Chapter 58 - Absquatulate : Part 1

"I scared him away, yes. But a good manipulator doesn't have to use power to make him obey. You just have to make him believe he is born to be a murderer." The mercenary spat in the haze of anger, ignoring how Axel was standing behind the tree, listening to him all along.

The boy bit his lips at the remark. He knew he was being manipulated. He was aware of that fact. He was aware that he was denying it. But hearing the words from his own brother, he had to admit that it hurt.

God, it really hurt.

"It's a shame really that you are weaker than me, considering you have power." His brother continued, and Axel found himself trying to ignore everything as he diverted his gaze to the surroundings.

"I am a Machiavellian, and you are just a wannabe." The words remained mocking while his brother's mouth never stopped spitting bitterness.

Axel looked down and found some grass in between his barefoot feet. Tiny ants were walking right in front of his toes, following each other like some kind of a perfect family.

It was such an envious sight to see.

"He'll run back to me because he doesn't have anyone to run to. I never actually hurt him physically." The mercenary spat, and something inside Axel cried, desperately calling out the buried memories the boy desperately tried to cover.

"I never actually hurt him physically." The words rang in his ears.

The flash of how Kiaran slapped him when he did not do anything right went inside his mind. His cheek started to ache by how he remembered all of it. The memory ate him alive, overwhelming his denial tenfold.

"I never actually hurt him physically." The words repeated again in his ears, louder.

The flash of how Kiaran pushed him to train all day to be a better murderer until his feet collapsed and his hands bled from all the training knives went inside his mind. His hands and feet started to ache by how he remembered all of it. The memory skinned him alive, cutting his denial tenfold.

"I never actually hurt him physically." The words were the only thing he heard, too loud, too loud- it was so loud-

"Yet you did both. Physically and mentally." The taunting voice of the mercenary snapped Axel out of his daze. "Though I'm sure you didn't realise that." His brother ended the sentence with a grin.

His pseudo brother's finger started to draw a little blood from his Kiaran's neck as it came closer. "Why would he run back to you if you actually hurt him too, then?" The demon asked calmly yet dangerously.

They were hurting each other because of him. This wasn't supposed to happen. But was it his brother's plan? Or was it his pseudo brother's plan? What should he do? Someone, please tell him what he should do.

"Because one," the mercenary challenged the anarchist as he brought his neck closer to the pointed black nails. "You are a stranger to him, not actually a family."

"And two," He paused, causing a moment to spit another word of lingering venom like molten lava. "He knew I actually wouldn't let him die like your dead Axel."

Would he?

Would his brother actually save him? Or was it just another manipulation? Another act that had been rehearsed too many times?

Because deep down, Axel believed it was a lie. But another part of his wished it was true.

Kiaran was right. He was naive.

"I'm going to kill you."

Axel snapped his head to the demon at the sudden statement. His eyes widened by how deep the nails pierced through his brother's neck.

"Not if I do it first."

He moved his head to his brother so fast that he believed his neck cracked. He could see it in Kiaran's blue eyes, the dead intent swimming in a pool of madness.

Three minutes had ended, and the mercenary did not linger any second to shoot and jumped back in a swift move.

The anarchist managed to dodge at the last second, causing the bullet to only pierce through the side of his forehead while he tried to slice his counterpart's neck, which quickly dodged back.

The two finally faced each other again, with ice and fire swimming in each other's eyes.

Axel's eyes twitched at the blood that was oozing from his brother's neck. His wavering blue eyes moved to see the blood that was running down from the side of his pseudo brother's forehead.

Axel opened his mouth to stop the two from killing each other, desperately trying to end the fight. "Wait! Please- don't kill each other! Kiaran- both of you, please stop, you'll only hurt-"

"Axel, shut up!"

The boy froze at the sudden united yell from the two. His breath hitched as his ears rang with a little melody of white noise.

Everything felt like a daze.

The two counterparts were still looking at each other, refusing to tear their gaze away.

"Axel, look at this sad version of myself. He could not even protect you."

The voice reached his ears, but he could not seem to focus on what the person was saying. The white noise was overwhelming his ears now, and he just could not get a grip on reality.

"No-" His pseudo brother raised his voice with veins that started to pop out in his neck. "I protected him. I saved him! I made him better."

"Oh, please, he is nothing without me! I'm letting you to make him better for me, making him a demon, and I'll thank you for that. He is still mine and only mine to use. I'm saving him and protecting him with my plan." Replied his brother harshly, completely overridden with a fit of contained anger.

Axel's blue eyes darted between the two counterparts. His ears were ringing from the going on yells. He did not mean to be the cause of the fighting. He just wanted to-

What did he want again?

"He is mine since you hurt him." The anarchist spat, reminding how the mercenary hurt the boy too—how both hurt Axel thoroughly, slowly, and manipulatively.

A voice in the back of Axel's head started to whisper lies to him, that this was all his fault, that he shouldn't have been following the mercenary.

Or was he supposed to follow him? Which one was the correct answer?

He knew that it was wrong and that none of this was his fault, but Kiaran always had a way to get into his head. Every time something good happened to him, he always managed to turn it into the worst thing that could have ever happened.

"Oh, really?! Look at the mirror and see how you hurt him more than me." His Kiaran gripped his gun tighter. The messy locks on his face fell and swayed around with the gust of wind.

The counterpart sneered at the sentence. His dark blouse blew around as he spat again. "See, Axel? Your so-called real brother is only using you. I can be your brother without using you."

"Oh, yeah?!" The mercenary chuckled in disbelief as he continued. "Axel, look at this man living in denial by using you to wear off his guilt."

The two continued to yell and spit insults at one another, always bringing Axel into the fight.

"This is all my fault." The boy mumbled, eyes wavering with a hand that had been trembling all along, yet the boy was too caught up in his own thoughts to realize. His Kiaran and the other Kiaran's voices faded into dull noises.

Tremblingly, the boy took a step back while shaking his head and covering his ears with his two hands. "No, it wasn't my fault." He whispered again, fighting with his own fit of dilemma.

The white noise was so loud. He felt like his ears were bleeding. The tears started to well up on the corner of his eyes, fighting their way to falling down onto his cheek.

Breath, he needed to breathe.

Right. Yes. Everything was fine, and he would always be fine. He just had to listen to his brother and-

"You live in denial too. A denial that you actually care about him, human."

Axel gasped as he realized he wasn't actually breathing.

No, he had been so well on realizing that he was being manipulated for these past days. He had been doing so well on getting rid of his denial little by little. He wasn't going to fall into this trap. He wasn't to blame for anything. This had nothing to do with him. He was just living. It wasn't his fault- it wasn't

"But it has everything to do with you, dear Axel." Somehow, Kiaran's voice filled his brain as he wasn't sure if it was real or not.

The voice sounded too clear, as if it was whispered right into his ear, whirling around him.

Manipulating him.

At that time, Axel realized, maybe there was a way to not choose in between something. Maybe there was a way for him to just stay silent.

Or maybe there was a way for him to create another choice, not only between himself or Kiaran.

And so he ran.