"What..." Victor was the first to break the silence, but his voice faltered, as if the words refused to come out. For a moment, they seemed stuck in his throat. He swallowed hard, staring at Sara with a look of confusion and growing disbelief: "Sara... what are you saying?"
A strained smile tugged at the corner of Victor's lips as he swallowed again, trying to keep his voice steady: "You must be confused, Sara... you've been in a coma for a long time" He looked away briefly, taking a deep breath: "Yeah, that must be it... I think you should rest for a bit, Sara"
Sara didn't respond to Victor's words. Instead, her gaze moved slowly, as if each motion took effort. Her eyes wavered between me and him until they finally settled on Victor.
The moment her bluish pupils locked onto him, a faint tremor ran through her body — barely noticeable, yet enough to reveal something. Victor seemed about to say something; his lips parted for a brief second, hesitant, before closing again, swallowing the words that never came.
Emily and Laura, who were standing just a few inches behind Victor, turned their eyes toward me. There was a quiet tension between us — in their eyes, a clear, almost desperate plea. They didn't need to say a word; that shared look was enough for me to understand. They wanted me to step in, to take control of the situation and try to calm Victor down before things got worse.
Either way, there was a lot I needed to ask... and even more to explain. Especially to Victor. How would he see me after what I was about to say? I didn't know. But regardless, I felt he had the right to know.
With all those thoughts swirling in my mind, I projected my voice directly into the consciousness of everyone present: (Sara... do you still have your memories? I mean... from when you lived as a human?)
My question made Victor lift his gaze toward Sara — his sister... or at least, what appeared to be her. For a brief moment, silence stretched out, heavy, as if the air itself had frozen. Then, a few seconds later, a response came — clear and eerily calm: "Perfectly. But is that really such an important factor?"
The instant "Sara's" words echoed back, Victor's eyes widened, filled with disbelief and shock. His lips trembled, shaping words that never formed. For a brief moment, time seemed to stop around him — the air thickened, sound faded — and Victor just froze, unable to move or even breathe properly.
Seeing his state, I sighed inwardly. In the end, maybe it was best to tell him what "Sara" truly was — what she had always been. I felt our conversations would go nowhere as long as that truth remained hidden. Every word "Sara" spoke only seemed to drag them deeper into confusion, as if each sentence added another knot to the tangled mess of doubts surrounding them.
(Before we go any further, I need to clarify something for you) My voice echoed softly in the minds of Emily, Victor, and Laura, making all three of them stop what they were doing. Only Emily and Laura turned to look at me — Victor stayed with his back turned, but I knew he was listening. After all, my words resonated directly inside his mind.
(Sara... she's my creation. A vessel I shaped to host one of the Virtues) I paused briefly, trying to organize the hazy memories surfacing in my mind: (I don't remember why she ended up becoming Victor's sister... but whatever happened, that's the reality now)
"That's it!..." As soon as Victor heard my words, he stood up and turned toward me. His eyes were filled with despair and uncertainty — a raw mix of fear and helplessness. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words came out. In silence, he bit his lip so hard that a thin line of blood trickled down, staining his chin red: "No... there's no way that's possible..." he murmured, his voice hoarse and barely audible, as if even he didn't believe what he was saying.
At that moment, seeing his reaction, I closed my mouth. I figured it would be better to let Victor process what I'd said before continuing. The silence that followed was thick, almost tangible, and for a few seconds, no one seemed to know what to do with it.
Then Laura broke the tension, tilting her head slightly, frowning: "Hmm... so, if I got this right... Victor's sister never actually existed?"
Victor flinched at Laura's words. His lips parted, as if desperately searching for a reply — but he pressed them shut before any sound could escape. For a moment, silence wrapped around him, heavy and dense, as he stood there listening to every word, unable to react.
Emily, standing beside Laura, raised her eyebrows slightly, curiosity clear in her eyes. Both of them turned to me — quiet, but clearly waiting for my answer. I took a deep breath and let my gaze rest on "Sara" observing her for a brief moment before projecting my thoughts into all their minds: (That's not exactly the case. It's true that the 'Sara' Victor knew until now was my creation — her personality, her behavior, every detail carefully shaped by me. But it's also true that she isn't any less real than anyone else. The only difference lies in her origin: from the very beginning, from the moment of her birth, she was made to be a vessel for one of the Virtues. Nothing more, nothing less)
I wasn't sure how they'd react to my answer. Emily and Laura still looked confused, exchanging uncertain glances — skeptical, maybe trying to figure out if I was serious. Victor, on the other hand, remained silent; his unsteady gaze showed he didn't know what to say... or maybe he was just too afraid to ask.
Watching "Sara" who still held that distant, indifferent look toward Victor, I let my thoughts slip out in a low tone: (She's still "Sara" The same sister you knew hasn't vanished — she's simply changed. Think of it as a fusion. The "Sara" you loved merged with a new personality, new values, and together they became something different... a new identity. It wasn't a replacement, but a union — a weaving of two essences now coexisting within the same being)
"Even if that's true! Do you really expect me to just... accept it?" Victor snapped, his voice louder and shakier than usual. A mix of disbelief and anger vibrated in every word.
