CHAPTER 34: WELCOME AND FAREWELL

At what age can society say a child is truly an adult?

Is it the moment, one fine evening, when someone whispers in your ear that your actions reflect a certain maturity? Or is it when we’re forced to spread our wings and fly on our own?

These questions had long ceased to be debated—ever since the arrival of Ether a thousand years ago. From then on, one was considered an adult the moment the first symptoms of etheric overload appeared, which usually occurred at the onset of adolescence.

As long as your life wasn’t tied to the daily dose of serum, you were still seen, by all, as a child.

So, such a bold declaration only drew laughter from the audience—everyone except Sirius. His strained mind worked on a way to respond without hurting the feelings of the two children who looked up to him with admiration. Even he didn’t know how his sister had managed to earn it.

Thankfully, he was still unaware whether it was out of pity or something more twisted on Iris’s part that she finally decided to intervene.

She turned around, gently stroking Bell’s hair. The gesture steadied the girl’s heartbeat and drew both her and Brad’s attention—Brad was sweating from the rush of adrenaline it had taken to confess his aspiration.

Only once she was sure she had their full attention did Iris finally speak:

"Bell, don’t you think you’re a little too young?"

"I’m not! I’m already thirteen," she muttered, her head buried in Iris’s chest.

Iris could only smile and gently tap her on the forehead.

"Then wait three more years before you try making that kind of confession again."

"Oh, how sweet. Just three years left and you’ll be able to marry your beloved," teased Lucy.

"Marry..."

Bell’s face flushed crimson all the way to her ears.

"And Brad, are you sure you want him to train you? You should know—he’s ruthless," Lucy added, pointing accusingly at Sirius in mock warning.

"I don’t care!" Brad declared.

"Big Sister told us everything! You take down the bad guys to bring peace to the world. Just like the ones who caused my parents’ death," he explained earnestly. Bell nodded along, face serious.

"What on earth is she finding these kids..." Lucy mumbled, trailing off without further argument.

Sirius straightened at that. He picked up a plain knife resting on the tablecloth, twirled it between his fingers, and held it up for all to see.

"This is just an ordinary knife. As useless a tool as they come. You’d have trouble cutting through animal hide with it."

"Show me your will. Kill a wolf with this knife."

Brad and Bell went pale at the demand—until Iris leaned in and explained:

"It’s a test. If you succeed, he’ll accept you as his apprentice. But not only him—all of us. You’ll become part of the family."

Their faces lit up. The two children bowed their heads like disciples and each took a knife before stepping away, tossing the blade up and down like a sword.

Watching them, Iris couldn’t help but feel nostalgic—thinking back to the day they’d first met those two kids. More specifically, the look in their eyes. How she had seen herself in them.

That very morning, they couldn’t even slice an onion.

"And you—what do you plan to do with them? Do you really picture taking them under your wing?" Victor asked, returning from his errands.

"It’s their choice," Sirius answered, his mind drifting to a memory.

"We’ll look after them. The more, the merrier, right?" Lucy concluded, as though she could read the twins’ thoughts.

"So be it," Victor murmured, stroking his beard.

"I think it’s time to lay everything on the table," Brenda proposed.

Everyone nodded, sharing what they had discovered and undertaken. Iris, being at the heart of the Parasitics, had the most to say, while Sirius built hypotheses from the information she provided.

Once everyone was up to speed, silence fell like a tacit agreement. Not a single word more. Each withdrew into their thoughts.

Much had happened since their last meeting as a group of five. Their awakening had changed something. Death had marked them deeper than they realized. Only time would reveal the full extent of that transformation.

Now came the time to decide: fight or flee. And everyone had their own plans.

"I’ve got a score to settle with the mastermind behind all this. I’m not leaving until it’s done," Sirius said, breaking the silence.

"Same here. I need to finish what I started." Iris paused.

"Nothing serious. Just... dealing with a pervert."

Then it was Lucy’s turn:

"As much as I’d like to get far away from here, if the fortress falls, all the northern cities will be overrun by Calamities. I can’t just sit back now that I know."

Three people had chosen to stay and fight.

"You brats... how stupid have you become?" Victor snapped.

"What you’re about to do is madness! In case you forgot, there’s a fucking Master inside that fortress, and God knows how many trained Enforcers. If they can’t handle it, it’s their damn job, not ours!"

He paused for breath, then continued:

"And you don’t even know the Calamity’s rank. If he can really control thousands of Initiates, he’s at least a Count. Worse, if he’s a Marquis, then you’re dead. Before you even realize your mistake, you’ll be corpses. Believe me."

