"Hello! My name is Vex!" said the boy, with a wide but entirely unnatural smile.
"I'm Lilith!" the girl chimed in, wearing the exact same smile.
Kai and Mei exchanged a glance. That single moment of silence was enough.
"A trap," Mei muttered.
And then came the footsteps—from both sides.
From the shadows, five students stepped out, surrounding them in a circle.
"What do I do? What do I do...?" Mei panicked in her thoughts.
"Should I draw something? Should I take off this mask of normalcy? Is now the right time...?"
Her eyes filled with tears, and her hands trembled. In the middle of all that chaos, she searched for only one thing—her brother's gaze.
When she looked up to find him, he was already looking at her. He didn't say a word, but the smile he gave her said everything:
"Leave this to me."
He turned to face the crowd and spoke:
"So… what do you want?"
Lilith shouted:
"Mei! We want you to drop out of the race for student council president!"
"Or...?" Kai asked calmly.
Everyone turned to him.
"Or we'll kill you!" Vex growled. A few students clenched their fists.
"Ah… I see. Raiken Core…" Kai murmured under his breath.
"Yes… And if you don't back out of the ra—" Lilith started.
"Heard that part already," Kai cut her off, just before one of the students grabbed him by the collar and lifted him a few inches off the ground.
"If you won't listen to reason, you'll listen to force."
SMACK.
A fist slammed straight into his face.
Mei's breath broke. Her throat tightened.
Her heart began pounding—so fast she could feel it pulsing through her whole body.
She started to shake at the sight of her brother, blood already dripping from his lip.
"Nothing yet?" Lilith sneered, clearly enjoying the show.
"Why aren't you using your powers?" one of the boys asked the guy pounding Kai.
The attacker nodded, then shouted:
"SLAM!"
His fist ignited with blue fire, and in one flash, it crashed into Kai's stomach, crushing his lungs and yanking all the air out of him.
Kai bent forward, dropping to his knees before collapsing to the cold asphalt, gasping for air.
"Agh... ahem... agh..."
Choking. Coughing.
He was struggling just to breathe.
CLICK!
Something snapped inside Mei's mind—
something that couldn't be repaired,
something she'd felt once before.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Voices like:
"Worthless! Loser! Pathetic idiot!"
"Why are you crying, crybaby?"
"Get up, moron! Fight back!"
echoed in her head as Kai was struck again and again.
Those words were familiar. Far too familiar.
They had already been engraved into her hyper-intelligent brain. Each insult had a place in her soul—where it left a bleeding scar.
"POWERFUL SHOT!" the attacker roared,
his leg bursting into blue fire before kicking Kai in the head with full force.
The impact launched Kai sideways, smashing his skull against the wall with a sickening crunch, like a watermelon being crushed.
Blood streamed down his face in rivers.
CLICK!
Mei heard it again, that snap, as her past traumas came flooding back.
"Kill him!"
"Poor little thing... hehe!"
"Trash!"
"You're weak!"
CLICK! CLICK!
Each CLICK was like a gunshot in her mind,
and her body trembled like it was about to fall apart.
She couldn't breathe. She couldn't move. She couldn't think—only watch as her brother was being beaten to death.
"POWER SHOT!" shouted the attacker as he kept kicking Kai in the stomach and head, again and again and again.
Kai lay there helpless.
And Mei just stood there.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
CLICK!
A tear slid down Mei's cheek.
"Kill him!"
CLICK!
"Oh, he's so pitiful... HAHAHA!"
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!
Mei's mind was overflowing with memories she never wanted to remember.
Nine years ago, something very similar happened—eerily similar.
Six-year-old Kai lay on the cold grass, as three boys mercilessly kicked his small body…
A few meters away, nine-year-old Mei stood frozen. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her hands trembled.
Their eyes met.
She wanted to run.
To protect him.
To scream.
To take the hits instead.
But… her legs wouldn't move. Fear had shackled her in place.
As they kicked him, guilt began to grow inside her…
It gnawed away at her, second by second, more and more painfully…
And still—their eyes stayed locked on each other.
She couldn't look away…
Not until Kai's little body stopped moving.
Not until he passed out.
When he opened his eyes, the white hospital ceiling was the first thing he saw. And then… Mei.
