    Cain was always at the right time. Therefore, I wouldn''t need to rob or exert too much force to kill the callous sun man, because Cain could surely kill him in just a second, though I knew he must not be the one to kill him, for it was my task. He should go first into hell to feel the pain caused by being burned.


    We went back to the ce where the sun man was through teleportation, but it was alreadyte; he wasn''t there anymore. I saw nothing but the empty yground, houses and buildings, standing ahead, the sun was hiding behind them. "Do you have any idea where he went?" I asked.


    "I don''t have. How about you?" Cain replied.


    "You don''t have? I don''t have either, but you''re so powerful to say that you don''t. You''re not telling the truth."


    "Honestly, I''m telling you the truth, and it''s only you who thinks that I''m so powerful. Especially that my power has a limit and sometimes magic won''t work because of the curse."


    "Maybe you''re not as powerful as I thought, but don''t tell me that I''m the only one who thinks you''re so powerful, because you sometimes bragged about it."


    "I know, but that''s the truth; I don''t have any idea where the sun man went. We cannot change that," Cain added.


    "Don''t tell me that, man; there''s something used to tell me the ce where that malevolent man went," I replied.


    "Whoa!" He interjected. "''Malevolent'' is a big adjective, but don''t you know that you''re the malevolent one? It''s you who wished to do evil to others."


    "Why only me? Don''t say that, because we''re the same. Have you forgotten you were the one who involved me here?" I asked.


    He sighed and replied, "That''s enough. You should tell me what you''ll do to find out where your enemy went so that we can kill him quickly. There''s no doubt, we''re both malevolent."


    Maybe Cain was telling the truth that he wasn''t powerful enough, because if he was, he already knew what used to tell me something I wanted to know, the power of hearing. He must also knew where the sun man went, these evidences were telling that he wasn''t powerful as I thought. And I could be more powerful than him, and that could be only gained if I mastered all magics.


    I didn''t want to tell him I had a secret power, because nothing would changed. I knew it could help me if I need its help, especially if Cain wanted to break our partnership in doing crime. I could be more powerful than anyone through it. And right there, I needed its help to know where the sun man went. Fortunately, it worked and it told me the ce where exactly he went.


    "So, what are we going to do? Do you really know where your enemy went? Or you just want to do nothing?" Cain asked.


    "Of course I have, follow me and I will bring you there." I walked on the grasses towards the houses ahead, while Cain also followed me, but I halted when he held my shoulder.


    "Wait! Why are you going to walk if we can teleport?"


    "That''s indolent man, my stomach will be bigger if I won''t walk, look at yours, I don''t want to have that stomach of yours, why I should be walking than teleporting."


    "Don''t be bad, I don''t have a big stomach at all, it''s just normal, why are you worrying about little things though you''re not even eating? You''re just drinking water, and we should teleport because we want your mission done easier," Cain defended.


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    "In great minds, there''s nothing little, but you''ve a point. it''s impossible for me to have big stomach as yours, because I''m not eating food. But how about you? What did you do for your stomach to turned big, don''t tell me you''re eating too much food though you''re already a spirit."


    "You! I told you it wasn''t big at all. I''m eating foods of spirits, which gives me strength to endure in this world, because you cannot see me now if won''t eat that foods. I cannot touch anything, and I will be an air floating around." "Not big? I told you, in great minds there''s nothing little."


    "You misinterpreted your own words, why cannot you call it an average size, because if it''s not small and it''s not big, then it''s normal!" Cain eximed.


    "You''re just wasting time in unimportant things. Don''t forget you didn''t even want me to talk such nonsense, but what are you doing now? We should go to that sun man. He''s our enemy, not each other. It''s your choice if you want to walk, teleport, fly, crawl, swim, run, etcetera, but I prefer you to teleport." He concluded.


    I thought knowledge was rare and precious, there were many used of it, but it must be use at the right time. They were words, but sometimes it caused deep wounds than any swords did. Those words made the speakers ashamed, and so I was. What kind of foolish was I? There were many things to do, but why it always came to a dispute with Cain? Perhaps I needed to be submissive if I really wanted to have a good partnership with others.


    So I said, "Okay man, let''s stop the nonsense talk from now on. I know you''ll say that, but don''t worry about. Hold my hand and I will bring you to our real enemy."


    "Good to know you thought to listen and stop defending yourself from nonsense things," Cain added.


    I felt ufortable as he held my ear with his cold hand. It seemed to drown me down the cold ocean. I was born with tickle at that part, and I didn''t want anyone to touch me there because of the inexplicable feeling which made meughed.


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    Iughed at the same time. Cain seemed to know not the reason why Iughed as that. I removed his hand from my ear and said, "I told you to hold my hand, not my ear!"


    "Isn''t it inappropriate to hold you hand? Don''t tell me you felt ufortable with it. Can you stop lingering? Just teleport us to that sun man." He held my ear again.


    "What... the... hell..." I tried to speak normally, but I couldn''t control myughter. I removed his fingers and stepped several feet away from him, as I didn''t want him to touch me again.


    "Hey! Do you have a n to finish your task, or you will justugh there? Huh? Can you tell me why you''reughing like that? I never saw youughing like this before?"


    "It''s you and your cold hand, there''s nobody tickled me like that before, not even my mother nor her hairs!" I eximed.


    "Tickled? Do you mean you has tickle on your ear?" He furrowed his forehead.


    "Uh-huh, Is there anything else that it means?"


    "Uh, there''s nothing other, but that''s not really important, just bring us to the sun man, and this will be done."


    "Okay, I will bring us there, but only if you won''t touch my ear. How can I focus to teleport if you''re tickling me?"


    "You had a point. Just tell me where''s the sun man and I will be the one to bring you there."


    I didn''t know the name of the exact ce where the enemy went. Hence, I went near to Cain and held his arm. Then I teleported us to the building where the sun man was, as what the power of hearing told me.

 79 The Earrings Lady

    Ka


    Alicia brought me to the ce where I could pour my heart out of a thousand times for a thousand reasons. This was where she found the seventh person who I needed to kill in order to get rid of the curse that wanted to tear my whole life apart into broken pieces that are impossible to be mend again.


    As usual, she told me everything I needed to know about this person. She said that, "she is a rich woman who owned a jewelry store. She wasn''t only wealthy, but also powerful, so you should be careful."


    I know it wasn''t the first time I heard Alicia reminded me to be careful, and maybe she really cared about me, or what could happen when I''m gone.


    "She lives in there." Alicia pointed her finger at the jewelry store several feet away. There were many security guards and people around. The store was also nearby the highway, and it seemed difficult to fight that woman because there was a police station there.


    "Shit! It seemed to be difficult to enter that store, there are many people there," Iined.


    "Don''t say that Ka, there''s nothing impossible if you won''t give up on achieving something. Just believe you can. You have the power to kill whoever you want. Don''t forget that everything you need is already there. Your intelligence and strength."


    "Right!" I agreed. "I''m swift and I can use that power to kill the woman who owned the store ahead."


    "Yeah, you can use your power, but first let me tell you what your enemy can do: that woman isn''t only big, but she has the power of earrings, which can create millions of pins or needles in one flip of her fingers. This time, you absolutely need to be careful because she will surely throw you her pins. It will be painful if they hit you."


    "That sounds dangerous, but don''t worry too much, Alice. She can''t kill me because I already know what to do in order to defeat her," I said.


    "Okay, I believe you can defeat her. But you still have to take care, because I will not help you doing that. I need to search for the next person because..." she had not finished her words when I interrupted. "Stop! That''s so monotonous. I already memorized that line of yours. You should go now if you won''t help me in killing the earringsdy," I said.


    "Whoa. How can you make a sobriquet of your enemy on the spot?" Alicia asked.


    "Nothing, I''m just using the source of their powers to give them nicknames, so that I won''t need to call them the ''seventh person, eight person, ninth person,'' and so on. That''s so boring," I sighed. "You have a point; that would be uninteresting if you''re calling them by numbers, but you can, actually, call them numbers too, so that you won''t forget how many people you''ve already killed," Aliciaughed.


