Chapter 9,
Pink Love
Third Person's POV
Lyka looked at the bird disgustingly, "Eww, why pink of all?" her mouth curved into a wry frown.
"Do you hate pink? Isn't it for girls?" Zephyr asked while they approached the bird.
"That's not true, pink are for boys, you know," Tj justified.
"Weren't you from the Zilch Family? Everyone studies colors in your family, am I wrong?" Eljeric wondered.
"Not all of us. We could refuse if we wish to, and I did that," He explained.
Zephyr held out a waterball in his hand and tossed it over and over back to his hands, "What are you doing?" Eljeric asked.
"You know that? Sometimes, staring at a waterball moving like waves can calm water manipulators? I don't know why, but it also calms me down," his indifferent look didn't perished as he spoke. This was him, indeed.
Lyka broke the conversation they're having when she spoke from a distance where the next bird is, "You two, hurry!" She waved as she spokes.
"What is this? It feels weird," Eljeric gave a kind smile while he was staring at the pink bird in front of him, "It's like this bird us conveying something to me," he added to himself inside while staring at the bird with an eye-to-eye contact, piercing it with his cold eyes.
"Let's get to it!" Tj said as he was filled with energy, despite of their condition.
To be precise and true, Tj was the one who was in a bad condition. Not only because he was the weakest among them, but because he's just a mere human. The four are also humans, but not "just a human". Those who are born in well-known family or wealthy families are trained well since they have high magical powers. In Tj's case, he's just like a nobody who's not born in any known family. Not having a high quantity of magic means there's a small limit to what you can do, withstand, learn, and what you can be. Being a commoner is something a lot of people don't want, but some commoners have high quantity of magical powers and Mana, meaning, they're lucky.
"You guys so first, I think I'll go last," Eljeric gave a assuring smile.
"Will you be okay?" Zephyr asked as if he was worried, going about his lies, once again.
"I'll be fine, you guys could go worry about yourself," Eljeric waved goodbye to them as they disappeared after touching the pink birds.
After they left, Eljeric's expression became a serious one, "Gella, can you show the three's condition?"
"Yes, sir," Gella replied after appearing from behind. It may not be shown, but she's a bit worried and scared of Eljeric.
Gella is a Regulator, and Regulators are those who finished crossing the Labyrinth of Dreams. Regulators became strong as time passes by, but it seems like they cannot grow stronger than the Feiguil Family. No Regulator knows why since they weren't born by the time the labyrinth was created.
"What is that?" Eljeric pointed at Zephyr, looking at Gella. Zephyr was holding an empty book like he always does.
"That's common for the Zilch Family. As you know, they are what their family name's meaning. Nothing. Empty." Gella's voice was cold and heartless, "They are trained for combat and defence. But that's not the common thing for them. They are born with a special resistance. Illusions don't work in them. Maybe it's because they're just an empty book like what's he's holding. No one ever unravelled that, even the Zilch Family," she added.
Ignoring Zephyr, Eljeric shifted his gaze onto Lyka who was crying in her dream. She was being physically harassed by his father, making Eljeric seemed angry as he refrained himself.
"F-Father, please, don't hurt her, anymore!" A by in the back said, trying to calm his father down.
"Seiro, leave!" Lyka's father smacked the boy too hard that he was thrown almost beside the door, which was barely open.
"L-Leave. . ." Lyka's voice was shaking, and she was filled with bruises and bleeding in almost every part of her body.
"Leave, please!" She shouted as she cries while her father holds into her hair, pulling her.
With her words, the boy left in tears dragging a small bobbed-cut hair girl with him who resembles Lyka in a lot of aspects.
"Didn't I told you? Don't get too high of yourself! Not because your a noble and a dual-ability user, you can just boast around your power! Don't take everyone lightly!" Her father shouts at her, slapping her everytime he finishes a sentence.
"I-I didn't! I never said a-anything to them! Father, please!" Lyka pleaded to him, but he just replied back with a slap.
"You fool! You dare speak like that to your father?! You can't even do work thinks done! You can't even find yourself a rich man! Now, you just defy me and say that my words are just not true?!" Now, a puch landed on Lyka's face, "I'm the absolute in this family! You follow my orders, even if it kills you!" He added a slap next.
"It's impossible. . . You're impossible!" with her words, she suddenly grabbed a pointed hairpin near her and stabbed her father on the heart without hesitation.
"Ahrrrgg!!! You brat, you'll pay fo—" Before he could finish, Lyka gave another blow making more blood splatter or her face, hair, hands, and everywhere.
"Wh-What have you done?!" A voice came from the door making Lyka holy back to reality.
The hairpin she just stabbed her father was the first gift Tj had given her. Moreover, she heartlessly stabbed her father in front of her mother and dyed herself with his blood.
Flashing forward in time, she was eating on the table with her family. There are six seats in the table, but only five person is present. They are all wearing black clothes, except for Lyka. She was wearing a half-black dress. The other half was black and the other was white, to be precise. She looks really good in her clothes paired with her emotionless face that looked drained by crying.
The seat that was empty was for her father who was killed by her. One for the mother, one for the little boy, one for the girl and another for a little baby girl who was about in the age of three. The last seat belongs to Lyka.
