Chapter 258: Ineffective Communication of Preconception

The night shrouded the devastated land like a heavy curtain. The air was thick with the stench of blood, and as the wind passed through, it lifted scattered clothing and broken wooden planks, whispering like the murmurs of lost souls.

Usagi stepped out of the tent, and the sight before her nearly took her breath away.

The children who had been laughing and running in the daylight now lay in dismembered pieces, like discarded rag dolls. The woman who once stirred the soup pot with a warm smile was now sprawled lifeless on the ground, her eyes wide open, frozen in an eternal moment of terror. Her hand was still outstretched as if she had tried to protect something in her last moments—but in the end, nothing could change the outcome.

Standing amidst the corpses, Usagi's fingertips trembled, her throat constricted by an invisible force. She took a deep breath, forcing down the churning emotions within her, then stepped forward among the remains, her voice shaking but urgent as she called out:

"Hayato, come out!!!"

She moved through the silent ruins, searching for the familiar figure, but the only response was the creaking of broken beams and the mournful howling of the wind. The suffocating pressure from earlier had long since dissipated, leaving behind only an overwhelming unease, coiling around her heart like a frigid serpent.

With heavy steps, she pressed on. Her legs had gone numb at some point, and the night wind burrowed into her collar, but it was nothing compared to the coldness deep inside her heart.

Finally, she saw Hayato in the shadows of the ruins.

He stood there, his back to her, his entire body drenched in blood. In his hand, he clutched her twin blades, their edges dripping with crimson, reflecting an eerie light in the silent night.

Usagi's heart clenched tightly, a lump forming in her throat.

She spoke hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper yet laced with tremors: "Hayato…!"

At the sound of her voice, Hayato abruptly turned around. A twisted smile spread across his face, his mouth curving into an exaggerated arc, revealing his gleaming white teeth. His eyes glowed with a manic light, as if he were completely lost in his own world.

"Usagi, darling, you're awake?"

His tone was lighthearted, almost cheerful, as though he had just accomplished something worth celebrating.

Usagi's gaze darkened, and her breathing grew heavier. "Them… That big sister too, was it you who killed her?"

Hayato's smile stiffened slightly, the curve of his lips dropping as he furrowed his brows impatiently. "It wasn't me."

Usagi stared coldly at him, her eyes falling upon the bloodstained twin blades in his grip. Her voice turned even icier. "My blades are drenched in blood, and you say you didn't kill anyone?"

Hayato gritted his teeth, his expression contorting as though he had been gravely wronged. He let out a low growl: "I killed! But I didn't kill!! I did it to protect you!"

Usagi's fingers tightened into fists, her voice laced with sorrow. "You say you both did and didn't kill… Didn't I tell you not to cause chaos? That big sister was so kind to us…"

Her eyes turned red, and an unbearable pain surged within her, finally erupting into a desperate scream: "How could you kill them!!!!"

Hayato's expression shifted instantly. His face twitched for a moment before he erupted in a furious, hysterical roar:

"I DIDN'T!!!!"

His scream shattered the stillness of the night, echoing through the ruins, hoarse and frenzied.

Usagi felt her heart shatter.

She stared deeply at the boy before her, now a stranger, and her voice turned cold: "I'm so disappointed in you…"

Hayato's eyes twisted with rage, his fists clenching so tightly his knuckles turned white. He gritted his teeth and growled, "You can't control me, Usagi!"

Usagi flinched slightly, then shook her head gently, her voice carrying a trace of helpless sorrow: "I never wanted to control you… It was for your own good. If you keep going like this, how will you ever integrate into normal society?"

"I DON'T NEED TO!! I DON'T NEED TO!!!" Hayato roared like a provoked beast, his eyes bloodshot, fighting against something unseen. "I DIDN'T KILL!!!"

Usagi's heart turned completely cold.

She bit her lip, her lips trembling, but her words remained firm: "Hayato… I don't want to see you anymore. I hate you."

In an instant, Hayato's entire body shuddered violently. The crazed smile on his face froze, and he stood motionless, as if struck by lightning.

A second later, he let out a guttural, bestial roar and bolted on all fours like a wild animal, vanishing into the darkness within moments.

The night wind howled, lifting the hem of Usagi's skirt.

She stood still, staring in the direction Hayato had disappeared, her chest tightening as if someone had stabbed a dagger deep into her heart, making it hard to breathe. Slowly, she lifted her head. The sky above was vast and cold, as if it could swallow her whole.

She knew—at this moment, the Hayato who would always stay by her side was gone.

Usagi stood in the freezing night breeze, feeling as though her heart was being crushed by an invisible hand. She never thought she would argue with Hayato like this. That he would think she was trying to control him.

A bitter smile tugged at her lips, self-mocking. All she wanted was for Hayato to adapt to a normal life, to one day stand beside her at the Akane Clan's doorstep like an ordinary person, greeting her brother properly—instead of being seen as a wild, uncontrollable beast, always met with wary eyes.

If… one day, he could truly integrate into the Akane Clan, if they could share another kiss—one that wasn't stained with blood, but a clean, warm one, free of the taste of iron.

The absurd thought flashed through her mind, and she furrowed her brows in frustration. What was she thinking? In such a situation, to still be thinking about kissing… But this wasn't the first time she had wished for Hayato to change. She had always hoped he wouldn't be like this—so lost, so reckless.

He was too dangerous.

His hands were always soaked in blood. Usagi knew that one day, that blood would drown him, turning him into the monster everyone feared. She could believe that he didn't kill the big sister this time, but… it no longer mattered.

They had fought. And Hayato had left.

Perhaps, he would never return.

The night wind stirred her hair, slipping into her collar. Standing amidst the ruins and corpses, Usagi closed her eyes and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the freezing air.

She slowly opened her eyes, determination rising within them.

No matter what, she had to find out—why did Akari bring them to Gabrielle?

What was his true goal?

She had to uncover the truth.

Without looking back at the direction Hayato had left, Usagi stepped forward into the darkness of the ruins, walking alone. The silence around her was deafening, broken only by the sound of her footsteps against the shattered debris—lonely yet unwavering.