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    "Why do I need to know how many people I have already killed if they were already destined to fight me? There will be no one to fight with if there''s no one left who was destined to fight me." "Right. I thought you''d say you''re not that evil to count the people you''ve killed. Anyway, I should go now, because you seemed to eat me if I stay here and watch your fight with the earrings woman." "I''ll surely eat you if you won''te back here at the right time. You freak."


    "Don''t worry, I will be back here so that you won''t eat me, madam," she replied.


    Alicia suddenly disappeared from the spot where she was standing. I don''t know if she''s always like this-someone who won''t stop talking as long as there''s someone who entertain her.


    Nevermind. My head would ache of thinking. I went near to the jewelry store where the earringdy was. I joined the crowd and pretended to be one of those people who wanted to buy something from the store. After a while, I got an opportunity to talk with the store owner. She was wearing a beautiful shirt and leggings, and she was a little bit fatty. She asked me if I want to buy something, and because I didn''t know what I wanted to buy, especially since I didn''t had any money because buying something was probably not the reason why I went there, I look for an alibi.


    I told thedy that her earrings were beautiful and I wanted to buy them in any amount. She was surprised when she heard me saying those words. She replied that she would just sell the other pair of simr earrings because her earrings were already worn and they have sentimental value for her.


    My intention was different from hers; therefore, I coerced her to sell her earrings to me in any amount, but she chose to have a dispute instead of giving them. Maybe her earrings were so powerful that whatever happens, she would not sale them, though I would offer her a million dors.


    I didn''t want to destroy my n, and because of that, I became submissive in that case, and I told her I would buy another pair of earrings which had the same appearance as hers. I and thedy went inside the other room of the store because her earrings in the front room were no longer the same.


    The opportunity showed up by itself when thedy was taking the earrings I wanted to buy. I used my power to move swiftly. I grabbed her earrings with a kick on her buttocks, then shended on therge container containing her jewels-the ce where she should be.


    I didn''t want her to stand up and fight me back. So I cast a spell to bury her inside the container as I kicked her to fit there. After ten quick kicks, her head was bleeding. She did not even growled, for I was so fast and even though she was so fat, I made her lost consciousness.


    Several loud sts deafened me, but I was lucky, because nobody went inside the room where I murdered the pathetic woman.


    To end her life, I turned her neck from front to back. A loud crack filled all over the room. After many loud cracks, the earringdy totally became bby and breathless. I noticed she wasn''t totally ugly, because even though she was fat, she has a high nose, a round face, ck eyes, and white skin. But what''s the value of her beauty if she''s dead?

 80 The Watch Boy

    After killing thedy, Alicia appeared with her devilish smile, seeing the fat woman lying down the floor. As what she always did in this asion, she offered the spirit to her master, then thedy disappeared as Alicia''s master epted the offer.


    Alicia stood up and I already knew what she wanted to say, that was to ask me if I''m ready to take the next challenge. Well, she didn''t need to ask me about it, because I''m always ready.


    It was already evening when Alicia brought me to the ce where the eighth person could be found. The crescent moon gradually appeared in the starry sky. The houses lit around us, then I remembered when I was still in my mansion. I was always looking at the moon which looked like thin wafer of pale lemon, and also at the thick shadows that represent the stables and everything else. In the ce of eight person I saw a different view of the moon, it was a white in color with some ck stained on it.


    I became so ustomed of the changing climate, because I seemed to travel the whole world in order to be totally free from the curse. Sometimes we were in a warm ce, sometimes in a cold ce, but in the ce of the seventh person, I felt like normal, perhaps it was a tropical country.


    Alicia told me that the eight person who was destined to fight me was a boy. A boy who possessed the power of watch. She told me that he could change his appearance into different aliens. I thought it was Ben Tennyson, so I asked Alicia and I thought I was right because of her replied that sounds the same.


    Alicia told me to take care because "Ben Carson" not "Ben Tennyson" was powerful. I replied her not worry about me because I''m already great that whoever wanted to fight me, I would defeat them. I would defeat even Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider Man, sh, Green Lantern, Cat Woman, Captain America, Aqua Man, etcetera etcetera. What the hell! I hope not so, I would never want to fight those respected superheroes, but for my freedom, I could risk everything. Alicia told me where Ben Carson was, so that I could attack him secretly and the same with the earrings woman, he couldn''t use his power, because before he would he was already out of consciousness. I would seize his neck and hung him in the air.


    Thereafter Alicia told me if where was the enemy, without saying anything and unlike before, she vanished in the air without saying goodbye or saying where she would be going. But I knew it was her life, a life of a spirit, and I could not control what she wanted to do with her life. She had her freedom, though she was in a curse. It was so confusing why she needed to go to the realm of spirit if she could be happy in the Earth without thinking about anything.


    If Alicia was contented of what she had, she probably wouldn''t need to curse me and definitely, we were living a happy and peaceful life unlike this kind of life we were experiencing. Maybe I didn''t need to kill people anymore and I''m reading the books of Author Warren II in my library room. What else I could do was to sigh as how I expressed my regrets and pushed them out from my mind.


    The past was just a memories and files that were stocked in someone''s mind. The more I would delete those files, the more they couldn''t be deleted; therefore, I should not think about them and they might delete themselves if they wanted. I should focus on how to defeat my enemy, and I thought the same way.


    I went near to the house where eighth person lived. It looked old and simple, made of polished woods which perfectly attached to each other was the house. As my sight strayed at the axe stuck to the bleeding wood, I remembered when the curse controlled my body. It used an axed to kill some people; maybe I could also use this axe to kill the watch boy?


    Maybe I could pretend that I was being controlled by the curse. I knew it wouldn''t be easy, because when the curse controlled my body, it was okay if someone hurt me because I couldn''t feel any pain, but in killing the watch boy by myself was totally a different story. I knew it would be so painful if someone would punch, kick and hit me with something. I knew it would only took three punches of a man''s fists in my face, and blood would streamed and diffused my face, as of what I observed to those people I''d punched.


    I continued walking towards the door and knocked on it with my left hand, while my right hand was holding the axe. After a few moments, someone had opened the door and because it was already night and the moon was the only source of light, I couldn''t recognize that person. Without any doubt, I hit that person with the sharp axe between his forehead. I knew he was an old man when I dragged him out the house and I entered there freely. His skull was probably damaged. The house was small, and I easily found the watch boy who was sitting on the wooden chair beside the table. He seemed to be eating something, a rice and chicken wings, which looked so yummy, but I knew those foods were not the reason why I went there, but the one who was eating them.


    Some light footsteps appeared as I walked near to him, then he stood up with his te, for he would be putting it to the sink. The watch boy was tall and he had short hair, looked like Ben Tennyson. I also saw the watch on his wrist. He was wearing a green shirt and avender pants, above his forehead was an eyesses. He stopped when he saw me and uttered some words.


    "Hey! Miss beautiful, what are you doing inside my house? And what did you do to my grandfather?" He asked.


    "Hello handsome boy. Your grandfather?" I queried. "He''s dead, I killed him just a while ago, and if you don''t want to follow him, you should give up your life!" I informed him. "What? Did you killed my grandfather? A girl like you could kill my grandfather in just seconds? That''s unbelievable!"


    "Whahahahaha!" Iughed. "Did you see this bloodied axe? This is what I used to kill your grandfather. I stroke him between his forehead. Do you want me to strike you too?"


    Maybe he noticed the axe was so sharp and prolific with blood which might came from to his grandfather. He was bewildered, as if he didn''t know what to do, like a wind blowing back and forth at my front. He stopped and gripped his head, until he finally said that he would kill me too as what I did to his grandfather.


    His appearance had changed into a fire breather alien. There was a continuous fireing out form his mouth and he wasn''t only a fire breather, he could also fly. By the used of being swift, I avoided all his attacks and I fought him with the powerful fan. I thrown him some gale which caused for his house to be destroyed. It wasn''t totally me who destroyed his house, but his fires because he seemed to burn me alive of his anger.


