Chapter 78: The Price of Independence
The air in the Church of Curses suddenly grew heavy, like a physical weight pressing down on their chests. Hana, who had been kneeling in silent prayer, slowly rose to her feet. Her movements were jerky, unnatural, like a puppet being pulled by invisible, rusted strings.
Adam Lee didn't hesitate. His survival instincts, honed by years of tragedy and blood, told him that the girl in front of them was no longer human. He lunged forward, grabbing Ren by the shoulder and throwing him back with violent force.
"Forgive me, Ren," Adam growled, his voice cold and devoid of emotion. "But I have to do this now. Before she becomes something we can't stop."
Adam's twin daggers shimmered into existence, the dark steel reflecting the flickering black candlelight. He charged toward Hana, his eyes fixed on her throat. But Ren was faster. Driven by a desperate, soul-shattering love for his sister, Ren scrambled to his feet and intercepted Adam, standing directly between him and Hana.
Ren leveled his golden revolver at Adam's chest. "I told you, Adam! Don't you dare touch her! I won't let you kill her!"
"Get out of the way, you fool!" Adam shouted, his face contorting with a mix of anger and pity. "Look at her! Look at what's happening!"
Ren turned his head, and the sight nearly made his heart stop.
A sickening sound of cracking bone filled the hall. Hana's back arched at an impossible angle as two sharp, black horns began to push through the skin of her forehead, blood trickling down her face. Her fingernails grew in seconds, becoming long, jagged talons that shimmered with a metallic, dark sheen. Her muscles rippled and expanded beneath her clothes, and as she looked at them, her teeth sharpened into rows of predatory fangs.
"Hana..." Ren whispered, his voice trembling.
Adam didn't wait for Ren to recover. He delivered a swift, powerful kick to Ren's ribs, sending him flying across the room. Ren's body slammed into the stone wall, the impact knocking the wind out of him.
With Ren out of the way, Adam swung his daggers at Hana's chest. But he was too slow. With a speed that defied physics, Hana's transformed hand shot out, catching Adam's wrists mid-air. She didn't just stop him; she held him with a grip that felt like iron vices crushing his bones.
Hana turned her head, her yellow eyes burning with a demonic fire. She opened her mouth and let out a roar—a sound so hollow and terrifying that it felt like the screams of a thousand tortured souls echoing at once.
Ren struggled to sit up, his vision swimming. He forced his Vane energy into his eyes. Vision... Activate!
The blue spectral world flooded his sight. He looked at Hana, bracing for the backlash, but this time he looked only at her aura. To his shock, Hana's spiritual body was still a soft, normal color—the aura of a human girl. But the necklace... the necklace was a boiling sun of toxic yellow energy.
She's still in there! Ren thought, tears streaming down his face. She isn't a monster yet! Something is just wearing her body like a suit!
Flashback: Three Weeks Ago
The sun was shining brightly over the Academy's courtyard. It was lunch break, and the air was filled with the chatter of students. Hana was sitting on a stone bench with her best friend, Miku, their lunchboxes open between them.
Miku reached into her bag and pulled out a small, velvet-covered box. "Hana, your birthday is coming up soon, right? I didn't want to wait. Here, this is my gift to you."
Hana's eyes lit up as she opened the box. Inside lay a jagged iron necklace with a diamond-shaped jewel. "Wow... Miku, it's beautiful! But it looks so expensive. I can't take this."
Miku smiled, though her eyes remained oddly still. "It's not just a normal necklace, Hana. I know how much you worry about Ren. I know how it feels to be the 'weak' sister who always has to be protected. This is from the Church of the God of Curses. If you wear it and pray at their sanctuary, you'll be given power. Real power."
Hana hesitated, her fingers brushing the cold metal.
"Think about it, Hana," Miku whispered, leaning closer. "You won't have to depend on your brother anymore. You won't be a burden. You'll be strong enough to protect him. And the wealth... you'll be able to buy whatever you want, whenever you want. You'll be independent. You'll finally be free."
Hana looked at the necklace, a vision of a better life dancing in her mind. She thought of Ren's exhausted face after a mission, his bruised knuckles, and his empty pockets. She thought of how much she wanted to help him.
Hana hugged Miku tightly, her eyes filled with tears of gratitude. "Thank you, Miku. You're the only one who truly understands me. Thank you for caring so much."
The Present
The memory shattered as Hana's roar echoed through the church again.
Adam was struggling, his Vane energy flaring as he tried to break free from Hana's grip. "Ren! Do something! She's going to kill me!"
"Stop it, Hana! It's me!" Ren screamed, but his sister was gone.
Hana moved with a blur of motion. She dodged Adam's desperate counter-attack with a grace that was sickening to watch. In one fluid movement, she drove her sharp, clawed hand into Adam's stomach. The sound of tearing fabric and flesh filled the room.
Adam gasped, his eyes wide with shock as blood began to soak his uniform. But Hana wasn't finished. She lunged forward and sank her fangs deep into Adam's shoulder, tearing away a chunk of flesh.
Adam let out a strangled cry of agony, his daggers clattering to the floor. He slumped forward, his blood staining the cold stone of the church.
Hana threw him aside like a piece of unwanted trash, her yellow eyes now turning toward Ren. She crouched low, her claws scraping against the floor, ready to pounce on her own brother.
Ren looked at the necklace, then at the blood on Hana's lips. He realized that the "independence" his sister had craved had come at the highest price possible. To be free, she had sacrificed her soul, and now, Ren was the only thing standing between her and total darkness.