"Now, we're freed," the mother broke the silence that's almost making them deaf.
"You're right, mom. With that, none of us can get hurt by him, especially Lyka," Seiro looked really serious with his words.
"Will that be true? No one will protect us anymore," the little girl said.
"Mama, where's papa?" The youngest daughter asked.
The place fell silent by her words until the mother smiled, "Papa will be on a long journey. It'll take him long before coming back," she gave a kind smile similar to Lyka, "to hell, that is," she whispered under her breath and grinned. Only the three heard it, but not the little one.
"Let it be. The demon's gone, after all. We shall enjoy our lives," Seiro smiled sadly.
"Mother, uhm... You know. . ." her mother smiled at Lyka, "Can I marry Tj?" Lyka didn't dare to look at any of them.
"Tj? Why not, he's a caring guy and moreover, he posses a kind heart an almost perfect in a lot of terms," Lyka's mother smiled at her once more and patted her shoulder.
"Is that okay?" She asked one more.
"I think it's okay. Besides, when you're off, he secretly takes good care of us and plays with Yummi," Seiro said, as he bites a piece of meat.
"I guess I'll do that. I'll be leaving this, by the way," She handed a hairpin in her mother.
"This is. . ." When her mother looked at her, she disappeared and the hologram of the family closed.
"Was that from the past?" Zephyr asked, startling Eljeric.
"What was that for?" Eljeric fumed, barely angry.
"Nothing," Zephyr smiled.
"Did you look at my illusion?" Zephyr added.
"Illusion? No," Eljeric replied back a lie.
"Is that so? You'd better not," Zephyr gave a scary smile and Eljeric did the same.
"Tj's illusion is. . ." Lyka broke the heavy tension as she held back her laughter.
"Who's that girl?" Eljeric asked while looking at Tj who was being chased by a girl with brown hair.
"Who knows? Maybe a girl who likes him?" She faintly laughed.
"Now what?!" Lyka's express quick to change.
Seeing Tj get caught by the girl, she fumed. Tj gav her a rose colored pink while they walk and sat on a picnic mat and started to chat about their future.
"That playboy!" Lyka was deeply annoyed by that girl.
"Gella, what does this means?" Lyka asked.
"Who knows? Maybe a past?" Gella shrugged making Lyka more and more furious.
"He never told me anything! That playboy, I swear I'll be at his up myself. Just what is that?!" She screamed in anger.
The pink bird chuckled, "Haha, wanna know? That playboy's past is that. He had a girlfriend from the past. Does that hurt, haha?!" The pink bird insulted Lyka, "Don't worry what I said are just a test for love. Don't feel distrust towards the poor boy, little one, haha!" The bird laughed.
"I see. . .Is that so?" Lyka looked at the bird with distrust.
"Look, this is a gift for you," Tj pulled out a hair accessory on his pocket and gave it to the girl.
"I like it, thank you, my love!" The girl replied back like a flirty girl.
"Yuck! Save me! It feels like I want to vomit everything inside me! So cringe! So disgusting, girl! I can't even dare to calm him that!" Lyka looked disgusted and she kept on holding on her stomach as she speak.
Eljeric chuckled, "that's too much, Lyka. Did you grew as a noble?"
"No,it's not like that. I just felt like that inside. I just let them all out. Etiquette is nothing to me. I'm now an ex-commoner!" She said proudly.
"What now? Why's everyone here already?" Tj asked making everyone looked at each other, then laughed. They didn't knew he already finished clearing the illusion.
"Well, this one's easy, after all. No one died in this one," Gella spoke, "That's the bird of love, it doesn't kill with illusion of whatever. She's kind and harmless," she added, complementing the pink cute bird.
"How about you, boy? Wanna make a deal?" The bird asked Eljeric.
"Deal?" Eljeric wondered by her statement.
"Yes. A deal. Come closer and I'll tell you, Haha!" She laughed.
Eljeric approached the pink bird, "What is it?"
"Simple, just let me speak with your boyfriend," she smiled.
"Is that all?" Zephyr came closer.
"That is all," the bird chuckled.
"Can y'all stand back?" The bid added.
"Okay," Lyka replied at the bird while she ignores Tj out of jealousy.
"What did I do?! Hey, Lyka!" Tj tries to talk to her, but Lyka never replied anything to him.
"Eljeric, help!" Tj called out as Eljeric approaches their side.
Eljeric refused, "Do it yourself."
"What do you want from me?" Zephyr looked coldly at the pink bird.
"Did you know that cold characters gives more impact! Kyaaah!" The bird laughed loudly.
"Let's just get into business," Zephyr was still cold.
"Why are you so fake?" The bird's expression became dark and creepy.
"Why do you care?" Zephyr replied back with the same look, but more intense then the other.
"Nothing. I just pity your boyfriend. He seemed to like you~Haha!" The pink bird laughed once again.
"We're done now, aren't we?" Zephyr coldly asked.
"That's true." The bird shrugged, "Well then, everyone, Adios!" She waved with her wings and flew away with a cute smile plastered on her face.
"What a scary bird," Zephyr mumbled to himself.
"You said something?" Gella asked from the back.
"You don't dare give a care about it," Zephyr replied with his cold gaze.
"Aww, how cold!" Gella gave a cute, scared expression.
***