As soon as I stepped into the house, a stench invaded my nostrils. That smell—it was rot. This time, it wasn’t an illusion created by the parasite but reality itself, because I could see the bodies of two adults—a man and a woman—lying on a bed, holding hands. At their bedside, a young girl with pink hair, about twelve years old, remained still. In front of me stood a boy, around fourteen, with black hair. He was gripping a kitchen knife, pointing it at me.
You didn’t need to be a genius to understand what had happened. Their parents had gone through the Awakening and failed, leaving them alone in the world.
They reminded me of my childhood. Instinctively, my heart tightened. I couldn’t explain it in words, but I had finally understood. The black aura hovering above their heads represented the hatred they felt. I looked at the boy.
"Hey, pretty boy, so..."
I had barely opened my mouth before he rushed at me, knife in hand, aiming straight for my heart. But I didn’t move an inch.
He stabbed me directly in the heart—but he was the one who screamed in pain and stumbled.
A mere human could never even scratch an Initiate with a kitchen knife.
Even after failing, he kept staring at me. All I could see in his eyes was hatred. No matter what I said or did, nothing would change that. It was too late. He had let himself be consumed by it.
I glanced at his sister. There was no light in her eyes, only emptiness. She, too, was lost forever.
They had so much to hate, yet so little to love.
And so, the three of us remained silent, trapped in a heavy, suffocating muteness.
The boy kept glaring at me, probably searching for a way to take me down. The girl still hadn’t moved, standing by the bed as if she hoped they would wake up at any moment.
I was thinking of a way to help them, but for the first time, no words came to me. My body was frozen, unable to decide.
It was strange. I felt as if I could sense their pain, their hatred, as if we were connected by an invisible thread.
If only I could reassure them, erase that blackness floating above their heads and replace it with something brighter...
Yes, I had to at least try. If my eyes could only see emotions without giving me the power to help, then what was the point of enduring all those trials?
It wasn’t in vain. I refused to let these children end up like Sirius and me.
I opened my mouth to speak, but it was dry. I took a deep breath, but this wasn’t a movie where words alone could fix everything.
I took a step forward. The boy immediately reacted, grabbing his knife again and this time aiming for my head, but before he could reach me...
I wanted the black above his head to turn white.
The rainbow in my eyes vanished, leaving only pure white. The very next second, the black aura floating above the boy faded, replaced by a brilliant white. The moment the change occurred, he collapsed to the ground and fell asleep.
I stepped closer to check on him and noticed his breathing had become peaceful, as if all his hatred had disappeared, leaving behind only inner calm.
Relieved, I approached his sister, gently held her in my arms, and whispered in her ear:
"Live... and be happy, for both of them."
At that moment, the black aura above her head disappeared, replaced by a golden glow.
She nodded slightly with a faint smile before drifting into sleep.
I carried them both to a couch in another room.
Then, I took care of their parents’ bodies, burying them in a garden next to the house, and got rid of the lingering stench. Only after making sure the house felt welcoming again did I allow myself to think about what to do with these children before they woke up.
My gut told me to take them under my wing, but I also feared that if they followed me, they would never have a normal life again.
Yet, I didn’t want to leave them alone. Maybe it was just my own selfishness, but in them, I saw Sirius and myself.
Well, I’ll decide later.
For now, I need to figure out how to get rid of all these parasites.
I think I’ve got an idea now that I truly understand the real power of the Soul’s Eyes.
Curtains up. Let the act begin.