OBS Chapter 74 - 73: No Reunion, No Goodbye
Chapter 74 - 73: No Reunion, No Goodbye
Excitement radiated from Hayne, filling the room with an energy that starkly contrasted the silence lingering moments before. His voice carried an air of elation as he delivered the news about Seiya’s mother. Yet, in response, Seiya remained silent and unmoved. An eerie counterpoint to Hayne’s enthusiasm.
Frustrated by Seiya’s indifference, Hayne’s patience snapped. Without warning, he seized Seiya’s wrist and dragged him toward the woman he had once called mother.
Inside the dimly lit room, Seiya’s mother sat on the bed, her frail frame trembling as if she could barely support her own weight. Her head swayed erratically, her vacant eyes darting around as if
{Even I am curious,} Ibyu chimed in.
Seiya regarded them quietly before speaking.
"Apparently, my eyes," he stated, "do more than register and absorb skills. They also register and retain memories," Seiya explained briefly, earning a long stare from Hayne who didn’t understand one bit of his explanation.
"…Meaning?"
"It simply means," Seiya clarified, "that anything I see stays with me—so long as nothing is covering my eyes."
Hayne’s eyes widened in astonishment, excitement stirring within him. A slow, cryptic smile stretched across his face.
That means there’s a chance for revenge.
Until now, Hayne had believed justice was out of reach. Seiya had no clear memory of his time at the facility, nor of the people responsible for his suffering. Without that, there had been no way to wield Seiya’s power against them. But now… this changed everything.
He knew he had work to do.
"The two of you," Hayne began, flashing them a broad grin. "Why don’t you go get some fresh air?"
Before they could respond, he grabbed them both, shoved them outside, and shut the door in their faces. "Have fun!" he said after them.
With them present, he knew he couldn’t concentrate so he needed them gone.
Outside, Seiya and his elite exchanged a silent glance. They lingered for a moment before Seiya turned and walked away, his elite following without a word.
***
Seiya and his elite returned some time later. As they approached the house, they noticed the front door was ajar.
Silently, they stepped inside. The living room was in chaos—furniture overturned, objects scattered haphazardly, as if a fight had taken place.
Despite their arrival, Hayne did not appear so Seiya moved toward the room his mother stayed in. The door stood slightly open so he stepped inside.
In there, Hayne sat on the floor beside the bed, his hand stretched across the edge, gripping tightly onto another’s—Seiya’s mother’s. Blood soaked the sheets where she lay, her body motionless. Her head lolled at an unnatural angle, her body drenched in red.
Blood pooled beneath Hayne where he sat, his head bowed, his breath ragged. Thick blood dripped from his nose, his mouth, staining his chin. The hand clutching Seiya’s mother’s was completely red, bathed in their own blood.
Seiya’s gaze remained impassive as he looked down at him, his voice eerily calm. "Is that blood?"
"Mn," Hayne murmured, not lifting his head.
"I’m sorry." Hayne whispered hoarsely,
A deep wound gaped in his back, dark with thick, clotting blood. It oozed slowly with each shallow breath he took. His hunched posture exposed the curve of his pale nape, his light blue hair pouring forward.
"I wasn’t able to protect her." His voice cracked. "I’m sorry."
Hayne’s words were earnest. He couldn’t even lift his face to look Seiya in the eye—not when his mother laid lifeless in a pool of her blood on the bed.
Gazing at Hayne for a while, Seiya said nothing.
"Then," he finally spoke, his voice calm. "You’re going to die as well so there’s no need to attempt saving you," he said, his eyes resting on the gaping wound on Hayne’s back.
A soft smile graced Hayne’s lips as he finally lifted his bloodied face. "Mn," he hummed in quiet agreement. His eyes wrinkled slightly at the corners, an oddly gentle expression.
Without hesitation, Seiya turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him.