Crystal Breeze

CB50

CB50

The world is full of vile and ludicrous animals, stench with malice, and marked by sins. Imposed laws are just lies. Real power never resides in a couple of words combined. Money and power set the rules for everyone. The vicious cycle of the strong preying on the weak will never end. Those who play heroes are most of the time, villains.

Deceptive. Dirty. Selfish. Evil.

People like that are disgusting.

And there's only one way to deal with those kinds－ you trample them before they trample you.

"I'm talking to you, Atreus Marrion."

I stopped squeezing the stress ball I have in my hand. It was given to me to exercise my recently injured hands.

"I told you everything already, Mama."

"Are you sure you didn't do anything?"

I didn't answer. Instead, I just continued squeezing the ball in my hand. I heard Mama's deep sigh. She must have understood my silence.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to get involved?"

I turned to where she's sitting. She's eyeing me with those serious and cold eyes of hers that make almost everyone cower in front of her.

A lot of people say I am so much like her. Talk like her, act like her. It's her blood that's flowing in my veins. That's why, rather than feeling bad about almost always getting compared to my mother, I use the card as my ace... a reason for all the troubles I willingly put myself into.

"You'll do just the same as me, Ma..."

"Don't turn this conversation on me."

"I'm just giving you a good argument."

"At least I know how to hold myself back. But you! Are you trying to get yourself killed at a very young age?"

"I'm not, Ma. It just so happened..."

I can see the frustration in her face as she sighed deeply and closed her eyes tightly for a second.

"How dare you give me that kind of reason..." she whispered, though it still reached my ears.

Once again, I choose not to answer. I know that acting proud in front of her would just make me look foolish. I don't wanna defend myself on something that I'm guilty about. I just want her to say whatever she wants to say to me... be angry or hate me, but instead, she just keeps on interrogating me like she could squeeze a sense out of me.

Mothers... seriously.

Or maybe, it's just really Mama. She's too different among others, anyway.

"Who was it, then?"

"I don't know..." I lazily answered.

"Just think of someone who could possibly do this to you."

"A lot of people hold grudges to me..." I said, looking at the stress ball in my hand and playing with it.

That's the truth. The more I try to avoid trouble, the more I get involved. The only way to cut the unnecessary effort is to let everything come to me. Since then, I've been in a lot of fights with different people.

It displeases me. I cannot just have myself watch those inexcusable filthy animals act like they are everything in the world. I am neither a hero nor a villain... but at least, I know what's right－and I don't intend on breaking from that.

"Tell me, Rion..."

My eyes went back to Mama when I noticed a different kind of seriousness in his voice.