Here came the night sky with no starry bits. The nightmarish cloud concealed the moonlight, although the shimmering rays still refracted through the obstacles. The smoky smell from the kitchen pleased the noses of the hunger. The chime of the clock had hit with the first hand at somewhere left. Their stomach was growling until the cook served the dishes.

Inside the house of roses, Spica was the one who cooked the pork strips with a charcoal-like coat and mashed potatoes as the side dishes. The shiny oil on it dazzled Aoki with his hungry tongue, preparing for the taste. He sat on the dining chair and grabbed the fork and knife with his flicking fingers to start his meal while she gripped the instruments the other way around; her left hand had a knife while her right hand had a fork. The ting of their plates stretched their ears.

He always loved roast dishes. The taste of it was smoky, which savored his tongue to fill his breathtaking nerves. The juice and sauce on it added to his tingle. He whistled with a shake of his head. His lips went admiring with a smile. Although he came from another world, he still enjoyed the cuisine from Spica's recipe for the first time.

He said, "Hearing from Pelo that you came from an orphanage, I never knew you have such an impressive cooking skill."

"I'm… fourteen… and… thanks… to… big… sis… Lilith… for… that…"

He titled his head as if he was curious about her cooking development. But hearing the words of Aoki, she blinked her eyes and sighed out of her stress. Looking around her short height and small hands, he could scratch his head to analyze how she could handle many methods like grilling the meat and boiling the potato. It reminded him of Akari's cooking scent, which she treated him like a little brother with no purpose of life—other than failing on anything. However, his failures meant nothing to him; he could enjoy whatever he wanted until he was killed and reincarnated to another world, but the strange fright from his first sight pumped his chest with a wishful blink from slipping his mind.

They ate every piece of the meat and potatoes until they emptied their dishes, finishing their dining. He laid the fork and knife on the plate and stood up from the chair, but she halted him for her request. Then she climbed and pattered upstairs while he walked to the couch and sat on it, drumming his foot for his patience. His eyes were rolling around with his quiet lips. He hummed within his throat until he heard another pattering sound from above. She came back with a grip of the book, although he couldn't read the title since the symbolic text confused him more than his Japanese language. However, it didn't bother him since he understood where he existed on this peculiar surface.

She handed out to his hands and said, "I… almost… forgot… he… had… trouble… in… grammar… so… I… want… to… take… this… to… him…"

He took the book and asked, "Who's 'him'?"

"Pelo…"

"Why? I thought he's talented as his little brother, Melo."

"I… remember… he… had… hard… time… writing… his… diary... so… this… book… serves… him… better..."

"Oh," he nodded. "But it's too dark. Can I even walk there?"

"What… else… I… have… something… to… wash… every… dishes… and… keep… the… dry… clothes…"

"Ok, I understand," he chuckled. "I get used to walking through nighttime, anyway."

He bowed as she nodded with a thankful smile. Her household chores kept her busy, so he instead handled an additional favor for her concern to Pelo. He walked through the main door and exited the house of roses with a grip of the book. He bothered not to open it since he couldn't read it, so he kept his eyes on the road, ambling to the north of Balc Village.

* * *

Sorry for my lack of awareness.

Sorry for my lack of words and bonds to you, especially Spica.

I wished I could have stumbled on the house with gardens of roses.

Such vague of Church's laws. My blood and flesh gushed out by its curse upon him.

His creepy eyes and smiles were true, true it is.

His wrinkles were worrying, his heart was dearest to his bedtime stories.

Finally, the Devil cast the spell on him.

Rather, himself.

If you've come too late, he might run away.

But I'm sure he will express his distress around the night.

Don't worry, he did that for us, not at all.

I wish for you to come with a share of words,

Although I doubt you will.

* * *

Through the clouded night sky, Aoki finally reached the chapel with just a hoot around the woods. Looking at the windows, there were no lit bulbs to keep them secured. The gloomy insides dreaded him from entering the chapel. He stood on his feet to gain his confidence. His fingers were flipping, and his chest was pumping. He shook his head and knocked on the door.

"Hello!" he lowered his voice. "This is Aoki Sasaki, and I am here to give something to Pelo from Spica."

There was no response, although he thought the priest might hear this, so he waited for a minute, standing in front of the door. Only the hooting sound came to his ears. His arms and legs shivered in the bleak breeze of night. His head was turning to check his surroundings, but he found no hazards to intrigue for inspecting.

Suddenly, the bit of shower from above had dripped on his skin. Till the seconds had passed by, the rain pitter-pattered on the rustling leaves and the roof. The burst of thunder with its sudden glow startled his ears.