He finally calmed down, then declared:

"Each of us has awakened a rare resonance. Even those Order bastards would kill to have us, offering ridiculous salaries."

Raising his arms to the sky, he said:

"The power I’ve been granted changes everything. I can achieve my childhood dreams—glory, fortune, power. It’s all within reach. Astoria isn’t enough for me anymore. I dream of greatness."

Then he made his offer:

"Let’s go to the capital. As Initiates, we’ll be welcomed. Then we build our crime empire. In a few years, the most beautiful city in the world will be our playground. Together, it’s possible. Our potential is limitless. Just imagining it... I’m drooling."

As he spoke, his eyes gleamed with greed, as though the world itself had offered itself to him.

Sirius tilted his head slightly before answering, dryly, as if condemning him:

"Was it the voice that seduced you?"

He was, of course, referring to the voice everyone hears during awakening. The one that whispers to you at your breaking point—offering promises, exposing your heart like never before, drawing out your deepest wishes, the things you wanted but never had.

"Isn’t it the same for you?" Victor shot back.

"I thought I was too old for this game. I was ready to retire, ready to die, not survive the awakening."

He paused, then raised his voice:

"But that voice helped me find myself again—who I am, and who I was meant to be. But you... you’re lost."

"The Sirius I know would never be driven by emotions like hatred or revenge. You’re too smart to let yourself be consumed, too loyal to put your family at risk for strangers. And you know it."

Sirius didn’t respond. Victor pressed on:

"You’d have suggested we run, settle in another city, spread rumors, exploit information—one of your brilliant plans, where no one had to risk their life for nothing. But you failed. You’re getting carried away by... who knows what."

Then he turned to Iris and Lucy:

"We’re not heroes. No point in pretending to play a role that was never ours. Even if we save thousands—hundreds of thousands—what will it change? Our hearts won’t turn whiter than the black they’re made of."

"And what do you think we are?" Lucy snapped.

"I forbid you to say that my past defines me!"

"I’m sick of hearing your bullshit. What do you want? For us to stand by and watch people die when we could save them? For what? Money? Fortune?"

"I’ve never been a coward who abandons their friends. If I can save someone, I will. What you’re saying about me... that’s not who I am. That’s just the image you’ve built in your head."

She kept going, like a faucet turned wide open, pouring out all the frustration she’d bottled up since her Awakening.

"I’ve seen my life flash before my eyes a hundred times. I finally understand."

"And I never want anyone else to go through what I went through. No child should ever face what I had to endure."

"I swear it... on my life. I will never let people like the ones who caused all this succeed."

She was stammering, but her voice carried a determination Victor could only honor in silence.

He pulled a cigarette from his jacket, lit it, and said the last words he had for those he’d come to see as his children and comrades—even if he’d never taught them anything they didn’t already know.

"It’s your choice. But let me give you one last piece of advice. It might save your life one day:

The only difference between you and the monsters you’ll face... is that, unlike them, you were born human."

Those were Victor’s final words. Picking up the cage containing an abnormally large rat, he walked away.

He was followed shortly after by Brenda, who had taken the time to say goodbye to everyone.

Later, as Victor and Brenda had distanced themselves from the group, they heard footsteps behind them. They stopped.

Victor gestured to Brenda to leave them for a moment, and she did so without hesitation.

Alone, Victor raised a hand. A bird landed on his shoulder. Then he turned—to find Sirius standing there.

"I doubt you changed your mind that quickly. So if you have something to say, make it quick. As you know, I’m in a bit of a hurry."

"Don’t worry, I won’t take long," Sirius replied, revealing the revolver in his right hand and pointing it at Victor.

"So this is where we’ve ended up," Victor murmured.

"I’m not the only one driven by emotion. If you were really the Victor I once knew, you wouldn’t have given us that speech... A knife in the back would’ve done the job. Betrayals have always been common—not just in our line of work, but in any partnership, right?"

Victor couldn’t help but smile.

"You’re right. I may be younger again... but I’m still a bit rusty."

"Maybe. Either way, I want to thank you for your trust. So let me return the favor."

Victor sighed.

"How generous of you. That’s new. Tell me, did you ever trust me—even once?"

Sirius laughed.

"You kept surprising me... right up to the end."

A few minutes later, Sirius returned to the others.

When Iris saw his empty hands, she asked:

"Satisfied?"

He chuckled.

"Yeah. Every piece is in place. Let the macabre show begin."

Iris could only shake her head slightly, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them again.

"Let’s go."