Pulsation [Taboo]

Seiya stood frozen, his eyes wide and face pale. He couldn't comprehend what had just unfolded. 

The excruciating pain and agony that had consumed him moments ago had dulled into a numbness, his body unwilling to feel the pain coursing through his veins—He was beyond shocked.

Never in his life had he witnessed the death of a person firsthand—much less a child, no older than four, and in such a brutal way.

More than the torment within himself, Seiya's heart ached for the child who had been lost.

"You see that, Seiya? That's your motivation." His father's words broke through the haze of confusion.

Seiya looked up, bewildered, at his father's smiling face. Confusion etched across his features.

What did he mean, 'that's my motivation? How could the death of an innocent child be something to motivate him?

Seiya struggled to understand, his voice barely a whisper, hoarse and hesitant as he asked, "What… what do you mean?"

His father's smile widened as he gazed down at him, pleased by the confusion in his son's eyes.

"What I mean," his father began, "is that these children will draw out your full potential. And it's bound to work because you're kind." He chuckled, then turned away and sat down.

"You must be wondering how they'll accomplish this, right? Look at them, Seiya. Take a good, long look—because from now on, their fates are in your hands."

Seiya could hardly make sense of his father's cryptic statement. Forgetting his own pain, Seiya wanted only to understand how the fate of those innocent children had come to rest on his shoulders—and why one of them had to die. But his father's words felt like an unfathomable riddle, so he pressed on.

"Starting today" He clasped his hands together, his tone shifting to one of authority, as if preparing to announce something crucial.

"For every task you fail to complete, a child will die as punishment."

The world around Seiya darkened, colors drained from his vision, his pupils dilating as the horror of his father's words sank in. His heartbeat thundered in his ears as he replayed his father's words in his mind.

He trembled, his breaths ragged and labored as he struggled to process this new reality. 

His heart reeled with a searing intensity because he realized now that the child who had just died had been the price of his failure. Trembling, Seiya's eyes darted wildly, his breathing erratic.

Then that means…that I..it was me, I…got someone killed…it was because of me!

A wave of guilt and terror crashed over him. Drenched in cold sweat, Seiya clutched his chest as if to grasp the pain throbbing inside him—his hands shaking.

Why?! Why?! Why?!

The question echoed endlessly in his mind, each one stabbing deeper than the last as he pressed his hands to his ears, as though trying to block out the horror. He began to weep, each sob raw and wrenching.

If it's like this, then maybe… maybe it's better if I just die. Then none of them would have to suffer because of me. 

His sobs grew louder, each tear-filled breath a testament to his desperation. I can't take it anymore… it hurts… it hurts so much.

His father's voice shattered his thoughts. "If you're thinking of just giving up and dying, that could work but–" His father's cold gaze pierced through him "Keep in mind that not only your mother but several of these kids would follow you right after"

Seiya's world turned silent. He no longer heard or felt anything, like someone who had given up all hope. He drifted inwards, lost in his own thoughts.

Ahh… will nothing work? Ahh… it's hard even to die. With all these, I'm going to die anyway… but… if I can save them with this forsaken life of mine before I'm permitted to die then… then I… Seiya's tears blurred his vision, his sobs shaking his small body. If I can do something for them before I'm discarded… then I… I'm happy~.

Seiya's face crumpled with sorrow, his words dissolving into sobs: I'm happy…I'm happy.

"So, Seiya," his father's voice pulled him back from the abyss. "What have you decided? Will you rise and complete your task, or should we find another child to pay the price for your failure?" He threatened with his fingers ready to make a snap.

Seiya, trembling, dragged himself upright, wiping his face, determined to see clearly ahead and not fall unconscious—not while there were others whose lives depended on him.

Seeing this, his father smirked, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes.

Seiya wobbled, barely able to keep himself standing and paying no mind to the bone deep pain he felt all over his body for his heart ached more painfully.

Seiya panted loudly as merely standing had drained him of all strength and little energy he had let.

After a while, Seiya took a not so big first step, causing blood to seep from the thigh behind since pressure had shifted to it causing a long delay before Seiya moved another step—and another then another.

Each step felt like moving through quicksand, as though the weight of his guilt was a boulder he carried on his back.

With every agonizing step, blood seeped from his wounds, leaving a trail as a path marking his progress—he pressed forward, determined.

Finally, he reached and collapsed at the end of the room, his breaths coming in gasps.

His father's applause echoed in the room as he approached. 

"Well done! Spectacular!" He praised in mocking amusement, clapping in slow, deliberate rhythm.

Seiya gazed up hollowly, barely able to make out his father's figure through his blurred vision. He couldn't allow himself to pass out without permission, fearful that another might suffer because of it.

Understanding the look in Seiya's eyes, his father granted him reprieve. "It's okay, you may sleep."

With those words, Seiya's consciousness slipped away, like a machine powered down by an order.

– – –

Even after being healed, Seiya didn't awaken until two days later. When he did, he was like a hollow shell, lying still, barely moving or eating, staring into space. This continued until the fourth day, even as his father visited, his presence eliciting no response.

