Once Again in the Present

  Still Inside That Room

  A Few Moments Later

  With a single blink—Hark's eyes filled with tears and consumed by rage—he returned to the present, after reliving that moment so vividly, after feeling that murderous sensation emanating from Salin in front of him.

  As intense as the one transmitted by the Begeneri twins on that dreadful day.

  The focus shifts to Salin looking at Hark, whose head is lowered as he stares downward—something that, in Salin's perspective, seemed like a random gesture.

  But behind that movement, what was hidden was a gaze consumed by rage and hatred toward each one of the Begeneri brothers.

  Thus echoed the end of Salin's previous words to Hark, with Salin unaware that he had unintentionally unlocked the most painful memories buried inside Hark's mind.

  [Salin — Serene Voice & Joyfully Empty] So, first of all, I want you to tell me everything you know about that girl who... [Deep & Slow Breath] —

  [Hark — Deep Breath, Ragefully Contained]

  [Salin — Serene Voice & Joyfully Empty] Who goes by the name Emily, and her possible current whereabouts—if that's not too much to ask of you, Mister Hark. [Deep & Slow Breath] —

  Hark, with his head lowered and without showing his face to Salin—who sat waiting for an answer—spoke in a tone nearly swallowed by hatred, though calm. He asked Salin another question, something that initially seemed random.

  [Hark — Calmly Furious Voice] You... carry the same "presence" as those two bastards. You... [Deep Breath] are you standing at their side, or something like that, Mister Salin? [Empty & Serene Sigh] —

  Upon hearing that, Salin remained silent for a few instants, not understanding. But when he finally managed to see Hark's eyes looking directly at him, he noticed a gaze weighted by hatred that had been nurtured for many years.

  It became clear to Salin that Hark radiated the burning hatred of someone who lost his most precious treasure in life long ago.

  [Salin — Slightly Confused] When you say "those two bastards," are you referring to the Begeneri twins? —

  [Hark — Calmly Furious Voice] Yes. Those very same bastards whom I hope will be killed someday soon, in the slowest way possible. [Empty & Serene Sigh] —

  After such an intriguing reply from Hark, both he and Salin stared deeply into each other's eyes.

  [(Salin — Slightly Confused Thought) The way he speaks of those two twins gives off the feeling that something in Hark's life was destroyed because of them.]

  [Hark — Calmly Furious Voice] Are you on their side, or against them? Answer only that, and I'll tell you what you and your wife want to know. [Empty & Serene Sigh] —

  [Salin — Confident & Sincere Voice] No, Hark... I am not on the side of those two idiotic twins who run the Inanis faction together. I... [Deep Sigh] —

  Behind Hark's eyes, it was evident that he desired nothing more than to destroy those who had taken everything he once loved—none other than the Begeneri twins, who not only slaughtered Hark's entire family in the past...

  But forced him—still so young—to witness each one of them lying atop a heap of paralyzed bodies, burned alive, unable even to scream, all by the hands of the Begeneri twins.

  [Salin — Confident & Sincere Voice] I don't know much about the Begeneri twins. Unlike you, who are an Oculi like them, I am merely a human with access to fragmented information about this conflict between Inanis and the Reginae. [Deep & Serious Breath] —

  To Salin, whatever happened in Hark's past was unknown. It was something that only Hark carried, forcing himself to preserve that memory inside a heart consumed by hatred toward the Begeneri twins.

  Not even a single Oculi knew of Hark's true history. For he had erased his real name, and wiped his family from existence in order to let them rest in peace—after all of them were brutally murdered.

  Leaving Hark as the last survivor, as punishment for his elder relatives daring to oppose the Begeneri twins.

  [Salin — Confident & Sincere Voice] I am just a human with a few Oculi abilities at my disposal, but... [Deep & Serious Breath] —

  [Hark — Serious & Hollow Voice] "But"? [Empty & Serene Sigh] —

  As Hark stared at Salin, with a gaze now emptied of any emotion or feeling, he perceived something—nothing less than a reflection of himself on Salin's expression.

  [Salin — Confident & Sincere Voice] But those two twins, for reasons I still don't understand, took Mia's aunt—Miss Nox—to somewhere beyond our reach, and... [Deep Breath] —

  [Salin — Confident & Sincere Voice] After they did that to Miss Nox, I felt, deep inside my heart... [Deep Breath] —

  Mr. Hark watched Mr. Salin subtly bring one of his hands to the necklace he wore around his neck, which until that moment had been hidden beneath his clothing.

  It was nothing less than a small golden pendant, and inside it there was a small photograph of Mia, himself, and his beloved daughter Emi smiling together on her first birthday.

  [Salin — Confident & Sincere Voice] That these Begeneri are despicable people, best kept far away from when the future of someone we love is at stake. [Deep And Hollow Breath] —

  As Salin looked at the pendant and the picture inside it, he unintentionally smiled in a way that revealed a genuinely beautiful love.

