Chapter 371: Keith's Confinement (2)
3rd Person POV
As the world remained ignorant of Dr. Hughes' current deeds, the news of his sudden disappearance sent shockwaves rippling through the world. Headlines blared the story, and Perseus' face, once a symbol of suffering and survival, was now plastered all over as the presumed culprit.
The public's reaction was swift and fervent. They rallied behind Dr. Hughes, seeing him as the victim in this unfolding drama, and demanded swift retribution against the person they believed had wronged him.
Brianna tried going public and giving her opinions, but they were easily overshadowed. her memories aren't as what they once were, despite not being that old. In the eyes of the world, the antagonist was clear, and it was the individual whose face was splashed across wanted posters and news broadcasts. The authorities launched a relentless manhunt, determined to bring the supposed culprit to justice.
Cain did all this for the purpose of trying to find Perseus faster. And yet, nothing, He secretly gave up Dawn's facial features as well, but...the world seems to be against him.
*****
Perseus wasn't silent and didn't stay still. His actions were ruthless and calculated, each act more gruesome than the last and left a trail of chaos and destruction in their wake, each act carefully designed to draw the world's attention and provoke outrage.
The world watched in horror as the atrocities unfolded, unable to comprehend the depths of darkness to which the accused had descended. Outrage and condemnation poured forth, and governments across the globe became even more interconnected to confront this monster.
Cities lay in ruins, infrastructure crumbled, and lives were shattered. Acts of violence and chaos became daily headlines, and the accused's name became synonymous with fear and dread. Their every move seemed calculated to provoke outrage and disbelief as there were some who believed in his cause, especially those who were also previous projects and had not received their justice.
Governments struggled to respond, their resources stretched to the breaking point as they sought to contain the chaos.
"...in their pursuit of justice, the accused had lost themselves to the very darkness they sought to expose..." A news analyst said as Brianna then turned off the TV.
"Why?" she muttered to herself, "I thought you said that you were okay...why couldn't you have just called me when you needed help?"
"Wow, you seriously talk to yourself?" a voice blurted out of nowhere, "I only do cuz I'm an important character for the novel."
"Who's-Luke!"
"Luke, Loki, Trickster extraordinaire, and banned-from-gambling man. But I also like to go by, please-dear-lord-don't-kill-me-you-monster."
Perseus replied as he sat down in Brianna's dining room.
"Come take a seat, I'm not gonna kill you or anything."
*****
Once Brianna finished preparing her snacks and drinks in a rush and set them on the table, she sat across from Perseus where she saw him playing around with a white fox in his lap. He doesn't look like the monster they described in the news at all.
"Brie, before you ask, I'll tell you several things ahead of time." Perseus said while caressing Buddy in his lap, "Yes, I destroyed all those buildings, yes, I killed all those people, and if you're also gonna question me, you should check the background of the deaths, they work with H.A.P.P.Y Solutions main base."
"Why didn't you come to see me?" Brianna asked, "Where have you been? Are you even real?! I SAW your corpse!"
"First, I didn't wanna stress you out due to you having...you know...forgetfulness. Second, I went to a much happier place where literal magic exists, and 3rd, that was my corpse, amazing, huh?"
"You didn't want to stress me out and so you thought you'd let me know through the most stressful way possible?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"A lot." Perseus answered, "Did you know that people without parents have parental issues? Like apparently it's more common with us than those with parents, doesn't really make any sense, right? How can you have any parental issues if you don't even get parents to begin with?"
"Don't change the subject, you asshole!" she retorted
"Wow, I'm hurt."
"Whether they worked with that stupid pharmaceutical giant or not, they got families, what about their children?! Giving them money isn't going to help them with Trauma!"
"Oh, I didn't even give them any money. I'm not gonna buy off their love or forgiveness."
"You didn't even try?! That's worse!"
"Look, I did what I did, and I've got no regrets. The world was against me from the get-go, did you know how hurt and relieved I was to hear that people celebrated my death? The relief stemmed from the liberation I felt when I heard that people celebrated my death. It was as if a heavy weight had been lifted from my shoulders. No longer burdened by the expectations of being an outsider, I could finally breathe freely.
"For so long, I had felt like an outsider in a world that had never fully accepted me. But when news of my demise spread, and I heard the cheers of those who celebrated my downfall, it was a bittersweet moment. The bitterness came from the realization that the world had never truly embraced me after I got out.
"The world moved on without me. Some reveled in their newfound freedom, liberated from the monster they once feared. Others, though, mourned my loss, but only for the sake of their appearance, to show that they're some great human beings.
"So, here I am, living a life as the monster they feared and created. All I wanted was to be loved...and be told, that hey, you are one of us...but that never happened, they spat at me, they isolated me, and they made my life hell. I tried to fit in, but treating others as human seems to be an impossible task.
"Being haunted by the dual emotions of relief and hurt...it kept me up at night, so I had chosen this path, and I would bear the consequences, even if it meant confirming their suspicions and becoming a monster."