    If he thought that he could killed me as easy as that, then he would be disappointed, because the fires he was throwing wereing back to him, as how I''d use he powerful fan. He seemed to burn himself in his own fire, because he couldn''t hit me, but I hit him many times and his body burnt. He copsed as he got not a normal burnt, because he totally turned into a coal.


    I didn''t expected that the fire from his mouth would be that hot. He even turned himself into a coal of too much burst. He died because of himself, and I couldn''t feel even a little guilt.


    Alicia suddenly appeared beside me after a while, as if she really had the capability to know when the person who was destined to fight me was already dead.


    "Oh Ka! What happened to the watch boy? Why he seemed to be burnt by arge burst of fire?" Alicia queried in a surprised manner.


    "He, he killed himself, he made a fire, and that''s, that''s what burnt himself," I stammered. "Will it matter if he looked like a coal? Do your master won''t ept his spirit?"


    "Of course not, it''s just his body which burnt and his spirit like me can''t be affected, except if a powerful spirit will burn him again, and he will be totally died for the second time," Alicia replied.


    "If that so, you should not waste your time, because his spirit might elude if you can''t offer him to your master," I suggested.


    Alicia offered the spirit of the watch boy to her master, and we eventually went to where the ninth person was. I would never stop as long as I couldn''t finish my mission in order to get rid from the curse, because stopping even for a while was a waste of time.

 81 The Memories

    Lil We appeared several feet at a room with green-painted door and yellow curtains hanging inside the windows that are made of ss. It seemed to be my first time having a fight in this kind of ce if it happen that the sun man would fight me. Definitely, he have two choices, which were to die or to die hard. A man like him, I knew that he will choose to die hard than to die without fighting at all. If there was someone who would ask me to choose between the two; certainly, I''d die hard, I better die while fighting than dying without fighting.


    "Are you sure that the sun man is here?" Cain asked curiously. "Uh-huh, why you are asking me that?" I asked back.


    "If you are really sure that he is here, how did you know that?"


    "If I tell you, there is nothing for you to discover," I replied.


    "I am old in discovering things, why won''t you just tell me?"


    "Why won''t you just open that door?" I tried changed the topic.


    "If you don''t want to tell me, then that is just okay, but let me tell you that there is nothing can be hidden forever."


    "I know that, man."


    His ck robe was swinging as he walked towards the door.


    "I am already old for you to remind me that," I added.


    If it happen, I could be the one to break that words, or it happened that someone already broke that words. Millions of people in this world, had millions of secrets too.


    Cain knocked on the green-painted door, he seemed to motivate someone to open it. I didn''t know why he need to knock on that door if he could go wherever he wanted. I didn''t know what was happening to him. I didn''t know why he didn''t know that the sun man was here, though he was the one who search the man and it only took him a short time.


    It came to my mind that he could not help me if his power would not work; therefore, I abruptly went towards him and teleport us in behind the wall by the stairs of the same building.


    "Oh Lil, why did you brought us here?" He asked, appalled.


    Because of my father''sment "Birdbrained" -the kind of word which-or telling something or someone as stupid or someone that was not thinking about something, such as believing to someone''s alibi, hearsay, wrong information, or anything else that made someone capable to be called stupid, it made me think about my family, as I said the word to Cain. I remembered how they fight for my goodness, which sometimes turned onto dispute, but whatever dispute intercedes between them or us, we would never hate each other. Jay and Leona, I really miss them. I also miss my Cyril, I hope that she was just okay. What kind of life I had, I didn''t know why it had to be like this.


    I came back to my senses when Cain said in my ear, "Hey Lil, I was asking if why you brought me here, but you did not answer me. It seemed that you fell out of kindness. Will you tell me what you was thinking?" "Uh..." I hesitated. As I don''t want to show weakness to Cain.


    "I just want to ask you how you could help me if your power does not work? How you will help me in killing the sun man if you are so weak and you don''t even know that he is here?" I was curious.


    "Do you think I will go with you I don''t know that?" Cain asked. "Why you are saying that I am so weak this time? Don''t you ever think that you are weaker than me? Huh?" He bragged.


    "Sorry mister strong and powerful, but I am the one who was asking you about how could you help me defeating the man?"


    Cain sighed. "I don''t know," the only words came from his lips.


    "See? You don''t know... why we are going to attack the sun man if we cannot defeat him without your power?" I asked.


    "We will need to wait for the night toe, because darkness can help us. Let me asked you how you can finish your mission without me, as you are just relying on my power?"


    The darkness could help us? Was that a connotation? How could he say that? Maybe he meant that his power would work if the eveninge.


    "I don''t know, what I only know is that I need to finish this mission for my freedom. I knew even I would not do this, destiny will push me or pull me like a ma, you know, towards this thing. It is unavoidable. I better die fighting without fighting at all."


    "How can you fight them if you are just relying on my me?"


    I want to avoid his question that seemed to make me feel inferior. "You are just repeating the question. You better tell me how we could defeat the sun man at this situation?"


    He sighed. "I told you, we cannot defeat him if we don''t have any power, we shall wait the darkness toe. Do not worry to much because after a few moments, my power will work again," Cain replied.


    I was curious. "What do you mean by darkness?" I asked.


    "I meant, the dawn, that is the darkness," he exined.


    Cain was right, we definitely need to wait some minutes before we could attack the sun man, because we will just burnt if we don''t have power to use against him. It came to my mind to practice water magic and that I can use this magic to fight him, as it can protect us to get burnt.


    "Don''t lost hope Lil, I am sure that we can kill him before the daybreak."


    He put his hand above my shoulder with a bit force. Something that telling me not to give up, that I could. It made me remember my best friend France. I didn''t know what was happening to him, if what he was doing. I wondered if he was just okay, did he came back to school, or he didn''t care about the world anymore? Did he remembered me too, as I remembered him, or he already forgotten me? Maybe he just considered me as a part of the puzzle, which means a part of his past life, which tells me to consider him as that too. Everything in my past were just a portion, though it was the reason why I am here, I could not turn back the time.


    "Um... Lil, you are lulled there... Is there something wrong?"


    "Nothing, I just need to be quiet because if not, the sun man can noticed that we are here. Our n will fail if that happen."


    "Are you sure that''s the only reason?" He asked.


    I sighed and replied, "There are just some memories in the past that''sing back to my mind. Don''t worry about me."


    My past could not help me from fixing something that were just happening at this asion. They were just bad dreams that end at a time, which sometimese back. What shall I do was to wake up, and do other things to forget them. Make myself busy on my mission, power and magics.


    It was really difficult to forget my bad memories in the past, for those memories were marked on me badly. Memories that could not be erase though I used all kind of erasure, for I bring them wherever I went and it was hooked on the rock. Though I never did hooked them, it was the nature''s did.

 82 The Room

    There were some people passing by and beside us using the winding stairs and going to the other rooms. Good to know they did not noticed me and Cain to be looked weird. They might think that we were just a ordinary people who rent in here. As I know that this building was not open for public. This ce was so quiet, there was not even a little sound except those footsteps made by the people who was walking around.


    I and Cain were just standing here, doing nothing, sometimes ncing at each other and watching to the door of the room where the sun man was. As we didn''t want him to elude from us, else we need to search for him again. It seemed that there was someone with him inside the room, for he was sometimes talking with a woman. It was a little weird, but not just that, we sometimes heard their loud, moaning voices. I noticed that Cain was a little bit foolish, for he seemed to listen them.


    "Hey, what are you seemed to cling on that wall?" I asked.


    The ce was filled of silence as I said those words, even the moaning voices gone too. After some seconds, Cain break the silence, he asked me if who I was talking with.


    "Of course you, is there someone with us?" I asked again.


    "Yeah, there is someone with us," he replied.


    It made me think deeply and messed my mind, for I saw nothing except us. Who could be with us? Maybe he was talking about the butterfly that was flying around, maybe with the birds that were also flying above, those people who just passed by us, or maybe an invisible one.


