Psychic Overlord

Rina slumped down against the wall of the rooftop, her eyes wide with mild shock and surprise as she helplessly sat down. She ever so gently looked down at her abdomen, which now sported a hole that was leaking copious amounts of blood, realizing with almost casual amusement that she was not going to survive something like this.

She weakly looked up to see that Raul was still lying in a pool of blood, his eyes lifeless as his body was riddled with bullet holes, while Franco was weakly making a last stand while lying on the ground, killing the armed operative who shot Rina just now in a moment of carelessness.

The two had done their utmost best to survive, but they hadn't even lasted three waves and five minutes before Raul was killed and Franco was waylaid. Now, even Rina was about to join them in the hands of death, these ruthless killers not even caring about her background as they aimed to kill.

She was lucky that they didn't go for a headshot, solely because the operative who rushed to the roof during their moment of rest was focused on Franco and just wanted to incapacitate her while he dealt with what he considered to be the real threat.

She should be grateful; it allowed her these critical last moments to make peace with life and get ready for the next one.

Rina clutched the hole in her abdomen and gritted her teeth, feeling the pain wash over her as her eyes misted with tears. Her hands were not large enough to stifle the flow of blood, and her body was becoming weaker by the second.

Franco looked back and felt a hint of remorse and despair. He felt remorse because he knew that he would not be able to see his wife, Genevieve, and his rascal son, Micheal, ever again. He promised his son that when he finished this assignment, they would play that new base-building game and create a miniature family empire within.

He would have to unfortunately break that promise, something which he regretted. Then there was the despair, because even if he died, his contract stipulated that his family would be heavily compensated, enough so that they would not have to worry about working for a long time.

But with Kaizer's fate unknown—but likely grim—and Rina too dying, it was clear that even if the employer was kind enough to not blame them for it, compensating his family as heavily as promised—if at all—was out of the question.

Franco wanted to apologize to the young girl, but looking at her tear-filled expression that clearly showed she wasn't willing to die at all, his words choked in his throat.

For that matter, Rina was also in the throes of despair and denial. From a young age, she had given up on her so-called father that her mother pined for day and night, understanding that the fellow had simply planted his seeds in her mother and run away.

For Rina, her mother had been gentle and womanly ever since she had been born, and she never believed her uncle's stories about how fierce Katherine used to be when young. Or maybe she did believe, which was why Rina herself developed such a forward and domineering personality after puberty, to become more like her mother, who she loved so much.

She had grown up understanding that in this world, the only ones who truly cared for her were her family, and she kept everyone at arm's length, not allowing them anywhere near her heart. In there was space for only four people: her mother, first and foremost, her uncle, her aunt, and finally… her brother.

Cousins they were legally, but Rina always considered Kaizer to be her brother. He was always so smart and perceptive about how others felt and could navigate himself through any situation like a miniature adult, causing the young Rina's eyes to be full of stars.

She had worshipped him since as far back as when she could first walk, and that had not stopped till now. To Rina, the most amazing person in the world in terms of capability was definitely her brother, because there was nothing he couldn't do, she firmly believed that.

Even when he was attacked a few days ago, she did not go to watch over him because she knew he would be fine. She just paid a visit while he was out cold with her mother, feeling a petulant anger that he dared to almost die and also feeling secretly smug that he deserved it for what he did to her.

Kaizer always asked himself what went wrong between them that caused Rina to act like a firecracker in his presence, but if he knew the reason, he would likely be speechless.

About seven years ago, when the two were only eleven years old and still very close to each other, puberty began to hit them, and they began to look at each other weirdly. They began to develop certain traits respective to their gender, and a few accidents in the house began to make them feel uncomfortable with each other.

Their parents saw it as no big deal, but they couldn't feel the same way. One day, when Rina casually asked Kaizer who he liked and if it was her, the embarrassed fellow stammered that it was none of her business. She became unhappy and began to argue with him, and their argument essentially devolved to them saying they hated each other and would never get married.

Kaizer forgot about this the next day, as boys were wont to do, but Rina never forgot. It was a pain seared into her heart, and she never doubted it because Kaizer was extraordinarily perceptive about how others felt, so he should also know how she felt, yet he stuck to his words ever since then.

Since then, she had to deal with her own growth problems and changes alone, and the Kaizer she had deep in her heart was as if walled off from her. It became worse when he started going on dates, making her feel like a miniature cuckold since she never knew how far his dates went, and he never shared them with her.

It was no wonder; she was like a fuse in his presence. She pined for him day and night, but he was not hers to be had.

Ironically, in this way, she was like her mother.

Rina felt the breath of life slowly leave her body. Knowing that she only had a few seconds of consciousness left, in this time, she saw more operatives break into the rooftop's confines and finally take down Franco, who fought like a lion to bring them down with him, but she couldn't feel anything about it.

All Rina felt was regret. Overwhelming regret that washed over her like a tide.

She deeply regretted not taking what she wanted and acting petulantly all this time. If she had been more forward, had made her position clear and made her move, could she have gained her brother's love once more?

Well… now, she would never know.