  Fused with an overwhelming desire to protect the one he loved the most more than himself — his only and beloved daughter, Emi.

  [(Hark — Thought, Slightly Emotional) That look he gives that necklace is identical to my mother's... before that damned day turned everything she loved into ashes before my eyes. (Deep, Furious Breath)]

  It was in that moment that Hark heard Salin finish his sentence, not only answering the question directed at him but also answering many others that would soon be asked regarding his relationship with the Begeneri brothers.

  [Salin — Confident & Sincere Voice] But if my path ever intertwines with those cursed Begeneri twins, and if they dare lay a single finger on anyone from my family with their filthy hands... [Deep Breath] —

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  Hark then heard the end of this statement echo inside his mind, and throughout that room the flow of time seemed to slow gently.

  Because of the surreal presence that Salin emanated, intense enough to send a faint shiver up Hark's weakened body.

  [Salin — Voice Devoid Of Emotion & Serene] ...I will give everything I have, even if it means offering my soul to the "devil," so that I may not only wound each one of them. -

  [Salin — Voice Devoid Of Emotion & Serene] But tear their bodies apart in the slowest way possible, simply for trying once to touch the ones I love the most. [Deep, Almost Pleasurable Breath] —

  That revealed itself to Hark, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, his body still unable to move from the neck down after the battle he had just lost against Salin.

  [Hark — Ironic & Lightly Amused Voice] You are an interesting person, Mr. Salin. I see no lies in your words — they are consumed by paternal and familial instinct. [Small, Awkward Laugh] —

  Meanwhile, his body visibly released a black liquid from several open wounds because he was "mortal," instead of the dense smoke that should normally have escaped from his injuries — something typical for an Oculi, not a common human.

  [Hark — Ironic & Lightly Amused Voice] I can see your essence with my own eyes — it is so clear, so vivid. Nothing about your desires hides itself; they're intriguing and burning within you. -

  [Hark — Ironic & Lightly Amused Voice] If you continue doing what you and your wife Mia have been doing — going deeper and deeper into the underworld of the Oculi... [Subtle, Serene Sigh] —

  Hark understood that Salin was neither an ally nor an enemy in that moment. Instead, he was a rival — a man who also wished to destroy the Begeneri brothers, even if Salin himself had not yet realized it.

  And especially his wife, Mia, who longed to take revenge on each of the twins for having kidnapped her aunt, Nox, for reasons still unknown to them both.

  [Hark — Ironic & Sincere Voice] At some point, you will reach the top of the pyramid — where the most rotten Oculi reside — the ones who have done horrible things to you humans for the last three decades... [Subtle, Deep Sigh] —

  When Salin heard that, he sensed in Hark an acidic sincerity that revealed more than expected — the true nature of the man before him. Beneath sarcasm and cruelty lived someone driven by a singular objective: vengeance.

  This caught Salin by surprise, especially as Hark continued to speak what he most needed to hear, and in a genuinely truthful manner. What appeared to be a casual conversation was, in truth, something deeper for both of them.

  [Hark — Calm & Sincere Voice] ...Regarding your friend, Emily — whose whereabouts you and your wife Mia have been trying to discover. [Deep, Fearful Breath] -

  [Hark — Calm & Sincere Voice] From what I know, that girl, Emily, was sold to a count who lives on the frozen borders of Russia, in this human reality. [Sincere, deep breath] —

  [Salin — Trembling Whisper & Disbelief] Wait... she what?... [Shaking Breath, Confused] —

  [Hark — Calm & Sincere Voice] That happened nearly a year and a half ago. She was purchased for a very high price — something that made me curious for months, because it's unusual in the human black market. [Deep, Uneasy Sigh] —

  [Salin — Whisper Without Reaction & Disbelief] Emily was auctioned at the Oculi human market?... [Trembling, Confused Breath] —

  [Hark — Calm & Sincere Voice] Exactly what you heard. My only trustworthy informant was present on the day of the auction — he confirmed it to me before being assassinated sometime afterward. [Deep, Tense Sigh] —

  For a few moments, Mr. Salin could see, before his eyes, flashes of prominent images born of his imagination, making him see Emily screaming, being tortured by the Oculi.

  Forcing her to cry out not only from physical pain in that darkness, but also from overwhelming mental agony.

  [Hark — Calm & Sincere Voice] That Emily was one of the few human survivors who returned to her human reality with her sanity still "existent," and not merely as an "empty shell" without emotions or feelings. [Long, Fearful Sigh] —

  [Salin — Voice Without Reaction & Incredulous] Tell me, Hark! Was she hurt or something like that, when she was last seen by your informant—the one who was assassinated? [Trembling & Frightened Breath] —

  Hark then lowered his gaze, revealing a more thoughtful side, pondering over Emily's possible fate after being auctioned to that count.

  Hark knew very well the stories that circulated among the underground Oculi—stories about what the count did to the humans he purchased.

  Who simply vanished without leaving any trace after being taken to his estate near the Russian border.