She stood by his bedside, cheeks wet and heart shattered, as her tears quietly fell onto his hand…
"Promise me you'll never try to save me again… That's my job…" he whispered with a weak voice.
She blinked in confusion. Trembled. But then… she smiled. Softly. Through the tears.
"You? Saving me? I'm the older one, remember?" Mei said, trying to sound cheerful.
"I PROMISE!"
Present.
"Sorry, Kai… but I can't keep every promise," Mei whispered to herself, as her eyes began to glow—deep crimson red.
From her clenched fist, a strange red flame started to spread—it pulsed with every movement of her hand, bathing her face in crimson light…
The sorrow that had just been carved across her face… vanished.
Replaced by something darker.
Anger.
Rage.
And a wide, psychotic smile that could send chills down anyone's spine.
Kai smiled faintly at the sight of his sister.
The five boys were still pummeling his body when a shadow suddenly moved behind one of them.
"Power Shot!" Mei burst out from behind like a lightning bolt, slamming her foot into one of them with all her strength. The impact was vicious— his body was launched into the air, blood spraying from his mouth as he hit the ground.
Two of them lunged at her—but she was already prepared.
She dodged at the last second and growled through her teeth:
"SLAM!"
Her fist slammed straight into one of their balls, with such savage force that he dropped to his knees instantly, whimpering like a wounded dog.
Another one lunged in to kick her, but Mei snatched his leg mid-air in a lightning-fast move.
In a fraction of a second, the confident look on his face shattered.
Replaced by fear.
Pure, raw fear.
Without a word—without mercy—she lifted him high above her head and slammed him into the ground!
CRACK!
The sound of his skull hitting the concrete was sickening. Blood began to trickle down his face as he slipped into unconsciousness.
The fourth one saw his chance.
"POWER SHOT!"
His kick landed hard into Mei's ribs—knocking the air right out of her lungs and sending her flying straight into the fifth guy—
who greeted her with a brutal elbow to the head.
BAM!
She collapsed to the ground…
And then—Lilith stepped on Mei's head, her lips curled into a disgusted smirk.
"Didn't last long, did ya?" she whispered coldly, grinding her face against the dusty ground.
Two of the remaining boys grabbed Mei by her arms, spreading them out—holding her completely helpless.
And then… Vex stepped forward. His smile was toxic, venomous.
"Y'know… all we wanted was for you to back off and let us win the election. It didn't have to end like this."
Silence.
And then… Mei's voice, weak, but clear:
"…Did you hear Mike died?"
Lilith blinked. "Mike? Who's Mike?"
Mei's eyes turned bloodshot. And her smile returned—darker than ever.
"MIKE CAME IN YOUR MOUTH!!!"
she screamed as she pulled a hidden knife from her sleeve and stabbed it into the hand of the guy holding her.
"AHHH!!" he shrieked in agony.
Mei growled through clenched teeth, shifted her body, and sliced the blade straight into Lilith's thigh.
"AAAAAH!!"
Her scream tore through the air as she collapsed backwards, blood spraying from the deep gash.
In the chaos, Mei turned to the second guy still gripping her arm—and, without hesitation, drove the knife right into his forehead.
His body jolted.
His eyes rolled back.
And then… silence.
Mei stood up—slowly—blood dripping from her arm as she
GRINNED LIKE A DEMON.
Lilith and Vex stood frozen. Their eyes wide, faces pale as snow, staring at their friend's lifeless body.
"She… she's… the Devil!"
Vex screamed, as the two of them turned and ran, leaving their bleeding, helpless friend behind.
Mei approached the last guy, his entire arm already soaked in blood.
She grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head back sharply.
His eyes, filled with pain and panic, locked onto hers and that...
SMILE
Not an ordinary smile. Not a human one. It was psychotic, dark, deranged.
She leaned close to his ear, her voice as soft as silk, yet as cold as death.
"I think I'll keep you… as a pet."
Then she smiled sweetly… and sat on him. As if he were just a chair.
Her gaze fell upon the knife—still lodged in the forehead of the boy whose body no longer held even a flicker of a soul.