"Oh, it's raining," he rushed his hands and twisted the knob. "What the…. It opens."

The door was left unlocked. His eyes went wide and shivering. He pushed the door with a light creak. The chapel hall was somber and empty. The priest, the nuns, and the orphans were perhaps sleeping on their bed, so he wandered around the hall. Until there was nothing interesting to find out, he proceeded further to the orphans' quarter. Reaching the door, he once again twisted the knob and opened with a click of unlock. It was strange, yet there was nothing to pique his curiosity. His curious eyes shivered the lids for a second time, and his hands rubbed on it. The windows were moist with droplets. The pitter-patter from the roof disrupted his ears.

He found and approached another door which led to the space where they might sleep on their beds. He opened and entered through the door without bothering to ask. It was a dim corridor with a door in the middle of the last wall while the sides had one each of it. He preferred checking the side first before going to the middle door—which he might be curious if in case.

He went to the left side first and opened the door slowly. Looking around, he saw two nuns laying down on their respective bed. He prowled closer to them and heard the snoring from their chest. His lips and teeth were flinching with his tight eyelashes and wrinkled forehead, thinking these nuns were exhausting. Although he kept his tight lips, he shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. As there was no problem around here, he turned his head and stepped back to the exit. Prowling each step with his rolling eyes, he noticed the two glass cups on the table, but he didn't bother it since he had to give the book to Pelo. Then he exited the room and went to the right side.

When he opened the door on the right side, there were several empty beds, leaving it blank in messy placement. He gasped with his wide eyes, looking around to find everyone of them, but they went out of nowhere. His arms and legs went shivering with his speechless mouth. His head kept turning around while his prowling feet boosted his seeking eyes. He was trying to find a secret door that might lead to somewhere, but he found nothing else. He suddenly puffed from his hesitant exhaust.

He exited from the right side, leaving the middle door on the wall of a dead end. His feet were prowling to it while his tight lips and wide eyes kept shivering. Until he reached it, he gulped lungfuls of bleak breeze while the rain was pitter-pattering on the roof. Before twisting the knob, he clenched and stretched his fingers, washing the shiver out. He licked his entire lips and quaked his head. Then he finally handed the knob and twisted it. He nudged the open door, making no commotion.

Until he saw the inside of the room, he jutted his eyes with his shrunken pupil. His startled nerves dropped the book down to the floor. He went speechless for a brief second.

What he saw was the multiple dead bodies of the children.

"No… fuck–king… way…," he cried. "Pelo! Melo!"

He gaped his mouth, puffing from what he was staring at. He trudged for a bit. His chest and heart went palpitating. His fingers and knees were convulsing. He smelled the widespread of iron. His throat began vomiting, but he tried to push it back.

The night became horrendous to his eyes.

"Hwah~"

The blood dripped on the ground of the reddish pond. They were chained on their wrists, hanging on the wall above. They had several bruises on their chest, arms, and legs. Some of their swollen faces were disgusting to his innocent eyes. They were naked with their soulless eyes and mouth. It dreaded him which he was vomiting on the floor. He hunched his chest and palmed on it with his one hand.

"He… he."

Then he suddenly heard the gentle tapping feet behind him. He spun his head and found a wrinkled old man in black cleric robe, gripping a black long rod. The old man had his grisly eyes on the face and splattered blood on his robe.

"Gah!"

The old man was swinging the rod to his head, but Aoki had many ways to prevent it—which he swayed his body left from the rod.

"Ahh!"

The rod instead hit on the ground with a clunk. Aoki Sasaki had learned that from countless read manga, so his technique might be considered experimentally—perhaps. However, his shivering legs made him—falling down on the ground. He rolled his body to further the distance between them. The disgust of the smell of blood and old man's fury disrupted his dodge. His pant of fear drew the rush of his lungs. His adrenaline was pumping, yet the horrendous sight worsened it. He stepped back for a bit while the old man was grinning with his gritted teeth.

The old man purred, "Oh, what I have done to my children. Even though they will leave this place, they will soon be lost, lost until the hunger consumes their youthful flesh."

The words of the old priest triggered Aoki with his glaring eyes and clenching fist, but he couldn't push his strength like a superhero. There was no magic spell; there were no tremendous muscles; there were no miracles on his side. He had only him, and himself all along.

Aoki asked, "Did you do this to them?.... If so, why?!"

"Oh…. Yes! Yes! Sad to say, I never forget that they had spent their time chasing their dreams," he paused. "But all I think is their false expectations."

"I don't understand…"

".... It seems your privilege withholds from your humility."