Even if he asked me that, what could I possibly say? Some things simply are the way they are, without explanation. With that thought firmly in mind, my voice echoed again — calm, yet full of certainty: (That's just how it is. Like I said, the "Sara" you knew didn't die... she only changed)
"So that's it? I'm supposed to accept that my sister turned into... a freak?" Victor's voice came out cold, but there was a barely noticeable tension trembling through his words. He looked away for a moment before meeting my gaze again: "Tell me — how do I even know that what you're saying is true?"
Hearing Victor's words, I turned my eyes on him and met his gaze firmly. He stared back the same way. Neither of us seemed willing to back down. Seriously, why did he have to be so stubborn? Even after I'd explained that his sister hadn't really died — or ceased to exist — wasn't that enough? Why couldn't he be relieved, even a little? Sometimes, I really don't understand humans.
(Why do you look so angry?) I asked, my voice carrying a hint of accusation as I stared straight at him: (I already told you Sara didn't die, she didn't disappear. Isn't that enough? Why can't you just be happy about that?)
The moment the words left my lips, Victor's eyes widened, reflecting a mix of disbelief and restrained fury. His mouth opened as if he were about to respond right away, but he shut it tight, his jaw clenching hard.
His hand balled into a rigid fist, knuckles turning white — and then his voice exploded, rough and thunderous, like a bolt splitting the sky in the middle of a storm.
"Damn it! Are you stupid or what? How the hell am I supposed to accept that my sister turned into something else? You're so damn shallow you can't even grasp that with your messed-up, freakish head! Why the hell should I be happy knowing you ruined her life — and you don't even look the slightest bit sorry about it?" As Victor's voice echoed through the room, I noticed Emily and Laura had stepped back even farther. His outburst — something none of us had ever witnessed — had truly frightened them. To be honest, I wasn't much different. Before I realized it, I had also taken a few steps back.
Not out of fear — but sheer shock. That was the first time Victor had ever yelled at me, the first time he'd looked at me like that. Not even when he got the call from the hospital about his sister's condition had he looked at me with such a hard, heavy gaze.
I don't know what happened, but in that instant something inside me erupted — like a force that had been held back for too long finally breaking free. The words just burst out, spilling like an uncontrollable flood.
(I'm the stupid one? You're the idiot here, Victor!) Victor's eyes widened, clearly caught off guard by the sudden outburst: (I'm not human! How could you possibly expect me to understand your feelings? We're different, Victor — our values aren't the same! I'm immortal, you humans aren't! There's no way I could understand you... just like you could never truly understand an anomaly like me!)
The moment my words echoed through the air, I felt my body swallowed by darkness. Yet I hadn't left — I'd simply sunk, drifting just below the room, wrapped in the heavy silence that cut me off from everything. I didn't want to hear Victor. I didn't want to say another word. For now, even the sound of my own breathing felt like too much.
***
(POV — Victor Hale)
Victor still felt confused. It was strange — even though he knew the true culprit behind everything was the [Angel of Death], somehow he was the one who felt like the villain in this story. Why? Had he done something wrong? No... he was sure he hadn't. His actions were justified, his words were true. In the end, she was the one who had destroyed his life — and his sister's too.
As the group sat in silence after the anomaly's departure, Laura's voice finally broke through the heavy air: "Wow... that's the first time I've ever seen you two fight like that" She crossed her arms, looking at Victor with a mix of concern and disbelief: "You're like family. You shouldn't be treating each other that way, you know?"
Hearing her words, Victor raised an eyebrow, his expression tightening in confusion. He turned slowly toward her, as if he needed to make sure he'd heard correctly. His voice carried open disbelief when he finally replied.
"Family?" he repeated, almost mockingly: "What the hell are you talking about? I'm not an anomaly, Laura. How on earth could we possibly be family?"
Laura blinked slowly, as though she were gathering courage before speaking again. When she finally did, her words cut through him like a cold blade: "Is that so? Even though your sister is the [Angel of Death]'s sister... you two aren't family?"
Victor didn't respond. In truth, he didn't even know how — or if he should. His words died in his throat, swallowed by the silence that hung between them.
Laura spoke again, her voice breaking that uneasy quiet: "Wow... I wish I had that kind of connection with the [Angel of Death]"
Hearing her say that, a bitter smile crept across Victor's face. He tilted his head slightly, his narrowed eyes glinting with a mix of sarcasm and resentment as he replied, voice dripping with irony: "Oh, I get it... you mean you'd like to have a family member turned into a monster? My God, Laura... I'd love to see you in my place"
The room fell silent again — one of those heavy silences that seem to choke the air for a few long seconds. But soon it was broken by Emily's soft yet firm voice. She'd moved closer to "Sara" still seated on the bed, watching Victor and Laura's exchange.
"Even if that's true" she said, pausing briefly before continuing: "your sister is still alive. Assimilation and fusion don't necessarily mean one personality has erased the other... it just means they now coexist" A faint smile appeared on her lips: "You have no idea how lucky you are, Victor"