Administrator

Silence engulfed us. Two boys in front of the solemn black monolith. One alive, another dead. Our surroundings were just like the latter, dead as it can be. Literally.

Corpses, or remains of what once a corpse, were the only thing that… well, remained. As far as the eye can see, only darkness greeted me. Either everyone had escaped to the outskirts of The Hole or those who didn't manage to go far just dive to whoever hole in front of them as a last ditch effort.

I still held Jack's cold hand in mine.

I killed him. Me. The cursed Outlander.

Once they found out about this, I would be the perfect scapegoat to close this incident peacefully. The weird thing was, even when I knew that things would develop that way, I didn't blame them in the slightest bit.

Why? Because I can't blame them. They were innocent.

"It was no coincidence. I was your bully after all. The role of your exterminator naturally falls on me," I muttered. I felt something stifling in my chest.

That was Jack's last comment on this incident. Word by word.

From this, three things could be inferred. One, the no coincidence part. This whole incident was planned. Two, I was your bully after all. This paints the evidence of a relationship with me albeit a negative one. And lastly, the word executioner. The target of today's massacre was me.

Me.

Aero Vermilion, the outlander. These people were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were victims in its truest sense.

Still, I survived to tell the tale. And at what expense?

I was looking at them. I was even holding one.

Jack was also a victim in this nefarious plan. I didn't know the particular but among this world's inhabitants who somehow had an inkling of a tie with me, he was chosen.

"What are you laughing for?" my voice trembled as I looked towards the monolith.

The night bell sound had long gone since my bout with Jack started. Amidst my mourning for all of the victims, he showed himself. Still in the sound of a bell but now cackling.

He was here all this time. The mastermind. He was monitoring us through the monolith.

"Why?! Why are you doing this? What are my sins? Is it because I am an outlander? Do you want me to get out of here so much to the point of sacrificing your own citizens?" I asked the monolith with sniffled voice.

Jack's death was the deal breaker for me. It has been tough living in a world where everyone hates you. So at least you had to have your own back. You had to love yourself. That's how I had endured the hate.

But not this time.

It was my fault and I hate myself for it. I tried to justify it as self defense but if it would happen anyway just because I'm here then no matter how you twist it, it was still my fault. My only hope was to find some answers now that the person in question was right in front of me.

Torrents of question and the only reply was still the cackling sound of a bell. The more questions I asked the more boisterous he sounded. He was enjoying my misery. He was enjoying my despair.

"You're supposed to be this world's god, right? How could you treat them like this?"

Still it did not stop laughing.

"No. It's wrong isn't it? You are no god. You're just the mastermind behind this tragedy. You laugh upon other misery and happy on others sadness. I bet you're also the person behind this world's messed up system?"

The laughing bell stopped. Looks like I hit the nail as it responded with a 'tiring' sound as if saying "Bingo!"

"Then you are no god! Just a cowardly person hiding behind a piece of rock and someday… I'm gonna find you!"

I was looking at the monolith directly. I didn't even know if he was looking at me or not but I got the reaction when I looked people in the eye. Their emotions were bare for me to see.

This guy was grinning and his emotions were saying, "Come and find me if you can!"

Through the tears welled in my eyes, I saw a shadow, levitating in front of the monolith. He was sitting with his legs crossed.

After he issued the challenge, his shadow remained there for a second and then it vanished. So as the bell's sound. Finally a little bit of peace.

I needed some time to clear my head and get my cool. Everything had been happening too fast.

Just when I thought everything was finally over, things couldn't get any worse.

Jack's body in my lap suddenly felt heavier and heavier. I noticed his extremities started to become blue.

No, no. Not blue like a normal corpse but a blue rock. The colour of the sky.

The process started slow but as soon as the process started it kickstarted the 'stoning' reaction.

Under three breaths, Jack's body was no more. All that remained now was a big blue ore in the shape of Jack's body.

"Wha-what happened?"

I had this thought of giving him a proper burial.

When those people find me, they will ask what happened to Jack. How am I to answer if I myself did not know what happened?

Something peculiar. Not that a boy's dead body changed to a big chunk of ore any less peculiar but…

"You have a beautiful soul, Jack," I could help myself but to comment that.

Why?

Because his eyes were like gems. The colour of his irises, a soft hazel. They stood out from the rest of his 'crystalline' body.

"He has indeed… and indeed I have been late…" a voice suddenly interrupted me.

'Now what?'

I looked at my side. There he stood, a boy all in black. Everything about him was black. From his boots, to his trousers to his robe and the little tuft of black hair sticking out of his black hoodie. Except for the eyes. They were golden orange. Almost shimmering under his hoodie's shadow.

But he looked exhausted though. He tried to hide it but his breathing gave him out. It looked like he was chased him here or something.

"He's just a kid. Society influenced him. His action means little of his very own heart. He may never mean to be the bully he was to you," he elaborated.

'Well, it's not like I ever labelled him as the bad guy either.'

"Then you must have a beautiful soul too. To retain that kind of positivity in The Mine, that is something to be praised for. Good job, Aero!"

"Well, excuse me but… who are you?" I finally asked.

It bothered me how much this guy somehow popped out of nowhere and talked with me like we had known each other. I don't know him, that's for sure.

Another thing I know for sure was that he was not from this world. I never saw him here. And the most important point was… they would never talk with me this friendly.

"You can call me Master and you're right! You may not know me but I surely did know you like the back of my hand. And yes, I'm not from this world."

'Master? This shorty? And how can this guy read my mind… could it be…'

Before I could even finish that thought, "Well, of course it is my Gift. Some people even find me annoying because of it!"

He admitted it himself. He had a mind reading Gift. This world's inhabitants seemed to be cut off from the outside world. I never noticed any of them with peculiar abilities that 'we' the outside world called 'Gift.'

They may as well have fallen out of grace.

Well, I never agree on the Gift part as a blessing anyway.

"That guy you're holding, just leave him here. There is no need for any burial. He won't need it anyway. The Mine itself will retrieve his body sooner or later."

"Will it be a proper one?"

"...Yes it will."

'This guy…'

"You're lying," I furrowed my brows to him.

He chuckled a little before answering, "I forget you could see others emotions like reading a book."

"There's no need for you to lie. I know you feel bad for this boy too."

This guy called Master, sighed a heavy one.

"I sure do. If I could arrive a little bit earlier I could save the boy and you. But it seems like whoever did this noticed my movement and suddenly dished out this plan. In the end, the boy died and you had to be the killer you never want to be."

"Jack never wanted to be a killer either. But his hands were tied. Mine too. But…"

"The fault lies in anybody who wants to take the blame. You, me, him. But the truth still stands, someone else was behind this and he's the one with blood on his hands."

"You said it like you know who the mastermind is. Can I at least know his name?"

"Holder of the highest authority, Administrator, Raphael."