    "Who can be with us if there is not one here?" I asked.


    "Who do you think? It''s you and me, we are with us right?"


    "Haha, you are really out of your mind, but you have a point, we are with each other; therefore, we are with us."


    "Don''t think too far if the answer was just on the question."


    I smiled, as I understood what he meant. After a few moments and eventually, the wait was over. The dawn wasing slowly towards us. It was time to kill the sun man. We went back towards the front of the door where the sun man and a woman was still inside. Cain was stretching and begin to knock on the green door. The sounds he made were normal, not feeling angry and not too low.


    The time came, there was someone opened the door. It was the sun man. At the same time, he said nothing, as he saw nothing. He was going to close the door when Cain pushed him back inside the room.


    Suddenly, the woman who was wearing a miniskirt, in, amaranth shirt and sneakers run out from the room where Cain went. She ran quickly, as she seemed to be followed by a vassal of demons. I decided to let her go, since she didn''t have any connection of what we were doing. At the same time, I went towards the door and get inside, there I saw Cain punching the sun man.


    Incredible, in punching it turned that Cain automatically won, because he couldn''t be touch nor seen by anyone. He was the vassal of devil. As what he told me that someone could only touch him if he gave consent. He also told me that he could not touch human when his power didn''t work.


    After a few moments, in a yellow boxer and without shirt, the sun man was lying on the glossy floor with some blood dripping down from his forehead. I never knew that Cain could dropped him easily as that, it took him seconds. The sun man seemed to be just strong when there was a sun, but if the night came, he turned onto a pointless one.


    Cain looked at me. "Lil,e on!" He called.


    I closed the door and went towards them. My heart was throbbing as I know that I need to end someone''s life. It was a little ufortable for me to end someone''s life in a merciful condition. I only have courage when I was the one who turned them onto that condition, but if others, my heart wants to jump out of my rib cage.


    "So, what are you waiting for? Kill him now!" He ordered.


    Motherf*cker! Though I am the master of crime, I still didn''t know how to end someone''s life. I hesitated to do the heinous crime. As usual, what made me having courage was to think that everything about me lies on their lives, my freedom, my family, my life, etcetera.


    Hence, one kicked at a time. As I hit his abdomen, the dark red liquid that came out from his mouth and nose ended his life. I had been thinking if how painful the death he got. Death was not scary at all, what was more scary was the way someone dies.


    Some people would say that they fear death and I couldn''t judge them, for they have their reason. Those people were thinking about someone that they love and even their property that will be left in this world. As what would happened to them when they die. Some people were not scared to die, but they were thinking that they could waste their opportunity to live. I was one of them.


    "Finally!" Cain eximed. "You killed him." He smiled.


    "What kind of shit you are!" I shouted back. "Please, don''t be d because I killed him," I said, seemed to implore. "Whahaha," heughed. "That is just okay Lil. We already talked about this thing. He cannot be die if it is not his time."


    "It that''s what you believed in, then I will just go outside, so that you can offer his spirit to your invisible master."


    "You better get outside so that we can stopped talking, and please watched the people, do not let them enter here."


    I got outside the room. It was already dark in the ce, the only source of light was the bulbs from each room of the building and houses. After a few moments, Cain went outside the door and got towards me. We were surprised when there was someone going towards us.

 83 The Ball Boy

    Ka


    "The next person lives here. He''s also a boy, but who has the power of ball. He can change his appearance into a thick, hard and big balls and he will roll down to you. You must be on focus, because he''s so fast when he''s rolling, and if you cannot avoid him, you will definitely breath yourst. So always be on focus," Alice advised.


    "Don''t worry about me Alice, I can kill him even he will change himself into a rock, just go to the next person and you don''t need to tell if you will go somewhere," I replied.


    "If that what you wanted, I believed that you can kill him in a short period of time, the same with what you did to other people. Hence, I better go now and leave that boy to you, see you hereter."


    "Wait! Don''t you have a n to tell where''s that boy now?" I asked.


    "The boy that was destined to fight you is in the za, you know he is ying with ball, though he can even y to himself because he can change himself into a ball, haha," Alice replied.


    "Do you mean in that za?" I pointed an index finger to the za where there are some boys ying basketball.


    "Yeah, is there any other za here?" Alice replied.


    "I don''t know, you can now go to where you want to go, just don''t forget to go back here at the right time," I reminded.


    "Don''t worry Ka, we are partners in crime, so don''t doubt that I will not go back here because my freedom also lies to the people you had killed. Let me just asked you if why you seemed to miss me quickly if I will go somewhere?"


    "Are you out of your mind? I don''t miss you okay? I only cares for myself, because if there might be many people that can see the crime I did and they will fight me, that will be a big trouble, that''s the reason why I am asking you to get back at the right time because you may not see me again."


    "Don''t see that Ka, you are still young to die," Alice said.


    "Can you stop pretending that you care about me because I know that you only care for yourself and for your freedom, that''s why you seemed to care as you don''t want me to die."


    "You said it, I don''t want you to die, so don''t doubt that I will not help you if there are many people that wants to kill you, because I don''t want you to die for my freedom."


    Alicia was seemed to be crazy. Well, she was not the only one who seemed crazy, but also me, because we seemed to talk throughout the day if we had started talking about something, through those things were not important. It was Alicia who always changes our topic into an unimportant one and not me. I better not to say anything if she talks about unimportant thing.


    The people there were not totally too many, there were just few who were sitting on the benches and looking somewhere. Maybe they were thinking about many things, thinking about their past and love ones. I hope that I could also have someone to love soon, maybe there was also a male who was destined to be my lover. My sky would just turned cloudy because that male seemed to be still a sperm of his father.


    I just thought if how it felt to fell in love with someone who has great gap with my age. Well, I could not decide if who would be the male that could make me fell in love. I also could not escape the possibility that I may experience to December love affairs as long as I was single. I was just seventeen and there was still time for that thing.


    As Alicia disappeared from the spot where she was standing, I also went near to the boys that were ying balls in the za. Actually, I went very near to them and I even joined them ying basketball, though I didn''t know how to shoot that ball, there was nothing to lose if I tried.


    My intention was not totally ying balls, but to hurt the ball boy and make him show his anger to me, so that he would asked me to y one on one, but I didn''t really want to y, I wanted a real fight and to kill that ball boy, so that it would end. I had not got any points in shooting the ball to the ring, but I got many points in hurting him, as I did many fouls.


    The game ended, and the ball boy was very angry to me, because everytime I went near to him I punched, kicked or do anything just to make him felt hurt. I really wanted him to became angry and that there would be a reason why we were fighting, though the truth I wanted to kill him.


    He wanted to lunged me as his face turned red because of anger. He pushed the other boys that wanted to restrain him to fight me. I did not expected that he was so strong that they had thrown away as he pushed them. Afterward, his appearance changed into a ball as he wants to hit me. He suddenly blow himself towards for many time and I tried my best to avoid them. I was nearly hit by that boy, as he was determined to hit me whatever happened. The other boys had ran away when they saw that he had turned himself into a ball. They might thought he was not a normal human and could hurt them too if they would stay near to him, the reason why they ran away from us. If the ball boy thought that he was the only one who was fast, then he was wrong. I thought that he was just a ball and I am a girl who can y him. So I used the power of being swift and I kicked that ball boy anywhere. I seemed to yed football at that time, because I wanted to make him weak and that he could not fought me anymore. I did not stopped from kicking him, and because I am so quick, he could not escape from me. Until the boy, in a appearance of a ball turned bby. It torn him through any way I wanted.


    Eventually, he came back to his appearance with a torn clothes and not just clothes, his whole body was torn and he was not even breathing. Meanwhile, he was dead because Alicia also appeared by us. Alicia still wearing her ck leather coat and pants. She was not changing them because however beautiful was her dress, it could not cover her sins and nobody could see them because she was a spirit.


    "I don''t want to asked you what happened to this boy, because I know that it was you who killed him and you will just replied me that it was him who killed himself. Our conversation is just repeating."