  [Hark — Calm & Sincere Voice] What I heard before that grand auction was destroyed completely is that... Emily was in a highly weakened state, and the count likely bought her to consume her flesh, but... [Deep, Serious Breath] —

  [Salin — Voice Unresponsive & Slightly Broken] "But"? — [Breath Deeply Empty]

  [Hark — Calm & Sincere Voice] But that count has a history of revolting acts committed against the men and women he buys from those auctions of kidnapped human victims taken from the "harvests" carried out by the Inanis faction. [Deep, Serious Breath] —

  [Salin — Whispering, Unresponsive & Slightly Broken] Wait... — [Breath Deeply Empty] —

  [Hark — Calm & Sincere Voice] Those are nothing more than harvests done by the Inanis faction to collect humans for testing that idiotic theory known as the "Eva Theory." [Deep, Serious Breath] —

  Upon hearing that, Salin lowered his head as well, baring his teeth without realizing it, releasing around his body an invisible force.

  Creating a subtle wave-like distortion and breeze a few centimeters around him—without harming anyone.

  [Salin — Completely Vengeful Voice] If that Oculi who bought her from that auction truly killed her, I... I... [Deeply Sadistic Breath] —

  [(Hark — Thought, Utterly Incredulous) This overwhelming aura he radiates just by imagining his friend dead... It's terrifying... (Impressed Breath)]

  [Salin — Completely Vengeful Voice] ...I will torture that "count" in the slowest way possible, until he breaks internally, until nothing remains to motivate him to keep breathing. [Deeply Sadistic Breath] —

  Hark remained with his head lowered, realizing that Salin is the version of himself he should have become in another future—one where someone from his family might have survived.

  That current version of Salin was someone strong enough to go against the entire world, if necessary. Not only for vengeance, but also to protect what was most valuable in his entire world.

  Hark could feel Salin's essence radiating an intensity that was strangely overwhelming and at the same time calm.

  It made him fear the future in which he might remain alive, while Salin would have lost his sanity after losing everyone he loved before his own eyes—just as had happened long ago to Hark himself as a child.

  [Salin — Completely Vengeful Voice] And if Emily is still alive, and that count dared to continue harming her—physically or mentally—simply for his own pleasure, in any way, I... [Deeply Sadistic Breath] —

  [Hark — Ironic & Sincere Voice] ...Mr. Salin. The way you speak about the ones you love and genuinely care about tells me that you are not afraid to march into the darkness and lose yourself within it, so long as it means ensuring their safety at any cost. [Soft, Genuine Laughter] —

  Mr. Salin then took a deeper, slower breath, showing he was trying to calm himself internally, as his emotions were slightly out of balance—even though outwardly he appeared calm in the face of everything he had just learned.

  [Salin — Confident & Hollow Voice] Mr. Hark, I have my reasons for not killing you after you attempted to break my wife Mia's mind a few minutes ago. Do you remember that? [Deep & Serious Breath] —

  [Deep And Slow Breathing From Salin & Hark]

  [Hark — Sincere & Sarcastic Voice] I don't like your species that evolved from primates, but... I admit that much of the information I possess leaves a lot of innocent blood in my hands, even if indirectly. But... [Restrained & Irritated Sigh] —

  [Salin — Confident & Hollow Voice] "But"? [Deep & Serious Breath] —

  [Deep And Slow Breathing From Salin & Hark]

  [Hark — Sincere & Sarcastic Voice] But my true and only reason for doing all of this—even though I do like, in a certain twisted way, to play with some humans that deserve to be killed for the disgusting crimes they commit against their own kind—was actually to try, in some minimal chance, to find something that could bring me justice at any cost against those cursed Begeneri twins. [Restrained & Vengeful sigh] —

  [Deep And Slow Breathing From Salin & Hark]

  [Salin — Confident & Hollow Voice] The look in your eyes when you speak of the Begeneri twins shows the pain of someone who lost everything he once loved. I still find you repulsive in essence for what you currently do in the human and Oculi underworld. But... [Deep & Serious Breath] —

  [Hark — Sincere & Ironic Voice] "But"? [A Soft Ironic And Cheerful Laugh] —

  [Salin — Confident & Sincere Voice] But you are the only person at the highest point of the inverted pyramid of the Oculi in the underworld who sells information that would be impossible for even the Oculi themselves to obtain—and much less for humans. [Deep & Serious Breath] —

  [Deep And Slow Breathing From Salin & Hark]

  [Salin — Confident & Sincere Voice] You are an agent with no sides in all of this, someone who uses what he knows to become the best manipulator within the concealed war between the two Oculi factions—but right now... [Deep & Serious Breath] —

  [Hark — A Genuine, Sarcastic Soft Laugh]

  [Salin — Confident & Sincere Voice] You are the only one who could truly help me find any trace of Emily, even though deep down I never consider you an ally or... A possible "partner" against these rotten Oculi who, currently, are still the filthiest part of this world—much more than you are in my eyes. [Deep & Serious Breath] —