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It was too unfortunate indeed that it was not truly Don Asuli who had joined them that day.

Because if it was him….. Someone would have brought to light what the tome Pavone had read was pertaining to.

The prophecy made many years ago that someone born of lightning will come to rise as the darkness that Ends the world.

“Are you sure that’s what the prophecy truly meant? Lightning?” Calla asked skeptically.

Edelweiss nodded. “Because I did some research in the library as well, and sometimes the rune for lightning can be mistaken for ‘poverty-stricken’. Or simply someone struck with unfortunate circumstances. Broken. Flawed.”

After all, the symbol of lightning does resemble cracks that slowly spread. It is often regarded as a terrifying omen for the storm, so it makes sense for it to be similar to the rune that represents misfortune.

“Of course Big Brother is sure!” Sordido defended. “How dare you doubt his intelligence, he had the best scores at Languages class than anyone in the Academy for the past 50 years!”

“Be quiet, Sordi. Especially towards things you have not an inkling of understanding of.”

This should have been the first time Don who was standing by the door have heard Pavone Blanc D’Argent’s voice. If it was him, he would have been surprised by the authoritative force it jas despite the soft and mellow tone.

But because it was not him, the ‘Don Asuli’ on the door merely smirked.

‘He’s still as cruel as always towards his younger brother, and yet the young one enjoys it like that anyway. Truly pathetic.’

And sure enough, Sordido responded with a soft. “I-I’m sorry, Big Brother.”

Pavone ignored his apology and continued to explain to the girls:

“There’s a reason for them to doubt. It’s true. Lightning and misfortune had been almost synonymous for millions of years, regardless of the language in Magecia. It’s like there is a universal understanding that lightning means destruction, and foreboding sharp and abrupt strike of what’s to come.”

“However, regardless of what it meant, Ronin Willowe still fits either interpretations. He was a servant from House Zafeiri, a House of Lightning, and upon his birth, the house has succumbed to various misfortunes.”

Pavone listed down all of these misfortunes to them.

“From the sources we have gathered, the first misfortune began when the 3rd child of the Zafeiri had died from childbirth, at the same year of his own birth. Not long after, the lady of the house, Duchess Akasa, died of giving birth to the 4th child, Belladonna Zafeiri.”

“That child Belladonna caused a ruckus and resulted to a hidden scandal in the House Zafeiri, but we have a….. Victim, to attest to what happened.”

He was clearly talking about Volken, who’s face received a scar from Belladonna’s 5th birthday party.

“Their 2nd son, Zeuxis, took the blame for this incident and was exiled by his own father. Similarly, the eldest was also estranged, Maellan, who was close to Professor Vyrill Krustal who had disappeared. And then Maellan also died from an accident of falling from the Edge and into the Abyssal Realm.”

“We had spies to observe the estate, and confirmed that it had degraded into a state that will soon be close to our own degradation.”

Calla scoffed. “Did they also get their walls burned down and attacked too?”

He could hear Pavone’s slight anger as he said. “….. No. Not yet. But it won’t be long, once they can no longer fund any of their servants or get abandoned.”

“It will be worse than ours because its a slow painful process, while ours was very much like a lightning strike that happened overnight.”

Pavone concluded. “So as you can see, that is pretty much the whole Zafeiri family suffering misfortunes upon this Coal boy’s arrival. He was like a curse that had befallen them.”

Edelweiss was still cautious to jump into conclusions. “So let’s say it really was Ronin Willowe that brought destruction to the Zafeiris. What does it have to do with rising in darkness and bringing the End?”

“How can one Coal boy do that, and how exactly will that happen?”

Pavone went quiet, then said.

“This book….. Is called the Death of Death. It is older than anything you must have ever read, only bits and pieces of 14 pages in total remains.”

Death of Death. Death of Fausforus.

“And I want to focus on an interesting piece here. Do you see the noose?”

Calla inspected it and agreed. “Yes. A symbol for trap.”

Pavone chuckled. “No. Not just that. Self-inflicted death too. Hanging yourself by the noose.”