Mei whispered softly, almost tenderly,
"Good thing I drew and hid that knife in my sleeve before coming to school…"
She said it like she hadn't just taken a life with that "drawing."
Then her eyes dropped to her "pet"—the boy she was sitting on.
"Pick up Kai and follow me," she said with a voice devoid of emotion, yet full of authority.
He simply nodded, lifting Kai into his arms and trailing after her with trembling hands and a hollow gaze.
Mei was already walking ahead.
The air smelled of blood… and corpses.
When she stopped, she noticed the body beside her—the one she had thrown over her shoulder earlier.
He was bleeding. And breathing. Barely.
She crouched down slowly, gracefully, as if gently checking on an injured puppy. With her fingers, she touched his neck to feel for a pulse.
Alive.
She stood back up and said almost indifferently,
"This one's still alive—"
CRACK!
She stomped on his neck with full force.
His head twisted unnaturally, as the short gasp of his final breath escaped his body.
"—not anymore."
They returned to the White House, to their room.
"Doggie, lay Kai on the bed," Mei ordered sharply.
Doggie—the boy from earlier—gently placed Kai onto the mattress.
What was once a clean white sheet was now stained with deep shades of red from his blood.
The floor was already blotched and streaked with droplets leaking from his nearly lifeless body.
The moment Doggie laid him down, the door suddenly burst open.
Lily stepped in, and the second her eyes landed on Kai's state, she rushed toward the bed.
"What happened?!" she asked, but before she could even check on Kai,
Mei kicked her to the ground, grabbed her by the collar, and yanked her close.
"CAN YOU BRING HIM BACK?!" Mei shouted through clenched teeth.
Lily was visibly terrified, but she had no time to react.
Mei's grip was already tightening—cutting off her breath.
"Th-the Master... khhh... might have... kghh... something..."
she managed to choke out, gasping for air.
Mei let her go. Without a word, she turned and sprinted toward Voren's office.
She kicked the door open with a loud crash—TUMP!
She ran up to his desk and slammed both palms onto it.
Vorenhart, seated behind it, didn't even flinch.
"I need something to—" she began, but he interrupted her.
"I know," he said, opening his drawer and pulling out a bottle.
It was a red liquid in a glass bottle, faintly glowing.
On it—a simple paper label marked with three black stars.
"Pour it straight into his mouth," Voren said.
Mei reached out her hand to take it—
but Voren pulled it back.
"Every potion has its price," Voren said quietly.
"The price of this one… is blood. For every drop you give him, the potion will take the same amount from your body."
He handed her the bottle, but his voice remained serious:
"Don't drop it. It's the only one I have… and I can't get another. They're incredibly rare."
Mei snatched the bottle and dashed out—racing back to her brother.
As soon as she reached the bed, she dropped to her knees beside him and, without hesitation, tilted the bottle over his lips.
The red liquid began to drip—slowly.
Then it hit her—a sting.
Faint at first… then sharper.
A searing pain ripped through her chest, right above her heart.
She felt it.
She felt the potion pulling blood from her own body.
Every drop she gave him… took something from her.
Like being chewed on from the inside.
But she endured.
She had to.
"Ahhh…" she gasped, pain written all over her face as crimson drops soaked Kai's lips.
Doggie and Lily stood silently by, watching as Mei—despite the agony—refused to stop.
The admiration in their eyes was as clear as daylight.
DRIP DRIP DRIP
The red drops kept falling.
And with each one, Mei grew weaker.
Half the bottle was gone.
And Kai still wasn't moving.
Mei didn't stop. Her hands trembled violently, but she didn't let go.
Tears streamed down her face.
"I'll do anything… Just come back…" she whispered through broken sobs.
"Don't leave me…"
She didn't stop.
Not when her chest burned.
Not when her fingers turned ice cold.
She poured it all.
To the very last drop.
"Kai…" she murmured.
...
KHHHHK!
A cough—weak, but alive.
Kai's eyes fluttered open.
He looked at his sister—confused, but smiling.
Slowly, he raised his hand and touched her cheek.
"…Thank you… sis…" he whispered.
Mei's smile trembled.
He was alive.
She saved him.
But then—
THUMP!
Her body collapsed.
She fell to the floor, drained, pale from blood loss.
She had lost nearly a liter of blood.