    "Thank you Alice, I know that it will be difficult for me to fight many people and to be undefeated still without your help in telling me something about the enemies," I replied.


    "You don''t need to thank me, because what we are doing is we both benefit on it, so I must help you for the benefit." She shown a demon-like smile.

 84 The Voice Woman

    I knew that I didn''t owe any favor to Alicia because it was all her mistake why I was fighting. I already learned my lessons, and that thing was just a part of the puzzle. What I should do was to make myself busy in the things that I needed to do. After a few moments of waiting, Alicia was already done in offering the spirit to her master.


    "We''re done what we needed to do in this ce, so let''s go to the next?" I asked.


    "Don''t be hasty Ka, because the tenth person that you needed to kill is not just an ordinary person and there is a big possibility that you cannot defeat that person," Alice said, worriedly.


    "What do you mean?" I asked. "Can''t you just tell me who is that person that I needed to kill? So that we cannot waste our time in just standing here?"


    "That person is a woman who has a beautiful voice. Hold my hand and I will bring you to the ce where she is living."


    I held Alicia''s hand and we suddenly appeared in the other ce.


    "The next person is a woman who has a beautiful voice. Her power also came from her voice. She can make strong waves through her voice and you must avoid hearing them, else you will be out of consciousness and you could not see her again nor kill her," Alicia said.


    "Then tell me where is that woman right now," I said.


    "She is inside her house, right there." Alicia pointed her index finger to the house ahead. The house is just simple but beautiful.


    "Do you want to help me in killing that woman?" I asked.


    "Why did you asked me that? Can''t you do it by your own?"


    "You told me that she is not just ordinary and there is a big possibility that I cannot defeat her, that is why I am asking your help. Don''t worry about the eleventh person, because I will also help you to search for that person."


    "You said it, so let us go there now and this will end." We slowly went near to the house of the woman who had the power of voice. There were many houses standing near to her house, but seemed to be empty because it was so silent there. Maybe those people that lives there were already sleeping because of the beautiful voice of the woman. Sleeping was different from being out of consciousness, those people might out of there consciousness because of that woman. It seemed that I needed to cover my ears while walking if she would began to sing, because I would be definitely out of consciousness too if I heard her voice. I and Alicia slowly went near to the house where she lives, so that we could not make any noise that could make her asleep. It was already evening and probably the voice woman was asleep.


    Alicia used her power to teleport with me and we entered in the house of voice woman without making any noise. It was quite weird inside the house, because it seemed empty and there was no other people lives there. We slowly search for the voice woman; we found her sleeping inside a bedroom.


    She didn''t have beautiful voice only, but also beautiful face. She had white skin, high nose, long, straight hairs. She was not only beautiful, but also sexy.


    Without doubt, I ended her life through putting the pillow on her face with force so that she could not breathe and dead. I heard her woke up and said something, but because she was suffocating, I could not understood what she was talking about. Eventually, she quieted down. Those happening was not too fast, but I thought that it would be the most easier fight that happened, because the enemy had not fight back. She meet death that was smiling at her.


    "Ha!" I suddenly eximed. "This is the easiest fight that happened. I can''t believe that you would like to tell me that there is a big possibility that I cannot defeat this woman."


    "That just... a... nothing," Alicia stammered.


    "You just waste your time to go with me though you even had not help me in anything, and now we will need to searched for the eleventh person because you chose to go with me instead of searching for that person," I scolded.


    "Can you stopped scolding me? I know it was my mistake when I told you that your enemy is so powerful, I even did not think that every normal people need to sleep at night to rest," Alice said, apologizing.


    "See? You even admitted your mistake, so please don''t say unimportant things again. Don''t say anything as long as you had not think well about it."


    "I know-I know that, so you don''t need to remind me because I am not having an amnesia, I had been strolling in this world and I don''t need someone''s admonition."


    "If you don''t need someone''s admonition, why you are making mistakes though you had been strolling in this world for over thousands of years?" I asked.


    "Nothing, I am a demon and however I avoid to make wrong to others, it was difficult for me to do, because I am born by mistakes, grew by mistakes, lived with mistakes and I am doing mistakes my whole life. That''s how sinful I am and no one can removed that from me whatever they will do," Alice said.


    "Wow... So you are bragging because you born with mistakes and lived with mistakes? Are not you felt ashamed because of the wrongs that you did to other people?" I asked.


    "Ka, we can''t live in this world without making mistakes. What we can do is to ept that nobody can live in this world without making mistakes."


    "I can''t live in this world without making mistakes and so I can''t live without doing wrong to others, because killing people is the only way to get rid from the curses that came from someone who loved making wrong to others though they are not doing wrong to her."


    "Can you stopped mentioning the past? You better stopped talking for now and go outside, because I will be offering the spirit of this woman to my master."


    I went outside the house without saying anything. I knew that Alicia was just pretending that she knew nothing about mistakes and doing wrong to others. She might just avoiding me to chide her mistake that could not be gone in my mind.

 85 The Cat Woman

    Ka


    The whole ce was dark and the moon was the only source of light, because there was no electricity in this ce. I didn''t know if where we would go next, but I was sure that the time there was different from the time here. It felt different to be strolling in the world by using teleportation, because it seemed that my world was spinning around and making me dizzy.


    Eventually, after a few moments of waiting, Alicia went out from the house of the voice woman. She looked like the same and her hair was not spreading around her shoulder anymore. She learned to tied it because I told her that she looked like old Alicia if her hairs was spreading. She was not just old Alicia, but an ugly hag.


    I was the definition of a tireless girl. Until then, I had not gotten any information that told the truth about myself. It sounded weird, but I was a girl who did not know myself. I didn''t know what kind of girl I was or why I had some kind of power that normal humans didn''t had. Maybe I would just live my life in this world without knowing the whole truth about me and my family.


    After Alice offered the spirit of the voice woman to her master, it was time to go to the eleventh person. Maybe that person was a little bit strong and powerful, so I would be fighting and not just killing that person like an ant.


    Alicia and I went to the ce where the next person lives. The ce where there were no more people but animals was not a zoo, but there were many animals in that ce. Those animals were so many that their quantity measured a battalion.


    "Alice, there are no people here. Don''t tell me that the eleventh person that I needed to kill was not a person, but an animal," I said.


    "No-she is not an animal, but her power source is rted to animals. It may be difficult for you to kill her, because she has the power of these cats. Maybe we can call her the cat woman. She is definitely difficult to kill because she has nine lives," Alice replied.


    "What the hell, Alice? Do you believe that cats have nine lives? What kind of demon are you? Whatever power she has, I believed that everything has only one life and they would die after I killed them. That is impossible," I said. "How can you perform magic if you believe it''s impossible?" Alice asked.


    I thought that Alicia was right, because I was not there if I didn''t believe in the impossible things that were happening in this world. There was no use in believing in science anymore, because I was in the world of magic. There was nothing else I could do but believe in the powers that my enemies have, so that my life wouldn''t be endangered.


    "So where is that cat woman that you are talking about?" I asked.


    "She is living in that solitary house that is standing there." Alicia pointed an index finger at the lonely house that was standing ahead.


    "Do you think I will need your help in killing that woman?" I asked.


    "I don''t know, it defends your capability. Just tell me if you need my help in killing her, because I am always ready to help you. What do you think? Do you believe that she is so powerful?"


    "I don''t believe that she is powerful. I am just asking you if you will help me kill that woman. What do you think? Do I have the capability to kill her?" I asked.


    "Of course you have; therefore, you better not waste time. Go to that house and do what you need to do now. I will just search for the twelfth person," Alice replied.


    I wouldn''t even admit it, but I was a little bit ufortable in this ce, because it seemed to be a ce of death. Well, being scared was just in my mind, so I''d better not think about those things that would scare me. Consequently, I bravely went towards the house of the cat woman, though my heart throbbed wildly and seemed to jump out of my rib cage.


    There were no other sounds that could be heard in that ce but the meows of cats that were strolling around. I slowly entered the house of the cat woman, but the door cried out when I opened it. I was surprised when there was a woman that jumped on me.


