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Chapter 170  [Brightest Star] [Prelude]

The two-way lane, which should have been filled with people, was now empty, with only a few moving vehicles.

The engine roared again as I cut through the few cars.

The lane narrowed as I reached the eastern part of the capital city.

Now, in the gold-and-crimson sunset, a medium-sized building came into view.

Slowing down the bike, I glanced around.

A group of bystanders was already present in front of the main gate, trying to peek inside.

Their murmurs were quiet, but the sheer number of people made it seem loud.

Looking around, I noticed something else.

\'...Guards.\'

I thought, recognizing the two distinct cars with the royal family insignia engraved on them.

Parking the bike against the side walls of the building, I quickly moved towards the main gate.

"Move," I said, shoving them aside, making my way through the group.

Some tried to stop me, but a single glare was enough to make them back off.

A heavy, strained chain blocked the pathway as soon as I opened the old, rusting gate.

A garden with dried-up plants came into view, filled with different toys for children.

A heavy silence that didn\'t suit this place lingered around.

Moving my gaze, I looked to my side, where I saw two patrolling guards standing in front of a caramel-haired girl sitting on a bench.

The girl, with her head bowed, gazed at her hands, her slumped shoulders trembling from time to time as I slowly moved toward her.

The guards quickly noticed me as one of them turned toward me.

"Sir, you are not allowed here," he said, his voice strained.

Ashlyn gently lifted her head, her puffy, bloodshot eyes looking at me.

She didn\'t greet me with her usual smiling face but with trembling lips, her face still marked with dried-up tears.

"...Az," she whispered softly, getting up and limping toward me.

Her steps were uneven, her hands trying to balance her body.

I rushed towards her, grabbing her arm to stop her from falling.

"...Az," she whispered again, swallowing to moisten her throat, "...They died...everyone died."

Her sunken posture, her head shaking as if she couldn\'t process anything.

She clasped her hands behind my back, her head pressed against my chest.

Even in such hot weather, her body was cold—like a dead body.

"...They were just playing in the morning...how...why…" She whimpered silently, squeezing her hands.

I reached out, running my fingers through her hair, trying to fix it.

I didn\'t know what I was doing, I didn\'t know what I should do.

I was confused. I had questions to ask, but I couldn\'t. My mind and my voice felt disconnected.

No words to comfort her came out of my mouth. All I could do was stand there, giving her something to lean on.

"They...are no more." I heard her voice again, the always cheerful voice now broken, "...what...why?"

Her knees gave in, her body slowly sinking down, away from my grasp.

I, too, knelt on the ground, her hands never moving, still clasped behind my back.

Her tears kept falling, soaking my shirt, as I rubbed the back of her head to keep her calm.

...But she kept on crying.

I tried to say something but couldn\'t, for fear of making her situation worse.

"...Everything will be alright."

That\'s all I could say.

***

***

The night quickly arrived, dampening all the lights.

I was still outside, sitting on the bench with Ashlyn sleeping beside me, her head resting on my lap as I patted it softly.

"....."

The two patrolling guards still stood in front of us, an impatient look on their faces.

"What happened here?" I asked, looking at them.

"Sir, let us do—"

"You\'ve had enough time to recognize who I am," I cut in, my voice sharp. "Don\'t act like you\'re the superior one here because you\'re not."

They silently looked at me, their expressions showing they didn\'t agree with me, but only in expression, not words.

"The residents complained about the orphanage going quiet all of a sudden," one of them replied obediently, glancing at Ashlyn.

He continued, "When we arrived here, we found her crying in front of the door."

"Have you checked inside?" I asked, glancing at the building.

"We found three dead bodies at the entrance," he replied, a disturbed look on his face. "Fearing there might be something hidden inside, we didn\'t go further."

I nodded, glancing at the girl. "What did she tell you?"

They looked conflicted, gazing at each other before one of them replied, "...She spoke about not being able to find her sister...her sister was within the orphanage. We suspect she might be dead."

I closed my eyes, leaning my body against the bench.

My mind was in turmoil, different emotions mixing and lumping together, making me unable to think properly.

\'Calm down for now.\'

Drawing in a deep breath, I gently removed Ashlyn\'s head from my lap before standing up.

"Look after her," I ordered, looking at them.

Turning around, I walked toward the main door of the building.

"Sir, don\'t go in!" One of them shouted. "We\'ve seen incidents like this before."

"Yes, sir," the other one chimed in as well. "The royal guards should be arriving anytime now."

"What are you so afraid of?" I scoffed, glancing back at them.

"Sir, a few cases like this have already happened," he replied, a disgusted look on his face. "People sacrificing children in the name of Moloch."

I waved my hand, replying dismissively, "Just shut up and look after her."

Ignoring their pleas, I twisted the doorknob. The rusty door creaked open.

The entire hallway was covered in darkness, making it hard for me to see, which annoyed me slightly.

Looking to my side, I found a wooden stick, which I picked up.

Muspelh.

The stick burned at my touch, illuminating the gloom.

"....."

And my breath got stuck in my lungs as I looked around.

Lowering my gaze, I saw the three dead bodies lying there.

Their chests were cracked open like flowers, rib bones visible, with no hearts inside.

Calming my breathing, I moved past the dead bodies, walking further into the hallway.

Things grew more ominous as I walked on the blood-soaked floor.

"....."

I glanced down again, over the dead body of a young child—head crushed, mingled with the floor.

Tearing my gaze away from it, I took another step forward.

Another dead body lay in my path, a girl with her head split in two down the middle.

Another step.

Another mangled corpse.

The lack of light that felt annoying just a while ago now felt like something I needed.

Ignoring my anxious heart, I walked further, inspecting the dead bodies one by one.

They were all killed brutally, without a speck of mercy.

But by closely looking at them, I confirmed one thing—only one person is responsible for this.

Someone with a heavy and sharp weapon.

"....."

My stomach twisted in nausea as I looked at a child\'s body, around the same age as Willis, split into two halves.

\'....I can\'t.\'

I thought to myself.

It wasn\'t a pleasant feeling looking at all these dead bodies, but just to confirm one thing, I had to keep looking.

I roamed around the entire orphanage, checking every room, every corner, before returning to the entrance.

"She isn\'t here," I whispered softly, rubbing my temples roughly.

....Where did she go?

Tiffany was supposed to be here, but even after looking everywhere, I couldn\'t find her body.

\'This doesn\'t make sense.\'

Why was this orphanage targeted in the first place?

I don\'t remember anything special about this place except Ashlyn and Tiffany visiting regularly after both of them moved to the capital city.

Nothing like this happened in the game, nothing like this should have happened.

\'Then why?\'

Why was everyone killed here?

"Urghh."

I groaned in frustration as I roughly messed my hair.

"Hm?"

But my hands stopped moving as I felt a drop on them.

Bringing my hand down, I looked at it.

\'...Blood?\'

I thought, looking at the red, viscous liquid.

I slowly raised my head, along with my hand holding the burning stick, and looked upwards.

"....."

And felt my scalp turn numb.

With intestines and other body parts stitched with thin silver wire on the ceiling, a message was written using those body parts:

Bring Azariah with you and take your sister back.

Below it was an address, a place where I had spent most of my childhood.

"....."

I looked at it with a blank expression on my face.

....So, I was the reason for this massacre?

"....Uh." n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

I looked to my side, at the open door, as I heard a silent scream.

And...

...There stood Ashlyn.

Looking up at the ceiling.