Emil had her by the hair in one hand, the other locked tight around her throat.
Her eyes snapped wide, breath stuttering into nothing. A tremor ran through her, sharp and uncontrollable. Whoever he was… There was no doubt left.
He wasn't joking.
"Who are you?" She asked in her shaky voice.
"That's none of your business," Emil said in a hoarse voice.
Tightening his grip on her neck, he asked: "Where is Lysander?"
The girl was already shaking with fear, but now hearing that name made her stiff.
"Wait… You know Lysander Antoniette?" The girl asked, barely able to speak.
'So, he is famous, but why aren't you answering? I don't want this…'
"None of your business, damn it. Just tell me where he is?" Emil choked her, which made her cough.
COUGH! COUGH!
"He left, left yesterday," She said, her voice breaking between light coughs.
'Left? That means she hasn't taken control over the Normies. But why? Is that some kind of limitation… or does she simply not care? Probably the latter.'
"What do you mean he left?" He loosened the grip a bit.
She took a few breaths after the grip loosened.
"He went with Sneha in the main hall, and then he went through the lift to leave the place." She answered him.
'What? That can't be possible, is she lying to me?'
He pulled her hair tightly, which made her shriek, but before that could become a scream, he choked her as hard as he could.
"Don't you dare lie to me. You are playing with your life."
She was taken aback. Tears filled her eyes, her face turning red, though it couldn't be seen in the darkness.
She flailed her legs, trying to break free from his grip, but she couldn't.
"I am ….aaaahh…am…telling…*barely escaping breaths* the truth." She said, somehow, through all of that.
Emil looked at her; his own eyes were in tears. Of course, he wouldn't have killed her. But the thing that he did to her was already traumatizing. Every muscle, every part of his whole body, was unwilling to commit such a heinous act. Still, he did it. Hesitatingly or not, he still did it. The boy who would have never even raised his voice at a girl was now hurting one. All because of a war he never wanted to be in.
"So it is the truth. I am gonna loosen the grip now, but don't try any funny business with me."Emil was cracking, but still maintained that same fierceness in his voice.
She didn't say anything, not that she could anyway; she was barely conscious. Her legs were starting to slow down, her eyes were red, losing their soul slowly.
He let go of her.
She fell on the ground.
She was breathing heavily, trying to take as much air as she could. She was trembling, tears rolling down her face.
"Mom…*coughing* mom save me *coughing* please don't hurt me, I am just here… for my mom." She said, turning to the shadowy figure while crying like a child.
Emil's heart dropped. The weight of guilt was drowning him. But the mention of the word "mom" on her lips threw him into a frenzy. A sudden realisation of the atrocity he had committed on another human being flashed in his head. He started to shake. His legs lost control, and he too fell to the ground.
The girl, who was still crying, looked towards him with fear and shock in her eyes.
Emil was teary-eyed as he looked at the girl, unable to control himself. He coughed, clutching at his chest, sweat dripping down his body.
The girl moved toward him, reaching out her hands. Emil thought it was fitting for her to hurt him. But…
The girl's hands didn't go for his neck. They went for his shaking hands. She gripped them with her own trembling ones.
"Breathe *sobs* slow *sobs*" She told him.
Those words, that action. Emil wanted to kill the person on the ground who was trying to strangle that divine girl. He nearly jerked his hands in disgust at the thought that he really wanted her to save him.
'Just die, you bastard.'
Tears rolled down his face, but he started to calm down. Maybe it was the effect of those tears. It made him look human.
It made him look human to the girl who was being strangled by a monster for no apparent reason. She wiped the tears with the back of her other hand from both of her eyes.
"We should go look… for air outside…it would be better for both of us." She tried to speak through her voice, failing to produce words.
She supported his head with her hands, trying to help him sit up. Holding onto his hands, she tried to pull him up.
Emil resisted.
He wanted to look at her, but he couldn't; he moved closer.
Tears started to flow uncontrollably.
"I am sorry, I am so sorry for you doing that … I don't want this… I just wanna … please forgive me… please, I am sorry…" His words weren't making sense to himself.
The girl watching him break down like that couldn't contain herself either.
"You, pathetic, fucker… Are you asking for forgiveness? After doing that? And for what? Just to get some information. You … you…" She broke too.
It was like Emil was staring into a mirror.
The reflection wasn't exact—but it was close enough to unsettle him. They felt like the same person split in two. One had already crossed every limit, stepping over lines as if they were nothing, as if it had all been a game.
And the other…
The other was still here, still breathing, still bound to flesh. Angry, yes, there was no denying that, but there was something else beneath it. Something that hadn't been crushed or burned away.
Her humanity hadn't left her.
She didn't stop.
"I don't know who you are or what you came for? But I will never forgive you. Fuck you for even trying to feel sorry. You are a monster." She couldn't contain her emotions.
Ridden by the guilt of that haunting memory flashing across his mind. Emil was just a statue at that moment, a cursed statue, a forsaken statue. A statue for people to put their curses on. He didn't want to stop her. Not even a bit. Somewhere in his mind, though he wanted her to forgive him, which was the reason he was disgusted with himself.
After throwing different curses at him for a while, she stopped. Tears were rolling down her face. She looked at the monster, but the monster was sitting there, his head held in shame. She was angry but wanted to know who the monster behind that shadow was.
"I will take you to the place where he was last seen, but you're gonna tell me everything." The girl said with a resolute expression set on her face.
, wiping the tears with the back of her hand.