    She seemed to be a cat when she scratched my face. It was so painful because her nails were so long and sharp. It made some wounds on my face, and the blood streamed onto my face. I was surprised because she attacked me and I had not prepared.


    The fight would not be over just as easily as that. I was clever to use all my strength to kick the cat woman, which was the reason she was thrown away from me. She bounced against the columns of her house. Meanwhile, she stood up again and prepared to attack me.


    For the second time, the cat woman tried to jump on me and wanted to scratch my face like an ugly cat. I had the power to be swift, and I used that power to avoid her ardour attacks. I swiftly kicked several times, until she bounced against the columns of her house. She seemed to be a cat that was difficult to kill.


    The cat woman actually looked like a cat. She had a high nose, ck eyes, and white skin. Her hair was long, ck, and tied. She also had a long ck tail. She was tall and also strong, as she was so hard she couldn''t be dropped, no matter how much kicked she got.


    If she thought that she was already so great that nobody could defeat her, she would be disappointed, because a girl named Ka was the one who would end her life. I wasn''t just an ordinary girl, and I could live even if I had to wait a very long time without doing anything. So I used it to defeat the enemy. I kicked her with all my force, and she could not fight back because I was so quick.


    Eventually, after hundreds of kicks and punches that the cat woman received from me, she finally became bby. Who would not be tired if they bounced against the cols for so many times? Maybe that could be me, because I was thicker than the cat woman.


    Thest kick she got from me ended her ninth life. Alicia was correct in assuming that the cat woman has nine lives because she was so cold-hearted and could not have died if she still had some lives. Meanwhile, after I killed the cat woman, Alicia also appeared.

 86 The Comb Girl

    After Alicia offered the spirit of the cat woman to her master, she told me something about the twelfth person that was destined to fight me. She told me that the next person that I needed to kill was a woman who had the power of ab. My adversaries wield power from simple objects such asbs.


    Then Alicia brought me to the ce where the twelfth person lives. She brought me to a very faraway ce, a ce where many people live, many huge houses stand, old structures are erected, and tall buildings stand against the unblemished sky. It was already morning in this ce, and the sun had just shown up in the sky. The sounds of roasters could be heard, and the streets started to be crowded when the transportation came on.


    "Alicia, do you have a n to tell me where the twelfth person that I need to kill right now?" I said.


    "She was just living there." Alicia pointed her fingers at the big house ahead. It seemed that the twelfth person is wealthy, because she lives in a mansion.


    "You may now go, just leave that girl to me," I replied.


    Alicia suddenly disappeared from the spot where she was standing. Meanwhile, I went to the mansion where theb girl lives. Her power source was theb, so she would be called asb girl. In that case, the only way to defeat her was to take herb away from her.


    There were some guards that were watching the wide door; therefore, we had a fight. They were just ants to me, for I could not defeat them whatever they would do. It only took me a few seconds to drop them down. Definitely, they were just ants that protect their queen, the big ant that own the mansion. I was surprised when I mistook theb girl for the owner of that mansion, because I saw her cleaning the floor of the mansion and was ordered by the real owner. She seemed to be Cindere that was forced to do her job. I didn''t know why she also follows her wicked stepmother and the owner of the mansion if she could use her power to fight them. I saw that there was nob in her, but in the hands of her wicked stepsister, the daughter of the owner of the mansion. I didn''t know who to kill if the girl that was cleaning the floor was the one that was holding theb. But I was clever and I knew who to kill. Of course, the one who was destined to fight me would find a way to fight me and the one that would not fight me was not destined to fight me.


    I was just hiding beside the white columns of the mansion at the time. I suddenly showed myself to them and bravely asked for a fight. I seemed to be a drunkard who was asking for a fight. I was surprised when the girl that was holding theb suddenly eximed that she epted my challenge. Meanwhile, she threw theb at me, which I did not expect. It is ab made of fine metal, sharper and pointed. It was a big mistake, because my arm was hit by it, and the blood spurted out.


    Another hit on my legs when the girl threw theb at me again and my blood seemed to flow like a river. Even my tears started to stream down because of the pain I felt. She was going to hit my neck again when I used my power to avoid her painful attacks. She was a good shooter, because the two times that she shouted at me, I was hit in two parts of my body, in my arm and leg.


    I hid myself back in the cols. I could hear that the wicked owners of the mansion wereughing like demons, as they defeated me in just a few seconds. I knew that the fight was not over as long as I was alive. In the meantime, I used my power of dark magic to heal the wounds on my arm and leg. Then I immediately went back to the spot where I was hit with the powerfulb. If they thought that I would not go back again, then they would be disappointed, because I went back by myself and faced the death if they wanted to meet me.


    They were surprised when they saw me again, but I was more surprised when the girl who was cleaning the floor was already gone. I sensed what it meant. They just used that girl to pretend to make me attack my weakness. They were definitely the two people who were destined to fight me and not the girl. I didn''t know why Alicia did not tell me that my enemies were also clever. But what I only knew was that I would do everything I needed in order to get rid of the curse. Thus, I avoided all the attacks from the real owner of theb. I used my power to move quickly, like lightning, and dropped the girl and her mother, who seemed to be the thirteenth person. If she was one of the thirteen people, then it still favored me, because I didn''t need to go somewhere to search for her, as she offered herself with volition.


    I pushed their faces with all my strength, though my other arm was still bleeding. I never gave them any opportunity to fight back again. I endured all the pain that came from my leg and kicked them every which way that seemed to throw them out of this world. They bounce against the hard coral that only appeared to be hard because their bones were broken as a result of their bones being broken and also as a result of my strength.


    Thereafter, I got theb from the girl''s hands as she was not breathing anymore. Her mother''s heart also stopped beating. I knew I could use the powerfulb to fight the next people who were destined to fight me.

 87 The Rocks Man

    Alicia wasughing when she appeared beside me. She wasughing because of what she saw. Maybe she wasughing because I had gotten some wounds from the enemies. Maybe she wasughing because even though I got some wounds, I was still breathing. Definitely, she wasughing because the two people who were destined to fight me were already dead.


    As usual, she would offer their spirits to her master. After that, the bodies of the two suddenly disappeared from the spot where they were lying. Then Alicia invited me to go to a bar and stop killing people for a while, just to rx and drink some wine. Of course, I didn''t go with her, because she would only waste time and cause some trouble there instead of doing the job that she needed to finish.


    Alicia took me to the other location, where the fourteenth person. She brought me to a very far ce. I know that it was far because it took us seconds to reach the ce, though we were teleporting.


    It seems that the fourteenth person''s power was rted to nature, because Alicia brought me to the ce where there were countable houses. There were some houses, but they all stand apart from each other. The sky was a little bit cloudy, and the wind whispered coldly. There were many trees, nts, animals, and many other things that surround us. There were many high mountains also. Everywhere I''d looked, there were many groves and copses. It was a breathtaking view, and the air was unpolluted.


    "Wow, it is such a nice ce!" I eximed.


    "Hey, can you stop thinking that I brought you here just to rx? I already asked you to go to the bar, but you don''t want to go with me. So I will let you fight the person that was destined to fight you, while I will be going to the bar. Enjoy," Alice said.


    What the hell has happened to Alicia? Was she really going to the bar even though her work was not finished yet? I didn''t know why she would go there, though she could not even drink any liquor. I know that she would only cause some trouble, because she could not avoid making trouble, as she was born because of troubles.


    "You have freedom to do whatever you want, but don''t forget to tell me something about the fourteenth person before leaving. One more thing: do not drink liquor, ande back here at the right time, or else you cannot offer the spirit of the next person to your master."


    "Don''t worry about that, Ka. Actually, I am just joking that I will go to the bar, but the truth is that I will not. I will only search for the sixteenth person that was destined to fight you, because you seemed to want to eat me if I did not help you in searching for your enemies."


    "Can you please stop telling me that I will eat you, because if I could, I would have done that already. You better tell me something about the fourteenth person first," I replied.