Mr. Sanio, however, had other matters to attend to so he paid little mind to Seiya's condition.

The rituals for Seiya and his wife funeral needed to be organized so that his other children, Hye Rin and Ozai, wouldn't start seeing him in a different light.

– – –

Three days later with the funeral behind them, Hye Rin and Ozai settled in their new home. Ozai sat slouched on the beige couch, while Hye Rin leaned over the back, draped over the armrest.

With a sigh, Hye Rin exclaimed, "I'm so bored! Everything's been dull lately."

"True," Ozai muttered, sliding further down the couch, his expression equally disinterested.

Their doorbell rang, and Hye Rin let out another long sigh before dragging herself to answer it. 

She swung the door open to find a postal worker standing outside, holding out an envelope.

He gave a nervous smile, avoiding her gaze. "Please sign here" he said quietly, as handed over the envelope.

Hye Rin raised a brow but signed without protest then quickly slammed the door shut.

She tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter, casually scanning it. After a moment, she scoffed, tossing both the envelope and letter aside.

Ozai glanced at her curiously. "What is it?"

"Nothing important" Hye Rin muttered, her tone filled with disdain. "Just a letter lifting my one-month suspension saying I can resume whenever I'm ready"

Ozai responded with a simple "oh" but Hye Rin wasn't done.

"Tch! As if they could do without me!" She flipped her hair dramatically, though her confidence wasn't misplaced. 

She was an asset to them—one they couldn't afford to lose. Yet she needed them too; they were her best chance at unraveling the mystery surrounding her mother and brother's deaths, since her investigations had lead to a dead end.

"Hey, what do you say we blow off some steam by hunting monsters?" Hye Rin suggested with a mischievous grin.

Ozai sighed but relented. "Yeah?"

"I heard gates have been opening more frequently. Monsters are running wild. Let's go keep them in check." Hye Rin gave a thumbs-up.

Ozai shrugged. "Fine, but we'll need our runes to check for open gates"

They soon realized neither had their runes. Hye Rin had left hers in her dorm before leaving, and Ozai had woken up in the hospital without his.

"Great!" Ozai said sarcastically, starting to head upstairs but Hye Rin pulled him back by the collar.

Hye Rin leaned in close, grinning slyly. "Why would we need a rune when you're here?"

Ozai's face fell. Apart from reversing time, he could see and locate weapons even at far dustances, which could help pinpoint disturbances.

Hye Rin, not waiting for his response, continued. "All you need to do is locate where mass weapons are oddly gathered or being used around here. Surely, you can manage that"

Resigned, Ozai sat cross-legged on the couch and closed his eyes, searching.

After a few minutes, he spoke, frustration evident in his voice. "I can't see anything… it's all darkness."

"Peer deeper," Hye Rin urged.

Ozai's frustration grew. "I can't…There's nothing….wait–" 

Ozai's vision cleared, showing multiple weapons moving in the distance, converging in one place. Though he couldn't see the wielders since his ability is only limited to seeing and locating the weapons, he knew they had found what they were looking for.

"Dammit! Let's go!" he exclaimed, grabbing a jacket from the couch.

Hye Rin locked the door behind them, asking "which way?"

"This way" Ozai pointed left but after a moment of hesitation, he corrected himself. "No, that way."

With a mix of frustration and amusement, Hye Rin followed him, weaving through narrow streets only to arrive at a big house, enclosed within a fence.

"This is it?" Hye Rin asked with a funny face.

"It's just behind this house, I swear" Ozai insisted.

"Yeah? And what do you expect us to do—move the house?" Hye Rin teased.

"Not yet but I might be able to when I grow stronger" Ozai remarked while Hye Rin just peered deeply at him, at a loss for words.

"After all everywhere is a road that leads somewhere, some houses just come to obstruct that, nothing else" he added shamelessly.

They both stared at the house for some moments before exchanging looks when they had the same thought.

We could just jump over it.

With a shared nod, they took a few steps back and ran toward the fence, leaping over it and landing on the other side.

An elderly man tending to his garden, gazed in shock as they appeared to be falling from the sky.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?! No manners at all!" The old man yelled.

Without missing a beat, Hye Rin and Ozai sprang to their feet and sprinted toward the opposite side of the yard, the old man shouting and chasing angrily behind them.

"Faster, Ozai! You don't wanna get caught by an angry old man!" Hye Rin laughed and Ozai joined.

It was the first time in days they had a glimmer of joy amidst the grief and burdens they carried.

Finally, they reached their destination—a massive, sky-blue gate swirling ominously like a whirlpool. Surrounding it were gigantic, black monsters, some still emerging from the gate.

"What are those things? They're huge!" Hye Rin exclaimed, disgusted.

Ozai clenched his fist. "Where are the Humanity Saviours? Why aren't they here yet?!"

Hye Rin sighed. "They're stretched thin. Gates have been opening everywhere, but they're keeping casualties low. They've probably been dispatched and are on their way".

"Let's get this done before the monsters start running wild and help out wherever we're needed. It's time we got back to work." She cracked her knuckles, Ozai nodding beside her.

With that, they prepared to face the monsters head-on, determined to turn their loss into strength.