BIG BROTHER'S LOVE.

The woman drank the alcohol, her tone sharp and bitter.

"Whoo! So this is what the treasure chest tastes like. BURRPP! Let's enjoy these little moments while we can. After all that running around, chasing that damn Runner, hunting Lex's killer! Rex worked us ten times harder. The second he saw Lex's corpse, he just snapped… went on a fucking rampage."

The guy with the can of cherries speaked.

"He was obsessed. Only cared about her. His little sister this, his little sister that. We were just extras in the story of Saint Rex and the Tragedy of Lex."

Johnquis stayed low, listening. The third man joined, cracking open a dusty bottle.

"Guy scoured every damn building, sniffing for the Runner that killed her. We never even got a break! If I hadn't suggested we split up to speed things up, he probably would've dragged us along with him non-stop."

The woman drank again from her bottle, then wiped her mouth.

"Idiot. Lex is gone. That thing ripped her open like sack of meat. I just hope he finds that damn Nemesis soon so we can get back to questing. If Rex wasn't so damn good, we would've ditched him already. But no, we rely on him."

She downed the rest of the can and slammed it on the floor.

"Fuck him! Fuck his sister too! Dumb girl ditched him for some creepy grown-ass man. Stupid slut!"

The others laughed, bitter amusement echoing in the empty store.

The cherry-can guy raised his bottle. 

"To Rex, the babysitter. Stayed stuck in the South Zone, letting his little sister cling to him like she was sucking his damn nipple. Hah! And the one time he lets go? Boom. She's dead."

The other man laughed.

"Now he's carrying it. Thinks it's all on him. Guilt's eating him alive."

Then the woman added, 

"That look on his face before we gave up tailing him? It was scarier than the Nemesis. Even I got spooked and backed off. The Nemesis better learn what fear really is." 

"Guy's twisted by rage... He's probably at that seaside mall by now. That's what he said before we split up."

Johnquis stood silently in the doorway. His eyes burned from what he'd just heard. So… Rex knew. He'd found out about Lex's death sooner than Johnquis expected.

He looked at the Runner beside him. Its eyes had changed. No longer wild and bloodthirsty like before. Tame now. Almost calm. Ever since it was bound to him.

But as an Eater Blade, Johnquis knew what had to be done. He turned and said,

"Let's go. To the seaside… It's time to end this."

Back in the convenience store, the squad kept drinking and talking. They clinked bottles and took long sips.

One of the men said, 

"No doubt about it, Rex was a good man. A solid leader. Carried us through this hell."

The other nodded,

"Yeah. He really was. All we can do now is stick with him and wait 'til he snaps back."

"Ugh, this is getting old. We should head back before Rex turns that anger on us."

"Alright, but one last toast."

They clinked the last can of alcohol.

"So… who do you think wins? Him or the Nemesis?"

"Rex. No way a Steel-rank like him loses to a Runner."

"My gut says the Runner. That freak's been feasting on rookies non-stop. Creepy as hell."

The woman raised her bottle.

"Fuck both of them! Let's just down this last one."

"YEEAAAH!"

The three tipped back the last can of alcohol, draining it in one go. Then, without another word, they grabbed their gear and started heading back. Back to where Rex was.

Meanwhile, Johnquis and the Runner walked toward the mall by the seaside, where Rex was last seen according to what he heard back at the store.

Johnquis's face was tense, thoughts heavy. But deep inside, something had become clear.

"I should've been the first to understand how he feels. We're both brothers."

He glanced at the Runner beside him. Just a quiet, obedient shadow.

"I need to do this."

Elsewhere...

Rex stood at the front of the ruined mall, fury radiating from him. His Eater Blade pulsed wildly, humming with unstable energy.

The mall's lower level was buried in rubble. The only way in was through the second floor. With a snap of his wrist, he fired his hook at a broken window and launched upward. He landed hard inside an abandoned clothing store.

Dust hung in the air. Everything was gray and still.

Mannequins lay scattered like corpses.

Rex stepped closer. The mannequin's plastic features warped in his vision, skin softening, eyes gleaming with a false life. Her small hand reached out and took his.

"Big brother!" 

The little girl giggled, tugging at his arm. 

"You promised we'd find candy here."

He blinked hard. The dust stung his eyes. The mannequin changed again. She was older now, Lex at ten, with scraped knees and tangled hair, crying on the floor.

"Big brother, I hurt my knee. I-I can't walk. Please carry me."

Rex knelt, lifted her onto his shoulders.

"Whoa! I'm tall! I can see the world from here!"

The scene shifted. They were in a field. Sunlight cutting through the trees. Lex laughed, chasing butterflies. Rex stood nearby, a smile tugging at his lips.

Then smoke. Screams.

Their village burned.

An Eater rampaged through the homes, dragging people into the woods. Fire lit the night. Lex sobbed in his arms behind the collapsed stable.

"Big brother… Mom, Dad… they're gone. Please don't leave me too. You promised you'd always stay…"

Another shift, training ground.

"If you're going to be an Eater Blade… then so am I. I'll always follow you."

They formed a squad. Quests came easy. Lex was smart, quick, always smiling after quests.

"You're amazing, Big Brother! I feel safe with you. Everything's easier when you're around!"

Then came him, Mars. The new member.

He laughed with Lex. Threw his arm around her waist. She didn't pull away. She laughed back louder than she ever did with Rex. Closer. Different.

Rex glared. He stepped in.

He shoved Mars. 

But Mars shattered like glass.

Lex screamed, "What are you doing?! I love Mars, okay!? He listens! He doesn't treat me like a child!"

Rex froze. His heart cracked. His legs backed away on their own.

The mannequins twisted around Rex, their faces warping, all turning into Mars. Mocking grins stretched across their plastic jaws.

They laughed in unison.

"You were just a burden, Rex."

"She doesn't need you anymore."

"Not her sad, clingy brother."

"She's mine now. All of her! Her heart… and her body!"

Their voices overlapped, taunting him from every direction.

His vision blurred red.

"BLADECALL!!"

His Saw Blade snapped into his hand.

He rushed forward, blade to Mars' throat.

But it wasn't Mars. It was Lex.

Tears streamed down her face. Blood leaked from her eyes.

"B-Big brother… I… I'm sorry…"

She coughed blood.

Then…

CRUNCH!

From the shadows, an Eater clamped its jaws on her head and ripped.

Blood exploded onto Rex's face.

The Runner stood behind her corpse, grinning, laughing.

"You bastard…!!"

Rex's scream shook the air.

"I'LL CLEAVE YOU IN HALF, NEMESIS!!!"

His Eater Blade roared. His veins glowed red, crawling from his shoulder down to the weapon.

He unleashed a fury of slashes. Blades tore through the hallucinations. Mannequins exploded. Walls cracked. Dust howled like a storm.

When it was over… the store was in ruins.

Everything was in pieces.