    "The fourteenth person is a man who has the power of rocks. Those rocks there can do whatever he wants them to do. Did you see that house there? That is the house of the man." Alica pointed her index finger at the house that was surrounded by the precipice and cliff.


    It seemed like a difficult fight was waiting for me and the man that was living there. If his power source were rocks, I''m going to call him the rocks man. Alicia suddenly disappeared from the spot where she was standing. Well, she didn''t need to ask my permission before leaving because her speech was so monotonous.


    I went near the house where the rocks man lives to see if he was there. There were too many steep rocks around, and they seemed to pierce me with their pointed edges. When I reached the small house, there were no other sounds that I heard, except the sweet chirps of birds that perched above the tall trees.


    Perhaps the rocks man was sleeping, because everything around him seemed to be singing a luby, cold wind chilled me to the bone and seemed to be making me fall asleep.


    I slowly opened the door of the shack, it cried out as if it wanted to wake someone from a deep slumber. Therefore, if it didn''t want to quiet down, then I totally mmed it. I seemed to wake up the sleeping house, because it was shaking when I opened the door. When I entered there, I was surprised, because I saw nothing. Then, I was surprised again when I turned to go out. It was the man who was looking directly at me.


    That man was already old, but I didn''t like his attitude because he scolded me when he saw that I seemed to be destroying his house. Well, I could not judge him if he became angry because he has a reason to be. What was more embarrassing was to be angry without any reason. Maybe it was also because of anger that the rocks man showed his power to me. I was surprised to see the steep rocks were floating in the air.


    At that time, I was bewildered and did not know what to do. I was afraid that the rocks man could hit me with those steep rocks because they looked so painful if they could hit me. So I did my best to run quickly and avoid his attacks that went faster than how I could imagine.


    My heart beat wildly, and I could even hear it while running. I used my power to move swiftly, but there were too many rocks that were blocking my way, and those rocks made me stumble. I nearly died because the rocks man was just behind me, and there were too many rocks that surrounded him, making him invincible. I was just lucky because I had a magicalb.


    I used theb to kill the rocks man by piercing the right side of his chest. I thought that he was already dead, because he did not move. He seemed to be stuck looking right at me while the prolific blood from his chest streamed down. Expectations hurt and I was surprised when he used all the steep rocks around him. He hit me, and I was totally out of senses.

 88 The End

    I could see nothing but darkness. Everywhere I''d look, there was nothingness waiting. I was in a ce of emptiness. I didn''t know how I got into that kind of ce. What I only remember was that I was fighting with the rocks man and I slipped off consciousness because of the rocks that he threw at me. I didn''t know how to go back to the real world.


    My world suddenly tottered. I used all my power to stop the earthquake, but it was so strong that it wanted to destroy my whole world. There was someone destroying my world, the world of emptiness where I could do whatever I want, because I have freedom here. When I opened my eyes, I saw Alicia looking at me.


    "Oh! Alice, what happened to the rocks man?" I asked.


    "Good job, Ka!" Alice eximed. "Your mission to that man has already beenpleted; you killed him. I''m sorry because I did not help you in killing him, but you still proved that you are powerful."


    "That''s nothing. I know that you are still helping me to search for those people who were destined to fight me, am I right?" I replied.


    Alicia didn''t say anything, and I couldn''t predict what she was thinking right then.


    "Your body was full of bruises. Are you okay?" Alice asked.


    "No more words, I''m fine. You better bring me to the next person who was destined to fight me, so that we can end this nightmare quickly," I suggested.


    "Can you stop thinking about that for a while? Let me use dark magic to heal your wounds first. You had told me that you could kill all your enemies. Well, look what happened to you. You were nearly killed by the enemy."


    I sighed. "Alice, can you stop pretending that you care? I know that you only care for yourself and for your freedom. So stop acting like my mom."


    "No-can you stop pretending that you don''t like me to care about you? It''s true, I really care about you, and I care about you more than myself or anything else," Alicia stated solemnly. I could see the sincerity in her eyes.


    She gave me a hand and helped me stand up. I didn''t feel any pain anymore. It was because of Alicia''s dark magic, as she healed my wounds and even the pain that I felt about everything. I was full of vitality and my weight was reduced half from the original.


    "Why won''t you bring me to the next person? You''re just talking nonsense. How can you say that you care for me though you cannot even care for yourself?" I asked.


    "Ka, can you please give me a little time to exin why I care so much for you? I have been telling you that I care for you, but you are always changing our topic and won''t even let me talk and listen."


    "Alicia... there is nothing else more important for you, and there are no other things more important to me. What is most important to us is our freedom, and have you forgotten that what we are doing this for our freedom? That we are fighting for freedom? Because some people gave us curses, as their minds were our prisons and their eyes were our cage," I said while my tears were falling to the ground because of the feelings that I could not exin.


    "You don''t need to be free anymore because you are already free and what you must do is to enjoy the time that is left in your life. You can do whatever you want, but enjoy every day thates because life is too short to worry about anything. Enjoying life is the best thing to do so that one day you will not regret wasting your time on doing the will of others. Do not do the will of others if you will not be happy."


    "Alicia?" I asked curiously. "Is that really you? Why are you saying that? You are a heartless demon, aren''t you? You are the one who put a curse on me, aren''t you? You are the one who wants me to fight because it is for our freedom, aren''t you? Why are you telling me these things now?"


    "Why are you doubting my words? Why do you need to search for freedom if I am giving it to you? Why won''t you believe that I care for you?" She asked.


    "Why won''t you just tell me the exact reason why you care for me? Are you really just a concerned citizen?"


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    Alicia''s face was telling me that she was crying, though there were no tearsing out of her eyes. Her words seemed to be saying farewell to me. Maybe she was just saying farewell because she was going to search for the next person. I knew that there were still eighty-six people left that I needed to kill, even though I couldn''t even kill one, in order to be totally free from the curse.


    "Because you are my granddaughter," Alice said.


    I was surprised of what she said. I was drowned by my feelings because I did not want to be a granddaughter of the evil spirit who put me under the curse and cheated me. I could not believe that I have a grandmother like her. Even though her eyes were telling me she was serious, I couldn''t ept her! I didn''t have a grandmother that was so wicked. I hated her my whole life!


    "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" I screamed until I lost my voice. "I don''t want to be your granddaughter!"


    I suddenly sprang from my bed. The first thing that I saw was the table inside my bedroom. The window was open just a crack and the hither and thither movements of the cold air entered my bedroom, as if they were trying to calm me. It was incredible. I could not believe that everything was just a dream and that I was still there, inside my bedroom, awake and alive. I realized that nothing in this world was permanent and that everything had an ending. Though many things had happened in my life, however long my journey was, I would consider them a dream.


    But before I totally woke up, I heard someone say, "A year psed and I had finished my task: killing a hundred people never became easy, but nothing happened; everything stayed the same. Is the prophecy urate? But why didn''t it happen? That demon told me that I needed to kill more people to prevent the curse from inflicting it. If you were me, would you obey him?"

 The Fairy of Time

Lil


    Killing people has been normal for me. I think people die because they are weak. Only


    the strong remain-the ones who don''t hesitate to kill when they are in a tight situation.


    These peo

 The Return

I and Flora fell asleep under the tree that talked to me yesterday. It offered us shelter from the beasts. Even in a short time of being here, I learned a lot, and I wanted to stay here, but I ca

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Lil


    "Are you ready for the next fight?" Cain asked.


    "Can''t you see this wound on my leg?" I replied. "Do you think I''m ready in this situation?"


    "That''s barely a scratch. Stop o

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I and Cain reached the ce full of old buildings like that in an apocalypse. A group of


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    "What are these people?" I asked.

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"No, it''s not. Nothing is impossible. Everything you can imagine can be real. Just believe in me. I will slow down the time, and we can escape by walking," I said.


