The flames were slowly burning the surrounding area, woods were cracking and breaking, piles of metals were falling on the ground, the heat from the fire was scorching, it was as though their flesh was being smoldered in a slow, agonizing pain.
Regan has been kneeling on the rough pavement, yet his skin couldn't feel anything. He could feel the tears falling on his cheeks, like rain drizzling on a slow, cloudy day, it wouldn't stop even if he wanted to. He could feel his heart was being torn apart, a pain he never knew existed was suddenly being shoved into his stoic of emotions, a dreadful sorrow that he couldn't defend himself from.
"This is what I warned you about, Regan." East spoke and he turned his gaze to the man in front of him, smiling like the devil he is. "I warned you from the very beginning that I will kill your family right in front of you if you wouldn't obey me."
He didn't answer.
Regan could hear his father mourning while carrying the cold body of his mother in his arms. How could he let this happen? How could he let East win over his emotions? What is he even doing? Why did he spend years avoiding his family thinking that they could be safe if he's not around?
Why?
Why?!
"WHY?!" Regan screamed.
He is angry.
He is in pain.
He wants justice.
"Why?" East chuckled. "It's because you're weak. You can't do anything on your own, Regan. You are nothing but a toy in my empire, a dog who needs an owner, you are trash that no one wants. If you had just been a good boy and obeyed me, this, your mother dying wouldn't happen."
He gives up. Sa mga oras na 'yon ay hinihiling na lang ni Regan na sana matapos na lang ang lahat. Gusto na lang niya maglaho na parang bula. He wanted a fast death that he wouldn't even feel the pain that he has at that moment.
Killing someone before meant nothing to him. Having blood of innocent people in his hands was nothing, but having his own mother's blood in him is what killed him that night.
"You know what's worse than having your own mother die in front of you?" he asked as he stared at East with his dead glare. "It's living in this world full of regrets. Living every day while remembering that that one person you once adored was gone and no one is there to comfort you when you needed it, that you were yearning for that one person's love, yet they're gone." Regan paused and gritted his teeth in anger. He closed the distance between him and East but before he could reach him, Kyvian blocked his way and punched him straight to his face.
Nabuwal siya sa pagkakatayo ngunit agad din naman siyang bumangon at muling inatake ang lalaki. Kyvian was fast to grab him with his collar, but Regan held onto his arm and slammed him to the ground. He didn't waste any second and took a shard of glass from the broken window and tried stabbing Kyvian but East grasped him on the neck and pulled him away.
"Fuck!" malakas na mura ni Kyvian sa kanya bago siya malakas na sinipa sa sikmura. "You son of a bitch!"
Regan clenched his fists and swung it towards East's face and hit him on his jaw, pushing him a bit away. Everything at that moment was vague, like his body wasn't his own and it was moving on pure instinct. There were no emotions drawn on his face as he wanted to end everything by himself. His fists were tainted with blood from the enemies in front of him, yet he couldn't see his own dripping endlessly on his scarred skin, warm and angry.
"Dad," Regan spoke. He felt his father's gaze in his direction, and he tried to give a smile even if tears started to form in his sight once again. "I'm sorry if I'm not the son you wanted me to be. I apologize because even with the strength that I have, I failed to protect mom from the life that I hid from you. I don't need you to forgive me from what I did because I deserved it."