“The two interpretations can overlap from the story that Lovushka’s troupe played called the Lion and the Hyena. Which I have supplied to them.”

So it was Pavone who had brought that play idea to them. It made sense now.

It wad part of his own trap to provoke Death, the bringer of the End.

“The Hyena could have killed the Lion, but chose to end its life. And so, the noose can mean both ‘trap’ and ‘suicide’. Entrapping someone through your own death.”

Ronin who was wearing Don’s face listened in, but suddenly….

His vision got dizzy like before, when he was staring at the mirror and heard his mother’s voice.

There it was again. But first, a teenage boy who must be at the age of 17 or 18 was reading a book out loud:

“I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you. Sir. That man is cruel. Cruel. A cruel man. Yes. A hateful man. A wicked man. Ah, I can’t bear it. You mustn’t let Him live.”

His mother’s voice came to interrupt the boy’s reading.

“Ou, here are some snacks. What are you reading today?”

“An Urgent Appeal.” Ou answered. “Mother, its the most wonderful piece of literature I have ever read.”

“Ah, Osamu Dazai. You must try to read the Japanese version once you have learned enough, Ou. The way Judas regarded Jesus with such formal, honoring language can only be noticed in Japanese.”

Ou nodded. “I plan to gift it to someone.”

“Oh? A book about how a deranged man have went to kill the one he loved most and himself….. As a gift?”

Ou nodded again. “Yes. I think it is the perfect book to describe my own feelings for me. I’m not good with saying them myself.”

“A farewell to a friend. And to this world.”

His mother sighed and went by his side. “Ou….. Come on, eat. Forget this nonsense. You must not do it.”

“I don’t want to, Mother.” Ou insisted. “I don’t want to eat. I don’t want to forget it.”

“Ou….. Please call me Mama. Like before.”

“I couldn’t.” He answered.

“Why not?”

Ou’s joyful face contorted into contempt.

“Because you are not my Mama. You are just an apparition, a ghost.”

“You are not here.” He smiled. “You did the same thing I plan to do, and so, who are you to judge me? When you have trapped me with this pain and guilt forever?”

His mother— or more correctly, just a ghostly hallucination of her, frowned and touched his cheek stained with tears.

Ou pushed the invisible hand away.

“My friend does not read. He hates it. He finds it boring.”

His Mother smiled sadly. “So you must know that even if you give him this book, he will not understand your feelings at all?”

“I do. But it doesn’t matter. Even if he just look for the summary on Google, he’ll come to understand. After I do what I plan to do.”

“You are entrapping him the same way I did.” His Mother’s ghost said. “You are better than that, Ou.”

“Am I? I am a monster, Mother.” He grinned. “Similar to Judas, similar to the Devil. I am darker than the darkest night, and brings misfortune to everyone.”

“Even to you. The day I was born was your greatest misfortune. Why else would you have done it?”

His Mother’s ghost was quiet. And then…..

She simply repeated. “Have something to eat, Ou.”

And after that, Ou woke up. Staring at a roof where water dripped on his face.

There was a storm outside, and this roof have many cracks. Cracks that resembled lightning shapes.

No one cares to fix it.

Why should they? When this house only have monsters as dwellers?

His stomach grumbled from hunger. But there was no one to feed him or offer him snacks.

He was still holding that very thin booklet, reading the words over and over again in this small, cold and dark room.

The words that he had wanted to say, said by Judas for him.

“I’ll kill Him, and die with Him. My earlier resolve rose again and like a monster…..”

“I was hungry for revenge.”

This was his revenge. As petty as it was, he will do it anyway.

And he hoped that if he shall be reborn, he will make this man suffer more than he did. He will not leave his side, may they always meet, always have their paths aligned, never separating….

Like two men in a painting, one kissing the other on the cheek as a sign of betrayal.

It was no longer a prayer for Ou. No. It was his own, self-proclaimed prophecy. He was not just wishing for it to happen.

It will happen.

It was his destiny.