Path of the Extra

“Ah…”

A weak, barely audible sound escaped Azriel’s lips as he gazed at the figure standing in front of him.

A girl…

A young girl, no older than nine, with beautiful, long brown hair cascading down to her waist. Her emerald eyes, which once sparkled like stars in the vast night sky, had lost their shine. Blood stains covered her face and clothes.

“L-Lia…”

Void Eater slipped through his fingers, dropping to the ground. Strangely enough, the moment Void Eater touched the ground, it didn’t make any sound.

Standing in front of Azriel was his little sister…

Lia Karumi.

He would have given anything to see her one more time, to see that big smile on her face again. The moments where they bickered with each other about who would sit in front of the car, the times when he helped her with her studies.

Seeing his little sister in front of him again, Azriel was paralyzed, unable to move a muscle.

Deep down, he knew… He knew that the girl in front of him wasn’t his little sister but the void creature.

Yet even then… it didn’t matter to him. The person he wished to see the most was in front of him again.

His mouth kept opening and closing repeatedly.

He couldn’t find the right words to say to her. He wanted to apologize to her so badly.

That if only he was there, he might have changed the outcome of that accident.

That if only he had told them to stay at home.

That if only he had done anything different that day, she would still be alive.

That if only he didn’t have a fight with them that day…

“Brother, why did you leave me?”

Azriel’s eyes trembled as he gazed at her. Her voice was exactly as he still remembered it to be.

“I…”

He couldn’t say anything. His words got stuck in his throat. Tears started streaming down her face as her sobbing could be heard.

“Why… why did you leave me?”

“Why did you let me die?”

“You were my brother, but you killed me…”

“You pushed us away and killed us!”

She screamed at Azriel, making him bite his bottom lip, tasting iron.

“Lia…”

His voice cracked as he tried to say her name.

“I-I’m sorry…. I swear.”

Azriel’s voice became hoarse as his vision got blurry, yet he never stopped looking at his little sister.

“I am so sorry… I would do anything to change what happened.”

“Please… please believe me.”

“I never hated you… nor Mom and Dad, I swear.”

His voice trembled with each word he spoke, tears streaming down his eyes.

His eyes were stinging so much, yet he didn’t even blink once.

“Liar!”

“Brother is a liar!”

“You hate us! You told us that yourself!”

She kept screaming at him. His heart felt like it was stabbed by a knife, only for the knife to twist over and over again.

“N-no… I swear I didn’t. I swear I never hated you, Lia!”

“I never hated you or Mom and Dad!”

“I would do anything! Anything to go back and save you and Mom and Dad!”

“I swear I am so sorry! Not a day goes by where I don’t regret when you died!”

“I-if I could, I would trade my life for yours and Mom and Dad’s.”

Azriel’s voice got louder with each word as he tried to convince her.

“Please believe me…”

he murmured silently in the end.

“Then…”

“Don’t leave us anymore, Brother.”

“Huh?”

She started walking slowly towards Azriel until she was close enough for him to stretch his arm out and grab her if he wanted to.

“Don’t abandon me, Brother.”

“Stay with me—with us.”

“Don’t leave us anymore…”

Her voice started to distort at the end, yet her appearance never changed. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse from behind her.

Azriel could see people a little bit behind her, all facing him, yet there were no heads on them… It was like someone or something tore them off.

They were all standing there wearing typical black military uniforms.

Strangely, Azriel didn’t feel anything gazing at them as his eyes met those of Lia again. As if it was a mere dream, he already forgot about those soldiers behind her.

She stretched her small, delicate hand in front of Azriel with a small smile on her face.

“Join us…”

“Brother.”

“We can be together again.”

“You, me, Mom and Dad—all of us again, a happy family.”

“All you have to do is accept me…”

“We will be together for all of eternity, I promise.”

Her voice was again the normal one he always remembered it to be. Slowly, he raised his right hand towards hers.

‘Can I really be with her again?’

‘Does that mean she forgives me…?’

‘If I joined her, would that mean we can be together again?’

‘As a family again? With Mom and Dad sitting at the same table, eating together?’

Hope started filling his broken heart as he raised his hand until it was mere inches from touching hers. For a second, he hesitated for some odd reason. He didn’t know why, but he felt something was odd. But…

In the end, he merely shook his head.

‘Right… she is my little sister. Of course, I should be with her.’

Saying that, he was about to grasp her small hand again. A small smile appeared on his face, but then…

She was gone.

The fog was gone.

Everything around him was suddenly gone.

The buildings, the debris, the abandoned cars, and the bodies of the four void wolves.

All of them were gone, consumed by the fog.

Appearing out of nowhere just to disappear the same way. The only thing left was Void Eater on the ground next to him, and in front of him, he could see the tall monument gazing down at him.

Realizing what had just happened, his heart trembled.

“Lia… no.”

“Please…”

“Don’t go…”