Holly Vendetta Arc Chapter 9

"Venting frustration onto a wall, that I believe is a good sign." Holly commented to break the silence from the awkward moment she walked into

Kairo grunted, "I'm just an angry person."

"Y'know, if something is troubling you it's best to talk about it. At least that's what my mother used to say."

"You wouldn't understand, okay?!"

"Just tell me, I'm a stranger to you anyways. Nothing you say is gonna change that." Holly stated as she further attempted to push Kairo to talk to her

"I killed someone, okay? There! Are you happy?! Not a monster, a person from the world I was in before arriving here and the system rewarded me for it with the stupid black sword." Kairo snapped, throwing his hands up into the air

Holly calmly responded with a forced smile on her face, "You really think life was so easy going for me, huh? Why do you think I'm even out here alone? Where do you think all the other humans around here are? For starters, where are my parents?"

Kairo tried to process what she said, upon putting the pieces together his eyes widened as he blurted "You killed them, didn't you?."

Holly spoke softly as she sat down next to him "You killed one man? Try fifty… Sure, it wasn't intentional. But it happened, I regret every day that I live and breathe. I watched my mother breathe her last breath knowing it was all my fault. This is why I'm so inclined to destroy this world. This is my only way of atoning for my sins. Unintentional or not. Indirectly or not. It doesn't matter. For every life I took, I'll save another. I'll save them all, however many there are left out there suffering from the madness of this world."

"What makes you believe that killing everyone else still living in this world is the right decision to make?" Kairo asked

Holly rebutted "Who in their right mind would want to live a life of fear at every breathing moment?" Look, I don't need you to understand nor justify my decisions, but do understand this. I won't forget my mistakes and I'll atone for it until my last breath."

"That was quite a roundabout way to comfort someone, if it were anyone else, that would not work at all. I wouldn't say I'm comforted, but my head is a little bit less clouded now. "

Listening to Holly's words, Kairo understood that Holly never forgave herself. So she set her mind to a goal, one that would allow her to make that one cruel mistake as her turning point to grow and become strong enough to destroy this world that put in such misery. This awoke Kairo to the idea that he could never reverse what he did, but he can make the best out of it. Atone for it, in his own way.

Satisfied with his answer, Holly continued to retell her immature mistake to Kairo and afterward he did the same. As the two would proceed to chirp at each other like birds in spring, night fell once again. From all the talking and a full stomach, Holly passed out sitting close to the campfire.

Kairo, anxious to try his new weapon, snuck away for a second night in a row. Running around the nearby streets, Kairo was on a mission to hunt for some easy prey. As he searched high and low for almost an hour, he spotted a monster walking around on its own. It was another minotaur! But it was not the same, it looked weaker. It was even smaller than the one from last night, which should have been doable under normal circumstances.

As Kairo continued to stare at the beast from afar, fear overwhelmed him. He was frozen in place as recollections of his encounter with the minotaur a day prior to this began to eat at him. A single swing from that minotaur was enough to lead Kairo into a fatal state. Yet, what truly haunted him was the moment when the blade struck his bones, the crackling sensation that numbed his thoughts. Even though it had fully recovered to the point where not even a scar remained, he could subconsciously feel it. That throbbing pain just lingering on his collarbone. Gripping ever so tightly to his shoulder, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Upon exhaling, the look in his eyes changed. Not a speck of doubt could be seen. The lingering pain became an afterthought. He was ready. Ready to face a night full of ferocious and grotesque monsters till dawn. He called out his weapon, just like Holly did before. What weapon though? It was not the miracle white sword that saved his life. He had another; Daybreak.

From listening to Holly's words, Kairo understood that Daybreak was not just a reminder of his sin. It was also his chance to atone in the form of something tangible. Dashing towards the Minotaur with a clear plan in mind, he leaped upwards provoking it to swing its axe. As the Minotaur swung its arm back, metallic shackles began protruding from the ground wrapping itself around the monster's wrist. This was an active skill of Daybreak, the ability to summon a set of extendable shackles at will to perform a limited set of actions such as binding monsters.

Turning the sword on its head, Kairo jabbed Daybreak straight into the Minotaur's chest. Losing its balance, it fell onto its back. With Kairo standing on top of its chest, he shoved his sword deeper into its body. In its death throes, the minotaur struggled to break his arm free from the shackles that bound it till it let out a fading groan. Staring down at his deceased foe, Kairo felt triumphant. After his first real fight went down so easy, he was excited to hunt his next.

That was, until a hand tapped his shoulder. A shiver ran down his spine as he recalled something or more accurately someone.

Slowly, Kairo turned around and said with a shrug "Morning Holly! What brings you here at this time of night?"

"Seriously? You literally said you wouldn't do this to me again. You liar!"

"No, no! I meant it, but then I got Daybreak and one thing led to another."

"Oh? That's all. Well, guess all is forgiven then." Holly responded sarcastically

"Phew. I'm glad you understand." Kairo relieved by her words placed his hand on Holly's shoulder

"It was sarcasm, you nitwit!"' Holly yelled as she swatted his arm off her shoulder

"Well. That's my cue!" Kairo nervously said before running off

"Hey! Where do you think you're-" Holly exclaimed as she tried to give chase only to fall to the ground and find her ankles bound by shackles