Aoki bit his lip while the old priest ambled towards him.

The violent rain with the burst of lightning came to their ears. The flurry of showers went worse. The shivers of their flesh dared to resist, but the sweat still leaked on the forehead of cowardice. The rod in his grip dreaded the coward. Although the fury mixed, the coward puzzled from this startled incident. The priest blocked the path of his escape. He couldn't just run through it, so all he had was thinking over and over. Thinking about it, he was the old man with his weak arms and legs.

"Oh, by the way, I am charitable to these precious youths, so I think saving these children with painful gifts can give themselves a spiritual lesson."

"Saving?"

Aoki clicked his tongue with his heavy pump of chest. His teeth gritted. The temper on his mind suddenly rose, clenching his fist despite the prickle on his palm.

The priest continued, "Why do they need to leave this place? Why do they deserve this? The people within this nation have hard doubts about them. They can just think they're useless with loose ends…. You know what, I can free them without struggles."

".... I don't understand… that you tormented them with that rod of yours!!"

The priest was rushing after him. He prepared his rod to swing again over his head, but Aoki arose and shoved the open torso.

"Ahhhhh!"

Crying over his furious pump, he hugged the priest's torso, running to the wall, while the rod fell down on his back. Despite the pain received, his rage gripped the chance to break his bones.

And he did.

When he finally hit the old priest on the wall, Aoki shuddered over a snap. His weak vitality was the reason for the counterattack. The old priest groaned over his excruciating backbone; his eyes shed tears by the immense blow.

Meanwhile, Aoki was puffing by in front of his eyes. He heard the dying sob of sorrow, but the rage still filled his discordant lips.

He muttered, "Look…. What I don't understand is how you tormented these children to death. I don't get it. These kids were smiling from what I have seen, and now you ruin it. Their dreams were supposed to bypass it, and they are happy. They could just–"

However, something halted his words, and it was too late.

His eyes and breath went defunct. His chest was no longer pumping. The empty words and voices had proven before Aoki.

"Hold on… did I just kill him?"

The fraught voice of Aoki caught his realization. He released the grip on the priest, and the body of the old man fell on the ground. He stepped back for a bit and knelt on the floor. He glanced at the corpses of orphans, including Pelo and Melo. The pool of blood nauseated him with despair. His tears had finally dropped from his eyes. The rush of heartbeat tormented him with countless pulses.

"What's going on!?"

Suddenly, the feminine voice—by the pair of nuns—suddenly came from behind the open door. They hurried the steps to the room, but after they reached on it, they gasped towards the startled incident of bloodshed.

* * *

Lilith was trekking to the Balc Village, although the miles might be at least. She came from the Capital City of Dore, which was at the far north from her home village. Her foot was sluggish yet rush-provoking. The wet soil stuck to her sandals. She wore the leather hooded cloak which entirely covered her revealing outfit, and it was also convenient to protect from the heavy showers. The pounding of the shower bothered her ears, but she heard it as a breathtaking nuisance.

For now, she reached on a certain point—the Chapel. She glanced at it and turned her head to proceed forward.

"Help! Help! It's Nefastus!"

Suddenly, the womanly screech startled her for a halt. She stared at the Chapel once again and saw two nuns running out from the Chapel.

"Run away before Nefastus will kill us!"

Both of them continued rushing to the north, but Lilith instead headed into the Chapel with no hesitant nerves. Her curiosity behind the scene fascinated her. She ran through two halls and reached the corridor with an open door on the middle wall of the dead end; the book was dropped on the doorway. With her poised eyes, she slunk towards the door and reached it without a single trouble. Then she saw a spiky-haired boy whom she familiarized the clothes with appalling looks.

"Aoki!"

When the boy turned his head towards her, the ghastly face of Aoki matched from her screamed words. She rushed to him and tapped on his shoulders, worrying about his face.

"Aoki! Aoki! What's going on?!"

After she asked with no answer, she glanced away from his face and found multiple hanging corpses on the wall. She gasped from her sight and stared back at him. His eyes were sobbing by his fear, and his head was shuddering with helpless regrets. She nudged his head onto her chest and stroked on his hair.

She stripped the cloak off and instead dressed on his back.

"Come, we should get out of here before somebody might suspect us."

She lifted his lethargic body and carried him on her back. Despite its weight, she could handle him by hooking his butt without the need of arousal since the fear clouded his mind.

"Akari… Akari… Akari… Akari…"

She heard his whisper near her ears. With no words left to speak, she was proceeding to the Balc Village while trying to whittle down his clouded mind of fear.