    "That''s boring. I thought

 The Demon

Iy down on the ground as Cain gathered the souls of the enemies. I yawned and fell asleep. When I woke up, I found myself inside a cabin. It was raining outside, and I''m all alone. I didn''t kn

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We got inside the pyramid, took a very long spiral staircase, and eventually reached


    the deepest part of the underground. The ce was dark, silent and suffocating. I used light magic as a torch

 The Skeleton

I didn''t listen to Cain. I wanted to know who that person sitting on the moon was. I


    wanted to go to the moon, and so I used my imagination to get there.


    "Hello?" I shouted. My voice echoed

 The Witch

Before I could react, the girl already pointed her knife at my neck. "Move and you''re dead," she whispered. I could smell breath on the side of my face. "Now, tell me, how many lives have you tak

 The City

Cain used his teleportation magic and brought us to the city. There were tall buildings, brand-new sports cars, malls, billboards, and, of course, noise and pollution. This time, Cain didn''t just

 The Monsters

It was already 7:00 AM when I woke up. Cain was already on his bed, sleeping soundly and snoring. I didn''t know what time he came back, but he looked really tired. Perhaps he came to a bar and dr

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I smiled awkwardly while scratching the back of my head. I didn''t do it for anyone but myself, to be free from the curse. I have to kill that old man to save myself, and if that saves the city, t

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Ka


    I really thought everything was just a dream until I saw Alicia sitting on the chair in the


    kitchen. She looked at me and asked, "Finally awake?"


    I stopped, stunned, as if I was

 The Boy

Alicia used teleportation magic and brought us to an ind. It was a wonderful ce


    to rx. The air was fresh, and there weren''t a lot of people.


    "See that boy?" Alicia pointed at the b

 The Werewolves

And so, the hellish training started. Alicia made me ran around the forest everyday. She would beat me up everytime I stop. She used healing potions to heal my injuries and continued the training

 The Criminals

Alicia nodded in response. Then, she used dark magic to bring us to the enemies'' hideout. It was a hidden mansion. There were many guards around the house. They were armed with high-caliber pisto

 The Enemy

After collecting the souls of the fallen, Alicia brought me to a big restaurant in a city. Finally, there was some decent food to eat, unlike in that small vige. I feel sick every time I think

 The Gambler

The second phase of our hellish training started. This time Alicia didn''t hold back. She showed me her true power. I realized I was nothingpared to her, yet I was so full of myself, thinking

 The Masked Man

"Are you ready for the next fight?" Alicia asked.


    "Please give me a moment to breathe," I said. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath,


    counted from one to ten, and then opened them again. "W

 The Aliens

"Don''t make it sound like you don''t kill like this, Alicia. I really wanted to cut him into


    pieces, but no thanks, I don''t want to cover my hands with blood," I said.


    "Is your arm okay?" Sh

 The Strongest Demons

Alicia teleported us somewhere. It was already night. There was no moon in the skies, only stars. It was so dark. I couldn''t see anything except those red things approaching.


    "What are thos

 The New Ally

When I woke up, I found myself in a ce full of rats. I myself turned into a rat. I


    couldn''t speak a humannguage and just squeak. The rats were looking at me as if I was some kind of strange

 The Black Cat

Lil


    When I opened my eyes, I heard the roosters crowing. I looked at my wristwatch and


    saw that it was still 4:44 AM-sounds like time of the devil. It''s too early to wake up. I looked aroun

 The Apocalypse

    I''ve remembered Edgar An Poe''s writing about The ck Cat. That was gruesome,


    but I think the author wrote it wonderfully. Like how a man under the influence of alcohol could kill not only hi


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 The Thief

The three guys and the woman stoppedughing. They might not know that those zombies had a leader and those zombies would vanish once their leader died. But it seemed like I was wrong, as they I

 The Trap

Cain walked toward the dead zombie and put its soul inside a small bottle. Then I


    asked him what happened and why they just gave it instead of fighting.


    "I have wounded the ghost. I made he

 The Three Guys

    Someone suddenly came out from the dark. He stepped into the altar and walked towards me. "What are you doing in my ce, little boy? Did you get lost?" he asked.


    I distanced myself from h


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 The Voices

It was raining when we arrived at the apartment. I saw the ck cat sleeping on my


    bed. I immediately drove it away since it could bring bad luck. It climbed the


    windowsill and looked at me befo

 The Homecoming

The next morning, I asked Cain if I could visit my parents because I miss them. He didn''t want me to do it. He said that we have to finish killing our enemies before ourpetitor could get them

 The Giant Frog

    "They were the ones who attacked my parents and killed them as well as the animals, am I right?" I asked.


    "Precisely. They drink blood and eat flesh of both humans and animals. It was said


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 The Dream

It has been a while since someone hugged me. Yet, my body still recognized the warmth. It felt like home. I remembered how my mother used to hug me when I was a kid. How my father used to carry m

 The Green Monsters

"Help! Help!" I heard a woman''s voiceing from the restroom. I immediately went inside, but it wasn''t as I expected. She was being forced by a masked man to have sex with him. He was holding a

 The Aliens Invasion

Ka


    I didn''t expect that those aliens I saw woulde back. There were a lot of them this time. They started attacking the, destroying the building, and terrorizing people. It was

 The Shadow

"Ah, I." I blushed as he wiped my hair out of my face. I couldn''t take my eyes off him. I


    didn''t know when it all started, but I barely get sleep at night thinking of him.


    "What''s your take

 The Labyrinth

I nced at my wristwatch. It was already 9:56 AM when I woke up. I had another dream with the boy named Lil. Perhaps it''s because I''ve been thinking about him. Like, how the fuck can I get him

 The Savior

    It was Lil again. I wondered what he was doing there. Was he also a participant? Then I remembered that he was an enemy. I have to kill him. But how could I do that when he saved me from those ba


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 The Skeleton Knight

Suddenly, a horde of hellhounds came into view. They looked like ordinary dogs, but


    with red eyes. They are called hellhounds as they are possessed by demons.


    "I''d need your help here, Kail

 The Hawk

"Ka!" Lil immediately used a barrier, protecting us from the skeleton knight. He


    touched my face. His hands were shaking. "A-are you okay?"


    I couldn''t speak properly. Blood was streaming

 The Stranger

    I didn''t know what Lil was trying to do, but it seemed like he had a n. Hawk attacked


    us head-on. Lil didn''t even move. I thought we were going to die, but at the veryst


    moment, Hawk stoppe


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 The Bloodsuckers

The center of my thighs still hurts. I wished this was all a dream, but it wasn''t. I have lost my virginity to a stranger. I immediately put on my clothes and then ran outside the room.


    "Wa

 The Man

The man whom Lil called Cain used teleportation magic and brought us to a city. We met a tall but exceedinglynk man. He had narrow shoulders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out

 The Wraith

We got inside the motel. Lil booked a room for two. The receptionist gave us the key. But it didn''t turn out as I expected. We got separate beds, and Lil fell asleep. He must be very exhausted. M

 The Prison

Lil


    Cassandra, the Wraith, told Cain about the gangsters who killed her. After getting the


    information, Ka used her thousand-mile eyes to locate the culprits. "They are in Montesserat Pr

 The Strange Things

We went outside the building. I was shocked when I realized that the surroundings had changed. The skyscrapers, billboards, cars, vehicles, and even people were gone. It seemed like I was the onl

 The Generals

"Dying with honor, with dignity, dying great, you know, having your name in the history of earth," Cain said.


    "Still, in the end, nothing matters. Earth itself isn''t permanent. Even if you

 The Outcasts

Sagittarius closed his eyes. I held his face and kissed his lips. In the third kiss, he was hesitant to let go, which was so awkward. Never in my dream did I want to kiss a man. He eventually let

 The Family

"Well done, Lil," Cain said after taking the soul of the pirates'' leader. "Now it''s time to go."


    Cain teleported us in front of an abandoned Victorian house that looked haunted. It was surr

 The Christmas Gifts

    My life hadn''t been interesting in the following days, weeks, and months. We killed lots


    of enemies, went to sleep, woke up, had coffee, read a book, watched movies, pooped, etc., etc. I''ve put m


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